Vasper Systems – Maximizing Results and Efficiency .

The Vapser System

This is a new training and exercise system that uses cooling, compression and interval training to maximize the users efforts. This is a low impact and relatively low intensity way for people to get the same great benefits of a high intensity workout.

The system works by compressing and cooling the body at the same time. When compressing the muscle the Vasper System traps the lactic acid in the muscle causing an instant muscle burn much more quickly than traditional training and exercise. This starts an anabolic hormonal response in the body to produce growth hormones, testosterone, DHEA and endorphin’s. The user gets these positive results without the negative effects of the wear and tear that a high intensity workout puts the body through which allows the user to rest and recovery.

Here is a video of the Vasper System in Colorado Springs:

Here are a few more tips on getting the most out of your training.

Plan what you’re going to do – You don’t have to overdo this but having a general idea of what you want to achieve will be super helpful. Right now were trying to be more mobile and work on corrective movements so I think it would be helpful if we walked you through a few different programs and how you can get the most benefits.

Time is your friend – First off no matter what you’re doing you’re going to get better over time. With this in mind remember you don’t need to always be switching up your workouts, do your program for a few weeks to make sure you get the most out of it. In a lot of programs you’ll have the same 3-5 workouts that you do for about 4-8 weeks depending on the specific goal.

Let’s look at a bodybuilder’s workout plan. A typical plan would be 5 days a week and each day will be a different body part of specific movement, below is a schedule we’ve put together as an example:

Monday (Chest Day) – Bench Press, Skull Crushers, Push-ups, Tricep Press.

Tuesday (Back Day) – Pull-ups, Bent Over row, Seated Row, Lat Pull down.

Wednesday (Leg Day) – Back Squat, Alternating Lunge, Leg Press, Leg Extension.

Thursday (Rest Day) – Rest days are typically no lifting but possibly some light cardio such as walking.

Friday (Shoulder Day) – Military Press, Lateral Raises, Front Raises, Bent Over Fly’s,

Saturday (Bi’s, Tri’s and Accessories) – Bicep Curls, Tricep Kickbacks, Hammer Curls, Shoulder Shrugs.

Sunday (Rest) Rest and recovery.

Don’t waste your time – Unless you use the gym as your social time, and some people really enjoy hanging out at the gym, get in and get out! Exercising doesn’t have to take a long time, you can get a really great workout in 10 minutes. If you tighten up your rest breaks and don’t get distracted by your phone or other people in the gym you’ll be able to knock out multiple sets and reps quickly.

Maximize your efforts – This is tied in with not wasting your time, when performing an exercise/movement really focus on what you’re trying to achieve with the movement. If you’re lifting weights to target a specific muscle for muscle growth really focus on feeling the burn in that muscle and controlling the movement. If you’re doing yoga or a corrective exercise really focus on stretching the targeted muscle. The mind and body should always be working together to achieve whatever goal you’re aiming for, to sum it up don’t just go in the gym and flop your body around. Focus on why you’re there and get it done.

Movement of the Week “Bug-Up”

“Bug-UP” this is a move I actually made up and it’s a combination of a “v-up” and a “Dead Bug.” This is an ab exercise and it’s very challenging, the way you have to control the move is going to maximize your results and minimize your efforts. Here’s how you do the move; first lay on the floor on your back, extend your legs and lift your arms above your head. Now tilt your hips posteriorly, so that your back is flat on the ground, now lift your arms and legs off the ground a few inches, hold for a second and lower your arms and legs back down to the ground without letting your lower back come off of the floor. During this move you will have to focus very hard on keeping your back flat on the ground and it should really challenge you to use your abdominal muscles. Try a few reps and rest then try a few sets. It’s really simple and it will help develop those abs and it will also help with anyone who suffers from a posterior tilt in the hips.

Email: drew@undertenfitness.com
Twitter: @undertenfitness
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And as always remember – Stay Motivated!

Drew Smith

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Jon Anderson – How the Right Shoes Can Help You.

