If you think of working out like building a house, then squats would be like pouring the foundation.
Squats are an essential move to help strengthen your lower body, and they help fortify the base for all the rest of your movements. Squats are a crucial move not only because they work so many different muscles, but also because the muscles they build work to balance your body when you are doing other exercises, thus benefiting your exercise routine for the rest of your body.
Thus if you are going running, why not do 20 squats first?
If you are starting a weight lifting workout, why not do 20 squats first?
Yoga? 20 squats first.
Some people swear by stretching before a workout, some people are against stretching because the stretching can sometimes cause sports injuries because people overdo the stretching. But 20 squats is not a huge number and they will certainly help to build the muscle groups that you will be using often.
They also cost zero equipment. So squats rank high on the frugal exercises.
There are also many kinds of squats. You are not limited to one kind. Just pick your favourite and add it to the start of your workout.
Anyone who has an older Gift Voucher for Archery Lessons from Cardio Trek which was set to expiry during 2020 can still redeem their Gift Voucher in 2021.
I am extending all such older gift vouchers which would be expiring at any time during 2020 so that they now expiry in December 2021. (I may amend this later if the Covid Crisis + Lockdown lasts into 2021, although I doubt that will happen. I am currently expecting to be teaching archery lessons as soon as September 2020.)
2. New Expiry Policy
Where previously Gift Vouchers had an expiry of 18 months, giving recipients a sum of 1.5 years to redeem the gift voucher before it expires, starting immediately new Gift Vouchers will now have a 30 month (2.5 years) period before they expire. That should cover the duration of the COVID Lockdown and then some extra.
Notes
If anyone has any questions about Archery Lesson Gift Vouchers feel free to ask by emailing cardiotrek@gmail.com.
If you are really anxious to begin learning archery NOW I can recommend the following:
"Precision Archery", an impressively good book by Steve Ruis and Claudia Stevenson.
"Archery Focus Magazine", edited by Steve Ruis (with articles by myself and other archers).
Today is the first Saturday in May. Next week, the Saturday, will be International Archery Day.
International Archery Day (also known as "National Archery Day" in the USA) is observed annually on the second Saturday in May. The date was chosen because it is usually fairly good weather and it doesn't interfere with any popular holidays or events (eg. Mother's Day).
One of the oldest sports still in existence, archery has been around for tens of thousands of years, with some of the oldest bows ever found dating back to 8,000 to 9,000 BC. The oldest bow thus far found is an elm Holmegaard bow dated to 9,000 BC and was found in Denmark.
Cave drawings, other artifacts and similar stone age depictions are dated much further back, suggesting that archery is significantly older. At least 65,000 years old.
When celebrating International Archery Day it is traditional to invite a friend to try archery out for the first time. So get out there, invite a friend to try archery (or learn archery yourself) and enjoy one of the oldest sports known to mankind.
International Archery Day falls on the following dates in upcoming years:
While it is not generally recommended, some people have been known to set up a mini archery range in their living room, a hallway, or other location. You will need to make an effort to avoid damaging the floors, walls, furniture, etc.
#4. Practice archery in your backyard.
You will need to make efforts to make the space you are using SAFE as you don't want neighbours getting injured or complaining about the lack of safety precautions. If they call the police then the cops will want to check to see what efforts you have made in order to ensure safety.
If you have lots of spare time currently to build things you could even convert your backyard into an archery dojo.
#5. Build an archery range in the countryside.
Find a place in the countryside which you can periodically visit and practice your archery skills. Helps if you already own land in the countryside.
If you have friends or family who live in the countryside then you could ask them if you could build a small 3D archery range / walking trail on their property. No social interactions necessary beyond phone calls and emails. You could give even gift them with alcohol/chocolate/etc to show your appreciation.
If you don't have friends or family who own land in the countryside you could potentially rent a wooded area on a section of farmland. All you need to do is find a farmer who has wooded areas of their property that are unused and is willing to rent that property to you for a small monthly fee.
Then you build some homemade archery targets and set them up on a walking trail within the wooded area.
