The Frog Pond is our Official Frog Fitness Blog. In The Frog Pond you will find thought-provoking articles meant to pique your interest regarding health and fitness as well as provide you with learning opportunities to build off of in your quest to achieve optimal fitness! Week after week we will keep our posts relevant to past and current trend information that will assist our readers in developing a better understanding of everything related to ideal health and fitness.
Clark Bartram and Joel Metzger both have vast experience in the fitness and training field of knowledge, which makes them uniquely qualified to be our top two post contributors. Clark offers years of fitness industry interactions to the Frog Fitness team, while Joel provides more of the scientific approach to his blogs based on his educational accomplishments and experiences as a personal trainer. Stay tuned and be ready to leap into the Frog Pond!
Body Types – Guidelines for Building your Individual Plan
Do our body types play a role in how we should diet? The answer may surprise you.
It’s one-part art form, one-part gamble, and one-part science. Some of us live on a diet, others diet to reach a certain number on the scale or to see a specific change in the mirror. There are loads of dieting research and information available online, but how do you know what’s right for you? It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the amount of variation that’s out there, and people often get inundated and just give up because of it. Let’s start with the basics, and identify where to begin based on our unique body types.
For the most part, there are three main body types: Ectomorph, Mesomorph, and Endomorph.
You may share some traits between two or all three of them, but we all predominately fall under one category or another.
Your diet and routine should be structured to accommodate whichever of those three primary classifications under which you fall. Here’s a simple breakdown of each grouping and some general rules to try and follow:
Ectomorphs – Being an ectomorph has its ups and downs. So much of society is overweight, or even obese, and at risk for a long list of weight-related diseases. But not ectomorphs! You’re just skinny. Sometimes frustratingly so. Feel like you can eat whatever you want and not gain a pound? Well, your metabolism runs quicker than the other body types. Ectomorphs should avoid just straight cardio, as doing most any physical activity (strength/resistance training) will likely keep your heart rate high enough to burn fat without burning muscle in the process. Your diet? Eat as much as you want. In fact, it’ll probably feel like WORK to eat enough each day. Work out slowly with heavy weights, and eat, eat, eat.
Mesomorphs – If you were born with what amounts to an athletic physique, you’re likely a mesomorph. You pretty much fall in that sweet spot where your body responds well to weight training, dieting, and if you take a break from all of it, you don’t immediately turn into a giant blob. Developing a healthy physique tends to come naturally. Find a healthy balance between cardio and weights and let your body yield natural results. Don’t go out of your way to eat terribly all of the time either; just make smart food choices, and your body will metabolize it efficiently.
Endomorphs – Some consider it a blessing to carry size (mass) naturally and just generally be stronger from it too. The challenge starts when an Endomorph wants to get lean and chisel out some definition on their frame. Endomorphs tend to gain weight easily and naturally store more fat, thanks in part to a slower metabolism (fun fact – talking about myself here!). Like it or not, cardio, fast-paced interval workouts, and a strict diet are all going to play a role when an Endomorph wants to lose weight. Keep close track of your calories (lean proteins, healthy fats, and limit the carbs) and prepare to sweat it out each day you train to see the best results.
There’s nothing wrong with Googling-up a diet and workout routine for yourself. Most cookie-cutter programs offer practical information that, if applied correctly, can help the majority of people on their fitness journey. Just be aware of what sort of diet and exercise your body responds to the best. If whatever you’ve done in the past doesn’t work? Mix it up. Find your recipe for success and tailor your program accordingly to get the most out of all your hard work!
- Published in The Frog Pond
Want to start running?
Human movement before human performance before athletic performance. I know this sounds like gibberish but think about it: there are way too many people, athletes, and (even scarier) coaches who want to skip parts of this progression. Most people realize that we need to prioritize human performance before athletic performance, but it’s disturbing the number of individuals who skip the steps regarding basic movement of the human body even in the simplest forms, such as running. We’re so anxious to utilize athletic activities to get in better shape that we skip getting in shape to even PERFORM those athletic activities. The most common example I see of this is running.