Jon Anderson is a former high school and college runner who had an injury which derailed him form his passion and love of running. While serving in Iraq in 2010 he injured his Achilles, he continued to run and over time developed a bone spur which lead him to ultimately having surgery in 2015.

He has since been on the road to recovery and is hoping to return to his running soon!

Jon is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to running and is also a shoe expert, Jon helps many runners find the right shoes to fit their running needs and hopes to help others avoid what he went through.

In this episode Jon gives some great information and tips on shoes and we will highlight a few of the most memorable (for the most info. Please listen to Jon’s Interview)

Here are a few things we learned for Jon:

First: When buying shoes, it’s important to talk with someone who knows what you will be using the shoe for. All shoes are not created equal and there are different types of shoes for different activities.

Second: When trying on shoes you want to have about a thumb width between tour toes and the tips of the shoe. You don’t want your foot to slide around in the shoe and you also don’t want the shoe to be pressed up against your toes.

Third: If you are looking to switch to a minimalist shoe, one with a thinner sole, you should switch gradually. Jumping from a shoe with a big sole to one with a very tiny sole can have negative effects and can lead to pain and other problems. Switch to a smaller soled shoe over an extended period of time while progressively getting a smaller and smaller soled shoe.

Jon is actively blogging and sharing about his journey with running/training and offers great perspective and helpful information.

Follow Jon here:

Jon’s website: http://redlegrunners.com/

Jon Anderson works for Runners Roost here in Colorado Springs and would be more than happy to help answer your questions or find a shoe that’s right for you!

Visit Jon in person to purchase shoes or ask question’s here: http://www.runnersroostcs.com/

Email: drew@undertenfitness.com
Twitter: @undertenfitness
Facebook: undertenfitness
Instagram: undertenfitness

And as always remember – Stay Motivated!

Drew Smith

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Protandim, Shakeology and Massages Oh My! Two Supplements and the Benefits of Massage

There are many supplements available on the market and it can be overwhelming and confusing when it comes to figuring out which one you should take. We wouldn’t recommend any specific supplement without talking to you first, but on the show today we learn about two common supplements, Protandim and Shakeology.

Both of these supplements contain natural ingredients and are used by the guests on the show. We will hear their stories and learn a little bit more about what supplements are available.

Also we talk to a massage therapist who helps us understand how beneficial massages can be and what the impact is for our fitness goals.

Email: drew@undertenfitness.com
Twitter: @undertenfitness
Facebook: undertenfitness
Instagram: undertenfitness

And as always remember – Stay Motivated!

Drew Smith

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Increase Your Bench Press and Grow Those Bulging Biceps

Improve your bench press and grow those bulging biceps!

These are 2 common questions that we have gotten lately and there is good news and bad news. The good news is it’s really easy to do both of these things. The bad news is it takes time and patience, two things that seem to be the biggest factors in you fitness goals. Now here are a few training tips that we have used in our training that have both improved our bench press numbers and help Drew grow those delicious biceps.

First how to improve your bench –

Tempo
Power
Hypertrophy

Let’s break each one down!

Tempo – This means how long it actually takes you to complete each rep. By controlling your tempo you can really feel what it means to control the weight and when you control the weight you can greatly improve your strength. There are two main ways to implement tempo. You can do a slow and controlled movement throughout the entire exercise or you can do a slow eccentric motion followed by an explosive contraction.

Power – This means moving the weight fast with explosive movements. Using a weight that you can lift relatively easy, focus on pressing the weight with power. This will help you develop a good pattern for the move so when you start adding weight you will have a good base.

Hypertrophy – Build some muscle! More muscle means more mass to move heavy things. Simply add some high rep sets into your training, 30 seconds or more per set is a good goal to shoot for this will ensure you’re putting the muscle under enough tension for a period of time that will cause the muscle to grow.

How to Grow Your Biceps –

This is basic hypertrophy! You want to focus on Time Under Tension. This means the amount of time that you’re a physically lifting the weight. Shoot for 30 second reps to start and go from there.

In this clip notice how I control the weight during the whole movement. Note I’m not bouncing the weight off of my chest or letting the weight fall. I’m in control the entire time.

