Dear Health-Conscious Reader,
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Filming for my POWERFit program at the P.A.C.E. Fitness studio. |
We were taking a break during filming for my new POWERFit program and JD started to tell me his story…
“I was on the Canadian National Water Ski team for five years. After that, I kept eating but not working out.
“I gained more than 30 pounds. I went from 155 pounds to 187. I would maybe try some workout for two weeks, then stop, then start again. Traditional stuff, weightlifting, cardio… nothing was working.
“I even tried CrossFit. It’s one of those insane workout programs. I couldn’t get through any of the exercises.
“Then a funny thing happened. Turns out someone who works for you – her name is A.L. – used to work with my parents. She told me about P.A.C.E. and it made so much sense. She gave me the video and I started working out P.A.C.E.-style at home.
“Right away I started feeling much better. I noticed my weight had dropped 10 pounds. It was easy to drop that weight with P.A.C.E.
“So, when A.L. told me you were opening a P.A.C.E. studio, I started working out here. I got lean in only a few weeks. It was easy.
“The problem with those extreme programs is that no one can do them. With P.A.C.E., anyone can start at any level and it gets you in shape.
“A few weeks after I started working out here at the studio with Avis and Ciana, I went with my brother the exercise maniac to his gym. He wanted me to do a CrossFit exercise with him. I got through all the workouts no problem.
“I t’s almost like P.A.C.E. is what you do to make yourself ready to do those crazy exercises like CrossFit and P90X.”
I want you to have a look at JD for yourself.
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When JD signed up to do P.A.C.E., he was deconditioned and didn’t have too much energy or enthusiasm. Now, you can’t stop him from smiling, and he’s got the male “V” |
Here he is before P.A.C.E. When he first started, he was deconditioned, and not very energetic.
Now JD has that natural male “V” shape men are designed for. And you can feel the difference when he walks in a room. A big smile on his face and lots of energy.
JD has gotten so good at P.A.C.E. that when Avis and Ciana went to a fitness convention, JD taught the P.A.C.E. classes. The students loved it. And now he wants to be a certified P.A.C.E. instructor too.
The best part is, you can get JD’s results for yourself. You don’t have to be an Olympic athlete or professional trainer to do P.A.C.E. If you can walk, you can do it. In fact, many of my patients do just that – they begin by walking. You could also swim, bike, sprint or exert yourself with just the weight of your body. Any kind of movement works for P.A.C.E.
Just remember to do these two things:
- Use progressivity – Little by little, you increase the intensity of your exertion over time.
- Apply acceleration – Try to reach your intensity target faster, and reduce your recovery time.
Let me give you an example of a P.A.C.E.-style exercise, and how you can use progressive intensity and acceleration to be fitter than you’ve ever been. It’s called a back stroke squat.
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart
- Bend slightly at the knees and lean forward, arms hanging straight down
- Squat down, and as you come back up, swing both arms up and back in a windmill, as if you were doing the backstroke in a pool using both arms at the same time
- Return to start position and repeat until you are slightly out of breath
- Recover
- Do three sets, with recovery periods in between
In the P.A.C.E. studio, we use a 5-7-9 progression for intensity. That means do the first set at what you perceive to be a 5 on your intensity scale. Do the second set at 7, and the third set go almost all out, leaving a little room to where you could have done a bit more.
Every time you work out, you’ll be a little more fit. Your perceived exertion will change over time so that your “5” of today will only be a “4” tomorrow. So you have to progressively increase your intensity to match your fitness.
That might mean adding a little jump to your squat. Or doing two backstrokes on the way up. Or adding a few more squats to each set but trying to do them in the same amount of time. It’s P.A.C.E. as long as there’s a tiny increase in intensity with each workout.
Then, you accelerate the intensity. Instead of resting for three minutes between sets, only rest for two. Then one minute. Then 20 seconds. Also, instead of a 5-7-9 intensity progression, try for 6-7-9. Then 7-8-9. Eventually you’ll be able to go 9-9-9 right from the start.
It’s one of the things we discovered by accident with patients at my clinic. Acceleration is so beneficial because it gives you energy fast, that you can feel right away.
That’s what happened with JD. You’ll jump out of bed with more energy than you’ve ever had. You’ll have a sense of real enthusiasm for each day. And you’ll smile more, just like JD does.
To Your Good Health,
Al Sears, MD