It's right there in the language that we're being inundated with day in and day out by the media, doctors, friends and relatives, telling overweight people that they need to "lose weight." What people really need to lose is body fat, and there's a distinct difference.
There is no problem with "weight" in and of itself. The simple act of analyzing your body mass by stepping on a scale is not the way to judge whether you're healthy or not. The real issue at hand is how much of your body mass is comprised of fatty tissue, since this is the real culprit in diabetes, heart disease, cancer and other illnesses. So the goal is to decrease body fat, not simply drop weight.
Lets look at an example.
Say you have two women who are both 5'3" and weigh 150 pounds. Now lets assume that one of them has 12% body fat, and the other has 33% body fat.
Since 12% is a very normal body fat percentage for a woman there is no problem. This woman has mostly lean tissue (muscle, tendons, bones, organs, etc.) and a very small percentage of fatty tissue and the fact that she's 150 pounds is not a detriment to her health at all. Should she lose weight? That is a matter of personal preference, but looked at purely in terms of her health -- no.
On the other hand, 33% body fat is very high. It means that 1/3rd of the body's mass, 50 pounds, is comprised of fatty tissue. This means that there's extra strain on the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, and there's increased risk of developing Type II diabetes and cancer, amongst other diseases. Should this woman lose weight to achieve better health? Yes, but that should be achieved by reducing the body fat percentage, and not just looking at the numbers on the scale.
Here's what I mean. Say this woman goes on a diet that makes her lose 20 pounds in 4 months and she's now down to 130 pounds. All's good now, correct? Well, not exactly. When most people try to lose weight they're not concerned with maintaining or increasing their muscle mass. They just want to see the pounds come off.
So lets say that of the 20 pounds lost 10 were fat and 10 were muscle, since there was no effort made to preserve muscle mass (and this is a very realistic split. In fact, she might've lost even more muscle). Now this lady has 40 pounds of fat and 90 pounds of lean tissue, compared to 50 and 100 before, respectively. Even though her weight decreased 20 pounds, her body fat percentage only dropped 2 points to 31%. She still has all of the health risks she had back when her body weight was 150 pounds.
Worse yet, the ratio of fat:muscle has worsened considerably, since the 90 pounds of remaining "lean tissue" are mostly comprised of bones, organs, bodily fluids and an ever dwindling amount of muscle.
I think that you're begining to see that it's important to make sure that you maintain, and often increase, your muscle mass as you try to lose "weight" to improve your health or aethetics. Muscles act as a "furnace" for calories within the body, increasing your metabolism and making you burn more calories at rest, when you're doing nothing.
On top of that, when you exercise you stimulate your muscles and this increases your muscular metabolism as well, causing the stimulated tissue to burn more calories for several more hours or days. Eating sufficient protein to maintain and increase your muscle mass is also important.
Basically, the more lean tissue, and specifically muscle, you have, the better your body is at burning calories and the easier it is to be lean and stay lean.
Going back to our example of the lady who lost 20 pounds, lets assume that instead of just trying to lose weight, she exercised and had sufficient protein consumption to maintain and increase muscle mass. During the same 4 month period she'd now probably lose 24 pounds of fat and gain 6 pounds of muscle, resulting in a bodyweight of 132 pounds, but the ratio would be 26 pounds of fat and 106 pounds of lean tissue, making her now 19.7% body fat (26/132*100), as opposed to 30.7% when just trying to lose weight.
So stop worrying about losing weight and concentrate on losing body fat. You'll be healthier, feel and look better, have more energy, be stronger and will be setting yourself up for long term success.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Technique, Technique, Technique.
The one thing I always try to instill in all of my clients is the use of proper technique.
Too many people sacrifice good technique and exercise form for the sake of doing a few more repetitions or lifting a little bit more weight. While this may seem like a good idea to speed up your progress, it is in fact the worst thing you can do.
Using proper technique when training allows you to more directly recruit the target muscles, thereby maximizing the effectiveness of the exercise. It also prevents injuries, creation of faulty movement patterns, bad posture, and looking like a goofball.
And I know, you're saying all that's nice and well, but what comprises good technique? Well, here're some basic pointers that will get you started on the right path.
Neutral Spine: Chest up, shoulders back and down.
