"World's Fittest Man" - Spring Workouts

It's that time of year again when we all flock to the beaches. There's nothing better than hanging out by the ocean, enjoying the sun, the surf and just taking it easy. Believe it or not, this place we generally look to for a little relaxation can also be great place for a fun, calorie burning and heart-pumping workout.
I've been teaching Boot Camp classes for 15 years now and love to take my clients at least once a month for an enjoyable little Gut Check "Hit the Surf" Workout. It breaks it up for me and makes it interesting and exciting for them. You may be asking yourself, "How can a Boot Camp style workout be fun?" Well just sit right back and let me tell ya.
First, a few things you want to do before you get started. If you are going to go into the water, make sure you know how to swim and I would highly recommend bringing a friend or two just in case. You never know when you'll get a cramp or get stuck in a riptide. There's safety in numbers. Be sure to use sunscreen. The rays are powerful at the beach. We wear regular workout gear with running shoes, shorts, shirt and cap. Bring plenty of drinking water and possibly a towel to rinse off with afterwards. Lastly, I would recommend getting there early to avoid the noon rush.
The Workout. Even though it's warm at the beach it's still important to properly warm-up your muscles and your body. We generally start off with a half mile run, followed by some shuffles, lunges and calisthenics. Now it's time to have some fun. If you've ever watched the movie Chariots of Fire you saw the young men running parallel to the beach at the water's edge. I loved the movie and enjoy doing the same thing. Go out into the water until it's a little less than knee deep. Now you're going to try to stay at about this depth and run parallel to the beach while in the water. I would recommend beginning with 40yd to 100meter dashes. The added resistance from the water really challenges your muscles and your lungs while giving a great workout. Try 4 - 6 repeats at various distances or shoot for 30-60 seconds.
Really try to get a friend to join and you can have fun with piggy back races. My clients love this. Jump up on your partners back and you're off. Try to make it as far out into the waves as you can. When a wave knocks you off your feet, you're turn is done. Head back to shore and switch positions with your partner. The goal is to see who can make it the farthest without getting knocked over. This one is truly fun but challenging too. Of course you've got to get a little sandy too. Here's what you do;
o Drop down for 60 sec. timed regular push-ups
o Flip over for 60 sec. sit-ups
o 45 sec. wide push-ups
o 45 sec. elbows to knees crunches
o 30 sec. diamond push-ups
o 30 sec. fingers to toes crunches (legs bent up at 90 degrees)
o Finish it off with a couple sets of 25 3-count arm haulers and flutters kick. You should look like the Sand Man at about this point.
Now for the grand finale. Many times during our hour and half workout, I yell "Hit the Surf" and everyone runs into the water and plops down until their head is under, then immediately springs back onto their feet and runs to shore. You will be amazed how exhausting this is, real leg and lung burner. So here's the deal;
o Put your water bottle about 20-30 feet away from the waves. This is your staring and transition point. Ready? Now "Hit the Surf!"
o Back out to your water bottle/marker - 30 mountain climbers
o Hit the Surf
o 25 push-ups
o Hit the Surf
o 20 speed skaters
o Hit the surf
o 15 starbursts
o Hit the Surf
o 10 burpees - DONE!
o 5-10 min. cool down
o 5-10 min. stretching
Now that you've got a great workout in, it's time to kick back and really enjoy the sun,Nike Jordan Fusion 2.5, sand and surf but this time on your back. Have fun!
Again, I would like to mention that the focus of this article is not how to be a creative artist and express yourself through your music, but solely about how to make music that will eventually lead you to SIGNING A RECORD DEAL.One thing you have to remember when following this method is that "popular" trends change quite often in the music industry. What is popular today might not be popular tomorrow. So, you have to be able to determine when a trend is growing and when a trend is on the verge of extinction, because you don't want to spend 6-12 months creating an album worth of material only to find out that no-one is listening to that sound anymore. For example, if you are creating music in the Rap genre, you don't want to use rap music beats from the 90's, but you want to be sure you are using rap music beats that sound like they were produced in the year 2009!
While there are no hard and fast rules to determine how long a trend will exist, use your better judgment. For example, I will use the Hip-Hop industry and one of its most popular trends of the 2000's. Approximately five years after T-pain exploded onto the scene with his unique use of Auto-tune and the Vocoder, nearly every popular song in the Hip-Hop Genre today in 2009 is incorporating those elements. It has gotten to the point where popular rapper Jay-Z recently released a song titled "Death to Auto-tune." Now this should be a clear indicator to anyone in the Hip-Hop genre that this trend is on the verge of extinction, but soon a new trend will grow in popularity to replace the old and YOU WILL BE READY!