Fitness App Pros and Cons

This post will discuss pros and cons of Fitness Apps.

Fitness App Pros: 

1. Tracking Training Data: This is the single best practice that very few members or personal trainers actually do. Fitness Apps can allow users to time rest periods, track sets, reps, resistance, heart rate, etc. This data can be quickly graphed to show progress. Also, there are numerous nutrition apps that will calculate calories, gram and other useful information for users.
2. Tracking Progress: All the user needs to do is pick what assessments they want to use to track progress (weight, body fat, etc.) and enter the results. The app will automatically show graphed progress and trends. It is a simple way to see if your program is working or not. 
3. Video Demonstrations: In the past gym members had only photos from magazines or books for exercise form to bring to the gym (I never did see someone bring a TV and VCR in to the club). Now many apps include short video demonstrations to show proper exercise form.  
4. Social Support: Being part of a social group or community and its positive effects has been a hot research topic lately. Numerous studies have shown it has a positive influence to enhance fitness. Apps have the power to get you instant access and easy communication to a fitness social group.  
5. Positive Reinforcement: Many fitness apps will send “Good Job” emails or texts to users when they accomplish something positive. In today’s world fitness enthusiasts and people in general are overloaded with “Deadline” messages. When a positive message is sent it can reinforce fitness progress. 6. Learning New Technology: We can’t hide from technology and if we do we are dead. Fitness apps are a great way to new things via technology. 

Fitness App Cons: 

1. Actual Use: I find it funny that people who have really good apps with all the latest and greatest features rarely use them practically.  
2. Movement Screens: I am sure Grey Cook and Lee Burton will design a Functional Movement Screen app for gym goers to teach what movement patterns they need to work on. However, this probably should be done by a well-trained fitness professional. Once the screen is done, then the individualized exercises and stretches can be entered into an appropriate app.  
3. Exercise Form: I see many people who use apps religiously in the gym. Unfortunately there are usually two issues. First they may be performing exercises that aren’t the best for them based on their individual movement screen. Second, even if they are using the correct exercises, the form is usually awful and sometimes even dangerous. I don’t know of any apps that alert you when exercise form starts to break down.  
4. Exercise Effort: Yes, there are apps that work well with heart rate and tell users to speed up or slow down. However, when people resistance train there aren’t apps that tell you “Do two more reps!” Even on the apps that have workout timers that beep when rest is up, they don’t say “Move your ass” when you rest longer than you should while talking to friends or texting them at the gym.  
5. Poor Workout Focus: In my experience with members I know who claim to have the latest, greatest fitness app spend more time checking email, texts and looking at Facebook than working out. If you can stick to using the fitness app and/or listening to music, great. If you can’t, use a simple I-Pod and track data with pen and paper. Either way, use something to track progress. 

As you can see from above, fitness apps can a great tool to use when and if they are used properly.

The Vegetarian Fitness Enthusiast Part 2: Are Most REALLY Eating Healthy on These Nutrition Plans?

On my last post found here I wrote about the different types of Vegetarian Nutrition Plans.  In this post I am going to discuss what potential "Healthy Eating Pitfalls" can happen on these plans.

DISCLAIMER:  This post as well as ones that I have wrote in the fast or future are meant to be "Vegetarian Bashing Sessions."  They are simply meant to give readers information on the pros and cons of vegetarian eating plans so you can make an educated choice how to be more healthy in the future. Some may want to go the vegetarian route while others may want to include meat in their diets.  Whatever you do, just try to eat better.

With that being said a good quote to start things off is from a side bar article in the ISSN (International Society of Sports Nutrition) textbook Essentials of Sports Nutrition and Supplements written by Theresa Romano:

For whatever the reason a person chooses to become vegetarian, whether it is religious, ethical, or otherwise, vegetarian athletes of today are not learning the basic fundamentals of what it means to be a good vegetarian.  When meeting with a vegetarian client, my first question is, "Are you a GOOD vegetarian or a BAD vegetarian?"

