Since 2009
THE PRAYFIT DEVOTION
A Peyton Manning Moment
"But Jesus said, 'You feed them.' They answered him saying, 'But we only have five loaves of bread and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people.'" --Luke 9:13
Read: Luke 9
Seeing as we're in the middle of football season, I've declared this Peyton Manning week. Of all the great things that Peyton is known for in the National Football League (NFL), changing the plays at the line of scrimmage is one of them. More often than not, he breaks the huddle, approaches the line and, based on what he sees in the defense, he yells out a different plan. He calls an audible and, in doing so, changes the game.
Now, for Peyton to be able to read the defense is a gift, no doubt. But I'm as impressed with how his offense adapts so quickly to his changing mind. One thing is for certain, you can't work with Peyton and expect routine. As for me? I'd prefer Peyton to simply remember what we agreed on in the huddle; 'Just stick to the original plan, would ya?' I love my daily routine. I can deal with the expected.
You know, Jesus was known for calling a few audibles of his own. Like we see in today's passage, asking the impossible, he'd watch his disciples go from scratching their heads in wonder to rubbing their eyes in awe. Maybe that's why Jesus so often asked where their faith was. I know He'd ask me the same. Can anyone relate? Anyone else having a week of unfamiliar routes and last-minute audibles? Anyone else rubbing their eyes yet?
--Jimmy Peña
MASTERING YOUR BODYWEIGHT How a simple increase in intensity can maximize your workouts
At PrayFit, we rely a lot on bodyweight exercises. In many of our weekly workouts, you'll see maybe a plyometric push up or a jump squat. Those moves are incredible for developing lean muscle. But I want to explain why. Take the plyo-push up for example. During the plyo-push up, you lower your chest toward the floor slowly, then you press yourself up as powerfully and explosively as possible in order to let your hands come off the floor. Some of you can even do clap push-ups, clapping your hands on each rep.
Well, there's a lot of science behind that simple move. See, during a typical push-up (and any standard rep on anything in the gym for that matter) we decelerate the move so that our hands remain in contact with the floor. Same thing with, say, the bench press. We decelerate the bar as we press up so the bar doesn't leave our hands. BUT, during plyo-push ups, we forget about deceleration and allow our hands to leave the floor. Doing so causes more fast-twitch muscle fibers to be utilized. Fast-twitch fibers are those muscle fibers most responsible for tone for the ladies and muscle mass for the guys. The explosive nature of the plyos calls those fibers into play.
So the next time you see a jump squat or plyo-push up, you know why. AND, when you get too tired during any of those sets, simply resume the exercise with the standard version of that move and you'll help tighten and tone even more.
>> For video demonstrations of plyo push-ups and jump squats, click here.
Love Stepped In
"It comes freely unto us, but Christ bought it and paid the price." --Romans 3:22 Read: Romans 3
Yesterday the boxing world received a staggering blow when it learned that the great boxing trainer Emanuel Steward passed away at the age of 68. Our prayers go out to his family and friends, including PrayFit endorser and boxing champion Robert Guerrero. You know, something Emanuel said while calling a fight last year was something I'll never forget. It came on the night of the much-anticipated fight between Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosley.
In one of the night's earlier bouts, a fighter in the late rounds was taking too many blows, unable to defend himself. His corner didn't wait for the ref to stop it, but instead threw in the towel knowing their fighter had enough. Come to find out, the fighter's cornerman was also his dad. And then Emanuel Steward simply said, "Love stepped in. He just couldn't bear to see his son endure such a beating."
Friends, in the fight for our future, God could have stopped the fight. But since He knew that you and I could never defend ourselves, He let Jesus go the distance. I guess you could say, "love stepped in," until our fight was over.
