While
athletes are my passion and improving sport performance is my main goal, I do
want to try to help as many people as possible. Granted, this blog is seen by
pretty much no one, so it’s unlikely this series will help many, if any. But
who knows, maybe one day it will gain enough traction that a few eyeballs will
see it.
The
goal of these posts will be to inform people and hopefully begin to fight back
against the sea of misinformation and flat out bullshit that permeates the
“fitness” industry, and popular culture as a whole. It will include nutrition
as well as training information, in a hopefully fairly easy to understand and
apply manner. Who knows, maybe I’ll turn it into an ebook some day and make a
truckload of money. OK, probably not, but it’s worth a shot.
First
off, if your goal is to lose weight, realize that it is about calories in and
calories out. You simply have to burn more calories than you take in. This can
(and should) be done through a combination of dietary restriction (or modification)
and increased activity. Notice I said activity, not exercise, as exercise
implies that you must plan out and perform some sort of dedicated activity. The
thing is, it doesn’t matter what you do. It merely needs to be something that
burns calories, so as to increase caloric expenditure. This is where a lot of
people get fucked up and allow misinformation to spread, as any myriad of
activities fit the bill, but uninformed jackasses (or those who do know better,
but spread bullshit anyway) are allowed to claim that their methods are the
best. Yoga, pilates, Crossfit, intervals, steady state cardio, any number of
things – IT DOESN’T FUCKING MATTER. It merely needs to be something you will
adhere to and do repeatedly. Obviously, if you have performance goals, then
that changes the equation.
So
to put it simply: if you want to lose weight, decrease food intake, and
maintain or increase activity level (of any kind). If you want to get better at
something, do that thing.
Any
concern of becoming “musclebound” or something of that sort is silly beyond
belief. If you possess the genetics to easily gain muscle mass and shed fat,
chances are you would already have it. Not to mention most of the people who
have this concern are already carrying an excess of fat. So, forced to choose,
I would think an abundance of muscle would be preferable to fat (not that you
actually have to choose – it won’t happen).
With
all that being said, if I were to instruct someone on how I think they should
go about putting together a program for general fitness and health, this is
what I would recommend.
Mindset
First,
get your mind right. Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not one of those people who
claim that training is war or that you’re a warrior or some other macho
bullshit. Training is what it is, and it is something different to everyone.
The reasons people train (or “exercise,” or “workout”) are myriad. Maybe you
want to look good for the opposite sex, maybe you want to test yourself, maybe
you want to feel better, maybe you want to improve your physical prowess in the
event of a physical altercation, maybe you’re a weekend warrior who wants to
perform better when playing sports. Maybe it’s a combination of a few of those
things, and maybe it’s something else entirely. Doesn’t matter. Regardless of
the reason, realize that your actions will reveal your priorities. I hear it
from athletes all the time, that they want to be great or get better, and yet
they are eating shitty food, staying up way too late, half-ass their training,
and on it goes. Listen, if you want to do all those things, that is fine. Just
don’t bitch about the results.
If
you want to truly change your body/life and make a lifestyle change, then it
has to move near the top of your priority list. Not to the top, mind you, but
near it (again, maybe for you it will go to the top; for me, family comes
first). This means that you do the things necessary to ensure success.
Preparing meals ahead of time, making sure you have your clothes to train in,
that you complete the things you need to in time so you can train. The list
goes on. I can’t tell you all the things you will encounter, because I don’t
know your life. But have some foresight so that you can attempt to prepare for
what inevitably will work against you. And if you get off track, do your
damndest not to let it spiral. Realize that you didn’t get where you are
overnight, and you’re not going to reach your body composition goals overnight,
either. Be patient and be consistent.
Nutrition
Calories
in vs. Calories out. It’s that simple. I cannot stress this enough. Forget all
the diet books, all the gurus, all the ads, all the celebrities, all the
bullshit. Your body weight is dictated by how many calories you take in vs. how
many you expend. Now, what that weight consists of will be more dictated by
your training and what those calories are made up of.