I don't recommend going out and purchasing a big 3D target because there is certainly the chance it could get stolen.
The lesson plan for Compound Archery differs dramatically compared to that of traditional recurve, Olympic recurve and other archery styles. This is because Compound Bows are so fundamentally different in their structure and design that it necessitates teaching it in a different way.
There are some things which are similar or the same when compared to the other lessons, but much of what a compound shooter learns will be focused on issues and aspects that are unique to compound bows.
Lesson One
Safety Lecture
Eye Dominance Test, Optional (Honestly, this should have been done in the store before you purchased your bow. It would be an issue if the store failed to do this and sold you the wrong bow.)
Lecture on Proper Form
Tuning the Sights at 20 Yards
Lesson Two
Fine Tuning Sights at 20 Yards
Stabilizers and Form
Arrowhead Lecture
Tuning Sights at 30 Yards
Lesson Three
Warm Up at 20 Yards
Fine Tuning Sights at 30 Yards
Arrow Spine Lecture
Tuning Sights at 50 Yards
Lesson Four
Warm Up at 20 Yards
Variant Distances / Field Archery (Useful skill for hunting as the prey is rarely exactly at 20 yards.)
Lesson Five & Beyond
Varies upon the needs of the archer. Might include topics like shooting at moving targets, shooting long distances, shooting while sitting or kneeling, etc.
Sometimes archery lessons may include other topics like equipment maintenance, installing new equipment, answering the student's questions, issues related to bowhunting, etc.
Lessons can vary from student to student and are often modified to meet the needs of students.
The Bear Cruzer Vs the Diamond Infinite Edge, Two Excellent Beginner Compounds
What Should You Buy If You're New To Compounds???
Let's say you're new to archery (or new to compound shooting) and you don't know what you should buy.
The answer is that you want to buy a good beginner compound, something that is:
Reasonably priced.
Good value for money.
Offers you a range of draw weights / draw distances.
Easy to change the weight/draw settings without a bow press.
The answer is that there are two compound bows on the market which fulfill these requirements:
The Bear Cruzer (and variants of it)
The Diamond Infinite Edge (and variants of it)
Both of these bows from competing manufacturers offer everything a beginner compound shooter is looking for, and if they take good care of it then it will serve them well. There is only one downside, each of these bows top out at approx. 310 fps for arrow speed. Which is still plenty fast, but you're not going to breaking any speed records compared to more expensive compounds offering fps speeds of 330 to 380.
In contrast most traditional recurves top out at about 200 fps, and people still hunt with them. So having a fast compound is not a necessity.
It is more important that you learn how to shoot properly and accurately, and buying the wrong bow which doesn't suit the user would be a step in the wrong direction.
Got an archery question about compound bows? Just ask! Email cardiotrek@gmail.com.
Don't let your moods control you, learn to control your moods!
If you are feeling trapped indoors due to the coronavirus pandemic there are ways to control your mood.
#1. Enjoy the weather by opening the windows more. Even if you don't go outside the fresh air from the open windows will do you good. #2. Stop watching so much news reports about the coronavirus. Watch cat videos or something fun instead. #3. Eat foods that are both healthy and that you enjoy. Or if they are unhealthy, eat smaller portions of it alongside a healthier food. #4. Don't forget to eat. Starving yourself just makes your moods worse. #5. Sleep in and have naps. You might as well, we are all on Staycations for the next few months! #6. Make a To Do List to help organize your thoughts. Look, I've already got you started. Just follow this list here and add more things to your list. Eg. Do laundry, clean your home, bake oatmeal cookies, do 100 jumping jacks, do 20 pushups, etc. #7. Don't forget to exercise. Even if you are just doing jumping jacks, pushups, and body weight exercises at least you are doing something to get your heart pumping. #8. Take five minutes out of every hour to do something fun. What is the point of "Working from Home" if you cannot schedule a little me time to relax and do fun things too. #9. Don't work yourself towards burnout. Relax. Take it slow. The work will get done. If you get burnt out from overworking yourself you are only going to make it worse. #10. Stop worrying about your toilet paper supply. You have enough already!
