Saturday, September 29, 2007
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Core Issues
Attemption to divine the next move in this yo yo of a market calls for a lot of hours seated in front of a computer. This can wreak havoc on your back and your core. These are the cornerstones of you skeletal system and support almost every other part of your body. I've mentioned this before and it bears repeating.
Good posture is a sign of good health. A strong lower back and abdomen are very helpful during a marathon session on your feet on the trading floor during the day or in front of the computer later that night. Another thing to consider is that one tends to carry oneself with more confidence which inspires confidence in others. Don't want the troops seeing you slouched over, right? And lastly, your weekend ball games and fun with the kids will call upon you to shoulder the kind of load a lackluster core just can't handle.
Today I'm going to lay out a solid core sculpting workout that will not only strengthen your body's center of support, but also carve an attractive midsection. .
1) Oblique Cable Crunch
A. Grasp a rope handle attached to a high cable pulley and kneel about 2 feet from the weight stack.
Turn your body about 45 degrees to the left so that you're at an angle to the cable apparatus.
Position your hands down on top of your head and keep your arms locked in this position throughout the exercise. Your knees should be bent at close to a 90-degree angle, and your hips should create an angle just beyond 90 degrees between your torso and thighs.
B. Inhale and hold your breath as you pull down against the resistance, flexing and twisting your spine by contracting your abdominals and obliques. Attempt to bring your right elbow to your left knee.
Hold this position for a second as you forcefully exhale and contract your abs and obliques.
Slowly return to the start position, resisting the weight with your abs and obliques.
Pause for a moment,then inhale and repeat for repetitions.
2) Crunch
A. Lie on the floor with your knees bent and hands behind your head.
B. Curl up, bringing you torso toward your knees, concentrating on crunching your abs muscles as you come up. Try to get your shoulder blades off the floor. Don't pull on your head or press your chin into your chest.
3) Hanging Knee Raise
A. Grasp a high bar so that your body hangs freely without your feet touching the floor. Hang with your arms fully extended and a slight arch in your lower back.
B. Bend your legs and raise your knees towards your chest. For this exercise to be effective, your knees should come up above your hips. Return to the start position.
Good posture is a sign of good health. A strong lower back and abdomen are very helpful during a marathon session on your feet on the trading floor during the day or in front of the computer later that night. Another thing to consider is that one tends to carry oneself with more confidence which inspires confidence in others. Don't want the troops seeing you slouched over, right? And lastly, your weekend ball games and fun with the kids will call upon you to shoulder the kind of load a lackluster core just can't handle.
Today I'm going to lay out a solid core sculpting workout that will not only strengthen your body's center of support, but also carve an attractive midsection. .
1) Oblique Cable Crunch
A. Grasp a rope handle attached to a high cable pulley and kneel about 2 feet from the weight stack.
Turn your body about 45 degrees to the left so that you're at an angle to the cable apparatus.
Position your hands down on top of your head and keep your arms locked in this position throughout the exercise. Your knees should be bent at close to a 90-degree angle, and your hips should create an angle just beyond 90 degrees between your torso and thighs.
B. Inhale and hold your breath as you pull down against the resistance, flexing and twisting your spine by contracting your abdominals and obliques. Attempt to bring your right elbow to your left knee.
Hold this position for a second as you forcefully exhale and contract your abs and obliques.
Slowly return to the start position, resisting the weight with your abs and obliques.
Pause for a moment,then inhale and repeat for repetitions.
2) Crunch
A. Lie on the floor with your knees bent and hands behind your head.
B. Curl up, bringing you torso toward your knees, concentrating on crunching your abs muscles as you come up. Try to get your shoulder blades off the floor. Don't pull on your head or press your chin into your chest.
3) Hanging Knee Raise
A. Grasp a high bar so that your body hangs freely without your feet touching the floor. Hang with your arms fully extended and a slight arch in your lower back.
B. Bend your legs and raise your knees towards your chest. For this exercise to be effective, your knees should come up above your hips. Return to the start position.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
SERENITY NOW!
