HardCorpTraining

Training Tips for the Fight for Air Climb

2011-01-28T12:30:00.007-05:00

Training Tips for the Fight for Air Climb on March 19^th

These training tips are brought to you by Joshua Berthold. Joshua runs his own personal training business in the Wexford Area called Hard Corp Training. Josh had spent eight years as a US Marine and served in combat areas in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also trained Marines and Foreign Militaries for the rigors of combat in infantry tactics and physical fitness and now enjoys working with people on weight loss, general fitness goals, and athletic strength and conditioning. Check him out at www.HardCorpTraining.com.

So we have less than two months till the Fight for Air Climb, but have no fear as that is plenty of time! I think it goes without saying that the best way to train for a stair climb is to……….climb steps! So first and foremost you have to find a good location to train. You can do it before, after, or during your lunch break in the building you work in. This would be a great way to get others asking about what you are doing and interested in the Stair Climb!

Any man, woman, or child can benefit from stair climbing as a conditioning method! Remember, the key to getting in shape, or better shape, is to constantly progress! You don’t have to kill yourself each and every week…just continue to increase the number of flights you climb, reduce the amount of time you rest between each set, or add weight! Here is an example of a stair climb workout:

1. Warm up- walk slowly up the steps for about 5 minutes

2. Jog up the steps at about ½ speed for 10 flights, skipping every other step (about 1 min), rest for 2 mins

3. Sprint up the steps at full speed for 10 flights (about 30 secs), skipping every other step, rest for 2-3 mins

4. Repeat 2

5. Repeat 3

6. Climb 20 flights as fast as possible until finished. If you don’t have 20 flights, then just throw in some Jumping Jacks or jogging in place before you start to climb so that you are working for more than 5 minutes continuous and this will help increase your endurance.

Keep in mind that this is designed for a beginner and you can increase or decrease based on your fitness level.

Use this example as a workout and just keep increasing the amount of times you perform it, or decrease your rest period. Adding dumbbells to the equation will certainly make it a lot harder as you are climbing with more weight. The easiest way to make yourself faster on race day is to move less weight, or simply to weigh less, but you will see yourself losing weight as you continue to train if you follow good eating habits.

Even though climbing steps is the best way to train there are other ways if you do not have access to steps during your off time. One thing I do with my clients is to have them perform “up and overs” on an aerobic step, bench, or chair. Basically all you want to do is put one foot up on the step; jump up and over by pushing off the leg that is up on the step, finishing with the other leg up on the step. The best way to progress with this is to increase the height of the step or bench, increase the number of reps or time that you perform, or decrease the amount of rest time between each set.

Up and Over Training Workout – Keep in mind that this is designed for a beginner and you can change it as needed based on your fitness level

Progression example of increasing number of sets for 1 week with 3 training days

1. 6 sets of 1 min with 2 min rest between

2. 8 sets of 1 min with 2 min rest between

3. 10 sets of 1 min with 2 min rest between / 5 min continuous

Progression example of increasing time and decreasing rest period for a week with 3 training days

1. 8 sets of 1min with 2 min rest between

2. 8 sets of 1:30 with 2 min rest between

3. 8 sets of 1:30 with 1:30 rest between / 5 min continuous

Keep in mind that as the weeks go on make sure you document what you did and just keep progressing! Try at the end of each week to do one longer set, 5 minutes or more to try and boost your endurance, making sure you increase the time of that “run” each week.

Feel free to experiment with these workouts and different ways of climbing, like hopping up every step or every other step or “walking” up the steps by lunging every other step, as one of the keys to training is to keep the body guessing. If you have any other questions about training, strengthening, or good eating habits feel free to contact me at info@hardcorptraining.com

Check out this Youtube video I have posted on my website on how to do step ups at home to increase your strength and endurance in the muscles involved with stair climbing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jTR_Jhqmhs

Hope to see you all at the Stair Climb!

GET LEAN! GET STRONG! GET HARD CORP!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-06T07:50:00.002-05:00

Happy 2011 to all of you!

So.....lets talk about New Year's Resolutions:) Mine is to write here in my blog more and spend more time on encouraging my clients and providing them with motivation and education to ensure their success!!

