"I AM SO SORE I CAN BARLY WALK!"

This week we will take a break from the nutrition and cardio lecturing to look something that I know we have all felt at one time or another; muscle soreness. We all love to be sore the next day after a hard workout but is it a good thing? Remember the first time you did a really intense workout and felt like you couldn’t move the next day---what causes that?

When we look at muscle soreness we have to first discuss the difference between Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) and muscle strain or pull. Muscle strain is an instant soreness or pain that usually causes swelling due to overtraining or overexerting. This is not a good burn and should be taken as a serious warning sign. If you are feeling pain or soreness during your workout it is best to stop immediately to prevent any further injury. Now we look at DOMS; this is the soreness we feel the day or two after our training sessions. Believed to be caused by lactic acid build up for years, many people thought that performing a cool down or stretching at the end of the session would reduce the soreness. But more recent studies have proven this to be false and the soreness to be caused by tiny muscle fiber tears. When we exercise vigorously we start to “feel the burn”. This burn is a sign that you are damaging the muscle fibers and the damage is what causes muscles to be sore the next day or two. There is no harm in this type of soreness and can be a great gauge for your workouts. Although not necessary to be crippled after every workout, a little muscle tightness the next day is ok. It just shows that the workload increased and that the muscles are adapting. The blunt of the fiber tears occur in the eccentric phase (usually the downward motion) of the exercise. For instance; if you were doing a Bicep Curl the eccentric part of the motion is the slow lowering of the weight once you have curled it to the top. This gives us reason to focus on lowering the weight in all of our reps versus letting gravity take over and drop it.

 

Once an individual has experienced delayed muscle soreness at a specific exercise intensity, he or she shouldn't encounter that sensation again until the intensity level is increased. So until (or unless) the exercise intensity level is changed, soreness won't occur. If you are new to exercise or just getting back into the swing of things you may want to take it easy the first few sessions to prevent extreme DOMS. No one wants to be stuck in the seated position because they can’t move their legs for days! There has been no real evidence of any treatment or technique relieving the soreness but we can look at ways to make it easier to deal with. We obviously want to make sure we are recovering properly after all of our exercise sessions and this will help the fibers repair faster. Glutamine is a great supplement to aid in the recovery of muscle fibers. Take 10-20 grams post workout at minimum. Since you have the Glutamine out, time to add in the protein! A Whey Protein powder is essential when it comes to building lean muscle mass. Shoot for 20-30 grams with the Glutamine immediately following activity, even cardio. Another way of aiding recovery is to increase flexibility. Stretching will not stop DOMS but I will help loosen up the muscles you just destroyed in the weight room. Learn Foam Rolling techniques to really massage the tight areas and break up the lactic acid around the muscle membranes. This will encourage growth!

DOMS takes around 8 hours to even kick in so that’s how you can decipher between the good and bad burns. If it comes on immediately it’s an injury, if it’s next day soreness just wait it out and hit it again! Focus as much on recovery as you do on the actual workouts and you will see results faster, plus you will never be too sore to workout. Have light days in between your high intensity days to ensure you are not over training. Crank up the intensity to feel the burn that day and the next. A little pain is only your body adapting to your new lifestyle so pop a few Aspirin and BRING IT!!!

Gluten Free, The Way To Be???

“I’ve been training so hard and the scale stays the same.” “I did cardio everyday last week and my pants still don’t fit any better!” “I can’t get my strength to go up no matter what I do.” Do you fall into these categories? The majority of complaints I hear are based on the fact that the individual is doing the work but not seeing the results. Now, I usually tear down their current program and find a million flaws but let’s say that their statement is true; they are literally following every workout perfectly and still not seeing results. What now? There can be a few factors holding them back such as; hormone imbalances, lack of sleep/recovery time, or diet. Odds are it’s diet!

With a million fad diet plans coming out, almost on a daily basis, it makes it very difficult to know what is the right plan to follow. This is where it’s easy to get lost in eating the wrong things because you think they are good for you. Let’s look at one of the most recent trends in winning the war on weight gain; gluten-free. Will taking gluten out of your daily diet really help you lose weight? First we look at the reasoning behind the surge. Celiac disease is a full-blown allergy to gluten that affects only a small percentage of the population. However, there is growing concern that even a mild reaction, or gluten sensitivity, occurs in a much higher percentage of the population than people realize. Those sensitive to gluten may have increased levels of digestive issues, inflammation and reduced nutrient absorption. These factors can affect our ability to lose weight. Now that we know how it can harm us, let’s look at how taking it out can affect us.

