ESPN5 partners with NCC to bring us the National Cheerleading Championship season 14

Leading sports network ESPN5 gives Filipino sports fans something to cheer for, as Season 14 of the National Cheerleading Championship (NCC) kicks off with the South Luzon Qualifiers, to be held on October 6 at Robinson’s Mall, Las Piñas.

This event will activate a series of qualifying tournaments where over 300 teams will vie for the chance to compete at the 2019 Nationals, the annual Cheer, Dance, and Drumline Competition of the NCC, which will be held on March 2019 at the Mall of Asia Arena.



The NCC also seeks to elevate Filipino cheerleaders to international acclaim with Team Pilipinas. As the official representative of the International Cheer Union, the recognized world governing body for cheerleading, this NCC-groomed team participates in competitions in Asia and Oceania, as well as the World Championships to be held in Orlando, Florida in 2019.

Last April, the Team Pilipinas delegation was composed of athletes selected from the different high schools and universities that compete at the Nationals. Assumption College and Poveda Juniors competed for cheer hip-hop and the Junior Championships respectively, while the All-Girl and Co-Ed Elite Teams were drawn from students from NU, Ateneo, UST, De La Salle, FEU, Holy Spirit, Miriam, St Paul Pasig, and other schools.



ESPN5 will be present throughout this journey, covering the regional qualifiers through Sportscenter Philippines, and The Nationals live on free TV.

Season 14 will carry the theme ‘We Are Fearless’, a quality which epitomizes each and every cheerleader who shakes off the fear, takes risks, and exceed limits. It also represents the bold steps the NCC takes into recognizing the strength and resiliency of Philippine cheerleading.

As Founder Carlos Valdes states: “In a real sense, the NCC is just like the sport of Cheerleading.  It requires courage over anxiety, resolve over doubt, discipline over comfort. You really have to be fearless.”



‘Fearless’ also defines ESPN5’s mission of elevating Philippine sports to international heights. TV5 President Vincent ‘Chot’ Reyes shares: "Our network remains steadfast in its role of supporting every Filipino athlete as they represent our country on the world stage; in line with this is our active pursuit to expand awareness for our breadth of local talent, and the different sports in which they excel. It was only natural for us to continue our partnership with the NCC as they pursue their vision of advancing cheerleading as a sport in the country."

“ESPN5 has stayed true to its mission of bringing great sports content to Filipinos. With their world-class content delivery platforms, we are elated to have them on board for the whole season of the NCC, and together with the journey of Team Pilipinas”, Valdes added.

For news, schedules, and tournament information, visit the official NCC website at www.nccphilippines.com.ph.

Squatting and pooing

How I poop in the toilet

But seriously, we should spend more time in the resting #deepsquat position, sit less on chairs and stand and #move more instead. This was how our #caveman ancestors rest before chairs were invented.

Spending more time in the deep #squat when you're resting, eating, in between #workout sets, or even in the toilet when you take a💩 will yield huge benefits in your #mobility, #knee and #hip #health and even #digestion!

Can alcohol actually boost testosterone ?

Did you know a low dose of alcohol can actually increase your testosterone? Well...that's according to these clinical studies:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12711931

and

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1530-0277.2003.tb04405.x

It's probably not good in the long term for your gains... but if you just had to drink alcohol once in a while (maybe your'e in a social setting or you are going to a party with your friends) then doing a short bout of high intensity interval training a few hours before you drink and choosing a hard liquor can actually boost your testosterone!

skip the flavored rums and opt for the classics if you don't want to break your ketosis

If I'm gonna be out for a drink, I prefer no carb hard liquor like Tanday Rum.

Tanduay Distillers Inc., makers of the world’s number one selling rum brand, has recently partnered with Shopee, the leading Singapore-based e-commerce platform with 12 million users in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, to launch the Tanduay brand international online store.

Add caption

The e-commerce store features carefully curated products previously available only at the Tanduay store in Century Park Hotel such as original apparel, bags, and accessories. This dedicated in-app space will allow shoppers to easily access authentic premium items and products from one of the country’s well-loved Filipino brands.

Paul Lim, chief marketing officer of Tanduay, said the partnership with Shopee is aligned with the strategy of the company to continuously improve ways and find new avenues to make Tanduay accessible to a broader market.


“Tanduay is now an official Shopee partner. Online shopping has continued to gain traction in the region with the increasing internet and smartphone penetration. We are excited about the opportunities that our partnership will open for our business. As of now, the move is consistent with our core strategies to reach a growing global market of online shoppers,” Lim shared.

