What floats your boat?

Wow, it has been a long time since my last post! So, here goes.... Today is October 11th, many athletes have completed their final "A" race of the season; I have 12 athletes doing the Des Moines Marathon on 10/16, two athletes heading to Austin 70.3 on 10/23, one athlete doing Ironman Arizona, but the other 22 athletes are done for the season. Most of us are "A-Type" personalities so I know they are asking themselves, "What's next?" We all need a break from our primary form of exercise/racing yet we need to keep active and feel like we are not losing muscle memory and/or fitness.

It is my goal for the next 10 weeks to post a blog about a new form of exercise that I have discovered to be beneficial for "off-season" conditioning. All this in hopes that you find something that "floats your boat" for the long Winter ahead in the Upper Midwest. That's not all...in addition to the blog post, I will be challenging my readers to a little weekly competition. This week, it is all about TRX training. Never heard of TRX? It isn't necessarily new but not every gym has TRX, or has it readily available without paying an additional fee. Basically, TRX was developed by/for Navy Seals, so right away you know it is gotta be tough! What looks like two relatively harmless nylon straps hanging form a ceiling, pull-up bar, or tree is an awesome alternative to standard strength training.

There are countless number of exercises that can be performed on a TRX unit. You can focus on shoulders, legs, back, arms, but it seems like every exercise hits your core. Just type in "TRX" in youtube to view thousands of exercises. My personal favorite is called the "TRX Challenge", which consists of two exercises; apollo pushups and rows. The challenge is quite simple, do as many apollo pushups as you can then take 1 minute rest, finish with as many rows as you can do. Each person gets a number like 28/14, 30/26, with the ultimate goal of calling yourself a 40/40. Take a look at this video to see how it is done properly, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySUML66q_4k.

For all my peep's in Des Moines, come join Coach Loran on Wednesday at Noon or 5:30pm or Friday morning at 5:30am to take the TRX Challenge. Enjoy a FREE general strength class with Coach Loran at Maximum Fitness, which is located at 8850 University in West Des Moines (just West of Des Moines Golf Club).  Email me your TRX Challenge result to coachloran@gmail.com. Each week's winner receive a sweet American Apparel Team IronWorks t-shirt.

Father & Son

During our men's group discussion this morning we engaged in a great conversation into our roles as Fathers, what is meant by true unconditional love, and how to encourage our children to pursue their passions. I can not think of a better video than this... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZlXWp6vFdE&NR=1

"Never, never, never give up!"

When life gets tough remember the words of Winston Churchill, "Never, never, never give up!" Enjoy this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cM5A1K6TxxM&feature=youtube_gdata_player

FOOD, keeping it "real"!

Hey, I have been thinking a lot about nutrition this year; With a little help from Andrew Long I have made just a couple tweaks to my own personal food consumption, which have noticeable performance improvements.

Keeping it simple:

• Chia seeds, take a look at the first three reasons for eating Chia seeds; http://www.nutsonline.com/cookingbaking/chia-seeds/premium.html. Read the book "Born To Run" as they are highlighted as a great natural supplement for endurance athletes.
• Coconut water, more potassium than a banana, zero fat, zero sugars, 5 essential electrolytes, and gluten-free. Basically, this has become my sports drink without buying Gatorade. Read this...http://www.knowledgebase-script.com/demo/article-320.html
• Bob's Mill hot breakfast cereals, they score a 94 on the NuVal chart (100 is a perfect food). Only takes 4 minutes to make, can load with fruit, and tastes great.

Feel free to ask me or Andrew any food related questions.

Coach Loran

Recovery, we all need it!

R-E-C-O-V-E-R-Y

Random thought for this week is about getting better through doing less, huh? Rest days, stretching, icing, compression socks, and nutrition all come to mind but as you know me, let's keep it simple...