Today is the first of many blog posts coming your way so that I keep my New Year's Resolution! Now I need your help....post your fitness related resolutions here on the comments section of this blog and own them out loud!

First I want to fill you in on what is going on with Hard Corp Training!

1) New Bootcamp style class being held at Pure Athletex in Wexford (formerly Windwood) the class is being held every Saturday @ 11am. Updates or cancellations will be posted on my website. Cost is $10 per class or $5 when you bring a friend!

2) New flavor of Protein Bar! Inspired by the autumn season and Thanksgiving, I created the Pumpkin Raisin bar. Cost is still $3.50 per bar or 6 for $21.

3) I have began a new page on my website called Exercises! in which I have broken down as many exercises as I could and listed them by body part! All you have to do is click on the exercise and it will take you to a linked video in which I show you how to properly perform it as well as some modifications! Check it out...but keep in mind that it's a slow and steady process to film, upload, and link all of those videos, so please be patient with me:)

So here is the good stuff!!! Three things you can do to help you lose weight in 2011!

1) Replace anything you drink with water!!

Anything you drink that contains more than 0 Calories is just wasted and empty calories because of the amount of sugar, and thus carbs, that drinks contain! Put down the glass of OJ and pick up an orange! There is sugar added to the OJ for taste, plus your body burns more calories internally processing the vitamins and nutrients found in the orange. Also, the orange gives you more of that "full" feeling, instead of just drinking the OJ but not really having anything in your belly. Water is our life blood! Diet pops contain so many artificial sweeteners and chemicals that we still don't know all of the effects they cause! Plus, if you are increasing your training regiment or starting a new one, then you will need the water to replace the sweat and remain hydrated! You can never go wrong with good old fashioned water.

2)Get off the Treadmill and into the Weights!

Most people who begin a weight loss program think that the fastest most effective way to lose weight is to walk, jog, and run! While jogging and running are one of the most effective ways to burn calories while you are doing it....it's not always the wisest choice! First off I have to say that anyone, especially this time of year, who begins a weight loss program, does a couple of things! They typically also start a diet, and they begin exercising, or exercising more. They have just done the two most important things that cause weight loss- Take in fewer calories (eat less) - Burn more calories (exercise more) This is why ANY type of exercise or diet you perform out there will work! for a while........but when it comes to keeping them up...we want to pick the smartest and most effective diet and exercise plan.

Running- You need to be in shape to run, not run to be in shape! I liken someone who is overweight and de-conditioned who goes out to run to a contractor who tries to build a house on a beach with no foundation! It may be ok to begin with but the longer you do it or the more stress you put on it........It will break! Pretty soon you have to run farther to burn the same amount of calories you used to burn! Without a good, strong "foundation" your body will get injured!

Resistance Training- This allows you to target specific muscles and muscle groups! So...the weakest points of your body can be fixed and strengthened so as not to allow your body to break! With running there are no corrections being made to weak areas...you are actually providing stress to those areas! With weight and resistance training you can progress simply by adding a few more pounds each week or every other week....that causes you to increase your workload, therefore burning more calories.

I am not saying to never run!!! I am simply saying to make sure you talk to a fitness professional to target weak muscles and strengthen all of them through resistance training before you go out and injure yourself running on a weak frame...and kill your weight loss goals!

3) Change your lifestyle!!!

While you can lose weight by dieting and starting an exercise program, you won't keep the weight off unless you make lifestyle changes! This very simply means to adopt eating habits that will provide success and health for the rest of your life! Sure eating a diet of chicken and broccoli 5x a day will help you lose weight,but are you honestly going to do that forever? Hell no! So educating yourself on what foods are high in protein and low in carbs will give you a much better arsenal of weapons to choose from to ensure your success.

Become a more active person. Involve your kids, your spouse, your significant other, or join a group for help, support, and to share in your fitness goals. Make small changes by parking farther away from buildings, taking the steps instead of the elevator, performing exercises during commercial breaks of your favorite shows.