Eat
enough protein – bare minimum of 1 gram per pound of bodyweight. Eating more won’t
equal more muscle, but don’t be afraid to chow it down. Unless you have a
kidney dysfunction, in which case, you will have to be measured and keep intake
lower (I’m not sure of specific guidelines in those instances). But if your
kidneys are good, eat up. Protein keeps you full better than carbohydrates or
fat and requires more energy by your body to digest it.
Eat
fruits and veggies – To be fair, they are not essential from the standpoint of
weight loss or gain – i.e., they don’t confer some magic benefit that will
speed fat loss, no matter what some guru peddling a diet book says. That said, I
don’t give a damn what the research says, eat them. Just because they don’t
directly contribute to weight loss or gain, they contain lots of vitamins,
nutrients, phytochemicals, fiber, and other compounds we aren’t even aware of
yet. Yes, it’s possible to go calorically overboard, but I doubt you will. If
some asshole tells you not to eat fruit, stop listening to him/her immediately.
Meal
frequency is up to you – you don’t have to eat every 3 hours. You can eat once
a day if you want. Total calories > protein intake > meal frequency/timing
in terms of order of importance. Yes, there are small things in regards to
nutrient timing which can make some differences in results, but not enough to
get worked up about. Once you have everything else in order, go ahead and start
worrying about those things.
That’s
really about it. What you have to do is find a way of eating that works best
for you. Not a diet, not a strict system of eating, but a way that you can
adhere to 90% of the time that will result in success in the long run.
Yes,
it would be ideal to have a diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables, and fiber
in order to ensure adequate vitamin and mineral intake from whole food sources.
However, we also know that doesn’t always happen.
Once
you have figured out total calories and protein, the rest is pretty much
minutiae. This is, of course, assuming you don’t have a medical condition which
requires certain dietary measures. In which case, listen to your doctor.
For
myself, when dieting I prefer to just eat the same thing every day. While this
isn’t the most exciting, it’s far easier from a food preparation standpoint. I
can simply buy larger quantities of the foods I will eat, and make large
batches of food ahead of time if necessary. For instance, the following is
pretty much exactly what I ate 90% of the time for about 3 months while dieting
down. Again, not the most exciting, but it works for me.
Meal 1:
2 eggs
~2 cups egg whites (I buy egg whites
from CostCo - they come in 6 smaller cartons that are about 2 cups each. I use
an entire one of those smaller cartons)
Spices (I use some chili powder,
cumin, and garlic salt, but you can use whatever or none)
Salsa (I don't measure this - the
calories will be negligible. I usually get salsa from CostCo, so it lasts a
while)
2 slices low fat sharp cheddar
cheese
Cal: 500 Protein: 72 Carb: 1 Fat: 16
Meal 2
1 pound deli meat (usually turkey or
chicken. I get Oscar Meyer family size packages b/c they are 1 pound, though
you could probably go to the deli section and get it that way.)
2 slices low fat sharp cheddar
cheese
1 cucumber
Cal: 520 Protein: 82 Carb: 16 Fat:
16
Meal 3
1/2 Jennie-O pork loin (might be
turkey, I'm not sure. Either way, it's easy to cook, and it comes in 2
"pieces," so I just eat one and put the other in the fridge)
1 steamed bag veggies (I usually do
brussels sprouts or cauliflower, but pretty much anything works)
Cal: 330 Protein: 66 Carb: 6 Fat:
4.5
Meal 4 (optional)
2 scoops MusclePharm Combat Powder
in water
Cal: 280 Protein: 50 Carb: 10 Fat: 4
Totals - Cal: 1630 Protein: 270
Carb: 23 Fat: 40.5 (these don't include veggies or salsa)
Now,
it’s again imperative to remember how and why I came up with that diet. It’s
high in protein, it’s simple in terms of preparation, and it was made up of
foods that I liked eating. So it was easy to repeat it day after day, and it
kept me full for the most part, which meant I wasn’t super tempted to go off
script.
