What I Learned, Part Two

This is a continuation from my last post, where told I you about what I took away from the Metabolic Acceleration Training seminar over at TPS last weekend. The first part covered nutrition. This part will cover training. Here we go:

• Pretty simple. You want to burn fat? Then increase your exercise intensity. Not time, intensity. Get more work done in a shorter period of time.
• Look outside the "workout window". Forget about how many calories are being burned or how long you're working out for.
  
• Interval training is superior to steady state aerobics for fat loss. Think about about it. Interval training asks your body to hold onto muscle because of the increased demand. What does steady state aerobics do? It asks your body to hold onto fat because of it's low demand.
• Females who want to lose body fat from the hip and thigh area need to do more lower body strength work. Males who want to drop their beer bellies need to do more sprinting.
• Another reason for interval training: It creates what Cosgrove refers to as the "afterburn". Some other people call it EPOC (Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption). In a nutshell, your metabolism is going to be elevated for a longer period of time post workout.
• Most of your fat burning is not going to come to directly from your workout. It's going to come from an elevation in your metabolism. Again, why strength training and interval work are the top two forms of training for fat loss.
• If everyone is always complaining about how they have no time to workout, then why are they wasting their time on the elliptical or taking a leisurely stroll on the treadmill when they do workout?
• Use incomplete rest periods for maximal fat loss results. You don't want to be fresh to start your next set. You want higher levels of lactate in your blood stream in order to burn fat. If you're testing for a one or three rep max, that's a different story.
• Work on your "limit strength". Work on 1-5 rep max lifts during the early portion of your workout and then get into the rest of your training program.
• Circuit training doesn't mean to lift light weights. Put away the neon colored dumbbells and use a weight that's going to challenge you.
• It's not about soreness, it's about getting results. Soreness doesn't equate to more results.

Some good points were taken away from this seminar, but for me it really comes down to two things when it comes to creating the body that you want: discipline when it comes to your diet and hard work when it comes to your training. I know that seems to be to simple, but it's true.

What I Learned

This past weekend, I headed over to Total Performance Sports in Everett for the Metabolic Acceleration Training seminar. benches, fat bars and "Metabolic acceleration training" is just a fancy term for fat loss training. This is something I decided to attend because the presenters, Alwyn Cosgrove and C.J. Murphy, can be regarded as two of the best in the country at they they do. They get results. The other reason I wanted to attend this seminar was to see what Total Performance Sports is all about. When I pulled up the gym I was a bit confused. It didn't really look like a gym. When I stepped into the gym I realized this is not your average gym. This where people come to work. This isn't where people come to socialize. Lining the wall were tractor tires ranging from 250-850lbs, sledgehammers, dragging sleds and sandbags. The weight area consisted of just that, weights. No selectorized machines. Just some power racks, glute-ham raises, adjustable benches, dumbbells and kettlebells. And if you happen to be a people watcher, there is a cast of characters that are members here. If you know what Everett's like, you know what i mean.

So on to the seminar and some points that I took away in regards to fat loss programming:

• It's not just about your training program. Your nutrition is just as or may be even more important. A crappy diet will always defeat a well designed training program.
• It's not just about calories. Even though your overweight dietician will tell you a calorie is a calorie, they are not.
  
• Three real keys to a successful nutritional program: 1)meal frequency 2) consistency of meal frequency 3)keeping your insulin levels under control by managing your carb intake.
• The only real supplement proven to aid in fat loss is fish oil. Alwyn suggest getting 2-4 grams of high quality fish oil per day.
• Dr. Atkins may not have been practical with his diet advice, but he did understand the effects of insulin on body composition. If you can take control of your insulin, you can take control of your body composition.
• On workout days, especially hard workout days, you can be a bit more lenient with your carb intake, especially in the 2-4 hours after your workout. Just don't go crazy.
• On non-workout days, you may want stay in a lower to moderate range of carb intake.
• You got to eat protein and lots of it.
• Get your carbs from quality food sources. Stay away from anything that comes in a box or a bag.
• If you want to go to extreme measures for fat loss, carb cycling may work pretty good. A carb cycle is made of seven days of the following recommended carb intake: high, low, low, medium, low,low, low. Low means less than 100grams of carbs per day.

So that what pretty much it for the nutrition part of the seminar. In my next blog post, I'll reveal to you the training concepts I took away. Until then, get your hand out of the cookie jar, go throw a steak on the grill and gather up some green vegetables.

