Video highlights from 2011 Pushups for Charity Challenge

First round of pushups!

Alex Robinson, Team Average Joe’s & Jane’s

Score: 84 pushups in 90 seconds
Awards: Top in Age Group; 4th Top Male Overall

Refine Fitness Trainers Colin McAuslan and Bill Myskow

on behalf of Team Average Joe’s and Jane’s
Colin’s score: 58 pushups
Bill’s score: 51 pushups

Refine Fitness Trainer Jody Miller

on behalf of Team Average Joe’s and Jane’s
Score: 74 pushups
Awards: Top Female Overall; Top in Age Group

Glute Bridge

Try this exercise out next time you are at the gym. Both variations look funny but are incredibly effective. Utilizing a partner is suggested for placement of the barbell. Also, I forgot to mention in the video, rotate your toes outward slightly to increase some glute activation. Great for posture and assisting in your squats and deadlifts.

Keep Training
-Colin

1st Annual Pushups for Charity Challenge a Huge Success

This past weekend, on Saturday, May 28, 2011, Refine Fitness Studio held their 1st Annual Pushups for Charity Challenge and it was a great success.

Created by Mike Bates of Refine Fitness Studio, a personal training studio and boot camp provider in Walkerville, Pushups for Charity is a fun way to get fit and make a difference by supporting the Windsor Regional Hospital Foundation’s Cornerstone for Caring Project.

The winning team was decided by taking the top 5 pushup scores from each team – with a high score of 433 pushups Windsor Police Services beat the Average Joe’s and Jane’s team with a score of 372 pushups.

The top 3 male scores were Greg Turner of WPS (97 pushups), Charles Sasso of WPS (90 pushups), and David Kellam of WPS (85 pushups). The top 3 female scores were Jody Miller of Refine Fitness Studio on the Average Joe’s and Jane’s team (74 pushups), Doris Hellenbart of Average Joe’s and Jane’s team (70 pushups) and Mel Cerman of Average Joe’s and Jane’s team (64 pushups).

While pledges are still being tallied, the approximate estimate of money raised will exceed the original fundraising goal of $10,000. Bates would like to recognize the fundraising efforts of Terry Berthiaume of ETR with $2555 in pledges, Fo Abiad of Windsor Textiles with a donation of $1500 and a donation from Windsor Family Credit Union of $500.

The breakdown of all age and gender award categories is as follows:

TOP MALE SCORES:
Top Male: Greg Turner of WPS (97 pushups)
Runner Up: Charles Sasso of WPS (90 pushups)
2nd Runner Up: David Kellam of WPS (85 pushups)

TOP FEMALE SCORES:
Top Female: Jody Miller of Average Joe’s and Jane’s / Refine Fitness (74 pushups)
Runner Up: Doris Hellenbart of Average Joe’s and Jane’s (70 pushups)
2nd Runner Up: Mel Cerman of Average Joe’s and Jane’s (64 pushups)

AGE CATEGORY WINNERS:
Aged 19 & Under: Alex Robinson of Average Joe’s and Jane’s (82 pushups)
Aged 20 – 24: Dave Paquin of Average Joe’s and Jane’s (68 pushups)
Aged 25 – 29: Charles Sasso of WPS (90 pushups)
Aged 30 – 34: Greg Turner of WPS (97 pushups)
Aged 35 – 39: Jody Miller of Average Joe’s and Jane’s (74 pushups)
Aged 40 – 44: Fo Abiad of Average Joe’s and Jane’s (58 pushups)
Aged 45 – 49: David Kellam of WPS (85 pushups)
Aged 50 – 54: Denise Deziel of Average Joe’s and Jane’s (55 pushups)
Aged 55 – 59: Terry Berthiaume of Average Joe’s and Jane’s (49 pushups)
Aged 60 – 64: Doris Hellenbart of Average Joe’s and Jane’s (70 pushups)

What an awesome day!

Although we lost to the Windsor Police Services (433 to 372), our Pushups for Charity Challenge was a great success! Look for final numbers and results to be announced on Monday.

A HUGE thank-you to top fundraisers Terry Berthiaume ($2400) & Fo Abiad ($1500)! Congrats to top male Greg Turner of WPS (97 pushups) & top female our own Jody Miller (74 pushups)! Thank you to all our sponsors: Vito’s Pizzeria, O’Maggio Kildare House, City Grille, Mazaar, Blackburn Radio, and Penalty Box!