Wheat is the most common source of gluten in the diet, but gluten is found in a variety of starch sources, such as: bread, cereal, pasta and other processed foods and baked goods. When people make a conscious effort to eliminate gluten from their diet, they’ll likely reduce their overall carbohydrate intake as well. Replacing wheat bread with gluten-free bread doesn’t reduce carbohydrate intake, therefore not directly affecting weight loss. If you choose to eliminate gluten from your diet for weight loss purposes, you’ll want to eat more vegetables, nuts, seeds and protein instead of replacing one carbohydrate option for another. Reducing carbohydrates in the diet has been shown to consistently support weight loss not necessarily reducing gluten. Now we are back to the basics of Dieting 101. When we take out processed, high carbohydrate foods we tend to lose weight. Eliminating starches and adding more protein and veggies will have you seeing results. It seems that following a gluten-free diet isn’t really the culprit; rather following proper nutrition will already have you eating gluten free for the most part. Gluten is not an active ingredient in any healthy diet so eliminating should be easy if you are making the right choices. So when you look at trending diets just know that you may need to do more than just eliminate gluten or whatever the “evil of the week” may be in order to reduce your waist line. Some of these fads are great ways to start but they never replace the basics of a good diet. Buying gluten-free everything only means you are eating a bunch of foods that you should not have needed in the first place. Be careful when jumping on the newest bandwagons. Stick to simple principles when trying to lose weight: take in the protein, grab the veggies and BRING IT!!!

NO RESOLUTIONS, ONLY SOLUTIONS!

With many of us trying to shed a few pounds and tone up for the New Year it is no doubt that we all want a leaner midsection. We are dieting hardcore and working extra hard on cardio to burn the fat off our bellies but how do we shape up the muscle underneath? (And I promise it is under there somewhere.) This is where strength training takes over, but building a strong core has many other benefits aside from getting those six-pack abs in the motivational magazine cutout you’ve had hanging up on your bathroom mirror for months now. 

The core is responsible for keeping the body upright, therefore can be a key factor in all postural issues. Low back pain can also be caused by a weak core. A strong core provides weight bearing support to the lower back (which was not designed to be load bearing) allowing your spinal vertebras, joints, and muscles to do what they were designed to do; move around freely. Training your core properly can also improve balance, breathing, strength in other exercises, and overall enjoyment in any movement based activity. Often times we get caught up in just “workin’ abs” and neglect to hit the core from all angles leaving it under developed and imbalanced. This can also really slow your gains or keep you from ever having that defined look we all want. When choosing exercises to hit the entire core we want to look at more than just crunches as they predominately hit only the upper abs. Follow this routine to increase functionality and jump start that six-pack!

            Stability Ball Crunch- 2 x 15-25

            Side Plank Raises- 2 x 10-15

            Leg Raises- 2 x 10-15

            Plank- 2 x 30-90 seconds

            Single Leg Glute Bridges- 2 x 10-20

            Supermans- 2 x 12-15

This routine will have you hitting all sides of your core effectively. Keep in mind that these are just a few of the hundreds of core exercises or variations available so feel free to substitute for easier or harder versions. Just make sure to continue to blast it from all angles. I will post some links to other examples this week if you are having trouble finding substitutions for any of the more difficult movements. Start by performing this routine at least two times per week at the 2 sets and number of reps/seconds indicated then increase as needed. Remember that no matter how hard we train them it still won’t take the fat off! Diet and cardio are still #1 priority when talking abs we just want them to look good once we shed that off! Dig deep into those inner abs, improve your posture, erase that low back pain, get in the plank position and BRING IT!!!

No Resolutions, Only Solutions

With the New Year under way it is no surprise that we are all looking to make some changes in our health and fitness levels. Whether these changes be shedding the unwanted pounds or packing on a little more muscle they all take one thing to achieve; consistency. The New Year gives us the motivation to start consistent but what will it take to stay consistent? The best thing to spark dedication is RESULTS! With our new found enthusiasm also comes impatience. We want results and we want them now! This mentality often leads to supplement experimentation, which can be a nightmare due to the millions of options and insane claims.