For just about every exercise you care to do, with some exceptions, you want to have a "neutral spine." What this means is that you bring your chest up, rotate your shoulder blades back and down (scapular retraction and depression), while keeping your lower back slightly arched and your abs tight. This allows for the most "core stabilization" safeguarding you from injury. It also places your joints in the correct position to perform most movements and allows your muscles to have the proper range of motion.
Proper range of motion:
Using a proper range of motion is extremely important. Your muscles are meant to work through a specific range, and you want to make sure that they become strong through the entire range as this increases overall strength, muscular balance, and also safeguards you from injury.
This also makes sure that your muscles stay flexible and pliable through their entire range, laying waste to the myth that if you lift weights you're going to lose your flexibility. This only happens if you do partial movements and don't allow your muscles to get stronger through their entire range of motion.
Squat:
Keep a neutral spine. Initiate the squat by bending at the hips and then the knees, as if you're sitting back and down. Keep your foot flat on the floor throughout. Maintain a slightly arched lower back and tight core, with your chest up and your shoulder blades retracted.
Assuming your flexibility and joint health allows this, squat to below parallel. What this means is that your hip goes down below the level of the knee. While there is a myth that this is bad for the knees, it is not so. In fact, the greatest shear force through the knee is found in a parallel, or just above parallel, squat position, making it the most stressful to the knees.
Try to look ahead as you squat, as if you're maintaining eye contact with yourself. Don't look down, and don't look up, either (despite what many like to advise.)
Once you've reached the low point of the squat, start going up by driving through your heels into the floor as if you're trying to push the earth away, and simultaneously straighten out your keens and hips.
Chest press:
As you lie on the bench make sure that your chest is up, shoulders are down, with your shoulder blades in contact with the bench (chest up, shoulders back - start seeing a pattern here?). Make sure your shoulder blades are in constant contact with the bench throughout the movement - no lifting of the shoulders as you press up! Lifting your shoulders up will take the stress off the pecs and transfer them onto the deltoids and can also result in injury.
Utilize a full range of motion. Ignore all the bodybuilding magazine bull about "keeping constant tention on the muscles" by doing a 1/3 range of motion press. Refer to the "full range of motion" section.
Training arms:
Keep your chest up, shoulders back, core tight. Same deal as everywhere else.
When training biceps, make sure you don't swing the weight or generate momentum. This takes the stress off the biceps and puts your spinal integrity at risk. Don't rotate the shoulders forward when you initiate the curl from the bottom position, this can lead to a shoulder injury.
Don't move your elbows up or backward. Try to keep your elbows steady by the sides and just in front of your body (when curling with a bar).
When training triceps using a cable pushdown, make sure that you keep your elbows steady, not moving them back and forth or up and down. Also, perform the movement by starting with your forearm roughtly parallel to the floor and then finish by locking out your elbows, then bring your forearms back to a parallel position. Overextending the elbows on this exercise can lead to tendonitis which is very painful and takes a long time to heal.
Back rows and pulldowns:
Too many people sacrifice good technique and exercise form for the sake of doing a few more repetitions or lifting a little bit more weight. While this may seem like a good idea to speed up your progress, it is in fact the worst thing you can do.
Using proper technique when training allows you to more directly recruit the target muscles, thereby maximizing the effectiveness of the exercise. It also prevents injuries, creation of faulty movement patterns, bad posture, and looking like a goofball.
And I know, you're saying all that's nice and well, but what comprises good technique? Well, here're some basic pointers that will get you started on the right path.
Neutral Spine: Chest up, shoulders back and down.
For just about every exercise you care to do, with some exceptions, you want to have a "neutral spine." What this means is that you bring your chest up, rotate your shoulder blades back and down (scapular retraction and depression), while keeping your lower back slightly arched and your abs tight. This allows for the most "core stabilization" safeguarding you from injury. It also places your joints in the correct position to perform most movements and allows your muscles to have the proper range of motion.
Proper range of motion:
Using a proper range of motion is extremely important. Your muscles are meant to work through a specific range, and you want to make sure that they become strong through the entire range as this increases overall strength, muscular balance, and also safeguards you from injury.
This also makes sure that your muscles stay flexible and pliable through their entire range, laying waste to the myth that if you lift weights you're going to lose your flexibility. This only happens if you do partial movements and don't allow your muscles to get stronger through their entire range of motion.
Squat:
Keep a neutral spine. Initiate the squat by bending at the hips and then the knees, as if you're sitting back and down. Keep your foot flat on the floor throughout. Maintain a slightly arched lower back and tight core, with your chest up and your shoulder blades retracted.