In this clip I show you how to control your bicep curls to maximize your muscle growth. Control the movement both up and down and keep your elbows locked making sure not to rock your body back and forth to lift the weight.

Email: drew@undertenfitness.com
Twitter: @undertenfitness
Facebook: undertenfitness
Instagram: undertenfitness

And as always remember – Stay Motivated!

Drew Smith

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Pure Barre with Instructor Meagan Thomas

Meagan Thomas is an instructor at Pure Barre here in Colorado Springs located at 5262 North Nevada Avenue Suite 120 Colorado Springs, Colorado 80918.

Meagan really enjoys staying active, during the interview she admitted to us that along with her membership at Pure Barre she also attends Orange Theory and goes to the gym to do some heavy lifting. All of these put together make for a very well rounded fitness experience!

We first asked “What is Pure Barre?” It is a combination of yoga and Pilates where you use isometric movements and your body weight. During the workouts you work each muscle to failure while only moving a few inches or even one inch at a time. These very limited ranges of motion might seem easy however, we can confirm they are not. This type of training really uses smaller muscles that might not get the same amount of attention as the bigger muscles and it really puts your mental strength to the test. It’s very hard to stay calm, relaxed, focused on your breathing and push through the burn. All of these things make for a great whole body workout!

If I understood correctly… Believe me sometimes I get things wrong, I know it surprises me too! Each class ends with some type of ab or core work to complete the package. Other classes focus more on cardio while others are more strength and mobility based.

These Barre Classes would be great for a stand-alone program or great as an addition to any program. The cool thing about barre is that you need to focus on using the correct muscles, this has a unique way of connecting your mind to your body and will really help targeting the correct muscles and will also translate into positive changes in other areas. For instance, Meagan describes how after she started training with Barre she got better at running without running! I don’t know about you but if I can get better at anything without actually doing anything… Well let’s just say “sign me up!” Also many athletes use cross training to help them in their specific sport or activity. Finally Barre is low impact, this means if you’ve had any type of past injury or you just don’t like all that high intensity stuff, Barre might be just what you’re looking for.

Feel free to visit them here: PureBarre.com

In addition to teaching Pure Barre Meagan is also a foodie who loves Colorado Springs! Meagan goes to all of the wonderful local eateries and writes about her experience with the food and local breweries. She has tried dozens of local places and has informed me on some great places I never even knew about and I am a native as well. Before you plan your next night out be sure to check out her blog for new places to try.

Meagan’s Blog: SpringsNative.com

Follow her on social media for more updates.

MeaganMThomas

SpringsNative

Email: drew@undertenfitness.com
Twitter: @undertenfitness
Facebook: undertenfitness
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And as always remember – Stay Motivated!

Drew Smith

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Protein and Caffeine Facts with Dietitian Suzanne Himka

The official Dietitian for the UTF Podcast joins the show to talk about two subjects that we hear about often – Caffeine and Protein

There is so much knowledge inside Suzanne Himka’s brain and we are very lucky to have her share her years of experience and expertise with us. There is a ton of great information inside the podcast with Suzanne so please listen to the show and subscribe in iTunes.

Here are some of the things we learned while talking with Suzanne:

Protein –

How much protein should you have on a daily basis? As Americans we’re having too much protein and that extra protein is being turned into fat and can also lead to kidney problems. As a rule, a person should consume half of their body weight, in grams, of protein per day. So that means if a male weighs 180 pounds he should eat about 90 grams of protein per day and if a woman weighs 130 pounds she should eat 65 grams of protein per day.

When and how often should you eat protein? Suzanne suggests eating protein with every meal and recommends protein during breakfast as it will help keep your insulin at healthy levels. You don’t have to have a lot of protein but shoot for a small serving 6 times per day.

What types of protein are there? There are 3 types of protein:

Animal Protein (meat) – Chicken, Beef, Fish etc.
Plant Protein – Beans, Legumes, Chia Seeds etc.
Nuts – Almonds, Peanuts, Walnuts etc.

