How Many Carbs?

Q: Tony, I know you always tend to advocate that people fluctuate their calorie (and as a result, their carb intake) on training days compared to non-training days. Can you elaborate on this a bit? I am trying to lose some fat and don't know how many carbs I should be eating per day?

A: You're absolutely correct. I do HIGHLY advocate that people try to fluctuate their caloric intake to correlate with their daily activity....especially if one's goal is fat loss. For a quick primer on my thoughts dealing with carbohydrates, check out this article that I wrote for wannabebig.com.

Carbohydrate Conundrum

However, if you have the attention span of a kid with ADHD (it is a long article), here are some quick thoughts:

1. It makes no sense to me to keep calories the same on non-training days, as on training days if one's goal is fat loss. You need to provide some sort of caloric deficit in order to burn fat. It stands to reason that you won't be expending as many calories on non-training days, so you won't "need' as many calories.

2. For FAT LOSS, low(er) carbohydrate diets trump high(er) carbohydrate diets in every way...even if caloric intake is kept constant. Technically, low carbohydrate diets would constitute any diet where carbs are kept to under 100 grams per day. I think people tend to be a bit too carbo-phobic though. To keep it simple:

Non-training days: keep the bulk of your carb intake to the first 1-2 meals of the day. Rest of the day should be focused on green veggies and protein/fat.

Training days: Pre/Post training drink, followed by some starchy carbs with the first whole food meal about an hour later.

It's important to realize that the body is going to burn whatever fuel is most readily available. If you're eating carbs all day, your body's ability to burn BODY fat is ZERO (even if you're hypocaloric). This is why I find it so absurd that dieticians still advocate diets that are upwards of 60% carbs for fat loss. They don't take into consideration the HORMONAL effect that it has on the body.

3. Substrate utilization has been shown to NOT be effected during the post-training window, even when carbohydrates are ingested. Read: your body will still be burning body fat even if carbs are ingested post training:

Coyle, et al. Muscle glycogen utilization during prolonged strenuous exercise when fed carbohydrate. J. Appl. Physio. 1986; 6: 165-172

Real World Fat Loss

A few weekends ago, I had the pleasure of attending my very first Perform Better Seminar. To say that I was thoroughly impressed would be a massive understatement. Not only was I able to listen to the likes of Alwyn Cosgrove, Mike Boyle, Gray Cook, and Juan Carlos Santana.....but I was able to meet some great people to boot.

Another cool thing about Perform Better seminars is the fact that they basically bring a travelling store with them. Anything and everything in their extensive catalog is available.......for a discounted price. This includes all the products from the presenters that day.

I ended up purchasing Read World Fat Loss by Alwyn Cosgrove after listening to his presentation. To be honest....regardless of the discount, I would have paid the regular price (even more) for this fantastic product. It's THAT good. [Although, secretely I was hoping there was a bonus gift of Alwyn doing his Shrek impersonation].

Alwyn basically debunks EVERY myth or fallacy regarding fat loss programming with not only real world examples, but relevant AND current scientific research to back it up. Once and for all you can prove to all those group exercise instructors that steady state aerobics and high carb diets are about as useful for fat loss as asking Paris Hilton for directions to the Salvation Army.

Additionally, consider the fact that people will spend upwards of $58 BILLION this year alone on diets, personal trainers, supplements, surgery, etc and yet only 0.5% of personal trainers make over six figures. It's obvious that we as personal trainers are failing miserably in the fat loss programming department.

I can't say enough great things about this manual. A definate "must have" for any personal trainer or fitness enthusiast out there.

Quote of the Year

"I have learned all I will ever need to know as a trainer."

This quote coming from a trainer I know who has his clients consistently squatting in a Smith Machine and has them perform machine circuits for the bulk of the hour they are with him.

Is it just me, or is this rather insulting? I mean, you have guys like Mike Boyle who have been training elite athletes (read: NOT bored housewives with fake boobs like this particular trainer) for well over 20 years, and he is CONSTANTLY changing his thoughts on things and tweaking his programming. Listen to him speak, and he will be the first to admit he is ALWAYS trying to learn new ways to make his athletes leaner, stronger, and faster. He will also be the first to admit when he is wrong. In short, he's humble and realizes that once you say something like "I have learned all I will ever need to know as a trainer," you have soooo much more to learn. Mainly, not being a pompous ass.

