The inaugural King of the Hill event at Mt. Woodson was an awesome event…but it was only round 1.  Round 2 of Gut Checks extreme trail running series takes place on March 26, 2011 at Iron Mountain.

Here’s an awesome recap from one of the contestant TobyGuillette:

“Last weekend I raced the inaugural King of the Hill: Mt. Woodson trail running event. With 2000’ of climbing/descending and multiple physical challenge stations along the way, this new 7.2-mile” [Finish reading how Toby conquered King of the Hill here]

As a kid, growing up on a farm in the Midwest, every year my Dad would tell us that he was going to start his eating and exercise program come January 1st. As you can imagine, another year would roll around and eventually Dad would postpone his resolution until it was the following year.

Well, it’s 25 years later and Dad still hasn’t started that program yet! Like most of us though, he does have good intentions. Resolutions and truly changing your life can be difficult. You’ve had years to develop bad habits and let them spiral out of control. How do we then keep that promise that we’ve made to ourselves to take control or our eating, exercise and our life?

Many times, just like Dad, we only half-way commit. We know in the back of our mind that we’re not seriously ready to make the change. Change only comes with serious commitment. You’ve got to take a good long look in the mirror and decide that you are 100% ready to make that change.

Next, you’ve got to set realistic goals and develop a plan of action. There’s a saying that goes, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail!” You can do this. Yes, it will take hard work and dedication but many times the things that we value most in life are the things that we’ve worked the hardest to obtain. You are worth it.

I keep my weekly exercise and eating report on the refrigerator. It’s one of the first things that I see first thing in the morning. This helps to hold me accountable and keep me motivated.

Hope this helps. Remember, you can do this! No one is more important than you. Take control now before you end up a habitual offender like my father. Still luv ya dad. Oh, and you’re starting Monday, right?!

It’s that time of year again when many have made that move indoors for their workouts in fear of frostbite, death or just because they hate the cold. I completely understand but am here to tell ya that not only can you make it fun outdoors during the winter months but it can actually help you adapt to the cold better and even keep you healthier. I know this sounds ludicrous and probably contrary to what you’ve been told but just hear me out.

Growing up on a farm in the Midwest I was pretty accustomed to the cold but it wasn’t until I joined the Army and was stationed with the 10th Mountain Div. in Upstate New York that I really found out about cold. Wow! Our winter exercise policy was that as long as it wasn’t less than 25 below with the wind chill you still did physical training outdoors. I remember the first day out there thinking that it was the end, that they would find my frozen carcass in a ditch. The instructors got us moving pretty quickly and believe it or not after about 15 min. you started to get pretty warmed up and even to sweat. Didn’t take you long to figure out that continually moving was the name of the game. I got out and started a Boot Camp company in Gaithersburg, MD. In the 8 years there we exercised outdoors every winter and many even started to enjoy it but most certainly began to realize the benefits of being out there.

So what exactly are the benefits of getting outdoors in the winter time? First, you’re outside 3 months of the year and stay pretty healthy. Next thing you know you head into the gym with everyone else and find yourself getting sick all the time. Think about it, the gym in the winter can be just like a grade school or airplane; you’ve got all these people with all these different germs floating around in a confined area. You will be more susceptible but I’ve never noticed a problem in outdoor Boot Camp class. Second, your body will adapt better to the cold and your blood will thicken by being outdoors for 30-60 min. daily. Many of us head in when the temp drops below 40 and don’t come out again until spring. Imagine if you sit inside in a heated 70+ degree office all day long, of course you’re always going to be cold when going out. By exposing yourself to the cold your body will adapt to help make this time of the year more tolerable. Finally, believe it or not it can be fun outdoors in the winter time. When you were a kid I bet if you had snow you lived in it building snowmen, riding sleds and having snow ball fights. Who says that just because we get older we have to go indoors and stop having fun? At 40 recess is still my favorite hour of the day. Get out there and enjoy yourself while burning a few calories.
Here’s one of my favorite winter time workouts. Remember, the most important thing is that you wear the appropriate cold weather clothing and that you keep moving. Try to find either a long set of stairs, basket ball court or 400m track to do your workout routine

