Author: Mike Lee

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10 Benefits of Having a Home Gym

Mike Lee

10 Benefits of Having a Home Gym

Whether you’re a experienced gym-goer or just starting your fitness journey, the benefits of a home gym fast outweigh most pricey gym memberships. Thanks to tech, home gym workouts are quickly becoming a firm favorite, and the best fitness brands provide fitness apps you can access from home, so why not build a home gym to support and maximize your workout gains?

We decided to sift through the science and gather nine benefits of having a home gym. If you’re on the fence about investing in the best home gym equipment, this could be make or break in your decision-making. Read on for the pros of investing and why your workout needs it. 

Benefits of a home gym 

Whether you’re moving for a mood boost, training for a goal, or building your strength and cardio, exercise is brilliant for physical and mental health. According to WHO, we should be hitting around 150 minutes of moderate-vigorous intensity exercise per week. But with work, family, and other commitments, it might feel impossible to hit that number. 

Short on time? Here’s why a home gym could help.

  1. AFFORDABLE

According to research conducted by City A.M., one in five Brits can no longer afford fitness services due to the cost of living crisis. Another study revealed that the average American household with gym memberships have an average income above $75,000. 

Gym memberships can be expensive. While building a home gym may initially feel costly, it’s yours for life and easy to build on. No monthly fees mean you can concentrate on adding to your home gym over time. Moreover, many fitness apps are free or at least offer an initial trial period. 

2. SAVES TIME

Travel can be time-consuming, especially when people have work and childcare to consider. Home gyms eliminate the need for transit time; you can simply switch rooms to catch a quick sweat — no fuss!

3. IT’S PRIVATE

According to research by Nuffield Health, a third (33%) of 18-35-year-olds feel too intimidated to join a gym. Training from the comfort of your home allows you the privacy to try new things and become comfortable with different equipment and training. 

The gym can make people self-conscious; home gyms allow you to discover what you enjoy without the crowds, meaning you’re more likely to stick to it and get fitter.

Weights and exercise machines in gym

4. VERSATILITY

If you’re limited on space or not sure where to start, making small additions to your home gym can make a big difference. Whether you enjoy yoga, Pilates, or strength training — you can bring the gym experience to you with affordable, lightweight equipment.

Try investing in a durable exercise mat, one set of adjustable dumbbells, and a resistance band. Trust us, you can still kick up a savage burn and deliver a full-body workout. Then consider conditioning equipment like kettlebells, a skipping rope, and an ab wheel, or build to bigger things like a treadmill to hit cardio and strength goals. 

5. VR FITNESS IS GROWING

The metaverse is rapidly evolving, and virtual reality fitness could be the future of workouts. Although VR — like Meta Quest — is still pretty costly, more and more options are coming. VR can transport you to any gym or boxing ring just by slipping on a headset. So why would you need a gym?

6. IT’S FUNCTIONAL

Functional training uses compound movement — an exercise that uses multiple muscle groups at once— like squats, push-ups, and pull-ups. Research shows the approach can boost your metabolism, build muscle, and blitz calories just by using a bodyweight workout at home.

Equipment such as pull-up bars and resistance bands are great compliments to bodyweight strength exercises- making it feel just like a gym session without setting up barbells or changing weights.

7. IT’S SOCIAL

For many people, social interaction helps improve motivation and accountability and counteract boredom. Working out alone takes discipline and can feel lonely for those who use exercise to build community.Unless you and your friends have a membership to the same gym, you might be gymming solo. At home? Invite whoever you like for a social workout. 

8. YOU CAN BE CREATIVE

A home gym can help you to take back power. If you like to get creative, it’s a chance to program your own workouts, but most fitness apps provide Live and on-demand instructor-led classes alongside personalized training plans, so you’ve got some inspiration if you need it. 

9. SPACE

Although home gyms can be creative, space can remain an issue. If you don’t have a spare room, garage, or outdoor space, it can be hard to find a place to set up shop. If this sounds familiar, pick equipment you can stash away post-workout. One of our top recommendations is a foldable walking treadmill. You can get your steps in, then roll the tread away afterward. Easy! 

10. SAFETY 

Since the pandemic began in 2020 there has been more concern of having a safe space to workout while still maintaining an appropriate social distance to reduce the spread of Covid-19. Having your own gym at home means you have more control over the environment. 

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Top 10 Lamorinda High School Football Players 2022

Mike Lee

Top 10 Lamorinda High School Football Players 2022

These are my rankings for the top high school football players in the Lamorinda area for the 2022 season. The three Lamorinda high schools are Acalanes, Campolindo, and Miramonte. These rankings are for varsity sports only.

