Wedding Tomfoolery

Nothing really profound today. It's been a few days since my last entry and I figured I should come on and make a cameo appearance on my own blog. Off to a wedding today where I will do one of three things:

1. Bust out my robot (always a hit)
2. Eat my fair share of Italian cookies (my one true weakness). Well, that and cute little puppies.
3. Have a Michael Jackson "dance off" against a complete stranger where I pull off my shirt, grab my bits and berries, and scream at the top of my lungs in victory.

***Oh, who am I kidding? I will inevitably make a jack ass out of myself and do all three.

Needless to say, a fun time will be had. And if I can actually get a video of Eric Cressey eating a piece of cake, someone out there owes me $20.

Side Note: this week's episode of The Fitcast is now up. We discuss artificial sweetners, strategies for better quality sleep (ie: never watch the season finale of Lost right before you go to bed), and our favorite exercises. Check it out!

"I NeverTrain Legs"

I hear this a lot and it fascinates me. I hear this all time from guys who despite the fact that they want to put on some more size AND have ALWAYS struggled to do so, never train their legs.

Helllooooo!?!?!?! 70% of your total muscle mass is BELOW the waist. My girlfriend, knows what I'm talkin about....(wink wink, nudge nudge). What? I have decent sized legs! Get your mind out of the gutter.

I just have no pity for guys who have struggled to reach their physique goals, yet fail to train more than half their body. And please don't use the excuse that you run on the treadmill and that is all you need. It's utter crap, and you deserve a lifetime of watching Ben Affleck movies for saying something so stupid.

Fellas, if you want to put on some mass, you HAVE to train your legs. And no, I am not referring to leg extensions, leg curls, and leg pressess. SQUATS and DEADLIFTS, as well as tons of single leg work. Seriously, quit being a pussy.

End rant

Boston's Rude Awakening

No, I am not referring to the fact that the Celtics only got the 5th pick in this year's draft and as such....are pretty much going to suck for the next few years. Nope, I am referring to something else entirely.

I was contacted by a woman from The Boston Herald last week asking me if I would be interested in blogging for their online site. Apparently they are looking to revamp their online content, as well as doing a quarterly health/fitness "pullout" for the paper every year. As of today, I am blogging for the Herald. Muhahahahahahahaahaha. This is going to be fun telling people they need to lift heavy shit. I already contributed today

The Boston Herald Blog

Insight From the Experts

A few months ago, Mike Robertson asked a bunch of us if we would write a quick sumthin sumthin for a special report he was putting together for his newsletter subscribers. The final product is titled "Insight From the Experts," and includes a plethora of training/nutrition tips from some of the top names in the industry (Eric Cressey, Chad Waterbury, Craig Ballantyne, Mike Roussell, and yours truely, to name a few). 44 pages in fact. FOR FREE! All you need to do is go to www.robertsontrainingsystems.com and sign up for Mike's weekly newsletter (which is a fantastic newsletter by the way) and you will get the special report. And for the record, the title of my contribution is officially the best title ever (Create a Domino Effect of Awesomeness). You know you're intrigued. Go sign up dammit!

Another Strike Against Low Protein Diets....

So I am currently reading "Girth Control," by Alan Aragon and came across an interesting piece of data.

"It's important to note that inadequate protein intake is also detrimental to bone; intake at the RDA level (0.8g/kg/d) and below (which many people, particularily women ingest) has been shown to elevate serum parathyroid hormone (PTH), an indicator of the mobilization of calcium and phosphorous from bone."

***Kerstetter, JE, et al. A threshold for low-protein diet induced elevations in parathyroid hormone. American Journal of Clininal Nutrition. 2000; 72:168-73

I won't be the first to note that the RDA has missed the boat (repeatedly) in regards to their dietary recommendations, and protein is no exception. The first thing people need to realize is that most of the RDA's recommendations are to prevent deficiency (ie: to stave off death). I, along with many of my colleagues have long been an advocate of high(er) protein diets. Especially for those who are athletes or who live "active" lifestyles.

This is why I can't stand it when I come across registered dieticians and their radical claims that high(er) protein diets are dangerous. There has yet to be ANY evidence that high(er) protein diets cause harm to healthy individuals. Yet we have numerous studies (such as the one above) which show that low(er) protein diets CAN be harmful; particularily to women in regards to their vulnerability to osteoporosis.

Bulletproof Knees

If you're familiar with Mike Robertson's work (or even if you're not), I can tell you that there aren't many people out there in the fitness industry who has consistently provide us with as much quality information and products as Mike has. Bulletproof Knees is no exception.