Just like most things with health and fitness balance is the goal. Too much protein is bad and too little can have negative effects as well. If you’re really concerned about your protein intake we recommend discussing it with your health care professional.

Caffeine –

How does Caffeine work? During our talk with Suzanne we learned some amazing things about caffeine and some of the negative effects it has on us. Contrary to my belief caffeine isn’t this magical substance that gives me more energy… What it actually does is block receptors in the brain from receiving signals that you’re tired. A compound called adenosine is partly responsible for making you tired and caffeine looks identical to your body. What happens is; caffeine takes the place of adenosine and keeps you from feeling tired, but at the same time adenosine is building up so when the caffeine wears off there is a sudden rush of adenosine giving you that crash you feel hours after a caffeinated drink.

How much caffeine should you drink? Caffeine stays inside your body for a long time and can affect you getting to REM sleep. For this reason, it’s probably not the best idea to drink caffeine that much and the amount should be relatively low. A cup of tea a day should be ok but much more than that can cause problems. Also going back to that REM sleep… Sleep is so important for us to stay in balance and lead a healthy life so the fact that caffeine disrupts us from getting the rest we need should really be a major factor to consider when thinking about drinking caffeine.

Finally – Knowing that caffeine doesn’t actually give you more energy but rather keeps you from getting the proper rest you need, means that if you quit caffeine you’ll actually have more energy!

We would like to thank Suzanne for joining us and if you would like to learn more please feel free to contact her here: SuzanneHimka.com

Email: drew@undertenfitness.com
Twitter: @undertenfitness
Facebook: undertenfitness
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And as always remember – Stay Motivated!

Drew Smith

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What to Avoid? Tips from Bikini Competitor Allison Murphy

Allison Murphy has competed in bodybuilding as a bikini competitor and joins us to day to give some tips on diet, cardio and mindset.

Tips from Allison –

What to avoid:

Excessive cardio.
Not getting enough rest.
Alcohol.
Focusing on others.
Not having a post-show plan.

These are relatively simple but NOT easy to put into practice.

Excessive Cardio – Cardio is built into every bodybuilding program but how much should you be doing? That answer will be different for each person but here are some things to keep in mind. Cardio isn’t the only way to lose weight. Lifting weights and strength training are a great way to burn extra calories and shape your physique into something worth looking at. Plus, you have to keep in mind how much motivation you have and not overdo it otherwise you risk burning out. We’ve seen some programs out there where you do as little as 2 hours of cardio per week.

Not Getting Enough Rest – We’ve spoken to many experts on the show and learned that sleeping is when the body repairs itself. For this reason, sleep should never be overlooked when building a training program and you might even go as far as writing it into your program. 8-9 hours a night is a good place to start.

Focusing on Others – Everyone is at a different place on the journey toward their goals and comparing yourself to others will always lead to disappointment. For this reason, we suggest that you take measurements of your body, plenty of pictures and make notes of how you feel. Overtime you can use these to measure how far you’ve progressed and rather than comparing yourself to others you can see all of YOUR results from your hard work.

Alcohol – A glass of wine or a beer every now and then won’t completely destroy your gains but drinking consistently can lead to some challenges when prepping for a competition. Alcohol has 7 calories per gram and those calories have nothing to offer you in the way of nutrition, they are empty calories and your body has no use for it. Also, drinking can lead to other poor decision such as late night junk food and lack of sleep.

Having No Post-Show Plan – This is a thoughtful question that anyone competing needs to ask themselves. What will I do after this is all over? The majority of people who compete in a bodybuilding show are not going to make a career out of it and are usually competing for the joy and fun of it. Knowing this it’s good to have an idea of what to do after the show is over. Goals are always important and can be as simple as wanting to be healthy.

Hear more from Allison on another interview HERE

We would like to thank Allison for joining us to share these tips and her story. For a complete picture we would suggest listening to her interview and hearing her tips and story first hand!

Email: drew@undertenfitness.com
Twitter: @undertenfitness
Facebook: undertenfitness
Instagram: undertenfitness

And as always remember – Stay Motivated!

