Kicking off the 2024 race season and the ultra training plan…and then getting COVID! Everyone’s got a plan until they get punched in the face, as “Iron” Mike Tyson used to say. Here’s what I’m doing to keep moving forward.
My Journey To Ultra - Baseline (Day 1)
Embarking on a transformative journey in 2024, I'm taking on two monumental challenges: my first 50K mountain ultramarathon and my first Spartan Race Ultra on my 50th birthday. Despite recent health setbacks and injuries, I'm determined to reach peak physical condition. Join me as I document this journey of resilience and self-discovery - it won't be boring!
Brachiation (Hanging Grip / Movement) Training
If you want a good chance of succeeding on the hanging obstacles on a Spartan Race, you're going to have to train your grip and learn to swing like a primate!
While being able to do pull-ups is great, it's not really necessary if you have a strong grip and good technique. It's also less important how long you can statically hang than it is to be able to grip HARD and release over and over again.
Combined with that, it is important to learn how to properly move your body in space while hanging to control your momentum and smoothly load / unload your hands. This can help you to be much more confident in transitioning from one grip event to the next as you move through the obstacles.
Put it all together, and you have brachiation.
I Will Endure, I Will Experience, and I Will Learn
With so little time to prepare going into my Spartan Death Race (I fly out in 2 weeks!), I'm not going to be able to do anything to meaningfully alter and train my body for the physical demands of this kind of ultra-endurance event. It's simply not possible. Preparing to take the step up from around where my current conditioning is at to run a multi-day endurance race is usually achieved on the timescale of years (yes, YEARS, plural), not weeks, so I'm just going to have to "run what I brung" to use an old motor-racing phrase.
But I can't help having some real moments of deep self-doubt. Like, literally tears streaming down my face while out on a walk or run, "who the hell do I think I am to attempt this?" and "I am in WAY over my head" kind of moments.
So, knowing that I can't change myself physically, and working through my moments of self-doubt, what CAN I do to prepare?
Reality Check: Do You Need To Lose Weight To Be Healthy And Happy?
One common thing people mention as a goal when we first talk about trying to eat better is weight loss. For some, it's just "a couple of pounds" and for others, it's pretty significant. The reasons behind wanting to lose weight may be to improve some health markers, to move better and feel less day-to-day aches and pains, to "look better naked" or for similar aesthetic reasons, or simply because of some preconceived notion of what they "should" weigh. Some of those reasons also feed into emotional and mental well-being, and can affect our self-confidence, self-image and happiness.
The truth is, most people don't NEED to lose weight to be healthier, and with the right mindset, they don't NEED to lose weight to be happier or more self-confident either.
Read more…
When You Can't Walk The Talk...
The Truth Behind "Athletic" Body Fat Levels for Women
Have you ever wondered what your body fat percentage "should" be?
With the general standard that higher than 33% body fat for women is considered obese and the considerable stigma around that term, the outrageous claims of low body fat for celebrities and "fitness influencers", and the unrealistic images in the media (often photoshopped, but sometimes the result of dangerous weight-cutting / dehydration pre-photo-shoot), we've been given some really skewed perspective to work with.
Read the full article for the TRUTH behind the body fat percentages of some really athletic women - it might surprise you!
What Does "Healthy Eating" Look Like FOR YOU?
On a coaching call this past week, one of our members expressed her frustration with one of the lessons that asked her to “Imagine a really awesome, healthy, delicious meal.”
The problem was that what her brain told her a “really awesome, healthy meal” should be didn’t at all look like something delicious to her.
Achieving the health and physique outcomes you want and maintaining them is all about finding the balance that works for you between what you’re doing now and that unattainable “perfect” ideal diet.
Here’s how it works…
Is There An "Off-Season" For Fitness?
We've all heard of the "off-season" for competitive athletes. It's that time of year when they're not in competition, and are either backing off on training to recover for their next season, or amping up their training to be in better condition. Either way, managing the off-season well is often crucial to the performance of an athlete from season to season, and in increasing career longevity.
But what about those of us who don't compete?
What if our "sport" is simply being better at our lives - being stronger, healthier and happier? Is there an off-season for that?
Well...yes and no.
Finding Purpose / Direction In My Journey - Coach JP's Journal
OK - I’m Struggling
Over the past couple of months, but this past eight days in particular, I’ve experienced what I would describe as the culmination or confluence of a number of different stresses and struggles. It’s felt as if the sum of all the difficulties and challenges of this past 14 months has finally burst the floodgates and beaten me down. As a result, I haven’t been journaling this past eight days because I didn’t want it to be just a repeating message of negativity.
