Excuses, excuses

One of the biggest excuses that people give for not exercising regularly is, "I don't have enough time." Well lets figure this out. There are 168 hours in a week. Resistance training 2 or 3 times per week for 1-hour = only 1.2% or 1.79% of the entire week respectively. That is doable.
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Not convinced? Let’s get realistic:
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Work 8 hours/day at 5 days/week = 40 hours
2 hour preparation and travel time to and from work each day (2 x 5) = 10 hours
30 minutes for each meal eaten each day (x 3 = 1.5) x 7 days = 10.5 hours
Sleep time at 8 hours per night (x 7) = 56
TOTAL FOR WEEK = 116.5
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168 total hours in week – 116.5 = 51.5 remaining hours for other things (e.g., family time, recreation, errands, relaxing, etc.).
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2 x 1-hour training sessions each week = 3.8% of the remaining 51.5 hours
2 x 45 minute training sessions each week = 2.9% of the remaining 51.5
2 x 30 minute training sessions each week = 1.9% of the remaining 51.5
Or if you want to resistance train three times a week
3 x 1-hour training sessions each week = 5.8% of the remaining 51.5 hours.
3 x 45 minute training sessions each week = 4.37% of the 51.5 remaining hours.
3 x 30 minute training sessions each week = 2.9% of the remaining 51.5 hours.
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Find the time, make the time, stick with it, no excuses

These figures were partially taken from Coach Tom Kelso. I have double checked the numbers and added some additional information. There is also time for 2-3 days a week of cardio work at 20 minutes a session.

Full body vs. split routine workouts

I am not sure why there is even a discussion for this topic. The research shows without a shadow of a doubt that in order to get certain hormone releases in the body to enhance strength training that one must to moderately high to high intensity lower body compound leg exercises. So why do so many people insist on splitting the body into parts or even upper and lower.

Whenever I am approached on this subject I have a couple of questions that I like to ask people. First, have you ever seen the musculature system of a cadaver with the skin pulled back. If so you realize that it is very difficult to see where one muscle starts and ends. They are all intertwined to help our body move and avoid serious injury. Next question is usually, "Do you understand that when you are focusing work on the chest that the muscles of the back are being recruited also. There are not stabilizer muscles in the body, stabilization comes from the muscles working against each other to move your body in the plane in which you want it to move. Another question has to do with building!! When building a house where does one start? They start at the bottom (foundation) and work there way through to the smaller details. Hence start with the legs, then chest, traps, shoulders, and lats... not always in that order, but definitely in a push-pull manner (which I will cover in the next blog). After the main upper body push-pull muscles you work the abs, low back, bi's, tri's, grip, and neck. Actually I start with the neck and then legs and so on. There may be a few other questions, but you get the idea.

From there I use a couple of metaphors, for example; "Does the body pump blood to only half of the body a day or even just a body part a day... Does the skeletal system only work in upper and lower days!!" So and and so forth with the other systems of the body. The answer is obviously "NO" not at all. So why is it that we want to train the muscular system different than the way it naturally works!! For this question I have no answer, simply because my clients and myself train the full-body 2-3 times a week and no more then that. 2-3 times a week is all that is needed.

A complete full-body workout should typically consist of 12-15 exercises, sometimes more, sometimes less.

Remember, train smarter AND harder!!

Are there degrees of Overload???

For the last 20-30 years there has been an argument on whether multiple sets are better then single sets. I'll tell you right now that I am an advocate for single sets of exercises in the weight room. One of the most important things to remember when training is that in order to build muscle you must overload the muscle. This is a very simple process. This principle states that in order to increase strength in any of the systems of the body (muscular, cardiovascular, respiratory, skeletal) you must work it harder than it is accustomed to working. This can easily be done in one set.

So my question to those who believe that multiple sets are needed to overload is, "Are there degrees to the overloading principle?" Answer, "NO" of course there aren't. Once the muscle has been overloaded you cannot overload it more. So then if overloading the muscle is done in one set, why go on to do more sets. Even the research on this matter doesn't show a significant difference between one set and multiple sets, so why the need to do more then one set. I believe it all has to do with marketing and the perpetuation of false pretenses. Many people go into a gym and ask the big guy or fitness model type woman how they got there look. And without mentioning all the body ruining supplements that they take they ramble off a workout routine that takes 2-3 hours to complete. On top of that they tell you that they do this similar workout 6 days a week. Who has time for that? And further more who really wants to do that? Not this guy, I get great results lifting weights twice a week and have not plateaued in my lifting in a long time. Twice a week, full-body workouts with one set per body part.

