Since I have to make the final vet visit with the puppy tomorrow, I probably won’t have time to post a Friday blog, so I figured I would post a rare Thursday edition instead. I have some random stuff bouncing around my brain this morning, check it out:
1. I am a fan of always trying new foods and ideas, and I have been rocking a new carb for breakfast this past week. I bought some Ezekiel Almond Cereal on Sunday, and I have been having 1/2 cup (1 serving) with a large handful of fresh blueberries and some unsweetened vanilla almond milk. It is absolutely awesome. The cereal absorbs all of the milk and expands and softens, but doesn’t get mushy. I am absolutely loving it right now.
I will say that the Ezekiel sprouted-grain cereal is high in calories and carbs, that 1/2 cup has 38 grams of carbs (6 fiber) and 200 calories, so do keep that in mind.
Though not the almond cereal, or vanilla almond milk, I thought this was a cool picture
2. My wife and I found what appears to be a good looking fish oil product for our puppy. It is by Vet’s Best, and it contains not only some fish oil and it’s everything-healthy omega-3′s, but some evening primrose oil for the anti-inflammatory omega-6 GLA to boot, along with some vitamin E to prevent oxidation. Seems quite solid to me.
Now I don’t know much about dog food, what is a quality company, what is not. If anyone knows of a similar product that is better, or gives this one a thumbs-up, let me know. Any feedback would be appreciated.
3. A growing pet peeve of mine is when people complain that they are hungry when they are dieting and trying to lose weight. Newsflash – when in a caloric deficit your body bumps up ghrelin production, meaning you will be hungry. It is an unfortunate fact of eating below-maintenance calories.
Focusing on high quality protein, healthy fat and fiber (especially soluble, like in chia or glucomannan) can help hold that hunger at bay. So can drinking a cup or two of green tea between meals, as it is a moderate appetite suppressant.
The fact still remains that you will get hungry. I am sorry, but you will just have to deal with it, a small sacrifice to meet your goals.
I prefer to see you thinking about wild salmon and blueberries, is that wishful thinking?
4. Mike Robertson is having a nice little customer-appreciation sale on Bulletproof Knees until the end of the day today. Just enter the coupon code KNEES2010 (yes all CAPS) at checkout and you will get $15 off. I wrote about this product in the past (here), as I think it is far and away the best corrective exercise resource on knee health.
Check out Bulletproof Knees, and remember this sale only goes through the end of the day on today. Plus it has a picture of dudes playing rugby, which makes it even more awesome.
I teased on Friday that I would show the video evidence of me pulling 615, to stay ahead of Tony on the staff leaderboard (though still behind EC, who pulled 640). Well without further ado, here I am:
PS – I know it isn’t the world’s prettiest lift, it was a max effort, and it was 615lbs, it happens. I do not recommend training like that, but some thoracic rounding when maxing out is just fine.
PPS – Yes, that is Pearl Jam playing in the background, and they are the greatest America rock band of all time.
On a totally unrelated note, I watched two totally awesome movies this weekend. I finally got around to seeing the very charming and incredibly likable (500) Days of Summer, and the visually arresting Avatar.
(500) Days of Summer was very charming, as both leads were excellent. It will put a smile on your face for so many wonderfully touching parts, and yet it will break your heart at so many others, while making you chuckle throughout. In many ways it reminded of me of Garden State, in that it had a charming tone, two wonderful leads and a great story.
Avatar was just amazing to watch. The story is nothing new, but the visuals are on a level that has never been seen before, and I was absolutely blown away by it. Obviously I am like the last person in the country to have seen this movie, so I am hardly telling any of you something new, but if you have not seen it yet, do yourself a favor and find an IMAX 3-D to maximize the experience.
A CP client sent me a link to a Harvard website all about running. As I am sure you know, running is certainly not my favorite thing to do, and I am quite fond of the Mike Boyle quote “You have to be fit to run, not run to be fit”.
That being said, this website is quite fascinating. It is looking at the history of human evolution, and the fact that humans have been running for millions of years without the aid of the modern running shoe. It looks at the running mechanics of people who have never worn shoes in their lives, compared to the running mechanics of people in shoes.
It shows the different ground reaction forces, feet angles, and the resulting differences in the way our bodies absorb these forces and changes. It is really interesting, and really expands on the topics covered in Born to Run (which I reviewed HERE, awesome book by the way). I highly recommend you check this site out, especially if you are a runner.
This may sound dry and boring, but it is written for the lay population, and has lots of videos and charts to show the data, and it is very eye-opening and makes me even more certain that for most people, getting out of your shoes as often as possible is a fantastic idea.