Drew Smith

How to Improve Performance and What Performance Is With Dr. Grove Higgins.

Performance is the word of the day. Performance can mean different things to different people and today we discuss what performance means to you and your body. It all comes back to efficiency, when you are performing well you’re highly efficient.

There are five elements of efficiency –

No Pain.
Breathing.
Precision.
Posture.
Relax.

Now let’s break each one down a little more.

No Pain – This means that you’re able to move without any pain. A body that is performing well doesn’t hurt or struggle and when you feel pain that means something has failed. Joints are hugely important and when they move well the muscles associated with those joints move well. Pain will cause you to limit your range of motion and develop poor movement patterns. To help eliminate pain practice “quality of movement” and “body weight work.” Learn to move without any pain and then think about adding weight. Start slow with a shorter range of motion and add it in slowly.

Breathing – Breathing drives movement and it should lead movement. Your breath should be the first thing you consider. Holding your breath can build tension and limit your movement. Learning to breath will greatly improve your performance. Also breathing can help your stress levels and blood pressure go down.

Precision – This means you hit the target. Are you moving the muscles that need to move in order to complete the task at hand? If you’re doing a bench press you want to make sure the chest muscles and arm muscles are the ones that are doing most of the work. If you feel it in your face and neck when you bench press, then you might not be moving with precision.

Posture – The spine is an energy transfer area so having it inline is paramount for connecting every movement. Good posture is as upright and dynamic as possible, meaning your head is above your shoulders and you’re mobile. Good posture leads to flexibility and good effective motion.

Relax – Only exert as much effort/force as you need and nothing more. When you put it all together you shouldn’t be working harder than you need to. Don’t waste energy tightening every muscle in your body and screaming to do a bicep curl. Relax, breath, move which muscles need to perform the movement and only tighten the muscles involved.

To Learn more visit Dr. Grove at CSHPR.com

Email: drew@undertenfitness.com
Twitter: @undertenfitness
Facebook: undertenfitness
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And as always remember – Stay Motivated!

Drew Smith

Email: drew@undertenfitness.com
Twitter: @undertenfitness
Facebook: undertenfitness
Instagram: undertenfitness

And as always remember – Stay Motivated!

Drew Smith

Coaching Youth and Training Kids – What Parents and Volunteer Coaches Need to Know

Ben Burlinson, the owner and founder of Performance Pediatrics and Co-founder of HPR Colorado Springs has more than 15 years of coaching experience with numerous national coaching certificates, including a National NSCAA license. Officially starting his career working with children as a teacher, Ben taught locally in Colorado Springs for nearly 10 years, instructing several subjects including secondary science, elementary math, and physical education.

After pursuing an exercise science degree and finding a void in the developmental coaching curriculum, he spent hundreds of hours researching and educating himself on the growing athlete. Using his broad experience as a teacher and coach, Ben founded Performance Pediatrics with a goal to provide long term planning, management, and injury prevention to the young aspiring athlete. Starting from a small gym in south Colorado Springs Performance Pediatrics has grown into a reputable and powerful ally in the youth sports community. Ben in proud to be a part of the community at HPR and is excited to work alongside some of Colorado Springs’ best practitioners. Coach Ben has many years working with athletes and Alignment of goals, what does everyone want out of this experience? What do the parents want? What do the kids want?

Today we have the honor of talking with Ben for an entire hour! We get in depth on the topic of training youth and specifically how to train youth.

This is a great resource for volunteer coaches and parents who have no experience coaching but are suddenly in charge of coaching their child’s soccer team.