There is no doubt that diet is the single most important factor in achieving any fitness goal but what products can actually benefit your daily regimen? No matter how good your diet is we can all benefit from supplementation; with that being said, no amount of supplementation can fix a poor diet or bad exercise program. Hard work and smart planning is a must but when choosing supplements it is best to stick with products that have been on the market for years not just the latest diet pills “as seen on Oprah”. These staple supplements have stood the test of time because they have been tested over and over again and they work. Considering the New Year brings mostly new people into the fitness world we will look at supplements that are best suited for beginners.

1.       MultiVitamin/Greens Powder: When you reduce calorie intake and increase exercise you run the risk of not getting enough of the essential nutrients that your body needs to function properly. Getting the adequate amount of vitamins and minerals will increase the metabolism and is vital for the recovery process. It can also rev up energy production and immune system function. A Greens Powder is a great way to still get all the antioxidants and minerals that you need without taking a ton of pills. Remember when looking for a quality vitamin or greens supplement look for ones that are potent, pure, and suggested to take at least twice a day. The body cannot process a day’s worth a vitamins and minerals at once; hence the reason we eat multiple meals a day, so there is no reason to think you can absorb it all in one pill. Also overloading the body with certain minerals at once can cause muscle fatigue, elevated heart rate, and hurt your immune system.

2.       Protein: Whether being used as a mid morning snack or post workout nutrition there is no doubt protein is one of the most important supplements in achieving your goals. Protein can help increase the metabolism, build lean muscle, and curve your appetite. When we look at dieting or leaning out we want to increase the protein consumption and decrease the carbs and fats, protein shakes are the easiest way to do this. Not all of them are terrible tasting or loaded with sugars so find one that you like and are willing to drink on a consistent basis. I recommend any 100% whey or rice protein powder for snacks because of its low caloric properties.

3.       Fish Oil:  Fish Oils are a great source for getting your Omega-3 healthy fats. Upping your healthy fat intake will train your body to become more efficient at metabolizing fats by increasing your thermogenics, decreasing muscle breakdown, and reducing fat storage. They are also great for anti-inflammation, heart health, and lowering cholesterol; all things we will need to start our new healthy way of life. When looking for Fish Oils don’t skimp because the cheapest ones contain a lot of Mercury which is toxic to the body. Look for pure sources and extra strength versions to assure you get the recommended daily doses.

4.       Green Tea Extract: We have talked about Green Tea in previous blogs and that is for good reason……it works. A very powerful antioxidant, it also helps to increase the metabolism and boost calorie burn. Not only is it great for weight loss but it also has cholesterol lowering capabilities and slows arthritis. Taking an actual Green Tea supplement is more potent than simply drinking Green Tea but it still has the same benefits.

5.       Glutamine: Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid (building blocks of protein) found in the body but when putting the body under new stress it is essential to supplement more into the system. It will help boost immune function, decrease sugar cravings, and rebuild muscle tissue. When training hard the body’s immune system will start to break down, adding in glutamine will offset this by supplying the body with enough for the muscle and immune functions. This in turn will help you recover quicker from workouts, build more lean mass(which burns more calories), and keep your body running on all cylinders. Try getting the powder form and just adding it into your protein shakes.

Try adding these 5 supplements into our daily routine to amplify your results and stay driven. Keep in mind that these are all basic supps to HELP you achieve your goals, not miracles in a bottle. Nothing replaces hard work and proper diet so before you go spending your money on the helper products make sure the foundation is already in place. It may be wise to hire a Personal Trainer or Nutrition Coach to get you started. Make it all work together and make this your year. Accomplish your goals, stay dedicated no matter how long it takes, and BRING IT in 2012!!!

Healthy Holiday Countdown!

