Why You Will Fail The PARE/POPAT

This post has been moved to its current at www.rlconditioning.ca

You can find it here: https://rlconditioning.ca/why-you-will-fail-the-pare-popat/

My Mind Is Playing Tricks On Me

If you didn’t know by now, the Winter Olympics are happening over in Sochi, Russia. I’ve always enjoyed watching the Olympics.

You watch the athletes rise to the occasion and put on a dazzling display of strength, power, and amazing athleticism. In a pressure cooker that is the Olympics, it can be fascinating watching the mental game that goes on. Why do some athletes thrive in pressure situations, and why do others crumble?

This morning I watched the men’s hockey game between Russia and Finland. It was the quarterfinals and it was do or die. You know the pressure was on the Russians to deliver. Anything less than gold would not be acceptable.

And what would happen?

They’re eliminated, losing 3-1 to the Finns.

I watched the entire 3^rd period and I could see no desperation from the Russians. You could see it in them.

There was defeat in their eyes, their bodies slumped, face in disbelief, and the desire to come back from a two goal deficit non-existent.

It was like they truly believed all was lost, well before the sound of the buzzer.

What we think of, and what we believe, is a powerful driving force. Whether it is positive or negative, it ultimately affects how we perform. The mind can make us do whatever it wants, but only if we let it.

We’re all human, and every human wants to take the easy way out. It doesn’t matter who you are, we are inherently lazy. But we are only that way if we let that happen. The overachievers, the people who seem to have super powers and can get ten million things done at once, they’ve learned to override the laziness. They have the mindset of wanting something, going out and getting it, and never settling for anything less than 100%. They believe they can achieve the impossible, because the word impossible is not in their vocabulary.

It’s a mental game. Just this morning, before I watched the match, I got my lazy ass out of bed at 4am (yeah, AM) so that I can train before my family woke up. I dragged my sleepy body to the gym, and started with a high intensity conditioning set.

Mere minutes into the training I wanted to quit. My body was aching, my breathing was laboured, and my heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest. But I stuck with it.

I knew that if I just got past the hump, I was going to be ok. I knew that if I didn’t give in to my lazy desires, I would make it to the end.

And that’s what I did.

I changed my mindset. I changed my belief from “I can’t do this,” to “Yes I can!” And I truly believed it.

The next time you feel you’re down and out, look at yourself in the mirror. Tell yourself you can. Believe it with all your heart. Then go out there and get it.

3 Reasons for passing the PARE/POPAT

This post has been moved to its current home at www.rlconditioning.ca

You can find it here: https://rlconditioning.ca/3-reasons-for-passing-the-pare-popat/

Getting Warmer

I was on my way out the gym when a group of high school boys came running up the stairs. They couldn’t have been no more than 16 and your typical “let’s go bench” high school boys. But as they were passing me, I couldn’t help but overhear one of them say “Yo, I’m gonna skip the warm-up.”

Why, oh why would you do such a silly thing like that boyo?

Of course I didn’t say that, but it was certainly running through my mind, along with “idiot”. Ok, idiot is a bit harsh, but skipping your warm-up is not a smart move. For one, here are a few benefits of the warm-up:

• ·         Increase body temperature (hence warm-up)

• ·         Improve mobility in the hips, shoulders, and thoracic spine

• ·         Perfecting movement patterns

• ·         Firing up the nervous system

• ·         Releasing tight muscles through foam rolling (or any other soft tissue “toys”)

Think of it this way: it’s a cold morning out and you’re getting ready for work. You start the car but you don’t put it into drive right away, you wait a few minutes to warm-up, get the engine running a bit and letting the fluids flow so the car can drive properly. Similar idea before your workout. You don’t want to go from zero to sixty at the snap of the finger, you want to gradually get to 60.

With all that said, why do people still skip the warm-up? Chalk it up to part laziness, part impatience, and partly not knowing what to do. The common thought is to jump on a piece of cardio machine and go at it for 5 min. Granted that’s better than nothing, but it only covers the first point in the benefits above. And running on a treadmill is pretty boring, so you can see why people are impatient and would rather go straight into the workout.