On another note, Tony, Pete and I just completed a month of Jim Wendler’s 5/3/1 program, and I must say, I came away impressed with the results. All three of us have set some PR’s after finishing this program, and that is quite a feat.
Pete increased his box squat by a whopping 50lbs (granted, his max had probably gone up some before this program, he just hadn’t tested it), his bench went up by 20lbs, his trap bar deadlift went up 40lbs and his 3-rep max chinup went up 12lbs. These are some remarkable gains. I will also note that since July I have helped Pete put on 18lbs, so that has certainly helped his gains.
Tony finally pulled 600lbs on the trap bar, which was a 25lb PR for him, improved his 3-rep max chinup by 6lbs, and was able to up his bench by 5lbs as well. He didn’t test his back squat because his knees would probably explode. For someone with over 12 years of training experience, this is incredible progress for 1 month of training.
Now my testing was a little hit or miss. With Tony pulling 600, that meant he was now 5lbs ahead of me on the staff leaderboard. This was unacceptable. I attempted my bench, but after a night where I had to get up at 1 and at 5:30 to take the puppy out to pee (she is only 15 weeks, she can’t hold it that long), I bombed out miserably.
Considering I am also about 20lbs lighter than I was when I set my bench PR of 345, it probably wasn’t going to happen anyway. My trap bar was a different story, and since the video evidence of me dominating Tony needs some formatting, you will just have to wait until next week to see me setting a PR pull. I also plan on testing at least my chinup next week, as I can’t be the only guy on staff who’s total weight is under 300lbs, and possibly my box squat as well, so stay tuned!
If you are like me and time can be tight to fit in training (even when you work at a gym) having some good quality equipment at home can really be a lifesaver. Everybody knows that New Year’s is a time to make changes, but somehow people always seem to find a way to not follow through. Well I am here to take away a bunch of your excuses. Building a home gym can really help keep you on point, but if you are also like me and making your home gym cost-effective is a large priority, and you have limited space, then I have some good tips for you.
Due to CP getting busier, and my life in general just seeming busier, my training time has been reduced. In order to compensate for this I have set up a little home gym on the cheap to allow me to keep up my activity, even in the freezing cold of New England winter. Here are my top 5 tools of choice to help keep you and me getting in those consistent sessions, with a combined cost of under $250.
1. Foam Roller. This is an essential and cheap component to any home gym. Soft tissue work will make you feel brand new, keeping you healthy to train hard long-term. If you are unsure of how to foam roll, watch this.
2. Iron Gym. This is a nifty little piece of equipment I picked up a few weeks ago. This is a phenomenal way to get in some upper body pulling, and I am very impressed with how solidly built it is. It only took about 5 minutes to set up, and it can hold up to 300lbs. For just under $30, it is worth every penny.
3. Kettlebells.Kettlebells are awesome for metabolic work. Whether you do swings, cleans, snatches, Turkish get-ups or use it for anything you would use a dumbbell for, a kettlebell is an awesome piece of equipment for your home gym and can instantly add a ton of variety and conditioning.
4. TRX Suspension System. The TRX allows for some awesome things that you could usually never do at home. With the TRX you can do just about anything. You can hook it up to your Iron Gym and do pushup variations, rowing variations, single leg work, squat progressions, ab work and so much more. One of the most versatile pieces of equipment available.
5. Assorted Bands. Bands can allow you to make a lot of exercises harder without having a ton of equipment. You can use the bands to make pushup variations harder, make squat variations harder, use for band pullaparts, stretching and more. Accomodating resistance equipment (like bands and chains) can add a whole new stimulus to your training and really increase results.
Bonus Equipment
Jump Rope. I think this one is pretty self-evident. Cheap go-anywhere piece of metabolic conditioning equipment that just about anyone knows how to use.
Valslides. These fun little slides allow for some great variety in your training. Doing reverse lunges on these will help you discover your posterior chain. You can also use them for non-impact mountain climbers, hip-extended leg curls, lateral lunges and more.
Basically what it comes down to is no matter your budget, work schedule, space or any other variable you can think of, you are only limited by your willpower and creativity. Now get training!
Dr. John Berardi and his Precision Nutrition team are launching their annual Lean Eating Coaching Program today. This is a one-of-a-kind program that produces tremendous results. Perfect example is a Cressey Performance summer intern. He completed the program before coming to CP last summer, and here were his results:
Top Transformation – Runner-Up
Runner-Up
Shinrock
Total Changes:
20 lbs lost
6% body fat lost according to calipers
Before/After Photos:
He got lean!