RichRuff Training Exercise of the Week: Swiss Ball Leg Curl

TPI Certified

Just a couple of weeks back I became certified by the Titleist Performance Institute as a Level One Certified Golf Fitness Instructor. What does this mean besides adding another couple of initials next to my name? It means I can help you break 90!!. Kidding. What it does mean, is that I have the basic knowledge to screen you and find out what physical limitations may be messing up your swing. For instance, may be you have poor posture when addressing the ball. Let's say you have "C" posture, the rounded upper back type of posture. Well, this "C" posture can really hurt your ability to make a good shoulder turn on your backswing. This "C" posture could be a result of short clubs or poor instruction. But it may also be a result of some muscular imbalances causing this posture. And then through screening we find out that you're unable to maintain thoracic extension when performing the Overhead Squat Test. This indicates you may have a lat length length issue. So know we know that you may have a lat length issue and part of your exercise program will focus on this. Twelve sessions later, we retest and see if there's been any improvement. That's just one example.

So that's basically my role as a certified Golf Fitness instructor. I will not promise to fix your swing. That's what your golf pro is for. By I will promise to help fix any physical limitations that may be screwing up your swing. Check out www.mytpi.com for more information.

The Ab Roller

You remember this thing? This one of the first pieces of ab equipment sold on TV. I remember my mom picking up one of these things sometime in the mid 90s. I think I actually used it more than she did. I did crunches, crunches with my legs to the side, crunches with my feet in the air. Every imaginable crunch I could think of I did with this thing. Hundreds of crunches a night. What did I know? I was just a skinny 18 year old trying to get a six pack for the beach.

I thought these things were a thing of the past...until the other day. As usualwhen I'm working out, I like to spy on everyone else. I'm either watching someone do something foolish on a Bosu ball or listening to one guy in spandex give out horrible advice to some other clueless guy in spandex. So I'm working out and I see this woman being given a tour of the gym. You know how it goes. "Here are the locker rooms". "We have nothing but the best cardio equipment". Or, "Here is our empty free weight area because most people are terrified of building real world strength". The only thing this woman was concerned about was the ab equipment. "Do you have one of those twist machines? You know the one you sit on and wrench your lower back from one way to the other?". "What about the ab crunch machine where I can make my posture even worse than it is now?". But the one piece she was most concerned about was the ab roller. Thankfully the gym does not have one of these outdated pieces. But from the conversation I overheard going to this was going to make or break the deal for her. No matter what the front desk rep told her she could use or do other than the ab roller, she kept insisting that she wished the gym had an ab roller. And you know what? I don't think she signed up for a membership. Not having some cheap piece of equipment that does nothing for your six pack if you're carrying around 25% body fat anyway, broke the deal for this woman.

Just another day at the gym.

Underground Strength Coach

Check out this video from Zach Even-Esh about grip training:




To learn more about Zach Even-Esh and Underground Strength Coach, clink on the image below:

RichRuff Training Exercise of the Week: Bulgarian Squat w/Kettlebell

Another version of the Bulgarian Split squat which I posted a couple of weeks back. Here I'm going to grab a hold of a kettlebell with the arm on the opposite side of the lead leg. This contra-lateral resistance is going to place a greater emphasis on core stability. Take a look:




Does you need a kettlbell to do this? No. Use what ever you have at your disposal.

Do Not Make These Mistakes

The seated row is a must exercise in just about any training program. But an exercise that seems to be pretty simple and straightforward can actually be done pretty wrong. Here are some mistakes I see people making that are actually killing the effectiveness of this exercise:

1. Too much flexing and extending at the lumbar spine. This is not a race down the Charles River. This an upper back exercise. It's a postural exercise. Stay in a tall seated position throughout the duration of the set.
   
2. Shrugging of the shoulders. As you're pulling that handle in, focus on bringing the shoulders back and down, not up.
   
3. Curling of the wrists. As that handle nears your torso, avoid flexing your wrists just to bring the handle all the way in. This will take the emphasis off the muscles that should be working and transfer the force to the wrist. Bring that handle all the way in by getting a maximum retraction of the shoulder blades.
4. Jutting the head forward. Handle comes in, head goes forward. I see a lot of this. The last thing most people need to emphasize is a head forward posture. Think about keeping that head back and try to line up your ears with your shoulders.

Most of these problems are occurring because people are so focused on how much weight they're using. I personally don't care how much weight you're using if you're not executing the movement properly. So forget about the weight for awhile and focus on technique.