It goes without saying that our jobs are pretty stressful. Maybe not as much so as saaaaayyyy Jimmy Cayne over at Bear Stearns (any bidders out there? BSC closed at $116 today), but given these markets, it's a nutty way to live. www.breakingviews.com
However, this is what we bargained for when we chose this career. Some of the traders and investment bankers I've met have no concept of stress relief. They think relaxation and toning life down a few octaves is for wimps. Really, why make all that dough if you're dead by 40? If you have to work 80 hours per week in this environment, here are some tips that will help you enjoy it a little more, perform a little better, and live a little longer.
Today we'll focus on your diet. Yes, your diet can affect stress and vice versa. Failure to eat right can cause your body to experience blood sugar imbalances, higher cortisol output, and blood pressure changes. When you're going a hundred miles an hour all day you forget some important things, like;
Drinking water. You need 8 glasses a day, period. It helps in fat loss and regulates blood pressure.
Eating foods prepared by others. I.E. Fast food or prepackaged meals. Food we make ourselves means we put more thought into it and its ingredients.
Coffee overload. A little is OK and can be good in helping fat loss. But all day coffee drinking raises blood pressure and kills appetite which in the long run is a bad thing.
Skipping meals. Running out the door without breakfast is a serious sin. Your body is a machine. It needs high quality fuel. Period.
From now on: Eat Breakfast. No coffee after 2 pm. Drink ice cold water or diet soda (caffeine free). Pack lots of healthy snacks; almonds, Triscuits, apples, bananas, etc. No more donuts, bagels, and candy bars (unless it is packed with nuts and you plan on hitting the gym after work). Try Green tea. Cook your lunch the night before.
Tomorrow, some other tips on chilling out plus a mellow workout.
However, this is what we bargained for when we chose this career. Some of the traders and investment bankers I've met have no concept of stress relief. They think relaxation and toning life down a few octaves is for wimps. Really, why make all that dough if you're dead by 40? If you have to work 80 hours per week in this environment, here are some tips that will help you enjoy it a little more, perform a little better, and live a little longer.
Today we'll focus on your diet. Yes, your diet can affect stress and vice versa. Failure to eat right can cause your body to experience blood sugar imbalances, higher cortisol output, and blood pressure changes. When you're going a hundred miles an hour all day you forget some important things, like;
Drinking water. You need 8 glasses a day, period. It helps in fat loss and regulates blood pressure.
Eating foods prepared by others. I.E. Fast food or prepackaged meals. Food we make ourselves means we put more thought into it and its ingredients.
Coffee overload. A little is OK and can be good in helping fat loss. But all day coffee drinking raises blood pressure and kills appetite which in the long run is a bad thing.
Skipping meals. Running out the door without breakfast is a serious sin. Your body is a machine. It needs high quality fuel. Period.
From now on: Eat Breakfast. No coffee after 2 pm. Drink ice cold water or diet soda (caffeine free). Pack lots of healthy snacks; almonds, Triscuits, apples, bananas, etc. No more donuts, bagels, and candy bars (unless it is packed with nuts and you plan on hitting the gym after work). Try Green tea. Cook your lunch the night before.
Tomorrow, some other tips on chilling out plus a mellow workout.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Back In the Saddle
Well, after a long hiatus I have returned. Geez, I go away for a couple of months and the whole market almost implodes! There have been blog posts a-plenty regarding the whole sub prime mess. I've had a great time watching the blame being tossed hither and yon as the panic ensued.
My take?
Monster hedge funds started trading as if a guy who had a 585 credit score and little or no documented income was as good a bet as the US Treasury.
1. Essentially, banks were lending on frenzy and faith.
2. People who don't have the means were over reaching for the American Dream
3. Hedgies magnified it all with mountains of leverage.
Bad combo.
What did I learn? To navigate this or any market mess creates a vigilant attitude and a cool head. When waters get choppy as they have been and should be for the foreseeable future, FEAR and GREED come way to the front of people's minds and that is no way to trade.
