by Paula Jager CSCS as published in Natural Muscle magazine July 2011

To briefly recap last month’s article I woke up this spring at 51 years of age, post menopausal and the heaviest I had ever been in my life with way too much junk in the trunk.  I put to the test my hypothesis:  weight gain is not inevitable at any stage but preventable/reversible through lifestyle modification. Well, here we are, 10 weeks later. .

by Paula Jager CSCS as published in Natural Muscle Magazine June 2011

One morning mid February I had an urge to try on my bathing suit—I don’t know why I just did.  Most likely because it had been cold, spring was around the corner and I had been hiding out in my sweats enjoying mass quantities of comfort foods—I didn’t gain much weight—the scale could not be right.  If I had gained it had to be muscle.  Well, I put on that swimsuit, grabbed a mirror and checked my rear.  I almost threw up, that could not possibly be my body looking back at me.  What the hell happened?

By Paula Jager CSCS as published in Natural Muscle Magazine May 2011

We’ll conclude our flexibility series with a look at Mobility Wods.  Most everyone is somewhat familiar with Pilates and Yoga—two excellent ways to improve range of motion, focus, flexibility and balance in both body and mind.  Mobility wods (workout of the day) are a relatively new term developed by Kelly Starrett, a physical therapist and CrossFit affiliate in San Francisco. 

by Paula Jager CSCS as published in April Natural Muscle Magazine 2011

Part 2 of our Mobility series takes a look at another path to achieving balance and improved flexibility in our lives and fitness routines—the addition of a yoga practice.  While some would argue that the intense all out efforts of CrossFit and other similar strength & conditioning programs along with the “go hard or go home” mentality is the antithesis of yoga.  And to a degree they are absolutely correct; but it is a workout not a practice.  In a strength and conditioning program the goal is the ability to move large loads, long distances quickly; in yoga the ultimate goal is a deeper meditation through movement linked with breath.  One is competitive and one is not.  Yet, they make a beautiful marriage—the answer lies in the balance they provide.  One emphasizes strength, speed, power, agility and endurance which require a mind body connection, flexibility and focus while yoga emphasizes a mind body connection, flexibility and focus which require strength, speed, power and agility.

by Paula Jager CSCS as published in March Natural Muscle 2011

Regular readers of this magazine will certainly attest to the fact that there are no shortages of articles on strength training, metabolic conditioning and nutrition.  If you have ever plateaued in your training or thought you’dreached your ceiling of potential it could be that you are literally “stuck”.  What often gets neglected in the equation of complete health and fitness is our mobility or flexibility.

Of the ten general characteristics of fitness—strength, cardio respiratory capacity, stamina, power, speed, coordination, accuracy, balance, agility, flexibility/mobility has the greatest capacity to limit the other nine.

by Paula Jager CSCS as published in January Natural Muscle 2011

It’s January again and all across the globe people are resolving to exercise more, eat better and turn their lives around.  Memberships at globo gyms and fitness centers hit annual highs.  Come the beginning of March most of these people have long fallen off the wagon and are back to eating chips and channel surfing.  What about you?  Isn’t it time to revolutionize your resolutions?

By Paula Jager CSCS as published in December Natural Muscle 2010

Sleep much?  This magazine as well as countless others in the industry offers many excellent articles on nutrition and exercise.  Most of you know how to eat right for optimum health and performance; many of you just don’t do it.  You also don’t have to be a rocket scientist these days to know that the combination of weight lifting and high intensity anaerobic exercise will improve your health and energy levels as well as make you look fit and buff.  Again, you must put forth effort and intensity.  Some of you—especially the ones reading this magazine—are already doing so. If you are like many people whose diet is where it needs to be 80% of the time and are working correctly/intensely in the gym why aren’t you getting the results you should be?

By Paula Jager CSCS as published in August Natural Muscle 2010

If you have been following the hierarchy of the CrossFit methodology we began with a nutritional foundation (molecular) and solidly built from there with metabolic conditioning (cardiovascular sufficiency), gymnastics (body control) and weightlifting (external object control).  At the summit or top of the triangle would be the mastery and applicability to sport and life.

By Paula Jager CSCS as published in Natural Muscle July 2010

If you would have told me 5 years ago that I would take up gymnastics at the age of 45 I would have laughed in your face.  You’re talking to the girl that couldn’t master a cartwheel at the age of 6.  And while I will most likely never be seen performing a series of back flips across a stage gymnastics as a training modality can develop extraordinary strength (especially upper body and trunk) with its reliance on the body’s own weight as the sole source of resistance. As important as the capacity of this modality is for strength development it is without a doubt the ultimate approach to improving coordination, balance, agility, accuracy and flexibility.   It establishes functional capacity for body control and range of motion. 

By Paula Jager CSCS as published in Natural Muscle May 2010

Biking, running, rowing, swimming, speed skating, cross-country skiing and other machine based modalities are collectively known as “metabolic conditioning.”  In the common vernacular they are referred to as “cardio.” If your goal is to be as lean and muscular as possible you need to perform your “cardio” CrossFit style.