• Rest days...we all need them, please take one complete rest day each and every week. Rest day means exactly that no no running, swimming, biking, lifting, etc. Listen to your coach, take a rest day and watch your workouts improve! We are not 25 years old anymore..we may look 25 but our bodies don't respond to stress like they use to!
• Stretching, icing, and compression socks...three things all lumped together. Want to have a great workout tomorrow? Then spend 15 minutes after today's workout doing the right things! So, I can hear you now, "Coach, I don't have 15 minutes at the end of the workout!" Try it once and you will be hooked, right after the workout spend 5 minutes doing some dynamic stretches (more on that to follow), jump in a cold shower (really cold shower) for 5 minutes (or if you have the luxury of time, take an ice bath at home for 8 minutes, http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/sampleworkouts/a/Ice-Bath.htm), then gradually turn back on the hot water, and finish your workout by slipping on a pair of compression socks to keep the blood flowing from your feet to your heart. Never heard of compression socks? Read this... http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-240-320--13079-0,00.html. Compression socks come in different sizes, colors, brands, and $ amounts. My favorite socks were purchased at Walgreen's, yes Walgreen's for $15.
• Nutrition, this is a slippery slope with lots of opinions but no one will disagree with the need for food and hydration within 30 minutes of finishing a workout. Let's keep it simple, PB&J and chocolate milk. Really, chocolate milk? I know you ca understand the old fashioned peanut butter & jelly, but read this... http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/recipes/healthy-eating/superfoods/chocolate-milk-after-workout/

Have a great week!

Coach Loran

Wednesday night suffer-fest workouts

Sally and Einstein engage into a healthy discussion about Ironworks Wednesday night suffer-fest workouts. http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/8288265

Team kits

Team IronWorks road and triathlon kits are coming together nicely! Thank you to our friends at Louis Garneau for making one sweet looking kit. Thank you to our Sponsors, Rasmussen Bike Shop, Cellular Advantage, and Jason's Deli for their continued support. We will be one fast looking team in 2011!

Class schedule update

Happy New Year, class schedule for 2011 includes: Monday at Noon (Cardio strength with Loran), Tuesday at 6am (cardio strength with Loran), Tuesday at Noon (Pilates with Kate), Wednesday at 7:30pm (cardio extreme with Loran), and Friday at Noon (yoga with Alyson). All classes the week of January 3rd are FREE! Start your New Year off to a great start!

http://www.xtranormal.com/watch/8192205/

"Yes, You Can!" webcast

Wow, what an inspirational message from Mark last week, to view his amazing story visit, http://livestre.am/uXzr.

Searching for an adventure? Most adults want adventure in their life, but how about children? Do they need adventure, how do they create adventure? Young people will naturally grasp onto something for adventure, be it positive or negative. Want to learn how you can be a part of a positive adventure for children? Tune in to "Yes, You Can!" this Friday from Noon-12:45pm at www.webcastonelive.com.

"Yes, You Can!" webcast

Starting this Friday (December 3rd) at Noon I will be hosting a weekly webcast called "Yes, You Can!" Each Friday from Noon-12:45pm I will be bringing on a guest (or guests) that have chosen to pursue a passion in their life; be it physical, mental, or spiritual.

The show can be seen at www.webcastonelive.com. You can the watch the show live & send in questions to the host/guest in real time. Each show will be recorded and available for viewing by 5pm each Friday at www.myironworks.com or access the link from my Facebook page.

This week's guest has been featured in the book "The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer". His story goes a little like this...State Champ runner, involved in serious car accident, initial indicators pointed to death, resuscitation works, stabilized, CT scan shows serious head trauma, broken neck, and partial cut of spinal cord. In grave condition, airlifted to Des Moines, en route suffers another cardiac arrest, resuscitation works, conditions worsens, swelling of brain increases, cardiac arrest again, resuscitation works again, his 2nd-5th vertebrae are shattered, for 2 weeks lays in a coma paralyzed from ears down, surgery performed, vertebrae non-repairable- only realigned & reinforced, lays paralyzed & respirator dependent for next 4 weeks. Sounds kinda bleak, heh? Well... listen in on Friday to hear the rest of the story, after all the show is called, "Yes, You Can!"

Turkey Day 300 Club

OK, so here are the facts...the average caloric consumption on Thanksgiving Day is somewhere between 5000-6000 calories! How about burning off 1200 calories by 10:30am? Come join the "2nd Annual IronWorks Thanksgiving Day 300 Club Workout"... Here are the details:

1. Thursday, November 25th from 9:30-10:30am
2. Open to the public so feel free to bring friends or family
3. Cost of $10 per person or $15 per family
4. Each person (or family) goes home with a pumpkin & caramel cheesecake (did I mention these are homemade?)
5. All proceeds from the class go to the Food Banks of Central Iowa
6. Child care will be provided by my daughters Samantha and Libby at a cost of $2 per child (crafts and exercise included)
7. Class is held at Sapphire Gymnastics Academy located at 4405 121st Street in Urbandale
8. Please RSVP as class is limited to the first 20 people and/or 10 kids
9. Please RSVP to loran@myironworks.com