Assuming your flexibility and joint health allows this, squat to below parallel. What this means is that your hip goes down below the level of the knee. While there is a myth that this is bad for the knees, it is not so. In fact, the greatest shear force through the knee is found in a parallel, or just above parallel, squat position, making it the most stressful to the knees.
Try to look ahead as you squat, as if you're maintaining eye contact with yourself. Don't look down, and don't look up, either (despite what many like to advise.)
Once you've reached the low point of the squat, start going up by driving through your heels into the floor as if you're trying to push the earth away, and simultaneously straighten out your keens and hips.
Chest press:
As you lie on the bench make sure that your chest is up, shoulders are down, with your shoulder blades in contact with the bench (chest up, shoulders back - start seeing a pattern here?). Make sure your shoulder blades are in constant contact with the bench throughout the movement - no lifting of the shoulders as you press up! Lifting your shoulders up will take the stress off the pecs and transfer them onto the deltoids and can also result in injury.
Utilize a full range of motion. Ignore all the bodybuilding magazine bull about "keeping constant tention on the muscles" by doing a 1/3 range of motion press. Refer to the "full range of motion" section.
Training arms:
Keep your chest up, shoulders back, core tight. Same deal as everywhere else.
When training biceps, make sure you don't swing the weight or generate momentum. This takes the stress off the biceps and puts your spinal integrity at risk. Don't rotate the shoulders forward when you initiate the curl from the bottom position, this can lead to a shoulder injury.
Don't move your elbows up or backward. Try to keep your elbows steady by the sides and just in front of your body (when curling with a bar).
When training triceps using a cable pushdown, make sure that you keep your elbows steady, not moving them back and forth or up and down. Also, perform the movement by starting with your forearm roughtly parallel to the floor and then finish by locking out your elbows, then bring your forearms back to a parallel position. Overextending the elbows on this exercise can lead to tendonitis which is very painful and takes a long time to heal.
Back rows and pulldowns:
Chest up, shoulders back. When rowing, whether seated or standing, make sure that you maintain a tight core, with a slight arching of the back. Let your shoulders come forward while keeping your upper spine straight and then pull them back for a nice contraction between your shoulder blades before you continue the pull by bending your eblows.
When performing a pulldown make sure you maintain the chest up, shoulders back posture. Let your shoulders come up while keeping your upper spine straight and then pull your shoulder blades back and down to initiate the movement and complete by bending your elbows. Try to touch the bar to your chest.
Avoid doing pulldowns behind the head as most people don't have the shoulder flexibility for that and will eventually earn themselves a few injuries using this technique.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Put your weights away!
When I started lifting weights regularly in 1996, the standard practice in the gym was to put your weights away. While some people didn't, it was the exception rather than the rule, and most people took care to put their dumbbells away or unload their own plates off machines or barbells when they were done.
Now as I look around the gyms I see plates and dumbbells piled everywhere. While some people are still obviously taking their weights off, many do not. This shows a general lack of courtesy and concern towards your fellow gym goers. If you've got the strength to load up a barbell or machine with plates, you should be able to take them off. Same for dumbbells.
I'm sorry to say that I also see trainers not puting away weights after their clients or themselves. We've got to set a better example during our time in the gym.
So, everybody, treat the gym with respect, be courteous towards others, and don't be a douchebag -- put away your own weights.
Now as I look around the gyms I see plates and dumbbells piled everywhere. While some people are still obviously taking their weights off, many do not. This shows a general lack of courtesy and concern towards your fellow gym goers. If you've got the strength to load up a barbell or machine with plates, you should be able to take them off. Same for dumbbells.
I'm sorry to say that I also see trainers not puting away weights after their clients or themselves. We've got to set a better example during our time in the gym.
So, everybody, treat the gym with respect, be courteous towards others, and don't be a douchebag -- put away your own weights.
On group training and helping each other
One of the most effective ways to stay motivated to get to your workouts and train hard is to train with a training partner or in a group (or, in fact, working with a professional trainer!) Many people swear by this method and insist they have never trained any other way, including the all-knowing all-rulling God of bodybuilding, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Some research has also been done that proves the effectiveness of group vs solo training.
I see a very great deal of partner/group training (and have taught both small, like 2-person personal training, and large group, like bootcamps, training.) While some people are just goofing around the gym, others are working hard and are using the group training concept very effectively.
