Being in the health and fitness industry one of the questions I am frequently asked is “How can I train to maximize benefits with limited time?”  One such method has multiple benefits and is time efficient; PHA or Peripheral Heart Action. 

Peripheral heart action is a method of circuit training that involves training one upper body exercise followed by one lower body exercise in a circuit fashion with no rest between exercises, unless your heart rate exceeds your targeted heart rate zone. This will be done performing approximately 6 exercises one right after the other without stopping.

THE HISTORY OF PHA TRAINING:

PHA training was conceptualized by Dr. Arthur Steinhaus(1) - (1897 - 1970) in the 1940’s and was further popularized by bodybuilder and personal trainer Bob Gadja.  The concept of the PHA training program is to make the heart pump blood to the extremities. This is achieved through a constant use of compound movements that are performed in a sequence of upper body followed by lower body. This method of training is effective for burning fat, building muscle, and increased cardiovascular health.

PHA training causes the heart to work harder and achieves cardiovascular benefit by having to continually pump blood to the working muscles of the upper and lower body.

Some of the research shows that increased cardiovascular health is a definite benefit to this type of training.  One study comparing PHA interval training and HIIT training found that PHA training was more effective at lowering systolic blood pressure and increasing strength over HIIT training.  HIIT training is currently a popular form of interval training that we will write an article about in the future.  HIIT training is #5 on ASCM’s fitness trends for 2021.

If you are looking to lose weight, increase strength, and increase lean muscle mass, implementing a PHA workout will help you succeed in meeting those goals.

THE PERIPHERAL HEART ACTION ADVANTAGES:

• Compared to equivalent traditional resistance training (with approximately 90 second rest intervals between sets) circuit training has been shown to increase overall caloric expenditure.
• It will provide you with a workout that provides a challenge to the muscular system and improves cardiovascular health.
• The Peripheral Heart Action training method proposes to decrease body fat and increase lean muscle mass.

CONCERNS OR POSSIBLE RISKS OF PERIPHERAL HEART ACTION TRAINING:
If you have blood pressure issues (high or low blood pressure) this type of training may not be ideal for you.  Also, if you are severely deconditioned or pregnant you should consult with your doctor prior to starting a PHA workout plan.  

SAMPLE WORKOUTS:
Example #1:
A1) Push up - 10-20 reps
A2) Bodyweight Squat - 20-30 reps
B1) Pull up - 10-15 reps
B2) Side Lunge - 20-25 reps
C1) Pike push up - 15-25 reps
C2) Glute Bridge - 25-30 reps

Example #2:
A1) Resistance band row - 15-20 reps
A2) Deadlift - 10-12 reps
B1) Bench Press - 10-15 reps
B2) Goblet Squat - 12-15 reps
C1) Overhead press - 12-15 reps
C2) Step ups - 15-20 reps
The repetition range is a guideline only. Adjust repetitions amount for each exercise to fit your current fitness level.  Challenge yourself, but only do the number of reps that can be done with strict form.  If you can do more than the number of reps stated with good form, add weight or make the exercise more difficult. 


Bibliography:
“Wikipedia - Arthur Steinhaus, PhD.” Arthur H. Steinhaus - Wikipedia, 9 November 2020, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_H._Steinhaus.
​
Kravitz, PhD, Len. “Peripheral Heart Action Training: "What's Old is New Again."” Peripheral Heart Action Training, 2015, https://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/PeripheralHeartAction.html. Accessed 07 02 2021.

Jack LaLanne, as we all know, was legendary in the health and fitness world. Being a pioneer in the fitness field and changing the lives of many people through his motivational speaking, TV show, and multiple books all relating to healthy living.
Mr. LaLanne was born in San Francisco, California on September 26, 1914. From the age of 4 to 14 he had issues with being addicted to sugar and junk food. At the age of 15 his health caused him to drop out of school for 6 months. After attending a nutrition seminar given by Paul Bragg, he resolved to change his eating habits and his lazy lifestyle. From that point on Mr. LaLanne prioritized changing his diet to healthy food choices and also started working out. After returning and completing high school he went on to college and earned a Doctor of Chiropractic degree. And the rest is history! A very long history with a career that spanned 70 plus years.