• Start off with a 5-10 min. warm-up
• Beginners (try 10 reps), intermediate(25 reps) & advanced(50reps) to begin
• 10 or 25 or 50 regular push-ups
• 10/25/50 crunches – elbows to knee
• 10/25/50 modified pull-ups palms facing away(regular bar pull-ups may want to do set of 10)
• 10/25/50 bench dips
• 10/25/50 alternating bench step-ups
• Run EITHER – 1 stair repeat, 1 court suicide or 1 lap
• REPEAT with the following reps
• 10 or 20 or 40 wide push-ups
• 10/20/40 crunches – alternating elbows to knee
• 10/20/40 modified chin-ups palms facing you (regular bar chin-ups may want to do set of 10)
• 10/20/40 bench dips
• 10/20/40 alternating bench step-ups
• Run EITHER – 1 stair repeat, 1 court suicide or 1 lap
• 10 or 15 or 30 diamond push-ups
• 10/15/30 full sit-ups
• 10/15/30 modified pull-ups thumbs touching(regular bar pull-ups may want to do sets of 10)
• 10/15/30 bench dips
• 10/15/30 alternating bench step-ups
• Cool down with 5-10 min. of jogging
• Stretch for 5-10 min.

Remember if you’re going to outside in the winter time to either take a friend to enjoy the good time or to let someone know that you’re out there. Always better to be safe than sorry. I hope this motivates some of ya to get out there and enjoy the brisk, invigorating cold weather. Don’t just follow the masses inside, like Robert Frost said, “Try taking the road less travelled.” Have fun!

Ten years ago on this date I set out to attempt to break a Guinness World record for fitness, 24 hours later I had achieved my goal. Looking back now at 40yrs young I can still see that motivated young man that ‘just wanted to see if he could do it!’ His only goal was to see if he had it in him, to see if he could walk the walk. It wasn’t for fame, fortune or glory, only to TRY! Funny how time travels by so fast, I’m sure we’ve all said this a time or two. Two of the primary things all humans have in common, we are born, have X amount of time in this world and then we all die. I don’t view death as a terrible thing, it’s inevitable. What I do view as a terrible thing is a wasted life. We’re here and gone in the blink of an eye so we better make the damn best of it! Enough of being ‘Debbie Downer.’ I’m writing this not to say ‘look at me’ but more for myself as way to reflect on the last 10 yrs since Guinness Book.

Where to begin?! I broke the record at 8pm on Dec. 2, 2000 then immediately went and gotta 1/2lb burger, fries and a chocolate shake. Went home and slept for about 12 hours. When I awoke I tried to get out of bed and fell to the floor with a laugh. It seems 24 hours of non-stop working out had taken a helluva toll on my muscles. Yes, I was sore as hell!;-) But life goes on. Nothing happened for a few days then local cable show brought me in for an interview. First time on TV. Nervous. Washington Post saw it, called me at home and asked for an interview. No problem. Article comes out, the next day I walk into my office, phone rings and it’s Good Morning America on the phone. “Holy shit!” Then the flood gates opened next were calls from the Today Show, Inside Edition, 20/20, you name it. Went on a Media blitz for a few weeks. Quite a whirlwind but did enjoy it. Who wouldn’t?

March 2001 – phone rings and its PEOPLE magazine. “You’re in the running for 50 Most Eligible Bachelors.” I’m like, “you got the wrong number!”haha..They said it was me but was one of a 1000 guys. Whatever. Month later another call, now 1 of 500, 2 weeks later I’m 1 of 100. Whoa! Stop the press! No way. Well a couple weeks go by and the phone rings, “You are one of the 50 Most Eligible in PEOPLE.” As you can imagine my short balding ass was quite shocked! Sounded like fun. Flew me to NY, drove me to a club in lower Manhattan, 700 women and only 50 of us guys! Yowza! Walked in, got a name tag and 2 female personal assistants to take care of my needs, just get my drinks you perverts!;-) Great time. Go to the bathroom, at the urinal; get slammed against the wall by a large bouncer while an entire boy band crams into the stall. All I here is snoooort, snoooort! Hmm, what are they doing?! Month or two after I hear one goes to rehab, imagine that?! Spent the night chatting with a great guy that was a NY Firefighter, very cool. Only 2 hear that 2 months later he died in 9/11. Very sad.