Above all make sure you hold yourself accountable by seeking help from a Fitness Professional! They will help motivate you, keep you accountable, be able to see and target weak areas, and make it fun for you!

Genesis!!! THEE greatest supplement I've found out there!

2010-07-19T21:24:00.002-04:00

Genesis!!

www.symmetrydirect.com/jberthold

This product by a company called Symmetry is THEE greatest supplement containing Resveratrol and Ellagitannins and helps Increase Energy, Combats Diseases, contains Anti-Aging Properties, Rejuvenates and Protects, and Reproduces Healthy Cells!

Investigative research has shown that Resveratrol
~Decreases blood glucose levels! Which is great for diabetics like me!
~improves lifespan
~promotes healthier heart and liver tissue
~promotes better motor function
~slows traits of aging

The Phytochemical Compounds in Pomegranates (Ellagitannins) have also been shown to
~Benefit heart and blood vessels by lowering cholesterol, blood pressure and increase the speed at which artery blockages dissolve
~stimulate serotonin and estrogen receptors
~improve symptoms of depression and bone mass
~impede breast, prostrate, colon cancer and leukemia
~prevent vascular changes that promote tumor growth in lab animals

Genesis provides all of this and so much more!!!

For more information on the benefits of Genesis and the other products offered by Symmetry go to
www.symmetrydirect.com/jberthold

It is totally worth every penny I paid for it!! Let me know what you think of this product once you have tried it!!!!!

Gotta vent about some things!!!

2010-07-08T11:04:00.003-04:00

Hello All!!!

I know it's been a while since I have posted on here and I am sorry for that! I promise there will be more to come....beginning with this post in which I need to vent about some things I have seen going on recently!

So this begins with a movie that I saw last week....Grown Ups! It was a great movie, very funny, but it brought up a few things that have been pissing me off! When did kids get so scared of going outside?! Most of the training that I do is called GPP, or General Physical Preparedness. What the heck is that? Basically it's going back to the games and movements we used to play and perform as children. Pushing a wheelbarrow, playing any and every sport that we knew and ones that we made up! In the movie you see some of the kids sitting around playing PlayStation3, texting on their phone, watching STUPID reality television shows, and basically staying inside their cushy house with all of their entertainment being handed to them on a silver platter! I say GET YOUR CHILDREN UP AND GET THEM OUTSIDE!!! Want your child to be a better hockey, football, baseball, basketball or lacrosse player? Get them outside climbing, running, practicing, and increasing their cardio endurance! It's that simple....you just have to do it!

The second thing I need to vent about stems directly from the first. If we are allowing our children to be lazy....maybe it's because we have become lazy ourselves. I was at Costco the other day and watched as so many people pushed their huge shopping carts full of crappy food out to their cars. That doesn't really bother me! What does bother me is the amount of people who just took their shopping cart and pushed it onto the sidewalk right by their car! Really! You can't take the extra 30 seconds and 50 steps to take it back to the store, or even to the closest cart return in the parking lot?! Now that is lazy! I watched a man push a cart into the grass 10 feet from his car....when only 30 feet away was a young man collecting a whole line of carts to push into the store. People wonder why they are not losing weight or feeling good about themselves or are out of shape. I can tell them why! Here's a few hints. Take the steps instead of the elevator....walk your shopping cart back to the store....park and walk into the bank, pharmacy, cleaners, etc. instead of using the drive thru.....get yourself and your kids up off the couch and away from the tv and take them outside...for your good and theirs!!!! Stop buying every fast acting weight loss supplement you see on tv and EAT RIGHT!

I have some of my younger clients ask me what I think about this supplement or that one. I tell them......when I was diagnosed with diabetes 2 years ago I weighed 168lbs. Within 2 months I gained 32lbs and have stayed around that weight ever since. I did this without taking a SINGLE supplement! Not even a protein powder!!!! All I was eating was good carbs, low fat animals such as turkey, chicken and fish, and lots of veggies and fruit! There is a natural way to achieve the results you want, whether it be weight loss, weight gain, renewed health, or to excel at a particular sport, but don't forget that it does take some hard work!