I guess I am wasting my time reading the likes of Stuart McGill (did I mention this particular trainer advocates the drawing in manuver.....the same manuver that McGill wrote not one, but TWO books explaining how much it sucks), Alwyn Cosgrove, Vladmir Zatsiorsky, Mike Boyle, Marc Rippetoe, Eric Cressey, Mike Robertson, Lou Schuler, Chad Waterbury, and a host of other prominent people in the fitness industry. I mean, god for bid I "learn" that training someone in a Smith Machine is about as useful as an asshole on my elbow. Nah...I know everything.

Do me a favor people. If you are reading this, DO NOT be like this trainer. Always, and I mean ALWAYS strive to better yourself. Read books, watch dvds, network with other fitness professionals. You will never grow dumber from doing so. And I can guarantee you will be ten times better than this nimrod

The Fitcast and Moi

I had the pleasure of guest-hosting this weeks Fitcast (hosted by Kevin Larrabee) with my good friend Jimmy Smith. Jimmy has written articles for the likes of wannabebig.com and elitefts.com and is a definate up and comer in the industry. Lots of great discussion on the Perform Better seminar we attended a few weekends ago, as well as a rant on registered dieticians after the closing credits.

Check it out:

The Fitcast

Family Time

Just wanted to share some pictures from my niece's 2nd B-day party yesterday. It was an awesome day overall. Katlyn and I made the trip to Albany from Boston, and spent the afternoon having a blast. And by having a "blast" what I really mean is "eating lots of cake, pizza, and making a cameo apperance at Cold Stone Creamery." [Read: we ate like shit and it was totally worth it].

Katlyn met the family for the first time. She passed with flying colors.

My niece is obviously the most adorable little girl ever. She could totally beat your niece in a "Who is the most adorable niece ever?" contest. Admit it.

Form Phobia

If there is ONE thing that will totally discredit a personal trainer in my eyes, it's LACK of reinforcing form. I don't care how long you have been training people, or how many letters you have next to your name; if you stand there and your client is performing a DB row or Romanian Deadlift with a rounded back, you just lost all credibility, and you enter "you suck" territory.

FYI: this picture is a perfect example of someone sucking.

Case in point, I was training at another facility the other day, and out of habit I observed the trainers there. I saw one of the "master" trainers having his client perform RDL's, and the guy looked like the hunchback of Notre Dame. Knee's shooting forward, no hip extension, and a completely rounded back. And the trainer just stood there watching, counting reps as if everything was perfectly fine. Matter of fact, the client finished his set, and the trainer said, "good...perfect."

Wow, if that was what he considered "perfect," I'd love to see what he considered "bad."

It's frustrating to be in a field where mediocrity is rampant. Worse yet, the consumer has NO clue. Part of me feels like a jerk that I tend to judge other trainers so often. I mean, I can deal with the fact that some trainers feel that giving someone a great workout is to put them on a machine circuit for 30 minutes and follow that with some BOSU ball crunches (although they should still be drop kicked for being so lame). But the other part of me feels like it's my obligation to call these trainers out. I mean, if I can have a 60 year old woman who has never lifted weights before in her life performing rack pulls with perfect form within 15 minutes, you should be able to have your 35 year old male who has been "training" for the past 5 years peform seated rows without looking like he's having a seizure.

Proof That Quarter Squats Are for Wimps

There are a few things that I can count on happening each and every day, without fail:

1. I'm going to agree with everything that Colin Cowherd has to say on ESPN Radio: The Herd
2. People are going to annoy me on the subway.
3. I am going to see A LOT of atrocious squat form at the gym.

I see a lot of guys (and women) squat at the club where I work, and I will give credit where credit is due. The fact that these people are even in the squat rack is impressive. Nonetheless, I still find it sad that people fail to grasp the concept of full squats. Full squats = anterior surface of the thigh is BELOW the knee joint. People seem to STILL be under the assumption that squatting deep is bad for their knees. Worse yet, there are still many trainers out there who feel the same way. I am not going to go off on a rant about this too much, as I feel this topic would make a GREAT article. But I do want to share a study that I often use to showcase to people that squatting deep is in fact, NOT bad for your knees. Instead, squatting deep is good for the knees.

GJ Salem and CM Powers
Patellofemoral joint kinetics during squatting in collegiate women athletes.