Millions of people run in constant pain, simply because they skipped the necessary steps to be in running shape, and/or they chose or were coached to progress too quickly without allowing their body time to adapt to this new stimulus. I frequently ask runners what they do for leg strength work, and their response is: “I run.”
Running isn’t leg strengthening. Now before everyone loses their minds here, there IS a strength benefit that comes from running, but it’s not going to be the emphasis of your gains from running.
It’s just to say that there is a massive benefit to runners from very specific strength training. There’s even a benefit from just the most basic general strength training as well. As you progress with your strength training, it will become increasingly important to get more specific with the strength training you perform. Strength training doesn’t need to mimic running, but it needs to target the specific muscular activations that are required to improve efficiency and power output while running.
By starting off slowly running short distances and progressing gradually, and incorporating strength training into your plan, you can minimize your risks of injury due to running. What distance should you first start off to run? Well, that depends on your current overall physical condition and running history. For this article, let’s talk about the beginner. I would suggest starting at less than one mile at a slow to moderate pace. Now, onto your strength training. Let’s start that with body weight exercises that incorporate the entire body. Squats, kneeling walk, hip bridges, planks, push-ups, pull-ups, and heel raises are all great starting exercises. Since we’re training to help with long distance running, it makes sense to start your strength training with longer repetition sets. I suggest starting with one set of 20 of each of those exercises.
As your strength increases, it’s important to progress appropriately. Several variables can be adjusted in order to continue progressing. Speed, tempo, resistance, and base of support will be the primary adjustments that we’ll be making in a running program. By changing any of these variables, you change the way your body needs to adapt to the exercise you’re performing. There’s not much benefit from changing more than one of these at a time, and as long as you don’t try to progress too quickly, you can minimize your likelihood of getting injured, which will just further delay your progress. Consult with a local professional if you have questions about progression or just don’t know where to start with the process. Qualified personal trainers or running coaches can be an incredible resource for you to maximize your results. Just be sure to interview several and ask them questions about their education on this subject and how they will specifically address your needs.
Becoming a proficient runner doesn’t have to be difficult or complicated, but can quickly become so following injuries. Be safe and have fun while getting in your best shape.
- Published in The Frog Pond
Getting Serious – Six Surefire Ways to Achieve your Fitness Goals
Let’s be real. Getting into the gym can be tough. There’s time commitments, financial commitments, dieting commitments, motivational commitments, etc. Even the effort it takes to simply move the weights or sweat it out on the treadmill is a huge consideration to make. But, once you’ve gotten yourself to a place mentally where you’re ready for all the effort, now what?
I couldn’t tell you the number of people I’ve seen firsthand that just float around the gym, aimlessly moving from machine to machine without an actual sense of purpose. Is that to say they’re wasting their time? Well, no, not quite. But are they making the most of the time they’re putting in? Absolutely not. Would an Army General march into battle without a plan? Would a coach in the Super Bowl wake up on game day and say to himself, “Meh, let’s just WING IT!”. Not a chance!
Proper preparation is just as critical an ingredient as any other element when committing to a fitness regimen. Here are six things to consider before you hit PLAY on your Gym-Time Playlist:
The rule of thumb is a higher number of reps per set equals a higher heart rate, which tends to burn more fat. Take as little rest as possible between sets (30-60 seconds) so that you can still complete a full set with good form. The inverse is, a lower number of reps keeps the heart rate lower, which allows for less cardiovascular effort and tends to break down and develop more actual muscle. Here, we can allow for 90-120 seconds of rest between sets to fully return our heart rate to a resting level, promoting the maximum muscular effort. Build your routine around those basic guidelines and modify it as you see fit for yourself.
Proper preparation is the difference between a good workout and a GREAT workout. Equip yourself with every tool necessary to give you every possible chance to succeed. Don’t sell yourself short: your own worst enemy is just ignorance. The answers are all out there, and you owe it to yourself to find them and apply them. Take the time to change your life today, and you’ll thank yourself tomorrow.
