You know, it certainly appears like not much happens on this site. And it doesn't. All the good stuff happens in our Facebook group. If you want to see what's going on, go here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/billsclasses/ It's a secure site, so you will need to request access.
More importantly though, I'm now streaming the classes live online. Go to the CST-X Live! link above during class time to join us. You will need to get a password from me.
Class will be broadcast in real time for my traveling students. I "might" consider running an online class...we'll see. For now, it's just for my students...
Enjoy!
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Marathon Madness
Well, after my marathon, we had another on Sunday. Four people completed a 13.1 and three people completed a 26.2. the following is what I posted in our Facebook group:I seem to have spread marathon fever throughout the ranks of our awesome group! Clearly Sunday was super AWESOME! Everyone that set out to run did way more than they thought! Everyone completed the 13.1, and three people completed the 26.2. My phone has been buzzing and making all sorts of racket with folks wanting to try a half...folks wanting to do it again...and/or folks wanting to run a full. So I got to thinking...
What if we had a monthly marathon (and half marathon) every month? Mallin’s Monthly Marathon Madness. I’d think we’d have enough people volunteer to support us. Either bikes or rest stops. The bikes were nice for the runners, but I don’t know that we need them...just having folks set up every four miles or so would be awesome. We could all pitch in for drinks, snacks, etc. I’d keep providing the stickers for folks completing their first half and full.
I have a few goals in mind...
- I’d like to see everyone in this group complete a full marathon by the end of the year...especially the folks I train!
- If you’re body won’t let you do it (bad knees, whatever), I’d like to see you support at least one of the events.
- I’d like to see how many people could do a “12 in 12” (I just came up with that)...12 marathons in 12 months...either halfs or full or a combination of both.
- I’d like some of the ultra badasses (you know who you are) to do an ultra with me...at least 50 miles by spring of next year.
And for anyone thinking they cannot do it...you need to speak to one of the many who killed it today!
I particularly like the 12 in 12 idea for some reason. It has a nice ring to it.
Stay tuned...
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Mallin's Monday Memorial Marathon (Quadruple M!)
Welcome to the first annual Mallin's Monday Memorial Marathon. I've been planning this for a very long time--about 20 minutes now.
The run leaves from Memorial Park (see how the Memorial theme is playing out?) at 7:30 AM on Monday morning.
There is no planned route--we'll just run. I have a watch with a GPS; I'll put us back at the parking lot at 26.2 miles...or so.
There will be no support--bring a credit card or cash to buy drinks at convenience stores.
Since the entry fee is free, there will not be any trophies or fancy T-shirts. But, I will buy 26.2 stickers for the back of your car should you complete all 26.2 miles.
The meeting spot will be where we usually meet for trail running. Click Trail Running (up there in the top navigation) to see the map for where to park at Memorial Park.
There is a total of 1 person officially registered (including me), so sign up quickly to guarantee your spot in the first annual Quadruple M!
If you have any questions, let me know!
UPDATE:
There were two of us that did it...Alyson and me. Here's the route and all the data: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/89063342.
It seems a lot of folks are interested in completing a marathon...
Stay tuned... :-)
The run leaves from Memorial Park (see how the Memorial theme is playing out?) at 7:30 AM on Monday morning.
There is no planned route--we'll just run. I have a watch with a GPS; I'll put us back at the parking lot at 26.2 miles...or so.
There will be no support--bring a credit card or cash to buy drinks at convenience stores.
Since the entry fee is free, there will not be any trophies or fancy T-shirts. But, I will buy 26.2 stickers for the back of your car should you complete all 26.2 miles.
The meeting spot will be where we usually meet for trail running. Click Trail Running (up there in the top navigation) to see the map for where to park at Memorial Park.
There is a total of 1 person officially registered (including me), so sign up quickly to guarantee your spot in the first annual Quadruple M!
If you have any questions, let me know!
UPDATE:
There were two of us that did it...Alyson and me. Here's the route and all the data: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/89063342.