Monday we will announce age category awards and top 3 male/female pushups scores and more importantly, total funds raised for Windsor Regional Hospital! In the meantime, watch for coverage of our event in the Windsor Star, on A Channel News, on Blackburn Radio and on CBC Radio.

Thank you to everyone who donated, sponsored our Average Joe’s and Jane’s team and everyone who came out today to cheer on all three teams.

Last, and certainly not least, thank you to Windsor Police Service and Windsor Fire & Rescue for their support of our event! We challenge you to a rematch next year!

Lots of videos and photos to come, stay tuned.

Cheers,

Sheila Blanken
Average Joe’s and Jane’s Team Captain
Marketing Assistant, Refine Fitness Studio

Crunches, situps can damage spine

If you have ever done a situp or an abdominal crunch you have put your spine into what is anatomically known as spinal flexion. This position is similar to the one you see in many people when they are hunched over their desks. This is a position and movement we want to limit as much as possible in our everyday activities and in our exercise routines.

We have learned a lot over the years about what exercises to do and which ones not to do. Situps have long been taken out of most exercise books for the stress they place on our spine. What most people don’t realize is that traditional abdominal crunches are following the same pattern out the door.

One of the world’s foremost experts on spine biomechanics is Dr. Stuart McGill, a professor at the University of Waterloo.

McGill (backfitpro.com) has made his career in the lab manipulating real spines and testing the spines of pigs that are long dead (or eaten by us). His research has consistently shown that situps and crunches place too much stress on the lower back to justify their use in an exercise program. The damage that is done is specifically to the discs of our spine.

While you will still see many people at your local gym doing crunches or even situps, the evidence is quite clear according to McGill. You only have so many bends in your spine over your lifetime. If you can replace these exercises with equally effective and less damaging movements why wouldn’t you do it?

What exercises would I do to replace these movements, you might ask? McGill suggests the following: planks, side planks, stir the pot, bird dog and bridges. If you are not familiar with these exercises you can view them on my blog at refinefitness.wordpress. com.

I would add squats, pushups and lateral pull downs to this list, but I would not dare replace McGill’s list. These would simply be added to the repertoire as great secondary exercises for the core. While my exercises clearly emphasize other muscle groups, they are also great core exercises when done properly.

As with any discipline out there, what we once thought made sense has been proven not only ineffective but dangerous by someone who spends his time studying what we long took as common wisdom. One of the things I love about McGill is he spends a lot of his time speaking to fitness professionals and educating them about his findings.

Trainer Andree helps you prepare for our May 28th Pushups for Charity Challenge

Have you been practicing your pushups? With our Pushups for Charity Challenge being just around the corner I hope you are all geared up and ready to perform! That morning, make sure you are well hydrated, well rested and also properly fueled to take that challenge.

But what should you eat before? I know you are not running a marathon but make sure you have a pre-workout snack before you take part in this event. A lot of people don’t realize the importance of eating a snack before and after a workout.

If you come in on an empty stomach, you might find yourself lacking energy and endurance to be at your very best. You wouldn’t want to be nauseous or light headed. Before any workout you want to make sure you have carbohydrates and protein. Carbohydrates are what fuel your body. You will need them to have energy during your workout and also to replace any glycogen lost throughout the workout. Protein is necessary to rebuild your muscles after your workout as you will have caused some micro-tears in your muscles. The rule is consume more carbs before your performance and more protein after your performance!

Here are a few ideas for a pre-workout snack: an apple and almonds, a kamut bread toast with 1 tbsp of almond butter, or a banana with a yogurt.

I like eating a granola bar before my workouts – ones that have nuts and seeds and very few processed ingredients. Below you will find a recipe for a healthy granola bar. You might find it hard to resist eating a few servings but make you are not too full to do your pushups 😉

Cinnamon Almond Raisin Flax Granola

Preparation time: 15-20 minutes
Servings: lots

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups rolled oats (not instant)
1/3 cup almonds (preferably chopped or slivered)
1/3-1/2 cup agave nectar
1/3 cup flax seeds
2-3 teaspoons cinnamon
3 tablespoon wheat germ, optional
1/2 cup raisins

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Combine all ingredients except raisins.
2. Spread evenly onto a large baking sheet.
3. Bake for 15 minutes, stirring mixture every 5 minutes.

Staying fit not easy for me either

One of the things I love about my job is that I get to exercise all day long and not have to worry about getting any “real work” done. I can’t imagine having a job where I actually had to accomplish something throughout the day. I just don’t know what I would do if I had a real job.