If you're like me, you don't necessarily jump at the idea of reading a 800 page text book on anatomy (although the pictures are really pretty). With Bulletproof Knees, Mike has taken all the scientific research AND his real world "in the trenches" experiences (ie: Mike actually lifts weights and doesn't JUST write books) and has written a manual that is practical, straight forward, and will undoubtedly be a great reference for personal trainers and weekend warriors alike. As someone who has suffered from chronic knee issues in the past, I can say without wavering that I wish I had this manual three years ago. I would have saved a lot of time, money, and frustration.

I love sled dragging...

And by "love" what I really mean is, "I'd rather drink a bucket of my own vomit." Which is fitting, because that's what I feel like doing (vomiting) everytime I finish dragging the sled.

In all seriousness though, sled dragging has got to rank right up there with watching a Golden Girls marathon or eating a bowl of brussell sprouts. Heck, I would even go as far to say that repeat viewings of Brokeback Mountain would be better.

In case you haven't picked up on my sarcasm....I hate sled dragging.

[Side Note: I really don't hate them, but dammit they kick the crap out of me sometimes.]

And just so I actually write something that is somewhat useful: if you're a guy and can't perform at least 5 solid pull-ups, then you shouldn't be dedicating an entire training day to arms. Instead, you should be concentrating on getting stronger (or losing some weight)! Spending 45-60 minutes doing nothing but isolation bicep curls or any other of a dozen bicep movements designed to get your "peak" won't do jack squat as far as getting rid of that belly. Nor will it get you stronger. And no matter how tight of an Underarmour shirt you wear, you still look like a tool.

Random Thought Monday

Just some random thoughts:

1. People NEED to eat breakfast. It's called BREAKfast for a reason. Your body has gone 6-10 hours without feeding, and needs nutrients first thing in the AM. And to all of those people who claim they don't have time to make breakfast in the morning, I call bullshit. Heating up a bowl of oatmeal with berries takes all of 2 minutes to make. A protein shake with a banana and peanut buter takes even less. Quit making excuses and eat your damn breakfast.

2. Jen Heath is one cool chick. Check her out on this week's Fitcast. Some great content in regards to women and training. [Read: ladies........you all should be squatting].

3. I think post-training drinks such as Surge or anything similiar are great, but should NOT be utilized by pure endomorphic bodytypes or anyone trying to shed a TON of fat. I just don't like the idea of such high glycemic loads being ingested. Instead, stick to whey protein shakes and a banana post-training.

4. Any trainer who has their client squatting on a BOSU ball should be karate chopped across the throat.

5. And speaking of personal trainers, what's up with asking a client what they want to do today? It's shouldn't be up to the client what they do in any particular session, it's up to YOU. Have a plan.

6. If more people put more time and effort into squatting, deadlifting, and single leg work, and LESS time into doing cute little abdominal exercises, we would have waaaaaay more people happier with their mid-section.

7. Here's a knowledge bomb from Jen Heath: Women....you CAN and will get a leaner and more athletic looking body, you're just going to weigh more. The sooner you learn to accept that and STOP using scale weight as your only source of gauging progress, the better off you will be.

8. Also from Jen Heath:

Note to pregnant women. DO NOT use the excuse of "I am eating for two" as an excuse to go all Kirstie Alley and eat everything in sight. It's soooo overated Pregnant women only need an additional 300 kcals per day to promote growth and provide ample nutrients for the fetus. To put this into context, 300 kcals equates to 3 tablespoons of peanut butter per day, or 1 cup of oatmeal. That's it.

Fillers and Corrective Training

People need corrective training, that's no secret. For most, all they need is a healthy dose of foam rolling and dynamic flexibility and they're all set. Those two things alone will work wonders as far as fixing many of the postural issues that most people encounter.

That being said, I still don't understand why personal trainers will spend a great portion of a training hour with clients doing nothing but cute, little corrective training exercises or balance training. Getting your clients STRONGER will undoubtedely be corrective in nature. [This is NOT to say that there aren't special circumstances where corrective training is of paramount importance].

The Law of Repetitive Motion, as popularized by Eric Cressey and Mike Robertson explains why getting your clients stronger WILL be corrective.

I=NF/AR

I=Injury
N=# of repetitions that exacerbate the problem
F= Force of each repetition
A=Amplitude (range of motion)
R=Rest

Getting your client stronger will minimize "F" (repetitive stress will seem less challenging to the body.

Someone's knee hurts? Strengthen their posterior chain and get their glutes to start firing. BAM: no more knee pain.

Additionally, people NEED a training stimulus. Call me crazy, but I am willing to bet that if your client lost 20 lbs of fat, he/she would probably feel better and have better structural balance overall. Spending 45 minutes doing nothing but balancing on an Airex pad or performing a circuit of rotator cuff exercises won't help in that regard.