Let
me make one thing clear, however. THIS IS WHAT WORKS FOR ME. Your setup may be
completely different. And in fact, you don’t have to sit down and plan
everything out. Once I got to as lean as I wanted, I basically just started
being mindful of protein intake and making sure I wasn’t gorging myself. That
may be a very effective strategy for many people – simply make sure you’re
getting in 1 gram or more of protein per pound of body weight, and just make
sure you’re not going overboard with the rest.
Supplements
I
don’t think there is a single required supplement, however, for the purposes of
health there are some that I recommend (again, RECOMMEND, not require).
Probiotics are great for digestive health. Fish oil has numerous health
benefits, heart health among them (2-3 grams total of EPA+DHA). A multivitamin
may have some effects, but even if it doesn’t, it’s cheap enough that it
doesn’t hurt to find out. I got a bottle of 300 from CostCo for probably 10
bucks if I remember correctly. Just make sure, if you are male, that you do not
take one with iron in it. The final supplement would be protein powder, which I
basically put in the category of food. It doesn’t contain any magic powers, but
can be an easier (and cheaper) way of getting enough protein on a daily basis.
It can also add flavor to some foods like oatmeal.
For
any more information on nutrition, I suggest you check out Lyle McDonald’s
site, bodyrecomposition.com. In fact, pretty much all nutrition advice I give
comes directly from him, and would direct you to his article entitled “The
Baseline Diet” for the basics of how to set up your eating.
Training
Exercise
selection and execution, as well as frequencies, volumes, and intensities must
be balanced and accounted for in order that the body does not incur undue
stress. Basically, you want to make sure that your joints, tendons, and
ligaments are not taking an excess pounding because you’re training with poor
technique or because you’re doing more than your body is equipped to handle.
This goes especially true for areas like the low back and shoulders, and is one
(of many) of my major gripes with programs like Crossfit and their ilk. If your
main goal of training is to feel better, do you really want to put up with
aches and pains brought on by your exercise regimen? I would guess no.
Therefore, it behooves you to choose training approaches which yield rather
steady progress and allow you to live life, rather than being a slave to your
training or the negative impacts it may have on you. Walking around sore, achy,
and tired is antithetical to your goal of improved quality of life.
I’m
certainly not a “corrective exercise guy” or guru, but I do feel that they have
their place in training. Much like isolation work for people wanting
hypertrophy. It shouldn’t make up the bulk of your training, but it can be used
very effectively. It can also serve to train the musculature so that it “works”
better once you integrate it into bigger movements. I am a firm believer that,
as Mark Rippetoe says, “yes, squatting wrong fucks you up, but squatting
correctly unfucks those same fucked up things.” This goes for pretty much any
movement – exercise performed correctly is corrective exercise (usually). Take,
for instance, the glutes. They have received a lot of attention lately, and you
will often hear about things like gluteal amnesia. Well it doesn’t mean those
muscles forgot how to work. But it does mean that you likely utilize movement
patterns which greatly diminish contributions from the glutes, and emphasize
those of the erectors and hamstrings. In those instances, sometimes no matter
how much practice, coaching, and cueing you do, you simply can’t fix the
problem without taking several steps back and utilizing activation and other
forms of corrective exercises.
I’ve
identified some areas that are of most concern for desk workers. As a result of
long periods of sitting, the upper back and shoulders tend to round forward,
the hip flexors get short and tight, and even the ankles can be a little tight.
As such, the main areas of focus are upper back mobility in both extension and
rotation, the ankles, and the hip flexors. Really hammer the hell out of these
and make sure to perform them frequently. Start with the first exercise listed,
and then over time you can move forward when you feel you aren’t gaining any
benefit from the variation you’re currently using. Note that at a certain point
you won’t necessarily gain any more mobility, but performing these types of
exercises can be important for maintenance. Additionally, you may have to add
in some static stretching to gain the range of motion you desire. However,
these are good starting points.
Exercise
progressions
Thoracic
rotation:
Make
sure to keep the low back neutral throughout the movement. This means that you
don’t let the lower back round over and hyperextend throughout the movement.
This will restrict movement somewhat, but will ensure that the movement is
largely coming from the thoracic segment of the spine, which is what we want.