Clin Biomech (Bristol, Avon), June 1, 2001; 16(5): 424-30.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize the biomechanics of the patellofemoral joint during squatting in collegiate women athletes. DESIGN: Repeated measures experimental design. BACKGROUND: Although squatting exercises are required components of most intercollegiate resistance-training programs and are commonly performed during rehabilitation, the effects of various squatting depths on patellofemoral joint stress have not been quantified. METHODS: Anthropometric data, three-dimensional knee kinematics, and ground reaction forces were used to calculate the knee extensor moment (inverse dynamics approach) in five intercollegiate female athletes during squatting exercise at three different depths (approximately 70 degrees, 90 degrees and 110 degrees of knee flexion). A biomechanical model of the patellofemoral joint was used to quantify the patellofemoral joint reaction force and patellofemoral joint stress during each trial. RESULTS: Peak knee extensor moment, patellofemoral joint reaction force and patellofemoral joint stress did not vary significantly between the three squatting trials. CONCLUSIONS: Squatting from 70 degrees to 110 degrees of knee flexion had little effect on patellofemoral joint kinetics. The relative constancy of the patellofemoral joint reaction force and joint stress appeared to be related to a consistent knee extensor moment produced across the three squatting depths. RELEVANCE: The results of this study do not support the premise that squatting to 110 degrees places greater stress on the patellofemoral joint than squatting to 70 degrees. These findings may have implications with respect to the safe design of athletic training regimens and rehabilitation programs.

Aspartame (the debate)

I wrote an article at the beginning of the year titled Dieting Disasters.

In one section, I briefly mentioned that I feel people need to ditch the calorie containing beverages and focus more on drinking water. I basically went on a rant where I suggest that people should look into using Crystal Light or generic versions as a means to get more water in everyday. I rationalized my thoughts on the matter by saying that as long as one is dialed in with their diet and training consistently, a little artificial sweetener won't matter all that much.

In the discussions following the article, one person made a VERY important post, which perked my interest and I want to share it with you here in case no one had an opportunity to read it:

"Just like alcohol, even in small quantities aspertame causes the formation of ethyl alcohols in your body. Not to mention the ingestion of the fromaldahydes in the sodas that have become to warm during storage, as aspertame breaks down with heat, the formaldehydes increase the ethyl alcohol build up in the body above what normal (or aspertame that has not broken down) does.

After you ingest aspertame the liver has to go to work processing the toxins and alcohols out of your body, which just like consumption of grain alcohols causes your liver to stop processing fats, (as well as all the numerous other functions the liver is responsible for), while it is processing out the toxins and alcohol from the aspertame.

This only addresses the fat loss effects of aspertame, and does not go into near the list of other effects it has on the human body, which include brain tumors, spinal lessions, thyroid problems (graves disease), and more. It is a excito-neurotoxin which means that it reacts with and heightens the effects of any other drug in the body. Go do a search on Google or any other search engine and read about it, the stuff should not be on the market. My advice is any aspertame is too much, and as such I personally do not agree with Tony on the point of a little is OK.

But that is my personal opinion!

My personal advice on water is stop being a pansy, and drink it straight!!! It's just not that bad!

EDIT: to add....Did you also know that if you have an ant problem just sprinkle some nutrasweet in thier path and let them take it home, and NO MORE ANTS!!!

Not something I would be recommending!!"


Needless to say, Dave makes a lot of great points and I have to say that it definitely has me thinking twice whether or not aspartame is a good idea in the grand scheme of things.

Then my friend Carl Valle pointed me out to this website which talks about many of the myths pertaining to aspartame: Aspartame Information Center

I think the above website is a great resource which goes into great detail debunking many of the "myths." But I do have to question the efficacy of a website titled aspartame.org. Of course they're going to defend aspartame, right?

I just think this is a debate where the pendulum is either too far to the left or too far to the right. On one end, I see the studies which showcase that aspartame is worse than having repeated bouts of gonorrhea in the mouth. However, those same studies use dosages that no normal human being would ever use. On the other end, you have aspartame.org debunking every myth out there, and they do a darn good job in doing so.

In the end, I can see both sides of the debate, so I leave it up to you to make your own decision. Personally, I still do use Crystal Light to a degree (although I have drastically cut down my consumption) and I have changed my recommendations and just prefer that people use lemon or orange slices to add to their water.