His accomplishments in the fitness field revolutionized the fitness industry having opened the first health and fitness club in the nation, “the Jack LaLanne Physical Culture Studio.” At this studio he provided supervised weight and exercise training, what we now call personal training, and also offered nutritional counseling. Always encouraging and motivating his clients to improve their overall health.
At that time there definitely was some controversy around weight lifting, or what was then called physical culture. “Doctors told him he would give men heart attacks and make them lose their sex drive and woman would look like men.” (Jack LaLanne, 2011)
“LaLanne recalls the initial reaction of doctors to his promotion of weight-lifting: People thought I was a charlatan and a nut. The doctors were against me‍—‌they said that working out with weights would give people heart attacks and they would lose their sex drive.” (Goldstein, 2011)

Once again breaking boundaries and being a pioneer Jack LaLanne presented fitness and exercise advice on television. “The Jack LaLanne Show was the longest-running television exercise program. In 1959, the ABC network picked up the show for nationwide broadcast, which continued until 1985.” (Wikipedia, 2016)

Being an advocate of a simple diet and removing processed foods, LaLanne blamed overly processed foods for many health problems. The majority of his life he ate primarily a meat and vegetable diet; with vegetables being the majority of the plate. 
LaLanne said his two simple rules of nutrition are: "if man made it, don't eat it", and "if it tastes good, spit it out." (Unknown, 2010)
 
There is no doubt that Jack LaLanne was a pioneer and icon in the health and fitness field. He was a major contributor to the changes in the fitness industry that are still popular and relevant today.
 
The following are some of the amazing feats he accomplished in his lifetime!  

Jack LaLanne Feats and Honors - (Jack LaLanne, 2011)
 
1954 Age 40: Swam the length of the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge underwater with 140 pounds of equipment, including two air tanks… an undisputed world record.

1955 Age 41: Swam, handcuffed, from Alcatraz to Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, CA.
 
1956 Age 42: Set a world record of 1,033 pushups in 23 minutes on “You Asked for It, a TV Show with Art Baker.
 
1957 Age 43: Swam the treacherous Golden Gate Channel, towing a 2,500-pound cabin cruiser. This involved fighting the cold, swift ocean currents that made the 1 mile swim a 6 ½ mile test of strength and endurance.
 
1958 Age 44: Maneuvered a paddleboard 30 miles, 9-½ hours non-stop from Farallon Islands to the San Francisco shore.
 
1959 Age 45: Completed 1,000 pushups and 1,000 chin-ups in 1 hours and 22 minutes. “Happy” is born and The Jack LaLanne Show goes nationwide
 
1974 Age 60: Swam from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman’s Wharf, for a second time handcuffed, shackled and towing a 1,000-pound boat.
 
1975 Age 61: Swam the length of the Golden Gate Bridge, underwater, for a second time handcuffed, shackled and towing a 1,000-pound boat. 
 
1976 Age 62: Commemorating the “Spirit of ‘76”, swam 1 mile in Long Beach Harbor, handcuffed, shackled and towing 13 boats (representing the 13 original colonies) containing 76 people.
 
1979 Age 65: Towed 65 boats filled with 6,500-pounds of Lousiana Pacific wood pulp while handcuffed and shackled in Lake Ashinoko, near Tokyo, Japan.
 
1980 Age 66: Towed 10 boats in North Miami, Florida filled with 77 people for over a mile in less than 1 hour.
 
1984 Age 70: Handcuffed, shackled and fighting strong winds and currents, towed 70 boats with 70 people from the Queen’s Way Bridge in the Long Beach Harbor to the Queen Mary, 1 ½ miles.
 
1992 Age 78: Academy of Body Building and Fitness Award
 
1994 Age 80: State of California Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness Lifetime Achievement Award
 
1996 Age 82: Dwight D. Eisenhower Fitness Award
 
1999 Age 85: Spirit of Muscle Beach Award
 
2002 Age 88: Jack receives his very own star on the Hollywood Blvd. Walk of Fame

2004 Age 90: Jack celebrates his birthday with a major media blitz in New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

ESPN Classic runs a 24 Hour marathon of the original Jack LaLanne Shows

2005 Age 91: Received the Jack Webb Award from the Los Angeles Police Historical Society, the Arnold Classic Lifetime Achievement Award, Interglobal’s International Infomercial Award, the Freddie, Medical Media Public Service Award, and he was a Free Spirit honoree at Al Neuharth’s Freedom Fourm.

2007 Age 93: Received the Treasures of Los Angeles Award, Lifetime Achievement Award from Muscle Beach, and the Y.M.C.A. Impact Award.

2008 Age 94: Inducted into the California Hall of Fame, Parker Seminars Award, received the honorary degree of Doctor of Humanities from the Southern California University of Health Sciences, receives the People of Vision Award from the RP International, receives the Heroes Humanity Award, and was inducted into the Gallery of Legends hosted by the World Acrobatics Society.

