Fitness In A Bag

Hmm... I am guessing two pictures can’t be more controversial. I went to an adult playground last weekend at St.Mary’s High School in Pickering.... The sign was in the adult version of the playground very close to a typical playground for kids. I took a picture of the sign which I thought was fantastic. We shot a few videos using the different options and hit a few other playgrounds that day. I don’t pretend to know what is right and really is the solution, or best practice for Ontario residents in this crazy challenging time. I do know that my sister-in-law @abstercat works at Sicks Kids. Lynn has never complained once in all of the years I have known her. She works at a hospital that gives parents hope. She is involved in surgeries on infants and children that probably are un-comprehend-able to most. (If that is a word). When Lynn phones and discusses what is happening in downtown hospitals, I think I can do my part and stay locked in for the duration. I couldn’t imagine having a loved one who needed a bed in ICU to be told that there aren’t any, or the doctor making a decision between my family member and someone else’s. I feel for everyone who is under stress from jobs, lifestyles and restrictions that were recently placed on everyone. I can’t wait for things to return to normal again, but until then, let’s do what we can and curb the numbers as best we can. Like it or hate it, we can only do our part.

Playgrounds are no longer an option! 30 Playgrounds in 30 Days will continue, just not at a playground near you. Today was unlucky day 13. The format of 3 exercises in 3 minutes can all be seen on my personal page Rob Pacas I may not be going to different playgrounds for a while but the word pivot comes in again. I will continue with household options everyone may have.... There really is no better time for Fitness In A Bag Programs can be sent directly to your phone. Each person in your family can have a different program to meet individual needs. Just starting back into fitness, NO Problem. An elite athlete, who now can’t train at a facility, No Problem. Stuck on zoom call after zoom call, No Problem. I have over 1000 fitness videos so the options for programs will far surpass the restrictions recently placed on gatherings and playgrounds. There is no waiting, as the bag can arrive in less than 3 days. You can be set up on the App in minutes and start today. If you have specific options you would like to see for the next 17 days, for 30 playgrounds in 30 days, drop a message in the comment section below or send me a direct message. I am here to try and make it easier for everyone in these very challenging times. To see the 3 bag options that are available click www.fitnessinabag.ca

Fitnessinabag.ca has a new layout featuring 3 bag options. Thanks to Braeden Pacas and Don Schram for their tireless efforts in creating the pictures and giving the website a facelift. A few products were added including a suspension device some really functional and multi-purpose handles, and a new small stuff sac bag. Now you can have a bag within a bag .... With new equipment comes new programming and more options. Check it out.

It’s been a while IG, but we have BIG things coming up. The furthest bag I had send before was California, which now may be Barbados.

HIIT training..... I am creating programs for the students and staff of St.Mike’s and one of the approaches I will use is from the research by Dr.Martin Bibala from the University of McMaster. I believe that the time and efficiency of workouts is ultra important to many novice and even experienced student athletes. ... Dr.Gibala has suggested that shorter and more intense (1 minute exercises) can be extremely effective in improving general conditioning. I did a program yesterday where I did one minute of an exercise followed by 2 minutes of a more steady state cardio based exercise. Not exactly sure why I did the two minutes, but I ended up doing 10 different exercises and 10 different cardio based activities. I finished in less than 40 minutes and was spent, although August wasn’t my best training month . HIIT training doesn’t have to be over 80% of your max HR for beginners, but it is recommended that it isn’t steady state or at the same pace. More to follow on my experiences once I try some different options. I look forward to working with St.Mikes and providing them with exercise routines that will challenge and motivate them.

Change your location..... I will say today was a little challenging waking up. A little too much indulgence last night with friends. The alarm going off at 5:45am wasn’t fun. I wonder sometimes why my younger son kayaks twice every day until you get down to the water and see and remember how beautiful it is.... Today will be a quick 20-30 minute workout and a longer bike ride. Taking my @fitness_in_a_bag anywhere allows me to change up a lot of different factors. There won’t be a lot of records broken today, but there will be movement and some enjoyment of the views that are offered. Seize the day

Friday was a little different.... Every athlete that is training this summer has homework. This includes running, skipping, nutrition, relaxation and sleep ass...ignments. We meet three days a week and usually do things together that they wouldn’t do on their own. This includes equipment they don’t have like sleds, ropes, assault bikes and rowing machines. We also do SAQ (Speed, Agility and Quickness) training that they probably won’t do at the pace they need to do it at. Friday was a little different, as we focused on the stability ball. Everyone has a Fitness in a Bag which includes a stability ball, but maybe the athletes haven’t challenged themselves with all of the options that available to them. We regressed on certain exercises but also took some exercises to the next level. My favourite question is how many train for balance everyday? Think about how much balance is required in your sport and how much time is spent on stable benches, or sitting down when doing exercise? The stability ball offers some classic exercise options with tons of opportunity. Just something a little different for a Friday training session