Quadruped
series – progress through
Spiderman
w/ OH reach
Windmills
Thoracic
extension:
The
key with thoracic extension is that the low back stays neutral throughout the
movement. A little extension is OK, but the problem is that many people simply
hyperextend the low back, rather than the upper, when performing these types of
movements. This means engage the midsection to stabilize the low back, and only
get movement from the upper back. The range of motion will likely not be great,
and in fact it will mostly come from the arms, which is fine, since it acts as
a sort of lat stretch as well.
On
floor
On
bench
Against
wall
Ankle
mobilization
Progression
from Chris Korfist/Cal Dietz
Hip
flexor:
Half
kneeling
Half
kneeling against wall
Spiderman
lunge
Walking
lunge with reach back
I
would recommend 8-15 reps for each of the areas.
I
won’t make any sort of absolutist statement about the “need” to perform any
particular exercise. As James Smith says, the only exercise an athlete has to
perform is the competition exercise. Everything else is up for debate. As such,
if you are not a competitive athlete, there is not a single exercise or mode
that you have to do. It merely becomes a matter of following principles and
manipulating them to fit your particular situation. As such, I will provide
guidelines and options that you may find useful.
The
basic movement patterns in what I call “static” movements (they are done in
place, not moving) are squatting, pushing, hinging, and pulling. I’ll note that
this is nothing groundbreaking, as pretty much any coach worth a shit
recognized this quite some time ago, but it bears repeating. Do these things
well and do them often, and you will likely find that you feel and move much
better than you did. However, especially for people with a low training
history, they often have trouble doing the movements right out of the gate. In
fact, I often have athletes I have to start back a few steps with. Therefore, I
have listed progressions I use. You don’t have to start with the first one, but
if you find that you can’t perform the basic movement, you may need to regress
and start further back. It can be frustrating, but it is necessary in many
instances.
I
have also followed the progressions all the way to their barbell variations,
but you do not have to use those if you don’t want or need to. You can get a
lot of mileage out of only body weight movements, especially if your goals are
not specific to lifting heavy weights.
Squat:
Squat
to box, heels elevated
Squat,
heels elevated
Counterbalance
box squat
Counterbalance
squat
Body
weight squat
DB
squat
Goblet
squat
Front
squat
Back
squat
Upper
push:
Hands-elevated
pushups
Pushups
Hands
offset pushups on floor
Feet-elevated
pushups
Hands
offset feet-elevated pushups
Bench
press
Hinge:
“Bulgarian
goat bag swing” – weighted hinge
KB
or DB Swing
RDL
Trap
bar deadlift
Deadlift
Upper
pull:
Y-T-I
OR batwings
Inverted
row
Pullup
progression – isos, eccentrics, full
Single-leg:
Split
squat – pause every time
Split
squat
Walking
lunge
RFESS
Programming
There
are so many programming options it would literally be impossible to list them
all, as they are limited only by your imagination, and explaining the
principles behind them would take more time and space than I want to spend
here.
I
am, however, a proponent of Dan Gable’s quote, “if it’s important, do it every
day.” Thus, I aim to include all fundamental movement patterns in training
every single day, in some form. Realize this does not mean that all are pushed
hard, or all are performed with a barbell. It merely means that in some way, I
will squat, push, pull, and hinge. Often, one is the primary focus, while the others
are simply performed in some capacity during the warmup. Especially for the
untrained, or those with limited training backgrounds, I think this takes on
even more importance. You simply haven’t been moving enough, and the body is
not trained enough, to neglect anything. So you might as well hit everything
every chance you get.
First
and foremost, you must determine where you are at in the progression scheme. Be
honest with yourself and your strengths and weaknesses. If there is any
question, choose the step down from where you think you are. Wherever you are
in the progression, everything below that is available for use. So if you are
on swings, then hinges and goat bag swings can be performed. If you are able to
back squat with a barbell, then front squats, goblet squats, and everything
below it is fair game.
I
also will often throw in carries and single-leg work as categories as well.