Don't get me wrong, I am all for corrective training modalities. But like I said above, a healthy dose of foam rolling and dynamic mobility at the start of a training session will shake loose most imbalances. This takes all of 10 minutes to complete. Not to mention you can save a lot of "wasted" time by doing corrective training in between sets. I like to throw in extra sets of scapular push-ups or terminal knee extensions or banded external rotations while my clients rest. That way, while we're discussing last night's episode of Lost, they are still doing something productive.

Examples:

A1. Front Squat
A2. Seated Row
***Filler: Scapular Push-ups while resting

A1. Bench Press
A2. Walking Lunges
***Filler: Behind the Neck Pull-Aparts

Your Naked Nutrition Guide

My good friend Mike Roussell announced the realease if his new manual "Your Naked Nutrition Guide" today and I couldn't be happier. Why? Because this is one of the most comprehensive nutrition manuals I have ever come across, and to be honest....it's going to make my job infinitely easier in dealing with clients and their nutritional whoas.

TG: What was one of the main reasons why you wrote Your Naked Nutrition Guide?

MR: I created it because 1. I know it works and can help people and 2. There is so much bad nutrition information out there. Despite all the nutritional information available today there was a void when it comes to practical information that people can use to get results.

The manual has been unofficially in the works for years, probably ever since I got into nutrition. I found that every time I would start working with a new person I was reinventing the wheel so to speak in regards to answers the same questions, outlining the same strategies, etc. With this manual I just poured out all the practical, results driven nutrition principles that I use and have used with clients. In Your Naked Nutrition Guide you will find the exact steps that I use with people to improve their health and change their bodies. Basically by putting all this information into a manual I can impact many more people’s health and body composition than if I were do try to help as many people as possible though face to face interactions.

TG: What do you feel separates your manual from the rest?

MR: The amazing cover!

Okay seriously…Your Naked Nutrition Guide definitely isn’t like other manuals out there for several reasons. I dedicate a whole section to planning and goal setting. This isn’t theoretical stuff but how to practically map out your plan so that you reach your goals much faster than you would otherwise. In the manual there is also a supplement section. I created the “Supplement Pyramid” where I separated supplements into Basics, Performance Enhancers, and Experimental. I outline what supplements fall under what categories, when you should take them, what to look for when buying them, and how much you should take. Another area is the Naked Nutrition Serving System. Counting calories is a miserable thing to do and definitely a waste of your time. With this serving system, I have outlined when and how much food to eat. You just pick the foods you like. There are several chapters dedicated to creating your own meal plans and manipulating them depending on your goals. Those are probably the top three areas where Your Naked Nutrition Guide separates itself from the rest.

TG: What can people expect when they buy your manual?

MR: Results. Really, this manual is all about results. Or did you mean what else is included content wise? In regards to content you get everything I just talked about plus a section on the importance of using multiple units of measure to track progress, what measures to use, and how often to use them. There are also chapters on Nutrient Timing and an in-depth look at the 6 Pillars of Nutrition – my foundational nutritional strategies. There are meal plan templates, recommend food lists, goal setting templates, charts outlining how many servings of each type of food you should eat depending on your caloric intake and desired macronutrient ratios. You get the point…a lot of practical content.

New Trainer? A little advice....

While at John Berardi's "G-Flux" seminar this past weekend at Excel Sport and Fitness, I was approached by a soon-to-be personal trainer and he asked me how he, as a new trainer in the industry could pick up new clients. Here's my Cliff Notes version of what I told him.

1. As scary as it sounds you don't necessarily HAVE to be certified to train people. Matter of fact, Eric Cressey was telling me the other day that a friend of his e-mailed him and told him that he got his dog certified as a personal trainer through some online course. No, I am not kidding. But needless to say, getting certified through a reputable organization such as the NSCA, ACSM, or NASM would be a step in the right direction and will undoubtedly help you get your foot in the door. Most gyms will require that you are certified (but some don't) and if you're lucky you can find a gym that will help pay for your certification and other continuing education opportunities.

2. Most gyms will offer 1-2 complimentary sessions to all new members who join the gym. If so, this is a great opportunity to showcase your skillz. This is my blog, so if I want to use a z at the end of skillz, I will dammit. Generally speaking if I have two sessions with a prospective client, I am pretty confident that my expertise and knowledge base will be enough to "sell" myself to them. The key is to just be amicable and get them to talk about themselves. ALWAYS, and I mean always ask questions. The only ones that are off-limits are the following:

*"Oh wow, when are you expecting your baby?" If she is in fact not pregnant, you're going to feel like an asshat.