One group that I see all the time is specifically good at encouraging and motivating each other, and together they train much harder than when I see them individually. On top of that, they're training outside of the mold by using such tools as kettlebells, weighted vests, and circuits that mix in the above with cables, barbells, and bodyweight exercises. Good stuff.
One thing not to forget, however, is for the more experienced members of the training group, whether it consists of 2 people or 8, to help guide the others in terms of exercise technique, load selection, and the like. Something that seems like second nature to an experienced trainee and comes naturally will most likely not be so for a person new to working out. Learning proper technique is easier from the start than trying to learn it once the body has adapted to faulty mechanics.
So when training with a partner or in a group, watch out for each other, help each other, and reap the benefits.
And of course, don't forget about fitness professionals. After all, teaching proper technique, workout progression, load selection and intensity levels is our direct area of expertise.
I see a very great deal of partner/group training (and have taught both small, like 2-person personal training, and large group, like bootcamps, training.) While some people are just goofing around the gym, others are working hard and are using the group training concept very effectively.
One group that I see all the time is specifically good at encouraging and motivating each other, and together they train much harder than when I see them individually. On top of that, they're training outside of the mold by using such tools as kettlebells, weighted vests, and circuits that mix in the above with cables, barbells, and bodyweight exercises. Good stuff.
One thing not to forget, however, is for the more experienced members of the training group, whether it consists of 2 people or 8, to help guide the others in terms of exercise technique, load selection, and the like. Something that seems like second nature to an experienced trainee and comes naturally will most likely not be so for a person new to working out. Learning proper technique is easier from the start than trying to learn it once the body has adapted to faulty mechanics.
So when training with a partner or in a group, watch out for each other, help each other, and reap the benefits.
And of course, don't forget about fitness professionals. After all, teaching proper technique, workout progression, load selection and intensity levels is our direct area of expertise.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Full body splits or body part splits?
This is a debate that has been going on in the fitness and athletic community for the longest time, whether to perform full body workouts, body part splits (a la bodybuilding), upper/lower, or push/pull splits.
Today, lets tackle the body part split and the full body workout.
Body part splits work fairly well for several members of the training population. Specifically, they're pretty effective for advanced bodybuilders and people undergoing rehabilitative training. (These are also two groups for whom I think machines are most effective. Pretty much everybody else would be better served by a mostly free weight training regimen.)
Most athletes and gymgoers would be better served by doing a full body split. And, instead of training specific muscles, focus more on training movement. This will result in a multitude of benefits including a greater increase in post-workout metabolic rate, greater calorie consumption during the actual workout, superior neuromascular activation, improved athletic performance, increased strength, more core activation and increased endurance.
This of course doesn't mean that you're doing the same workout 3 days a week, but you're going to be hitting your muscles 3 days a week. You can try the following workout of multijointed, multiplanar compound movements. (These workout are not done superset or circuit style.)
You can precede each workout with the following warm-up:
5 mintues of cardio
20 bodyweight squats
20 pushups
stability ball plan with 30 reps of knee tucks
Workout 1
Deadlifts
Squat with bar push
Chin-ups or pulldowns
Lunge with one arm cable push
Standing two-hand cable rows
Dips
Seated trunk twists with medicine ball
Stability ball crunches
Workout 2
Walking lunges
Dumbbell/kettlebell swings
Dumbbell clean and jerk (one or two hands)
One arm dumbbell deadlifts
Dumbbell bench press (or incline press)
Bent over barbell rows
Decline knee raises
Woodchops
Workout 3
Barbell squats
One arm dumbbell/kettlebell snatches
Bodyrows
One arm stability ball flyes
Standing military press (shoulder press)
Stiff leg deadlifts
Vacuums
Reverse woodchops
Stability ball crunches (or alternatively, flexed-hamstring floor crunches)
I didn't specify load or reps/sets because you should do this workout at an intensity and load that is appropriate for you. Make sure, however, that you are being challenged to see best results.
Good training!
Today, lets tackle the body part split and the full body workout.
Body part splits work fairly well for several members of the training population. Specifically, they're pretty effective for advanced bodybuilders and people undergoing rehabilitative training. (These are also two groups for whom I think machines are most effective. Pretty much everybody else would be better served by a mostly free weight training regimen.)