--Jimmy Peña
NETWORK, SHOP, CHAT, SOW Take advantage of the many outlets and resources available to the PrayFit Nation
>> SOCIAL NETWORKS: Now you can "like," "join," "tweet" and "watch" faith and fitness at your leisure. Click the links below to get plugged in with the rest of the PrayFit community. Facebook HeavenUp Twitter YouTube
>> CHAT: Are you already a member of our forums? Get back in on the discussion by clicking here. Not yet signed up? All it takes is 20 seconds to get started. Click here.
>> SOWING: Plant the seeds of health and fitness in your church by arranging a visit from PrayFit founder Jimmy Peña. Learn more about his message by clicking here, or write us at [email protected] to start planning dates!
"Being a big believer in Jesus Christ, PrayFit gets me on track to start my day off in the right direction. In boxing there is no room for error. You have to be not only be physically prepared but spiritually strong as well." — Robert "The Ghost" Guerrero, 6-Time Boxing World Champion
LOVE STEPPED IN
May 9th, 2011Read: Romans 3
"It comes freely unto us, but Christ bought it and paid the price." --Romans 3:22
This last Saturday night, the much-anticipated fight between Manny Pacquiao and Shane Mosely came and went with the expected outcome. But there was another fight that night that caught my attention. In one of the undercard bouts, a fighter in the late rounds was taking too many blows, unable to defend himself. His corner didn't wait for the ref to stop it, but threw in the towel knowing their fighter had enough. Come to find out, the fighter's cornerman was also his dad. As one announcer said, "Love stepped in." He just couldn't bear to see his son endure such a beating.
In the fight for our future, Jesus went the distance. While He could have stopped the fight, God knew we could never defend ourselves, so He let the battle rage. I guess you could say, "love stepped in," until our fight was over.
--J.P.
WORKOUT OF THE WEEK: Dumbbell Complex
So many of us have to take our workout time where we can get it -- before work, at lunch or after work. There's a reason they call it "rush hour" at the gym. Unfortunately, time efficiency can be difficult during these times and a good, full-body workout that takes you from one station to the next might just be out of the question (unless you have two hours to spare). No problem. This week's workout is right up your alley, as it has you working the entire body, in one spot, at the same time.
The complex, which can be performed with dumbbells or a barbell, allows you to train multiple muscle groups in succession without adjusting the weight. The order of the exercises can be altered to suit particular training goals. Your goal here? A solid, full-body workout that helps you build or maintain strength, while also keeping your fat-fighting furnace adequately stoked.
What you're going to do is pick a light-to-moderate set of dumbbells -- one that allows you to do around 20 reps on most isolation moves like lateral raises and curls. The reason we're going lighter is because we're going to begin each round of exercises with isolation moves. After we've hit certain bodyparts with laser-like accuracy, we'll move to a few exercises that require multiple joints and muscle groups, which allows you to raise the intensity without increasing the weight. By the end of the set, what once felt light will actually feel heavy.
Don't let lack of space or time ever stand in your way for a tough, proven workout.
For this workout, do 20 reps of each exercise, resting only as long as it takes to get into position for the next move. At the end of the last exercise, rest 1-2 minutes and repeat the sequence. Three total trips through the complex, 2-3 times per week is plenty. You'll have trained your entire body in a fraction of the time it would have taken otherwise.
Bent-Over Lateral Raise | Target: Shoulders (emphasis: rear delts) Lateral Raise | Target: Shoulders (emphasis: middle delts) Standing Dumbbell Overhead Press | Target: Shoulders (emphases: front, middle delts) Bent-Over Dumbbell Row (two-hand) | Target: Back (emphasis: lower lats) Biceps Curl (simultaneously) | Target: Biceps Dumbbell Squat | Target: Legs (emphases: quads, glutes, hamstrings)
REVIEW PRAYFIT: Have you read "PrayFit: Your Guide to a Healthy Body and a Stronger Faith in 28 Days?" If so, we'd love to get your thoughts. Take a second to review us for other potential readers on Amazon by clicking here.
WHO ARE THOSE PRAYFIT GUYS, ANYWAY? Click here to learn more about PrayFit's mission.