So think about ways you can increase your fitness activity in small ways throughout your day, get you and your kids up off the couch and go outside and play, and stay away from those "quick unnatural fixes" you find on tv and eat naturally, and you will find that your goals are easier to achieve! Stop being so freaking lazy in your everyday life!!!

One final thing....did you know that when you exercise your body produces a natural fluid called synovial fluid which naturally lubricates your joints. So......in alot of cases....it's lack of movement that can cause pain and inflammation in your joints because of the lack of lubrication!

Yours in Fitness,
Joshua Berthold

Friday's workout!!!

2010-02-26T13:02:00.004-05:00

Hey all!!!

Here's today's workout! Sarah and I did a Hard Corp workout today that really will kick your ass! I finally have a video of what we do! It's the craziest thing......i went out yesterday and bought one of those memory cards for my digital camera. I loaded that bad boy into my camera and wouldn't you believe it but i have 25 mins of video footage now!!! It's the greatest thing...so i'll be posting alot of workouts on here for you guys to watch and follow and learn and get inspired!!!

So click on here to see our workout today!!!

http://www.youtube.com/HardCorpTrainer

Get Lean. Get Strong. Get Hard Corp.

Josh

Don't forget to join our team for the Fight For Air Climb on March 6th!!!

Don't Have Much Time?!?!

2010-02-24T17:15:00.004-05:00

Hey all!

I am just about to head out to train my last guy of the day but wanted to tell you about a Hard Corp workout I did today!! I had a guy cancel this morning so I found myself with an opportunity to do a really quick workout....I wanted to do something that would be good for the cardio as I have the Fight For Air Climb coming up in about 10 days but I have to incorporate the weights...so here's what I did!

Dead Lifts with 135lbs
Regular bodyweight pushups
Wide grip pullups

Doesn't seem like much but here's where the ass kicking begins!

I did 20 Dead lifts....then 20 pushups......then 10 pullups
rested for about a minute
Then.....19 dead lifts......19 pushups.....then 9 pullups

You can see where this is going!!!
I wish I could say I was in shape enough to continue this all the way down to 1 but I didn't!
I got down to and through 15 on the dead lifts!
Then I did the pushups down to 10 and the pullups down to 1

Grand Totals
105 Dead Lifts w/ 135lbs
155 Pushups
55 Pullups
Total Time: 30 minutes

Let me know how you feel when you do this and how far down the pyramid you can go!

Get Lean. Get Strong. Get Hard Corp.
Josh

Developing even more explosiveness!!!

2010-02-10T12:50:00.006-05:00

Here is another way that I was able to change up my workout! Instead of doing the regular old bench press that so many of us are used to...I took an exercise band and attached it to my bar so that it added more weight and tension, (not sure exactly how much), but it definitely gave it a whole new kick!!!
What this does is helps provide tension, different from just using weights, that is uneven throughout the lift. At the top the band provides the most tension, then gets easier as the weight comes down, then vice verse as the weight comes up. This is great to help people develop strength throughout the entire lift, which can help you get past those stick points. It also forces you to concentrate more on your eccentric (or in this case your downward) movement as you have to lower the weight a lot slower and keep in control!

Make sure you start out with a lower weight than you normally use and ensure you have a spotter the first time you try this as it is very different!

Become more explosive!!!

2010-02-10T12:27:00.009-05:00

Want a sure fire way to increase the intensity of your workouts and develop explosiveness?

Try turning your everyday exercises into muscle building explosive movements that are sure to leave you feeling sore and out of breath!

Here is an example of a workout that Sarah and I did together. Instead of just doing every exercise for a predetermined amount of reps we performed each exercise for as many as we could in 30 seconds. After we completed the set then the next person went, therefore limiting our amount of recovery time! This is an awesome way of really dialing up the intensity!!!

Be careful when doing this as it is an advanced move and you have to ensure that you can perform pushups with perfect form before trying this!

Start your year out right!!!

2009-12-28T18:28:00.003-05:00

Get started on your New Year's Resolution! Make the commitment to lose weight or get in shape in 2010. Start the year out right by saving 10% on a training package of 10 or more sessions when you buy between now and Jan 15th! Tell your friends, tell your loved ones, tell someone you don't even know! Get the word out to all who want to take charge of their fitness, lose weight, or just tone up or get in shape this year!