Most athletes and gymgoers would be better served by doing a full body split. And, instead of training specific muscles, focus more on training movement. This will result in a multitude of benefits including a greater increase in post-workout metabolic rate, greater calorie consumption during the actual workout, superior neuromascular activation, improved athletic performance, increased strength, more core activation and increased endurance.
This of course doesn't mean that you're doing the same workout 3 days a week, but you're going to be hitting your muscles 3 days a week. You can try the following workout of multijointed, multiplanar compound movements. (These workout are not done superset or circuit style.)
You can precede each workout with the following warm-up:
5 mintues of cardio
20 bodyweight squats
20 pushups
stability ball plan with 30 reps of knee tucks
Workout 1
Deadlifts
Squat with bar push
Chin-ups or pulldowns
Lunge with one arm cable push
Standing two-hand cable rows
Dips
Seated trunk twists with medicine ball
Stability ball crunches
Workout 2
Walking lunges
Dumbbell/kettlebell swings
Dumbbell clean and jerk (one or two hands)
One arm dumbbell deadlifts
Dumbbell bench press (or incline press)
Bent over barbell rows
Decline knee raises
Woodchops
Workout 3
Barbell squats
One arm dumbbell/kettlebell snatches
Bodyrows
One arm stability ball flyes
Standing military press (shoulder press)
Stiff leg deadlifts
Vacuums
Reverse woodchops
Stability ball crunches (or alternatively, flexed-hamstring floor crunches)
I didn't specify load or reps/sets because you should do this workout at an intensity and load that is appropriate for you. Make sure, however, that you are being challenged to see best results.
Good training!
Intervals or steady-state cardio for fat loss?
Want to drop some body fat? Do some low intensity cardio! Or should you?
While doing cardio at 60-70% of maximum heart rate several times a week has been the standard fat loss prescription for years, research, as well as imperical evidence, shows that this is far from being the best way to go about it.
Weight training and intervals are far superior to performing low intensity steady state cardio. Your body also doesn't adapt to it the way it does to steady state cardiovascular work. Lets break that down a bit.
When you're performing steady state cardio you're obviously burning some calories. However, this process lasts only during the time you're doing cardio. So if you did 30 minutes at 70%, you maybe burned 300 calories, but that's it. As soon as you stop, the fat burning process pretty much comes to a halt.
With weight training, however, your body not only burns calories during the actual workout, but continues to do so for hours, or days, later due to increased metabolism. Specifically, when muscles are being stimulated with higher intensity resistance trainig their individual metabolic rate is increased and they burn extra calories throughout the day, as much as an extra 50 calories per pound of muscle. Translation: if you sufficiently stimulate 20 pounds of muscle you can burn an extra 500-1000 calories during the next 24 hours doing nothing. That's equivalent to doing 2 hours of steady state cardiovascular work.
Research of interval training shows that doing intervals is up to 9 times more effective at burning overall calories than doing low intensity steady state cardio. What this baiscally means is that you can get the same benefit doing considerably less work, or alternatively significantly speed up the rate at which you're getting results.
So try this: instead of doing 45-60 minutes of cardio 3-4 times a week, do 24 minutes of interval training 3 times a week, in conjunction with a resistance training program.
To do intervals using cardiovascular training equipment, try one of the following two programs, depending on what works for you. (You can use a treadmill or an eliptical machine. I don't recommend using a stationary bike because it doesn't have the same full-body and core benefits as the other two machines.)
The key here is going at a rate that is impossible to sustain for longer than the 1 or 2 minute intervals specified. If you can perform at the same level for 5 minutes but are only doing 1-2 minutes, you're not going to get the results we're after. And of course, please make sure that you're in good enough health to perform high intensity work of this nature. Speak to your physician if needed.
Plan 1
Warn up and get your heart rate up.
Perform 1 minute of high intensity cardio that is impossible to sustain for longer than 1 minute.
Rest for 1 minute.
Repeat the whole process for a total of 12 cycles.
Plan 2
Warn up and get your heart rate up.
Perform 2 minutes of high intensity cardio that is impossible to perform for longer than 2 minutes.
Stop and rest for 2 minutes.
Repeat the whole process for a total of 6 cycles.
Have fun!
And if you need a handy little interval timer, check out the "Gymboss" banner on the right. It's a programmable interval timer and it works spectracular.
While doing cardio at 60-70% of maximum heart rate several times a week has been the standard fat loss prescription for years, research, as well as imperical evidence, shows that this is far from being the best way to go about it.