- Published in The Frog Pond
Ketosis: A simple plan for serious results
Chances are if you use any form of social media in 2017 you’ve likely seen or heard SOME reference to a Keto diet. Keto, or short for Ketosis, is the body’s natural process of producing Ketones, which are used to break down fats in the liver. This metabolic state (Ketosis) is achieved relatively easily by starving your body of carbohydrates, which in turn forces your body to burn an alternate fuel source for energy. With a diet consisting of a proper balance of fats and proteins and carbs, we can essentially use body fat for energy and easily shed the weight we all want to lose with minimal effort.
Let’s cover some basics.
A typical diet is usually pretty high in carbs. When we eat foods that are high in carbs, our bodies produce glucose and insulin. Glucose is what our body ordinarily uses for energy, and insulin is produced to help process the glucose, so whatever fats get ingested are just stored. Limiting your carb intake is what depletes that source of fuel, and ultimately forces your body to run off fats instead.
A Ketogenic diet isn’t anything new or innovative; low carb or low carb high fat (LCHF) diets have been around for quite a while. In fact, Keto plans have been used to treat pre-diabetic or Type II diabetic patients by helping control blood sugar and insulin levels. Aside from the weight loss benefits of using fat for fuel, studies have shown that avoiding blood sugar spikes on a low carb diet help improve concentration and focus, as well as feeling more energized and feeling “full” longer. So how do you get started?
Believe it or not, it’s pretty easy.
Work up a plan for yourself that inhibits or restricts carbs to a minimum. For most people to enter a state of Ketosis, you need to stay below 30g of carbs per day, though the more aggressive you are with cutting carbs, the faster you’ll enter Ketosis. What carbs you DO ingest, try and get from vegetables, nuts, or dairy. Avoid refined or complex carbs such as starches, sugars, and grains. At its simplest, build your diet around these guidelines:
Meats (Eggs, fish, turkey/chicken, and even fattier proteins like beef are ok)
Leafy greens
Vegetables (Though be aware of what vegetables you consume. Some in-ground vegetables such as carrots can be high in carbs)
Hard Cheeses (Cheese will be your best friend. A great Keto snack with zero carbs and dense in fat, this can be snacked on to help hit your daily fat allowance)
Zero calorie sweeteners (Stevia and other zero/low-carb artificial sweeteners are ok in moderation too)
Things to be aware of: first, you’re gonna pee. OFTEN. Keto helps evacuate a lot of the water your body holds on to which, once flushed, helps you feel leaner and less bloated (just a perk). Peeing so much and passing so much water is great, but can also deplete the electrolytes in your body, so be sure to drink plenty of water to supplement your water loss. Some people experience what’s referred to as the Keto-Flu, which is the transitionary period between switching from carbs to fats as fuel. In some cases, there’s slight lethargy and fogginess, though this certainly isn’t typical and never lasts more than a few hours. Usually, a good night’s sleep is all the remedy you need to wake up in full Keto-mode feeling like a champ.
If all else fails, just do what I did and start Googling everything. “Fats in X” and “Carbs in X” and “Protein in X” will become your go-to queries for EVERYTHING you eat until you’ve built a basic routine for yourself. The hardest part of the diet is the hardest part of any change in routine, and that’s what I’ve preached week after week: commitment. When your friends are grabbing Tacos on Tuesday or the office is bringing in donuts and kolaches for everyone, having the discipline to put the donut down and walk away is half the battle.
My Keto plan is practiced intermittently, which means I have a VERY structured Keto plan Monday through Friday. But, come Saturday morning, I’m practically eating ice cream for breakfast. Seriously. I’ve had a tremendous amount of success on an intermittent Keto plan, which gives me an entire weekend to eat whatever I want, satisfy my cravings, and gives me something to work towards during the week. In my opinion, letting my body reset every weekend and re-enter Ketosis early every week is what’s contributed to the 50+lbs I’ve lost this year.
To recap:
Low amounts of carbs (5% of your total nutrient intake)
Medium amounts of protein (30-35%, more if you’re active)
High amounts of fat (60-65%)
So, why don’t you give it a shot? Make an easy Keto plan for yourself that starts on Monday, and commit to a low-carb routine through Friday. It sounds so cliché, but if it can work for me, chances are it can work for you too. There are tons of resources out there and amazing Keto-friendly recipes to keep the diet from getting boring and monotonous. Track what you eat, drink plenty of water, and don’t overcomplicate it. You got this!