2009 Age 95: Jack receives Lifetime Achievement Award from Club Industry. Jack LaLanne days were observed in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Hello! So as you can see, the below posts were created in 2009 and never published. I started this website back then and didn't know what I wanted it to be. Since then my passion for health has become a profession. I am certified as a personal trainer and health coach. Over the last 8 years I have worked with a diverse group of clients, managed two fitness centers, worked as a physical therapist aide, and as the Education Coordinator for the Evidence Based Fitness Academy.
But the reason I am writing this post is not to discuss me and what I have or haven't accomplished. It is to put emphasis on the importance and value of time. These blog posts were written 8 years ago, as well as the start of this website and I just sat on them. Why? Because I was unsure of multiple things at the time and over the years allowed too many distractions. So this is more of a call to action. If there is something you want to do, but you consistently get in your own way. Seek out help! Talk to people and take the time to work through your ideas and just start. Or the years will roll by and you will end up having regrets, or will always wonder what you could have accomplished if you hadn't let the time roll by.

TEN YEARS!!

“When you fail to plan, you plan to fail” – Unknown

Having a conversation today with a client we both realized we are half way through 2009.  It started me thinking about my life the last ten years.  Just to put ten years ago into perspective, all the talk and worry of Y2K was just starting to unravel and George W. Bush was running for his first term.

The top albums were:
1. Jennifer Lopez - If You Had My Love
2. Pearl Jam - Last Kiss
3. Ricky Martin - Livin La Vida Loca

In the movies:
1. Sixth Sense
2. The Blair Witch Project
3. Austin Powers 2
4. The Matrix

This got me thinking about time and what I have or have not accomplished to date and WHY??  There is no doubt that time goes by at a rapid pace.  About this time in 1999 I was running my own custom cabinet shop, training to take the physical portion of the fire department test in the city that I lived (training wasn't planned so my workouts were sporadic, I was working too many hours) and not really thinking much about the future.  I was just trying to get through the day!

As I look back and reflect on the mistakes I have made and where I am today.  The one thing that holds true for all the difficult times in my life was the fact that I did not have a plan.  I was flying by the seat of my pants and had no direction.  I did not take the time to sit down and design and build my life or business.  When I started my cabinet business I didn’t have a plan.  I thought about and knew what I wanted but didn’t sit down and blueprint how I was going to get there.  Did that decision work out well for me?  NO!  I was working way too many hours a week and had no life.  I burned myself out to the point where I disliked running a business and building furniture.  This was something that at one time I loved doing and was passionate about.  I was great at designing and building furniture but not at designing and building my business. 

When I think about my training over the years the same principles apply.  I have always made my greatest gains in size or strength when I had a clear goal and designed a workout and nutrition plan in advance.  

Think about the last ten years of your life, or even the last five.  Are you where you want to be?  If not maybe it is time to design and build your life plan or readjust your current one.  Here are some steps you can take to get you started:

1. Go buy a 5 subject notebook.
2. The first section I personally use for daily planning, this way everything is in one place.  Label the rest of the sections.  I have them labeled – Health/Fitness, Finance, Business/Career and Family/Relationships.
3. Start asking yourself questions!!  If this is new and overwhelming, which it definitely can be and is probably the main reason people hesitate to start.  Keep it simple.  Start with one year to get practice and build some success instead of going for 5 or 10 years right from the get go.

Here is an example:

• Q #1:  Where would I like to be 1 year from now?  Or 5 or 10 years if you are up for the challenge.  Answer this question in each key area.  As you get better at goal setting and planning you will be able to break down 5 or 10 years into smaller goals easier.
• Q #2:  What are the most important steps I need to take to get me there? Don’t go crazy here coming up with a high amount of steps.  Choose about 6 to 10 and then break them down into more manageable steps.
• Q #3:  What is the first step?  Continue to put them in order of importance.  And then break them down to smaller time frames – 1 month, 2 weeks, 1 week and then daily.
• Q #4:  What are my resources?  (Time, people, finances, etc.)
• Q #5:  What are some potential challenges I may face in attaining my goal?  Make a list of situations that may throw you off track.
• Ex.:  If you goal is to lose 5 lbs and one of the steps is to cook more and minimize eating out.  One of your challenges may be friends asking you out to dinner to frequently.  This leads us to:
• Q #6:  What is my back up plan?  With the above scenario it may be to – have them over for dinner, not only do you get a fabulous meal but you will also save some $$$ and probably have to clean your house as an added bonus.  As a matter of fact, with the money you save on dinner you may be able to afford to hire someone to clean your house.  Another option maybe to choose the restaurant and then you can pick one that has healthy options.

Example:
Let’s say my one year goal in the area of family/relationships is to take a family trip to Italy.  Let’s break it down:

Where would I like to be 1 yr from now?  In Italy – Venice, Rome and Sicily.

What are the most important steps?  I chose 6 Steps for this scenario. 

1. Evaluate finances and save $$$.
2. Decide and assess how much time I can take off of work.
3. Contact a travel agent to discuss options and basic cost and or go online and look for deals.
4. Research what I want to see and do and how I want to spend my time.
5. Plan how much time I want to spend in each location.
6. Budget and plan my time and finances so I get the most out of my trip.