Weight training and intervals are far superior to performing low intensity steady state cardio. Your body also doesn't adapt to it the way it does to steady state cardiovascular work. Lets break that down a bit.
When you're performing steady state cardio you're obviously burning some calories. However, this process lasts only during the time you're doing cardio. So if you did 30 minutes at 70%, you maybe burned 300 calories, but that's it. As soon as you stop, the fat burning process pretty much comes to a halt.
With weight training, however, your body not only burns calories during the actual workout, but continues to do so for hours, or days, later due to increased metabolism. Specifically, when muscles are being stimulated with higher intensity resistance trainig their individual metabolic rate is increased and they burn extra calories throughout the day, as much as an extra 50 calories per pound of muscle. Translation: if you sufficiently stimulate 20 pounds of muscle you can burn an extra 500-1000 calories during the next 24 hours doing nothing. That's equivalent to doing 2 hours of steady state cardiovascular work.
Research of interval training shows that doing intervals is up to 9 times more effective at burning overall calories than doing low intensity steady state cardio. What this baiscally means is that you can get the same benefit doing considerably less work, or alternatively significantly speed up the rate at which you're getting results.
So try this: instead of doing 45-60 minutes of cardio 3-4 times a week, do 24 minutes of interval training 3 times a week, in conjunction with a resistance training program.
To do intervals using cardiovascular training equipment, try one of the following two programs, depending on what works for you. (You can use a treadmill or an eliptical machine. I don't recommend using a stationary bike because it doesn't have the same full-body and core benefits as the other two machines.)
The key here is going at a rate that is impossible to sustain for longer than the 1 or 2 minute intervals specified. If you can perform at the same level for 5 minutes but are only doing 1-2 minutes, you're not going to get the results we're after. And of course, please make sure that you're in good enough health to perform high intensity work of this nature. Speak to your physician if needed.
Plan 1
Warn up and get your heart rate up.
Perform 1 minute of high intensity cardio that is impossible to sustain for longer than 1 minute.
Rest for 1 minute.
Repeat the whole process for a total of 12 cycles.
Plan 2
Warn up and get your heart rate up.
Perform 2 minutes of high intensity cardio that is impossible to perform for longer than 2 minutes.
Stop and rest for 2 minutes.
Repeat the whole process for a total of 6 cycles.
Have fun!
And if you need a handy little interval timer, check out the "Gymboss" banner on the right. It's a programmable interval timer and it works spectracular.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
I didn't have enough time before work yesterday to prepare enough food for lunch, and ended up buying a slice of pizza to prevent losing my Cherub-like demeanor due to hunger. (Any "protein type" will understand.)
Most people are surprised when I have a pizza as opposed to my normal diet of organically grown, home cooked food, and in fact I have pizza probably less than 10 times a year.
Eating the pizza between clients got me thinking, however. One of the reasons people give up on a healthy nutritional plan is because they try to change the way they eat too radically, too quickly, and then can't stay with it.
I'll deal with making nutritional changes later, but for now lets talk about how to deal with sticking to your nutritional plan, and the 80/20 rule. According to this so called "rule," as applied to nutrition, if you follow a proper diet 80 percent of the time, you can slack off the other 20 percent. Unfortunately, this split is much too generous in favour of slacking off, but if you look at it in terms of a 90/10 or 95/5 it works much better.
In other words, if you follow a well structured nutritional plan, that works for your body, 90+ percent of the time, your body can easily handle eating off the plan without any negative side effects. And for those who have a hard time dealing with staying on a "healthy" diet it'll provide a nice reprieve to maintain your sanity and resolve.
Make sure, however, that the 90/10 doesn't turn into an 70/30, 50/50, 20/80...
Most people are surprised when I have a pizza as opposed to my normal diet of organically grown, home cooked food, and in fact I have pizza probably less than 10 times a year.
Eating the pizza between clients got me thinking, however. One of the reasons people give up on a healthy nutritional plan is because they try to change the way they eat too radically, too quickly, and then can't stay with it.
I'll deal with making nutritional changes later, but for now lets talk about how to deal with sticking to your nutritional plan, and the 80/20 rule. According to this so called "rule," as applied to nutrition, if you follow a proper diet 80 percent of the time, you can slack off the other 20 percent. Unfortunately, this split is much too generous in favour of slacking off, but if you look at it in terms of a 90/10 or 95/5 it works much better.