In my experience people who eat vegetarian can run into the following issues:

1. Many who claim to be vegetarian are not.  In most cases they just don't eat Red meat, are Prescatarian or Flexitarian (Semi-Vegetarian).  I am surprised there isn't a term for the people who avoid Red meat.
2. Those who are the above three, Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian, Lacto Vegetarian, Ovo-Vegetarian, or Vegan have plenty of room for nutritional error.  For example Potato Chips, Cookies and Crackers can be included in these plans because they don't contain anything from animals.  However they are not healthy.  For example I had dinner with a gal who is Vegan but it didn't stop her from consuming a bowl in a half of Tortilla Chips at the Mexican Restaurant we were at. 
3. People on Vegan plans have to avoid Omega-3 sources from fish.  While you can get Omega-3 from plant sources like Flax or Sea Weed, (They contain ALA) it is very difficult for the body to convert ALA into EPA or DHA.
4. The plans that exclude processed food (Raw Vegan and Macrobiotic) are the healthiest but are very difficult to plan/prepare on a daily basis.  Also, very specific supplement protocols must be followed due to nutrient deficiencies.
5. Most people on vegetarian diets consume more carbohydrates than they should.  Allowing more processed carbohydrates can be a recipe for disaster.  Eating more carbs than a person can handle can keep insulin levels high causing fat loss and leanness to be more difficult. 

Many who have had success and experienced results on the vegetarian plans discussed in my first post where eating poorly prior to starting those plans.  Often times simply having a focus on healthier eating and consuming more vegetables and fruit was a significant factor in their success.  They started to eat more "Real Food" and less "Processed Food" which is a good thing.  However, I do want to make it clear that there is plenty of room for error which can be avoided.  The next post will discuss the pros and cons of each specific program listed from my first post.

The Vegetarian Fitness Enthusiast Part 1: Types of Vegetarians

For the next month or so I am going to write some posts on the pros and cons of being vegetarian.  Part 1 is going to go over the definitions of different types of vegetarians as many people think you are either a vegetarian or non-vegetarian.  There are more than one type of vegetarian.  When I took Nutrition 101 in college we learned of four types.  According to this article found here there are eight listed below:

1. Pescatarian:  These people avoid all meet except fish[1].
2. Flexitarian/Semi-Vegetarian:  People who eat mostly vegetarian but occasionally have meat[1].
3. *Vegetarian (Lacto-Ovo):  People who don't eat meat, but do consume eggs and dairy products[1].
4. *Vegetarian (Lacto):  This person eats no meat or eggs but does consume dairy products[1].
5. *Vegetarian (Ovo):  People who don't consume meat or dairy products but do eat eggs[1]
6. *Vegan:  These are people who eat no meat, eggs, dairy products.  Also, they do not consume processed foods that have trace amounts of the foods listed or animal-derived ingredients like gelatin.  Some Vegans also avoid sugar, some wines and sometimes honey[1].
7. Raw Vegan/Raw Food Diet:  Same as #6 with the unprocessed food not being heated over 115 degrees Fahrenheit[1].
8. Macrobiotic:  This includes unprocessed vegan foods like whole grains, fruits and vegetables.  Fish is occasionally allowed but sugar and refined oils are avoided.  What is most unique about this plan is the consumption of Asian vegetables (Daikon and sea vegetables like seaweed)[1].

The definitions above with the asterisk are the ones I learned in college.  What I find funny is the overwhelming majority of people I have come across in the health club/gym settings think they Vegan but just don't eat Red Meat (I am surprised there is not a definition for this one above) or are Flexitarians/Semi-Vegetarians (#2).

The next post will talk about food quality with the above definitions. 


References:
1.  Retrieved from:  http://vegetarian.about.com/od/vegetarianvegan101/tp/TypesofVeg.htm 

3 Foods I Used to Think Were Healthy

A few weeks ago Tom Nikkola, Sr. Director of Nutrition and Weight Management of Life Time Fitness wrote an article for Flourish titled "10 Foods I Used to Think Were Healthy" found here.  It was a great article and got me thinking, "What were some of the foods I used to think were healthy?"   

Below are my "Top 3." 

Coming in at #3:  Bagels

Coming in at #2:  Skim Milk

 

Coming in at #1:  Orange Juice

Feel free to ask questions and share your foods you USED to think were healthy.

5 X 5: If I Could Only Use One Program Going Forward, This Would be it!

I am often asked what my favorite weight training program is.  If I could only pick one to use for the rest of my life it would be the 5 X 5 Program.  I learned it from Charles Poliquin in his book Modern Trends in Strength Training.  It is a simple program to use.  After the appropriate warm up pick a weight you could perform 7-8 reps with in good form.  From there you do five sets of five reps.  When you can hit 25 total reps you increase the weight and try for 5 X 5.  If you only get 22 reps (i.e. 5, 5, 4, 4, 4), keep the weight the same the next workout and try to beat the rep total.  