But I can show you a warm-up that can be done within 5 min and covers all the points above (sans releasing tight muscles). It’s a dynamic warm-up designed to activate the muscles and move the joints in a full range of motion. Check out the video below:

The video is a quick demo of 8 exercises, each performed 30 sec. You don't have to go fast, just make sure you're in control and activating the muscles that should be activated (ie the glutes in the glute bridge). Here are the exercises:

1) Glute Bridge

2) Spiderman Lunge

3) Downward Dog to Push-Up Position

4) Crawl Outs

5/6) Knee Grab to Reverse Lunge

7) Side Squat/Groin Stretch

8) Jumping Jacks

Include foam rolling work before the dynamic warm-up (about 5 min worth), and you’re ready to kill your workout in 10 min or less. If you’re really tight on time, you can just do the dynamic warm-up, but make sure to roll out your muscles at some point during the day.

Got questions? Drop me a line below.

2013: It's Been a Good Year

When I started Redline Conditioning three years ago, it began as a side thing to my regular job. But I had every intention of it becoming my full blown baby to nurture and grow. This past year, I finally took the next step forward, from being an employee to an entrepreneur. 2013 has been a year of growth.

The first growth spurt was finding a place called home. Whether it was a space all to myself or dropping in to someone else’s facility, I didn’t care as long as I had somewhere to train. I eventually found my home at Palmer’s Pro Fitness Studio in South Surrey, back in January. And I can’t thank my lucky stars enough for finding that place. The owner, Kensley Palmer, is a chill and laid back dude. His studio has great space for training, and he has great training equipment for clients to have “fun” with. What more could I ask for?

The growth spurt continued with increasing my exposure, letting people know what I do best. And what I do best is train future cops, and getting people to move better. My experience in training is mainly with police applicant, so I put myself in front of people who can get me that exposure. A former neighbour is an instructor at JIBC (Justice Institute of BC), where she teaches a course in their Law Enforcement Diploma studies. We arranged for me to present to the class the importance of physical training not only for the physical abilities test (PARE, POPAT, COPAT, etc.) but for the academy itself.

I networked with a local recruiter to talk shop and explain why I’m the go to guy for police training. It also helps that I know the recruiter from our triathlon days. I also networked with a local officer who runs practice test sessions for applicants. I put myself in a position to get recognized for what I do.

The next big growth spurt was joining an online coaching group. It has helped me tremendously. Never underestimate the value a coach can bring to you. A good coach (and I got a really good one), can help cut your time in half in terms of reaching your goals. They’ve gone through what you’ve gone through, and they know how to get through it. Having that knowledge to help you navigate the inevitable pitfalls is crucial. Since joining that group I’ve learned how to better market myself, and not be afraid to tell people what I do.

One growth spurt I’m proud of was being contacted by the RCMP to help them with a training session. They had started an accelerated recruiting program for women, and needed help with an en masse PARE training session. It was great exposure for me, as it got me in front of dozens and dozens of potential recruits. But the fact that RCMP would contact me, that let me know I’m doing something right. They recognize me as the go to guy for training.

Recently I started on Twitter to increase my marketing exposure, and I started following one of the RCMP twitter handles. Not long after I got an endorsement from them.

That just made me feel good :)

And all throughout the year I’ve gotten emails from people across the country, looking for advice on training. Some have even become client of mine, either in person or online. People are learning who I am and what I do, and what I do best. My reputation continues to grow.

No doubt, 2013 has been a good year, but I’m not resting here. I’m only getting started.

If 2013 was my year of growth, then 2014 is my coming out party. I want to explode on the scene and let everyone know who the best trainer is. I want more, and I’m gonna get it in the two zero one four.

If you haven’t already checked me out on the various social media platforms, you can find me on Facebook, Instagram,Twitter, and Youtube. Check out the following:

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/rlconditioning

Instagram – http://instagram.com/rlconditioning

Twitter – https://twitter.com/rlconditioning
Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/user/rlconditioning

Have a Happy New Year everybody, and may 2014 be your best year yet!