While carries are pretty straightforward, I do think there is some progression
in terms of which carries some people should use. I think untrained people and
those who are not particularly strong likely shouldn’t perform carries with a
very big (if any) discrepancy between sides. That means no suitcase carries,
uneven carries with a big difference, or even waiter carries. As the midsection
gets stronger and you can maintain posture, have at it.
Single
leg work also needs to be progressed. You will notice that the progressions are
largely for quad-dominant exercises. I do use single-leg posterior chain
exercises, in the form of single-leg RDLs, however, there isn’t necessarily a
progression to that, I usually just make a judgment call on when I feel someone
is ready for it, they are also not a necessity.
How
much to do?
What
I often do with beginner athletes and trainees is to set a prescribed amount of
repetitions for a given movement, and then have them do as many sets as
necessary to reach it. The number of reps in each set is irrelevant, so long as
technique is good throughout. This is especially true if we are having to
regress movements, i.e. we have to do hands-elevated pushups instead of
regular. In those cases, I will usually utilize the strategy of accumulating
volume in those movements until they have developed the strength to perform the
basic movement itself.
What
number to start with? This, again, is difficult to say outright, because
everyone starts with such varying work capacities. Therefore, you might utilize
a time-based approach, rather than a set volume. For instance, pair up your
squat and upper body pulling exercises. Perform 5-8 reps of each, resting as
needed and alternating exercises. You might start with 5 minutes, you might
start with 10. Either way, utilize rest periods as you see fit, and perform as
many sets as you can in that time frame. While some will liken this to
Crossfit, there is a glaring difference – you are NOT chasing fatigue! The reps
completed need to be done with as near to perfect execution as you can. This is
skill practice, not getting tired practice.
Utilizing
the time-based, as opposed to set volume-based, approach, is that your current
work capacity will act as a “governor” in terms of how much you are able to do.
Perhaps you are able to bust out a number of really good sets quickly, but
fatigue starts setting in and your pace slows down. This is perfectly fine and
is precisely what you are looking for. This isn’t being weak, it’s working
within your limits to expand them.
So
this would look like this as an example:
Body
weight squats paired with hands-elevated pushups, 10 minutes on the clock
Set
of 6 squats, rest as needed, set of 6 pushups, rest as needed, set of 6 squats,
rest as needed, etc.
If
fatigue becomes a limiting factor and sets of 6 become difficult, start doing
sets of 4 or 5. The goal is quality repetitions. The next time you repeat the
workout, try to beat the total number of repetitions you did in that time
frame.
Once
you can perform the exercises with decent proficiency, you may want to move to
circuit-type work.
Body
weight circuits are a great place to start, and here would be a sample circuit:
Squat
jumps
Plank
Alternating
lunges in place
Dead
bug abs
Burpees
Superman
or other low back exercise
Body
weight squats
Pushups
Lateral
Lunges
Inverted
Rows
You
can sub in many alternatives, such as pullups (or assisted pullups), light band
exercises, or various mobility drills. Also, this
article by Dan Pfaff gives some examples of exercises and
combinations which can be used to enhance relative body strength and mobility.
Utilizing small external weights – medicine balls, weight plates, or whatever
you have available – and orienting them in different positions relative to your
body (straight in front, overhead, to the side, etc.) will challenge balance,
posture and mobility and can be used to introduce variety into the program.
Depending
on your previous training leading into this, you will probably want to start
out doing this 2x per week. Shoot for 10-20 reps per exercise, and go through
2-3 times, resting as needed between exercises. As your fitness improves,
increase the number of times through the circuit, decrease rest times, increase
reps, or add exercises in order to increase the difficulty. One way may be to
decrease the time it takes you to go through the circuit a certain number of
times. This increases the density of the work, and is just one of a myriad of
ways to up the difficulty.
As
you get better and better, and are moving up the ladder of each progression,
you can begin moving the various progressions below your current status into
the warmup. These progressions should now be of a sufficiently low intensity
that you can perform them with little impact on your state.