During the next few months I’m getting calls left and right from supplement companies, infomercial companies and about any of the other sleazy fitness crap I can’t stand today. One supplement company offered me $1,000,000 to sell HGH. I said, “who we selling it to?” They said don’t worry. I was and pressed on. I said, “what about the teenage boys and girls?” They finally told me to “shut the f**k up and sell it!” That ended that conversation. Lost my million! Oh well. Months later Mark Maguire got busted for using it. Good call on my part. Let me tell you all first hand. The mass majority of the makers of supplements, products and other crap do not give a rat’s ass about you! All they see are your $$! I’ve witnessed it firsthand, save your money, eat right and go to Boot Camp and do your workouts. That’s it.

2002 – Get a call from a Hollywood producer, would you like to be on the game show “The Weakest Link?” Cool, of course I say! It’ all Guinness Record holders. Fly to Universal Studios. Takes 8 hours to film and at the end of the day, “I’m not the weakest link!” Walk away with $74,000. Very cool! Drive away, thinking of things to buy, sitting in LA traffic and hit’s me, “Do something good.” So call my college, WIU, tell them I want to set up a full ride scholarship for low-income kids from my high school, Cuba High, to attend WIU. They asked me the name of the scholarship and I said, “the Diane Decker Scholarship” for my mother. Greatest thing I’ve ever done in my life! It will be around longer than her or me.

2003 – Decided to go to Morocco to run the Marathon des Sables, a 152 mile foot race across the Sahara Desert. As you can imagine an incredible journey! Lotsa sand, blisters and great times!

Same year pitched a fitness book idea and got a call from Penguin Publishing Company that they wanted it. One of the largest fitness book deals at the time. Let me move from DC to PB in San Diego for a year and work on the book. Great time and fell in love with California, knew I was coming back. Published book, moved back to DC, and did book tour around the country, another great experience.

Was going to move back to Cali but some friends asked me to open a gym in DC. Not a gym fan but offered me good $$ so said what the hell. Opened gym, hiring staff and meet this girl named Nicole Howell and the rest is history as most of ya know. She was smitten!haha..Ok, maybe it was the other way. That’s another story!

While at the gym, get a call from a friend that was the Ugandan Ambassador to the US. “Hey, wanna go to Kampala Uganda to talk to the Minister of Health & Sports, go to the King’s daughter’s wedding and go on safari?!” Seriously?! Of friggin course I do! Was there for 2 weeks and had a great time. Almost got killed by a hippo but learned they don’t like their photos taken at night!haha..Africa, contrary to most reports, has many beautiful places and some of the nicest people I have ever met! 

Let’s see, wow, just so much. 2004 received quite an honor by being chosen for an “Alumni Achievement Award” from my alma mater, WIU. I love my college and owe it and the faculty vey much of my success. I was shocked to get called again in 2009 to find out that I had received an even greater honor of a “Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award.” Really makes you feel good to be recognized by your peers for working hard.

2006 – Nik and I decided to move to San Diego and start over. Packed up the U-Haul and headed west.  Got here with hardly any $$ in our pocket and only one friend we knew. Nik got a job as a trainer in a gym and I tried to get my Boot Camp going. In the beginning there was only Doug, JR, O’Malley, Rick & Nik. At that time it was Saturday only. That doesn’t pay the bills so got a job selling health insurance. Worst time of my life! Go from people liking me to them telling me to f-off! 3 months and I was done. Decided to give Boot Camp one more go. Somehow was able to do a brown bag lunch talk at AMN and bam, I had 70 AMN people out there in the evenings. And that’s how Gut Check was started. Thank you AMN!

Hard to believe, from its humble beginning to winning “Best Boot Camp” in San Diego the last 2 years, “Hardest Workout” in San Diego and has represented at every type of fitness event possible in San Diego. The people that work out with Gut Check are what make Gut Check the best. I like to call it, “the drama free – douche bag free zone!” for lack of better terms! We work hard and play harder.

2008 – Nik and I got married in a castle in the Tuscany region of Italy. Absolutely incredible time!

2009 – Had her upside down on my back as we competed in the North American Wife Carrying Championship in Maine.

2010- Turned the Big 40 with about a 100 of my closest friends, went to Spain to fulfill a young man’s dream of “Running with the Bulls” in Pamplona Spain, won the infamous Death Race in Vermont, was honored by the San Diego County Board with a proclamation that “hence forward August 3rd will be Joe Decker Day” in San Diego then finished off the year with another trip to Southern Italy and the Amalfi Coast. Life is good!