One of my clients told me that "Only weirdos go to gyms."
We were talking about how all the gyms in Toronto are currently shutdown because of the COVID lockdown and I am inclined to agree.
It is rather difficult to dispute her assertion when you consider the type of people who go to gyms, of which roughly half of them then awkwardly hit on the women they see at the gym. It is one of the reasons why "women only gyms" have become more popular because women are tired of men hitting on them all of the time.
One also has to assume that at least a percentage of the people at gyms are also serial killers (or want to be serial killers). I mean, come on... Just look at these people. Anyone of them could be a serial killer.
And even if they are not a serial killer there has to be something WRONG with the person, otherwise they'd already be in a relationship right?
Thus they're either single (and there's something wrong with them) or they're married and they want to cheat on their spouse. That is really the only two realistic options.
As someone who is a former gym enthusiast (I dropped my gym membership when I did the math that it made more financial sense to be spending $1200 per year on exercise equipment at home, on archery equipment, on vacations, etc...) I can honestly say that I never hit on any one at the gym. Partially because I wasn't single at the time, and partially because I wouldn't know what to say anyway.
It has been over a decade since I had a gym membership and I have since become a big enthusiast of bodyweight exercises and similar frugal exercises that don't require a gym.
With the COVID / Coronavirus lockdown going on I feel it is a good time to remind people you don't need a gym to exercise.
You just need some music and you can exercise at home! Browse the long list of frugal exercises on my website if you're bored and looking to try some new exercises. ;)
Want to improve your archery form and accuracy? Pay attention to these 4 tips that will help to improve your form/accuracy.
1. Fix your Feet First
Regardless of whether you are on flat terrain or shooting on a steep slope / hill then you should always fix your feet first so that you are either doing relaxed stance or square stance. It is possible to shoot using other stances, but if you're a beginner trying to get more accuracy then you really want to improve your footing before doing anything else.
2. Brace the Bow / Center your Hand
If you're not holding the bow in your hand properly it is going to effect where the arrow is going to go, often randomly. To improve consistency (and accuracy) you want to brace the bow's handle on the meaty part of your palm closest to your wrist.
If you don't put enough meat on your handle you will often torque the bow to the side. Likewise if you put too much meat on the handle you can torque the bow in the other direction and the bowstring will hit you in the forearm between the elbow and roughly halfway down the forearm.
What you want is the "Goldilocks" amount of meat on the handle. Centered.
3. Relax your Hand
You want your bow hand to be relaxed, and positioned like you are giving a very limp handshake. Keeping your hand centered and relaxed improves your accuracy. There is no need to squeeze the bow with your hand. You aren't going to drop it. After you shoot you will immediately grip the bow so that you don't drop it. (Some archers add an archery wrist strap on their bow so they can leave their bow hand completely relaxed the whole time.)
4. Pre-Aim before Drawing
When you pre-aim at a target you align your forearm and elbow with the arrow, and thus when you pull back the bowstring the arrow and your forearm end up being better aligned.
If you skip this step and just draw the bow and then aim, your elbow will often be too high or too low, which means your forearm will be out of alignment, resulting in increased chances of plucking your release, and you will be more likely to be shaking a bit if you are straining your forearm to hold the bow steady.
Pre-aiming only takes an extra moment to do, but it makes a big difference to accuracy if it makes you steadier and reduces the chances of plucking.
"Should I cancel my gym membership during the Coronavirus Pandemic?"
A
Honestly, if you're not able to use your gym membership right now because all of the gyms in the city are shutdown, then absolutely you should consider canceling your gym membership.
I don't know when the lockdown is going to be over, and who knows when you will be working again / making money, so you might as well cancel your gym membership and find a different way to exercise that doesn't involve being around people.
The same thing goes with if you currently have a personal trainer (like myself). Right now is a good time to cancel (or indefinitely reschedule) those sessions with your personal trainer and ask about a refund.
I have already started issuing refunds to my archery students who signed up for archery lessons in April and May, or rescheduling them until "later". Hopefully when the pandemic has dwindled I can teach archery again, but in the meantime due to the lockdown that isn't going to be happening.
