Filed under: General Health, Nutrition, Weight Loss
What’s More Important?
This is a central question that everyone needs to ask themselves. While this can apply to all facets of life, I am going to focus on diet and nutrition, obviously.
To me many people make their food choices seemingly on a whim, or what sounds good at the time. I am sorry to say, that approach does not lead down the path of success. Instead people need to become more mindful of their choices.
My proposition is to get people to ask themselves “what’s more important to you?” Is it more important that you lose 20lbs or have a soda everyday? Is it more important that you walk around at sub 10% bodyfat, or that you hang out with your friends and enjoy yourself on the weekends (and instead you are 12% bodyfat)?
I am not saying which choice is the “right” one, I am asking you to decide which choice is more important to YOU. To some having a soda everyday makes them happy (or at least they think it does, which might be the same thing), and if you choose to make that decision everyday so be it, but do not bemoan the fact that you can’t lose those 20lbs. You made a conscious choice. If losing the 20lbs was truly more important, you would drop the soda.
This is similar to the idea that people are willing to give up what they want the most (to be lean) for what they want right now (CAKE!).
Situations like this happen all of the time. People want to get stronger, or they want to get leaner, or they want to gain some muscle, yet they are not willing to give up habits that prevent these things from happening. This would be fine if they were ok with the fact that their consistent choices are what have gotten them where they are.
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However, if you really want to be different, look different, feel different, perform different than you currently are, then you have to decide what is more important to you – The change you say you want, or the choices you currently make that have you where you are? TV or the gym? Getting up a few minutes earlier and making breakfast, or sleeping in and getting Dunkin Donuts? Spending 10 minutes each morning preparing 2-3 meals/snacks for the day, or not and just eating at restaurants or work and hoping for the best? The list goes on and on.
The choices are yours, you just need to decide what is more important to you.
Filed under: General Health, Nutrition, Training, Weight Loss
The fact of the matter in this industry is that there are a ton of people who market themselves as experts, and very few actually have a damn clue about what they are doing. It is an unfortunate state of affairs, but it is what it is.
People saw an opportunity to make money without having to actually be really good at what they do, and they took advantage of it. However, there does seem to be a subset of people who generally care about being good, honest and getting their clients results.
While we may not all agree on everything, we all understand many of the same concepts, and actually have a grasp on the literature on fitness. We don’t just perpetuate dogma or write things that are controversial and sexy just for a few more sales. Its about good content, and good results.
With all of this in mind, I think Mark Young has created an absolutely fantastic new product – How to Read Fitness Research. Mark makes it simple and straightforward. Explaining in layman’s terms what I spent several semesters learning about!
Whether you are a fitness professional or even a fitness junkie who loves to be informed, this would be a tremendous tool in your arsenal. To many, reading research articles is like reading German. This is where Mark comes in with his research Rosetta Stone.
He will teach you how to use Pubmed, give an overview of how research is generally conducted, how to read research, what are the best journals to subscribe to (and even how to get some for free!), how to know the quality of that data, and most of all how to interpret and apply the results. Now, he may not be able to teach you the nitty gritty of neurophysiology, but he can certainly give you the foundational knowledge to comprehend the basic tenets of ALL research.
Learning these new skills will make you far better at sifting through the junk, and knowing fact from fiction. Whether you are a fitness professional who needs to increase their knowledge and provide a better service for their clients, or a fitness enthusiast who simply wants to be able to read some research and know what is going on, this would be the greatest tool for you.
I took a class last semester called Research Methods and Biostatistical Techniques. That class cost me over $1200 to learn exactly what Mark is teaching and more (plus his is much more exciting, that’s for sure) for only $77! And in fact, How to Read Fitness Research is on sale this week through Friday for only $37!
Filed under: General Health, Nutrition, Training, Weight Loss
I know I have been talking about Tim Collins a lot this week, but it is a truly amazing story. EC and Pete flew out to Kansas City to see him on Opening Day yesterday, and lo and behold Timmy got to pitch the 9th inning. While KC lost 4-2, Timmy threw 19 pitches, 10 for strikes leading to 1 hit, 1 walk, 1 strikeout and 0 runs. Not too shabby for a 21 year old kid huh?
I also hope that those of you not living in the Northeast are loving life right now, as up here in Augusta, Maine we are projected to get 8-14 inches of heavy, wet snow today! Awesome! I love shoveling.
Anyway, onto actual nutrition content.