Now not only are Dr. Berardi and company putting on this tremendous program, when I watched this video he sent over, and learned that he’s giving away $40,000 of his own money, that definitely got my attention. Check out this blog post for yourself, HERE.
Now, to qualify for this reward, you have to participate in the Lean Eating program. But that’s a no brainer. You should want to do that ANYWAY if you’re interested in body transformation because there is nothing else like it. You get 6 months of world class coaching, the type of coaching you can’t find, well, anywhere (except with me of course). And, during these 6 months, if you achieve the best body transformation, you’ll win 10K.
Worst case scenario, you come out with the best body of your life. Best case scenario, you come out with the best body of your life, and 10 GRAND. So, I highly encourage you to check out this post below. In it, Dr Berardi shares with you two critical components for body transformation success. And then he tells you exactly how one man and one woman are going to swoop in and claim $10 G’s of his own money.
Now, this message is time sensitive. No, it’s not gonna self-destruct or anything. However, spots are limited in this program. And LOTS of people want in.
So, if you’re interested in finding out exactly how to eat to get in the best shape of your life, click the link below. 10 grand may be waiting for you on the other side. Check out the Lean Eating Program right HERE.
Since today is my day off from CP I have actually found some time to catch up some reading, and I have come across some really top-notch stuff that really piqued my interest. These articles are pretty straight forward, nothing overly complex and is stuff that you can put to use immediately, which is always nice. Enjoy!
1. Butyric Acid: An Ancient Controller of Metabolism, Inflammation and Stress Resistance by Stephan Guyenet. Like I have noted many many times before, I think Stephan posts some of the best and most interesting info on the web. This blog is no exception. Though the title may sound a little weird, like what the hell is butyric acid? Butyric acid is a fatty acid found in butter (especially pastured butter), hence the name. It is also made by the bacteria in your large intestine. They feed on fiber and make this awesome substance. Read it to find out more.
2. 5-HTP and Fat Loss: Is Turkey the Next Big Supplement by Helen Kollias on Precision Nutrition. 5-HTP is a metabolite of tryptophan, that little amino acid found in turkey (and in larger amounts in many other foods) that aids in sleep. Helen covers a study that shows supplementation of 5-HTP can actually aid in weight loss. For those of you who have trouble sleeping, Biotest makes a product called Z-12 in which the main component is 5-HTP. It is expensive, but it absolutely aids in sleep, and apparently is a minor fat loss aid. Good to know.
3. The Truth About Kids and Resistance Training by Eric Cressey. Eric covers a lot of ground and really shows how a properly created and supervised training program will help improve child development, and will not stunt growth. He also points out that resistance does not have to equal weights, body weight exercises are a great way to start. Most of all he stresses fun!
4. Only One Body by Mike Boyle. This blog post is absolutely fantastic. If this blog doesn’t make you want to exercise and take care of yourself, then I don’t know what will. The big points are that no matter what, you will spend time and money on your health. Do you choose to spend that time and money on eating right and exercising, or on doctor’s visits, cardiologists and plastic surgeons. The choice is yours.
To wrap up the week I am going to leave you with another awesome recipe that my wife concocted just the other day.
I have been on a sweet potato kick lately, and Anna really loves sweet potato fries, so we decided to make our own. We simply peeled, washed and chopped two sweet potatoes. We then tossed them in a large freezer bag and mixed them with approximately (we didn’t measure anything) 2 tbsp melted pastured butter, 1 tsp (maybe less) cinnamon, a dash of Redmond Real Salt sea salt, and some Montreal Chicken Seasoning. We then broiled them for about 10-15 minutes, or until done. They were absolutely awesome!
Oddly enough, that recipe ties in beautifully with the butyric acid post by Stephan. Each sweet potato provides about 3-4 grams of fiber, with about half of that being soluble, which is more likely than insoluble fiber to be fermented by the gut into butyric acid. Pastured butter is also a rich source of butyric acid, with the 2 tbsp providing about 1 gram of it. Though it may seem odd, the cinnamon also contributes to this point as it provides about 1.2 grams of fiber as well (though I could not find how much was soluble vs insoluble). Needless to say in conjunction with some pre-chopped and frozen lean beef (that idea is awesome) and 1/2 bag of frozen mixed veggies, it was an absolutely fantastic meal.
Before we get started, I wanted to give you a quick heads-up that Mike Boyle will be running a sweet deal on Functional Strength Coach 3. From today until Midnight Friday, you get free shipping! This is an absolutely fantastic resource and I’d strongly encourage you to check it out. Click here to check it out.