Simple Program - Big Results!

Strictly Strength Workout Friday, May 3, 2013

Below is the workout we did for my Strictly Strength class on Friday, May 3.  In this workout we did Tri-Sets.  A Tri-Set is when you perform three exercises in a row for the same muscle group.  For example when training the chest you might perform a set of Incline Dumbbell Chest Presses followed by Incline Dumbbell Flyes followed by Flat Bench Dumbbell Chest Presses.  This is a great technique if you want to isolate a specific muscle group and really fatigue it.  

In class we did an upper body Tri-Set followed by a lower body Tri-Set, repeated all six exercises again and then moved on to the next muscle groups.

Tri-Set 1 (Chest Exercises): 2 Sets X 45 Seconds TUT

1. Push-Up
2. Dumbbell Flye off the step
3. Dumbbell Chest Press off the step

Tri-Set 2 (Squat Exercises):  2 Sets X 45 Seconds TUT

1. Dumbbell Plie Squat
2. Single-Leg Squat
3. Resist-A-Band Squat

Tri-Set 3 (Back Exercises):  2 Sets X 45 Seconds TUT

1. Bent-Over Dumbbell Row
2. Resist-A-Band Rear Delt Flye
3. Seated Resist-A-Band Row

Tri-Set 4 (Hamstring Exercises):  2 Sets X 45 Seconds TUT

1. Gliding Disk Leg Curls
2. Figure-8 Leg Curls
3. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift

Tri-Set 5 (Shoulder Exercises):  2 Sets X 45 Seconds TUT

1. Standing Dumbbell Arnold Press
2. Standing Dumbbell Side Raise
3. Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Tri-Set 6 (Lunge Exercises):  2 Sets X 45 Seconds TUT

1. Dumbbell Forward Lunge
2. Gliding Disk Side Lunge 
3. Dumbbell Reverse Lunge off the step

Tri-Set 7 (Biceps Exercises):  2 Sets X 45 Seconds TUT

1. Dumbbell Hammer Curl
2. Dumbbell Biceps Curl
3. Resist-A-Band Biceps Curl

Tri-Set 8 (Triceps Exercises):  2 Sets X 45 Seconds TUT

1. Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension
2. Bent-Over Dumbbell Kickback
3. Lying Dumbbell Triceps Extension off the step

Tri-Set 9 (Ab Exercises):  2 Sets X 45 Seconds TUT

1. Abdominal V-Ins off the bench
2. Abdominal Crunches off the bench
3. Seated Abdominal Rotations off the bench

Enjoy the Workout!

Supplement Spotlight #4: Dynamic Greens

One of my favorite supplements is Dynamic Greens Made by Nutra-Dyne.  There are four flavors (Berry, Chocolate, Mint and Kiwi Strawberry).  Here are some of it's benefits:

1. It is an easy way to get a concentrated dose of anti-oxidants to fight off the free radical damage our bodies are exposed to on a daily basis.  Each serving is 20+ servings of antioxidants.
2. It is an easy way to alkalize our body.  Many foods people eat are very acidic (Starchy carbohydrates and dairy products for example).  Even good quality lean protein is acidic.  Taking Dynamic Greens is a simple way to alkalize the body.
3. Based off #2 if people are acidic it can lower their work capacity when they train.  Taking this supplement can improve work capacity.
4. Taking this product during or immediately after a training session can help lower cortisol from the exercise faster resulting in faster recovery.
5. Although I still encourage people to make sure they get at least 5-6 servings of vegetables and fruit/day (9-11 servings with a 3:1 ratio of vegetables to fruit is optimal), this product can be a good start for those who eat less than those recommendations.
6. The Kiwi Strawberry flavor is a great product for kids to help get them the benefits of vegetables and fruits.  Just tell them it is fruit juice (It tastes like Strawberry Kool Aid).
7. When mixed with protein powder (Whey or Vegetarian in a Vanilla flavor) the combination can be a great post-workout drink or a meal replacement.  Just put it in a shaker bottle, add water, shake it up and enjoy!

I will conclude this post by saying it is one of, if not the most underrated supplement on the market.  Whether your goals are Longevity and Vitality, Fat Loss or Performance this is a must have!