Here is a good recipe I found that offers a little indulgence without all the fat. This recipe promises to cut the calories and fat without sacrificing flavor. The unsweetened cocoa in this recipe adds an antioxidant kick that will satisfy your chocolate cravings and help chase away oxidative stress.

Midnight Fudge Cake
Ingredients
1 cup of Sugar In The Raw (Turbinado sugar)
2 large eggs
2 (2.5 ounce) containers of "baby food" prunes
1 1/4 cup nonfat milk
1 teaspoon (tsp) vanilla
2 cups oat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tablespoon (tbs) Stevia with fiber
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa
2 tsp instant coffee powder (decaf, if you prefer)

Directions for cake- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and line (with parchment paper) two 8 or 9 inch cake pans. Cream sugar, eggs, and prunes. Add milk and vanilla; whisk well. Measure and whisk dry ingredients together and whisk into liquid ingredients, mixing well. Pour batter into pans and bake for 20-25 minutes. Cake is done when you insert toothpick and it comes out with some moist crumbs on it. Cool for 10 minutes in pan, remove from pan and wrap in plastic wrap or cover with plastic wrap and a towel until ready to frost.

Chocolate Fudge Frosting
Ingredients
1/2 cup Sugar in the Raw
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup nonfat milk
1/4 cup Earth Balance (buttery spread)
1/2 tsp instant coffee
pinch salt
1 tsp vanilla

Directions for frosting- In saucepan combine sugar, cocoa, milk, Earth Balance spread, coffee and salt. Bring to boil and boil for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add vanilla and continue stirring until frosting begins to cool and thicken slightly (as soon as you feel it thicken, stop stirring and pour over cake to frost). Serves 12

So here's the breakdown- 219 calories, 5.2 grams (g) fat (1.7 g saturated fat);17g carbohydrate;6.2g protein;4.7g fiber;32 milligrams (mg) cholesterol; 64 mg sodium.

Enjoy!

The Rip trainer by TRX has become a staple in my client workouts. When the objective is to strengthen the core I typically think of various ways you need to brace the spine against resistance. I never did much in regards to asymmetrical loads to the body. The Rip trainer makes this easy to do. Today I perform a chest press while maintaining a neutral spine with the Rip trainer. Chest & core in a single movement. Now for the record, the load you're using will be lightened dramatically compared to what you may use on a standard chest press machine, but my argument is that you should only be using a load for chest presses that you can use while stabilizing your spine anyway. My goal is to build for "Go", not just for "Show". Check out this video and tell me what you think. 

      I'm a big fan of agility ladder, hurdles, and cone work to improve foot quickness. But another tool I like to use is the slide board. It challenges you in the frontal plane which has a good carryover to most sports. It's a form of unilateral exercise. And finally, to be efficient at it you need to have a good initial burst step. The obstacles that most experience with the board is having access to one, or the fear of falling when trying to perform the slides. Well, get over your anxiety, and get on it! They're great, and provide a good challenge. Even if you're not training for the NFL combine, you can add a good aerobic workout to your routine. This is a nice change of pace exercise for a metabolic circuit. Again, give it a try, and let me know how it goes. See you in the gym!

     If you really want to learn how to draft up your workout routine watch a baby learning to walk for the first time. No seriously. They start from the ground and typically get up from a crawl or kneeling position. This requires mobility in the hips, and muscle flexibility. They then drive up from this position like a lunge, and typically work to maintain there balance, while maintaining enough strength to stay up. Isn't that how we should workout? Combine strength, balance, flexibility, and mobility all into a single exercise. That's why I value the Turkish Get up as one of my favorite movements. Because it does exactly that. We need to start combining things as opposed to separating our modalities. Watch this video, observe what I mean, and I urge you to strongly consider mixing TGU into your routine. See you in the gym.

1.           The Rip trainer is a new training device developed by the people who brought you the TRX and suspension training. This tool allows you to load your spine asymmetrically. You can work your core with or without movement. Today I wanted to show you a movement based exercise, and perform a chest press with hip rotation using the Rip trainer. If you’re a fan of MMA and train accordingly, give this a try. I’m using the Rip trainer quite a bit in our Class OutFit, just because of the simplicity when using it and it's ability to go anywhere. Give it a try, or better yet, come out to Class OutFit and give it a try.

     The bottoms up press using the kettlebell is a good way improve your deltoid or shoulder strength. Because of the weight displacement it will also engage your core along with improve grip strength. Start with single reps and gradually move into performing multiple reps. Good luck and see you in the gym.