Come on, Wake!!

What was supposed to be a great weekend for a Boston sports fan, turned into one of the worst sports weekends eva (as they say here in Boston). First, the Sox lose a gut wrenching game in the bottom of the 11th Saturday night. That was supposed to be the night Josh Beckett would prove his post-season dominance. It turned out that the only thing he proved is that he is now mortal. Not only do the Sox lose the game, but the game takes a painfully slow five and a half hours to play. By the end of the game I had run out of beer and it was too late to get anyone to deliver a pizza.

So on to Sunday. I really thought the Patriots had a chance to beat the Chargers. I couldn't have been more wrong. The Patriots put up another stinker. Their offense was terrible and their defense was even worse. The offense has an excuse. No #12 at quarterback. But what excuse does this defense have? They got run over, by and through. I thought the Miami game a couple of weeks back was a fluke, but actually it may have been a sign of things to come.

So on to Monday. The Red Sox lost Saturday night, the Pats got smoked Sunday night, there's no way the Red Sox can lose on the last day of this long weekend we were given by the great Christopher Columbus. Well, may be they could lose, but they sure wouldn't get blown out. They had John Lester going. He'd been pretty much unhittable for a month...until yesterday. Final score, 8-1 Devil Rays. They're still the Devil Rays in my book. What made this even worse was that I actually paid to go to this game. I shelled out $150 for basically an obstructed view seat (even though it's not listed as an obstructed view) in a stadium in my opinion that needs to be blown up. Then watched the Sox get blown up.

So come on Wake. I need you tonight. I need that knuckleball to dance. I need you to lift my spirits. Not just mine, but the spirits of every Boston sports fan.

Exercise of the Week: Med. Ball Close Grip Push Up

The Overhead Squat

Want a pretty simple test that can give you a good idea where you may have some stability or mobility issues? Try the overhead squat. No, you don't need to be able to hold a 45lb Olympic bar over your head. All you need is some type of wooden dowel or broomstick. Get in a standing position with your feet about shoulder width apart and toes straight ahead. Place the broomstick directly overhead with your hands a bit wider than shoulder width. From this position drop down into your deepest possible squat position while trying to keep that broomstick directly overhead.

So what does this simple test asses? A number of things:

• calf flexibility and ankle mobility
• thoracic extension
• shoulder mobility
• core stability
• hip mobility

A couple of examples. If your heels come up off the floor as you descend into the squat position, this may be indication of poor calf flexibility or ankle mobility. If your toes rotate out as you descend, this may indicate tightness in the external rotators of your hip or the peroneal muscles of your lower leg. If your knees buckle in, you may be lacking poor glute medius or VMO strength. If the broomstick falls forward, poor shoulder mobility is usually indicated. If your chest collapses on top of your knees, you may be lacking sufficient core stability.

Now after getting the results from this simple move I know where there may be mobility or stability issues. If I know where there are mobility or stability issues, now I know what to focus on within the training program or what exercises should be included.

Never thought a broomstick could be so useful, did you?

Simple Programming

Too many people think they're advanced lifters. Too many people think they need to follow the latest and greatest training routine. But that mentality and approach doesn't seem to be working, does it? Take a look around the gym. How many people are getting results? How many people are getting stronger and leaner? Not many. Why? Because they're programming stinks. If they just took a simpler approach and increased their efforts, I'm sure the results would be better. If they forgot about whether they should be pointing their toes in or out when doing calf raises and instead did some single leg work, their results would be better. If they stopped worried about which head of the biceps they're targeting and did a couple sets of chin ups, they're results would be better.

So what does an effective training program consist of? Without knowing anything about the individual here are some movement patterns I would consider to part of their training routine:

• Horizontal push and pull
• Vertical push and pull
• Squat or deadlift based movement
• Single leg work
• Posterior chain work
• Core stabilization
• "Weak link" work: rotator cuff, scapular stabilization, grip, etc.

Just choose an exercise that fits into each of these movement patterns and BAM!! There you go, an effective training program. In the next few posts I'll follow up with what I would envision a simple, but effective body comp program would look like.

Train hard, but train smart.

RichRuff Training Exercise of the Week: Bulgarian Split Squat

Call it what ever you want....Bulgarian Split Squat, Bulgarian Squat, Single Leg Squat, Split Squat w/Rear Foot Elevated. Just know this is a great exercise for developing single leg strength and hip mobility. A great "bang for your buck" exercise.




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Go Sox!!