The "New" Fitcast

I've been fortunate enough to be a part of The Fitcast twice. Once I filled in as an emergency replacement, where I made podcast history for the most "non-masculine" introduction ever.

I co-hosted a few weeks ago and totally redeemed myself. Here

Starting this week, I will be a permanent co-host on The Fitcast, along with Kevin Larrabee, Jimmy Smith, and Keith Scott. Kevin started The Fitcast a little over a year ago and it has grown into one of the most popular fitness related podcasts on the internet. To say I am excited for this opportunity is an understatement. Each week, we'll have a roundtable approach to the show where we dicuss anything fitness and nutrition related as well continue to have some of the most prominent people in the industry as guests. And I'll obviously take a few shots at Ben Affleck to boot.

So be sure to check in with The Fitcast website each and every week. You'll learn a thing or two.

No Excuses

I'm going to cut right to the chase. I just started training a 60 year old woman about 5 weeks ago. Upon first meeting with me, she made it a point in telling me that she was in fact...a 60 year old woman and that "I am not expecting miracles." Long story short, when we met for the first time, she was making excuses as to why she felt she could never get into better shape.

Well, 5 weeks later, she is down a little over 10 lbs and has lost two percent body fat. She's doing rack pulls, step-ups, push-ups, rows, DB presses, and best of all......she is NEVER late for a session and is one of the hardest working clients I have right now. Essentially, she's kicking ass.......did I mention she is 60? In five weeks, she has gone from someone who questioned whether or not she should even be in the gym to someone who is "hooked."

Listen, don't be that person who makes excuses. If you walk into a gym for the first time with a defeated attitude.....well, I can only expect that you will fail. I won't stand for it with my clients and nor should you from yourself. Have faith in yourself and give yourself some credit for peets sake!

All in all, I just wanted to bring light to the fact that CONSISTENCY and DEDICATION (and an awesome trainer....yay me) can go a loooong ways as far as progress is concerned. Don't make excuses. It's lame.

Also, on a totally unrelated note: my new favorite "thing" is canned pumpkin. Lately, I have been using it as a post-training meal and it's just scrumptious. Only 9 grams of carbs (4 of which are fiber) per serving. Add some vanilla Metabolic Drive to it and 1/2 cup of oatmeal and you have yourself a high protein, complex carb/high fiber snack.

Another Study Which Showcases How HIIT Makes Steady State Cardio Its Bitch

BELOW is a summary and overview of the 8-second fat loss study, the FEM trial, and the Optimal Fat Loss program at UNSW (my comments afterwards)

Steve Boutcher PhD, FACSM
Director of Fat Loss Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, UNSW 28/1/2007

