Friday, November 13, 2009

Dealing with a Chocoholic

The following is an exerpt from an article that appeared on www.tmuscle.com titled "In the Trenches Vol 2." Perfectly stated, enjoy!

Scott Abel: The Chocoholic

A Figure competitor writes me and says that she can diet just fine, but has a weakness for chocolate. She has some every day, and more than "some" on weekends. She has herself convinced she has a physiological "need" for it.

The first thing I did was tell her she didn't have a weakness for chocolate; she was just weak, period. But you have to prove these things to people or they just cement themselves in a defensive position.

To prove it to her, I gave her specific instructions: For the next week, she could eat nothing but chocolate. Every two hours, she had to eat 200-500 grams of chocolate, six times per day, and nothing else. This was to last seven days.

By day four she was begging me to eat something else. She felt sick, nauseous, tired, etc. By day five, without my permission, she cheated, on guess what? Chicken breast with vegetables on a bed of rice. In other words, she cheated with a diet meal.

So even with a diet that she felt was "heaven" she had to cheat in reverse. This proved to her she was indeed weak. Chocolate was just a misrepresentation of it.

I never had an issue with her again diet-wise and she won several contests. Problem solved. It was faulty thinking, not faulty diet or faulty metabolism, as so many dieters want to believe.
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Monday, November 9, 2009

I Learn Something Everyday

I had a startling revelation in the gym today: not everyone has goals. While this a completely foreign concept to me personally, I need to acknowledge this and not hold it against the person I am working with. It is a fact that some people do not work with a trainer to achieve a specific goal, but rather to simply get in his/her weekly exercise; and there is nothing wrong with this. I can still use a structured workout system to subtly work on the goals that I as the exercise professional know that the individual should work toward. Ultimately, this may be the ideal method as it allows ME to accomplish MY ultimate goal for each individual that I have the pleasure of working with: an increased level of strength, power, coordination, agility, stability, and self-confidence, and decreased levels of body fat, body weight, and negativity.
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Thursday, November 5, 2009

Build Muscle to Burn Fat

Last summer I went on a hiking trip in the mountains of West Virginia. The group I was with covered about 20 miles in three days. I personally carried a 45 pound backpack the whole time, and energized myself with jerky, trail mix, and Clif Bars. When i returned (and boy was I glad to return!!), I noticed that I looked leaner. When i weighed myself I was astonished to discover that I had lost 5 pounds! Those that know me know that I do not necessarily have 5 pounds to lose. A few days back in the gym lifting proved that I did not lose muscle, but body fat, as I was just as strong, if not stronger, than before the trip.

A quick human physiology lesson: the body hates muscle, and loves fat. It sees muscle as an energy-gobbling tissue, while it views fat as an inexhaustible energy reservoir with which to keep the brain alive. Your body will dump muscle faster than you can read this article if you let it, especially when undergoing caloric restriction. The key is not letting it.

Despite my caloric restriction, living off basically nothing but snack food for three days, my body did not drop an ounce of muscle. Why? Because my body recognized that I needed all the muscle that I had available on my body. That was the only way I could survive and keep hiking rugged terrain with a 45 pound backpack strapped to me. So in this instance, despite the human body's desire to shed muscle and hold onto fat, I FORCED the body to react the opposite way: the stress of the activity persuaded my body that the best option was to keep the muscle and burn the fat.

This lesson should be applied to fat loss exercise programming. In order to lose body fat and preserve, or ideally increase, lean muscle mass, you need to lift and move heavy weight. Again, given the choice your body will dump muscle and cling to the fat. You force the body to react the opposite way by placing stress on it. This lets the body know that it needs muscle or else it will snap in half like a dry twig. Once the body decides it needs muscle, it will look for the next available fuel source to burn: stored body fat. Not only will the body burn off fat for fuel, but the body will also shed pounds of fat in order to be lighter and thus reduce the stress placed upon it.

Need hardcore scientific evidence? A study published in the May 2008 edition of Obesity compared three groups: diet only, diet plus aerobic exercise training, and diet plus resistance training. The diet-only and diet plus aerobic exercise groups both lost lean muscle mass and experienced a lowered resting metabolic rate (not good.) The diet plus resistance training group maintained lean muscle mass and resting metabolic rate, indicating that indeed resistance training is a sufficient stimulus to persuade the body to hold onto its muscle despite caloric restriction.

The body wants to be lazy, but we can turn the tables on it. Lifting heavy weight will stimulate many positive adaptations, namely an increase in muscle mass, which is the most important factor in the reduction of body fat.

References
Hunter et al. Resistance Training Conserves Fat-free Mass and Resting Energy Expenditure Following Weight Loss. Obesity. 2008 May; 16(5): 1045-51.
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Wednesday, June 24, 2009

'What is the Best Ab Exercise? Part 2'

It occurred to me while reading the first installment of the ‘What is the Best Ab Exercise?’ series that all I basically did was bash abdominal flexion training, while failing to discuss in detail abdominal stability and rotary training. So here is goes….

