Movement – Exercise | Innovative Results

10 Best Hills to Run in Orange County

Running hills is awesome….why? Well, first off, they are easier on your joints. They also challenge your lower body muscles and your cardiovascular system like nothing else! Remember Jerry Rice and Walter Peyton. Both of these athletes were known for their strength, power and conditioning on the field…and their hill workouts were notorious among players. If you are looking to get in top shape, then running hills has to become part of your program.

So, where do you start?

Could be as simple as run up, walk down…or you can utilize a heart rate monitor and focus on specific energy systems.

Here are a few ways to mix up your runs:

Alactic Bursts – 8-12sec sprint, followed by 1min+ rest, repeat 5-10 times.
Lactic runs – similar to 200-400m sprints. 20sec-1min run, followed by 30-90sec of rest, repeat 3-8 times.
Aerobic – typically longer, less intense runs. 3 min +

Orange County has a ton of great parks, trails and elevation changes, that can challenge any persons’ conditioning. There are a ton of hills, trails, steep streets and challenges around every corner.

Here are some of my favorite hills to run on around Orange County.

1. Salt Creek Park in Dana Point

This has a few different options. There is a grass hill (see picture), asphalt path next to it, stairs down the beach and a stair/hill combo at the end. You can even take a stroll or a swim when you’re done!

2. China Cove in Corona del Mar

Hot spot for trainers in Corona del Mar…some days are a bit crowded, but this is a great spot for short bursts of effort.

3. West St Trail in Laguna Beach

This is one of my favorite trails! You turn onto West St, off PCH and head up about half a mile or so. There is a trail head. This trail starts out pretty level, then shoots straight up to the top of a huge hill. This is steep! Bring your “A” Game!

4. Top of the World in Laguna Beach

Lots of people know about this one, but it has to go on the list. There are a few different routes that vary in difficulty and distance. Change it up and enjoy the views!

5. Victoria Beach in Laguna Beach

This is a beautiful, hidden beach, just off PCH and Nye St in Laguna. There is an asphalt street that pretty much goes from the beach all the way to the houses on the top. My car even gets tired when I drive this one!

6. Quail Hill in Irvine

I like this trail, just off Sand Canyon in Irvine. It is a 3 mile loop, but I like the gradual hill at the beginning of the trail. It isn’t too crazy, but running 10 150 yard sprints up that hill will wear you out quick!

7. Newport Coast Drive in Newport Beach

PCH to the top. This is popular among bicyclists, but this hill is a killer run. Steady horribleness for over a mile. ENJOY!

8. Peter’ Canyon in Orange

This is a great trail that is full of various hills and challenges. Definitely high on the list!

9. Crystal Cove in Newport Coast/Laguna Beach

Ok, you can pretty much go anywhere in Newport Coast and Laguna Beach and find a hill. Crystal Cove Park is another great trail.

10. Whiting Ranch in Trabuco Canyon

I really liked this trail. It started really level, then had a good half mile steady incline. Fun times!

Bottom line: If you want to get lean and be in top shape, running hills is essential to your training program.

Do you have any other suggestions?

Leave us a comment and tell us about your favorite hill

Balance in Motion – Sleep and Muscle Recovery Tips

Sleep and Muscle Recovery

Not making the strength gains you think you should be?

How’s your sleep?

Lack of sleep and poor sleep quality negatively impacts coordination, mental focus and inhibits muscle growth and repair.

Why?

Many people don’t realize that sleep is an active physiological state for our bodies. There are thousands of processes taking place that affect our hormones, immune system, and muscle recovery, in addition to affecting our mood and mental clarity. During deep sleep our brains are less active, so the blood flow to our muscles increases, rejuvenating and repairing our tissues. This is also when our body releases most of its growth hormone. Having a deficiency in growth hormone is associated with increased obesity, decreased muscle mass and a reduced exercise capacity.

One or two nights of reduced sleep probably won’t impact your performance too much; however, consistently not getting enough sleep could be the culprit keeping you from achieving your goals. According to the the National Sleep Foundations guidelines the average adult should get between seven and nine hours per night.

Need a little R&R? Purchase one massage this month and get a second one on Balance in Motion. Call (949)515-4006 or email BALANCE IN MOTION and jump start self care and relaxation.

Wednesday Body Care Tips from Balance in Motion

Greetings from Balance in Motion!

Here are your tips for getting over the hump of your week and exercise routine starts with successful injury prevention and recovery!

The first step in accomplishing this goal is listening to your body. We live mainly in our head with constant texting, email, and thinking. Exercise is a great way to reconnect and escape, but taking a “No Pain No Gain” approach and pushing too hard leads to sprains, strains, tears, and burnout.

Many patients treated at BALANCE IN MOTION start with very little body awareness; and therefore, push past their limits and get injured. Don’t make the same mistakes and end up not being able to exercise for months.

3 recommendations to improve your mind/ body awareness

1. Get stimulated in all the right ways. The best way to get connected is to rouse your body’s communication pathways. A chiropractic adjustment boosts the link between your brain and your body by stimulating mechanoreceptors in your joints and muscles that tell your brain about your body’s position. If you are out of alignment or have had a previous injury to an area this feedback system can be impaired leading to injury.