A lot of current training programs are built for adults and shouldn’t be used for training youth. Ben helps us understand what it takes to be a good coach:

Define expectations – There are different reasons why kids are taking part in sports and it is important for the coach to know why the kids are there. Some kids might be there to get out of the house and off of the electronics and some kids might be there because they want to play sports at a collegiate level. Talking with the parents and administrators to define what the goals are is paramount in knowing how to train the kids and making sure there isn’t any confusion among the group. Decide what type of team you’re going to run and let the participants know so they can make an informed decision on whether or not they want to be a part of the team. It’s better to turn some people away now than to upset parents and kids when expectations aren’t met.
Don’t Over Train – Practice 3 times a week for 90 minutes each.
Focus on skills – When developing kids should be working on moving well and controlling those movements. Once the skills are perfect then they can move on to the specific power and weight training. Remember kids are growing and even a Centimeter of growth can change the entire way a kid moves.
Watch out for Pain – Kids shouldn’t be in pain. If kids are complaining about being in pain. Listen and find out what is hurting and why.
Breaks – Take lots of breaks and have plenty of water available!
Ask Questions – Ben has made it clear that he is more than happy to answer any questions so please feel free to contact him via email here: Ben@cshpr.com

I would like to thank coach Ben for joining us and giving some great tips on how volunteers and parents can coach kids.

Visit Ben and the CSHPR family here:

Website: CSHPR.com

Email: Ben@cshpr.com

Phone: 719.225.4949

Facebook: CSHPR Facebook

Email: drew@undertenfitness.com
Twitter: @undertenfitness
Facebook: undertenfitness
Instagram: undertenfitness

And as always remember – Stay Motivated!

Drew Smith

How Fitness Can Help Fight Addiction – Phoenix Multisport

Addiction affects millions of people and has the power to destroy lives and relationships. Anyone suffering from an addiction knows just how hard it is to quit and needs a place where they can feel comfortable talking about what they’re going through with people who have gone through similar experiences.

I have no formal education on the subject and I do not consider myself an expert on addiction but I have struggled with alcohol so I will speak from my experience. Should you need help I would recommend seeking professional counseling or advice.

When I was in the middle of my addiction I didn’t have any hope that I would ever get out. I was so caught up in the moment and seeing a future for myself was impossible. Many nights were a blur as I would drink until I blacked out and that cycle went on for a long time.

My decisions finally caught up to me and I got in big trouble for my drinking, if you would like the specifics I detail them in the podcast.

Through family support, a lot of counselling and learning I have returned to a sober life that is full of promise and hope. Along the way there were so many different life lessons but I have narrowed it down to 3 things that have been paramount in my recovery.

Support – Having the support of my friends and family shows me that there are other people that care about my decisions and my quality of life. If there are people out there that care about me and my life, then why shouldn’t I?
Purpose – Having a reason to wake up each morning and be productive helped me to focus on the future and know that there are certain things I need to achieve in order to maintain my purpose. For me that purpose was my small business. When I became the owner of something it forced me to make better choices so I could be successful.
Control – Having control of my choices and surroundings were very important to me. I actually learned this lesson in the gym. When I started working out I realized I could control the way my body looked. If I showed up to the gym on a regular basis and put in the work, I started to change. I took what I was learning how to with my body in the gym and applied it to my everyday life. I have physical control of my actions and with that I can choose to stay home instead of go out to the bar or liquor store.

I didn’t know it at the time but looking back I believe these three things we paramount in my recovery and I think the 3^rd one was most important. When I saw how much I could change my body it gave me a feeling of control, my good choices equaled a better life and the physical reaction that happens when I exercised felt really good! This feeling replaced what was missing from my days of drinking and I have been sober for over 3 years now!

On this episode of Under Ten Fitness we talk to Phoenix Multisport which is an organization that exists to offer those who are struggling with addiction a safe place to participate in physical activities. The following is their mission statement:

“Phoenix Multisport fosters a supportive, physically active community for individuals who are recovering from a substance use disorder and those who choose to live sober. Through pursuits such as climbing, hiking, running, strength training, yoga, road/mountain biking, socials and other activities, we seek to help our members develop and maintain the emotional strength they need to stay sober.”

I want to thank Todd, Kaley and Jeff for coming on the show and sharing their amazing stories of recovery that offer hope. Hope that no matter what you’re going through you can change and you can get your life back.

If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, or has in the past, Phoenix Multisport is always accepting new participants and you can find more information here:

Phoenix Multisport Website

Phoenix Multisport Instagram

Phoenix Multisport Facebook