This week we'll dive right into one of the most brutal workouts, with some minor adjustments, that will take your mind off the fluctuations of the market, the information overload, the "noise", and reactionary feelings that will only trap you into bad trades, poor business decisions, and possibly a trip to the ol' psych ward or coronary unit.
Clean and Press
3 Sets x 10 Reps
Dead Lifts
3 x 10
Push Ups
75 total
Pull Ups
25 total
Floor Wipers
3 x 10
Jump Rope
6 minutes total
You have only 15 seconds rest between exercises and 30 seconds between sets. You will not need a cardio session after this workout. If you are able to do a fair amount of cardio after you're done then YOU DIDN'T WORK HARD ENOUGHT!!!
My take?
Monster hedge funds started trading as if a guy who had a 585 credit score and little or no documented income was as good a bet as the US Treasury.
1. Essentially, banks were lending on frenzy and faith.
2. People who don't have the means were over reaching for the American Dream
3. Hedgies magnified it all with mountains of leverage.
Bad combo.
What did I learn? To navigate this or any market mess creates a vigilant attitude and a cool head. When waters get choppy as they have been and should be for the foreseeable future, FEAR and GREED come way to the front of people's minds and that is no way to trade.
This week we'll dive right into one of the most brutal workouts, with some minor adjustments, that will take your mind off the fluctuations of the market, the information overload, the "noise", and reactionary feelings that will only trap you into bad trades, poor business decisions, and possibly a trip to the ol' psych ward or coronary unit.
Clean and Press
3 Sets x 10 Reps
Dead Lifts
3 x 10
Push Ups
75 total
Pull Ups
25 total
Floor Wipers
3 x 10
Jump Rope
6 minutes total
You have only 15 seconds rest between exercises and 30 seconds between sets. You will not need a cardio session after this workout. If you are able to do a fair amount of cardio after you're done then YOU DIDN'T WORK HARD ENOUGHT!!!
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Shoulder the Load
This will probably be the last day of our body part concentration routine. I know I've had fun. It's a unique and good way to train sometimes provided you have 5 days per week to devote to weights. Plus you can really make strides in a body part you feel is lacking.
Shoulders. Not only do they cap off a chiseled, proportioned physique. They support our upper body and help protect our neck. They also act as a bridge between our neck, back and arms. Much of the heavy lifting in daily life is done in part by our shoulder muscles.
Get a load of this workout and see increased strength, flexibility, and shape to your boulders, er shoulders!
Smith Machine Military Press
1. Sit on an upright bench in the Smith Machine with the bar level with your shoulders. Grip the bar with an overhand grip.
2. Press the bar up until your arm are extended. Don't shrug your shoulders. Lower the weight with control to the starting position.
I like the Smith machine here until you're comfortable balancing the weight, just like squats. Here you will have a smooth range of motion and can use a little more weight.
3 sets x 10 reps
Upright EZ Bar Row
1. Stand upright holding a barbell in front of your thighs with an overhand, shoulder-width grip.
2. Maintaining an upright posture, lift the bar upward along your body, leading with your elbows to bring the bar toward your chin. At the top, your elbows should be pointing toward the ceiling. Flex your shoulders for a moment, then straighten your arms to lower the bar back to the start.
These are great for traps and even the lats to a certain extent.
3 sets x 10 reps
Seated Dumbell Lateral Raise
1. Sit with your abs contracted and feet shoulder-width apart. Hold dumbbells in to each side of your thighs with your palms facing each other.
2. Leading with your elbows, raise your arms up and out to your sides in an arc, stopping when they're parallel to the floor. Lower under control. Throughout the exercise, your elbows will remain straight, but not locked -- the movement should be generated in your shoulders, not your arms.
Perfect over-all shoulder move really sculpts and tones the shoulders.
3 sets x 10 reps
Market Musings.....
