The Actionaut

November 3, 2011

Women, help your men! Men, boost your “T”!

Filed under: Environment,Fitness,Health — Tags: , , — Philippe Til @ 2:42 PM

I already blogged last time about why you should train with me.

So now, I am just going to write about “why” you should train period, but I’m coming from a different, more specific angle. Baby boomers, or men as young as over 30, this is crucial information that can increase your health as well as save you tons of cash, now and in the long term! Ladies, scroll down to the very bottom for a picture of what natural levels testosterone in the female body can do for you, and why following the same plan as your cave-dwelling other half will have you looking slimmer, sexier and healthier :)

DO YOU SUFFER FROM LOW TESTOSTERONE?
If you are in your teens, early 20′s, have a nice day, you are dismissed (for most of you).
If you’re on the wrong side of 40, and even somewhere near, you should read this.
Yes, women too!
If you have man boobs, lower libido, excess body fat, no muscle tone, decreased confidence, are not in the same you were in your 20′s (which is hard to maintain, I know, but you can still look amazing if you do something about it) and you let coworkers walk all over you and never stand up for yourself, you probably are experiencing “low T”. Behavior, schmehavior. If you’ve been like that your whole life, you may just have been screwed when testosterone was handed out, like I’ve been every time I try to go get the new iPhone 4S!

WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT IT?
Back to my 4 pillars: exercise, nutrition, environment, hormones.
They all link together. Remove one, the rest falls apart, or falls short.
Exercise: you have to pick the right intensity to boost the secretion of testosterone, by stimulating the right parts of your brain (hypothalamus, pituitary glands). A typical (and thank God the trend is changing into facts rather than fashion) weight loss of low weights and treadmill is NOT the right thing to do to raise your testosterone.
Nutrition: The right kinds of foods help boost T levels naturally. Examples are celery, bananas, avocado, raw unsalted nuts, asparagus, basil, garlic, figs, whole eggs, lean organic meats to name a few. My vegan friends can be very happy up until I mentioned eggs, and vegetarians until I mentioned meats. So, you can raise those levels too!
Environment: get some sun! 30-60 minutes a day will help your body “luteinize” which is a precursor to testosterone. Make more lutein, make more testosterone. You need at least 1000 lux a day (lux: SI of illuminance, equal to 1 lumen per square meter). An office gets you about 500 lux a day. The sun produces 50,000 to 100,000!
Hormones: well, as you can see, that’s directly related to all of the above. Skip one, you’re throwing off the entire hormonal chain. Or, supplement poorly with inadequate hormone replacement therapy and the balance is off. Good therapy, on the other hand, is great if you’ve exhausted all options, but replacement therapy is that: replacement, not supplementation. It means you can never stop once you start, or the balance is off (again) and it’s very, very expensive ($500-$1000/month, not counting the lab tests and screenings to determine what amounts you should take).

WHAT ELSE CAN I DO?
Watch “guy flicks”. Seriously. Clint Eastwood, Bruce Willis, John Wayne, Bruce Lee, Charles Bronson were never accused of being sissies. Didn’t you ever feel pumped up after watching any Rocky movie? You can watch your favorite football team, but if they lose, you drop your T-levels too!

Avoid Dr. Phil and Project Runway. I know you can get easily suckered in. Walk away, turn on your iPod to some metal, download something cool and kick ass and watch it on your computer.

If your shampoo has paraben, laurel sulfate, F&DC yellow, trash it now! Those are respectively xeno estrogens that you’re rubbing in, toxins that cause infertility (and may even cause women to not carry full term) and penetrators so it can get into your blood stream!

Eat like a man: a low fat high fiber diet, commonly perceived as good for weight loss, is even more effective at dropping your testosterone levels too. You need fat, natural fat (mono and omegas for instance, stay away from trannies, I mean, trans fats). Oh yeah, and lift like one too!

Stop self-defeat right now! Most of what you do is driven by fear, your reptilian brain, also called the resistance. Stop looking at what you DON’T have and look at what you’re great at. Take that, and do more of it. Why? Cause great begets great, and you are engraining that behavior, which in turn helps you rebuild some confidence, which helps you boost your feel-good hormones, which make you want to conquer the world and yaddah yaddah yaddah…

Now, ladies, I promised you a picture. Be natural, be feminine, and be not afraid. I promise, on my son’s life.