     Body weight training can efficient, challenging, and has a low risk of injury. It can go anywhere, so it makes for a good option when travel takes us away from the gym. To maintain a good level of intensity you need to monitor your rest time between sets. This is where a heart rate monitor can help. I'm still confused why more people don't wear their monitors during their strength training to get a gauge on their training intensity. Here's a simple, but effective workout that I like to do when I'm feeling stale, have a lack of time, and don't have access to any equipment. Good luck, and see you in the gym.
1.

     The TRX suspension system continues to be one of my favorite tools in the toolbox. Today I wanted to combine 2 lower body conditioning exercises. The first one is what I would consider a range of motion drill, and truly challenges your balance skills. The second will focus more on leg power, especially if you add a hop. Stay tunes for more exercises using TRX's New Rip trainer. Good luck & I'll see you in the gym.

     One of the ways that you can work on muscle balance is to combine angonist and antagonist muslce groups in the same exercise. For example, to perform a chest flye and then a posterior deltoid flye in the same exercise would be ideal. Well that's exactly what we're doing in today's exercise. The name of the exercise is called a TRX hug-in, and you're going to want to include this in your next chest and shoulder workout. Another benefit is that it will slow you down on the negative or the eccentric portion of the exercise, and that's always a plus. Maintain your plank throughout, and be mindful of your load. You do not need much resistance for this exercise to be effective. 

     Flexibility and mobility have been popping up in training articles, discussions and blogs throughout the web as of recent. The popularity of Cross Fit, outdoor boot-camps, and circuit style classes has created an onslaught of research and articles featuring “The importance of movement” within your exercise program. The only error that I observe is how some interchange these two terms. They are related, but very different. Flexibility is defined as the ability to flex, extend, or circumduct a joint through its full range of motion (ROM). To put this in simpler terms, flexibility is the lengthening of tissue. Mobility is the ability to actively move a joint through its full range of motion, under control. Mobility also requires an element of strength. Internationally recognized physical therapist Gray Cook created the functional movement screen (FMS) to analyze and chart movement patterns. This 7-point screen allows you observe inefficiencies of movement, existing or future possible injuries, and asymmetries someone may have. Gray is always clear to state that “the FMS is a screen, not a test”. It’s through corrective exercise work that you can “clean up” the mobility issues. Sometimes flexibility work can improve mobility, but not always. Sometimes the problem is more muscle inhibition. Mike Boyle once stated that “exercise should look good”. “If it doesn’t look pretty, there’s probably something going on”. When addressing mobility we need to discuss the ankles, knees, hips, shoulders, neck, elbows, wrists, and fingers. The reason that I chose to write this article is that I observe many people prioritizing flexibility with passive stretching with the goal of improving mobility. It’s my opinion, that someone can have average or better than average flexibility with poor mobility.

     Mobility exercises increase the flow of synovial fluid within the bursa. This fluid “washes” and “greases” up the joint. There isn’t any blood supply to the joint and nourishment is provided solely by the synovial fluid. More importantly, all waste products are flushed out by this fluid. Salt and calcium deposits can frequently create impingements within a joint, greatly affecting range of motion, leading to faulty movement patterns and eventually injury.

     I couldn’t discuss flexibility and mobility without mentioning stability. These three work together. It’s sometimes a person’s lack of stability that will affect their mobility and/or flexibility. Boyle states that your body is like a “stack of blocks starting at the ankle and working their way up.”

·        Ankles- mobile

·        Knees- stability

·        Hips- mobile

·        Lumbar spine- stability

·        Thoracic spine- mobile

·        Cervical spine- mobile

      Here’s a common scenario. The ankle is in-mobile, and therefore creates knee pain because the knee compensates for the lack of ankle mobility. However the knee is stability joint. This forces the hip to be a stabilizer, but the hip should be mobile. This creates a change in the hips by becoming in-mobile. Next up are the glutes, which become tight and shortened. That’s how mobility can affect stability, which can affect mobility, which in return, will affect flexibility. Hopefully, I cleared things up and didn’t confuse you more!

     In closing this is what I recommend. Use dynamic flexibility coupled with bodywork (i.e. foam rolling, massage) to improve muscle length and flexibility. Mix in joint mobility exercises to engage joint range of motion and mobility. Finally, incorporate balance and stability exercises to strengthen the knee and core (lumbar spine). I know, it sounds like a lot, and it is. Remember, Rome wasn’t built in a day. By following this process you will address flexibility, mobility, and stability. It’s my opinion that all three are important. Good luck, and see you in the gym.