  
1st step - The first step would be to contact a travel agent to get an average cost.  I chose that one because it may have an impact on the most important one.  Which is:

• 2nd step - Evaluate my finances and save $$$.  Let’s say the trip is estimated to cost 5000.00 and I don’t want to incur any debt.  I currently have 1000.00 saved toward the trip.  So I need to save 4000.00 and let’s say at my current salary I won’t save that much in 1 year.  One of the action steps may be to get a part time job.  This may add additional questions and steps.  I may now need to evaluate my time and see if it is possible to work a part time job.  Or ask additional questions such as are there other ways to acquire the funds (selling items you do not need or use anymore, make part of it a working vacation so work picks up some expense,  stay with a friend or relative, etc.).?
• 3rd step - Research what I want to see and do.  Above I chose Venice, Rome and Sicily.  I can research on the internet; or ask travel agent, friends and or relatives who have been there, places and sights they recommend.
• 4th step – plan how much time I want to spend in each location.  This may work in conjunction with what I want to see and do.  My cousin Vinnie may live in Sicily.  I haven’t seen him in 5 years, so I may decide to spend more time there, or less depending on whether Vinnie’s a big pain in le noci.
• 5th step - Decide and assess how much time off work.  This one is easy.  Based on your budget and what you want to see and do the answer should be fairly clear.
• Budget and plan my time and finances so I get the most out of my trip.  Here is where it all comes together.  I have my budget.  I planned the who, what, when and how.  My funds are allotted accordingly and I have some back up cash in reserve.  

What are my resources?  We actually answered the financial aspect of this question in the process of going through the steps above.  Other questions you can ask – Is there someone I can delegate some of the work to?  Will a spouse or partner be contributing funds?  Can and or will they get a part time job to help with savings?

What are some potential challenges I may face in attaining my goal?  Once you know what they are you can put together a better plan to minimize the chance of them occurring.  No need to drive yourself crazy but come up with a few potential circumstances to cover your butt.  If you can’t think of any ask someone who travels frequently or the travel agent.

• May not be able to save enough $$$ due to various circumstances. (Job loss, unforeseen auto expense, unforeseen medical expense, etc.)
• Death or illness in the family.

What is my backup plan?

• Borrow the $$ if absolutely necessary.  From who?
• Purchase insurance or check with the travel agent to be sure I can get a refund or postpone the trip without penalty or minimal penalty.

This should be enough info to get you started thinking about and designing your life and what you choose to do with it.  Because after all it is your life and your responsibility!!  Or you could wait until next falls TV line up; they may come out with a “CSI: Italy” and you can watch it on TV.

Goals! How to Get Everything You Want--Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible
Unleashing the Warrior Within: Using the 7 Principles of Combat to Achieve Your Goals

Most of the common problems that come up between a contractor and the homeowner during a remodel can be avoided.  Doing a little legwork before signing a contract can save you a lot of headaches down the road.  Most contractors work hard for their living but there are some dishonest and fraudulent Wanna Be's out there that have tainted the reputation of the industry.   

Here are a few FixIt tips to help get your project completed smoothly:

1. Get at least 3 bids on the project and 3 references from each contractor.

2. Check the references supplied.  Most contractors will provide references.  Most owners not take time to check them.  Ask questions when calling references.  Did the job get completed on time?  Did it get completed within budget?  If possible go and look at a similar project! 

3. Check the contractors license number with your state agency.  Find out if there are any outstanding complaints.

4. How long has the contractor been in business?  or in the business?  definitely ask how much experience they have.  It is fine to hire someone just starting out in business, it may even have a few advantages and some disadvantages.  Be smart about it and consider the options.  Does the contractor have an actual address?  If they have a PO Box that might be a red flag for me.

5. Is the contractor's written contract understandable?  If not, ask questions and make changes in the contract that are understood by both parties.

6. Is the payment schedule reasonable?  If the contractor's deposit is more that 40% of the total project I would be a little concerned.  Check with your state, some states set max amounts that a contractor can receive upfront for a deposit.

7. Ask for proof of worker's comp and liability insurance.  Without proper insurance you could be left responsible for injuries on the job.  Check to make sure all sub-contractors are also insured and licensed.

8. Communication!  Communication!  Communication!!  Make sure you are comfortable with whomever you choose for the project.  As in any relationship, if you can't ask questions and communicate effectively there is going to be a lot of issues.

9. Make sure all the bids are for the same specifications.  A higher bid may reflect better quality materials.  Detailed plans are the best method of insuring consistency.

10. Check with the Better Business Bureau (www.bbb.org) for complaints or concerns from prior homeowners!  and consider checking Angie's List (http://www.angieslist.com/Angieslist/)

Good luck with your project!!   ;)