Jonny Bowden had a recent article called Foods to Fight High Blood Pressure that I thought was excellent overall. However I feel that there were a few important points that were left unsaid that I wanted to touch on and expand on the topic a bit. To truly get the most out of this post, I recommend you read that one first, though I will provide a small recap:
- Approximately 1 in 3 US adults has high blood pressure, and 25% of them don’t even know it
- High blood pressure is directly responsible for over 56,000 US deaths each year
- The research generally shows that excess sodium in our diets contributes to high blood pressure for many
- While cutting back sodium can help, consuming more potassium can be just as effective for managing blood pressure
- In fact increasing potassium intake without decreasing sodium will still improve blood pressure
- Here is the list JB provides on potassium containing foods:
- Swiss Chard – 961 mg per cup
- Bananas – 422 mg in one medium banana
- Spinach – 839 mg per cup
- OJ – 496 mg per cup
- Dried apricots – 550 mg per 1/4th cup (1 serving)
- Sweet potatoes – 542 mg per medium sweet potato
- Avocados – CA variety – 690 mg per, FL variety – 1067 mg per
- Cantaloupe – 368 mg in 1/4 of a medium cantaloupe
- Figs – 381 mg per half cup
- Peaches – 322 mg in one large peach
- Beans – 477-1224 mg per cup
- Kale – 299 mg per cup
- Some other foods lower blood pressure by other mechanisms such as celery, garlic, beet juice, whey protein powder and vitamin D.
Now my two cents.
Read the rest of this entry »
Filed under: General Health, Movie Review, Nutrition, Recipes, Training, Weight Loss, Youth Training
I am very pleased to announce the newly available BSP Training & Nutrition Newsletter!
To sign up simply fill in the info on your right, and you will have immediate access to some cool stuff. I plan on this newsletter functioning as my RSS feed, as at the end of each week I will provide a small recap and link to each blog post so you can catch up on anything that you may have missed. This will also allow me to see which content and blog posts people read the most, and the least, allowing me to greatly improve what I write and cater the content better to you guys!
It will also provide exclusive content and cool new updates that may not appear on the blog itself. In addition by signing up I will send you my 20-page report “The Truth About Saturated Fat & Cholesterol.” In this report I really dig into the data and showcase how off-base the mainstream recommendations truly are.
All of that combined will clearly make you so much more awesome, how could you not sign up! This is a completely FREE service, and you can unsubscribe at any time if you wish (though who would want to?), so feel free.
If you have any questions at all, don’t hesitate to shoot me an email. Enjoy!
Filed under: General Health, Nutrition, Training, Weight Loss
Now that 2010 is almost completely in our rearview, I figured this was a great time to recap what I thought were some of the best resources of 2010. People often get frustrated at their lack of results, yet are unwilling to change their approach and try something new.
They often don’t know where to look for change, or which products and resources can actually help them reach their goals. Well I make it a priority to only recommend products and resources that I think can help you reach your goals, whether they be to improve your coaching ability, athletic performance, body composition or overall health.
I also try to make it clear to whom these resources are intended for, so you only purchase ones that are a good fit for you and your needs. This whole process allows me to continue to learn and improve, pass some of that knowledge on to you, and also filter the marketing so you can make informed decisions on which products and resources you actually want to spend your hard-earned money on!
Here are my Top 5 Products/Resources of 2010 that I reviewed. I will note that their are many more great ones out there that I have not yet had the time to review, though I will hopefully get a chance in the near future.
1. Show and Go: High Performance Training to Look, Feel and Move Better. This is my favorite of the year for many reasons. It is an amazing training program that also provides info on proper soft-tissue work, warm-ups and gives you access to over 175 videos demonstrating every exercise in the entire program. Not only that, you also have the ability to purchase my Show and Go Nutrition Guide, which I must say is pretty awesome in and of itself! Eric provided a complete resource to help you maximize your potential. Here is my Review of Show and Go.
2. Body By Boyle Online. This is an unbelievable resource for just about anybody out there. This resource provides over a year of ready-made programs, with new programs being added every month, covering athletic performance, rehab, fat loss ad more! It also contains over 280 videos of every single exercise done at Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning and more educational information than you could possibly imagine. Incredible stuff. Here is my Review for Body By Boyle Online.
3. Accelerated Muscular Development 2.0. Smitty outdid himself with this kick-ass program. He has totally revamped and improved his original Accelerated Muscular Development, adding in a ton more stuff on dynamic warm-ups, exercise progressions as well now providing over 199 exercise videos. Here is my Review of Accelerated Muscular Development 2.0.
4. The Single Leg Solution. Mike Robertson created an awesome product here. Let’s be honest, how many people actually train their legs, let alone one at a time? Well here Mike shows you proper single leg exercises, their execution, and their placement within a training program. It is well-researched and well-written, which is the norm for Mike. Here is my Review of The Single Leg Solution.