Within
each movement pattern, feel free to experiment with different variations, as
you may find that certain variations suit you better than others. It may feel
better to incline bench than flat bench, for instance. Or it may feel better to
front squat than back squat (or not squat at all). I have recently discovered
that deadlifting with an offset stance, with my right foot slightly forward,
makes my low back feel much better. As such, I will be moving forward using the
deadlift only in a supportive capacity, and will perform it in the staggered
position. If it gets to where it feels good to do it normal again, I will
probably move back.
After
a while of doing circuits and variations thereof, you may feel the desire to
move to using free weights. As I stated previously, you do not HAVE to do this,
however, it can be the next logical progression. The squat is the first
movement I would load externally, as it doesn’t change the movement mechanics
drastically.
In
upper body pressing movements, if you are bench pressing (or any variation
thereof), the shoulder blade is essentially “pinned down,” so if your technique
is not very good, it can end up doing a fair amount of damage to the structures
of the shoulder. Utilizing pushups and their variations allow the shoulder
blade to move freely and therefore can contribute to longevity in the
shoulders. This doesn’t give you carte blanche to do pushups with shitty
technique – it will still catch up to you eventually. However, in the squat,
all the moving pieces are still moving, even if you add load. You will end up
having to lean forward more if you are doing back squats, but assuming you have
sufficiently strong erectors and can maintain a neutral lower spine, you will
be fine.
I
also prefer squatting to deadlifting for many “regular” trainees, as they often
have a hard time maintaining a flat back when initiating the pull from the
floor.
“Cardio”
Low-intensity
aerobic work has gotten a bad rap lately, but it has a ton of merit for
athletes and non-athletes alike. While it’s not a time-saver, the health
benefits are too great to ignore. As such, I recommend 20-30 minutes of steady
state work with your heart rate in the 100-130 range as many days as you can. 20-30
minutes is a minimum guideline – if you want to do more, by all means do so.
You’re not going to overdo it. If you’re going to do something else as well,
like lift, do the steady state work beforehand. It won’t cash you, and it will
serve as a good warmup.
Realize
that any type of activity is fine for this – the adaptations we are looking for
are at the heart, so however you are able to raise the heart rate is fine. If
you have access to cardio machines or have a bike, roller blades, etc. I would
recommend them as opposed to running, if possible. I’m not anti-running,
however, the impact on the joints can be quite high, particularly if you have
inefficient mechanics. Therefore, minimizing impact can be very beneficial. If
you enjoy running, however, and want to use that, go ahead. One trick for
keeping intensity low, aside from tracking HR, is to run at a pace that allows
you to only breathe through your nose.
People
will argue that they don’t have time for that type of work and would prefer to
do high-intensity work (especially since it’s all the rage and it makes you
feel like you did something), but the fact is, when it comes to your health,
can you not spare 20-30 minutes per day? Additionally, the difference in
caloric expenditure is simply not great enough to worry about, even over a long
period of time. Do the low-intensity work, feel better, and thank me later.
This type of work can also have a very positive impact on immune system function.
So at the beginning, it may look something
like this:
M – 20-30 minutes cardiac output, 50 total
reps each pushups, rows, squats
T – 20+ minutes cardiac output
W – 30-60 minutes cardiac output
Th – 20-30 minutes cardiac output, 60 total
reps each pushups, lunges, rows
F – 20+ minutes cardiac output
Sat – 20+ minutes cardiac output
Sun – off
Again, this is merely an example and
suggestion. I also realize many people want to do cardiovascular work that is
more taxing than the lower-intensity work, in order that they “feel like they
did something.” You are free to do so. This is only my recommendation. As well,
it is important to remember that activity that you can continue to do over time
will have a greater contribution to weight loss success than something you go
at hard for a short period of time and eventually burn out on.
"As complexity rises, precise
statements lose meaning and meaningful statements lose precision!".
–Lofti Zadeh
Basically, while the basics of nutrition and
performance are quite simple, and therefore we can make some blanket
recommendations as to what to do, the human body is a very complex machine. It
doesn’t adapt linearly and in perfectly understood ways. Therefore, the best we
can do are give general recommendations which a person can adapt to their
specific circumstance.
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