STABILITY

Let’s start with stability. One might say that the purpose of the core is to unite and coordinate movements of the upper and lower bodies. A strong, stable core allows one to transfer power and strength between the upper and lower extremities during such movements as a golf swing, throwing a ball, or walking while carrying a wiggling child. Strong core stabilizer muscles would prevent your upper body from collapsing during such activities, which could lead to poor performance of said activity, a back injury, or a bruised, crying child.

So how does one train for core stability? I like to think of stabilization training as ‘anti-training.’ That’s anti-flexion, anti-extension, and anti-rotation. During stabilization training we do not want to flex, extend, or rotate the spine, but instead want perfectly aligned posture. Exercises to incorporate would include the bridge/plank series (prone and side), as well as the pointer dog/bird dog.

One tip when practicing these floor-based exercises is to assume an ideal posture you would want to have when standing. Secondly, make sure your lower abdominals are engaged and your low back is lengthened. This can be accomplished by tipping the pelvis up slightly, as if you are trying to pinch your belt buckle. Ask a trainer to demonstrate this as it can be tricky to learn on your own.

Anti-rotation, or rotary stability, can be practiced by using an exercise band or a cable machine to apply rotational resistance as you fight to stay straight: eyes, chest, fists, hips, and toes all lined up straight ahead. Again, ask a trainer to demonstrate, or contact me for more detailed information.

ROTATION

Now sometimes we want to rotate, as in the examples mentioned above when hitting a golf ball or throwing any type of pass. Power and strength are generated through the legs and hips, pass through the rotating core musculature, and are transferred to the upper body extremities, allowing for a MUCH longer drive, throw, or hit.

Stepping aside from sports, one can see the functional importance of twisting when participating in basic human activities such as building structures, moving objects, hunting game, or defending oneself. For these reasons, our bodies are equipped with powerful muscles called obliques that are responsible for rotation.

Simple rotation exercises such as medicine ball twists, cable chops, and/or band-resisted rotations will more than adequately stimulate your rotational ability, strength, and power to improve.

In conclusion, the core of the body is made to provide two basic functions: stability and rotation. Both of these functions are central to human function and the completion of daily activities, and when trained properly will improve performance in leisure activities as well. Again, please do not hesitate to contact a fitness professional, myself or otherwise, with questions or for individual instruction, that is what we are here for!
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Wednesday, May 27, 2009

"Fat is Not Your Fault?" Interview Excerpt

This is an interview that was passed along to me by Super Trainer Alwyn Cosgrove via his email newsletter. It is very informative and explains how there are often deeper issues than just diet and exercise when it comes to losing weight.

Read Alwyn's blog at: http://alwyncosgrove.blogspot.com/

"I recently interviewed naturopath Dr Bryan Walsh as regards his new course "Fat is Not Your Fault"AC: I have to be honest, when I heard the name of your program I thought, "Of course it's people's fault. If you eat junk food and don't exercise, then being fat is their fault." But then when I heard more about your program I realized you were onto something.

BW: Honestly, that's most people's response and shows you just how much misinformation there is out there. We're taught to believe that diet and exercise are the only things required to lose weight. And while we do need them to lose weight, our body also has to be functioning properly. If it's not, weight loss simply won't happen.There are some very smart people in your field doing amazing research - really smart people in fact, and you're one of them - but the part that is being sorely missed has to do with genuine underlying factors that are not allowing them to lose weight despite following a great diet and exercise program.The missing link is people's physiology which unfortunately nowadays, is worse than it's ever been in human history. It can make weight loss virtually impossible for millions of people.

AC: That's really interesting and I couldn't agree more. Could you give me some examples?

BW:Sure.First and foremost is blood sugar balance. Every diet book out there is designed to help balance blood sugar because it is so important for health and weight loss. But what these books don't tell you is how to assess your blood sugar to see if it is being effectively managed.I see patients all the time that are following a great diet and exercise program - perfect actually - but when we do blood work on them, they have blood sugar issues despite the fact that they are doing everything right. In women, blood sugar and insulin increase testosterone, which will make weight loss virtually impossible, in addition to creating other imbalances in the body.

AC: They have blood sugar issues even though they are following a diet and exercise program?

BW: Absolutely. That is another misconception. Diet and exercise are fantastic for helping manage blood sugar, but if there are other things going on inside the body, someone can still have blood sugar issues. Things like adrenal gland dysfunction and high cortisol - this will raise blood sugar despite what someone is doing on the outside and will practically ruin all their efforts.Gastrointestinal health is another one. If people have some type of infection - which is FAR more common than people realize - or if they are eating foods they are sensitive to, these are a stress to the body and will increase cortisol levels, among other things, making a diet and exercise program completely ineffective.

AC: That's fascinating. How common do you think this is?

BW: More common than people realize. The type of people I see in my practice are not sick people. They generally well-educated people who read a lot of health books, eat pretty well, exercise, take supplements and are generally healthy-minded people. But I can tell you that almost everyone that walks through my door has imbalances - hormones, blood sugar, adrenal gland issues, gastrointestinal dysfunction, neurotransmitter imbalances - despite the fact that they are living a healthier lifestyle than most other people.I'll give you an example. We put people on a 28 detoxification program, which is basically a modified elimination diet, supplements to support their gastrointestinal system and liver, and after following this for 28 days, everyone loses weight whether they are exercising or not. When you reduce inflammation in the body and give it a chance to relax a bit, weight loss happens effortlessly.

