Can You Handle The Extreme?
When you think of “Extreme” do you think of something far beyond the norm? An act of the greatest possible degree of difficulty? Well, my experience at Extreme Training Camp with John Parrillo and Dr. Mike Feulner in Cincinnati, Ohio was no different. I thought I trained pretty hard in the off-season. I never miss a workout, I sweat like crazy, I’m trained by an IFBB Pro Bodybuilder, and I push myself to the point of exhaustion every single day. But, after Extreme Training Camp, I felt as though I don’t train nearly hard enough! This experience opened my eyes to a whole new way of training and executing cardio.
Cardio…yes…the word that I dread daily…sometimes two or three times a day. I sit on a stepmill or elliptical and plug out the hideous amounts of cardio that my insane diet coach insists I do. At Extreme Training Camp I was introduced to rotational interval training. Picture this-- a treadmill and two machines, one minute to thirty second intervals, NO stopping. After 30 minutes not only was I soaking wet with sweat, couldn’t breathe and thought my lunch was going to re-visit me, but I couldn’t believe I didn’t give up and actually pushed through it. Man, I hate cardio…so I just kept looking forward to lifting…..I thought I’d surely be strong with that!
We started the day off with legs…..yes legs…… 100 reps on the seated calf machine…no stopping. My calves hurt for a week! I can’t even count to 100…what was this man thinking? Then 100 reps on the leg press….I cried…real tears, fell off the machine and wished that Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz would take me away if I tapped my heels together. As the weekend progressed, we went through each bodypart. Not with 100 rep sets…don’t worry…but learning correct form, new exercises and the importance of stretching. It amazed me how the anatomy of the body and using what I know about it improved my mind-muscle connection. I learned, even with perfect form, changing the angle changes everything!
My favorite part of the weekend was the free goodies they gave out. We got body fat calipers and learned the correct way to take body stats and how it’s beneficial to tracking our progress. We also received a great training manual, nutrition program software, CD, and cookbook. John also gave us samples of every protein bar he makes. Throughout the weekend, we were privy to a tour of Parillo’s facility and lab and he granted us permission to help ourselves to all of the wonderful protein foods he makes. The cookies, brownies, cake, frosting, ice cream, chocolate syrup and pudding all were wonderful tasting. I can’t believe you get these foods while dieting! It was too good to be true! John and Mike also talked a lot about dieting, supplements and nutrition. . .creating the perfect diet plan for you and what supplements are important to take.
After coming home from camp, I spent the entire next week nursing my sore muscles and reflecting on all I learned. It was overwhelming! I really glad I have all the manuals to use as references. I know I will keep them in my collection for many years to come. In a nutshell, I got my arce kicked, learned a ton and found supplements to add to my diet to help my sweet tooth! I have stepped up my training and I now understand this crazy world of nutrition. Watch out 2012…..here I come!
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