It seems a lot of folks are interested in completing a marathon...
Stay tuned... :-)
Saturday, May 7, 2011
Running Schedule...
So tomorrow we run! I don't usually post up about the running schedule, but tomorrow we're going to go for between 18 and 20 miles. There are three upcoming 30K races I want to do, so we might as well start building up the mileage. Here's a link to those races: http://www.tejastrails.com/CaptKarl.html.
Last week we got 14.6 miles under our belt, but we ran out of time to hit the 30K (18.64 miles) mark. That data is here: http://connect.garmin.com/activity/82840924.
So we'll try it again tomorrow at 6:15...well, I get there at 6:15 to do a 3-mile warm-up lap at the "fox trot"--the other side of Memorial where the pretty people run--you're welcome to join me for that if you like...if not, I will be back at my truck at 7:00 to meet you for the trail run.
Yes, there will be dropout points during the run...every 3-5 miles for those wanting to run shorter distances.
Bring water and food if you plan on running more than 5 miles. We'll swing by the cars as "rest stops" to refuel. You can certainly run less and dropout at anytime.
See u tomorrow AM. And, I'll also have the CST-X shirts! :-)
 |
| Sunday's 14.6 mile route |
So we'll try it again tomorrow at 6:15...well, I get there at 6:15 to do a 3-mile warm-up lap at the "fox trot"--the other side of Memorial where the pretty people run--you're welcome to join me for that if you like...if not, I will be back at my truck at 7:00 to meet you for the trail run.
Yes, there will be dropout points during the run...every 3-5 miles for those wanting to run shorter distances.
Bring water and food if you plan on running more than 5 miles. We'll swing by the cars as "rest stops" to refuel. You can certainly run less and dropout at anytime.
See u tomorrow AM. And, I'll also have the CST-X shirts! :-)
Friday, February 18, 2011
High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
Yesterday I ran the stairs at Spotts Park. My goal was to push myself hard enough running up and down the stairs to get my HR up around 180 bpm and then walk around until my HR dropped to around 135 bpm. My HR graph from this High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) session looks very similar to the graphs of the athletes in Bill's classes. Check out my HR graph. http://connect.garmin.com/activity/68330803. Do NOT look at the calorie count—it is way off because my watch doesn’t calculate calories burned based on HR (I need to get a new HR monitor).
HIIT is a very effective form of cardiovascular exercise because it burns a large amount of calories during the training session. HIIT also burns fat in a short and intense workout. Your body responds to this form of intense training by increasing growth hormone levels which preserve and build muscle. In addition, your metabolism will be elevated for the remainder of the day, which leads to even more calories being burned.
Steady state, lower intensity cardio, is when your HR is maintained at around 130 bpm. There are benefits to both types of training, but in general lower intensity cardio workouts are less effective than HIIT because the only calories you burn are while you are exercising. After the exercising is over, your metabolism returns to normal. In addition, your body does not produce a hormonal response to lower intensity cardio. That means if you use this form of cardio to burn calories, you are less likely to preserve all the muscle that you have.
A good example of the types of athletes that participate in HIIT cardio on a regular basis are sprinters. On the other hand, athletes that use lower intensity, steady state cardio are marathon runners or long distance cyclists. There is a huge difference in the physiques of sprinters and marathon runners. Sprinters have larger muscles, definition between their muscles, and a lower body fat percentage. Marathon runners have very little muscle on their frames, less muscle definition, and a higher body fat percentage.
Anytime you are performing a cardio workout, get the most out of your workout by following a HIIT scheme. You can do this on any piece of cardio equipment that you like. Just push yourself until your HR gets up to 180bpm and then slow down until your HR drops to 135 bpm. Repeat this cycle until you reach your goal of 35 minutes.
If you are interested in participating in HIIT, join me on Thursday mornings at Spotts Park at 5:30 AM. I hope to see you guys there!
Robert.