Maintaining Your "Trail Legs" When You’re Stuck Indoors
It’s absolutely possible to maintain the “spring” in your legs while stuck indoors, whether that be due to the current pandemic “shutdown”, bad winter weather, or the wildfire smoke we’ve seen over the past few years. You just need three simple things: Leg Blasters, Skipping or Hopping (depending on whether or not you have a skipping rope), and Flutter Kicks.
Training At Home? Here's Some Equipment We'd Recommend!
If like many people these days, you’re stuck training at home, you may be wondering what equipment you need to get a really good workout that covers all your bases.
We’re going to be lending out most of our equipment to our in-person training members to use while we’re shut down, but if you want / need to buy some gear of your own to get in a good workout at home, we’ve put together this list of recommended equipment to help make it easy for you!
Stretching? Who needs stretching?
Earlier this week, one of our members asked whether it’s better to stretch before or after a workout, which then led into the discussion of whether “stretching” is really necessary or good. In the full article, we explore what “stretching” means, the difference between mobility and flexibility, and how to achieve both.
2020 Spartan Race Prep - Run / Mountain Training
In 2020, we have several athletes looking to complete their first Spartan Trifecta, and lots looking to make a return to the Spartan course for a Sprint or Super. I’m really pleased to see so many of you sharing my enthusiasm for the challenge of Spartan races, and I look forward to an even more successful year on the mountains and trails in 2020!
So far, all of you who are part of The BTG Spartan Team for 2020 have run at least one Spartan race before, so you have a good idea of the basics. We’re going to take things up a notch (or three!) in our preparation for the 2020 races to get you all to where you’re not just completing your chosen races, but to where you can feel that you’re actually “competitive” and putting in a performance you’ll be really proud of.
Because most of the races we have on our tentative schedule take place on challenging, mountainous courses, prepping your legs for that challenge will be our main focus. We want to build speed, power and durability so that you can crush those hills and still feel relatively fresh when you get to the obstacles…
Once Again, I Have Failed
Sunday, September 29, 2019
On yesterday’s Valley Vertikiller 25K Clinic training run, I failed.
Right around the 15K mark of a planned 20K distance (with 1,100m of climbing!), my legs fought back against my will with a vengeance. Excruciating cramps in my hip flexors, quads and adductors literally brought me to a standstill, and I had to will my muscles to relax enough to keep moving forward. Every step from that point forward was an exercise in suffering and anger.
It's official - Coach JP is now Spartan SGX Level 2 certified!
Thank you to Dr. Jeff Godin, Head of Fitness Education for Spartan Race, for another great learning experience, and for his kind words in the email sending me my certificate!
Dear Coach J.P.,
Attached you will find your Level 2 Spartan SGX Coach certificate. Your work was exemplary and demonstrates the level of knowledge Spartan expects from our Level 2 coaches.
Congratulations and thank you for your continued support of Spartan and Spartan SGX.
We are honored to have you as part of this elite team of coaches. AROO!
Dr. J
The level 2 certification focused more on endurance training and nutrition, and preparing for racing in extreme environments (altitude, hot / cold environments). I sure learned a lot, and look forward to sharing that knowledge with The BTG Spartan Team and all of The BTG crew. :)
Preparation for the 2020 Spartan Race Season Starts NOW!
Whether your Spartan Race goal for 2020 is to run your first ever Spartan race, complete your first Trifecta, or something in between, the time to start preparing is now. Read more to find out what The BTG Spartan Team is doing to crush it in 2020, with Spartan SGX Level 2 certified coach J.P. Siou.
Why We Train - Part 2: Strength
Why We Train - Part 1: My Journey
At The BTG, the majority of our members are not competitive athletes, nor do they have jobs that require them to maintain a high level of fitness year-round (E.G. front-line first responders, active duty military, etc.). As a result, we’ve often had folks ask “what the heck do you guys train so hard for?”
The short version is pretty simple - to just kick ass at life, able to meet any challenges that come our way with a balanced spectrum of physical abilities, and to maintain those abilities for as long as possible. To borrow a phrase from Dr. Peter Attia, our aim is “to be the most kick-ass 100-year olds possible.”
Where that gets a bit more complicated is in the details. What constitutes a “balanced spectrum of physical abilities”? If we have no specific demands from a sport or our work, how do we determine where we need to focus our energies?
To understand that, I need to tell a different story…
Starting All Over Again - My Fitness Journey
Coming from a guy whose business is training others and coaching them on their nutrition and lifestyle habits, what I'm about to tell you may be a bit of a shock. I am unhealthy and out of shape, and it's exactly because I haven't been eating right or exercising enough in the last year or so. I have not been "walking the talk" as the saying goes.
Today, I bought some new pants, and in my mind, all hell broke loose.
I put on a pair of 34" waist cargo pants - barely - and thought, "WTF has happened to me?" I mean, I had to full-on suck in my gut and worry the button was going to break off squeeze those suckers on.