I know as of late I’ve been posting a lot of recipes and maybe slightly less content. I’ve just been coming up with or coming across some really awesome, easy to apply recipes that I just want to share with you guys. I promise there is plenty of content in the works.
So as I mentioned many times before, my wife has had some pretty awesome recipes that we have utilized to great effect. Today is no exception. First up is her awesome beef stew recipe. We made this recipe for my parents when they visited our apartment for the first time. They absolutely loved it, and my mom has made it at home on her own. This one is a little more time intensive, but awesome on a nice cold wintry weekend day.
Irish Beef Stew
Ingredients:
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 pounds of lean beef, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups of canned beef broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 table Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
¼ stick pastured butter
1-2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups carrots, ½-inch pieces
2 cups baby portabella mushrooms cut into quarters
Directions:
1. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add beef and sauté until brown on all sides (about 5 minutes). Add garlic and sauté 1 minute.
2. Add beef broth, tomato paste, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves. Stir to combine and bring mixture to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to medium-low, then cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
4. In another large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add potatoes, onion, carrots, and mushrooms. Sauté vegetables until golden, about 20 minutes.
Add vegetables to beef stew. Simmer uncovered until vegetables and beef are tender, about 40 minutes. Discard bay leaves before serving. Serves 6.
If there are any hockey players, coaches or anyone associated with the game, I have a quick and interesting announcement for you. My good friend, colleague and brilliant strength coach Kevin Neeld is starting a new site called hockeytrainingexpert.com. Kevin is a former Cressey Performance intern, and he’s now the Director of Athletic Development of Endeavor Fitness in New Jersey where he trains hundreds of high school and college athletes, as well as many NHL players.
My favorite sport - played for 16 years
Kevin is an expert in what it takes to help you maximize your hockey performance. I am humbled to say that I’ve partnered with Kevin on this site and consider myself lucky to contribute to this incredible resource. I have already written two articles exclusively for the site, and will be contributing many more in the future. So again, if you are a current hockey player, hockey coach, or work anyway with hockey take it upon yourself to check out this comprehensive resource with tons of content on off-ice training, player development and proper nutrition for the aspiring hockey player.
A quick and convenient meal.
Lately I’ve been trying to come up with ways to have quick convenient healthy meals for dinner. Many of you, like me, have limited time for food preparation, but still want to eat high-quality, delicious and healthful meals. One method we have come up with is purchase fresh lean steak and chicken. After purchase we chop the meat into approximately 1 inch cubes and individually store in freezer bags, with each serving size being approximately 6 ounces. You can choose whatever serving size fits your appetite and diet.
We also have purchased a wide variety of mixed frozen vegetables to make an awesome stir-fry with meat. When Anna gets home from a long day of school or I get home from a long day of work it is very easy to toss some frozen meat in a bowl of hot water to thaw. Once thawed (it only takes 10 to 15 minutes), toss the meat in a large frying pan with a little extra virgin olive oil. Add in half of a bag of mixed frozen veggies and season to taste. This highly nutritious, tasty, low-carb dinner does not require a lot of time or effort.
It is also a nice change of pace to have a fresh and hot chopped chicken breast, rather than always using previously cooked and stored chicken breast. Pick up these few items on your next trip to the grocery store and you’ll be set for at least one convenient and healthy meal everyday.
Missing the forest for the trees might be a sentence that I use the most with clients. Here is one simple fact that if you can truly come to accept will make a bigger impact on your goals, whatever they may be, than just about anything else. Ready?
You are not as advanced as you think you are.
That is it. You don’t need to be doing a specialized hybrid Russian periodization program with some added dynamic effort work and 3x per week sprint sessions. Trust me. The same goes for nutrition. The last thing you need to worry about is what kind of salsa you are using, I assure you if you haven’t reached your physique goals that your salsa choice has little to do with it. It might be the fact that you slug down 60 grams of unnecessary sugar after you train, or that you eat Special K for breakfast. It is not the salsa, I promise.
Master the basics. If you can do that, and I mean truly do that, you will have the physique and health status to prove it. Eat real food. Eat more protein. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Eat more healthy fat. Eat less refined carbs. If you can do that CONSISTENTLY, then maybe, just maybe you can start to think about carb timing, macronutrient ratios, carb cycling, cyclical ketogenic, or whatever else it is you just read about on some website. You might find that after mastering the basics, you don’t have to.