HIIT is a very effective form of cardiovascular exercise because it burns a large amount of calories during the training session. HIIT also burns fat in a short and intense workout. Your body responds to this form of intense training by increasing growth hormone levels which preserve and build muscle. In addition, your metabolism will be elevated for the remainder of the day, which leads to even more calories being burned.
Steady state, lower intensity cardio, is when your HR is maintained at around 130 bpm. There are benefits to both types of training, but in general lower intensity cardio workouts are less effective than HIIT because the only calories you burn are while you are exercising. After the exercising is over, your metabolism returns to normal. In addition, your body does not produce a hormonal response to lower intensity cardio. That means if you use this form of cardio to burn calories, you are less likely to preserve all the muscle that you have.
A good example of the types of athletes that participate in HIIT cardio on a regular basis are sprinters. On the other hand, athletes that use lower intensity, steady state cardio are marathon runners or long distance cyclists. There is a huge difference in the physiques of sprinters and marathon runners. Sprinters have larger muscles, definition between their muscles, and a lower body fat percentage. Marathon runners have very little muscle on their frames, less muscle definition, and a higher body fat percentage.
Anytime you are performing a cardio workout, get the most out of your workout by following a HIIT scheme. You can do this on any piece of cardio equipment that you like. Just push yourself until your HR gets up to 180bpm and then slow down until your HR drops to 135 bpm. Repeat this cycle until you reach your goal of 35 minutes.
If you are interested in participating in HIIT, join me on Thursday mornings at Spotts Park at 5:30 AM. I hope to see you guys there!
Robert.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Diet and Exercise Expectations
So I’ve heard some discussion lately about leg size in relation to working out in Bill’s class. This made me think that it would be very helpful for all of the participants to know what they can expect to achieve by attending Bill’s class. The following is an explanation of some of the key topics surrounding diet and exercise:
Weight loss is the main focus of the majority of the people that begin a workout routine. Weight loss occurs when you use more calories during your daily activities than you consume during the day by eating and drinking. A quick example: a woman’s Basal Metabolic Rate, BMR, is 2200 calories per day and she participates in Bill’s class in the morning and burns 500 calories which means she uses 2700calories during the day. This same woman eats 2000 calories worth of food this same day. This adds up to her burning 700 more calories during this day than she consumed. This is called a caloric deficit. The energy needed to burn these extra calories came from what was already in the woman’s body at the beginning of the day. Once this woman has experienced a caloric deficit that adds up to 3500 calories over consecutive days, she will have lost about a pound of excess body weight. This seems like a very simple relationship, you eat fewer calories than you burn during a day and you will lose weight. It is true that you will lose weight but depending on the types of food you consume, the weight you lose will be a combination of muscle and fat—not just fat. Consuming a sufficient amount of protein during the day will ward off the loss of muscle while dieting.
While you are experiencing a caloric deficit and losing weight, you will not be able to make your muscles grow and your main goal in addition to losing fat is to hold on to all muscle that you have. The amount of muscle that you have on your body is the determining factor in how many calories you burn each day while at rest, your BMR. So if you lose muscle and fat at the same time, it makes it harder to keep that weight off because your BMR will have decreased and you will have to eat less food to maintain your weight.
After reading the information in the last paragraph we can now explain the initial comments about leg size and participating in Bill’s classes. If you are eating fewer calories than your body uses your muscles will not be growing, but hopefully you will hold on to the muscle you have and shed the fat that is on top of the muscle resulting in an overall smaller/leaner leg. This same concept of shedding fat and preserving muscle applies to the rest of your body as well. The fat that you lose will start at your extremities and work its way to your thighs and stomach.
A quick side note about muscle size and working out in Bill's class: during the first few weeks of participating in the class, your muscles will become firmer and slightly larger because they will be filled with more blood and nutrients while attempting to repair themselves due to the increased stimulation. This size increase will not continue as long as you are keeping your diet in check. Also, an immediate result of participating in Bill’s class is that the muscles worked during the class will be swollen for a few hours after the class is over. The term for this is ‘muscle pump’. The pump occurs because your body is delivering needed nutrients and blood to the recently stimulated muscles. Because the muscles you worked in class will be swollen for a few hours after class, this is not the time to try to fit into tight clothing. In fact I have mistakenly overlooked this fact in the hours following a leg workout and actually torn a pair of my favorite jeans.