In other words, if you follow a well structured nutritional plan, that works for your body, 90+ percent of the time, your body can easily handle eating off the plan without any negative side effects. And for those who have a hard time dealing with staying on a "healthy" diet it'll provide a nice reprieve to maintain your sanity and resolve.
Make sure, however, that the 90/10 doesn't turn into an 70/30, 50/50, 20/80...
Monday, March 9, 2009
Do women train smarter than men?
I spend a large part of my life in gyms, and I have seen thousands of people training. Sometimes it's great to see what people are doing, but sometimes, to be blunt, it's freaking horrifying.
I notice a lot more women who know what they're doing than men in the weight room. I don't mean in total numbers, but as a percentage of their respective gym (and specifically, weight room) populations.
I think there are several reasons for this, working either individually or together.
One reason might be that only those women who are more athletic and confident enough in what they're doing are constantly out there on the gym floor training hard. This is certainly plaussible as there are many more other women who are spending their gym time on cardio equipment (lift some weights!) or in women-only facilities.
Possibly it's because these particular women are more in touch with their bodies and find it easier to learn new technique and feel how the exercises are working, affecting their body, etc. (This is true of the men who know what they're doing as well.)
The other reason, and specifically the one I want to tackle, is that women seem to be much less influenced by their ego than men. I know -- I don't say!
Many of the men (young and old) I see training in gyms are too busy strutting around and posturing to actually spend time to learn how to properly train. It's very ego driven.
It's time to put the ego away and learn how to train properly.
This means using:
Proper load -- stop using weight you need your buddy to help you lift on every repetition!
Proper technique --a 5 inch "squat" or a half-depth bench press don't qualify as training. "Benching" 225 with the bar 6 inches away from your chest doesn't count, stop bragging about it.
Proper workout structure -- chest and biceps 5 days a week? Yes, I've seen that. Cut it out.
The biggest impediment to making progress in the gym, be it muscle buidling, strength training or fatloss is letting your ego control your workouts. Put it away and start using your head. You'll thank me later.
And everybody already doing that... right on, keep it up!
I notice a lot more women who know what they're doing than men in the weight room. I don't mean in total numbers, but as a percentage of their respective gym (and specifically, weight room) populations.
I think there are several reasons for this, working either individually or together.
One reason might be that only those women who are more athletic and confident enough in what they're doing are constantly out there on the gym floor training hard. This is certainly plaussible as there are many more other women who are spending their gym time on cardio equipment (lift some weights!) or in women-only facilities.
Possibly it's because these particular women are more in touch with their bodies and find it easier to learn new technique and feel how the exercises are working, affecting their body, etc. (This is true of the men who know what they're doing as well.)
The other reason, and specifically the one I want to tackle, is that women seem to be much less influenced by their ego than men. I know -- I don't say!
Many of the men (young and old) I see training in gyms are too busy strutting around and posturing to actually spend time to learn how to properly train. It's very ego driven.
It's time to put the ego away and learn how to train properly.
This means using:
Proper load -- stop using weight you need your buddy to help you lift on every repetition!
Proper technique --a 5 inch "squat" or a half-depth bench press don't qualify as training. "Benching" 225 with the bar 6 inches away from your chest doesn't count, stop bragging about it.
Proper workout structure -- chest and biceps 5 days a week? Yes, I've seen that. Cut it out.
The biggest impediment to making progress in the gym, be it muscle buidling, strength training or fatloss is letting your ego control your workouts. Put it away and start using your head. You'll thank me later.
And everybody already doing that... right on, keep it up!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Mickey D's plugs my fitness business
A couple years ago I saw a commercial for McDonald's the jist of which was that a fit young man got up, had a healthy breakfast, and went to work, full of energy and ready to get on with his day.
By the elevator he run into a bunch of his cooworkers, all of whom looked sleepy, were dragging their feet, and definetely didn't have any energy.
The tagline of that commercial was something to the effect that he's fine, but the rest of us need our McDonald's coffee and breakfast fix in the morning.
The point that they were trying to drive home, I think, is that a McDonald's coffee and breakfast is going to get you going in the morning. What I saw when I watched it, however, is that if you're fit, eat well, exercise, follow a healthy lifestyle all around, then you're gonna be full of energy and just ready to get going. However, if you have McDonald's (or eat junk, period) then you're gonna be slow, sluggish, out of shape, and pretty much look like a zombie in the morning.
