Walk & Run Club Saturday 3 March

The weather may have looked wet Saturday just gone but the rain stopped just in time and held off long enough for us to knock out a quick 3-6km. We stuck to our 1.1km Tarragindi loop for laps so it was easy to escape the rain if it picked back up (fortunately it never did).

In the event of wet weather I will always be there. It is up to you if you are comfortable running in the conditions.

This Saturday we will attempt our 6-7km Studio - Toohey Forest track. See you all there at Tarragindi Studio 7am. 

We are now only 3 weeks away from the Twilight Run. Drive Fitness is entering a team and would love as many people involved as possible. Click here for step by step registration instructions. For more information about the Twilight Run please contact Dave on 0402 358 127 or at dave@drivefitness.net. 

Boot Camp Challenge NEXT SATURDAY

Represent your boot camp by registering with your boot camp trainer next session. 

What: The first boot camp challenge of 2012 with a quick morning tea to follow
When: Saturday 3 March 7am
Where: Holland Park boot camp location (Glindemann Park, Logan Rd, Holland Park, click here for a map of the location)

Walk & Run Club Saturday 25 Feb

Meeting at Tarragindi 7am for  6-7km through Toohey Forest. Fingers crossed for some clear weather! In the event of wet weather we will not be running if the conditions are unsafe to do so (light rain or patchy rain should be ok). Hopefully see you all there (weather permitting).

Twilight Run is less then 4 weeks away. For more information about the Twilight Run and for registration details please click here.

Identifying 'good' carbohydrates

Most of you know that I'm not a fan of very low carbohydrate diets. I eat, and recommend others eat, regular small-moderate servings of carbohydrate food sources. I don't just recommend this to the people I train for fitness, strength or sport development, I recommend this to everyone including those training for weight loss! Carbohydrates are an essential component of all well balanced diets however poor carbohydrate food choices increase the risk of weight gain and development of heart disease, diabetes and other chronic disease. Being able to identify the 'good' carbohydrates from the 'bad' is the difference between weight control, improved energy levels and optimal training performance and weight gain, fluctuating energy levels and poor health. Read on to find out the simplest way to make the right carbohydrate choices!

Beep Test Conversion Table: 'fair' - 'superior'

Use the detailed table of norms below to convert your beep test score to a value of 'fair' to 'superior'.  Please keep in mind that this a table of averages and a guide only. Use this table to give you a target for your next beep test. 

Beep Test Results: Saturday 18 February

Great results from everyone this morning at the first beep test of 2012. No Drive Fitness records were broken but we had a few people come very close. Keep up the training in preparation for the next beep test in about 6 months time. We will try to organise a rubber indoor surface for the next beep test which will make the turning at each end easier.

Next week the walk & run club will be meeting back at Tarragindi Studio at 7am for a 6-7km track through Toohey Forest. See you all there

See full list of beep test results below.

Dumbbell training: basic workout 2

With so many great dumbbell exercises to choose from it's impossible to stop at just one workout. For everyone following along at home, at a gym or away on holidays I think it's time to throw a new (slightly more advanced) dumbbell workout amongst the rest of your training program. Building on the 3 basic exercises introduced in the last dumbbell workout (chest press, single arm row & goblet squat) I would like to present the over head press, upright row and travelling lunge. Great for strength, great for fitness and great for weight control - check it out!

Twilight Run: Less that 5 weeks away

The Twilight Run is now less than 5 weeks away. I hope every one's training is going well, and if you haven't started training it's time to start! Register before the end of February to get the last of the early bird discounts. Click here for instructions on how to register and join the Drive Fitness team. 

If you would like more information about the Twilight Run contact Dave on 0402 358 127 or dave@drivefitness.net or chat to your trainer next session. As always, the FREE walk & run club session takes place every Saturday to help you prepare for this event and others like it. 

The 2012 Twilight Run beneficiary is Cure Cancer. Over $15,000 has been raised from this event already. Just another great reason to get involved. 

Boot Camp Challenge: Saturday 3 March

The Drive Fitness boot challenge brings together the Camp Hill, Holland Park & Moorooka boot camp groups  for a variety of fitness challenges based on the exercises typically used during boot camp sessions. Challenges are fun, social and a little competitive.

Holland Park successfully took back the boot camp challenge championship from Moorooka at the last challenge in November 2011. Can Holland Park retain or will the former champions Moorooka reclaim the title? Will Camp Hill surprise everyone with an underdog victory? All will be answered on Saturday 3 March.

Represent your boot camp by registering with your boot camp trainer next session. 