I want that jacket

Brand manager Edzel Ty further said that more products are expected to be added to the Tanduay Brands International online store in the succeeding months. “We have chosen to partner with Shopee because insights from all our marketing efforts point towards the future of commerce online. With Shopee, we are making our products available to them with several payment and delivery options all for their convenience,“ he explained.

Meet the new Tanduay girl. Her name is Oyange

Last June, global spirits think tank Drinks International revealed Tanduay has taken over the world’s number one spot from a list of rum brands that has long been dominated by Bacardi.

Tanduay Distillers Inc. is a member of the LT Group of Companies. Tanduay is the Philippines’ top rum maker, which is also distributed in the United States. Likewise, the company produces whiskey, brandy, gin, vodka and other flavored spirits.

Going back to the basics with BODY ATTACK 101

Going back to the basics!

Body Attack 101 is all about fundamentals.

For now, we will skip on the agility hops and agility power steps, triceps spring push ups, air jacks and star jumps, single leg leaps and long jump pivot turns you see in the previous release…

Instead, we focus on mastering the simplest Body Attack bread and butter moves of jumping jacks, squats, lunges and running forward and backward combo. But basic does not necessarily mean easy!

You can make the basics of moves become brutally hard either by increasing the speed, volume or resistance of the exercise! The advantage is since basic moves are relatively simple to execute, the possibility of going wrong with form and technique is low when you amp up the intensity. 

Doing hundreds of jumping jacks is basic but it’s definitely not a walk in the park!  

When we get the basics down, that’s the time to add layers of complexity. Michael Jordan probably did tens of thousands and even more of the basic jump shot and foot work drills  before he mastered his signature unblockable pivot and fake fade away jump shot.   

Don’t worry if we still have new moves to keep things exciting! Like the single leg butt kick in the warm up which is fundamental in running and the fast as you can burpee option in track 9!

So cheers to the brutally basic BODY ATTACK 101 !

Look Good, Feel Great with the Power of a Healthy Breakfast

What’s Stopping You from Eating Your Breakfast Today?

Look Good, Feel Great with the Power of a Healthy Breakfast

It's all about the right balance of macros! Get enough protein, carbs and fat in your meal. You can save yourself hassle too with a protein shake like Herbalife's Formula 1 shake! Easy to prepare and no need to wash  a ton of dishes!

“Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper.” This adage suggests that breakfast should constitute the most important meal of our daily diet, followed by lunch, and end off with a light dinner.  "Studies have shown that a healthy breakfast has wide-ranging benefits for the human body, such as supporting metabolism, boosting mental alertness and improving digestion," says Susan Bowerman, Senior Director of Worldwide Nutrition Education and Training at Herbalife.

Yet according to the Healthy Breakfast Survey conducted in 11markets across the Asia Pacific region by Herbalife, 21 percent of the Filipino respondents do not consume breakfast daily. While those who do, have an unbalanced meal that comprises mainly carbohydrates in the morning. Too often, breakfast is little more than toast, white rice, noodles or a cup of coffee, tea or chocolate drink - all of which digest quickly, leaving people hungry by mid-morning.

Skipping a breakfast meal might seem insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but the side-effects could be detrimental to your health in the long run. For a start, skipping your breakfast could lead to more cravings later in the day which makes it harder to manage your weight.

Bowerman adds, “In general, we tend to make bad food choices when we are starving, as we would be more likely to indulge in food. Also, research has revealed that skipping your breakfast could increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes.”

By contrast, starting the day with a good breakfast has many benefits. Consuming your breakfast could do wonders for weight management, as food consumption releases gut hormones which control appetite, having a sustained effect throughout the day and helping to reduce the number of cravings. "Plus, there's less risk of heart disease and diabetes, while you can improve muscle health, memory, energy and mood by starting the day right."

A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition also found that people who consume a high-protein breakfast tend to eat fewer calories throughout the day compared to those who do not, due to the appetite-suppressing effect from dietary protein, thus providing satiety between meals.

But how can we practically incorporate a healthy breakfast into our daily eating habits? According to Herbalife’s Healthy Breakfast Survey, the top three motivators for Filipino  respondents to adopt a regular breakfast diet are if consuming breakfast contributes to health and well-being; if their breakfast can help in giving them more energy; and if their breakfast can be made more accessible to them.