Breathing and Your Bum Shoulder

Pain and/or assymetry in your shoulder(s) can be attributed to scapular/thoracic spine dysfunction a vast majority of the time. To help fix it, we all know that including a healthy dose of scapular stabilization and thoracic mobility exercises is a must:

1. Scapular wall slides
2. Push-up variations
3. Face Pulls
4. Behind the neck pull-aparts
5. Foam rolling of the t-spine or using a tennis ball (for all you tough guys: "Soft Tissue Work for Tough Guys.")

But did you know that fixing your breathing pattern can also help with your shoulder pain?

Over the weekend, I attended the Perform Better seminar in Boston and had the opportunity of listening to the likes of Alwyn Cosgrove, Mike Boyle, Juan Carlos Santana, and Gray Cook.

Gray Cook brought up a VERY interesting point concerning how we breath and shoulder dysfunction. But first, we need to find out a few things.

1. Test your shoulder ROM for assymetry. Make a fist with both hands and reach behind your back with both. Left hand internally rotates and goes up your lower back, right hand externally rotates and goes behind the neck. Have someone measure the distance between the two fists behind your back. Now do the exact opposite and measure the distance. Someone with poor scapular stabilization and/or poor thoracic mobility will have a noticeable discrepency between the two.

2. Now take a deep breath. Seriously, go ahead...take a DEEP breath, I'll wait.

Did your shoulders rise when you took that breath? I am willing to bet that they did. Essentially, what you're doing is telling your traps and levator to fire...over and over and over and over. No wonder your shoulder hurts!

What you need to do is "reset" your breathing pattern to do more diaphragmatic breathing (breath through your stomach). To do so, lie on your stomach with your hands on your forehead, palms facedown on the floor, legs straight. Now, take that same breath, but THROUGH THE STOMACH. Basically, your low back should go up, not your chest/back. Do this for three minutes, making sure each time that your lower back rises.

After three minutes, re-test your shoulder ROM. Your shoulder ROM should have increased by a noticeable margin. That Gray Cook is one smart cookie.

Maine Street

I spent the weekend up in Maine with my girlfriend. Needless to say, it's been a long time since I have felt so refreshed. Being from Upstate NY, I often miss my small town life. Clean air, clear skies at night, crickets chirping in the summer, and my mom's homecooking. Now that I am living in Boston, it's rare when I can experience a full nights sleep without getting awoken by sirens or drunk Red Sox fans. Or those damn birds that chirp RIGHT outside my window every morning. But I digress.

I can honestly say that I now have a full appreciation of what a few nights of uninterrupted sleep can do. Not to mention the fact that I spent the last three days doing nothing but eat great food (Maine Diner), read (book #5 of Harry Potter), watch movies, and walk on the beach. Aren't I so romantic??

Nonetheless, I woke up this morning and just felt fantastic and my mind started churning. Unfortunately, the vast majority of people ARE sleep deprived and with it, totally shoot themselves in the foot in so many ways (performance in the gym being one of them). People feel like poop, and they are often quick to lay the blame on everything else OTHER than poor sleep.

So, here are some of my tips to help you get a better nights sleep.

1. Make it a rule to leave the television out of the bedroom. The bedroom should be used for two things: sleeping and business time (you know what I am referring to).

2. Use a fan or sound machine for the "white noise." Personally, I can't live without my fan at night. It drowns out many of the outside noises that would normally wake me up. Drunk Red Sox fans excluded.

3. If you're one of those crazy bastards that sets an alarm to wake yourself up in the middle of the night to eat, stop. You're just really messing with your natural circadian rhythm (sleep pattern) when you do this. Instead, drink a large glass of water prior to bedtime. In doing so, your body will naturally wake up in the middle of the night, and on your way back from the bathroom you can down a quick protein shake Rocky.

4. Make the room as dark as possible. Even the slightest bit of light coming through can affect your sleep.

5. Get in habit of starting a routine before bed. Take a hot shower and stretch and read 30 minutes before you go to sleep. I suggest anything written by James Joyce....I guarantee you will only last a paragraph before you start to fall asleep.

For more ideas, read this article written by Maki Riddington of wannabebig.com:

The Art of Napping

Spartan Training

Us movie geeks have been waiting months for this day. Today, the movie 300 is officially out. And with it, my brain is going to be melted by liquid awesomeness.

Below is a link to a video showcasing how the actors prepared and trained for their roles in the movie. Kind of cool to see these girly men flipping tires and doing band sprints.

Spartan Training

(The above link takes you to Yahoo movies. Just scroll down and click on the link with the same title.)