Now I sit here in disbelief. Wow! So many incredible experiences and I’m sure this is only a portion of them. Damn dementia!haha..Happens around 40 I hear. But I think the thing that amazes me the most and that I’m most proud of are the incredible people that I have in my life, that I stay in contact with via the internet and that I’ve met throughout my life. I feel that I’m a collector of good people and let me tell ya, “I have one helluva collection that would rival any famous museum!” The last 10 yrs have been incredible and can’t see what the next 10 have in store

“Get Busy Livin’ or Get Busy Dyin”!”

I’ve been involved in competitive fitness of some sort for about 25 years. I started out as a powerlifter and football player while also running track for a little farming community in the Midwest where I grew up. Then I joined the military only to find Uncle Sam’s one-of-a-kind intense fitness program.
After my time in the military, I decided to combine a couple newfound passions of Strongman with ultrarunning to eventually go on and break a World Record for fitness. Having a love of such diverse outdoor disciplines has called for a unique array of gear. Here’s my top 10 list of favorite gear that has helped me run long and fast, stay strong and be continually fit.

1. Real Food

I eat an array of fruits, vegetables & lean meats plus drink plenty of water daily. I take no supplements, no shakes and no shortcuts. My mantra is and always has been, “eat right, work hard and play harder.” You’ll find quite a bit of helpful eating information at http://www.mypyramid.gov/

2. Body Glide

I do not leave home without it. As a big strong guy who likes to run, cycle and lift, I’ve found my frame more prone to chaffing in all the wrong areas. This stuff is a life saver, especially on long runs and rides.

3. Under Armour Compression Gear

Listen, if you’re going to be on the ground doing push-ups, on your back doing sit-ups or just running around in shorts and shirts all day, these babies keep the pieces and parts in place. Again, not glamorous but this is for real people and not prima donnas.

4. Injinji Socks

I swear by the toe socks. I’ve worn them across Death Valley, through the Himalayas and during numerous 100 mile trail races without getting one blister. They’re like Isotoner gloves for your feet.

5. Running Shoes

I have two favorite running shoes. My longtime love that has been with me since before the Guinness Book in 2000 is the New Balance 1220. There have been many styles since, but none can compare. They are inexpensive, fit great and still hold up well.
My next pair is for down and dirty, in your face billy-goat-style trail running. They are the Salomon Speedcross 2. Not quite the ride of the New Balance, but I call them the “Monster Truck of Off-Road Running.” They are going to the Barkley 100 miler with me in 2010.

6. Watch

I’m not a big gizmo guy and actually still wear my old school Casio G Shock watch. It doesn’t have a compass or GPS but it is affordable, durable and still looks tough. I don’t like to sweat my pace or the mileage, but just enjoy my time on the trail.

7. Hydration Pack

I’ve been using CamelBak products for hiking, trail running and cycling since they first appeared on the market. I still love and use their products today. I have a 100 oz. old school HAWG hydration pack that goes everywhere with me. I wouldn’t leave home without it.

8. Torque Pull-Up System

One of the most difficult to master but effective exercises you can find is the pull-up. If you want a strong back, biceps and grip–do pull-ups. I have a traveling pull-up bar that I got from the guys at Torque Athletic. It travels in the back of the truck to the beach or to the park with me. Add some rings and presto! Instant gym. Plus, their stuff is still 100 percent made in the USA.

9. Strongman Gear

My two favorite Strongman implements are the tractor tires and atlas stones. You can get large tractor tires from many implement dealers that are looking to get rid of them. I have about a dozen in my garage that range from 200 to 500 lbs. Who doesn’t love throwing around a big tire? And it’s an incredible workout. My next favorite piece is the atlas stone. Atlas stones range in size from 75 lbs all the way up to 500 lbs. This is another old school strength exercise that is lots of fun. It’s very effective and can be done outdoors. I got my stone molds from Slater’s Hardware.

10. The most important piece of gear is a healthy body, a strong mind and a fire inside of you.
You cannot buy this in a store. You have to be born with some of it and build the rest. You have to be willing to put yourself out there, only to fail miserably and then learn from your mistakes and come back stronger than ever. As the saying goes, “Where the mind is willing, the body will follow.”