More to come on full-body workouts in the next blog!!

"A Strong Mind, in A Strong Body!"

Back on track!!!

My wife and I have been a little busy the last two months with the birth of our first child, but I am back on track and catching up on some blog writing that has been on my mind. On May 19th we welcomed our beautiful daughter Aubrianna and things couldn't be better. I am still working out my usual 3-4 days a week half of that conditioning and the other half resistance training. My wife has been hitting it hard since her six week check-up. As soon as she was given the okay it was right back into the high intensity workouts that she was used too. As for our daughter, she is taken it easy right now, I don't want to push her into training just yet!!!! The way my wife and I see it we will always do the best we can for out daughter, but if we don't take care of ourselves first how can we expect to take care of her and be positive role models.

Remember, "A Strong Mind, In A Strong Body"

No Gimmicks, No Fads, NO BULL!

What type of supplement should I take?

Over the years of teaching at the university level and working as a coach I've been asked thousands of times, "what supplements do you take? and/or what do you think I should take?" The answer is always the same, "NOTHING!" I do not take any supplements and do not recommend anyone take any supplements. The only time I would take any type of supplement is if it were Doctor recommended. That is the only time I think anyone needs to take a supplement. Throughout all my years of learning and improving myself as a strength and performance professional one quote kept popping up over and over again, "A POOR DIET SUPPLEMENTED IS STILL A POOR DIET!" Actually there is another quote that I heard numerous times also and that is, "The more money you spend on supplements the more your piss is worth!" That pretty much summed it up for me. If people eat a fairly well balanced diet, they will get all the "supplements" that they need. Remember that the FDA does not regulate supplements. At one of the last clinics I was at a speaker who researches supplements gave a percentage of supplements that have other substances that are in the powder other then those listed on the label and it was staggering! I cannot remember the number off hand, but it was high.

Some of the biggest supplements used are creatine and after workout recovery drinks (i.e. muscle milk, the new gatorade drink, etc...). Lets first look at creatine. It is found in your red meats. Okay settled, just eat red meats and you will get the creatine that your body needs and not over do it on the creatine, which can be done. Next is muscle milk, which is suppose to "finish your workout" and help with recovery. Well take a look at the regular milk ads. Chocolate milk is just as if not more effective for helping give your body the nutrients it needs after a workout. Chocolate milk along with a nice lean protein sandwich on some good bread and you are well on your way to building muscle.

These were just two examples of popular supplements that are taken, but hopefully you get the point and if you still think you want to use supplements do a lot of research because supplement companies could care less if you get strong, lean, gain or loss weight, etc... all they want to do is continue making the billions of dollars that they are making!!

Eat healthy, stay active, and enjoy!!

Hard work... what's THAT?

I want to tone. I want to gain strength. I want to gain size. I want to get into better shape. I want, I want, I want. Most people want to exercise and get into better shape, the problem is they don't want to work for it. Here is the magic pill!! Hard, consistent work. That is what it takes to see the results that you are looking for. While working out the intensity level should be at a level to force the body into adaptation. To help you make sure that you are working hard enough to force adaptation you should track your workouts and record every thing that is done throughout your workout. Then it comes back to working hard. Once the muscle starts to burn in the midst of the exercise that is when you want to push and get as many repetitions past that point. Why? Because that is when the muscle and body is being forced to work to a point of adaptation. Contrary to popular beliefs (myths) this can be done twice a week with full body workouts and one set per exercise. Don't believe me? Give me a call and see what it takes to get the results you are looking for!!

Alcohol Slows Down Muscle Growth

Some of the great weight lifters and boxers from the early 1900s trained in the back saloons. Typically, they would drink beer, do a few reps or box a round, then drink some more. While this makes for a great story, it’s lousy way to train. Dr. C.H. Lang and colleagues from Penn State University found that even moderate drinking decreased the rate of protein synthesis by 20 percent. Alcohol interferes with the way amino acids are lined up to make specific proteins. It also blocks the action of the powerful anabolic hormone, insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1). This is important information for athletes and other weight trained athletes. Even a few drinks can erase all the work you did in the gym.

What is the next greatest thing??

Why do people want to make strength training and exercise difficult? They are always looking for the magic pill that will allow them to gain strength, size, and lose weight without doing actual work. Strength training and exercise isn't brain surgery, it really comes down to simple things. Do it safely, do it consistently, do it progressively, get enough rest and recovery time between workouts, and eat properly. Sure there are other factors, but those are a great start. The last thing I would mention that goes along with safety are doing things with proper technique. I see people on a daily basis that do things wrong, simple things and yet they do them wrong. If you do things wrong and in bad technique for long enough injuries will occur. So think about how the body moves and don't look for the magic pill, just work hard and work consistently while eating properly and you will see results!!