Losing Weight the Right Way!!!

2009-12-09T10:19:00.003-05:00

I wanted everyone to check out this awesome 4 minute video by Dr. John Berrardi from Precision Nutrition! I preach this to all of my clients but I wanted everyone to hear it from one of the leading professionals in the field!

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/the-exercise-myth

Thanks
Josh

Thanksgiving Thank You!

2009-11-19T11:57:00.002-05:00

Thank you from Hard Corp Training!

I just wanted to take the time to thank each and every one of my clients, family members, and friends for all of their help, loyalty, support, and prayers over the last year!

Hard Corp Training is a very new idea that I brought to life in August. I wanted to be able to offer my training help, ideas, and guidance to any and everyone I could without having to clear it with anyone but me!

Over the last year I have had the privelege of working with many unique men, women, and teens in a variety of fitness areas and I have loved every minute of it! It's very rewarding to run beside a client who has worked her butt off over the last 18 months and finishes a 10k run. It's great to hear a young man at police academy tell me that he was able to pass his required fitness test because of my help. I love the elation a client feels when they see that their hard work and determination has produced another 5lb weight loss!

I couldn't have been able to do any of this without your loyalty and support and because of that I want to say THANK YOU to you by offering a Thanksgiving Thank You discount to all new, past, and current clients!

Take 10% off of your regular package price for current clients!

Take 20% off of your first package price for any new clients!

This offer is good for any package purchased before Thanksgiving Day!

Again, Thank you all so very much for your continued support and I hope to continue to serve all of your training needs in the upcoming year!

GET LEAN. GET STRONG. GET HARD CORP.

Joshua Berthold

Give your body some gas!!

2009-10-09T09:37:00.007-04:00

Not the smelly, bloated kind of gas! I mean the fuel your body and metabolism type of gas! I preach time and time again to all my clients, family, friends, and people that I meet, that while you may think it's actually better for you to miss meals because you aren't taking in anything that is bad, or sweet, or fat, IT'S NOT!! It actually hurts you and your body to go for long periods of time without eating!!

I like to compare your body and metabolism to a fire burning in your fireplace. So you wanna get warm and feel comfy cozy so your start your fire. It's slow getting started but pretty soon you have a big blazing crackling fire spreading it's warmth to all around. That's great as long as you keep throwing logs on the fire. Cause we all know that a fire without fuel becomes just a smoldering mess of ashes. Throw a log on that fire and it will flare right back up again! This is exactly what happens to your body when you provide "fuel" or food to it! Because your body has to chew, swallow, break down that food in your stomach, then digest it and pass it back out of your body it takes alot of energy to do that! That energy comes in the form of calories from fat!!! So everytime that you eat you actually burn calories. Just like that log you threw on the fire your body's metabolism flares up because it's processing that food. When you don't eat your body goes into "starvation mode" and stores any and all food as fat because it's not sure when it will get it's next "fuel" so that it can perform it's everyday functions and actions.

Another thing that happens with most people is that they don't eat for long periods of time and then eat something quick to tide them over. Most of the time that something quick turns out to be calorie dense carbohydrates because they make you feel fuller! Now how do we fix this lack of eating??!?!?

EAT EVERY 2-3 HOURS!!! While it's hard for people to get into the habit of doing this it is one of the single most effective fat loss tools out there! Eating every 2-3 hours speeds up your metabolism, keeps your blood sugar levels even all day long, and helps maintain your lean mass(muscle) while giving your body a reason to burn off your extra fat mass. Making sure you eat less calorie dense foods that are made up of complete, lean proteins and vegetables will keep you from packing on pounds and keep you making lean muscle while getting cancer-fighting, free-radical destroying, acid neutralizing, and micronutrient rich power all day!

I have heard all of the excuses before so believe me I know what you are gonna say! "But Josh I am too busy to make food and remember to eat it 5 times a day!" If you wanna change the way you look and feel you have to adopt this habit....and don't worry it gets easier the longer you do it! Make sure you ask me how I can make your food preperation easier and keep you eating those 5 small meals every day!!!