2. Don’t paint over your check engine light. Pain is our body’s way of telling us there is a problem. So don’t do things to fix it that simply mask it. Stop taking pain killers and anti-inflammatories. Not only is this habit hard on your liver and kidneys, it doesn’t allow you to feel your body and the possible damage you might be causing during your workouts.

3. Take a deep breath. Stopping to breathe and doing specific breath work during your workout helps you stay aware and improve oxygenation.

Feeling muscle tension or joint pain, find out if misalignment could be the culprit.

Call (949) 515-4006 or contact us this week and schedule a complimentary consult and exam including one x-ray if needed. (Save $195 and get points for your City Transformation Team for taking action to prevent injury)

How Much Strength do Athletes Need?

Strength coaches have been obsessed with squats and bench press for years, but is strength the only factor to consider when developing an athlete?

Check out this article by ROB PANARIELLO.

How much strength do athletes need?

Lots of coaches focus on one thing, but athletes need a variety of skills. Their bodies need to be stable, strong and powerful from a variety of positions.

Does a top tier tennis player need the same max strength as a offensive lineman in football?

A great athletic strength and conditioning program has to address a variety of factors. It will be different for each individual, each sport, as well as, the time of year it is being performed.

Check out this article and let me know your thoughts…

How much strength do athletes need?

Be sure and leave a comment below!

A Guide to Good Posture – This can help you reduce pain and look younger, FAST!

Stand up straight, look younger and reduce (or eliminate) pain!

Call to schedule your FREE assessment today

866.243.4472

Innovative Results is the most trusted name for fitness in Orange County

A Quick Guide to Interval Training – Who wants to get fit, drop body fat and perform at your best, FAST?

There are hundreds of ways to use interval training, get in shape and build a better YOU.

For more information about our Award Winning Program, call 866.243.4472

Ask about our FREE Trial that s available in January!!

Help…my butt is saggy!

Everybody wants to have a tighter behind…a firmer toosh…rock hard glutes or something along those lines. The problem is, most people have no idea how to train their glutes properly.

Luckily, fellow trainer Bret Contreras, interviewed a few top coaches and got their favorite “glute” exercises.

These guys are some of the best coaches in the world and train some of the world’s best athletes…needless to say, they’ve got some great info to share with ya.

You can check em out here:

Favorite Glute Exercises from the Most Masculine Men

Enjoy!

…and since the first picture was traumatising, I will leave you with this one instead:

Barefoot Training – Part 1 Stability

A Quick introduction to the feet: The human foot has 26 bones, 33 joints, 107 ligaments, 19 muscles and tendons. The 52 bones in your feet make up about 25 percent of all the bones in your body.

Bottom line, our feet are complex and should be able to stabilize, propel and absorb force during activity. Any breakdown in structure or function will cause other areas of the body (muscles, tendons, joints, etc) to compensate. This can cause altered movement patterns, muscle imbalances, pain, and eventually injury.

Simply think of our feet as the foundation of our entire body.

Roles of the feet include:

Stabilize/support while standing and during movement
Propel us in multiple directions,
Absorb energy during movement (in multiple planes of movement)
Provide proprioceptive feedback about the surface we are moving on.

As we move, our feet are the connection to the ground. Many people have powerful hips and legs, but neglect the lower leg and feet completely. If you have ’400lb squat’ power but unstable, weak ankles and feet, what do you think happens when you try to apply force into the ground to move? Energy will not transfer into the ground efficiently, your performance will suffer and you will probably develop some type of pain or injury, especially if you are moving in multiple planes at speed.

Athletes that typically suffer from these types of injuries include volleyball, basketball, football, soccer and other athletes that use a lot of quick, lateral movement in their sport.

So, how do we train our feet and develop a stable, strong and powerful foundation?

Simply buying barefoot shoes and starting to run, is a recipe for disaster. Training our feet is very similar to training the rest of our body. It requires a proper progression of exercises that starts with stability exercises.

You wouldn’t try to clean and jerk 300lbs on your first day at the gym would you?

So our first goal when training our feet should be stability and mobility. Since the majority of us spend our days in the car, at a desk and on the couch, it is vital to mobilize the ankle joint and create some stability throughout the foot and ankle.

There are literally hundreds of ways to challenge the ankles and feet, but here are some simple exercises to get us started. Try to hold these positions for 30 seconds to 1 minute. If you are just starting or new to foot training, please start with two feet and graduate to one foot once you master the two foot exercises.

1. Heel raise with two feet

Try to raise your heels up as high as you can and grab the ground with your toes.

2. Heel raise – 1 foot

Try to raise your heels up as high as you can and grab the ground with your toes.

3. Roller balance w/ toes out

Try to grab the roller with your toes and contour your foot to the curve of the roller.

4. Roller balance w/ toes in

Try to grab the roller with your toes and contour your foot to the curve of the roller.

5. Roller balance w/ toes straight

** Please use a wall, post or steady partner when you try these exercises the first time. Again, the goal for these exercises is to maintain balance and to create more stability in the foot and ankles.

Once you master these exercises, the next step will be to challenge the foot and ankle during movement.

Stay tuned for the next barefoot training article…coming soon!

WOW! Check out our Workout of the Week!

Need a little change of pace with your workout?

We will be posting a new workout every week to help mix it up, challenge you, and to show you what IR is all about. Check out this simple workout below. Not too difficult, surprisingly challenging and you can do it just about anywhere!

Simple, Effective and Fun!

Innovative Results Workout of the Week: