A Whole New Way to do Interval Training

Filed under: General Health, Training, Weight Loss

Mike Boyle, one of the most renowned strength and conditioning coaches in the world, has made some interesting changes with how he conditions his athletes and clients at Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning. It will be fascinating to see what result Mike’s athletes and clients reap from the modification.

This form of conditioning can also be implemented in a fat loss program, so if that is your goal (or that of your clients) give it a shot, it will provide a nice spark to your stale routine.

You can check out the video of Mike explaining the changes Right Here.

If you do consider yourself a serious athlete, lifter, strength coach, or trainer, you owe it to yourself to hear what the owner of the #1 Gym in America (By Men’s Health) has to say when it comes to performing better and getting your clients and athletes real results that will improve their conditioning, body composition, and performance.

Also keep an eye out this week as Mike is literally giving everyone the keys to Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning with BodyByBoyle Online.

I got a chance to preview this service (thanks to Kevin Larrabee), and I was absolutely blown away. From the training programs, to the exercise videos, to the educational content, it is simply the ultimate resource for strength and conditioning.

Stay tuned as BodyByBoyle Online is launching on October 6th at 7:00 am EST. There is a limited number of spots available so don’t miss out!

Again you can check the video for free Right Here.

Posted on October 4th, 2010 by Brian St. Pierre

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Stuff You Should Read

Filed under: General Health, Nutrition, Training

I was able to catch up on some blog reading this morning, and I came across some stuff that I thought you guys might like, so check them out.

I also wanted to quickly mention that Mike Boyle’s Functional Strength Coach 3.0 is currently on sale for 25% off (a savings of $50!), which is a tremendous deal for those of you who didn’t pick one up the first time. Mike is a brilliant guy, and this is an awesome DVD set that encompasses everything Mike has learned in nearly 30 years of “in the trenches” experience at every level of sport and fitness.

1. Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: Should I Get a Mac, Food Myths, and My New Favorite Stretch – Tony Gentilcore. Tony is famous for having some of the longest blog titles ever, but this one came out yesterday and already has 25 comments. I found it quite interesting to hear so many people advise him on whether or not to get a Mac, as I myself might be in the market for a new laptop in the not too distant future.

2. A Health Guru Dies of Cancer – Jonny Bowden. Jonny discusses a very important question; if even some of the smartest and healthiest people on earth die far too early from diseases like cancer, is all this effort to be healthy worth it? I like his answer.

3. Potatoes and Human Health, Part 1 and Part 2 – Stephan Guyenet. Stephan delves into the cultivation of potatoes (quickly), their nutritional content, health benefits and traditional use in diets. He also discuss glycoalkoloid content. Hmmm my description doesn’t sound nearly as interesting as it really is, but definitely check them out.


Posted on September 28th, 2010 by Brian St. Pierre

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Is Show and Go For You?

Filed under: Training

Hey guys I don’t have a ton of time today as I got home late last night from Boston and I have to work early and all day for my dad out of town, so this is going to be a quick one.

I just wanted to remind you all that the Show and Go Training System introductory $50 off sale ends tomorrow, so if you want one at the lowest possible price you should act fast!

A lot of you have contacted me about whether I think this program would be right for you, and I know a lot of people have contacted EC as well asking the same thing. I happen to know this because I was at CP on Tuesday and I saw him answering a lot of questions!

Anyway to those of you unsure if this product is for you or not, here are some answers for many of the frequently asked questions Eric and I have received, straight from EC himself.

Question #1 – Can you give us a little idea of what this product is about?

Sure thing. It’s call Show and Go: High Performance Training to Look, Feel and Move Better. I hesitate to call this a book, as it’s more of a “resource.” Plus, it’s completely online.

In addition to the main manual – which features some background on the program, how it works, how to interpret the exercise recommendations, plus some frequently asked questions – we have four separate 4-week programs for a total of 16 weeks of training. Taking it a step further, we have a password protected online database of over 175 exercises videoed – basically, everything in the program.

The program themselves are already inserted into the exact training templates we use with our clients at Cressey Performance, so people can just print them out and record everything they do during each session. There are 4x/week and 3x/week training options – and a 2x/week training options available as one of the bonuses (ideal for in-season athletes and endurance athletes). Within each of the 3x/week and 4x/week programs, there are five different supplemental metabolic conditioning options from which people can choose to help individualize the program to their goals. Each phase has a unique full mobility warm-up.

In the main manual, there is an entire chapter (and corresponding video library) on exercise modifications for those who have limited equipment access (e.g., no squat rack or cables) and those who may have mobility issues that prevent them from performing a specific exercise (e.g., squatting deep).

Question #2 – How is it different from the other training products out there now?

Most products are written with a specific market – trainers, females, fat loss, or something else – in mind. In the marketing world, they tell you to not try to be everything to everyone. Well, I’m not a good marketer – so I decided to make this resource extremely versatile and a good fit for a LOT of people.

The reason is that there are a lot of things in a comprehensive strength and conditioning program that everybody needs to utilize. From the minutia to the big picture, I could go on all day: foam rolling, mobility warm-ups, single-leg training, more horizontal pulling, fluctuation of training stress, sufficient deloading periods, extra posterior chain work, a balance of open- and closed-chain upper body pressing, glute activation, rotator cuff strength – the list goes on and on.

So, I guess you can say that the #1 thing that is different about this product is that there are easy- to-apply modifications in it that make it a versatile resource that offers something for everyone. From the 2x/3x/4x per week training options to the supplement conditioning options, there are ways to make it the right fit for YOU.

And, the guy who created it is also extremely good looking, charming, witty, and charismatic!

Question #3 – Will I get fast results with this program or is more for long-term gains?

You’ll see some excellent improvements in body composition and performance in the 16 weeks, no doubt. However, I think a key benefit that will be overlooked is that you’ll learn a lot about programming along the way, pick up a ton of new exercises you can use for the long haul, and get an appreciation for how to “tinker” with things for different goals.

Hopefully that clears up some questions or concerns some of you may have had, but please feel free to contact me if you have any more questions. As I said before I give Show and Go Training my highest recommendation. If you haven’t picked up your copy yet you can grab it right here.

Posted on September 23rd, 2010 by Brian St. Pierre

1 Comment »

Show and Go is LIVE!

Filed under: General Health, Nutrition, Training, Weight Loss

I know I have talked about Show and Go incessantly for the past week, but I am very excited for its release. As of this moment, Eric Cressey has just opened up the doors to his brand new Show and Go Training System!

He’s offering a huge discount on the System and is giving away some really cool bonuses for you if you act fast. But hurry they won’t last long…

You can get all the details right here!

I’ve known Eric for several years now and I can personally tell you that I consider him to be one of the finest performance enhancement coaches in the world. I have seen hundreds of Eric’s clients make the best progress of their lives under his guidance, while also improving their long-term health and performance.

I have also seen this actual program in action, and I absolutely know that it works! One of my best friends in college was a guinea pig for this program.

Now this is a guy who had been training properly for a full year prior to testing Show and Go, and he had made some nice progress. He had cleaned up his diet, gained some strength, improved his body composition as well his performance on the rugby pitch.

In the 4 months of the Show and Go program he lost 10lbs of fat, decreased his bodyfat by 4% and made some tremendous strength gains: his squat went up 30lbs, his deadlift 40lbs (to 405!), his bench by 15lbs, and his chinups by 25lbs!

These would be impressive gains from a beginner, but from a guy who had done some training on and off for a few years, and then had a solid year of high-quality training prior to, these are astounding numbers! And he did it all while getting significantly leaner and not actually dieting! He simply committed himself to some nutrition guidelines I had given to him years prior that he had never truly put to use!

To think, he did all that in just 16 weeks! Keep at it and imagine the results in a full year!

The best part about it all is though Eric and I had kicked around the idea of me writing the nutrition component for his next project for quite some time, it was actually when we were discussing this guys particular results that it truly came to fruition. And thus, the Show and Go Nutrition Guide was born!

I give Show and Go my absolute highest recommendation; from the soft-tissue improvements, the warm-ups and mobility improvements, to the top-notch training and performance improvements this book has it all. Not too mention all of the incredible bonuses and amazing Nutrition Guide!

Do yourself a favor, take your training, nutrition and performance to the next level, and get the Show and Go Training System Now!

Posted on September 21st, 2010 by Brian St. Pierre

14 Comments »

A New Look Around Here

Filed under: Training

So I am sure you will all notice the new look around here! I have my good friend Nico to thank for the work he did in revamping my site, and I must say he did a tremendous job! There are a few more bugs to workout, like for some odd reason we lost the search function, but that should be up and running by the end of the day today.

I was able to barter a training program and some nutrition consulting with Nico in exchange for the website work, which I was also pretty pumped about!

Please let me know what you guys think of the new layout and design, any and all comments are welcome!

I am also very excited/nervous, I guess anxious would be appropriate, for Show and Go to launch tomorrow! It is the first book I have written, and although I have the utmost confidence in it I can’t help being just a little nervous! I don’t think I have ever used that many exclamation points in my life. I feel like Mike Robertson. Just kidding Mike.

I am in Boston for a few days with my wife as she is in town for a conference on dental implants. I know exciting stuff right? I am locking myself in my hotel room today (which her company is paying for, booya) and adding the final touches on the site as well as finishing up my 3rd article for t-nation.

We of course packed lots of healthy portable snacks to bring with us. Some mixed nuts, dried fruit, fresh fruit, natural peanut butter, whole-grain bread (unfortunately sprouted-grains wouldn’t last long without refrigeration), and protein powder.

Of course while in town I am going to make an appearance at CP tomorrow. Get in a lift with the staff, see some friendly faces, meet the new interns, do lots of observing and maybe even do a little coaching, mainly because I just can’t help myself.

It will be so nice to be back in a gym with some actual attitude. It is amazing the difference it makes when you are surrounded by loud music, like-minded individuals and people actually training with a purpose. In fact an online client of mine sent me an article from the NY Times showing that the tempo of the music you listen to can highly influence how hard you train.

Greatest lifting music of all time

The study found that when people listened to the same song at either 10% faster or 10% slower tempo, their work output matched the tempo. Meaning when they listen to the slower version of the song (without knowing it) they actually worked less hard. When they listened to the faster version they worked harder. The crazy part is they knew they were working harder (though they didn’t know the song was faster than normal) but they persevered none-the-less.

Needless to say, Tony Gentilcore will NOT be in control of the music when I am at the facility tomorrow, that’s for sure!

That’s it for today guys, and please let me know what you think of the new layout!

Posted on September 20th, 2010 by Brian St. Pierre

7 Comments »

Master The Squat

Filed under: Nutrition, Training

So on Tuesday I let you know about the launching of Eric Cressey’s Show and Go: High Performance Training to Look, Feel and Move Better. To kick start it all Eric provided an awesome FREE video on how to get a deeper squat.

This time he is back with another kickass FREE video – 4 Must Have Variations to Master the Squat.

To top it all off, if you want to see all of my thoughts and philosophies on nutrition compiled together and in one place, I have written an accompanying Show and Go Nutrition Guide. In my opinion it is freakin awesome!

But you don’t just have to take my word for it. Eric’s guinea pigs for the program were offered the nutrition guide early, as a thank you. And this is what one of them had to say:

“First off, Brian, as one of the testers of Eric’s new program, I was offered a chance to buy the nutritional add on early, which I have taken up.

Now I haven’t sat down to read it through yet, but at a first glance, it appears to be just what I need. As a personal trainer, often the biggest barrier is changing nutritional habits. You have provided what looks to be a very user friendly resource, without dumbing down or skimping on the information. Congratulations and thank you.”

So again, check out this new FREE video and learn more about the awesomeness of Show and Go.

Posted on September 16th, 2010 by Brian St. Pierre

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Show and Go and The Dempsey Challenge

Filed under: General Health, Nutrition, Training

I have some very exciting news to discuss today. First I want to mention that my former boss, and good friend Eric Cressey is set to launch his new product Show and Go: High Performance Training to Look, Feel and Move Better. He sent me an advanced copy of the product, and it is absolutely incredible.