Diet is on point for the next few weeks, now all we need is a good exercise program to follow! Like we discussed yesterday, in order to see fast results we need to crank up the intensity! To do this we don’t necessarily need to increase the frequency of our training. If you are currently training 3-4 days per week and we crank up the heat on the cardio it will be just enough to shock your body into melting the weight away. If you are not currently doing anything at all then it will be even easier! Just start doing cardio and the diet we talked about and you will see results in no time. You have all heard me talk about HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) many of times in past blogs but now is the time to implement it. All cardio done over the next 3 weeks will be HIIT. This will keep sessions short to accommodate the hectic holiday season and also keep the intensity up to fit into our fast transformation. By doing HIIT we also boost the metabolism and keep the body burning fuel longer! Let’s look at an example program to follow.

              

            Cardio

Day 1- 30 min Jump Rope Intervals- Start by jumping 60 second and resting 30 seconds, do this until you absolutely have to have more rest then switch to 60 seconds on, 60 seconds off. Do this for the entire 30 minutes

Day 2- 20 min Sprint Intervals- For this we will do 30 second sprints with 30 second rest. During the working portion make sure to run as fast as you can and during the rest period make sure you are at complete rest; no jogging. We need ample recovery time to assure we can complete the next interval.

Day 3- 15 min Jump Rope, 15 min Sprint Interval- Perform the same interval times as the previous two day but just do it for 15 minutes then switch methods for the last 15 minutes.

Day 4- 30 min Alternate Jump Rope and Sprint Intervals- This will definitely be the hardest day but it will go by the fastest due to the fact that we will be alternating exercises on every interval. Start by Jumping Rope for 60 seconds then rest for 60 seconds, next sprint for 30 seconds and rest for 30 seconds. Repeat until you have reached 30 minutes total time.

Strength Training

Day 1-     Body Weight Squats-                                             100 reps for time

                  Pushups-                                                                  50 reps for time

                 Sit Ups-                                                                    100 reps for time

              Day 2-     Lunges-                                3 sets of 12 reps; 30 sec rest in between

                 Plank-                     3 sets of 30-60 sec holds; 30 sec rest in between

                Body Squat-                           3 sets of 15 reps; 30 sec rest in between

                Glute Bridge-                       2 sets of 20 reps; 20 sec rest in between

                               Pushups-                               2 sets of 12 reps; 20 sec rest in between

                                Bench Dips-                          3 sets of 12 reps; 30 sec rest in between

                                Swimmers-                             2 sets of 30 sec; 30 sec rest in between 

When performing Day 1 of Strength Training do the reps listed as fast as possible, take as many breaks as needed just make sure to finish. Each week try better your time. Follow the workouts and cardio to the “T” and see how easy it is to drop the weight and stay in shape over the holidays! Remember 4 days of cardio and 2 days of strength training is the minimum per week so feel free to add more days or repeat the workouts as needed throughout the weeks. All exercises can be performed without any equipment or a gym so no excuses! Jump Ropes are only like $10 and are easily taken on any vacation. Now get out here and bust your soon to be skinnier butts! With the diet restrictions and the added intensity you will more than BRING IT this holiday season!!!

Healthy New Year's Countdown

With a little under 3 weeks left in the year it’s very easy to hit a coasting phase with your diet and fitness. We discussed ways of not adding on the pounds through the holiday season in our last blog, but let’s look at ways to make this time a 3 week jump start to the new year! How much better would you feel if you started it off 5 lbs lighter or 30 seconds faster? Undoubtedly, all of us will make some sort of New Year’s resolution and most of those will include a health and fitness goal. Now that goal may be a new one or it may be the same resolution you’ve used for the past ten years, regardless, the time is now to get it done.  So instead of tanking the remaining 3 weeks and waiting to start let’s kick it into high gear and be ahead of the crowd January 1^st!

When looking at designing short term exercise programs or meal plans we have to go all out. High intensity and dedication is a must! We will have to give maximum effort in order to see results but it will be worth it when you are a size smaller come 2012. First, let’s look at the nutrition side of things. With the exception of Christmas Eve and Christmas day meals your diet should be pretty regular over the next few weeks allowing you to follow the strict restrictions we are going to set.

1.     Eliminate carbs completely after mid afternoon. Doing this will allow your body to use all the carbs you take in during the day as energy and not store those unforgiving night time carbs in your hips or stomach.

2.     Go all natural. If it comes in a package, don’t eat it. We want to increase the amounts of veggies and other natural sources of vitamins and minerals. Cutting out all sugars and toxins will help detox the body and the added fiber will flush the system causing immediately weight loss and “deflation” of the stomach.