Training is the same way. It takes years, and I really do mean years, to truly master the basic movements to the point where you need to worry about anything else. You probably don’t need to be doing max singles, or the innie-outie machine. If you can master the squat, deadlift, pullups, pressing, pulling and lunging you will be far better off than the guy doing 1-leg squats with his eyes closed while standing on an Airex pad, or the woman reading a magazine while doing 100 reps on the adductor/abductor machine. (sorry for the stereotypes, but I did once work in a commercial gym, just making a point)
Don't be this guy
When it comes to training though, there is a catch. Most people move horribly and do not even know it. Your posture dictates how well you can do most exercises, so if it sucks, so will your technique. If you can’t even get to neutral spine, if you have locked up hips and upper back mobility, or you lack ankle mobility all of those things could hugely, and negatively, affect your ability to train properly, train hard and train long-term because you will likely get hurt.
Foam rolling and a dynamic mobility warmup go a long way to help improve posture, mobility and flexibility. We employ both with all of our clients before they even begin to train. After the evaluation it is the first thing our clients learn about at CP. It is that important. However it can not possibly cover every person’s unique postural and mobility deficits.
Fortunately for you Eric Cressey, Mike Robertson, and Bill Hartman have joined forces and created a new DVD (and manual) to help you identify and fix your postural, mobility, and flexibility issues. Assess & Correct is one of the best products that I have come across in the fitness industry. It was created by three of the smartest guys in the field at assessment and corrective exercise. It is chock full of user-friendly and top-notch info and strategies that we utilize at CP and Bill and Mike use at IFAST to efficiently and effectively get clients healthier and more fit. With video demonstrations and written descriptions of every exercise it doesn’t leave you guessing on proper technique and execution. The most amazing part of Assess & Correct is that once you complete the assessment portion it helps direct you to the exercises you will personally need to do to fix your problems, it is not a one-size-fits-all approach. So if you are interested in getting better posture and staying health, check it out HERE.
In conclusion, realize that mastering the basics is the name of the game, and you are never too advanced to pull back and work on the fundamentals: Make better food choices, master the basic lifts, eat more fruits and vegetables, fix your posture, and do not worry about what salsa you are eating as I promise it is not making a significant impact on your goals.
For those of you who missed it, check out my previous blog with a big announcement of Leigh Peele’s incredible nutrition book Body By Eats. Yours truly was lucky enough to contribute a recipe, so be on the lookout for that! Leigh has created an incredible resource covering diet myths, tips, tricks and kick ass recipes. Whether you want to get lean or get jacked, she covers it all in evidence-based thorough detail, be sure to check out Body By Eats!
In that same vein, the great Mike Boyle, maybe the most successful strength and conditioning coach ever and certainly one of the most influential, has just released Functional Strength Coach 3. Volumes 1 & 2 were awesome and were two of the very first learning tools EC let me borrow when I was a wee bitty intern many moons ago, and Volume 3 is even better. I’ve been following (and stealing from) Mike Boyle for as long as I’ve been coaching. His information is just that good. So the fact that he’s putting out a program with his latest training concepts tells me one thing…I need to get it in my hands as soon as possible. And so do you. Whether you train athletes, regular joe’s or are just an avid fitness enthusiast, this product will take you to a whole new level. Click here to check it out.
The Problem of Overcompensation
Many of you probably read that Time magazine article about how “exercising makes you fat”. That article sucked because I think it led people to believe that vigorous exercise doesn’t provide benefits, despite the mountains of research showing otherwise, but it did shed light on one very pertinent fact. Many people do not lose weight from exercise alone because they reward themselves with too many calories after they train. Who doesn’t know someone (probably yourself!) who has eaten a huge dinner or an extra piece of dessert because “I trained today”. Exercise doesn’t justify being a glutton!
Exercise doesn't justify being a glutton!
I don’t care how hard you train, you can not out-train a poor diet. In that article the author stated how he would exercise then reward himself with some french fries, or of others who would chomp down on some muffins (or as my dad would say, glorified cake) post run. Exercise has a whole assortment of benefits. Cardiovascular benefits, endocrine response, joint health, bone density, postural improvements, cognitive improvement, etc. Proper exercise selection, intensity, duration and frequency will make you tremendously more healthy, not less so, especially if you don’t justify to yourself that you earned that 1,000 calories Starbucks latte and chocolate chip muffin. Trust me, you didn’t expend that many calories, you are not Michael Phelps.
The best way to think of it is that your diet will control your weight loss results, your exercise will maintain or help build that awesome lean mass (to help you look “toned”), improve immune function, make you smarter and increase strength and stamina.
Posted on February 11th, 2010 by Brian St. Pierre
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