What: The first boot camp challenge of 2012 with a quick morning tea & presentation to follow
When: Saturday 3 March 7am
Where: Holland Park boot camp location (Glindemann Park, Logan Rd, Holland Park, click here for a map of the location)

Walk & Run Club Saturday 18 Feb: Beep Test

Great 8.2km run last Saturday everyone! This coming Saturday we will put our running fitness to the test with the beep test (20m shuttle run test). If you have not done the beep test before this will be a great opportunity to see where your fitness is at and to give you a good baseline measurement to monitor improvements. Everyone is welcome to attend and you don't have to be a great runner to participate. Click here to see the beep test requirements for the police, fire & rescue and defence forces - see what requirements you can meet!

We will be meeting at Marshall Rd State Primary at the junior oval on Brescia St, Holland Park at 7am. See map below for directions. See you all there for a great morning!

View Larger Map

The Beep Test: Can YOU Meet The Requirement?

As part of the Drive Fitness walk & run club we regularly do the beep test (with full recommended testing standards) to monitor fitness improvements over time. The first beep test of 2012 is taking place 7am Saturday morning 18 February at Marshall Rd State Primary School junior oval at the end of Monza St, Holland Park (this location is very easy to find). Everyone is welcome, it doesn't matter how fit you are!

The beep test is used as a physical fitness requirement for the defence force, police and fire & rescue services. Come along on Saturday 18 February to see if you meet the requirements below!

Royal Australian Navy:Male/Female  6.1
Royal Australian Air force: Male/Female 6.5
Australian Army: Male/Female 7.5
QLD Police Service: Male 7.8, Female 6.3
QLD Fire & Rescue Service: Male/Female 8.7
Special Forces: Male/Female 10.1

Boot Camp Fitness Test Results February 2012

Great work to all boot campers that showed improvement from last fitness test. From next month's fitness testing session we will be increasing the difficulty of the ab brace core strength test. We will be replacing the 1min ab brace  with a 4 stage test.

The guidelines for the new core strength test are as follows:

• Stage 1: 60 sec ab brace
• Stage 2.1: 30 sec ab brace with right foot off the ground
• Stage 2.2: 30 sec ab brace with left foot off the ground
• Stage 3.1: 30 sec ab brace with right arm off the ground
• Stage 3.2 30 sec ab brace with left arm off the ground
• Stage 4.1  30 sec ab brace with right foot and left arm off the ground
• Stage 4.2  30 sec ab brace with left foot and right arm off the ground

Hips must stay level with the shoulders and knees must remain straight. Hips must stay square to the ground. A strike will be awarded for hips dropping below shoulder height or raising above it, for rotation that causes hips to no longer be square to the ground and for knees bending. On the 3rd strike the test is over and your score recorded. The test is also over if any part of your body comes in contact with ground with exception of the toes and forearm when appropriate. Score will be recorded as a stage score, you must complete the stage to get the score. 

Fitness tests are not intended to be competitive, just a measure of your own fitness improvements over time. In order to measure accurately fitness tests need to be strictly standardised. Good luck with the new core strength test in March! February results below.

Walk & Run Club Saturday 11 Feb

Great run on Saturday everyone. We had quite a lot of people finish up with some very good 6km run times and some personal best efforts. This Saturday 11 Feb at 7am we will be meeting at Tarragindi studio and returning to our longer Toohey Forest track via Toohey Rd.

Only 2 weeks to go before the beep test & only 6 weeks to go before the Twilight Run. 

Just a note to anyone concerned about the distance we do at walk & run club - you DO NOT have to finish the full distance. You can cut the track short and slowly increase the distance week to week as you feel more comfortable. For anyone concerned about the pace of the walk  run club - you DO NOT have to keep up with anyone, you can set your own pace and slowly increase week to week to as your fitness improves.

Check out this mid foot running technique progression video below. We will have a go at practising this during the warm up this Saturday.

Boot Camp Challenge Saturday 3 March

The last boot camp challenge in November 2011 was a huge success. Over 20 boot campers took to the park to settle the long running feud between the 3 Drive Fitness boot camps.

The first boot camp challenge of 2012 will take place on Saturday 3 March at 7am at Glindemann Park, Logan Rd, Holland Park. Registration will be available at all boot camps from next week.

Holland Park successfully took back the boot camp challenge championship from Moorooka at the last challenge in November 2011. Can Holland Park retain or will the former champions Moorooka reclaim the title? Will Camp Hill surprise everyone with an underdog victory? All will be answered on Saturday 3 March. Follow our blog closely for more boot camp challenge news over the coming weeks.

Walk & Run Club Saturday 4 Feb

Well done to everyone who ran in the rain on Saturday just gone. It was a slippery 8.2km track from Tarragindi Studio to Toohey Forest via Toohey Rd. This Saturday 4 Feb we will be meeting at Tarragindi studio at 7am for our original Toohey Forest run via the freeway bike path.