With this in mind, perhaps making a few simple changes to daily living might do the trick – such as waking up 15 minutes earlier, opting for a quick and nutritious breakfast fix, or getting a friend or loved one to join you for breakfast.

While this marks a positive start to a long-term change in lifestyle habits, the type of breakfast choices one makes will also have an impact on overall health and well-being.

When it comes to selecting just what to eat for breakfast, Bowerman advocates following Herbalife's Global Nutrition Philoophy, according to which our total daily calories should be comprised of 40 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent protein, and 30 percent fats, along with 25g of fibre and eight glasses of water.

"A healthy, balanced breakfast should provide you with an adequate amount of protein, while a few pieces of fruit or vegetables can provide sustained energy and fibre. For healthy fats, nuts or avocado can serve as a delicious energy source for your body," adds Bowerman. "And if time is pressing, consider having a protein shake, like the Herbalife Formula 1 Shake – which is easy to prepare and provides all the nutrients required to start your day right."

So, all you need to have a healthy breakfast each day is a little time and commitment. Choose ingredients that are enjoyable and nutritious, and you can make it a habit to start the day right and will soon enjoy the benefits as you feel and look better, with more zest for life.

Single leg strength and stability equals strong and functional booty

Dear Body Attacker,

Did you know that single leg strength and stability is key to having strong functional glutes!
( and a sexy butt too if all you care about is aesthetics ;p)

Fundamental movements like walking, running and sports activities are done
on one leg the most of the time.

Body Attack moves like skaters, single leg hops, agility steps, gallops and lunges
strengthen not just the legs but the core too as they challenge  your coordination and balance.

It will also reduce your chances of injury by teaching your hips, knees and ankles
to work together as one.

The key is to keep your knees out and your hips square so that you also recruit the
glutes (your butt) when doing  these moves.

yours truly, with knees out and butt engaged,

Erik

Two Body Attack moves to get you Spartan fit and Spartan strong! Plus 20% discount from Blue Ant Extreme!

During the presscon for the Spartan Race, TeamRunnerRocky in partnership with Blue Ant Media got a taste of what’s to come for the 2018 Spartan events.

Guenter Taus – CEO, Spartan Race Philippines

Michael Reyes – Race Director, Spartan Race Philippines

I got to interview SpartanRacePh director himself Michael Reyes and he shared some training tips and what's in store for this year's Spartan Races.

What makes the Spartan race different from the other obstacle races in the country?

"It’s all about the experience. A Spartan race feels like an adventure rather than competition. Every race is gonna be different and the venue too, from mud,sand or jungle terrain, to enduring the cold or embracing the heat."

"Timing and officiating is also at its highest standards if you are in the elite and competitive category."

  

From my own experience in joining the Sprint Open category, it was amazing to see the camaraderie formed from the participants and you're going to see strangers helping each other get through the race.

Mike's secret body weight training to get you Spartan fit?

The 80/20 rule of Spartan training:  Running and Burpees

If you're not familiar with the Pareto principle, then just google it :p
The majority of the race is still gonna be about running. If your training consists purely of lifting heavy weights then you need to increase your aerobic fitness.

Your main priority is improving your aerobic fitness through running but also be ready to tap into your glycolitic and anaerobic energy system when it’s time to face the obstacles which usually requires you to use your full body movements like crawling, carrying heavy objects, lifting, jumping, climbing and more.

This is where the burpee training pays off. It improves your capacity for high intensity efforts and it's the currency you'll use ( 30 burpees) when you fail to do the obstacles.

That’s why I love a Body Attack workout. It improves your running fitness, efficiency and your capacity for high intensity maximum efforts.

It’s a combination of running drills, plyometrics and functional moves that gets you Spartan fit and ready anytime, anywhere using just your own body weight.

Once you get your running form and cardio to a good level, then you can also try out the actual obstacles at the Spartan Roof Deck obstacle course training camp W Fifth Avenue BGC to get a feel of the actual obstacles or t Spartan Group training at any Fitness First Branch.




Here’s some more good news from Mike!

Spectators at the Spartan Sprint and Super in Clark can now join in the party for free! Spectators can experience the Spartan festivities and there is gonna be a lot of beer and food to get you busy while waiting for the race to finish.

The Spartan race is opening the activity area for non-spartan registered participants so you can bring in your friends and family! We all know about the Group Effect so take advantage of the cheers and energy you get from your friends and loved ones.

During the press con, we also got to try out the obstacle training camp!