3.     Limit calories. We don’t ever want to take our caloric intake under 1200 per day but this is a perfect time to hold strong right at that number. We don’t want to “crash diet” so make sure that all calories taken in are quality calories. Give up your vices and addictions to take in lean meats, veggies and nothing but water (1 gallon a day). Remember we are going all natural as well so this should be easy.

4.     Add in protein shakes. The easiest way to curb cravings and assure you get in the right amount of protein is by adding shakes. Make sure you are going with a low calorie shake; usually 100% whey will work the best. Use them for snacks and for post workout nutrition.

These are all simple, easy to follow restrictions you just have to be conscious effort and stay focused. Track calories for the first day or two to assure you are on track. Keep in mind that these are all ways to lose weight so if your goal is different then you will want to adjust your meal plan accordingly. Follow this plan for the rest of the year allowing yourself a couple of cheat meals on Christmas Eve and Christmas day. Track your progress and see what a difference you can make in just 3 weeks! I will cover the exercise portion of our 3 week plan tomorrow so until then follow these restrictions and get into the holiday spirit while you are BRINGING IT with your fitness!!!  

Simple 6-Step Thanksgiving Day Shuffle!

With the holiday seasons approaching, we need to get our mind right to maintain focus in achieving our fitness goals. There is no question that it is tough to keep up a strict exercise program and a healthy diet through all of the holiday cheer, but it is more important now than ever to stay on task! Don’t let a couple of days of buffet style meals be an excuse to tank the remaining six weeks of the year. In order to do so we will look at a few tips to keep the unwanted pounds from piling back on and preserve all of our hard work.

1.   Switch from Weight Loss to Weight Maintenance- During the actual weeks of Thanksgiving and Christmas focus in on maintaining your weight versus losing any. It will help keep things more realistic and allow you to actually enjoy yourself. This is just to be during the weeks of travel and family visiting, not for the remainder of the year!

2.   Use Healthy Recipes and Low Fat/Sugar Substitutes- When preparing meals for the family or picking out how to fill your plate up in the food line at Grandma’s, look for healthier options. Load up on the green veggies (the ones not soaked in butter), lay off of the gravy, cook with fruits instead of sugars, use fat free and low calorie products  while preparing your dishes, and always try to stay as natural as possible.

3.   Eat Breakfast- The morning before your mammoth meals it is imperative that you eat breakfast! This will ensure that you have to willpower to turn down some of the gluttony you will be facing. Eating even a small meal high in protein and high in fiber will help curb some of your craving and cut down on your portion sizes. It’s best to not show up to the party starving. Saving all of your calories for one meal ain’t the way to go if you want to keep your waist line down.

4.  Plan your Exercise to Compensate- During the weeks in between Thanksgiving and Christmas work a little harder in the gym. Run a little further or add an extra day of cardio into your weekly routine. If at all possible exercise the day of your planned feast. Plenty of cities do 5k or half marathons on holiday morning so sign up for a race. Even the most basic fitness junkies can do a 5k! We still have to have calories burned higher than calories consumed on average during this time frame.

5.   Portion Control- This one is probably the most important! Stick to foods that are specific to the holiday. Don’t go after bad foods that you can have any time during the year and stay away from seconds! Survey the options first, and then load your plate up with enough food to fill you up the first go around. Knowing what you want on your plate will help keep the portions of the foods you can’t live without reasonable. Everyone loves leftovers so make sure to save it for later not try to squeeze it in all at once.

6.   Easy on the Alcohol- Alcohol can ramp up the extra calories quick! Whether it’s mimosas at breakfast or eggnog by the fire, use in moderation to keep calorie counts from getting out of hand. If you are going to indulge, make sure that you cut something else out to compensate. Limiting yourself here may make the in-laws a little harder to tolerate but it will certainly go a long way in keeping your fitness goals within grasps.

Use these tips to have a successful holiday season. Remember, this time is about family more than food, so spend as much time as possible (or as tolerable) with your loved ones. Impress them with your dedication and self control when it comes to your diet and exercise. Don’t use this as an excuse to take a month off and “start back fresh in the new year”. We are going to be ahead of the game come January so eat consciously, work out consistently, enjoy BRINGING IT with the fam over the holidays!