October 31, 2011

Why Should You Train With Me?

Filed under: exercise.,Fitness,Mass gain,Motivation,muscle building,Nutrition,plan,strength,Training,training program — Philippe Til @ 2:32 PM

There’s a bunch of trainers our there. What would make you pick me over another? I am not the bee’s knees, but then maybe I am. It’s a matter of perception. I am not going to talk and gloat about my constantly upgraded, humbled, broken down, improved or reality-checked skill set, because I have coaches and mentors who would slap me 36 ways till dinner and then continue, because I know only a fraction of what they know.

I am a father, a husband and this is not a job. Training is a career, a passion, a true calling. I am not a fair-weather trainer, in-between acting gigs or waiting for some better thing to come around.

I understand struggles, life, responsibilities and everything that falls into that. I learn more so I can discard more and simplify.

I’ve simplified so much that in 6 short weeks, I maintained my weight and dropped 2% body fat without trying, just following a simple plan. So simple, I only did 2 exercises per day and kept my workouts short, very short.

In the following 6-week round, I have already packed on 3lb of muscle and over 12″ around my frame, and I’m only 3 weeks deep into it. I packed 3″ on my chest, 4″ on my shoulders, 1″ on each leg, 2″ on each arm and 1.5″ around my hips/glutes between October 10 an October 31, 2011. Body fat remained the same.

Yes, I am in “bulking up”, but not really trying. I am more in a “non-prep” prep phase for a tough 11-mile obstacle course. I just want to have the strength and stamina to do it. The bulk is a bonus.

I am watching my eating, though I am flexible and do not deprive myself. This isn’t a weight loss program. But if I did watch what I eat, the same program would make me lose fat. Because the first 6 weeks where I maintained body weight and lost fat means I added muscle, but got leaner. That’s to 1/2 the population out there, who wishes to lose weight. It can be done, easily, correctly.

My eating fueled my recovery and my ability to push through the next phase, and only half-way through, I made tremendous gains. That’s to the other 1/2 of the population, and more specifically, to all the hardgainers out there who waste hours at the gym and do not put on an ounce of muscle or walk away sore but unable to do any of the things they wish they could do. I am a hardgainer, so imagine what you can achieve if you are not one!

Remember, my being the father of a toddler and husband means I do not have the luxury to kick around the gym for a few hours, doing two workouts a day and watch myself in the mirror. I do not have the cash flow to operate a body fueled on illegal substances. I am 37 years old. I can push as hard as anyone ten years younger or more. It also means I am no rookie.

The race is my personal goal, and I want to prove that I can design a program that will both allow me to get ready and be ready anytime, even now. I know it works, I tested it.

I have the experience so you can have the education. I overcame challenges so you can do it better. I work hard because I didn’t win the genetic lottery and was busy the day God was giving away natural talents. Then he had mercy on me and gave me the gift of teaching. That also motivated me to be the guy that can and does, not just teaches.

Wanna know how I did it?

Wait another 3 weeks… I will keep you posted here and there. But I got something coming your way you won’t want to miss.

October 18, 2011

Strength Endurance

Filed under: Fitness,strength,Training,training program — Philippe Til @ 4:08 PM

The past two blog entries have been about simplicity, conditioning while being able to move well, so it is only logical that I end the series with something about strength endurance. I have to admit, this topic should have been mentioned first, as it is the basis of all training. Yes, ALL training, be it for the marathoner or the powerlifter, the martial artist or the triathlete. Why first? Training should always start and end with strength, just like movement starts and ends with the core. Develop strength, EVERYTHING ELSE gets better.

STRENGTH MAKES EVERYTHING BETTER
Work on your “cardio” by running only. You’ll get good, improve your cardiovascular endurance, maybe destroy your knees or toes in the process, and continue feeling low back pain, with a crap looking body.
Work on getting stronger with squats and deadlifts, which are compound exercises working many muscles over multiple joints, your running will become much better, with a lesser probability of injuries, a more efficient muscular recruitment, thus less fatigue (and even more speed) all leading to better cardiovascular endurance if better “cardio” is your goal. You burn more fat, experience less pain and improve the way your body looks.
WINNER: he/she who trains with weights.