What is the "CORE?"

I hear people talking all the time about working the "core." As a matter of fact, I get asked on almost a daily basis for some good "core" workouts. Let me just assure you there are no magic "core" routines, actually there really aren't any magical routines period. There are however routines that are the more effective then others. The problem is that when people think they are working their core, they really aren't getting the whole thing. See the core goes from basically the top of the head to below the waist. If you have ever had the pleasure of seeing a cadaver of the muscular system then you would see that the muscles are all intertwined and running together. The "core" as so many people want to call it consists of the abs, obliques, and erector spinae (low back). Once knowing the insertions and origins of the muscles, it is easy to see that the "core" is far from just the abs, obliques, and erector spinae. With that being said you should make sure to work all of the midsection as well as the entire back, chest, legs, arms, neck, grip, etc... And be sure when you work the midsection, you work the entire midsection. Lastly within your workouts be sure to work the entire body, working opposing muscles equally.

You won't get too "BIG!!"

If we all strength train we will look just like the women in the picture!!! Not true at all, and that goes for women just as much as men. Let’s first look at what research has agreed upon for reasons for resistance training. There are four reasons: to build strength, hypertrophy, power, and endurance. Endurance training is what results in the “tone” or lean body look that many people are looking for.

The funny thing about muscle is that if you don’t use it you lose it, about 5-7 pounds of it every decade. For myself, that could mean a muscle loss of anywhere from 7-12 pounds that I could have lost already. Luckily, I resistance train twice a week. Muscle can also atrophy (get smaller) a lot faster then hypertrophy (get bigger) muscle. For those that have ever have been in a cast or had a joint immobilized for even a short period of time, you notice a loss of muscle and the previously immobilized joint and surrounding area are smaller then before.

Let us get on track now. A common concern among girls and women is that if they lift weights they will become big and bulky. NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH!! Lifting weights is essential and if done properly will result in less aches and pains, more energy, ability to do everyday activities easier, etc, etc. Lifting weights and not getting bulky is easy to do with the proper routines, intensity, and repetition ranges. A common myth is that those not wanting to get big and bulky should just use light resistance for high repetitions or go to group classes that make a “claim” of strength building. Big and bulky muscles may be achieved if that is the goal, but that goal has its own protocols, if the person is capable of even getting “big and bulky.” Genetics has a lot to do with how big a person can become from lifting weights also. Our bodies have an essential amount of fat they need to be healthy and everyone’s body is different in where they carry that fat and muscle. Some people find it easy to gain six-pack abs, but difficult to get any definition in their arms or legs, and yet other people are just the opposite.

The goal of this blog is to set your mind at ease about lifting weights and debunk the myth that lifting weights is all about bodybuilding and that you will only get big and bulky. That is the furthest thing from the truth and if your program is set up correctly you will achieve the look you are striving towards. Remember, like the picture says, "too much of a good thing is still too much."

What are those things on your FEET???

WHAT ARE THOSE THINGS ON YOUR FEET? I get this question all the time, and my response is "my shoes." One of the next things most people say is "No way, those aren't shoes or are they comfortable, do they have any support, etc..."

First things first, yes they are shoes. They have a rubber sole on them to keep your feet protected. They are extremely comfortable, especially if you like being barefoot. Now here is the kicker that gets most people, they don't have any support. This is by design and is a good thing as long as you don't already have lots of foot issues. The idea behind the Vibram Five-finger shoe is to allow your foot to act and work the way it was designed to. The average foot has 26 bones, 33 joints, 20 muscles, and hundreds of sensory receptors, tendons and ligaments. With all the support that most shoes give all of those 20 muscles actually get weaker because they don't have to work to support the foot. With the five-finger shoes the muscles have to work and begin to hypertrophy (grow bigger) which improves the strength of the bones, joints, tendons, and ligaments of the foot and ankle. As the foot and ankle gets stronger we can actually improve our balance, posture, and other skills. Once my feet got stronger from wearing these shoes, I noticed that any discomfort in my knees, hips, or back from being on my feet all day long just disappeared.