- Published in The Frog Pond
Healthy Diets vs. Healthy Habits
Diet is defined as the sum of food and drink that an individual habitually consumes. DietING, however, is the practice of attempting to achieve or maintain a certain weight THROUGH diet. When we’ve finally gotten real with the person in the mirror and set our goals, we generally tend to start with diet. Maybe join a gym, or maybe just try some exercise videos at home. But the one thing we don’t technically need to “make time” for, is just dieting. Fad diets have become ingrained in our culture now, and most every major chain has a special section of their menus dedicated to such. There’s a diet for every walk of life, from vegetarian diets to weight control, belief/religion based ones, and low or high-volume protein, fat, carb, calorie, etc., iterations. So how do you choose? What’s the right one?
Well, there really isn’t one.
That’s not to say that there isn’t a RIGHT diet vs. a WRONG diet. It simply speaks to the many, many different types of people that live on this planet. To write up some plan and insist it would work for every one of us is ridiculous, because our bodies don’t all process, synthesize, and metabolize nutrition the same way. Some of us have metabolisms that work nonstop, and some of us (like yours truly) have metabolisms that apparently stopped working long ago, probably sometime shortly after birth I think.
I experimented with several different fad diets myself; Adkins, South Beach, Paleo, etc., trying to find whatever the recipe was that worked for me. Earlier this year I committed to an intermittent Ketogenic-based diet that, although quite difficult to commit to, has worked fantastically. (Check back in next week as I dive deeper into the specifics of a Ketogenic-based plan – how it works, and why it works!)
At the end of the day, it’s going to come down to convenience vs. commitment vs. preference. What are you willing to commit to? Can you turn down Taco Tuesday if it means sticking to a low-carb diet? Can you shop for a weeks’ worth of groceries on Sunday and spend the afternoon preparing all of your meals for the week? Or do you have the wherewithal just simply to make healthy choices?
In my opinion, the 5 to 10lbs I think 90% of us say we’d like to lose can be done as easily as choosing a side salad instead of fries, or a grilled chicken sandwich instead of a double-cheeseburger. The word “diet” suggests something that will start, then stop, doesn’t it? You diet to hit a goal, but then what? Back to business as usual and back to the weight as usual? This is the Diet vs. Habits paradox. At some point, the diet needs to get adopted and become the habit. Albeit, likely modified to maintain weight and not lose anymore, but if old habits are what made us unhealthy, what makes you think going back to those will yield different results later?
So, why don’t you just start with simply making healthy choices? Try water instead of soda. Fruit and veggies instead of fries and mac n’ cheese. Grilled chicken or fish instead of fried food or burgers. It’s these simple choices that can jumpstart a whole lifestyle of change. Give it a week, and let your diet of healthy choices become your new healthy habits.
- Published in The Frog Pond
Committing to Change – a Beginner’s Guide to Getting Healthy
We’ve all got it: those few extra pounds we wish we didn’t. In a day and age where “body positivity” is being thrown around as a defense for obesity, it’s almost taboo to even touch on. But let’s face it – most of us are overweight, and all the trends are only pointing away from us as a culture finding a solution. When getting your favorite fast food DELIVERED TO YOUR DOOR is as simple as a few taps on your phone (because drive-thrus are neither quick nor convenient enough anymore), the never-ending pursuit of accommodation is what continually feeds the “NOW-NOW-NOW” immediacy we’ve come to require as a people.
That sums up the whole issue in a nutshell, doesn’t it? If getting IN shape was as easy as getting OUT of shape, we’d all be walking around like marble statues. Countless hopeful gym newbies sign up with some New-Years-Resolution-Get-Fit deal at their local big box gym, but fall off by the time Valentine’s day candy goes on sale in mid-February. Why? Because fitness is a process, not a purchase.
My own fitness experience follows along that story line too. With fitness videos that work you out in 90 minutes getting replaced by the NEW and IMPROVED version that does it in 60 minutes, then again replaced by the 20-minute version, what’s the message there? That all I need is 20 minutes of jumping around a few days a week to look like the guy on the cover of the fitness magazines? Count me in!
Wrong.
