Welcome to the VPX Sports Supplement Blog

For those of us who have taken Obstacle Racing beyond a hobby and into more of a lifestyle (some people use terms like elite, professional, competitive, etc), we are often highly focused on our own results and standings. This is not a bad thing at all, as it creates the motivation to fuel the toughest workouts, produces the biggest performance improvements, and helps us track our progress. That being said, every once in a while it is a good idea to "get back to the roots" and run races just for fun, without worrying about how you place, and with some friends that have never run an OCR before.

Sometimes you feel like some Latin food but you just can't fit all of the calories that traditional Latin food has into your diet. I've been there, trying to figure out how I can get the flavor but without all the fat from various oils and all the carbs from sauces. With this spicy and sweet low calorie molé sauce you can get your Latin fix while keeping calories in line with your diet, as an added bonus the sauce adds some high quality protein to your meal!

Gut Check Fitness: The SUCK is a 12 hour overnight event that is designed to put people through what the soldiers went through in Vietnam. The term “Welcome to the shit” often meant that is the worst place you could possibly be because the conditions were very harsh and the mortality rate was very high. Joe Decker’s event, The Suck, is to put people through just that. There are 12 hour events and there are 12 hour events at 100 miles an hour. This is definitely a 100 mile an hour event!

LOCATION

My philosophy behind weight training can be summed up in one phrase. “In order to succeed in the weight room you must fail!” What do I mean by this? You must reach failure with the rep range and weights you are using. Reaching failure, in my mind, is the most important rule due to the fact that it promotes the most muscle growth. A lot of lifters go into the gym and do 3 sets of 10 reps on, for example, bench press. They increase the weight each set and seem to still finish with 10 repetitions. Maybe that last set they struggled to reach 10, but what about the first two sets? Basically, they wasted 10 minutes of their time with too many warm-up sets. Instead of reaching failure and breaking down muscle tissue, this particular lifter fatigued their chest by messing around with a lighter weight on the first two sets. Therefore, the end result finished with less weight being used on their heaviest set because the muscles were too fatigued from the excessive warm-ups. Don’t get me wrong - it’s great to warm up, as everyone should to avoid injury, but to fatigue your muscles before your heaviest sets is just counterproductive.

Looking for a quick and tasty twist on your favorite Life Lift bars? If so you have to give this Life Lift Protein Pastry recipe a try!  In less than 10 minutes you can create the perfect pre-workout snack that's ideal for sharing with your workout partner, now both of you will be fueled up and ready for a great workout! As an added bonus it tastes just like your favorite breakfast pastry but without all the sugar.

Living in Boston means April is the time of year that thousands of people hit the streets, treadmills, and trails to prepare for the Boston Marathon. I have countless friends, family, and coworkers who raced this year and I always hear a similar story, some variation of "The race will be so rewarding to finish, and I will lose so much weight and get in great shape while training!" 

Sometimes you want a quick protein treat but just don't have the time to prep, bake, and clean up. That's where these delicious, fast, and easy treats come in! With almost 20 grams of protein, ready in less than 15 minutes, and no dirty dishes how can you beat it? 

When I’m obstacle racing, the fuel I put in my body is just as important as the training that got me there. Whether a local event or in another state, I never like leaving my pre-race food to chance. Sure, the hotel has a buffet, the city has grocery stores, the airport has restaurants and the venue has food trucks, but it can be expensive and a bit of a gamble whether or not they will have exactly what I want. Not to mention it’s those kinds of little things that add up to big nerves on race day – or possibly even hinder performance!  

“Well, at least I am good at burpees!”