The PIttsburgh Great Race!!!

2009-09-27T20:13:00.004-04:00

Hello all!!!

I am bringing some good news after we all watched our beloved Champions the Steelers lose their second in a row!!! What the hell!!!! But on a better note here is an update from the Pittsburgh Great Race that we ran this morning! If you all have never done it you should....it's incredible!!! It was so much fun to be there with 13000 other people running in the rain. Sarah...my beautiful girlfriend and fellow trainer ran the race with her sister, Maura, who under Sarah's guidance and motivation has lost ALOT of weight!!! They both ran the race together and finished around an hour (race results have not been released yet) So when you see them congratulate them! I ran the race with my client, Krystyn Snyder, who has worked with me now for over a year and lost around 80 lbs!!! She ran her butt off through the rain and we crossed the finish line around an hour and 20 minutes!!!!! She did an awesome job!!! Check out her testimonial on my website at http://www.hardcorptraining.com/ \

I hope to have a big group representing Hard Corp Training next year so lets get started on reaching that goal!!!

Got Steps!!!

2009-09-25T17:17:00.003-04:00

Hey all!

I wanted to kick off this new blog site with my first post on some exercise ideas for you all! So as you all know...and if you don't you will learn fast...I am a huge believer in the KISS method. Keep It Simple Stupid
That being said I always try and apply that method to my training. Being in the mountains of Afghanistan with limited resources forces a man to make the best of what he's got! If you have a passion for working out then you can make anything work for you. The best and most effective tool you have in your arsenal is your own body! There are so many things that you can do with your own bodyweight. Many people can't even do a correct pushup with their own body weight but have no fear cause we can work towards that!!!

Today I wanna focus on doing a full body workout with just your steps. Now if you don't have steps, or don't know where any steps are....then just stop reading now because you are hopeless! I mean really....is it that you don't have steps or don't know where they are, or that you are too chicken to get yourself going?!?!?! If you are ready to take charge of your body, get into kicka@# shape and turn your life around then please read on!

So you have some steps and don't know what to do with them.....

Lets start with just running up them! It's one of the best cardio exercises out there. You use your own bodyweight as resistance and it's easy to measure your progress...plus it's like ten times harder to do than just running on a treadmill or flat surface because you are CLIMBING UP! You can start with just doing 20 steps then increase the number of steps you do or how fast you do those steps. Just running up steps too easy? Try skipping a step or two! It forces you to leap up and push off the back leg.....making you use 100% of your power...also called plyometrics...to acheive a goal. You can also just walk up the steps skipping a step or two...these are called step ups. If you wanna get in shape fast keep doing the steps but add weight....by carrying dumbells or whatever you can find....then increase that weight as you get stronger.

So what about the rest of your body? If you can't do a regular pushup on the ground.....try doing it at an incline on the steps. Start with your hands at about chest level on the steps....do about 12 of these until they get easy....then move down a step until eventually you can do a pushup on the ground! If you can do a pushup on the ground then try switching. Put your feet up on the first step and doing them on a decline (this makes more of your bodyweight move towards your chest and arms) Again work up to 12 of these till they are easy then move your feet up another step to make it harder!

Want big arms??? Who doesn't? Working your triceps will dramatically improve the strength of your arms because your arm is made up of 2/3 triceps and only 1/3 bicep! You can do dips easy on steps!

Wanna work those adductors and abductors? Try walking sideways up the steps!

Wanna improve your jump for sports? Do two and one foot "hops" up the steps! Make it harder by skipping a step or two or three! See how many you can do in a months time!

Well, there you have it! Tons of exercises you can do with steps in your home or at work or wherever you can find them! Remember to just be careful:)

Welcome One and All!!!

2009-09-25T11:15:00.001-04:00

hello everyone and thank you for checking out my blog!

I am offering a special discount!!!! I will pick the best fitness question out of all the questions i receive between now and monday and that person will receive a free session!!! Everyone else will get their questions answered. Its a win-win situation

Thanks

Get Lean. Get Strong. Get Hard Corp.