AC: What can people do to get started?

BW: The first thing is to get educated. Knowledge is power. That's why I created Fat Is Not Your Fault. It is to help educate people on the different systems of their body and how it impacts weight loss if it is not working properly. I get comments almost daily on how much people love the videos I made for the program. I try to explain things in a very easy-to-understand way and then offer solutions. Sometimes it's certain lab tests that people can get, other times it's how to do things like an elimination diet - but the first key is education. You must learn how things work so that when you go to your doctor you can have a conversation with him rather than just have him tell you what to do.I also created an assessment form so people can figure out which areas in their body need the most attention. For example, people can see if they might have a thyroid issue, a gastrointestinal issues, or if their hormones are causing them the most difficulty. There are also questions geared towards neurotransmitter balance, how toxic someone might be, what type of blood sugar issues they might have and then I have an audio guide to help walk people through their results.

AC: It sounds like you covered everything.

BW: I worked hard on it and am very proud of it. There is nothing like it anywhere, especially all in one place. There is so much misinformation available today that I wanted to create the best possible product I could to help as many people as possible. And I thank you, by the way, for helping me reach more people.

AC: Well, I've known you for a long time and the quality of work you put out. It's my pleasure. Where can people learn more?

BW: The easiest way is to go to Fat Is NOT Your Fault
The entire program is there and, the information that people get, honestly . . . it's a steal. It was a lot of fun to put it together and now my goal is to help as many people as humanly possible. There are a lot of unhappy people out there blaming themselves for being overweight, when it might have very little to do with what they are doing.

AC: Thanks for your time, Dr. Walsh. It's been fun.

BW: Agreed, Alwyn. I love what you do and think you're one of the brighter lights in the fitness industry. Thanks for doing everything you do.--ACPs - check out Dr Walsh's course => "Fat is not your Fault"

AlwynCosgrove.com24420 Walnut streetNewhall, CA91321US
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Sunday, April 19, 2009

Do women have it all wrong?

Recently I read an article written by Rachel Cosgrove, wife of Alwyn Cosgrove, two trainers whom I have great respect for and who have influenced me greatly. The article was titled: “Women have it all wrong!” Now, only a woman could write an article like that because if a man did he would be in big trouble!!

All kidding aside, it was a great article, and reaffirmed several training philosophies I have shared with my clients and with anyone else who will listen. I would like to mention a few of the highlights, but if you would like to read the full article please click here.

Rachel’s main premise is that women have it all wrong when it comes to losing weight, often anguishing for hours doing long, slow cardio. Yes they may lose weight this way, but it is mainly muscle and water; meanwhile, metabolism has dropped so low due to this method of exercise that it is impossible to keep the weight off.

One simple equation to remember: reduced muscle mass = lower metabolism.

And here is the simple solution to this problem: ditch the long slow cardio in favor of a ‘metabolically demanding full body strength training program lifting challenging weights’ (no pink dumbbells!), and transform your long/slow cardio training into interval training. This type of workout will challenge your cardiovascular system while simultaneously building muscle, which will in turn boost your metabolism.

Simple equation number two: increased muscle mass = increased metabolism.

Now I know what you are thinking: “I don’t want to get big and bulky.” I have heard this from basically every woman I have ever trained. The bottom line is, in something like 98% of females this will not be an issue because (A.) you basically have to torture yourself to get big and bulky- ask any body builder, and (B.) you probably don’t have the hormonal capability to induce such muscle gain (ie, very low amounts of testosterone.)

In conclusion, full body strength training and cardio interval training, when combined with proper eating habits (making sure to address both food quality and timing,) will transform your body into that vision you have had in your head, NOT hour upon hour of long, slow cardio training.

Again, for the full article please click here.
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Monday, April 13, 2009

Introducing The Jett 4 Week Results Program

An intense, one month program designed by Mike Jett to burn fat, build muscle, and increase fitness.

The program package includes 12 one hour personal training sessions (3x/week), a one month supply of Advocare Meal Replacement shake mix, and a nutrition guide. Pre and post body weight and body fat % measurements will be taken to provide concrete evidence of the results achieved.

Training will primarily occur at Proformance Fitness (2041A River Rd., Louisville) and Fitness on Frankfort. Ask about additional locations, including your commercial or home gym! Flexible hours available (morning, afternoon, evenings, weekends!)

Several packages and pricing plans available.
Upfront Individual: $599 Weekly Individual: $157 per week for 4 weeks (total: $628) A $799 VALUE!!!

Upfront Couple: $899 Weekly Couple: $120 per week per person (4 weeks) (total: $960) A $1191 VALUE!!!

Upfront Trio $1199 Weekly Trio: $105 per week per person (4 weeks) (total: $1260)
A $1605 VALUE!!!!!

Call or email today!!
Mike Jett
MJ@jettfitness.com
502-593-3562
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