You can see in the picture that I currently have five pairs of vibram five-fingers and I wear them everyday. In fact I can count on one hand the number of times over the past two years that I have worn other shoes outside of the five-fingers. I have used them for conditioning work, exercising, everyday wear, and I even wore them up on a roof that I ripped off and re-shingled. They do allow a person to still wear socks with them and one of the greatest things about them is that they can just be tossed in the washer and hung out to dry when they start to stink. And they will start to smell if you wear them enough and exercise in them. I'm really not sure what else to say about them right now, but if you have any questions just leave me a comment and I will answer it asap.

NO BULL! STRENGTH AND PERFORMANCE wants to send a big congratulations and keep up the good work to one of its clients. Okay its not only one of my clients it is also my mom. You see, back in December she was found out the news that she is now full-blown type 2 diabetic. It was that news that inspired her. My mother stands about 5’ 1” and was weighing in extra heavy to be kind. After finding out the news of her unfortunate circumstances, although brought on totally of her own doing, she went through the process of visiting the nutritionist to get the information needed to live with her new found “friend”. With kudos to my mother she complied quite well with her new diet and in combination with that started visiting her personal trainer on a weekly basis, albeit no more then twice a week. And within the last two months she has lost “30lbs.” This has been a great transformation thus far and hope that she continues to make strides toward a healthier life. It hasn’t been easy for her though, she has a bad hip, and both knees are bone on bone. She does have a couple of other health issues brought upon by her obesity, but, she pushes through and sticks with the program the best she can. Even with these issues, when she could just easily say NO, she looks to me for motivation and guidance for her resistance workouts each week. I want to again say congratulations to her for the hard work and please don’t think that I am trying to toot my own horn. She is the one that made the decisions, I am merely the facilitator and coach that continues’ to teach and motivate.

Resistance training equipment

At NO BULL! STRENGTH & PERFORMANCE we use a variety of tools to train the body. Looking through the pictures on the website you'll notice machines, free weights, resistance bands, chains, suspension trainers, etc... You may also notice the brand of equipment. We use Nautilus machines for our non-plated loaded equipment. The reason for this is that our bodies are usually in a mechanical disadvantage. Each muscle has a unique strength curve and within that strength curve there are the points in the muscle when it is weaker, known as a sticking point, and points when the muscle is stronger. For example the hamstring muscle would have a strength curve of strong, weaker, and weakest at full contraction. To properly work the hamstring muscle you would need a variable resistance machine using a cam that works within the strength curve and allows the weight being used to drop off at the weak point of the motion and to drop off even more at the weakest point of the exercise. Another example utilizing the picture of this post is within the bicep curl. The bicep muscle has a strength curve the is weak, strong, and weak again. Look closely at the cam in the picture and you will notice that it is an odd shaped cam. The shape of the cam allows the weight to seem lighter in the beginning, then it gets heavier in the range of motion in which the muscle is strongest, lastly the weight will drop off again at the end allowing the lifter to "stick" the lift at the top and achieve a full, hard contraction. With this being said if you go into your local fitness center look at the equipment and see if the cams that the belt, chain, or cable runs around is just circular or actually changes its shape to produce better results in your resistance training program. Now I'm not saying that free weights, chains, resistance bands, and other implementations do not work, but if you want to get the best out of your workouts you need to use the proper tools. Along with using the proper tools, they need to be used in a safe, progressive, and intense manner to force the body to adapt.

Misconceptions with resistance training #1

Over the years I have been in many health clubs and talked to numerous “so-called” experts about how often I need to train to be able to make gains and stay healthy. All the while I knew the answer. More times than not they all said it depends on what your goals are. BULL! Research has shown that you only need to resistance train 1-3 times a week. Once a week will maintain your current status and make consistent gains. Twice a week will give you 88% of the results that you’ll receive from three days a week. Three times a week is the maximum, because of the time the body needs between resistance training workouts to rest and recover. Personally, I lift twice a week. The clients I currently have resistance train no more than twice a week and if you were to talk to them, they would tell you about the great results they are getting. You see, the more important thing when resistance training is the intensity level at which you train. Resistance training at the proper intensity level twice a week is all anyone needs and is very beneficial.

Resistance training more than four days a week will bring detrimental effects from training called overtraining. Overtraining leads to plateaus in your lifting, fatigue, illness, or even injury. So if anyone tells you that resistance training more then three days a week is the only way to get results, let that information go in one ear and right out the other. Most trainers are interested in making money over other things, my goal is to do things right so that my clients reach their goals and the rest will take care of itself.

This doesn’t mean that on the other days of the week you do nothing. After a hard training session you’ll want to stay active and help keep the muscles from tightening up too much and help the waste materials get moved out of the body. On your off days from resistance training try some conditioning, participate in a sport, housework, gardening, etc. The most important thing is to stay active everyday.