Featuring Todd... a Dad... Almost 40 yrs old!

Pic on the right is  Todd 3 months after starting unconventional training.

I'm very proud to feature one of my newer students, Todd Graham. Todd is almost 40 years old and is a hard working father. Like most stories of why someone put on extra weight, "life" got in the way. Todd was an incredible high school athlete and continued to keep his conventional training regimen even through his stressful demanding career. Todd, being a motivated person and sometimes an over achiever, continued to "workout" 3-4 times a week. His workouts consisted of conventional barbell training and lots of running.  However, the weight continued to creep on.  He did what he thought was the right thing to do regarding his pre/post workouts. He'd down MuscleMilks in a pinch and head to the gym.

When Todd began training with me at On The Edge Fitness, his glutes weren't firing properly and he could hardly swing a 25lb kettlebell.  It was not a surprise that with no glute activation that he suffered from chronic back pain and extremely tight hamstrings. His core was also dysfunctional which added to his continuous back pain.

Todd was very skeptical about interfering with his training regimen he had been doing at his local gym. His first words to me when he walked in to my outdoor gym were "I'm here to try you out." After attending a combination of private sessions, semi-privates and group classes with me, he dropped 20 pounds and he longer has back pain. Todd trains less now than he use to and no longer runs.

Let's find out how Todd did it. I asked him a few questions. 

Todd 3 months after training

Lauren:  I asked you to stop running due to your back pain. Do you miss it?
Todd: I now get to enjoy sprinting so that helps and back pain is completely gone. Between kettlebell swings and battling ropes it takes care of all I need.

L: What's your proudest moment since adding this type training to your lifestyle?
T: Achieving an 88lb Turkish Get Up and of course the body composition changes! :)

L: What changes other than the new training did you implement to achieve these incredible results?
T: Nutrition has been such a big part of it. With the nutrition advice you've given me it's made it an easy lifestyle change. I don't even feel like I'm on a diet. 

L: Now that we had to toss Muscle Milk in the trash, what kind of protein shakes do you consume?
T: I use two different protein shakes and my kids love them. I interchange the Grass Fed Whey Protein FIT 365 and the Organic Raw Pea Protein. 

L: Didn't you just learn a very hard sport that most soon to be 40 year olds would give up after one day? You must be a very determined guy.
T: Yes I learned how to snowboard.  Thanks to the training that got me ready for it and having a really good snowboard instructor was the ticket.  ;)
Lauren: What a lucky guy. To have both a great coach and a snowboard instructor. :) Would love to meet this person. Thanks for providing us with some photos. 

Todd snowboarding at Canyons Resort near Park City, Utah

Todd and his snowboard instructor

L: What would you say to other men in your position or dads about getting started with this  type of training and nutrition lifestyle?
T: "It's never too late. Get out there and do it. Make the first step. Results will be there. I'm hooked."

L: What about to those that don't live near On The Edge Fitness or anywhere local?

T: "My 65 year old mom that lives all the way in Texas is now hooked on all the DVD's and read your book cover to cover. She is feeling better than ever and looking great. I'd recommend everyone check out your DVD's and videos for guidance and get some distant coaching from, especially if there is no local certified instructors in their area. 

A few more words from Todd

"I workout less than I did before, my back pain is GONE, more flexible, mobility improved and I'm STRONGER!. Maintaining this lifestyle is easy with the amazing group and camaraderie that On The Edge Fitness provides. 

Thanks a bunch to Todd for sharing his story and being such an amazing role model for men. I look forward to seeing more strength gains and athletic endeavors to come. I'm glad he decided to "try me out" (his words). Who knows.... maybe he will even be in the next DVD!  ;)

Left Photo: Todd with his gorgeous sister, taken right before he began his unconventional training.
Right Photo: Todd several months in to his training/nutrition changes, with his snowboard instructor ;)



UPDATE ON TODD

Now 6 months after this BLOG post check out how far Todd has come.  He even made it to the new DVD!

Todays Workout - Your Call, Meatball

10 Sandbag Ground-to-Overhead (any technique allowed as long as bag touches the ground and goes overhead with straight legs and arms per rep),
10 Sandbag Walking Lunges (Front, Back, Zercher, Shoulder or Overhead sandbag hold)
200m Run.

Repeat 5 rounds as fast as possible.

Record your time.

Train hard!

Product review - Icelandic Glacial Water

The nice folks at Icelandic Glacial Water recently sent me a whole case of their product to try out. While I don't often review things on the blog here at Sandbag Fitness, I make an exception for products that I like and I'm happy to recommend to you guys.

Firstly, this is really nice water. I mean really nice. If you're used to drinking regular tap water (which is what I normally have) then you'll notice a difference straight away. This tastes very clean and pure.

After checking out their site in a little more detail I read a number of other cool things about this stuff, including:

• It comes from the 5000 year old �lfus Spring in Iceland.
• The area in which it comes from is protected and there are no buildings or farming within the 128,000 acre region. 
• The water is bottled in a clean room environment, so it isn't exposed to the air until you take the cap off. 
• It's a Carbon-Neutral product.

Besides, drinking water from Iceland makes me feel like a Viking...and that's no bad thing. 

If you see this in your local store then I can highly recommend trying it. You can find out more about the product by clicking here.

Todays Workout - No Easy Way Out

Complete 100 Sandbag Ground-to-Overheads.

Each time you drop the sandbag (you can rest while holding it) there's a 20 Press Up penalty.

Complete the workout as fast as you can and record your time.

Train hard!