CHALLENGE ME, GO AHEAD!
I’ve said before that I have never had a client come to me and ask to get weaker. However, indirectly, some have made this odd request because all they wanted was to lose weight, and weight loss is obtained through cardio, as sycophants and ignoramuses (ignorami? Spell checker can’t decide) would have you believe for the last 3 decades. As indicated in the previous paragraph, if you develop your muscles, your abilities improve, your protect your joints, you burn more fat and feel and look better. Runners who lift run faster: easier stride for long distance running, while sprinters work those biceps and upper body, pumping their arms which helps their speed (and have you seen their bodies? Very muscular bodies with caloric furnaces!).

Some folks talk about strength endurance and it’s been noticed that few people work on their strength to achieve that. To have strength endurance implies you must have strength first. You cannot do a snatch test (100 reps in 5 minutes with a 53lb kettlebell for men, 26-35lb for women) if you don’t have the snatch down.

WHY ARE YOU POSTING THIS LAST?
Yes, why indeed. Because I want you now to go back to the first 2 blogs in this series, the one about grunge training, simply lifting heavy stuff and the one about moving better while conditioning your body, and I want you to get stronger. Keep your cardio, running and biking however you have it, don’t change a thing. Just take notes on how it’s getting better. Go back to the blog about mobility, which should be concurrent with your strength training, and see how you breeze through it instead of wheeze through it. Put it all together and you have Strength Endurance.

First thing to work on, then you can have it all!

October 1, 2011

Metabolic Mobility

Filed under: exercise.,Fitness,Flexibility,Health — Tags: , , — Philippe Til @ 7:53 AM

Last time I posted about grunge training. Simple, heavy, loud.

Improve your metabolic conditioning while improving your joint mobility! It is the era of hybrid everything, so why not train efficiently by improving that “cardio” of yours while allowing you to move better at once?

People think that mobility drills are doing a bunch of arm circles or calisthenics, or some sort of stretching (equating flexibility with mobility, which are two different things). You can be fast and loose about it, you can make it slow, controlled, dynamic and even make a circuit of it, get a great warm-up or even a great workout in-between your “grungy” loud, heavy days that leave you all beat up!

It’s all in how you cycle your routine. A great warm-up shouldn’t leave you exhausted for your “main event”, but it should leave you feeling supple and strong at once, relaxed and ready to fight. I know the late and great Jack Lalanne argument of “a lion doesn’t stretch before attacking”, and I agree that you shouldn’t stretch before working out. However, where the esteemed Mr Lalanne and I differ, and many better coaches than me agree, is that lions are always moving around, stretching, loosening up their body, playing, pouncing and when they’re ready, they’re always ready. Be it to hunt or to protect. You should be like that too!

You may not need to work for strength, for whatever you do, and you’re not a lesser person for it. Maybe you just want to feel good and get about your day. I like to lift heavy, but I get it. You need a break and do not want to lose your gains. You can still get the best of your conditioning and joint mobility by performing natural, all-body moves like burpees, moving into a suspended cobras starting from a downward dog stance, hip bridges (very tight for most people, and if you improve your hip mobility and flexibility, you will improve your quality of life!).

Perform any or all of these moves back to back in a circuit, for a minute each, and rinse, lather, repeat the sequence a few times. You will be huffing and puffing and still feel a great pump in your muscles, while burning a ton of calories and staying in better condition than running an interval program on the treadmill. Besides that, why would you run on a treadmill if nothing you do in life revolves around running? It’s not good training, not good conditioning…

September 26, 2011

Grunge training

Filed under: Fitness — Tags: , , , , , , — Philippe Til @ 1:45 PM

20 years ago, a new style of music characterized by loud raucous guitar sounds and lazy vocal delivery (according to my computer’s dictionary widget) was born, shelving glam rock and hard rock almost overnight to a dusty cheesy corner.

During the past almost two decades that I’ve been in this country, I’ve seen and even myself explored many training facilities, features, equipment etc, and am realizing that I turned out a to be a creature of that “grunge” era. I don’t need any fancy equipment, shiny machines with multiplanar angles and cables, calorie counting treadmills and alleged performance enhancing compression athletic wear. All I want is a bunch of heavy weights (barbells, kettlebells), some rudimentary tools (sandbag, rope, wooden stick) and a simple plan (no lazy delivery here, though).