Team Member discounts announced

For the remainder of 2010 and the calendar year of 2011 all Team IronWorks Team Members will receive the following sponsor discounts:

• Rasmussen Bike Shop- 20% discount on all sales & service. Also, all 2 hour bike fits done by Adam Thompson have been discounted from $175 to $125, a savings of 29%. Thank you Greg Rasmussen and staff.
• Cellular Advantage (US Cellular)- Totally new plans that include: free phone replacement for broken or lost phones, no contracts (after your first contract, never sign again), and customer rewards program (earn points for paying bill on time, etc). Plus all accessories are 25% for IronWorks Team Members. Thank you Nick Villotti and Doug Ecklund
• Jason's Deli- vouchers for free meals, what else do I have to say! Thank you Scott Lukan for your support.
• Purchase Louis Garneau Road, Triathlon kits (uniforms), and dri-fit shirts at IronWorks costs. Thank you to all the sponsors for helping to defray the costs of the kits.

These discounts are good for all current Team IronWorks Team Members (personal training clients, coached athletes for running/triathlon, and individuals purchasing 20 or more IronWorks group fitness classes).

2011 Team IronWorks Corporate Sponsors...

Please welcome the 2011 Team IronWorks corporate sponsors of Rasmussen Bike Shop, Cellular Advantage, and Jason's Deli! A huge "Thank you" to Greg Rasmussen at Rasmussen, Nick Villotti & Doug Ecklund at Cellular Advantage, and Scott Lukan at Jason's Deli for their support of the team. As a member of Team IronWorks you will receive discounts to these merchants plus team member pricing on Team IronWorks triathlon & biking kits by Louis Garneau. Discounts to be announced on Monday, October 4, 2010....

Passion meets Purpose

Hey, on Monday, September 27, 2010, Coach Loran had the opportunity to be a guest on the show "YOUR MONEY, YOUR FUTURE" hosted by Jeff Bratz. Coach Loran jests about life , shares some of his favorite books, and gives helpful insight into not being "Ordinary". Click here to see the webcast, http://www.livestream.com/desmoineslocallive/video?clipId=pla_92187f87-48cf-4737-85d6-5b0bc0770dae&utm_source=lslibrary&utm_medium=ui-thumb

are you STRONGER than a 5th grader?

Get fit, help a great cause, possibly win some money, and prove you are STRONGER than a 5th grader! IronWorks is offering all class participants an opportunity to help the Food Bank of Central Iowa by introducing the "Are you STRONGER than a 5th grader? " challenge. Here's how it works;

1. The challenge will take place at the conclusion of all cardio/strength classes taught by Loran (Monday @ Noon, Tuesday at 6am, and Wednesday at 7:30pm).
2. IronWorks will donate the first $50 to the challenge fund.
3. To take the challenge you must donate $10 to the fund.
4. To win the challenge you must perform a bent arm hang on a chin-up bar for 61 seconds and hold a handstand against a wall for 5 minutes and 20 seconds (by the way these are records held by a 5th grade girl).
5. Do both and you get half of the money in the challenge fund, while the other half goes to the Food Bank of Central Iowa.
6. Not completing the challenge means the challenge fund continues to grow!

Good Luck!

Coach Loran

Classes start September 13th!

"It feels great to head to work in the morning knowing you have done a harder workout than 99% of the people you are around. Get your heart pumping giving all that you have, with other people having the same goal- living healthier.

After years of daily back pain, after 3 months of Loran's workouts, I realized I was waking up pain free every day. The core workouts and strength excercises have made me stronger, and my life better. I had forgotten how great it feels to feel great.

Thanks Loran!"

August Newsletter

IronWorks X-treme Fitness Instructors

Class Schedule starting 9/13/10

Des Moines 1/2 Marathon Training program

Stay fit, have fun, and run a fast 1/2 Marathon! IronWorks Fitness has a complete training program to get you ready for the Des Moines 1/2 Marathon to be held on October 17, 2010. Package includes; customized 8 week program, pace zones for all workouts, 1 year membership to www.trainingpeaks.com, unlimited access to Coach Loran for questions, and an IronWorks running singlet for race day. All this for $150! Contact Coach Loran at 515-707-7845 or via email at loran@myironworks.com. Hurry as the program starts on August 23rd.