Sorry, I can only hide my sarcasm for so long. The above thought process is one of those things I hear from people. They say that it’s easy for me to make exercise a priority because it is what I do for a living. I agree, people that work in fitness have less excuses than you do but so do hundreds of thousands of other people who simply make the decision to put off exercise for something else that is more important.

Yes, exercise is part of my job and I take that very seriously. There are times after working a 12-14-hour day that I don’t feel like exercising but I do it anyway because I do treat it like it’s part of my job. It’s not an option. There are also times when I rearrange my schedule to fit in a workout because it’s that important. Most personal trainers work early mornings (starting at 5 or 5: 30 a.m.), often times finish at 8 p.m. and they do this six days a week. Believe me, there are times when exercise is not at the top of the list of desired activities but we still get it done.

I would also add that personal trainers can’t just be in OK shape. We need to be an example for others and if not, people notice.

The bottom line is that we all have choices to make. Personally, I made a decision to leave a good paying, secure office job to do what I love doing and to help people overcome their obstacles (I like to call them excuses sometimes).

I absolutely love what I do but I made a huge financial sacrifice to do it and many personal trainers make the same sacrifice every day. We are not in this business to get rich. We do it because we believe in this lifestyle and want to work with people that have the same desire to change.

Yes, it’s easier for us to stay fit and healthy but this is a choice we make. What choices are you making about your health and well being? You may not have to change your career but you will have to say no to some things and readjust some of your priorities. If you make this decision, I guarantee you that you will feel great and never regret it.

Trainer Kristy Helps You Prepare for our May 28th Pushups for Charity Challenge

Watch Kristy as she demonstrates 5 upper body exercises that you can do to improve your strength and improve your pushup performance as part of your normal workout routine or in preparation for our May 28th Pushups for Charity Challenge.

Want to join our Pushups for Charity team?
Or donate? Or just get more information?
Check out our website
www.PushupsForCharityWindsor.com

Welcome to our NEW blog

Well, after a couple long days of hard work, our Marketing Assistant Sheila has successfully moved our blog to WordPress (crowd cheering and whistling).

WordPress is a better layout and much easier for everyone to navigate – notice all our new categories, tags, archives and more. And yes, all of our old posts, videos and articles are still here to browse (including your comments).

So check it out and let us know what you think.

We’re excited for more positive growth and change with our blog to come!

Mike

Exercising injured can be disastrous

On a weekly basis, clients ask me what to do if their shoulder bothers them when they raise their hands over their head or if their knees hurt when they do a squat. My clients don’t always like my answer, but it is directly related to a personal trainer’s scope of practice.

A “scope of practice” is what a given professional (personal trainer in this example) is trained to do based on their education and certifications.

In the case of personal trainers, we are not formally trained to assess clients with injuries. This is just one of the critical differences between a personal trainer and a physiotherapist, chiropractor or athletic therapist. These health care professionals have extensive education and experience working with and assessing people with injuries.

Whenever a client complains of an ache or pain I always ask a few keys questions to find out if it’s related to change in their exercise program. If the pain is not related to normal exercise soreness, then I will usually tell them to talk to one of the health care experts above.

Often times clients will selfdiagnose what they think the pain is related to. Whenever this happens, I ask them if there has been a formal diagnosis. If there is, then I may well be able to prescribe some exercises, but often times I will ask to talk to their health care provider to find out about any specific recommendations or limitations.

Exercising with an injury is a recipe for disaster. If you don’t know what the injury is, you also don’t know what exercises may be making the condition worse. Many injuries can be diagnosed by a health care professional using some very simple tests that can be done in the clinic. More severe cases may need further testing that you’re family doctor can prescribe. This may mean adjusting your exercise program a bit. I will say that my favourite family doctors and health care professionals will allow you to exercise with some modifications. While this is not always possible, in my experience exercise is too often put to the side while a diagnosis is being made. It is within your right to ask these experts how you can continue to exercise.

Personal trainers are not qualified to assess injuries. This is a very simple yet important limitation that we must work within. Once we know what the injury is we can then assist in designing or modifying the client’s exercise program. We do not do this on our own but in co-operation with a health care professional.

If you have been exercising with an injury or an ache I strongly suggest you get it looked at or diagnosed. You will feel a lot better in the longrun knowing what it is that has been bothering you.