Let's consider the math...
If this lockdown goes on for months you could be out hundreds of dollars.
Back in 2008 I had a gym membership that was costing me $75 + HST per month. If you are paying a similar rate at your local gym and the lockdown goes on for 6 months that is going to cost you...
$75 x 6 + 13% HST = $508.50.
It could last less, it could last longer. We have no idea when this Coronavirus Pandemic is going to end.
And even if the pandemic was ending in September, and we had a confirmed date on when it would end, would you really want to be paying gym fees for April, May, June, July and August for a gym you cannot use (or are afraid to use) during the pandemic.
What happens when we eventually get a vaccine?
1. Not everyone is going to take the vaccine. Eg. Anti-vaxxers.
2. They need to test the vaccine properly, a process which normally takes 2 years. So it isn't going to be tested and ready by September or October anyway. Not this year. It might take until 2021 or 2022 to have a vaccine that works.
3. Even when they do make the vaccine the production of the vaccine might be quite slow. In the film "Contagion" (which was a very realistic film) it took months just to make and distribute the vaccine.
4. Assuming you get the vaccine early, are the gyms going to open up at the same time? Doubtful. Their staff might not yet have the vaccine. They need to make certain all their staff have been vaccinated. I foresee employers requiring all their employees to bring in a doctor's note confirming that they've been vaccinated.
So what should you do in the meantime?
1. Go for walks. Do some outdoor photography. Take the dog or kids with you.
2. Find a sport or exercise activity you can do indoors. Eg. Put on some music and dance. Dancing costs you basically nothing so it ends up being very frugal. Yoga? Body weight exercises? Lots of options.
3. Buy a treadmill, a home weightlifting gym or something similar. You don't have to get something expensive. Start small, say $25 to $40 per month on exercise equipment, and you will still be spending way less on exercise equipment for your home than you would be paying for a gym membership.
4. Go bicycling. Spring is here already and Summer will be here soon enough. Either fix up your old bicycle or buy a new bicycle. Totally worth it. You could even bring your camera with you and do photography as you cycle around Toronto (or whatever city you are in).
5. Swimming, specifically in lakes or rivers, but if you know of a place with a pool where you feel safe and COVID free go ahead.
6. Go for long hikes. Again, take your dog, kids and/or camera with you.
7. Take up jogging.
Seriously there is a long list of activities you can do instead of going to the gym. Going to the gym was never mandatory. You should never have to feel obligated to exercise just because you are paying money to a gym, you should feel MOTIVATED to exercise because you've found something that you love doing which just happens to be exercise.
That is why I teach archery, boxing, swimming and ice skating. Mostly archery these days. I love those activities. They're highly enjoyable and I feel very motivated to go out to the archery range, the ice rink or the swimming pool to do such activities because they're FUN.
Eg. Until the COVID shutdown started I was a regular at my local indoor pool and my toddler son (he's 2 years old) was learning how to swim. I was taking him there twice per week to do 1 hour of swim time so he can learn how to swim and enjoy the water.
And when he is older I will get him a bicycle and we will be out there cycling together so that he learns how, but also because he will enjoy the feeling of freedom that comes with having a bicycle.
And if you're trapped indoors because of COVID during the next few months then having the freedom to hop on your bicycle and just go places, that feeling of freedom could be very therapeutic.
Due to the Coronavirus Outbreak my archery lessons are temporarily unavailable.
I am going to be using this break to spend time with family, work on some writing, read a few books (currently I am reading the Witcher series and also a series of books by British writer Anthony Ryan, which I totally recommend people check out), and perhaps do some woodworking/bowmaking.
Whenever the virus outbreak gets sorted out I will be resuming my normal routine of archery lessons, but for now I suppose I am on an "extended vacation".
So for now my bows are just going to hang for a bit until they are ready to be used again. (Asides from me getting some personal practice, of course.)
Looking to sign up for archery lessons, boxing lessons, swimming lessons, ice skating lessons or personal training sessions? Start by emailing cardiotrek@gmail.com and lets talk fitness!