The moral of the story here is you have to mentally prepare yourself, more so than physically, for ALL of the effort it takes actually to commit to change. It’s more than a diet; it’s more than jumping around for 20 minutes, it’s more than mindlessly throwing weights onto bars and moving them around for a little while. It’s taking the time to research and understand just what you’re doing and why you’re doing it. It’s a mental switch you flip that says, “OK, yes, I’m doing this, no matter what it takes. And I’m not stopping until I get where I want to be.” That’s the hardest part, folks. We get frustrated and discouraged because whatever “it” is, “it” doesn’t work for us. So, we give up. We continually make excuses and rationalize our way out of following through with these commitments and promises we make to ourselves, and until we’re MENTALLY prepared to follow through with them, we’ll just end up spinning our wheels.
Don’t quit because the “gains” aren’t just rolling in. Don’t get discouraged because the scale doesn’t immediately say what you want it to say and the person in the mirror doesn’t immediately look how you want them to look. It’s ok to not go 100mph right from the start. It’s ok to not even EXPECT yourself to go 100mph right from the start. You’ve gotta crawl before you can walk, and walk before you can run. Commit to the change, however large or small; it’s all significant. Remember, the keyword is COMMITMENT. Not 50% effort, not 90%, but ALL in, FULLY committed. Start your healthy lifestyle by just committing to healthy choices, and I promise those decisions will take you exactly where you want to go.
- Published in The Frog Pond
Jack & Jill Tried The Frog
Let’s face it…The Frog is challenging for most every person who has ever had the nerve to get on it and really give it a shot, and it seems that our 100 yard Frog Challenge has only been completed by one person so far. Why then would anyone want to make it even harder than it already is?
Well, I guess I just enjoy a challenge. After Joel Metzger and I Frogged up the banks of the Mississippi I’ve been obsessed of taking my Frog and training with it anywhere I can, almost like “Where’s Waldo”. I’ve Frogged in multiple States and also in Hong Kong and Mainland China but when I took it up this long ass hill, I quickly realized I may have bit off more than I could chew.
One day while driving west on the 78 Freeway in Vista California I noticed a rather long and steep hill and quickly thought to myself, “I’m gonna Frog up that”! A few days later there I was and quickly thought to myself, “why am I here”? Me and my buddy Tony put the Frog together and off I went up the 275 yard 45% incline.
From the first extension I realized how challenging this hill idea actually was. It takes so much more focused effort because you don’t want the wheels to slide, you have to move steadily, slowly and carefully. All of this taxes your body probably 10X more than on a flat surface.
The beauty of the hill challenge is every single one is different and that makes the opportunities for challenging workouts endless…it’s just really a matter of how challenging you want to make your workout.
I’ve been steadily using The Frog for about 7 months now and no two workouts have been the same, and realizing that hills are an option and hard as hell…it only excites me even more excited to find unique and challenging ways to use my Frog.
When Jack & Jill went up the hill they were fetching a pail of water. When I went up the hill on The Frog I was searching for that same pale, plus some oxygen, and a ride back down.
- Published in The Frog Pond
The Truth About Ketosis
“Fats are bad and carbs are good!” For many years, this myth has been so widely thought true that those of us from the last generation feel as though it were tattooed upon our brains. Today, as we walk down the grocery aisles we still recognize its influence in the remaining “Fat Free” product labels. Thankfully, the world is becoming more aware that fats are essential for good health and sugars are the real problem. This is evident by the recent explosion of “Sugar Free” marketing labels found on food products of all kinds. We are obviously reaching a turning point that will forever change our views concerning the benefits of fat in our diets. Science has only reached the tip of the iceberg with respect to the diverse health benefits of a “high fat low carb” diet.
Understandably, it is hard to trust science when we are still utilizing chemotherapy to treat cancer with only a 15 percent survival rate! Yet, the truth is physicians prescribe chemo, scientists develop solutions and publish results. The scientifically tested, “ketogenic diet” is becoming the latest rage. Yes, it’s a diet that allows you to eat BACON! What meat eating hippie would NOT be inspired by that? It is an extremely simple yet hard to understand, multifaceted process, which in a nutshell comes down to this: A body deprived of carbohydrates it will enter a state of ketosis!