Not only that, but EC also asked me to write a nutrition manual to tag along with Show and Go, which I of course obliged! I may have gone a little overboard, since my manual alone is around 90 pages! It contains tons of content, example meal plans, recipes and more!

Leading up to the launch of the product, which also comes with sweet free bonuses from guys like Tony Gentilcore, Bret Contreras, Jim Smith and Chris Howard, Eric is going to be dropping some serious knowledge bombs that are just the tip of the iceberg contained in Show and Go.

Today is one such knowledge bomb. If you want to learn how to squat deeply and safely, Eric has just released a free video revealing several instant fixes for your squat. This squat video is just a small sample of what Show and Go provides, check it out.

On another note, I will be running (who’d have thought huh?) in the Dempsey Challenge on October 2nd. The Dempsey Challenge is “a run/walk and cycling experience which integrates the passion and support of the cancer community with the hospitality of the Lewiston/Auburn community, while providing a rewarding experience and unprecedented value to all participants and partners.”

As I am sure many of you may not know, Patrick Dempsey, the star of Grey’s Anatomy, is actually from a small town in Maine, just outside my home town. He actually attended my high school for a few years before transferring. Anyway, I have decided to participate in the 2nd Annual Dempsey Challenge now that I am home in Maine. It was a tremendous success last year, and many of my family members participated in the event.

The Dempsey Challenge benefits The Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing at Central Maine Medical Center, in Lewiston, Maine. To participate in the event you are required to raise $150 in donations, and to that end I am unabashedly asking for your help.

We have all been touched by cancer; we all know people who have it, who have beaten it, and who have succumbed to it. If you wish to donate to my running of the 2nd annual Dempsey Challenge, please click here. There is definitely no pressure, but every little bit helps so even if you only have little to give it will all make a difference. Thanks.

Posted on September 14th, 2010 by Brian St. Pierre

5 Comments »

Stuff You Should Read

Filed under: General Health, Nutrition, Training

Well last night during my CP fantasy football draft (to be honest I am not a huge fan of my team, but what can you do) I put the final touches on my nutrition guide for EC’s new book. I am very excited that I had the opportunity to write the nutrition component for EC, but I am also very glad that it is done! It was an incredible amount of work!

Anyway, here are some good blogs/articles that you should check out while you are pretending to work.

1. What a Stressed Out Bride Can Teach You About Training Success – Eric Cressey. Eric delves into how making your goals public, like telling people you are getting married, can greatly increase your chance of success, especially in fitness, performance and body composition.

2. A Little Sage Advice – Tony Gentilcore. Tony answers a question that gets asked often, “how to be a better trainer?” He explains how reading and networking are incredibly important, but that the best way to get better is to just do it!

3. The Dirty Little Secret of the Diet-Heart Hypothesis – Stephan Guyenet. Stephan has been a huge influence in my beliefs on how saturated fat affects health risk (or health improvements!), food quality affects body composition and a whole lot more. This is one of my favorite posts of his, and if you are at all interested in the actual research showing that saturated fat does not cause heart disease, do yourself a favor and check this out.

Enjoy!

Posted on September 9th, 2010 by Brian St. Pierre

1 Comment »

Summer in Maine

Filed under: General Health, Training

This past weekend I paid a little visit to CP. It was nice to see some friendly faces, do some coaching, catch up with the staff and get in a brutal 20 minute Prowler push medley (after doing some other strong man work).

I hate the Prowler, and I hate EC for programming that the day I come down. I could hardly move my legs for about 10 minutes after finishing they were so exhausted and full of blood.

After driving back home to Maine that evening (a shade under 3 hours) I played and walked 18 holes of some ugly golf at Poland Spring Golf Course the next morning. It was a beautiful day, though there were some very strong winds that made some shots quite interesting.

It was the first time I had ever played a links-style course, and I can’t say I was a huge fan. The pin placements were brutal, especially with the lack of rain so the greens were incredibly fast. I won’t even discuss my score, suffice to say that out of the four of us, at least I came in second. Walking 18 holes is always much more tiring than I expect, and as long as you are slugging down a 6-pack on the way, is some pretty good exercise. On an interesting aside, the Poland Spring Golf Course was the first golf course built at a resort in the US.