These are just a few of the things I have continued to use over the years. They have helped me along the way and will hopefully do the same for you. But remember, gear can only help. You have to do the rest. Hope this helps you on your journey!

When I played football in high school, my offensive line coach had an exercise he liked to use on us for punishment. When we were caught screwing around or didn’t respond with “sir” or didn’t hustle in-between plays, Coach Chamlee had to say just four words to elicit an audible groan from the offensive line: “Get your feet moving.”
Those four words marked the beginning of one minute of pure hell. It was burpee time.
The Benefits of Burpees
The burpee is the ultimate full body exercise. There’s a reason why football teams, CrossFit practitioners, and elite military forces use the burpee in their workouts. Just one simple movement tests both your strength and aerobic capacities. Below we go into a few more details on the benefits of the burpee:
Strength. The burpee is a full body, strength training exercise. With each repetition, you’ll work your chest, arms, front deltoids, thighs, hamstrings, and abs. Trust me. Your legs will feel like they’re pumping battery acid after you complete a set of burpees.
Fat burning. Because you’re using your full body when doing burpees and because they’re such an intense workout, the burpee is one of the best exercises to burn fat. Studies have shown that high intensity exercises, like burpees, burn up to 50% more fat than conventional strength training exercises. They’ve also been shown to speed up your metabolism which helps you burn more calories throughout the day. If you’re looking to get rid of that spare tire, step off the elliptical machine and start doing burpees.
Conditioning. Many men today spend hours a week in the gym sculpting washboard abs and bowling ball biceps. While those muscles look nice, they don’t do much for you when you have to split a giant pile of wood or even save your own life. Burpees are an effective exercise for developing the conditioning and endurance, the manly vim and vigor to tackle any challenge. They’re also a great exercise to include in football conditioning drills.
Free. There are no fancy gizmos, classes or gym memberships required to perform a burpee. All you need is your body, a floor, and an iron will.
Portable. You can do this exercise anywhere. On the road? Bust some out in the hotel room. Don’t have a gym membership? Get your burpee on at the park. In prison? Do them in your cell.
Burpees are how Mike Rowe keeps in shape to work his dirty jobs:
How to Perform a Burpee
The burpee is a ridiculously simple, full body exercise that will leave you gassed after doing only a few.
To perform a basic burpee, just follow these instructions:
Begin in a squat position with hands on the floor in front of you.
Kick your feet back to a pushup position.
Immediately return your feet to the squat position.
Leap up as high as possible from the squat position.
When performing burpees, the key is to perform them in quick succession in order to get the conditioning benefits this exercise is famous for.
Some of you might be thinking, “Hey, this is a squat thrust.” While the squat thrust and burpee are indeed similar, the crucial difference between the two is the leap at the end. That leap is what separates the men from the boys.
Besides the basic burpee, you also have your choice of a few burpee variations that will not only kill your body, but also your soul.
Burpee with push-up. Perform the burpee normally, but after you kick out your feet to a push-up position, go ahead and do a full push-up.
Burpee with divebomber push-up. Instead of just doing a full push-up, make it a dive bomber push-up.
Burpee+Pull-up. Stand underneath a pull-up bar or tree branch that is high enough that you have to leap to reach it. Perform a burpee normally, but when you leap up grab the bar and perform a pull-up. Repeat. Did you hear that? That was the sound of your soul dying.
The Coach Chamlee Burpee. I hated these. As mentioned above, my offensive line coach would use the specter of burpee punishment as motivation to keep us from slacking off. When Coach Chamlee said to get our feet moving, we had to “chop” our feet in place as fast as we could. When he said “hit,” we’d hit the ground and perform a burpee. Between each rep, we continued rapidly chopping our feet. I’m tired just thinking about it.
Burpee Workouts
Because they’re such an intense exercise, you can make a quick and effective workout using just burpees. Below are a few suggested burpee workouts that will whip your flabby butt into shape.
Descending Burpee Ladder. Start with a set of 10 burpees. Rest one minute. Then do a set of 9. Rest one minute. Continue lowering your reps by one on each set until you reach just one rep.
100 Burpee Challenge. Pretty simple. Just do one set of 100 burpees as fast as you can. I can usually do the first 20 in a minute or so. After that I hit a wall, and it takes me about 15 minutes to finish the rest as I lay on the ground to rest between reps. Take as long as you need until you hit the 100 burpee mark.
2 Minute Drill. Set your stop watch and crank out as many burpees as you can in two minutes.
Burpee Ladder with Sprints. So you’ve been doing burpees for a bit and feel like you’re in good shape. Try this little ditty to take your burpetitude to the next level. Perform the burpee ladder as described above, except instead of resting a minute between sets, perform a 50 yard sprint. I tried this a few months ago thinking I was in good shape only to barf after the second set. You know a workout is good when it’s barf good.