Top 10 High School Lamorinda Football Players 2022

  1. Dashiell Weaver (Sr.) | 6’0” • 170 lbs | (QB) Campolindo High School, Moraga, CA)— 2,672 Passing Yards, 30 Passing TD, 475 Rushing Yards, 5 Rushing TD, 3,147 Total Yards
  2. Luke Duncan (Sr.) | 6’5” • 195 lbs | (QB) Miramonte High School, Orinda, CA— 2,850 Passing Yards, 36 Passing TD, 98 Rushing Yards, 2,948 Total Yards
  3. Ethan Torres (Sr.) | 6’0” • 155 lbs | (DB/WR) Acalanes High School, Lafayette, CA— 29 Tackles, 6 Interceptions, 1 Fumble Recovery, 40 Receptions, 775 Receiving Yards, 9 TD
  4. Sulley Bailey (Jr.) | 6’1” • 180 lbs | (QB) Acalanes High School, Lafayette, CA— 1,832 Passing Yards, 16 Passing TD, 79 Rushing Yards, 2 Rushing TD, 1,893 Total Yards
  5. Robbie Mascheroni (Sr.) | 6’4” • 200 lbs | (WR) Campolindo High School, Moraga, CA— 1,022 Receiving Yards, 17 TD
  6. Trevor Rogers (Jr.) | 6’3” • 185 lbs | (WR) Acalanes High School, Lafayette, CA)— 1,120 Receiving Yards, 15 TD
  7. Justin Zargarowski (Sr.) | 6’2” • 190 lbs | (LB) Acalanes High School, Lafayette, CA— 53 Tackles, 8.5 Sacks, 1 Interception, 1 Fumble Recovery, 1 Forced Fumble
  8. Nathan Bennett (Sr.) | 6’0” • 165 lbs | (LB) Acalanes High School, Lafayette, CA— 44 Tackles, 8 Sacks, 3 Forced Fumbles
  9. Charlie Murrin (Sr.) | 6’1” • 190 lbs | (LB) Campolindo High School, Moraga ,CA— 68 Tackles, 7 Sacks, 1 Fumble Recovery
  10. Jack Giorgianni (Jr.) | 5’10” • 180 lbs | (LB) Acalanes High School, Lafayette, CA— 93 Tackles, 1 Sack, 1 Interception

Campolindo vs Acalanes (10/14/22)

Video provided by 49ers Cal-Hi & Sac-Hi Sports

Acalanes vs Miramonte (10/28/22)

Video provided by 49ers Cal-Hi & Sac-Hi Sports

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The Benefits of Strength and Conditioning For Young Athletes

Mike Lee

From youth to adulthood, strength and conditioning programs are a fundamental part of developing your athleticism, physical health and wellbeing. More research is being done that shows how training should begin as early as a child starts playing organized sports. This is typically around the ages 7 or 8. Some of the main benefits of strength and conditioning programs are increased strength, speed, and agility and it reduces the chances of sustaining an injury.

Most people wonder if strength training at a young age will stunt or hinder a person’s growth rate. There hasn’t been any evidence to prove this theory to be true. It’s just a myth. However, there are different stages of training youth athletes and there’s no need to rush into training with heavy weights. During the early stages of a person’s training exercises should be selected with the intent to teach certain functional movement patterns, like squatting, lunging and hinging.

The best age to start serious weight training is between 10 and 15 years old. Everyone has a different growth trajectory based on their genetics and the time that they hit certain levels of maturity. Gaining muscle mass will lead to more gains in strength, speed, and agility. Testosterone levels play a key role in gaining strength and growing muscle mass. Boys will have higher testosterone levels than girls, which is why they are usually bigger, stronger, and faster. The accumulation of the testosterone hormone comes in large during the ages when puberty hits.

Studies have shown that young boys on a consistent training plan have potential to gain strength, speed, and aerobic endurance year after year during the ages of 12 and 15. Girls have also shown ability to develop athletically during these years. However, the girls rate of athletic development is much less than boys due to them having more estrogen as opposed to testosterone. Estrogen is a hormone that tends to increase the amount of fat in a persons body. This is why young girls will develop speed, strength, and aerobic endurance at a lesser rate than their male counterparts whose hormones constantly produce muscle growth.

I also find this to be true in my personal experience. I grew up doing martial arts which gave me a strong foundation of strength exercises that were mainly body weight movements. I got my first weight set when I was about 12 years old, a couple years after I started playing organized tackle football. It was a basic barbell with sand weight plates. I pumped those weights all the time. My goal was to get bigger muscles to protect myself from all of the impact of tackling that football was placing on my body. I didn’t really know what I was doing. It was only a couple of exercises that I really knew how to do at that age. Barbell shoulder press and bicep curls.

