Workout Wednesday 6/29/16: Increase Reps First, Resistance Second

Workout Wednesday Tip:  Increase Reps First, Resistance Second

If there is a simple fix for most people's resistance training programs it is proper progression. 
 
The first step to improve this is to choose a rep range for the exercises you are going to use for 4-6 weeks. Some examples include 12-15, 10-12, 8-10, 6-8, etc. After you determine the rep range you are going to use, multiply it by how many sets you are going to do in the exercise.

For illustration, let's say you are going to do the Barbell Squat for 3 Sets X 10-12 Reps. When you multiply 3 X 10 and 12 respectively you get 30-36 total reps - this is your range.

If you didn't get 30 total reps after 3 sets of the Barbell Squat you picked a resistance that was too heavy. If you are between 30-35 total reps after 3 sets you picked the right resistance. Once you can perform 36 or more you can bump the weight up.

Give that simple tip a try going forward as it is effective.

Grenz's Bookshelf 6/27/16: Strong & Sculpted by Brad Schoenfeld

I just recently finished the book Strong & Sculpted by Brad Schoenfeld.  It is a book that is for women who want to resistance train. 

Here are some of the things I liked about the book:

1. It is simple to read and simple to follow.  It is only 216 pages long with 127 pages geared towards exercises and their descriptions.
2. It does a nice job of explaining the science behind exercise without making things confusing or overwhelming.
3. It has four different easy to apply training phases for different levels of fitness enthusiasts.  In fact women of all levels can start at the first level and work their way into the forth level over the course of a year and get good results.

Regarding topics I wish it would have covered more:

1. In the warm up section it referenced and used examples of the General and Specific warm-ups but only talked about dynamic warm-up/movement prep briefly.  It would have been nice if it would have covered that type of warm-up more as more people need it because they are more sedentary than before.
2. Like most books on resistance training it only spoke briefly on cardio.  It talked about Hight Intensity Interval Training and Steady State Cardio but did not go into too much detail on how to apply them.

If these two topics would have had a little more meat to them a good book would have been a great book.

To conclude this post, for women who want to get into resistance training this is a good, simple to read and apply book.  I would recommend it.

The Six Pillars of Nutrtion: A Simple Nutrtional Template That Works

I recently listened to a podcast from Mike Robertson of Robertson Training Systems and he interviewed Mike Roussell, PhD.

I am familiar with Mike through his articles on T-Nation, Men's Health, etc. and I forgot how applicable his nutritional information is in addition to being really good.  One tool he uses with his clients is The Six Pillars of Nutrition which can be found in a quick video found here or his book found on Kindle found here.

The Six Pillars of Nutrition are for people to be used as a pre-req. before they start more advanced and individualized nutritional templates.  They are:

1. Eat multiple meals/day.  Ideally breakfast, lunch and dinner with one snack.
2. Reduce processed food.  Try to avoid or limit white processed sugar, flour and food that comes out of packages.
3. Try to get fruits or vegetables with each meal.  This is pretty self explanatory, however be cautious of getting too many servings of tropical fruit like bananas, pineapple, grapes, etc.
4. Drink water.  Drink more water and limit liquid beverages that contain sugar and/or lots of empty calories.
5. Consume lean proteins.  Make sure you are getting servings of lean proteins at breakfast, lunch and dinner.
6. Be strategic with starches.  Ideally have them either at breakfast or right after the workout.

In the future before you try to get all crazy with your nutrition plan, give these six behaviors a try.  You may be pleasantly surprised by how well they might work for you!

Fitness Tool Friday 6/24/16: The Dumbbell

The fitness tool that will be feature this week is the Dumbbell.  As much as I would like to start out with Body Weight or Resist-A-Bands as you can take those pretty much anywhere (Body weight isn't an issue, bands you still need to pack), I choose to feature the dumbbells.  The reason for this is if you can at least master the use of Dumbbells you will be able to do lots of different programs not only in a commercial gym but a hotel or apartment gym as well (Most now have dumbbell pairs that go from 5-50 lbs.). 

