PJ's Fitness Blog – Page 32 – A blog about a fitter you. Come find out what is on the cutting edge of fitness science and be a part of the ongoing conversation.

X Gym Schools Chicago Stair Climbers

X Gym’s the three man Delta Force stair squad definitely left their mark on the Sears tower in Chicago today (11/15/09). As you may remember, X Gym members and trainers typically dominate any and all athletic events we enter, and stair competitions are certainly no exception.

The 103 story Sears tower climb is the second largest turnout of any stair race in the country with 1,800 participants showing up this year. It is surpassed only by the “Big Climb” up the Columbia center in Seattle. The Sears tower is 34 floors more than the Big Climb however, and since each floor is longer and taller, it is much harder and more competitive.

It is in fact, the hardest and highest climb in America, with the nation’s top climbers showing up to strut their stuff each year. Despite this incredible talent pool, The X Gym ended up owning two age categories to prove once again that we are the most successful training studio in the northwest as well as the most intense and effective training system on the planet.

Kevin Crossman, an X Gym member, along with his twin brother Brian, took 4th and 3rd in the 20-29 age bracket. Placing 11^th overall out of 1,800 racers was amazing for Kevin since this was only his 2^nd race ever. Brian’s 9^th place finish overall was simply miraculous, considering this was his first ever stair race! The twin assassins blew away the stair climbing “veterans” with their astounding performance. No one could believe how well these newcomers did!

I competed in the 40-49 age bracket, and took 3rd place in that division. Since I am still relatively new to this sport as well, my dream was to place in the top 20 overall. Had I not invited the Crossmans,

A Look Inside Obesity

In a recent study, 2/3 of the subjects in an alcohol treatment group who saw physical damage in a scan of their brain and body, stopped drinking. This was more than double the standard success rate of the control group.

Our society is more obese than ever. When I was in grade school, there was usually one token fat kid in each grade, and they got their fare share of teasing. Now it seems that being fat is the norm, and the skinny kids are the ones getting teased. This shift took only about 35 years to happen, and there is no sign of it letting up.

If you are fat, you’re eating sugar (see my last post for the different forms of sugar). Eating fat doesn’t make you fat, and eating protein actually makes you leaner. It’s the sugar that is killing you, and I mean that both figuratively and literally. For an interesting study on that, click here:

The picture below shows what fat looks like under the dark winter clothes people wear to hide it this time of year, which also provides another way to ignore it, and to add to it through the sugar-fest we call the holiday season. A picture really does speak 10,000 words (or 100,000 sugar calories) doesn’t it?

Will You Take a Stand With Me Against Slavery and Disease?

I have written more often on sugar than any other subject, and how in its many forms is the main cause of type 2 diabetes, brain damage, immune suppression (making us susceptible to many illnesses ranging from the common cold to swine flu), and that is is the main food of choice for cancer cells. These are only a small fraction of the health problems associated with sugar intake. To list them all would create a post that would be so long, most people wouldn’t even bother to read it.

The biggest concern for most people is their weight. For the first time in the history of our planet, we now have more fat people than hungry people. Another first for humans is our childhood obesity epidemic, and the associated heart disease and diabetes among these kids. I bet you can guess what the culprit is.

Sugar has been scientifically proven to be more addictive than cocaine. The sugar cartels know this, and even bank on it – in a big way. They know that sugar is killing you and making you fat. They also know it was the biggest driver of slavery in the world. Did you know that it still is? I bet you didn’t, and if you eat sugar, you are

X Gym Schools LA Stair Climbers

For those who love to get right to the bottom line, here are the results of my trip to LA on 9/25/09 with Chris Beams to take on the 75 story US Bank Building:

Chris placed 1^st in his age bracket (30-39) and 3^rd overall in the men’s open category. This was his 2nd competitive race.

I placed 1^st in my age bracket and 2^nd overall in the men’s open category. This was my 4th competitive race. For the official results on everyone, click here.

My niece Andrea placed 2nd in her age group and 16th overall. This was her first race!

For those of you who like videos, check out our stair blog at www.flightclubseattle.com.

Now, for those who like stories and details, read on, because it was a heck of a weekend filled with more fun and fitness insanity than I have ever experienced!

Wow! Now that was a hard climb! It was an eye opener too. All those piddly little 60 story practice climbs in Seattle helped a bunch until I got about that high in the US Bank building, but then I bonked. The remaining 15 stories were shockingly brutal! I felt like a little dutch boy in the Sahara dessert, walking up a sand dune wearing 10 pound wooden clogs!

My throat was part of that metaphor too. It got so dry and parched, I was horse for