Where do the wealthy park their assets? After all, many, if not all of these families can afford a managed account where their financial advisor can run a private portfolio for them. Do they need indexed securities like the pedestrian mutual fund or its trendy cousin the ETF?
http://allaboutalpha.com/blog/2007/06/06/study-suggests-wealthy-avoiding-mutual-funds-in-favor-of-indexing/
Shoulders. Not only do they cap off a chiseled, proportioned physique. They support our upper body and help protect our neck. They also act as a bridge between our neck, back and arms. Much of the heavy lifting in daily life is done in part by our shoulder muscles.
Get a load of this workout and see increased strength, flexibility, and shape to your boulders, er shoulders!
Smith Machine Military Press
1. Sit on an upright bench in the Smith Machine with the bar level with your shoulders. Grip the bar with an overhand grip.
2. Press the bar up until your arm are extended. Don't shrug your shoulders. Lower the weight with control to the starting position.
I like the Smith machine here until you're comfortable balancing the weight, just like squats. Here you will have a smooth range of motion and can use a little more weight.
3 sets x 10 reps
Upright EZ Bar Row
1. Stand upright holding a barbell in front of your thighs with an overhand, shoulder-width grip.
2. Maintaining an upright posture, lift the bar upward along your body, leading with your elbows to bring the bar toward your chin. At the top, your elbows should be pointing toward the ceiling. Flex your shoulders for a moment, then straighten your arms to lower the bar back to the start.
These are great for traps and even the lats to a certain extent.
3 sets x 10 reps
Seated Dumbell Lateral Raise
1. Sit with your abs contracted and feet shoulder-width apart. Hold dumbbells in to each side of your thighs with your palms facing each other.
2. Leading with your elbows, raise your arms up and out to your sides in an arc, stopping when they're parallel to the floor. Lower under control. Throughout the exercise, your elbows will remain straight, but not locked -- the movement should be generated in your shoulders, not your arms.
Perfect over-all shoulder move really sculpts and tones the shoulders.
3 sets x 10 reps
Market Musings.....
Where do the wealthy park their assets? After all, many, if not all of these families can afford a managed account where their financial advisor can run a private portfolio for them. Do they need indexed securities like the pedestrian mutual fund or its trendy cousin the ETF?
http://allaboutalpha.com/blog/2007/06/06/study-suggests-wealthy-avoiding-mutual-funds-in-favor-of-indexing/
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Leg Work
Part three of our single body part workout extravaganza brings us to legs. Grooaaaannn! I actually like leg day. It can be rough and make cardio the following day a little uncomforable, but I love the way just one workout a week really improves the glutes, quads, calves and hamstrings in a very noticeable way. I've always been a soccer player and thought leg training was unnecessary. Result? Decent but not spectacular legs. Now that I know the truth about weight training.....? Well, sadly I still have a long way to go but I notice a big difference in power production and some definition.
This routine will have you getting out of bed pretty slowly the next day.
Alternating Dumbell Lunge
1. Stand with your feet pointing straight ahead, between hip- and shoulder-width apart. Grasp a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing inward.
2. Step forward with one leg, using a long stride. As your front foot lands, bend both knees to lower your body. With your forward leg bearing most of the weight, bend it to a 90-degree angle, making sure that it doesn't move past your toes. Don't allow your back knee to touch the floor.
To rise back up, press through your front foot to return to a standing position, bringing both legs together.
Do 3 sets x 10 reps. You can either do them in place or "walk" around the gym using this technique.
Smith Machine Squat
Squats are arguable the best leg exercise for the legs. You are hitting the quads, glutes, and even calling your core and abs into play. Using the Smith Machine is great for beginners because it allows you to concentrate on form without having to balance the weight on your shoulders. Master this first and then move to free weight.
This routine will have you getting out of bed pretty slowly the next day.
Alternating Dumbell Lunge
1. Stand with your feet pointing straight ahead, between hip- and shoulder-width apart. Grasp a dumbbell in each hand with your palms facing inward.
2. Step forward with one leg, using a long stride. As your front foot lands, bend both knees to lower your body. With your forward leg bearing most of the weight, bend it to a 90-degree angle, making sure that it doesn't move past your toes. Don't allow your back knee to touch the floor.