Here are some basic exercises using dumbbells that will allow you to have a good training program for all body parts just about anywhere (Especially if you travel and need a hotel gym):  

1. Dumbbell Goblet Squat
2. Dumbbell Step Up
3. Dumbbell Lunge
4. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift
5. Dumbbell Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift
6. Dumbbell Single-Leg Standing Calf Raise
7. Dumbbell 1-Arm Row
8. Dumbbell Flat Bench Chest Press
9. Dumbbell Flat Bench Fly
10. Dumbbell Bent-Over Row
11. Dumbbell Shoulder Press
12. Dumbbell Side Raise
13. Dumbbell Biceps Curl
14. Dumbbell Flat Bench Skull Crusher

Give these exercises a try sometime. 





Workout Wednesday 6/22/16: Today's Energy Systems Workout

Here is the workout I did today.

It was an Energy Systems Workout.  After the Dynamic Warm-Up I performed the following:

1. Sprint 10 yards/walk back
2. Sprint 20 yards/walk back
3. Sprint 30 yards/walk back
4. Sprint 40 yards/walk back
5. Sprint 50 yards/walk back
6. Perform 10 regular burpees
7. Rest for 90-120 seconds

*I did this for five total rounds. 

**At the end of each round I increased the burpees by 5 reps (10, 15, 20, 25, 30 reps respectively).

Give it a try as it was great to do outside.

Contenders vs. Champions

I just recently read The Champion's Comeback by Jim Afremow.  In the book he talks how there are two people who show up in sports and life:  The Contender and the Champion.  Here is the difference between them as stated in the book.

• The Contender:  They are threatened by the prospect of competition and faiure.  They either refuse help or expect others to do the hard work instead of doing it themselves.
• The Champion:  They look for tough challenges and use them as opportunities for growth.  They also look for support and feedback (From coaches, teammates, etc.).

As Afremow states, "A champion, unlike a contender regroups after inevitable setbacks and emerges stronger.  A champion embraces difficult and demanding situations and learns from both triumphs and failures."

"The ability to step up to challenges is important in all aspects of life, and it's a key ingredient of happiness and success."

Going forward decide if you are a Contender or Champion.  Hopefully after reading this you decide to be a Champion and you take risks, learn from them (Good or bad) and keep moving forward.

Thursday Training Tip 6/16/16: Two Simple Progression Tips

In order to get results in the gym progressing either resistance or reps is important when it comes to resistance training.

However, people usually don't progress enough, try to progress to quickly or are confused on the topic in general.

Here are two tips to help you get the most out of progression. 

1. Single Rep Number:  An example of this would be 5 Sets X 5 Reps using the same resistance.  If you take 5 X 5 it equals 25 total reps.  So if you are performing the Barbell Bench Press with 185 lbs. and you complete 5, 5, 5, 5, 5 reps respectively (25 total) you get to increase the resistance.  The following week you increase the resistance to 190 lbs. and complete 5, 5, 4, 4, 3 reps (21 total) you would want to keep the weight the same the following weeks until 25 reps are completed.
2. Rep Range Number: An example of this would be 3 Sets X 10-12 Reps.  If you take 3 X 10 it equals 30 reps (This is the low range).  Multiplying 3 X 12 equals 36 (this is the high range).  If you perform a Barbell Biceps Curl with 65 lbs. and completed 15, 12, 10 reps it equals 37 total reps.  You get to increase the resistance the next time you lift.  If you did 10, 8, 6 it equals 24 reps and you used too much resistance.  In the future you may want to lower it a bit.

I hope this makes sense in your workouts in the future.

Give one of these methods a try and see how they work for you.

Workout Wednesday 6/15/16: F.I.T. Class Workout for Tuesday, June 14th

Here is the format for F.I.T. that I taught at Life Time Athletic/Target Center on June 14th.  The equipment is in the photo and below is the workout in case if you missed it.

All exercises are done in for 15-20 reps in a large circuit format (One exercise done after another in a row with minimal rest in between) for 2-3 rotations based on how much time you have:

1. Figure-8-Band Tube Walk
2. BOSU Hip Raise (1 or 2 legs)
3. BOSU Push Up
4. BOSU Squat
5. Resist-A-Band Seated Row (Sit on the BOSU)
6. BOSU Lunge (Front or rear foot on BOSU)
7. Dumbbell Shoulder Press
8. Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift (1 or 2 Legs)
9. Resist-A-Band Biceps Curl
10. BOSU Side Crunch
11. Dumbbell Standing Overhead Triceps Extension
12. BOSU Abdominal Crunch

Give it a try!

Tasty Tuesday Tip 6/14/16: Nuts ARE NOT a Source of Protein!

Many people say they get "Lots of Protein." 

When I ask them where they are getting the majority of their protein from a common answer is "Nuts."

I hate to break the news to everyone but nuts ARE NOT a significant source of protein.  They are a significant source of fat.

Most nut variations (Almonds, Cashews, Walnuts, Sunflower Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, etc.) contain about 5-7 grams of protein/serving.  In the same serving they contain about 6-8 grams of carbohydrates and about 14-17 grams of fat.  Based of this example 50% or more of their calories are from fat.

I am not saying you can't eat nuts, just make sure you get plenty of protein from actual protein sources like meat, eggs, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, protein powders, etc. 

Nuts make a great additional "Secondary Protein" (i.e. one serving can add 5-7 grams of protein to a protein from the list above) or a healthy snack between meals.  However, keep the amount you eat in check.  If you eat four servings of nuts in a day you will get 56-68 grams of fat for 20-28 grams of protein - the fat can add up fast!

Keep this in mind in the future.

Motivation Monday: Adopt a Growth Mindset

One of the keys to having optimal success is to maximize your mindset.  In the book Mindset by Carol Dweck two mindsets are discussed:  Fixed and Growth.

The Fixed Mindset has these characteristics:

• Avoid challenges
• Give up easily when obstacles are in the way
• See effort as fruitless
• Ignore useful negative feedback or criticism
• Feel threatened by the success of others
• As a result they plateau early and achieve less than their full potential
• All this confirms a deterministic view of the world

The Growth Mindset has these characteristics:

• Embrace challenges
• Persist in the face of obstacles or setbacks
• See effort as a path to mastery
• Learn from criticism
• Find lessons and inspiration from the success of others
• As a result they reach ever higher levels of achievement
• All this gives them a great sense of free will

To get optimal success in fitness, finance, friendship, etc. it is important to choose the Growth Mindset.  Always look for ways to get better and if you fail, learn from it and move forward!

60-Day Transformation Tips 1-5

The last five days I have been sharing tips for the Life Time Fitness 60-Day Challenge.  The goal is to give people a tip each day for sixty days on my Facebook Page.  Here are the first five tips:

1. Design your training program ahead of time.
2. Log your food in a nutrition journal.
3. Use the "Jeans Test."
4. Increase your daily steps.
5. Try the "Meat and Nuts Breakfast."

Stay tuned for posts in the near future that describe the above in more detail.

Training Tip 6/10/16: Experiment With Tempo When Lifting

When most people lift weights they usually just lift the weight for the sake of lifting the weight.  If they focus on anything it is usually on how much weight is being lifted and how many reps they are doing.

An easy opportunity to improve your performance in the gym is by experimenting with different lifting tempos.  I give credit to Charles Poliquin for making fitness enthusiasts more aware of the positive impact it can have on resistance training.

He uses a 4-count model for tempo (i.e. 4021 for Barbell Biceps Curls) that goes as follows:

• The "4" represents the eccentric motion.
• The "0" represents the first isometric pause.
• The "2" represents the concentric motion.
• The "1" represents the second eccentric pause.
• *Using the Barbell Biceps Curls exercise as an example you would lower the Barbell for 4-seconds, don't pause on the bottom of the motion (0), lift the Barbell back up for 2-seconds and pause on top of the movement for 1-second.

To get a practical start using tempo on your lifting focus on either the eccentric count or one of the two isometric pauses initially as it is less to think about.  Once you get good at using those focus on continuous reps at tempos of 2010 where you keep the weight moving 2-seconds down and 1-second up with no pauses in between.

Give it a try the next time you lift.

Workout Wednesday 6/8/16: Tuesday's F.I.T. Class

For Workout Wednesday, I am going to give you the workout I did in my F.I.T. Group Exercise class on Tuesday, June 7th at Life Time Athletic/Target Center.

Equipment is shown in the photo and included a Mat, BOSU, Long Resist-A-Band, Figure-8 Band, and 2-3 pairs of Dumbbells.

Dynamic Warm Up:  10 minutes total time.  Each exercise is done for 10-12 reps.

Circuit 1:  2 Sets X 15-20 Reps

1. BOSU Hip Raise
2. BOSU Push Ups
3. Dumbbell Single Leg Deadlifts
4. Resist-A-Band Standing Pull Aparts

Circuit 2: 

1. BOSU Dynamic Plank
2. Resist-A-Band Seated Row (Sit on BOSU)
3. BOSU Squat
4. BOSU Dumbbell Fly 

Circuit 3:

1. BOSU Side Crunch
2. Dumbbell Bent-Over Row
3. BOSU Split Lunge (Front or Rear Foot Elevated)
4. Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Circuit 4:

1. BOSU Abdominal Crunch
2. Dumbbell Side Raise
3. Resist-A-Band Biceps Curl
4. BOSU Dumbbell Lying Triceps Extensions

If you missed class, give it a try.  If you want to have someone tell you what to do when you workout, come to class on Tuesdays at 12:00.

Have a great evening!

Tasty Tuesday Tip 6/7/16: Popcorn Replacement

This weeks Tasty Tuesday Tip involves what many people eat at the movie theater as a treat and that treat is popcorn.

The problem with popcorn purchased at a movie theater such as AMC is it can have anywhere between 225 calories (11 grams of fat) for a small serving to 1,030 calories (41 grams of fat) for a large serving and these servings don't even include butter! [1]

If you want something to snack on without all the calories the next time you go to the movies try Quaker Buttered Popcorn flavored Rice Cakes.  One of these Rice Cakes is around 30 calories with gram of fat.  You could eat the whole bag and get 400 calories with around 12 grams of fat tops.

For people trying to eat heathier when they go to the movies, the Rice Cakes may be the way to go.  In addition a bag of these Rice Cakes costs $2.25 compared to movie popcorn that can be $7-10 based on serving size.

Give them a try sometime.

References:

1. http://www.thedailymeal.com/how-unhealthy-movie-theater-popcorn

Motivational Monday: Sucess Habits of Weathy People

This is from the book The School of Greatness by Lewis Howes on the daily habits of what the wealthiest people in the world.

1. Maintain a to-do list.
2. Wake up 3+ hours before work (To set themselves up for the day).
3. Listen to audiobooks during the commutes.
4. Network 5+ hours each week.
5. Read 30+ minutes each day.
6. Exercise 4 days a week.
7. Eat minimal junk food.
8. Watch 1 hour or less of TV a day.
9. Teach good daily success habits to their children.
10. Make their children volunteer 10+ hours per month.
11. Write down their goals.
12. Focus on accomplishing a specific goal.
13. Believe in lifelong educational self-improvement.
14. Believe good habits create opportunities.
15. Believe bad habits have a negative impact.

As Howes says, “Following all these habits won’t guarantee that you’ll become rich or that you will immediately achieve whatever form of greatness you are after, but they can’t hurt, and they could very well be the springboard you were looking for!”

Give them a try!

Question of Supplements 6/5/16

Question:  What nutritional supplements di you use during your contest prep?

Answer:  The supplements in the photo to the right is what I used.  They included:

• Life Time Fitness Whey Protein (1 Scoop post workout)
• Life Time Fitness Pre-Workout Complex (2 scoops/day with one scoop at 6 am and the second at 8:30-9:00 am just prior to my workout)
• Life Time Fitness BCAA Recovery (2 Scoops during my workout)
• Life Time Fitness Omega-3 Fish Oil (6 Caps/Day divided up into three dosages at breakfast, lunch and diner)
• Life Time Fitness Vitamin D (10,000 i.u./day)
• Life Time Fitness Performance Multi-Vitamin (I took the 3 AM at breakfast and the 3 PM at diner)

Future posts will highlight each of them regarding what they are, what they do, dosage, when to take them, cost and where you can get them. 

These posts will usually be on Sundays and will be called Supplement Spotlight.

Stay tuned!

60-Day Challenge: Why I Am Doing It And How I Will Win My Division

Today was the first day of the weigh ins for the Life Time Fitness 60-Day Challenge.  Once thing that has been cool is there is more encouragement for Life Time employees to do the employee division and there are decent prizes for the winner.

 

I am doing the Employee Transformation Division this year.  I am doing it for the following reasons:

1. I have proven myself pretty credible when it comes to fat loss.  In addition to helping clients achieve great results, I have successfully lost 60+ pounds and have kept it off for 20+ years.  In addition to that I have won three similar Transformation Challenges as well as have competed in six Physique competitions.  I think it is safe to say that I am an expert on fat loss!
2. Although I have done well on fat loss, I want to prove to people as well as myself that I am a credible source when it comes to muscle gain.  My goal for the transformation is to gain as much muscle as possible while gaining minimal fat in the process.
3. I always joke that in the previous 90-Day Challenges the Weight Loss Division and the Transformation Division should be called Weight Loss for People Who Won't See Their Abs and Weight Loss For People Who Can See Their Abs at the end of the challenge respectively.  What I mean by that is that they are both really weight loss challenges and many LTF members who are below 10% body fat usually aren't that motivated to do the challenge because they are lean to begin with.  I want to prove someone who is already really lean can win the thing.

I also intend to win the Employee Transformation Division and this is how I am going to do it:

1. I rarely drink alcohol - that give me an immediate edge in the "Beer & Barbeque" season.
2. My average nightly sleep has only been six hours/night.  If I can up that to 7-8 hours/night it could be a game changer.
3. Even though I did well in my last physique competition, I wasn't as meticulous on nutrition and program design as I could have been.
4. Finally, as much as I hate it, doing two High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) sessions/week could be big in the off-season.

Will I win?  We will see and I will keep you posted along the way.  Stay tuned!

 

 



Question of Nutrition 6/2/16

Question:  I love Potato Chips because of the salt and the crunch.  Do you have a suggestion for a snack that still has a salty taste with a crunchy texture that is a heathier option?

Answer:  Try plain Rice Cakes with Salsa.  I have similar cravings and this trick has helped me greatly. 

Regarding brands I would suggest the Quaker Plain Rice Cakes and Pace Chunky Salsa.  With the Rice cakes it doesn't matter if they are salt free or the version with the sodium in as the amount is minimal.  As far as the Salsa, I prefer the Medium flavor as it has a little more kick.

Obviously you can find heathier brands of each at places that sell higher quality food (Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Lakewinds, The Wedge, etc.).  However, what I have listed can be found at most grocery stores as well as stores like Target and Walmart.

Give it a try and let me know if this helps.

Workout Wednesday 6/1/16: Sprint Ladder

Here is a cardio workout that most people can do either indoors (Can be done on a Basketball Court in a Commercial Gym that has one like Life Time Fitness) or it can be done outside.  It is from the book Ultimate Conditioning for Martial Arts by Loren Landow.

Regarding equipment all that is needed is a flat surface (Grass, turf, hardwood floor or a running track) and four cones or markers.

Regarding procedure, do the following:

• Place the four cones on a flat surface at the 0 (Starting point), 10 yard mark, 20 yard mark, and 30 yard mark. 
• Run at 85-100% effort to the 10 yard mark and walk back to the staring point (This is the rest interval). 
• Run 20 yards to the second cone and walk back. 
• Run 30 yards to the third cone and walk back. 
• Run to the 30 yard mark and walk back.
• Run to the 20 yard mark and walk back.
• Finally run to the 10 yard mark and walk back.

The total distance is 120 yards (6 runs/walks).  After the first one is complete rest for 2-3 minutes and repeat the series of 120 yards two or more times based on how much time you have or where it is placed in your program (i.e. Week 1:  2X total, Week 2:  3X total, Week 3:  4X total, Week 4:  2X total).

Give it a try!