Blue Ant Media's Kezia killing it in the uneven monkey bars! Even with the girl shoes!

it's the dreaded Rope Climb and Olympus wall

Coach Andrea making it look easy!

Baras is life

If you haven't registered yet, you can use these 20% discount codes courtesy of Blue Ant Extreme! The official Cable TV partner of the Spartan Race

Spartan Kids: BLUEANTEXTREMEKIDS

Sprint Category: BLUEANTEXTREMESPRINT

Super Category: BLUEANTEXTREMESUPER

Hurricane Heat: BLUEANTEXTREMEHH

FREE RACE KIT RAFFLE (follow the mechanics below)

1. Share and like this post to your social media account

In the comment box:

2. Tell me why you love Body Attack 

3. Tell me why you love or hate  burpees

(Most creative, makapakabagdamdaming post wins)


Contest ends TODAY at 5PM (online registration for the spartan race ends today so you need to register the coupon code asap)

See you on Feb 24, 2018! AROO!

How to boost your cardiac power with Body Attack

Dear Body Attacker, Do you know what is Cardiac power?

It is how strong your heart can pump blood. When your heart gets stronger at pumping blood with each beat, you also get the benefits of increased anaerobic muscle buffering and local muscular endurance. Simply put, you will recover more quickly during intense bouts of sprints.

In track 4 and track 9 power training, we don’t just train the legs for explosive jumps and faster sprints, we also train the heart, similar to the Cardiac Power Method by Joel Jamieson, we improve the strength of your heart so that it can pump more blood with less beats.

Cardiac Power Training in Body Attack

We usually have 2 to 4 blocks of interval work in tracks 4 and 9 were we bring the heart rate up as high as possible and stay there for 1-2 minutes. Then we let your heart rate come down to 120 -130 bpm. And then we max out again on the next block of work.

Over time your heart rate comes down faster and you recover more quickly from a maximum effort as your heart gets stronger and stronger. When your heart can pump more blood with less beats, you don’t get tired quickly when your moving, lifting weights, or living your life with your daily activities like climbing a flight of stairs, carrying groceries or lifting your your children. My favorite exercise for this kind of training is the Body Attack burpee. It’s a full body movement that recruits a lot of muscles, requires a lot of energy and brings your heart rate up as quickly as seeing your crush across the room.

So this month of the hearts... let me see you max out and pump your heart out! Love, Erik

The Body Attack Group Effect

Dear Body Attacker,

Do you want to learn a simple trick you can do to boost your performance and push you to go the extra mile every time you workout?

Its not coffee. Not Alaxan. Non of those expensive pre-workout wheyprotein or energy gels. It’s something as simple as joining a group class!

Les Mills calls this the “Group Effect.”

It's a similar concept in psychology called "social facilitation" where in scientist observed in an experiment "a significant improvement in performance produced by the mere presence of others’.

On your own, it’s easier to stop when the going gets hard.
In a group, you'll gain strength from working out with others and you'll motivate each other to work harder, and push yourself just a little more.

This is one of the main essence of Body Attack. Shared energy and connection.
As I’ve mentioned in my previous post, the most effective way to get motivation, inspiration and results is by making exercise fun and not a chore.




Surround yourself with like minded people, bring your friends along to a Body Attack Class, have fun working out to chart-topping music and experience the Body Attack group effect!

Let's sweat together!

Erik

Body Attack Plyometric Lunges: The Bridge Between Strength And Power!

Dear Body Attacker,

Do you want to be strong or fast? Why not choose both?

Squats, deadlifts and snatches are a staple of any good training program if you want to build strength and explosiveness.

Although training squats and deadlifts with heavy weights will give you a base of strength you need and improve your efficiency in the way you move, in can only and increase your speed to a certain point.

here's what a bar bending deadlift looks like... complete with angry face and popping veins

If you want to work on explosiveness, the best exercise to help you with it are things like olympic lifts (clean and jerk, barbel snatches), ballistic kettlebell moves (swings and snatches) and plyometrics. However, these moves are fairly intense and can tax not just your muscles but also the nervous system.

That’s why one of my favorite Body Attack move is the Plyometric Lunge. The lunge is the key that will unlock your strength (for a heavier squat and deadlift) and develop your explosiveness (higher jumps and speed).

It is the bridge between strength and power.

You don’t just want to be strong. We want to be fast too. The ability to explode, sprint and change directions like a ninja.

The Body Attack plyo lunge is great for explosiveness but not as hard and taxing as a box jump or a full-on tuck jump. You'll gain more strength weight training with deadlifts or squats but when it comes to delivering the benefits of speed and power, plyo lunges will take you a step further.