*"What's your favorite Ben Affleck movie?" This is actually a trick question, as there is no such thing as a good Ben Affleck movie (okay, Good Will Hunting aside).

In all seriousness, you want to ask as many questions as possible. What are your goals? What has prevented you from achieving your goals? Tell me about your knee injury? How many kids do you have? Do you have a hot daughter? Kidding.

People want to talk about themselves, and the more info you get from them, the more likely you are to build a repoire with them and make them a client.

3. Show them something they have never done before. People are always looking for the next unique abdominal exercise. If you're able to show them something they have never done or see before, they will be more likely to think that you have more tricks up your sleeve.

4. This tip is actually something I got from Alwyn Cosgrove and is one that I have found invaluable when starting off at a new club. Simply put: EXPOSURE. The more members see you, the more likely you are to pick them up as clients. When starting off at a new club, make it a point to introduce yourself to 10 new people a day. Just smile and say hi. "My name is [your name here] and I am one of the new trainers here at the club. If you have any questions about the equipment or any particular exercise feel free to ask me." Or just simply offer to show someone a new exercise or correct their form. Don't go right into your sales pitch and ask them if they are interested in personal training. Instead, just correct them and say it was great to meet them. Trust me, if they ever do think about purchasing some training, they will seek you out.

Also, another great idea would be to offer a mini-session to one person a day. Basically spend a good 15-20 minutes and take someone through a small circuit of exercises. Again, it's all about exposure. Maybe even offer to do a group abdominal class for 10 minutes one day. People love their ab classes and you will easily get 15-20 people to attend. Mention that you're one of the new trainers and I guarantee one of them will approach you for training eventually.

Another great idea for picking up clients would be to organize clinics. Maybe a squat clinic or a "how to" class on proper bench press form.

At the end of the day however, I have always found that the best way to get new clients is to make the ones you DO have a walking billboard for your services. Nothing trumps word of mouth, and if your current clients are getting results then the rest will soon follow. That being said, please please please make it a point to read and attend seminars. Continuing education is paramount in this industry and if you're not willing to better yourself as a trainer then you are doomed to fail.

A Small Rant on the Industry

Last weekend The Fitcast's main topic was "Is the fitness industry getting better?" Unfortunately I wasn't able to take part in the fun, but I wanted to give a few insights here.

Exhibit A:

John Berardi is coming into Boston this weekend. His first trip to the east coast in a little over three years. Outside of the fact that I have a slight "man-crush" on him, I have been looking forward to this weekend because John was actually one of the first authors I started to read way back in the day when I started out in this industry. To say that he has been an influence on me and how I discuss nutrition with my clients is an understatement.

A few weeks ago, I mentioned to a bunch of other trainers that I work with that JB was coming into town for a two-day seminar and that they would get a discount for attending. Guess how many are coming out of 60+ trainers? ZERO. Granted, this also happens to be one of the weekends that many of the trainers are going through MAT training (Muscle Activation Techniques) at the club where I work, so they obviously have a legitimate reason for not going. However, that still leaves 40-45 trainers who seem to have other plans. One trainer in particular said to me, "What do we get for going? Do we get a goodie bag or anything for showing up?" Um, how bout the fact that you get two full days with one of the world's reknowned sports nutritionists!?!?!?!

So now we have gotten to the point where the only way to get personal trainers to further educate themselves and to make themselves better is to bribe them with "goodies?"

This, in my opinion is one major reason why I feel that the industry is getting worse. Now, that's not to say that there aren't thousands of personal trainers out there who go out of their way to attend seminars or read books and try their best to stay on top of things. But I think it's fair to say that that is far from the norm. I just think it's rather dumbfounding that more trainers aren't going to this seminar, given the fact that it's going to be a FANTASTIC weekend to network with some of the top names in the industry: Eric Cressey, Cassandra Forsythe, Jimmy Smith, John Sullivan, Carl Valle, Todd Hamer, and Mike Boyle just to name a few.

I think the industry needs a swift kick in the nuts. That's what I think.

Sneaky Bastards

I was in the grocery store yesterday and I needed to buy some bread (whole wheat of course). I just so happened to look at the ingredients of the majority of the brands that were on the shelf and I was quite surprised to see that high fructose corn syrup was listed rather high on many of the lists. Sometimes as high as second! It amazes me how sneaky food companies can be. Many people buy whole wheat or whole grain breads thinking they are making a healthy choice, when it fact all they are buying is flour with high fructose corn syrup and food coloring. Yummy! [FYI: that was sarcasm].