Our body is a highly effective machine. It employs several different pathways to produce fuel. Glucose, which is produced by the breakdown of carbohydrates, is our body’s primary fuel source. Without getting into too many details, when glucose levels are inadequate, the body turns to fats as an alternative resource. Our cellular communication and nutritional flow is based on lipids (fats). The idea that we would deprive our body of fats is horrifying especially once one understands how our neurons communicate and how our cells are structured.
Sugars, carbs, and glucose are the main fuel source for multiple diseases. Once that fuel source is cut off our body regains the upper hand. The human body operates in a ketogenic state in a decidedly efficient manner. Ketones are the fuel produced by the breakdown of fats. They are known to starve cancer cells, increase neurological function, increase satiation, lower blood pressure, and lower cholesterol.
Now that you are sold concerning the benefits of the “Keto Diet” with plenty of reliable facts, the diet regulations are the next questions which require answers. Macros is a hard concept to grasp for most people. To put it as simply as possible, the Keto Diet allows for limited carbs with a regulated amount of protein and increased allowable fat grams. The macro nutrient breakdown would consist of 5% carbs, 20% protein, and 75% fats. Calculating the proper macros is based on your goals, weight, and body fat percentage. There are plenty of free Keto Calculators found on the internet that will help determine the correct macros.
Keep in mind, everyone’s body is different in reference to how resistant we are to ketosis. My recommendation is to start a ketogenic diet in a fasted state with 20 percent less fats than are suggested. Depleting the body’s glycogen would be ideal before starting the diet as well. In order to deplete your body of glycogen, perform cardiovascular or High Intensity Interval Training while you are fasting. Additionally, make sure to drink a minimum of a gallon of water per day to assist your body in eliminating metabolic waste and toxins.
Ketogenic dieting is increasing in popularity now that well-known actors and athletes are bragging about the benefits. Yes, this diet will bring about a more aesthetically pleasing figure, but what it does for individual health far exceeds the benefits of enhanced appearance.
- Published in The Frog Pond
Never Put Your Calories on a Credit Card!
Do you wish to live a healthier lifestyle? Begin to give the same consideration to what you eat that you give to your finances! In today’s world, we all recognize how easy it is to purchase things we want “right now” with our all too handy plastic credit cards. Doing so, most certainly provides immediate gratification! Then a short time later, the bill comes and we often no longer feel so ecstatic about the same purchase which held such excitement only 30 days ago. At which time, it becomes just another rotten bill to pay! To top it off, if you’re unlike me and always pay in full each month, there is that nasty little thing called interest. Of course, it is also easy to recognize that interest on debt is not your friend.
It’s exactly the same with the instant gratification one experiences when you eat that little something extra or that “cheat meal” before you’ve earned it. This is why I am such an advocate of early am workouts. Get up and out the door creating a caloric deficit before starting your day, then if you feel like eating a little something extra, it’s already paid for! You’ve earned it! Developing an ‘earn it first’ routine opposed to ingesting a large meal and indulging in dessert while telling yourself, “I’ll work it off tomorrow” makes more sense. Because when “LIFE HAPPENS” and you miss your workout, much the same as not paying that credit card bill in full, the “interest” starts to balloon along with your waist line!
So remember! Learn to burn it and earn it before you enjoy it and you will be on your way to a much healthier lifestyle! Never put your calories on a credit card!
- Published in The Frog Pond
Art and Science of the Triathlete
Triathlon is a very unique sport. Not only does it place a high demand on the mental aptitude of its athletes (being an individual sport at race time), but it also constantly requires a high level of performance in training across three separate sports, which include the swim, bike, and run. The physical and mental feats that come with the achievement of goals in the varying distances of triathlon from sprint distance to Ironman distance are only accomplished in racing through proper periodization, muscular development, corrective exercise, joint and ligament demand adjustments, and mobility training. What may have been missing from that bunch of athletic endeavors? Well, it was the swimming, biking, and running. Stick with me now, as we explore the developmental process of a triathlete and how The Frog can play a crucial role in the building process.