It seems like almost everyone is getting involved in group exercise today. On any given day in a warehouse, in a park or at the gym you can find people exercising together. There’s everything from Running Clubs, Active X, and Roller Striders to Boot Camp classes. So why exactly are so many people jumping the ‘lone wolf’ ship to work out with others in a group setting? What is the big attraction?
I’ve been involved in fitness for 25 years now and have belonged to power lifting and running clubs, but I’ve also been that solitary figure in the gym and on the road. I do feel this has given me a pretty good understanding of the appeal and the dynamics of both. Years ago I started my own outdoor fitness company, Gut Check Fitness, which recently got voted “A-List Best Boot Camp” San Diego and Competitor Magazine, “Hardest Workout.” This is where my passion lies.
Whether you join a workout group or get your own group of friends together for a workout, here are three reasons, more is merrier for earning your health and  fitness gains.

Motivation
Unless you’re that rare person that can jump out of bed at 5 a.m. and hit the ground running, odds are that getting and staying motivated are difficult for you. You are not alone. The majority of the people I’ve worked with over the years have had the same problem. That’s one of the great things about the group workouts. Many people who attend a workout class will show up exhausted from the ups and downs of everyday life. But once they join the group, they become re-energized. With a friendly fitness instructor there to light a fire under you rear, it can’t get any better.
Not only are you more motivated to get out of bed and exercise, but there’s the motivation to improve your current fitness level. If you work out with people who are faster, stronger or fitter than you, you are probably going to get in better shape. There’s an old saying that goes, “The lead dog sets the pace for the rest of the pack.” Think about it.

Accountability
Remember when you were a high schooler and your mom would wake you up in the morning to go to school? She was holding you accountable. If you were anything like me, you probably wouldn’t have graduated without her wake-up calls. Thanks Mom! A workout group can do the same thing for your exercise routine. I’ve had countless clients over the years at Gut Check Fitness say, “I wouldn’t be there in the morning if I didn’t know that Kim, Ron, Nancy, etc. were going to give me a hard time for not showing up.”

The fear of group teasing gets them out of bed. Hey, it works!
Plus, there’s the friendly instructor again that keeps track of your tardiness. I take a daily roll at my classes then each week I look to see who’s been playing Harry Houdini. If I haven’t seen someone for a week or two, I’ll generally send them a friendly reminder with the threat of numerous burpees. This usually does the trick.

Group Camaraderie
Human beings are social creatures. Yes, a few are hermits and recluses, but the majority of us love to be around other people. We love to laugh, joke and have fun. I feel this is one of the greatest products of a group workout setting. Nothing brings people closer quite like misery and physical suffering. If you’ve ever done a boot camp or similar class, you’ll understand what I’m talking about.
Many people sign up to get more fit and along the way become friends through this mutual ritual. Many become lifelong best friends. My classes not only work hard together, but they play hard together. We regularly have happy hours, wine tastings, and sports days where we do races and events together. We sincerely enjoy one another’s company. It’s truly one of the best ways to meet people like you and develop a common bond while getting into the best shape possible.
Joining a workout group can keep you motivated, hold you accountable and help you develop a sense of group camaraderie.

Finally, in a world where we’ve become so dependent on email and texting, working out with a group offers that human interaction that is slowly disappearing. We can do just about everything today virtually without ever talking to a person. That is outside of a group fitness setting. With group fitness, you have to get involved. You can try to escape to the back of the pack, but a good instructor will integrate you into the group whether you like or not. That’s why it’s called group dynamics, and that’s why technology will never replace the good ‘ol fashioned group workout. Get out of your cubicle, your car or your house and go meet other people that have a common interest just like you. You never know, you might just meet some real friends instead of the ones you find online.