If I had to make a list of the most sneaky bastards ever, it would llook like this:

1. Food Companies
2. Ben Affleck (why Jennifer.......why?)
3. George Bush (come on...this one is easy).

In short, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE make sure you look at the ingredients before you purchase your bread. While it may say "whole wheat" or "whole grain," you still need to play it safe and take a look at what's actually in there

Fish Oil Potency

It's no secret that fish oil should be a staple in EVERYONE's diet (read: this means YOU). Normally I am not a big fan of advocating supplements to the public, but there are a handful of "supplements" that I don't necessarily consider supplements. [Did that make sense?]. Rather, I consider them to be crucial components of a healthy diet: multi-vitamin, protein powder, and fish oil. I also consider Lindsay Lohan to be a talentless ho-bag with the brain capacity of a three year old. Seriously, if aliens were to ever come down to Earth and happen to abduct her to perform human experiments, they would probably find a teddy bear where her brain should be. But that's beside the point.

Back to fish oil.....

If you're not taking your fish oil for the health benefits alone (and believe me there are literally hundreds), please kindly click the power button on your computer right now and buy some for crying out loud. However be careful of which brand you buy. As my friend Mike Roussell has pointed out in his new manual Your Naked Nutrition Guide, when purchasing fish oil, it's important that you buy a PURE and POTENT product.

I agree with him 100% and often recommend that people don't buy a fish oil supplement that isn't atleast 50% pure. To determine the purity of your fish oil simply divide the amount of combined EPA and DHA by the total amount of fat in the product. Most fish oil products you will find in your local grocery store contain 0.18 g of EPA and 0.12 g of DHA per 1 gram capsule.

0.18+0.12=0.3 grams of total omega-3's (EPA/DHA combined)

0.3/1g (of fat per capsule)=.3 or 30%

Essentially most fish oil supplements found in local drug stores or grocery stores are 30% pure. They're cheap, but they are potentially loaded with mercury, toxins, and other contaminants. You will have to pay a little more for 50% pure fish oil products, but it's soooo worth it. As an added bonus, the purer the product is, the less likely you are to experience any fishy after taste or burps.

Static Contraction Training

Holy smokes! I didn't realize it has been so long since my last blog post. I have received a few e-mails from people asking me why I have been such a lazy nimrod, and it dawned on me that there are people out there who actually want to hear what I have to say. Weird....;o)

In any case, I got an e-mail from a past client of mine not too long ago and he asked me what my thoughts were on static contraction training. He sited this link:

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/sisco6.htm


Static contraction training: I have heard of it before, and it's basically a glorified form of isometric training. Isometric meaning: no change. Concentric is the shortening of the muscle. Eccentric is the lengthening of a muscle. Isometric refers to "no change" in muscle (kind of like pushing against a wall). You're contracting the muscle and providing tension, but there is no change as far as shortening or lenghening.

Isometric training does have it's advantages: (excerpt from an article I wrote awhile ago)

Essentially, there are several key theories (key word: theories) behind implementing isometric holds into a program:

1. Maximum Recruitment of Muscle Fibers: teaches the CNS to fire ALL muscle fibers.
2. Increased Strength at Weak ROM's: albeit there is only a 15-25% carryover to other ROM's.
3. Injury Reduction: little to no wear and tear on the joints.
4. Increased Tension: Time Under Tension is one of the key determinates of hypertrophy.
5. Mental Toughness: isometrics are mentally challenging and aren't for the faint of heart.

In short, it's a great way to "teach" the nervous system what it feels like to hold heavy loads, and it allows for max recruitment of muscle fibers. On an aside, there is also a 15 degree carryover in terms of ROM trained. So, while isometric training DOES NOT help to improve increased strength over a full range of motion (ROM), it does increase strength in the ROM in which you are training (in addition to 15 degrees above and below the trained ROM). So it's a great way to help train past sticking points.

In my opinion, it does have merit and can (and should) be used sparingly. I am reluctant to base someone's entire training approach to static contraction training, but it's a nice little "kick in the pants" and provides a different training stimulus for someone who has hit a plateau.

If one were to use it, I would use it ONCE per week in the form of bench lock outs or squat stands using a load that is around 110-130% above one's 1RM for that particular lift for 2-3 sets total for about 10 seconds each. I think anything above that is a bit retarded (and I know there are some people who advocate 150%+).

Like I alluded to above, I think one of the main advantages to isometric training (from a performance standpoint) is the fact that it's so CNS intensive and teaches the body to know what it feels like to hold heavy weights. But please, don't fall prey to the claims that it will produce unparalled muscle growth and make girls want to jump your bones. It's a nice little change of pace and certainly a viable tool to use, nothing more.