The fact that I have only seen this commercial once in my life makes me believe that I'm not the only one that interpreted it that same way, and it was quickly pulled off the air.
My point with this post?
Avoid eating garbage. Exercise. Try to make healthy choices in your life and you're going to be healthy, have proper weight and body composition, and have a well functioning imune system.
Even if I'm wrong about the commercial.
Be healthy!
By the elevator he run into a bunch of his cooworkers, all of whom looked sleepy, were dragging their feet, and definetely didn't have any energy.
The tagline of that commercial was something to the effect that he's fine, but the rest of us need our McDonald's coffee and breakfast fix in the morning.
The point that they were trying to drive home, I think, is that a McDonald's coffee and breakfast is going to get you going in the morning. What I saw when I watched it, however, is that if you're fit, eat well, exercise, follow a healthy lifestyle all around, then you're gonna be full of energy and just ready to get going. However, if you have McDonald's (or eat junk, period) then you're gonna be slow, sluggish, out of shape, and pretty much look like a zombie in the morning.
The fact that I have only seen this commercial once in my life makes me believe that I'm not the only one that interpreted it that same way, and it was quickly pulled off the air.
My point with this post?
Avoid eating garbage. Exercise. Try to make healthy choices in your life and you're going to be healthy, have proper weight and body composition, and have a well functioning imune system.
Even if I'm wrong about the commercial.
Be healthy!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Doing Something.
"Well, at least they're doing something." If you spend enough time in a gym, you get to hear that one a lot. Normally this is in reference to somebody putting in less than a half-hearted effort (nevermind full effort) into their training/nutrition. Supposedly, "doing something is better than doing nothing," but I'm not sold.
Here's why.
There are two kinds of people in the gym: those that achieve their goals, and those that are "doing something." The problem with doing something is that it's not enough to actually get you where you want to go, and eventually you lose your motivation and stop coming or watching your nutrition and go back to doing whatever you were doing before. Not only did you not achiever your goals, but the lack of success is so discouraging that it takes you years to try pursuing your goals again, if at all.
I don't know about you, but to me that doesn't seem "better than nothing." To me, it seems more like one step forward, two steps back.
How important are your goals to you?
How hard are you willing to work for these goals?
Is it worse to do nothing and stay as you are than it is to work hard and change?
If you're ready to work hard, then results are yours for the taking.
And if you need help with a gameplan, knowledge, the occassional boost of willpower and motivation, well, that's what personal trainers, strength coaches and nutritional advisors are for!
Good luck!
Here's why.
There are two kinds of people in the gym: those that achieve their goals, and those that are "doing something." The problem with doing something is that it's not enough to actually get you where you want to go, and eventually you lose your motivation and stop coming or watching your nutrition and go back to doing whatever you were doing before. Not only did you not achiever your goals, but the lack of success is so discouraging that it takes you years to try pursuing your goals again, if at all.
I don't know about you, but to me that doesn't seem "better than nothing." To me, it seems more like one step forward, two steps back.
How important are your goals to you?
How hard are you willing to work for these goals?
Is it worse to do nothing and stay as you are than it is to work hard and change?
If you're ready to work hard, then results are yours for the taking.
And if you need help with a gameplan, knowledge, the occassional boost of willpower and motivation, well, that's what personal trainers, strength coaches and nutritional advisors are for!
Good luck!
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Welcome to my new sounding board!
I've been thinking of doing this for a while. I have all these tidbits of information, advice, and observations floating around my head that I'd like to share, but most of them aren't enough to base an article on. So all of these things are going to go in here, along with some product reviews, workout suggestions, tips and comments.
One other thing. I'm usually known as a pretty candid and straight forward person. However, in the spirit of political correctness I have lately become a little wishy-washy in explaining my opinions on the fitness industry and succeeding in your goals. This is not how this blog is going to be -- there will be no beating around the bush. However, this is not to say that I'm intent on being a jerk, but rather my goal is to call it as I see it.
So welcome in, check back often, and feel free to email me with questions or comments!
Cheers!
Michael
One other thing. I'm usually known as a pretty candid and straight forward person. However, in the spirit of political correctness I have lately become a little wishy-washy in explaining my opinions on the fitness industry and succeeding in your goals. This is not how this blog is going to be -- there will be no beating around the bush. However, this is not to say that I'm intent on being a jerk, but rather my goal is to call it as I see it.
So welcome in, check back often, and feel free to email me with questions or comments!
Cheers!
Michael
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