Keep up the hard work and be sure you take both exercise and diet into account when working to achieve your fitness goals!
Robert
Weight loss is the main focus of the majority of the people that begin a workout routine. Weight loss occurs when you use more calories during your daily activities than you consume during the day by eating and drinking. A quick example: a woman’s Basal Metabolic Rate, BMR, is 2200 calories per day and she participates in Bill’s class in the morning and burns 500 calories which means she uses 2700calories during the day. This same woman eats 2000 calories worth of food this same day. This adds up to her burning 700 more calories during this day than she consumed. This is called a caloric deficit. The energy needed to burn these extra calories came from what was already in the woman’s body at the beginning of the day. Once this woman has experienced a caloric deficit that adds up to 3500 calories over consecutive days, she will have lost about a pound of excess body weight. This seems like a very simple relationship, you eat fewer calories than you burn during a day and you will lose weight. It is true that you will lose weight but depending on the types of food you consume, the weight you lose will be a combination of muscle and fat—not just fat. Consuming a sufficient amount of protein during the day will ward off the loss of muscle while dieting.
While you are experiencing a caloric deficit and losing weight, you will not be able to make your muscles grow and your main goal in addition to losing fat is to hold on to all muscle that you have. The amount of muscle that you have on your body is the determining factor in how many calories you burn each day while at rest, your BMR. So if you lose muscle and fat at the same time, it makes it harder to keep that weight off because your BMR will have decreased and you will have to eat less food to maintain your weight.
After reading the information in the last paragraph we can now explain the initial comments about leg size and participating in Bill’s classes. If you are eating fewer calories than your body uses your muscles will not be growing, but hopefully you will hold on to the muscle you have and shed the fat that is on top of the muscle resulting in an overall smaller/leaner leg. This same concept of shedding fat and preserving muscle applies to the rest of your body as well. The fat that you lose will start at your extremities and work its way to your thighs and stomach.
A quick side note about muscle size and working out in Bill's class: during the first few weeks of participating in the class, your muscles will become firmer and slightly larger because they will be filled with more blood and nutrients while attempting to repair themselves due to the increased stimulation. This size increase will not continue as long as you are keeping your diet in check. Also, an immediate result of participating in Bill’s class is that the muscles worked during the class will be swollen for a few hours after the class is over. The term for this is ‘muscle pump’. The pump occurs because your body is delivering needed nutrients and blood to the recently stimulated muscles. Because the muscles you worked in class will be swollen for a few hours after class, this is not the time to try to fit into tight clothing. In fact I have mistakenly overlooked this fact in the hours following a leg workout and actually torn a pair of my favorite jeans.
Keep up the hard work and be sure you take both exercise and diet into account when working to achieve your fitness goals!
Robert
Guidelines for Eating Out
One of the easiest ways to derail your fat loss efforts is choosing less than ideal foods to eat when eating out at a restaurant. If you keep these few criteria in mind while choosing what to order you will have no problems eating a sensible meal when dining out.
Have fun!
Robert
- If you are ordering a salad, be sure to get a low fat or fat free dressing. Ideally you would request this salad dressing on the side of the salad so that you can use only as much as you want. Excess salad dressing will add unnecessary calories to the meal.
- Include protein with every meal that you eat
- Make sure this protein is baked or grilled, not fried or breaded
- Stay away from any buttery or creamy sauces that restaurants like to top meats with
- When choosing what carbohydrate to eat, again pick ones that are low in fat and not topped or made with butter or creamy sauces. Grilled vegetables are a great choice since they are low in calories, high in fiber and quite filling.
Have fun!
Robert
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