The simple plan is pick stuff up, put it back down. Push it or pull it. Be efficient, and do it as many times as possible in a short amount of time, but without killing yourself. Stay fresh at every set, don’t worry about the reps. That’s one plan, one way, and it works. Try it. And turn up the volume on your XM radio to Octane or Lithium.

September 20, 2011

Are you a good client?

Filed under: coaching,Fitness,Life Coaching and Skills,Motivation,training log — Tags: , , , , , — Philippe Til @ 11:03 AM

Or, more broadly speaking, are you a good student, disciple, pupil or any variation of the term? For someone who is only concerned with making a living out of providing a service, a good client can be summed up as someone who pays and stays. For someone truly invested in the work of others, clients results which leads to progress in all other areas of fitness and life, I believe that being a good student oneself leads to being a better coach. The relationship continues beyond the fiduciary aspect of the training.

WHAT MAKES A CLIENT A GOOD STUDENT?
I always like to stress that I provide clients with a service, but I am not at their service. This has nothing to do with power, rather commitment and accountability. I like to think of it in the following terms: my clients borrow my knowledge, catch a glimpse of the “members only” club, for an hour or so. That still doesn’t answer the question, however, just makes me look mean (but it’s for your own good. I set standards and expectations from clients and myself very high).
To paraphrase something I heard recently at a workshop for fighters, the defensive tactics teacher said the following at the beginning of the workshop: “a good student is like a dog; even when sleeping, ears are always up, alert and listening. A good student is like a hawk; always scanning, watching, observing and quickly grabbing what it’s after. A good student is like a stork; waiting patiently, sometimes on one leg, sometimes on the other, until it finds what it’s looking for. A good student should also be hungry, to avoid desire” (interpret the last one however you wish).

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE
These two attributes are necessary and intrinsic aspects of learning and progressing. One may choose to get a book, DVD or watch a Youtube video. Inevitably, unless you record yourself on video, play it back and correct your form assuming you actually do that and possess the skills to rectify and understand what you did wrong, you will miss something, create an imbalance, miss an important point. That falls under the category of experience, which is essentially doing and you will NOT achieve your goals without it. Knowledge, however, you have to acquire from someone else, in person, directly because that person, that coach/trainer/teacher can find, tweak and improve what it is you need to accomplish, regardless of what it is you are learning.

BETTER STUDENT=BETTER COACH
I’d like to think that I’ve always been a good student. Attentive, disciplined, hard working. I constantly seek knowledge and am humble to recognize what I do not know. Sometimes, the humility comes from an ego-crushing injury, where you find yourself unable to perform at the level you targeted. This in turn becomes an opportunity to fine-tune your work.

RECENT EXAMPLE
I’ve been a martial arts veteran of 24 years in a variety of styles and hold 2 black belts. Yet, I recently learned of ways to refine my kicks, punches. I acquired the knowledge from 2 very learned people, and gained the experience by practicing. Some techniques did little, others did a whole lot! Not because some were better than other, but simply because I am an individual with my individual abilities and weaknesses. Recognizing that is what makes the work of a coach personal, in your training, in your relationship with your trainer and that cannot be acquired in a book or magazine.

September 8, 2011

How to make Crossfit good for you

Filed under: Fitness — Tags: , , , — Philippe Til @ 1:33 PM

I know it may sound like heresy to most of my colleagues in the RKC community, or those who follow strict Oly and Power lifting protocols, but you know that I back up my statements with common sense. So allow me to quickly review why the usual beef with Crossfit is slightly amended.

THE TROUBLE WITH CROSSFIT
Mind you, this is not the isolated opinion of yours truly, but stems from observation, knowledge and experience. I’ve trained/converted many a crossfitter into well-performing athletes, equally if not more adept at a variety of high performance physical activities. I was able to have clients who couldn’t deadlift much or pull-up other than “assisted kipping pull-ups” (whatever that disaster is) to deadlift twice their body weight in a matter of months, or go from zero pull-ups to multiple weighted pull-ups. I’ve taken others from not being able to pull off an obstacle course to complete one and rank in the upper percentiles for their age group in Crossfit-type events.
The trouble with most Crossfit routines is they are time-based instead of skill based. Too much randomized work, not enough time for adaptation. That’s great if you already are a well-rounded athlete. But this turns you into a jack of all trades, master of none.