Protein and your kidneys....

I didn't think this debate still existed, but apparently it does. It's come to my attention as of last week that there are CLINICAL dieticians out there who still believe that high(er) protein diets strain or harm the kidneys. Don't believe me? Think it's impossible that there are still registered dieticians out there who still believe this myth? I give you Exhibit A: part of an e-mail I recieved from a local dietician last week.

"In addition, having a diet high in protein puts unnecessary strain on the kidneys and liver which "x" will most likely need during a pregnancy some day."

Huh? This debate just won't go away. It ranks right up there with Jon Stewart vs. Tucker Carlson. Well, I'm gonna put a stop to it right now. High protein intakes DO NOT cause undue strain or damage on the kidneys. Jon Stewart however, rules.

In a review titled, "Dietary protein intake and renal function," published in Nutrition and Metabolism, September 2005, Martin et al concluded, and I quote:

"Recent trends in weight loss diets have lead to substantial increases in protein intake by individuals. As a result, the safety of habitually consuming dietary protein in excess of recommended intakes has been questioned. In particular, there is concern that high protein intake may promote renal damage by chronically increasing glomerular pressure and hyperfiltration. There is, however, a serious question as to whether there is significant evidence to support this relationship in healthy individuals. In fact, some studies suggest that hyperfiltration, the purported mechanism for renal damage, is a normal adaptive mechanism that occurs in response to several physiological conditions. This paper reviews the available evidence that increased dietary protein is a health concern in terms of the potential to initiate or promote renal disease. While protein restriction may be appropriate for treatment of EXISTING renal disease, we find no significant evidence for a detrimental effect of high protein intakes on kidney function in healthy persons after centuries of a high protein Western diet."


So can we please put this myth to rest......FINALLY!?!?!

And so it begins....

Many a man has failed because he had his wishbone where his backbone should have been.

--Ronald Reagan

[The above quote was taken from a seminar I attended last weekend hosted by t-nation.com assistant editor Chris Shugart.]

I figured that since this is my first official blog entry, I would keep it inspirational. Sure, I could "inspire" people by playing "Eye of the Tiger" in the background or by posting naked pictures of Kate Beckinsale (Note: if you happen to have any, my e-mail address is tgentilcore18@yahoo.com), but well....that's just cheesy.

I REALLY want to inspire people, and light a fire under their ass. And well, what better way to inspire people than for me to take on the role of blunt bastard and give whoever is reading this a dose of "tough love."

To Whomever is reading:

You WISH you could make it to the gym three times per week, but darn it...you just don't have the time. Funny how you have "time" to watch an average of 20 hours per week of television. Hey, I need a little dose of Jack Bauer every week too, but I also need my dose of heavy squats even more. If you had a backbone, you would MAKE the time to be in the gym. Grey's Anatomy can wait.

You WISH you had six pack abs or a butt so tight you could crack walnuts with it. So why in the heck are you going out drinking beer or martini's a few nights per week and eating pizza and ice cream every weekend? Sorry, but even if you ARE making it to the gym everyday, you can't out-train a poor diet. If you had a backbone, (1) you wouldn't be drinking martini's, and (2) you would clean up the diet and quit making excuses why you're still above 20% body fat. Don't be that person who claims they "need their carbs." Bullshit. What you need is a big dose of shut the fuck up and eat your protein and fish oil.

You WISH you were bigger. Awesome. Quit doing leg curls. If you had a backbone, you would start deadlifting. That alone will add 15 lbs of lean mass in no time. Guaranteed.

You WISH you could fit into those pair of jeans that you wore a few years ago that would make every guy's head turn in your direction. Fantastic. Quit performing copious amounts of steady state cardio five times per week! If you had a backbone, you would start performing EST (Energy System Training) and lifting weights (and not eating like a nimrod). Not only will you be able to wear those jeans again, but you will be able to drop kick the next guy who grabs your ass in the bar to boot.

You WISH you were stronger. Who doesn't? So why are you STILL performing 3 sets of 10 with EVERY movement. Did you NOT notice that you're still benching the same weight now as you were four years ago? FYI: 185 is not impressive. And it doesn't count when your spotter is essentially doing upright rows with your last three reps. If you had a backbone, you would start incorporating more lifts above 90%. into your programming. You can thank me later.


I could go on and on, but I think you get the point. People just need to learn to grow a backbone and do what they NEED to do, not what the WISH (or want) to do.