***Thank you MariAnne Anderson for forwarding this particular study to me

1. 8-second fat loss study. Forty five women aged 20 years with a BMI of 23.5 kg/m2 were randomly assigned to a high intensity intermittent exercise (HIIE) condition, a steady state exercise (SSE) condition, or a control condition. Body fat was assessed by DEXA, pre and post after the 15 week program. Blood was taken before and after to examine possible changes in cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides, insulin, c-reactive protein, glucose, adiponectin, leptin, and cortisol. The HIIE program consisted of an 8-second sprint immediately followed by 12 seconds as slow as possible pedaling. Women performed this continuously so that they completed 60 sprints in the 20-minute exercise bout. There were three exercise sessions per week; 45 overall. Women started the HIIE condition for only 5 minutes the first week and then built up the number of minutes and intensity of sprint. Intensity was assessed through a maximal oxygen uptake test performed previously so that the workload at an respiratory exchange ratio (RER) of .93 was used for each individual woman. This equated to about 90% of flat out sprinting for most women. All women were completing the 20 minutes of HIIE within 6 sessions (2 weeks). Most women performed at a pedaling rate of 100-120 at a resistance of .5 to 1 kg. The SSE consisted of three 40-minute continuous stationary bike exercise at 60% of peak oxygen uptake. Both conditions had a 5-minute warm-up and a 5-minute cool-down. RESULTS: SSE women increased body fat slightly by .5 kg whereas HIIE lost 2.5 kg. The women who lost the least fat in the HIIE group were the leanest with an average BMI of below 20 kg/m2. When these women were removed average fat lost for the rest of the women was 3.9 kg. Two women in the group lost between 8-9 kg of fat. The fat loss in the HIIE was disproportionate with the women losing more fat off their legs than their arms. HIIE women also lost significant fat from their abdomen which suggests that this type of exercise may be particularly successful with men. HIIE women decreased fasting insulin by 31% and SSE women by 8%. Both exercise groups increased their aerobic fitness; the SSE by 19%, and surprisingly, the HIIE group by 26%. Blood lipids did not change (all were normal at pretest) and we haven’t finished analyzing other blood variables yet. In summary, HIIE women lost about three times more fat doing about half the exercise. HIIE also had a dramatic effect on fasting insulin levels. This research was one study in Gail Trapp’s PhD program recently completed at UNSW. If you are considering trying this type of program it would be beneficial to touch bases with an accredited EP (Exercise Physiologist) to check out your suitability. You should also check it out with your GP if you have any risk factors (e.g., on any medication) or health problems.

My Comments:

How many of these studies do we need to do before a light bulb goes off in people's heads and they realize that FOR FAT LOSS (Read: I am NOT denying the heart health benefits of steady state cardio) high(er) intensity cardio reigns supreme? The above study showcased that the HIIE group did HALF the work, yet lost THREE TIMES more bodyfat!

What makes this all the more relevant is the fact that 90% of the people you see in the gym everyday performing 60 minute cardio sessions ARE there for fat loss purposes, yet they are totally missing the boat. Lets be honest, very few people head to gym with the goal of improving their heart health. They want to look good naked. This is especially true now that the warmer weather is approaching here in New England.

In short.....WAKE UP! Stop performing endless hours of steady state cardio.

The Most Under-rated Exercise?

Point blank. It's the pull-through. Quite honestly, I feel it's a movement that EVERYONE should perform, yet I look around and the only people who do them are myself and the clients whom I work with. Why is it such an under-rated and under used exercise? One reason could be the fact that one looks as if they're humping an elephant while peforming it. But I feel the main culprit is that it's almost too simple of an exercise.

Ask any "hardcore" gym rat what movements he or she performs in the gym and you're apt to hear squats, deadlifts, lunges, pull-ups, bench press, or various rows. Very rarely do you hear the pull-through getting any love outside of the powerlifting ranks.

Lets look at the reasons why I feel it's such a valuable movement.

1. First and foremost I like it to teach people how keep a neutral back and to learn to dissociate their hips from their lumbar spine.

2. Secondly, there is little to no external load on the spine. I am able to train client's posterior chain without putting any additional stress on their lumbar spine. PERFECT for people who have a history of back pain.

3. Thirdly. What woman doesn't want a firm behind? Pull-throughs hammer the glutes like no other movement.

I am surprised that more trainers or trainees do not utilize this movement more.

Liftstrong

No excuses. I have been a slacker with my blog. In any case, I have made a vow to myself to be more regular with my updates or else I would punish myself to a days worth of Ben Affleck movies. Needless to say, I don't want that to happen.

1. I had the opportunity to be asked to take part in what could quite possibly be the most meaningful "project" I will ever contribute to. Alwyn Cosgrove and Mike Roussell asked some of the leading fitness specialist and professionals in the field to write an article or excerpt for a book that Alwyn wanted to put together to say thank you to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. To say that I was honored to be included in such a list is an understatement.

ALL proceeds will be given to The National Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. With the goal set at over 1 million, we want to make sure that this happens. So please click on the link below. With over 800 pages of top notch training information, you can't go wrong.

http://www.liftstrong.com/

2. Go see Grindhouse like yesterday. Honestly, THE most fun I have had at a movie ever.