To rise back up, press through your front foot to return to a standing position, bringing both legs together.
Do 3 sets x 10 reps. You can either do them in place or "walk" around the gym using this technique.
Smith Machine Squat
Squats are arguable the best leg exercise for the legs. You are hitting the quads, glutes, and even calling your core and abs into play. Using the Smith Machine is great for beginners because it allows you to concentrate on form without having to balance the weight on your shoulders. Master this first and then move to free weight.
Start: Position yourself in the Smith Machine, resting the bar relatively high on your traps and placing your feet about shoulder-width apart, 12-15 inches in front of your hips. Your hips should be directly under your shoulders.
Movement: Bend your knees, lowering your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Pressing your heels into the floor, return to the start position.
3 sets x 10 reps
Standing Calf Raise
1. Stand holding a barbell balanced over your traps, or use a standing calf raise machine. With the balls of your feet on a raised surface, such as a step, and keeping your knee straight, lower your heels to stretch your calves.
2. Then press upward on the balls of your feet as high as you can
3x10
Lying Leg Curl
1. Lie facedown on curl machine and place your heels under the rollers. Grasp the handles, retract your shoulder blades slightly and raise your chest off the pad.
2. Without letting your hips come off the pad, contract your hamstrings to raise the ankle rollers, bringing them as close to your glutes as possible. Lower the pads to the start position and repeat.
Market Musings: Boy oh boy! The CBOT (Chicago Board of Trade) must feel like the Belle of the Ball these days. While she has coyly entertained the Chicago Merc's (CME) merger overtures now Intercontinental Exchange has become a serious suitor....
Monday, June 11, 2007
Best of the Chest
We're going to continue with our body part isolation routine today with almost everybody's favorite, chest. For some reason chest day tends to be the favorite of most gym rats, especially the men. The bench press, for better or worse, is used as a universal measure of overall strength. A strong chest that is well developed is asthetically pleasing because it adds symmetry to the body. More importantly, a powerful set of pecs will protect your skeleton from impact, add stability to your torso, and assist in the heavy lifting of daily life. Again, I am a proponant of total body workouts in most cases. You burn more calories that way and you won't get stuck obsessing or overtraining one body part. But if you are in need of improvement on a specific bodypart, focusing on one area per workout is not at all bad from time to time.
Here is a a good routine to use when trying to improve your overall pectoral power and get that beach bod look. Incorporate these three exercises with a standard 3-4 sets on the flat bench. Do 3 sets x 10 reps for each exercise. As always, eat asap after you're done. A whey protein shake or a PBJ should do the trick.
Incline Dumbell Press: I like this the best because it allows you to use a greater range of motion than simple bench presses with a barbell. Plus it forces the stabilizers in your shoulders to get into the act.
1. Grab two dumbbells and rest them on your quads. Carefully and one at a time, use your legs to assist you in lifting the dumbbells to the starting position as you lie back on the incline bench, which should be set at a fairly low angle (< 45 degrees).
2. Flex through your pecs and triceps to press the dumbbells up toward the ceiling, stopping just short of elbow lockout. Pause, then slowly lower the weights until your upper arms are parallel to the floor.
Decline Barbell Press: This move is great because it really concentrates a lot of effort to the pecs without demanding too much from the triceps or shoulders. I suggest using a Smith Machine until you are comfortable using free-weights.
1. Set the angle on the decline bench between 30 and 45 degrees below horizontal.
Lie face up on the bench, securing your feet under the rollers. Your head, shoulders and glutes should touch the bench, with no arching or rounding of your back.
Grasp a barbell with a pronated (overhand) grip so that your hands are spaced a bit wider than shoulder width.
Lift the bar out of the rack and start the exercise with your arms fully extended but not locked out at your elbows.
2. Inhale and hold your breath as you lower the barbell at a moderate pace to your lower chest (at or just below the nipple line). At the bottom of the movement, your elbows should point out to your sides.
Before the barbell touches your chest, reverse the movement and push the weight up until your arms are fully extended.