Because you drop down and have to explode going up, your body has to learn to absorb force and redirect it which is GREAT for developing power in a way that is easy to learn and not to tough on the joints.

If all you want in life is to look and feel good, get the most out of life that you can and have no plans of competing in the Olympics anytime soon, then lunges are a great tool to increase your speed and power without costing a lot of time or energy.

However if you're training to beat Goku and could use a little more gains in speed and power, lunges provide a great transition into more intense tools like olympic lifts and plyometrics.

So the next time we do some lunges in track 4, keep your front knee out, back straight, chest up and feel the strength and power in your glutes and your legs!

Feel awesome knowing every lunge is a step further towards a functional, strong and fit body attack booty!

Happy lunges, Erik

How to start a Body Attack a habit and take your fitness to the next level effortlessly.

Dear Body Attacker,

How are your fitness resolutions? 

The first month of the year is almost over and most people have already fallen off their promises and new year resolutions. Don't let that happen to you!!!

How to make your new year resolutions stick

“Motivation is what gets you started, habit is what keeps you going…” This quote written on the walls of Fitness First Wynsum Ortigas many years ago stuck with me and it still rings true today.


In truth, there’s no substitute for hard work and discipline, in your fitness goals or any goals for that matter, you have to put in the work, sweat hard and you have to do it on a consistent basis.

The secret lies in making “work” fun for you and turning it into a habit so it doesn’t require discipline, or willpower for you to do it regularly. That’s why the Les Mills group exercises worked so well for me when I was starting on my fitness journey.

It was fun, and it turned into a habit. Instead of dreading at the thought of the workout, it was something that I would look forward to every time I would go to the gym

Become a Body Attack athlete by building a Body Attack habit. 

Now we know what Connor Mc Gregor has been up to... Body Attack secret training! 

In any training program, there’s the nitty gritty of planning the progression, recovery and varying levels of intensity and volume. But none of these stuff will work if you don’t actually show up and workout on a regular basis and not just on the first month of the year.  Have fun, enjoy the workout, feel the music and  don’t worry about dialing up the intensity. The first step is making it a habit.

SMART START - What’s the secret to building a habit? Start with small doses. “Too many people make the mistake of leaping into exercise when baby steps are what’s needed,” says Bryce Hastings, Les Mills Head of Research. If it’s your first time, keep these in mind:

Start slow – Don’t push your body too soon, stop your workout when things are feeling tough.

Build gradually – Aim towards staying for a full workout as your fitness builds

If you want to start a habit of flossing your teeth every night, Psychologist Bj Fogg recommends starting by flossing just one or two of your teeth.

With the BODY ATTACK SMART START format, you can just do half the class (tracks 1 to 5) and you will still get the benefits of agility and mixed impact training (track 2), high intensity interval training ( track 4),  and athletic strength training in (Track 5). You still get high and happy from the endorphin rush of a good workout and experience the fun and feel good music in every Body Attack release.

How to make the most out of your Body Attack workout when doing the low impact options

Body Attack is for everyone. Whatever your fitness level, Body Attack will unleash the inner athlete inside of you.

In Body Attack, there are many ways to tone down the intensity. You can:

Take away the complexity - Most of the Body Attack tracks will have your arms and feet moving  in a contralateral way. A contralateral movement pertains to exercising muscles on opposite sides of the body from one another and this is important for developing your core and stabilizer muscles and it improves functional fitness.

To make it easier, you can focus on the footwork and take away the arm movements and with time, the arm movements will come naturally.

Tone down the intensity and take away the impact- Plyometric moves like tuck jumps and burpees burn a lot of calories as it involves moving your whole body with a fair amount of intensity. Even the Body Attack Jump Jacks will have your legs, arms, lungs and heart pumping hard.

If you need to recover or if you find your form and technique starting to suffer, you can switch to the low impact options shown by your instructor in every track. It’s actually called “low impact” options and not “easy option” because it is not necessarily easier but it shifts the focus of the moves to a different aspect of the workout.

The options let you focus on the form, technique and alignment of the exercise  by toning down the intensity and taking away the jumps. This will help you ingrain the functional movement patterns in Body Attack deep down into your muscle memory and give you a foundation of strength and balance when you choose to do switch to including the plyometric moves.

Start small and keep doing it until it becomes automatic! Make Body Attack a habit!


KIA ORA!

Erik