The following day my wife and I went whitewater rafting with my parents and sisters on the Kennebec River. Minus the fact that it was overcast and actually somewhat cold, it was fun as hell and I always enjoy crashing down a raging river and hitting some big rapids.

It was also quite fun to see both of my sisters, my mom and my wife fall out, while my dad and I managed to hold strong and actually stay in the raft. We went with Crab Apple Whitewater for those possibly interested in the experience. They do a great job and they have the best location due to the fact that as soon as you exit the river you merely toss your raft up on a trailer and then walk across the road directly to their base. All other companies you have to get back on a school bus and travel back to the base, some as far as 45 minutes away.

All in all it was a busy weekend, but definitely fun and active. A point it really drove home for me was you don’t have to just go to the gym to get some exercise, there are tons of opportunities just waiting for you outside your door! Even the training session at CP was something that really could have been done just about anywhere. You can flip tires, carry heavy stuff for long distances, smash stuff with a sledgehammer, drag heavy tires for time and more to get in a fun, varied and intense conditioning session in. Not everything has to be bench presses and curls!

Take advantage of this beautiful summer before the cold days of winter keep you bundled up inside. Though there is always snow-shoeing.

Posted on August 18th, 2010 by Brian St. Pierre

6 Comments »

Full Fat Yogurt and Imbalanced Muscles

Filed under: Nutrition, Recipes, Training

Though I am very happy to have moved back to Maine, and I love my grocery store, unfortunately it comes with one drawback.

They do not carry my usual 2% plain Greek yogurt. They only have fat free. This sucks because I am believer that full-fat dairy is better for you than fat free (and yes I realize that 2% isn’t full fat, but full fat Greek yogurt contains 46 grams of fat in my usual 2 cup serving, a bit much really).

So I have had to alter my yogurt consumption, and below is a simple and delicious recipe that I concocted that I think is superior to my previous yogurt meal anyway.

Since it is not Greek yogurt I am using I am able to afford the organic kind from grass-fed cows, go full fat since it contains a much more reasonable amount, and it contains more probiotics since Greek yogurt is more acidic and they die faster in that environment. I also add whey protein powder to increase the protein content, and whey provides a ton of its own immune boosting and health improving benefits to boot.

not exactly it, but close enough to give you the idea

not exactly it, but close enough to give you the idea

It also provides all of the tremendous health benefits of berries, healthy fat and fiber from chia and some nuts, is easy to make and portable as well. For those of you who claim to be poor cooks or don’t have time to prepare meals, this is about as easy as it gets, so no more excuses!

I have used this recipe as breakfast, a mid-day snack or as a pre or post workout meal. For breakfast and pre or post workout I do add 1/2 cup dry old-fashioned oats to the recipe.

Sweet Cream & Berries

  • 1.5 cups Cream Top Plain Stonyfield organic yogurt
  • 1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
  • 1/2 cup (ish) wild blueberries
  • 1/2 cup (ish) raspberries
  • 1 tbsp chia seeds
  • 2 tbsp almonds and pecans
  • optional – 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats

Just stir the protein powder and chia seeds in with the yogurt, then add the fruit and nuts and enjoy! It is sweet and creamy with a little bit of crunch.

This provides approximately:

  • Calories without oats – 566, with oats – 721
  • Fat without oats – 26, with oats – 29
  • Carbs without oats – 47, with oats – 74
  • Fiber without oats – 12, with oats – 16
  • Protein without oats – 36, with oats – 41

On a side note, I just ordered Muscle Imbalances Revealed this morning as the product looks absolutely incredible, and it has gotten great (and honest) feedback from a lot of top people in the industry. Since I am no longer at CP, products like this are so much more important for me. If you are a trainer or someone just truly interested in how your body works and how to fix yourself, check out Muscle Imbalances Revealed.

Posted on August 11th, 2010 by Brian St. Pierre

1 Comment »

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