Exhale forcefully at the top of the movement or just after you pass the most difficult portion of the up phase.
The descent and ascent should be continuous, with no pausing or holding.
After you reach the top position, pause momentarily, then repeat for reps.
Cable Flyes: These are great at the end of the workout to get that last pump and burn into your muscles.
1. Start by standing between two upper pulleys and take a split stance. Lean forward slightly, arms extended to your sides, keeping your elbows slightly bent.
2. Using your pecs, pull the cables in a wide arc out in front of your body as if hugging a big tree, bringing the handles all the way together at the bottom.
Then, reverse the motion, allowing the weights to pull your arms back to stretch the pecs, but not too far to avoid injury to your shoulders.
Exodus- Lots of long time asset management pros are fleeing the big brokerages and banks in search of new challenges, and outsized paychecks, in the ever proliferating field of hedge funds. Will this bring a sense calm and order in the rootin' tootin' world of top shelf money management or will it cause a talent vacuum at giants like Goldman Sachs or Morgan Stanley....?
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601084&sid=a7Psyov65G1s&refer=stocks
Till next time, sometimes you eat the bear and sometimes the bear eats you!
Here is a a good routine to use when trying to improve your overall pectoral power and get that beach bod look. Incorporate these three exercises with a standard 3-4 sets on the flat bench. Do 3 sets x 10 reps for each exercise. As always, eat asap after you're done. A whey protein shake or a PBJ should do the trick.
Incline Dumbell Press: I like this the best because it allows you to use a greater range of motion than simple bench presses with a barbell. Plus it forces the stabilizers in your shoulders to get into the act.
1. Grab two dumbbells and rest them on your quads. Carefully and one at a time, use your legs to assist you in lifting the dumbbells to the starting position as you lie back on the incline bench, which should be set at a fairly low angle (< 45 degrees).
2. Flex through your pecs and triceps to press the dumbbells up toward the ceiling, stopping just short of elbow lockout. Pause, then slowly lower the weights until your upper arms are parallel to the floor.
Decline Barbell Press: This move is great because it really concentrates a lot of effort to the pecs without demanding too much from the triceps or shoulders. I suggest using a Smith Machine until you are comfortable using free-weights.
1. Set the angle on the decline bench between 30 and 45 degrees below horizontal.
Lie face up on the bench, securing your feet under the rollers. Your head, shoulders and glutes should touch the bench, with no arching or rounding of your back.
Grasp a barbell with a pronated (overhand) grip so that your hands are spaced a bit wider than shoulder width.
Lift the bar out of the rack and start the exercise with your arms fully extended but not locked out at your elbows.
2. Inhale and hold your breath as you lower the barbell at a moderate pace to your lower chest (at or just below the nipple line). At the bottom of the movement, your elbows should point out to your sides.
Before the barbell touches your chest, reverse the movement and push the weight up until your arms are fully extended.
Exhale forcefully at the top of the movement or just after you pass the most difficult portion of the up phase.
The descent and ascent should be continuous, with no pausing or holding.
After you reach the top position, pause momentarily, then repeat for reps.
Cable Flyes: These are great at the end of the workout to get that last pump and burn into your muscles.
1. Start by standing between two upper pulleys and take a split stance. Lean forward slightly, arms extended to your sides, keeping your elbows slightly bent.
2. Using your pecs, pull the cables in a wide arc out in front of your body as if hugging a big tree, bringing the handles all the way together at the bottom.
Then, reverse the motion, allowing the weights to pull your arms back to stretch the pecs, but not too far to avoid injury to your shoulders.
Exodus- Lots of long time asset management pros are fleeing the big brokerages and banks in search of new challenges, and outsized paychecks, in the ever proliferating field of hedge funds. Will this bring a sense calm and order in the rootin' tootin' world of top shelf money management or will it cause a talent vacuum at giants like Goldman Sachs or Morgan Stanley....?
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601084&sid=a7Psyov65G1s&refer=stocks
Till next time, sometimes you eat the bear and sometimes the bear eats you!
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