Football pictures showing different stages of growth (Left: San Leandro Crusaders age 10; Right: University of Idaho age 18).

Despite the limited exercise selection, my body was still able to adapt to the constant training and I started to grow bigger and stronger. Over time I would develop a more complete training regimen and become the strongest player in my position on my high school and college football teams. This is why I always credit consistency to being the key to success.

Conclusion

Training is almost always going to be beneficial (except for overtraining). It is best to get familiar with exercise early while a person is still in their youth stages of development. The prime time to be developing athletic ability is during the teenage years because an athlete will have a spike in his or her hormone levels due to puberty, which will result in muscle growth and gains in strength, speed, and agility.

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Jump Rope 101: How To Go From Beginner To Advanced Levels Fast

Jumping rope is one of the best forms of physical activity that will strengthen your cardiovascular system. It is also good for your mental health as it requires a certain level of focus and coordination. Jumping rope is a good way to start a workout and warm up quickly. This is because it’s a full body activity.

If you’re a boxing fan, you will know that jumping rope has been a traditional part of training for a fight. All of the great boxers like Muhammad Ali, “Sugar” Ray Robinson, Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather have all mastered jumping rope. Boxing skills are complimented by the skill of jumping rope.

Here are some of my recommended jump ropes:

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How To Gain Muscle Mass Fast

If you want to gain muscle mass fast you need to be in a positive energy balance. This means that you need to consume more calories than you burn. In other words… YOU NEED TO EAT!!

In general, there are 700 calories worth of energy in one pound of muscle. You need roughly 2800 calories to actually build a pound of muscle. This is largely to support protein turnover,  which can be elevated with training. 

You need protein!

Protein is a macronutrient that is essential to building muscle mass. It is commonly found in animal products, but it is also present in other sources such as nuts and legumes.

The amount of protein that you need depends on a few factors including your weight, age, sex, and health status. 

Why is protein important?

It helps you build muscle mass and repair muscle tissue. 

Amino acids are organic compounds that form protein which produces muscle mass. Amino acids are classified into three groups. 

  1. Essential
  2. Nonessential 
  3. Conditional

Essential amino acids cannot be made by the body and must be supplied by food. 

Nonessential amino acids are made from the body from essential amino acids or in the normal breakdown of proteins.

Conditional amino acids are needed in times of illness and stress.

Proteins are the “Building blocks” of muscle mass. Proteins are made of amino acid molecules. Imagine amino acids as Lego pieces that connect to each other to form protein.

Where do I get protein?

Protein mostly comes from the food that we eat. It’s mainly from animal products, but also in plants, nuts, and legumes. Protein can also be supplemented from protein powders. 

Foods that contain protein are:

  • Lean Beef– 22 grams of protein per 3-ounce serving of 93% lean ground beef.
  • Chicken– 27 grams of protein per 3-ounce serving of skinless chicken breast.
  • Salmon– 19 grams of protein per 3-ounce serving. 
  • Eggs– 6 grams of protein per 1 large egg.
  • Peanut Butter– 7 grams of protein per 2 tablespoons.
  • Pasta– 6 grams of protein per 1 cup cooked penne.
  • Cottage Cheese– 12 grams of protein per ½ cup seving.
  • Lentils– 18 grams protein per 1 cup cooked lentils. 

Conclusion

If you want to gain muscle mass fast, you need to add more protein to your diet. There are plenty of organic food sources that you can get protein from. If you need to supplement there are also plenty of options of supplements like vegan protein shakes or whey protein. The bottom line is that…  You need to feed your muscles if you want them to grow!

References

https://www.livescience.com/53044-protein.html

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-reasons-to-eat-more-protein#TOC_TITLE_HDR_3

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/002467.htm

https://www.eatingwell.com/article/7938628/high-protein-foods-list-according-to-a-dietitian/

https://thestrongkitchen.com/blog/post/how-many-calories-does-it-take-to-build-a-pound-of-muscle#:~:text=Calories%20in%20a%20Pound%20of,as%20opposed%20to%20body%20fat.

“All About Muscle Growth.” Precision Nutrition, 11 Feb. 2013, www.precisionnutrition.com/all-about-muscle-growth.

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Top Fitness Essentials In 2022

In this article I want to share some of the best essentials that I believe you can have if you are serious about your training.  

  1. Water bottle 
  2. Foam roller
  3. Yoga mat
  4. Jump rope
  5. Footwear

Water Bottle

Having a water bottle is essential every time you work out. The body needs to stay hydrated properly to function at its best. Having your own water bottle is also beneficial for not mistaking a generic water bottle for someone else’s. With Covid constantly being a problem in our society, it’s very important to not drink after others whether it be intentionally or accidental. 

