If you have ever watched a season of Biggest Loser on TV, you have probably witnessed one of my favorite challenges. Toward the end of the season, the last remaining contestants don weight vests and backpacks in order to complete a course carrying the total amount of weight they have lost on the show. For some of the larger men, this often amounts to over a hundred pounds of added weight.
I love this challenge because it is so obviously to the point: FEEL how it feels to be obese again! Try running with all the extra weight strapped to your body! Remember climbing the stairs or walking down the block weighing another hundred pounds. I would think that strapping on all that weight would convince those contestants that NOTHING could ever make them go back to that state again.
Anyway, I was thinking of ways to challenge my bootcamp students, some of whom have been working with me for over a year now. And I thought, how about a Biggest Loser challenge?
Anyone can do this! The next time you go out for a walk, a run, or a hike, strap on some extra weight. If you are a fitness newbie, you might want to wait until you are comfortable with your regular routine. And start with a fairly light set of weights.
If you are a walker, you can just pick up a set of very light dumbbells. Begin with one, two, or three pounds at the most. If you don't own any weights, grab a couple of soup cans! As you go for your daily walk, you can swing the weights by your sides, elbows bent at a 90 degree angle. If you get bored with that, switch it up and press the weights overhead, straight forward, out the the sides, or behind your back. As long as you stick with light weights, all these movements should be safe and easy.
If you are a jogger, you can do the same thing. Another option is to purchase a weight vest at a sporting goods store. Or you can use a lightweight backpack. You will probably need to wrap your weights in a thick beach towel before placing them into the backpack to prevent them from bruising your back while you jog. Begin with lighter weights and progress to heavier as long as your joints remain pain-free.
Hiking with a weighted backpack on trails with steep changes in elevation will dramatically increase your leg strength. Practice on flatter trails to begin, making sure your joints can handle the additional weight.
If any of these suggestions hurts your knees, elbows, shoulders, or back, you should omit the extra weight from your routine. Continue to train without the weights until your body is strong enough to handle that challenge. Good luck bumping it up to the next level!
I love this challenge because it is so obviously to the point: FEEL how it feels to be obese again! Try running with all the extra weight strapped to your body! Remember climbing the stairs or walking down the block weighing another hundred pounds. I would think that strapping on all that weight would convince those contestants that NOTHING could ever make them go back to that state again.
Anyway, I was thinking of ways to challenge my bootcamp students, some of whom have been working with me for over a year now. And I thought, how about a Biggest Loser challenge?
Anyone can do this! The next time you go out for a walk, a run, or a hike, strap on some extra weight. If you are a fitness newbie, you might want to wait until you are comfortable with your regular routine. And start with a fairly light set of weights.
If you are a walker, you can just pick up a set of very light dumbbells. Begin with one, two, or three pounds at the most. If you don't own any weights, grab a couple of soup cans! As you go for your daily walk, you can swing the weights by your sides, elbows bent at a 90 degree angle. If you get bored with that, switch it up and press the weights overhead, straight forward, out the the sides, or behind your back. As long as you stick with light weights, all these movements should be safe and easy.
If you are a jogger, you can do the same thing. Another option is to purchase a weight vest at a sporting goods store. Or you can use a lightweight backpack. You will probably need to wrap your weights in a thick beach towel before placing them into the backpack to prevent them from bruising your back while you jog. Begin with lighter weights and progress to heavier as long as your joints remain pain-free.
Hiking with a weighted backpack on trails with steep changes in elevation will dramatically increase your leg strength. Practice on flatter trails to begin, making sure your joints can handle the additional weight.
If any of these suggestions hurts your knees, elbows, shoulders, or back, you should omit the extra weight from your routine. Continue to train without the weights until your body is strong enough to handle that challenge. Good luck bumping it up to the next level!
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