5. Optimal Shoulder Performance: From Rehabilitation to High Performance. Mike Reinold of the Boston Red Sox, and Eric Cressey of Cressey Performance joined forces to create one of the most educational resources of the year. This DVD set covers a seminar given at CP where Mike and Eric go over the anatomy of the shoulder, how and why things can go wrong, how to correct it and even more importantly, how to prevent it. There is also a bunch of exercise demonstrations at the end of the seminar to provide proper exercise technique, and yours truly was the demonstrator. If you have a shoulder issue, or work with a population prone to shoulder issues, check this one out. Here is my Review of Optimal Shoulder Performance.
Well there you have it, my Top 5 Resources of 2010. Maybe give yourself a nice little post-Christmas (or whichever holiday you celebrate) reward for being so awesome in 2010.
Filed under: General Health, Training, Weight Loss
OK, here’s the deal – I’m gonna keep this real simple.
I’ve been involved in the fitness industry for quite a while and I know what works. In fact, that’s my business… helping people just like you discover what really works (and what doesn’t)…
So this is the bottom line – if you’re serious at all about losing weight or gaining lean muscle…or both, then you need to go check out Jim “Smitty” Smith’s Accelerated Muscular Development 2.0 system.
It’s the real deal. I have personally gone through Smitty’s entire system, and its because of this that I proudly endorse AMD 2.0 and enthusiastically recommend it to anyone who is serious about getting massive results.
If you go there now you’ll be able to get the entire AMD 2.0 system for 20% off as well as take advantage of the special fast action bonus that Smitty has lined up. Click here to get AMD 2.0.
Filed under: General Health, Nutrition, Training, Weight Loss
I apologize for the lack of blogging this week, just been all over the place. My wife and I are currently looking for a used car as mine is on its last legs. We spent all day today shopping around to see what we could find.
With little time to write some content, and since it is currently 10:50pm and I need to be up at 5:00am, I figured I would toss out some recent blogs that I read that I thought were top-notch and deserved your attention.
1. How to Select a Weight to Use in a Resistance Training Program – Eric Cressey. I think this one is pretty self-explanatory!
2. Are Whole Eggs or Egg Whites Better for You? – Mike Geary. This is a simple and lay-person friendly breakdown on why ditching the yolks is a bad idea. Doesn’t get too technical and is an easy read.
3. The Twinkie Diet for Fat Loss – Stephan Guyenet. I recently got some emails about a nutrition professor losing weight eating a lot of junk food. Stephan breaks it all down, and some of the best info is actually in the comments section!
Filed under: Training, Weight Loss
As I talked about on Tuesday, Mike Boyle is releasing an incredible new system called BodyByBoyle Online, and it is live right now!
BodyByBoyle Online has been in development for almost a year, and trust me, it will be well worth the wait.
What is BodyByBoyle Online?
Simply put, it is everything you need to become a great athlete, trainer, or strength coach. Here is a quick breakdown of some of the incredible features at BBB Online.
1. An Extensive Program Database: BBB Online includes 12-months worth of programs at launch. Included are the same programs Mike Boyle uses with his elite athletes, rehab programs for the low back, hips, and shoulders, fat loss programs for beginner clients and more hardcore fat loss programs for those that want a challenge. Plus Two Months of programs will be added each month.
2. The Most Complete Exercise Video Library Ever Created: At launch BBB Online has over 280 exercise videos. EVERY movement and exercise that is used at Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning has been filmed in HD and professionally edited. By everything, I mean, all of the warm-ups, stretches, speed work, agility drills, plyometrics, ballistics (medball) exercises, olympic lifts, and strength training exercises. E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G.
3. An Educational Database That Will Give You the Knowledge to Be The Best Athlete, Trainer, or Strength Coach Around: BBB Online includes a vast educational database. Included are full DVDs, Exclusive F.A.Q. videos with Mike on a wide range of subjects (plus more added each week), and videos of our entire staff meetings at MBSC. Some weeks you may get over 60 minutes of video just from the staff meeting. That is like a mini-seminar! And the guys at BBB Online will be taking requests, so if you want to hear Mike talk about (insert subject here), all you need to do is e-mail them and they will make it happen.
Those features are just the tip of the ice burg, the BBB Online membership also includes a revolutionary piece of software that will make training athletes and clients online as easy as a few clicks of the mouse.
The best part about BBB Online, is that you will be in heaven if you like to train hard using the most complete programs used by elite athletes, or if you are a trainer or a strength coach that wants the tools and the recipe that has made MBSC the #1 Gym in America. They are literally giving you the keys to Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning, you can do whatever you wish with what is inside.
Now stop reading and check BodyByBoyle Online Out! There are only 500 spots open at the discounted price!
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.
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 April 29th, 2011 by Brian St. Pierre
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