Foam Roller

Foam rolling is an essential tool for self myofascial release. Self myofascial release is just a fancy term for self massage. The purpose of this is to help warm up muscles, and to help your body recover from workouts by alleviating muscle soreness. You can also use a tennis ball or lacrosse ball as an alternative for pinpointing certain spots. 

Yoga Mat

Yoga mats are good to have while performing exercises on a hard surface like cement, asphalt, hard wood, tile, etc. Doing ab crunches on a yoga mat is important to avoid irritating the spine on hard surfaces. 

Jump Rope

Jump rope is one of the best ways to get a cardio blast. It’s a full body coordinated movement that helps develop rhythm and athleticism. Jump ropes are also very affordable, usually ranging between $2 and $10. It’s best to jump for a certain amount of time. Usually a couple of three minute rounds of jumping is a good way to start a workout and get the body warm.  

Footwear

Get yourself a good pair of running shoes or cross trainers. Having the correct shoes will make a great difference in your training program and overall fitness. Usually most lower body aches, pains, and dysfunction is rooted in the arches of a person’s feet. Sometimes it is even necessary to add an extra pair of insoles to your shoes to better support your feet. 

Conclusion

If you are serious about your health you must be willing to invest in your fitness. All of the items listed above are low cost and could easily be put into a budget. Remember good health is true wealth. Happy New Year!

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Nutrition 101: How To Read and Understand Nutrition Labels

Nutrition labels allow you to make educated choices about what you eat.

They include: 

  • Serving size
  • Calories
  • Percentage of daily value
  • 13 core nutrients

The serving size is at the top.

All of this information is based on this amount.

So you need to make sure that you compare this to the amount of food that you actually eat. 

For example- eating a whole bag of chips when the serving size is only for 10 chips.

SPOILER ALERT!

The serving size on the label is usually a much smaller amount than most people would eat.

Moving on to calories.

The number of calories listed is based on the serving size.

If you have more than the suggested serving size the calories will be higher, if you have less the calories will be lower. 

Remember…

Not all calories are created equal.

Empty calories void of nutrition and full of chemicals and preservatives wear down the body and add up quick.

Clean, whole foods are lower in calories and much higher in nutrients and fiber.

We need to take other things into consideration when choosing foods like the percentage of daily value.

This tells us how much of a nutrient a food contains.

5% of less is considered a little amount of a nutrient.

And 15% or more is considered a lot.

Nutrients to look for include:

  • Fiber
  • Vitamin A
  • Vitamin C
  • Calcium
  • Iron

On the flip side, nutrients to consume in moderation include:

  • Trans fats
  • Sodium
  • Sugars

Let’s take a look at nutrition labels for two similar products and see how they stack up.

By comparing these two cereal labels, let’s figure out which option is the healthier choice.

First, check the serving size.

Is it the same for both products?

Moving on to calories…

Product 1 has 110 calories per serving while product 2 has 120.

Now look at the percentage of daily value and see which nutrients each product is high or low in.

Product 1 has:

  • 16g Sugar per serving
  • 1g Fiber
  • 2g Protein

Product 2 has:

  • 7g Sugar
  • 3g Fiber
  • 10g Protein

Even tho Product 1 has ten less calories, Product 2 is the healthier option.

It has 5x the protein (10g vs 2g)

It also has triple the fibre which will aid in digestion and help you feel full longer.

Product 2 also has less than half the amount of sugar.

There are some foods that don’t require a label including:

  • Fresh fruits and vegetables
  • Raw meat
  • Poultry
  • Fish & Seafood
  • Foods made in stores like bakery items or store made salads.
  • Foods that contain few nutrients like tea, coffee and alcohol.

Ultimately, the information on a nutrition label is there to help us make informed decisions about what we eat.

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Kettlebell Workout For Legs And Glutes

Here is a quick lower body workout using a kettlebell. The focus of this workout is to strengthen the legs and glutes. I started the workout with a quick foam roll and jump rope warm up. After I was fully warmed up I grabbed a kettlebell and did overhead reverse lunges (2 sets of 10) and side lunges (2 sets of 10).

The overhead reverse lunge is a full body exercise that really works to build strength in the glutes, hamstrings, and quads. Holding the kettlebell over your head with one arm will also cause the core muscles the stabilize and load the spine.

The second exercise in this workout was the side lunge which is a variation of the lunge that stabilizes and strengthens muscles in the legs while working side-to-side along the frontal plane. It is important to move the body in multiple planes of motion to reach maximal mobility.

Try to add these exercises to your next workout routine. Subscribe to my Youtube Channel for more fitness content. Leave me a comment and let me know how it goes for you!