CONSISTENCY BRINGS RESULTS
For the body to achieve the adaptation you seek, you must be consistent in your training approach, no secret there. You’re not going to win a squatting competition by doing leg extensions or leg curls, or if you barely ever squat as you would in competition.

SO WHERE DOES CROSSFIT FIT?
Once in a while, you can have that decadent slice of cheesecake, the extra unhealthy beverage, alcoholic or not. At the other end of the spectrum, you have that special event, like the Tough Mudder or Warrior Dash, which requires you to operate like a soldier in a hairy situation: run, climb, push, pull, throw, dodge, swim, fall etc… How do you prepare for such an event? Well, consistently incorporate such exercises into your routine. Routine is key, it means consistency, adaptation, following a designated path. Now, once in a while (once every couple of weeks), do something odd, off the beaten path. Finish it, record not just your time, but how you feel (your Fatigue Index, your ability to move afterwards -even the next day-, your level of exhilaration for having completed the job). If you can’t find something to do, like a race, go on to any Crossfit site and randomly follow their WOD (Workout Of the Day), or choose one from their list. Yeah, you can redo it later and beat your time, or, to avoid boredom, do a different one.

BUT STAY CONSISTENT IN YOUR TRAINING…
…as if no event was planned, and base it on your goal, whatever it may be. You will be ready anyway, any day. Well, except maybe if you have to complete a full Iron Man, which sounds like a Crossfit workout from hell. But that is achieved through consistency and preparation, not random acts of fitness.

August 22, 2011

Build the ideal home gym

Filed under: Fitness — Philippe Til @ 2:23 PM

Over the years, I have played with a variety of toys, some of which have evolved and improved, some of which remain staples everyone should lift by. (Get the joke/pun, btw? “To live by”/”to lift by”? Yes? No? OK, I’ll get back to my point now). I am sure you can guess what toys/tools I will mention, but some may actually surprise you too, proving that all roads lead to Rome. I’ll break it down by budget.

BROKE MAN GYM
Body weight. Gallon jugs filled with water, or sand.

AROUND $250 OR LESS
Easy to carry with you: TRX or War Machine suspension training systems. I’ve had a TRX for about 5-6 years and its manufacturers have broken ground with that tool and are becoming increasingly popular. Tapping into the suspension training market inspired by gymnastics rings, they are the pioneer. Alas, the tool hasn’t changed since its inception and has spawned some knock-offs, like all good devices, one of which is my new favorite: the War Machine, from Cross-Core. Like a TRX but with a pulley system and a pin you can unlock to create even more instability and greater demand on the core. Heavier than the TRX because of its metal pulley, it still travels easily, though if going on a trip, it’ll take more weight out of your allowance than the TRX. My advice: lose a pair of shoes or two. You’re on vacation, who cares what you wear!

Of course, you can get a pair of kettlebells, matching or better yet, mismatched, like a 16kg and a 24kg for men, 18lb and 12kg for women (or 12kg and 16kg if you are a fit woman).

BUILDING THE GYM FOR UNDER $500.
You can of course get all of the above, a suspension system and a couple kettlebells. I recommend adding a pull-up bar. You can get something that installs in your door frame for about $20. Forget bands, mini dumbbells, steps or other. Want cardio? Swing some kettlebells (after receiving proper instruction) or get a jump rope (under $10). The pull-up bar can be used for many things, including straight or bent knee raises, something to anchor your suspension system (better than a door frame or door hinge). All of this for LESS than the yearly cost of a gym membership, except you get to keep it longer, with tools that need little to no maintenance, who have sustained the test of time and help us move in our natural movement patterns, or “Origin Motions” as I like to call them.

