ESPN, one of my favorite magazines (part for its slick design, part for the gritty/matte paper stock and on-the-cheap saddle stitch binding) offers some insight into the athleticism of the new U.S. president:

Barack Obama has a tough act to follow (we’re talking about sports here), succeeding a man who once owned a major league baseball team, bench-pressed 185 pounds and ran a marathon. But the skinny newcomer should hold his own. Before the election, candidate Obama championed a college football playoff and lobbied to bring the 2016 Olympics to Chicago, his hometown. His passion for pickup hoops and his clutch three-point shooting during a summer visit with troops in the Middle East are, in their own way, Jordanesque. And now that he’s moved into the White House, President Obama is looking for a room with a ceiling high enough to hold a basketball court.”

Here’s ESPN Magazine’s overview of Obama’s athletic career.

I caught Ice Blink tonight on PBS and was incredibly inspired by the story of the Martin family. If you are interested in lifestyle design (or re-design), then I recommend this 1-hour documentary. It’s now airing on PBS (check your local showtimes) but you can also buy the film on DVD directly from the family.

I’m just starting a cardiovascular exercise program and am about 140 pounds overweight. Should I start this exercise program now, or should I try dieting and wait to lose some of the weight first, and then start the program? I’m having difficulty keeping up in the classes and the movements seem really difficult. —Pamela, Redondo Beach

You’ll lose weight more rapidly if you combine calorie restriction with exercise rather than just restricting calories alone. If you’re having trouble with the classes, try non-weight bearing activities, such as bicycling on a stationary bike, swimming, or working on an elliptical machine which will protect your joints, ankles and wrists while you begin to lose the weight.

SAM:  Would you be able to tell me the best heart beat range for losing weight?  Is there a different range for cardio-exercise?  I’ve been using a stationary bicycle during the cold weather for exercise.  ~ Marcy, Utah

It’s easy to determine your target heart rate for losing fat (remember: you want to focus on fat loss, not weight loss).

The calculation is:

80% x [220 - (AGE)] = Heart Rate.

For example, I’m 34 years old, so I subtract my age from 220, then multiply the resulting number (186) by .80 to reveal a target heart rate of about 148 BPM.  That’s about 80 percent of my heart’s capacity.  The medical establishment says fat burning mode is between 55 and 65 percent of your maximum heart rate, but as a professional trainer, I’ve personally come to believe that you’ll burn more overall calories by working a little bit harder (e.g. 80%) and get more out of your cardiovascular training time.  Also, remember to give consideration to other factors, such as your medical history and what your doctor has to say.

HEY SAM— I have a Precor at home (love it). Anyway, I work out on it every night. What do you recommend: long, steady cardio, or sprint intervals? I used to do steady cardio for 60-70 minutes, but lately I haven’t had as much time. So I’ve done 45 minutes of sprints (1 minute super fast, then recover) at least 5 days a week. Is one better than the other?  —Debbie, Spokane

Interval training (or “high intensity interval training,” sometimes referred to as HIIT) is very effective at reducing body fat.  However, your body adjusts very quickly to exercise. If you’ve stopped seeing the results you want, then it’s time to mix up the program.

One way you can mix up your cardio is to alternate your longer-endurance days with interval training. That means do a few miles at a heavy resistance on Monday, do intervals Tuesday, take Wednesday off, a long slow (but steady) uphill climb on Thursday, and intervals again on Friday. Use weekends as an opportunity to cross train (play a sport, go skiing, jog outdoors, etc) and take one of your weekend days off.

An interesting thing about intervals: they’re super effective at getting rid of body fat, but scientists haven’t figured out yet which length of intervals (short, medium, or long) work best. So cover your bases and mix up the length of the intervals themselves, too.

Last week I was training with someone I’ll call John. He was having a really rough week. He really spilled out his guts and heart to me about how he was feeling about his body, weight, and sense of self.  At one point, he broke down into tears. It was an important moment for both of us.

From my perspective as a coach, moments like this are crucial to the development of a person’s “new” self. It’s that moment where a person stares into the depths of the unknown and confronts their dragons.  Now, in this moment with John, I tried to be all of the best parts of myself:  empathetic, understanding, gentle. But sometimes even when I try my hardest, I often fail to communicate gently enough.  Sometimes I just miss the mark. Sometimes I come across as a wise-ass, or my tongue-in-cheek attempt at humor is more aptly described as “foot-in-mouth.” (more…)

One of my athletes recently got sized up at Phase IV, a 25-year-old sports performance firm in Santa Monica, California owned by a guy named Robert Forster. If you’re a runner, one of the many cool things Forster does is analyze your stride and running form. By scientifically decoding the mechanics of your body, he’s able to provide specific guidance on how to prevent common problems. A proactive approach to perfecting your running form and preventing injury? Brilliant.

Phase IV: 1544 20th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404, (310) 582-8212

Hey Sam, I’m working on my “six pack” and I stumbled on the Flex Belt today and I’m interested, especially after having read a lot of positive reviews. What are your thoughts? This of course would be an addition to regular exercise and diet. —Jeremy, Los Angeles

Here’s a fitness axiom: there’s no shortcut to real results.

In my humble opinion, the Flex Belt is just modern snake oil.  While I disagree with the science behind the product, I also don’t know anyone who’s owned one, so I decided to investigate. I did several news searches and found no editorial articles that weren’t copied word-for-word (or pretty close) from the company press releases. I did however stumble upon this post on “Today’s Distraction,” a blog about, you guessed it: distractions.

This post is also featured on Reuters and Livestrong.com

AS A PERSONAL TRAINER, I BELIEVE IN monitoring your heart rate, and knowing your resting heart rate is one key indicator of physical fitness. So I was thrilled to discover Heart Monitor, a new application for the iPhone 3G that uses the phone’s built-in microphone to detect your heart rate. Just hold the iPhone to your chest or directly on the pulse in your wrist or neck. The application tracks results so you can see your progress over time. It even works with the phone’s microphone cable. This is just one more example of how the iPhone has trumped the Blackberry and Treo as more than a phone. It’s a tool for living. —S. Page

“I hate doing cardio” is something I get a lot, but cardiovascular exercise is essential for heart, lung, and mental health.

Short term, the trick to making it a regular part of your routine is to begin slowly, working up to a moderate amount doing something you enjoy. For the long term, it’s crucial you find a type of cardio that you make a lifetime sport—that is, a sport you can safely do for the rest of your life. It might be swimming or hiking, fencing or jogging, but there are lots more options: having sex, handball, stair-climbing, elliptical machines, sprinting, boxing, spinning, step-classes, jumping rope, ladder running, tennis, racquetball, rowing, urban rebounding are a few.

Before, during, and after cardio, you should monitor your heart rate. Here’s how: (more…)