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.
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.
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!
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!
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.
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…
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 theShow and Go Training System Now!
Posted on September 21st, 2010 by Brian St. Pierre
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!
My epic blog post a few days ago (The Case Against Conventional Dairy) has generated a lot of talk and questions. It was by far my longest and most in depth blog to date, and so in covering all that ground it obviously left some people wanting more answers! I will do my best to provide a few here today, to continue to clear up any remaining or lingering questions.
Q: I rememeber reading about dangers of milk pasterisation(sp). So maybe this “casein-cancer connection” actually is “heat-treated casein-cancer connection”.
A: While I am no fan of pasteurization as it destroys the beneficial bacteria in raw milk which actually make it more digestible for people with mild lactose intolerance, it destroys the taste of the milk (ever had a glass of raw milk?, much sweeter and creamier) as well as causing large increases in 7-keto cholesterol content, which is a dangerous oxidized cholesterol, I do not think it is the cause of the casein-cancer connection. Wow that was a long sentence. Yogurt is pasteurized and it’s casein content is not linked to the issue, so I don’t think that is the problem. Now might the pasteurization process denature some of the casein and make it worse? That is within the realm of possibility, but as of right now I would definitely not state that pasteurization is what causes the connection.
You have to keep in mind that cows milk is much higher in protein, in particular casein, than human milk. Human milk is much higher in whey. Back home in Maine I found unpasteurized Greek yogurt at a local natural foods store near my parents home. Talk about jackpot!
Q: Do you think a acid/base balanced diet is a possible reason why diseases associated with a lack of calcium are not prevalent where cow’s milk is a neglible part of the diet?
A: To be totally honest I am unsure how I feel about acid/base balance. The kidneys are actually quite good at keeping things on an even keel. While it is true that the average American eats a highly acidic diet, I just don’t know if it is enough by itself to cause the increased fractures risk. It could certainly be a contributing factor, and obviously eating more alkaline foods (like fruits and vegetables, especially spinach) and less acidic ones (refined carbohydrates, sugary foods, fried foods) is just a great thing for health overall, as well as acid/base balance. So it is definitely possible that the data is skewed because nations like the US who consume more cow’s milk, and therefore calcium, and have more fractures also have more access to and consume more crappy acidic foods.
The way I look at it is you should be eating as many basic foods as possible, and minimizing acidic foods for overall health anyway, and acid/base balance will be improved as a nice little side effect. If you top it off with a little Greek yogurt consumption you get a nice dose of protein, immune and digestive boosting probiotics, as well as a nice dose of calcium without contributing highly to the acid side of things.
Q: Hey Brian, Just curious, if you could gain access to raw milk, would this change?
A: Maybe. While I do think raw milk is a HUGE step up over conventional store-bought milk, even the organic kind, I would still want to know a few things. How much grazing and pasture time does the cow get? How much corn or silage are they fed in addition to grazing? Are they artificially inseminated and kept pregnant year-round? Are the milking the cow through all phases of pregnancy? Things like that.
If the cow get the vast majority of its calories from pasture grazing then you know the milk will be higher in cancer-fighting conjugated linoleic acid, omega-3′s and from a healthier cow. If they only milk the cows at the beginning of their pregnancy or after they give birth then the amount of dangerous estrogens is reduced dramatically, to levels that have not been found to be problematic. If those conditions are met, then it is a much healthier product. I also like to think that the probiotics in the raw milk, like lactobacillus acidophilus somewhat inhibits that casein-cancer connection and then we have a pretty good food.
What it comes down to is asking these questions to the people who produce your milk, find someone who makes it the way you want it, and I think some small consumption should be just fine as we have been consuming it for thousands of years without problem.
A small reminder for those interested in losing that post-holiday weight. The other day I sent out an email link to a video of Dr. John Berardi talking about his two latest programs – Lean Eating For Men and Lean Eating For Women.
Far and away, the most frequent questions had to do with his $40,000 in prize money. $10,000 to the top female winner and $10,000 to the top male winner. Plus, 5k to each of a few runners up.
Click HERE to check out the blog post announcing this amazing prize.
You see, the biggest transformations, body transformations or otherwise, are accomplished when people have big incentives. And I’d say 10 thousand bucks qualifies as a big incentive all right. But big inspiring goals also need some potential punishment. Or, some risk.
And in today’s video, Dr Berardi shows you how to coerce yourself into sticking to the plan, even when the motivation wanes. Enter “the best kept secret in weight loss.”
So, if you’re REALLY interested in changing your body this New Year and you’d like a little extra incentive for doing so, this is definitely a program you need to check out.
Again, this message is time sensitive. From what I hear there are A LOT of people clamoring to get in on the program.
So check out these posts below. I know you won’t be disappointed.
Happy Holidays everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the dairy week, and if any of you have any more questions on the topic, please feel free and I will do my best to give them a thoroughly detailed and honest answer.
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.
An online consulting client of mine sent me a link to a recent article in the NY Times. It was on one of my “favorite” topics, The Biggest Loser. Now I know that a lot of people like this show, they find it inspirational. I get that. I wrote an entire blog about that.