The well-built Ironman triathlete will be able to maintain a solid structure throughout his or her season, relying on a core foundation of bone, joint, aerobic, and muscular support. This is what is referred to, as the “base” of a training cycle and it’s something an athlete can always fall back on. This cycle begins at various stages, depending on the athlete and the goals set in place, but in any manner, EVERY well-balanced athlete (professional and amateur) will begin by building or reviving (more for professionals) a solid base. It can take 3 years to do this properly, but once it’s done the aerobic capabilities are considerably higher from where an athlete has come, noting that endurance athletes can take up to 7 years to reach their true potential. So where does The Frog fit into base phase? I’m glad you asked! Since base phase is full of aerobic workouts that don’t tend to place extreme stressors on the body, just those that will help to make slow and continual adjustments to physiology (some faster than others), it’s a great time to incorporate a strength training program. Beginning with muscular endurance, which is [an] initial phase of base training that includes high repetition exercises and low weight, slow adjustments, paired with corrections, can be made as an athlete advances in his or her season. The Frog is a great tool for identifying movement inefficiencies in this initial phase, as exercises like the squat with The Frog can help identify any improper knee movement patters, forward leans, or back arches, for example. Even if these are assessed and undefined, showing that an athlete is strong, balanced, and needs no correction; the squat is a critical full body exercise perfect for the endurance athlete. As the season continues, the squat can be increased in resistance to carry into low repetition, maximum strength training late in the base phase…as the resistance can be adjusted on The Frog to fit multiple training criteria.
Core training plays an immense role in a triathlete’s strength training routine. “Core Killers” are something that can be sprinkled throughout the season and used at various resistances as well, depending on if an athlete is in a base or build phase. As a matter of fact, all of the moves that can be safely conducted on The Frog engage the core in some way, shape or form, which is perfect for building muscles affected in unpredictable and predictable situations, such as those that are brought by a complex and ever-changing sport. I should also briefly explain that a build phase usually occurs when an athlete is working into a key race or building towards peak fitness levels. This phase usually includes mobility to prevent injury, explosive power, and maintenance, while avoiding heavy weights and too much time in the gym, which can lead to unnecessary fatigue because intensity is increased across all three sports in this phase, something The Frog has no issue adjusting to. Back on track with core training, maintaining an upright structure for several hours on the run and an “aero-friendly” position in Ironman is critical to longevity and efficiency of the triathlete. Often triathletes get very wrapped up in the swim, bike, and run aspects of training, but using tools like The Frog for core training at proper times within their schedule can help build the solid foundation on which they may swim, bike, and run. It’s named core for good reason! Squats, Leapers, Core Killers, and even squats…they all stabilize…and they’ll all have your core thanking you later.
On a final note, before I sum up this very brief calamity of words about triathlon programming, mobility is one of the most important aspects of sport from my coaching view. There are very advanced demands placed on athletes across all sports. Athletes that are able to move through complex and even simple ranges of motion will find themselves in a camp with the least risk of injury, best quality of life, and highest levels of personal performance. The ability of The Frog to allow the triathlete’s body to reach full hip range of motion, ankle flexion (commonly “locked up” with athletes!), and eccentric movements of the shoulder, is a free and critical aid that comes with almost any usage of The Frog, not allowing for restriction or reversely helping identify where restrictions exist. Personal trainers and coaches will rejoice when identifying these movement patterns as they help their athlete move forward in performance. The fascia is an amazing piece of the human body and taking care of it’s health is just as important as swimming, biking, or running…arguably even more important, depending on an athlete’s goals.
As the multitude of uses The Frog has continues to grow, I believe that the everyday and advanced triathlete has everything to gain from using this incredible tool. Whether it be in the beginning phases of training with high repetition and low weight exercises or the explosive and short build phase exercises, the complex movements that The Frog offers the whole body, through several ranges of motion, is bar none for available exercise equipment and aids at the moment. The Frog brings forth muscle activation at its finest. The consistent use of a Frog in the triathlete’s yearly plan has the potential to spur advancements in performance across all three sports. Edge-up the competition, train with a Frog.
Best in Training, Racing, and Health,
Guest Blogger,
Mike Otwell
- Published in The Frog Pond
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