What excites you as a trainer?....... I love hearing the stories of athletes who weren’t very successful at something at the beginning and have worked at it on ...their own. Today was testing day and we had lots of smiles and also a few disappointments. Improvements take time. Take double skipping as an example. Akash hit 156 in a row which is quite good. Hannah watched a video of her performance and we targeted her heels not going back. She changed a few things and she was able to get double digits. What happens now for these two athletes? 1Akash needs some motivation. Double skipping with patterns including crossovers, jumping jacks and even backward doubles are all things I may through at him. I may have to practice a little before I show him those, it has been a while. 2Hannah needs volume. Once every few days, she needs to continue practicing. There is an 8 week skipping program that she can follow. This will set her up for success if she wants it. I learned this summer that I must get every athlete competent at double skipping to at least 5 doubles in a row. Without 5, I can’t expect them to every follow a program asking for more. Many athletes could care less about skipping, and I totally understand that. Our job as trainers is to match tests that challenge, inspire and motivate the athlete with goals and aspirations they have. A test is a reflection of one moment in your life. The reflection is key part. Where am I and where do I want to get? How much time and work am I willing to put in to get there? I hope everyone took away something today. Best of Luck Hannah #2 at SFU. Envious of the campus where your life is going to change in so many positive ways

Change your location Part 2.... I remembered a conversation I had with Mike Draper last week. Mike is the grandfather of one of the athletes I train. He told me of some stairs that weren’t too far from the beach. Today’s bike ride was a little bit of a search and rescue. Now that I found these stairs, I will have to figure out how we are going to get the training groups here next week.... The fact that there are bars all the way up the stairs is a bonus. I just think of all those attachment points for the bands. 93 stairs to the top What a day!!

Change your location..... I will say today was a little challenging waking up. A little too much indulgence last night with friends. The alarm going off at 5:45am wasn’t fun. I wonder sometimes why my younger son kayaks twice every day until you get down to the water and see and remember how beautiful it is.... Today will be a quick 20-30 minute workout and a longer bike ride. Taking my @fitness_in_a_bag anywhere allows me to change up a lot of different factors. There won’t be a lot of records broken today, but there will be movement and some enjoyment of the views that are offered. Seize the day

What now.....? Perhaps the biggest puzzle for any trainer is to match training with goals and aspirations. When you have a training group, there are similarities between athletes in your group, but there are unique aspects which are sought after by every member.... @fitness_in_a_bag helps me answer or more successfully deal with individual differences. As a group, we train three times per week, and do the same workouts with exceptions made if there are injuries. The magic comes in the other four days we aren’t together. If any individual isn’t happy, there are 1Full length fitness programs that they can do 2Mobility workouts to help with tight or problem areas 3Fitness Challenges to offer variety and different options 4Fitness Blasts, which are shorter programs, and often more focused on one muscle group 5An 8 week skipping program and a 6 week running program I have set up two days per week where anyone who owns a bag can phone in and we can customize anything in your program. The question of What now is more in your control than ever before. We will be adding an option for a suspension device in September. If you don’t have a bag yet, send me a message and we’ll discuss how the bag can benefit your lifestyle. If you have a bag already, sign up for one of the time slots available and let’s personalize your workouts even more.

Friday was a little different.... Every athlete that is training this summer has homework. This includes running, skipping, nutrition, relaxation and sleep ass...ignments. We meet three days a week and usually do things together that they wouldn’t do on their own. This includes equipment they don’t have like sleds, ropes, assault bikes and rowing machines. We also do SAQ (Speed, Agility and Quickness) training that they probably won’t do at the pace they need to do it at. Friday was a little different, as we focused on the stability ball. Everyone has a Fitness in a Bag which includes a stability ball, but maybe the athletes haven’t challenged themselves with all of the options that available to them. We regressed on certain exercises but also took some exercises to the next level. My favourite question is how many train for balance everyday? Think about how much balance is required in your sport and how much time is spent on stable benches, or sitting down when doing exercise? The stability ball offers some classic exercise options with tons of opportunity. Just something a little different for a Friday training session

Monday morning obstacles... Put together a little obstacle course this morning for the crews. A combination of a lot of familiar exercises all wrapped up toget...her The times varied between 5:28 and a little over 13 minutes but everyone finished, and learned!! 1we started with a 250m row followed by a sled push. The weight of the sled varied between 135-225lbs. based on your own body weight. 2we did a 45lb. weight pull, followed by a run with that same weight and then a backward farmers carry. Jake our lightest athlete took the bigger kettlebells. That was impressive. 3a backward sled drag was followed by 20 double or 70 single skips. 20 pushups and then some agility hurdle quick feet drills followed. 410 jumps onto the box were followed by a 25calorie assault bike. What I learned watching others and then doing the entire course myself. 1Breathing needs to be a bigger focus. 2You do stupid things when you are tired 3The support from others is important when you want to slow down or just need a boost 4I lost to @braeden.pacas by three seconds and I can definitely think of thirty ways I could have saved those three seconds Fitness in a Bag workouts on their off days will now be altered. I am going to write some new programs for August which will be shared with everyone. I love the way that everyone understands the challenges associated with exercise and is helpful when others are tired, struggling or just need some good old encouragement. Well done team