Unfortunately I think this show promotes unhealthy and unrealistic habits along with dangerous training. Apparently the contestants agree. According to the article the winner of season one, Ryan Benson, who lost 122lbs on the show, did so in part by fasting and dehydrating himself to the point where he was urinating blood. That is near renal failure/death. That is not what I call healthy weight loss. What I don’t like about the show is that is does not reward learning lifestyle changes that lead to long-term weight loss and maintenance of a healthy weight, it promotes maximal weight loss at all costs.
I have always been slightly surprised that more people do not get injured on the show, but we are starting to see it more and more. Last season there was a hip injury and an injury during a very ill-fated marathon. This season alone there have already been two contestants sent to the hospital, one by air lift due to serious heat-stroke.
Here is one of my favorite quotes of the article, discussing the health implications associated with such severe caloric restriction, six hours per day training and the rapid weight loss they lead too:
“I’m waiting for the first person to have a heart attack,” said Dr. Charles Burant, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan Health System director of the Michigan Metabolomics and Obesity Center.
“I have had some patients who want to do the same thing, and I counsel them against it,” Dr. Burant said. “I think the show is so exploitative. They are taking poor people who have severe weight problems whose real focus is trying to win the quarter-million dollars.”
I agree completely with that quote. I think these people are just being exploited and their health and actual results are a distant second to ratings. Now I love the fact that this show inspires people to exercise and eat better, I love it. What I don’t love are the methods it promotes and the expectations it creates for people to have for their own results, which can’t be replicated in the real world. If you want to read more great points about this topic, the great strength coach Robert Dos Remedios wrote an excellent blog perfectly encapsulating my thoughts right here.
I have nothing against people trying to get in shape, and I understand they want the results to come quickly and efficiently, but there are healthier alternatives to starvation and all day training. An effective protocol I have used in the past was the Warp Speed Fat Lossprogram, where I lost about 12lbs in one month. Recently a new and improved Warp Speed Fat Losswas launched, which you can check out here.
This morning thinking about what I wanted to blog I had a ton of different and completely unrelated thoughts running through my head. I decided that I would just write about all of them, and in honor of Tony Gentilcore I named the post Miscellaneous Monday. Enjoy!
1. Anna and I spent a quick weekend in Maine during Halloween, just spending time with our families. I of course checked out the local Hannaford to see what kind of food options were available since I hadn’t shopped there in years. I was shocked at some of the fantastic options, at such better prices than Connecticut (shocker I know, but seriously, so much cheaper). In the “Natural Food” section they had raw cheese, full fat Greek yogurt (which is usually available at natural food stores, but rarely in a traditional supermarket), all manner of almond and hemp milk, tons of sprouted grain products including breads, English muffins and wraps, quinoa and more. Needless to say I was very impressed with the selection.
So if you live in Maine, especially around the Lewiston-Auburn area you have no excuses when it comes to high quality food selection. Not only that but there are tons of small local farms for quality produce, meat and eggs in addition to many small natural food stores (like Axis Natural Foods in Auburn). Maine is a healthy eater’s dream.
2. Speaking of almond milk, I just tried it for the first time a few weeks ago, and I must say I was very impressed. After some more reading on problems with dairy, I am cutting my consumption down to Greek yogurt and whey protein, with the very occasional cottage cheese snack (I plan on writing a large article about the topic, just have to find the time). I haven’t drank much milk in a long time anyway, but I was looking for a healthier alternative. Soy milk was definitely out of the picture because it sucks, rice milk tends to be quite high in carbs and sugar for my taste, so I thought I would give almond milk a try. I bought Pacific Natural Foods organic unsweetened vanilla almond milk, and even by itself it was quite good.
Like I noted in a recent blog, I have been experimenting with a small protein shake before I train. Instead of water I have now been using 8oz of the almond milk, with 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, cinnamon to taste and a banana, or I blend the milk, protein and cinnamon with an apple. It is absolutely awesome and helps to keep my energy levels up while I train. I highly recommend you give it a try.
3. For a completely random occurrence yesterday Anna and I were doing our usual Sunday grocery shopping. I was grabbing some eggs when I hear Anna start to talk to someone behind me. I turn around to see her talking to our friend Cassandra Forsythe. Talk about random! Cass works at a gym not too unlike CP just down the street, but still what are the chances? We chatted for a minute, of course talked about some nutrition stuff, about her pregnancy and just life in general. So this isn’t so much an important comment, just an interesting one.
4. Use your lazy Sunday to prepare yourself for the week. I know it has been written about ad nauseam, but it really can make a huge difference in your food consumption for the week. Last night Anna and I made her chili recipe, cooked a family pack of chicken breast, and chopped our veggies. This makes our daily food prep so much more convenient and so much faster. Just do it.
5. If any of you are worried about the usual holiday weight gain, utilize tip #4 to control your food choices and intake. If that isn’t enough, don’t forget about Mike Roussell and Alwyn Cosgrove’s awesome Warp Speed Fat Loss 2.0. This product will help strip those holiday pounds off and more, and would be perfect to start as your New Year’s resolution because it works, plain and simple. Get it HERE.
Posted on December 7th, 2010 by Brian St. Pierre
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