LIMITATIONS
Brett Jones, Master RKC (among many other titles) was quoted saying “lock me in a room with a 16kg kettlebell and I will come out stronger”. If you are knowledgeable and creative, you can learn to increase the demand on your muscles with leverage and challenge your sense of balance. However, yes, you may not be able to achieve a very bench pressing goal or super heavy deadlift without actually working with the equipment. But if you are the average person, and I mean that from a statistical standpoint rather than calling you “not exceptional”, who wishes to stay fit, strong and healthy, you can achieve your desired look and expand your abilities with all and only the tools listed above, even if you get only a couple of them. Ask yourself what are truly your individual needs and goals and work towards them by reverse engineering your equipment’s uses and possibilities. That means modifying your lifts angles, your stance, your base, your volume, tempo, repetitions etc.

The world is your oyster. Not sure how to achieve that and where and how to organize that gym? Email me for a consultation:)

August 10, 2011

Effective Communication

Filed under: coaching,Fitness,Life Coaching and Skills,Motivation,plan,training program — Philippe Til @ 2:11 PM

“Humpty dumpty sat on a wall…”, skip to “all the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again”.

First, those must be some awesome and dexterous horses, trying to piece together a busted egg-shell.

Second, the road to success is paved with good intentions, but the map may be off, or the directions, or you can find construction on the road which forces a detour.

As always, I draw these conclusions from both training and non-training experiences. Today’s entry comes from both based on yesterday with family in town and clients having specific needs. Too much to tell in a blog, too little time, so I’ll cut to the chase.

EVERYTHING MATTERS
I can be anal, specific, detail oriented even if I appear flexible. I’m flexible with the approach, and if I can get you from A to B, how I get there doesn’t matter. What matters is that you get there. And each step is clearly defined, every factor taken into consideration.

COMMUNICATE IT ALL
A change of plan, condition, mood, medication, shoes, meal or any other variable can single-handedly offset your course, like a snowball rolling down the hill, or dominoes. If you’re dealing with someone who is invested in you, trust them with empowering them with that knowledge. Being a professional means you know how to adapt and be discreet, factor in and deliver a better approach for the given situation.

August 2, 2011

Take it easy, my friends…

Filed under: exercise.,Motivation,plan,strength,training log,training program — Tags: , , , — Philippe Til @ 3:05 PM

Words one rarely hears from your average trainer, right? Usually it’s go!go!go! and push!push!push!

And sometimes, that yields diminishing returns. Sh*t, I myself pushed so hard recently, I reach a short term goal successfully at the expense of another goal. One was a professional goal out of necessity, the other a personal one. When you chase 2 goals, sometimes, you’re lucky if you get one. I was lucky I reached the pro goal at least, the necessary one. Both in fitness, btw.

So, I’ve decided to scale everything back. Follow my own program, not one I got from another brilliant and successful coach in my own training community. Not to say you shouldn’t get a program from someone else (I do that daily for others), but as in all programs designed in a book for numbers (as in numbers of readers/buyers) you CANNOT personalize. Sometimes, I like to experiment with other’s work, sometimes I design my own for myself as I do for others. And I find the latter works much, much better for me (not because I am better, but because I have applied the knowledge others instilled in me and chose the best possible aspects of it to my needs and physiology at the present moment, which is the point of education).

Another person’s design may not suit your reality. Life happens, and you may have the discipline to follow through the steps as prescribed, but sometimes, you simply ought not to, because you wind up further away. Yes, I agree sometimes that a bad workout is better than no workout, as another great trainer FB friend of mine and RKC posted in her blog, but (and I pointed that out to a client recently), sometimes you need more rest, more food in you or any variable that your program factors in and life factored out that day. Say you dropped a couple of pounds from lack of sleep and lack of food, whatever the reason (baby schedule off in my case), should you push for an all-out workout that morning, when you’re neurologically weak and it’s your heavy day? Answer #1 can be Yes, you might learn something. I learned once like that that if I dropped a pound or two, didn’t sleep enough, I shouldn’t progress in the session as planned (I log all variables and all screw-ups as well as successes which helps me isolate the missing element). Don’t wanna teach myself and my body a bad habit and break the groove. So answer #2 is No, for me at least and really, sometimes you too.

If you miss the train, there’ll be another one. If you fall off the train, well, you know what happens…

So, I am resetting, going back to the basics, going light. Call me a wuss if you want. I dare YOU to take it easy and go light and be man/woman enough to own it! Reset your neural pathways and go strong in a little bit again!

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