The Actionaut

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.

Comments (1) Sep 26 2011

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.

Comments (0) Sep 20 2011

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.

Comments (0) Sep 08 2011

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:)

Comments (0) Aug 22 2011

“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.

Comments (0) Aug 10 2011

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!

Comments (0) Aug 02 2011

So, while I am developing an online fitness program which I cannot discuss in details, and am developing a piece of equipment which fills a blank in most people’s training, I am careful about putting my stamp on products that represent my sense of integrity, knowledge, education and training beliefs. At the same time, it’s brought an awareness of what others’ awareness in fitness is, that being of the general public and the marketers of products.

BEHIND THE SCENES OF AN INFOMERCIAL
When you see a product such as the AB ROCKET TWISTER, you hear testimonials of folks who have lost X inches in record time, or simply state ” I rock and I twist, now I have abs”. And you see a bunch of attractive models in amazing shape, as well as a “celebrity trainer” host, doing drills on the tool (implications of the word tool extend beyond the device itself). Another one is called Steel Abs, not released yet, and since I am not bound by any confidentiality agreement, simply have observed the behind-the-scenes while training, I can reveal what I have witnessed. What you are not seeing is the fact that:
1) Large groups of people work out intensely 6 days a week (large groups to manage drop out rates and maximize testimonial and results potential).
2) Folks taking part receive all their meals provided 6 days a week (unsure of the 7th) with only 1200 calories.
3) The use of any promoted device amounts to maybe 2 minutes out of the intense hour of working out.

THE DEVICE ITSELF
It’s flimsy, cheap, poorly designed but brilliantly marketed to minimize production cost and maximize profit. Geared at the buyer looking for the quick fix and then quitting after realizing it actually takes work and the device in question provides a teeny tiny percentage of the work to be done, not counting the nutritional aspect.
I even spoke with the trainer in charge of one of the groups who would never use it with his clients, agrees that it doesn’t even target the advertised body parts if you don’t have an existing knowledge base to properly recruit muscles. If anything, it promotes tightness in areas already tight from real life, like sitting at your desk with bad posture (no need to go into further detail). It’s so cheap, a really overweight person would fall off and/or break it! Good guy, good trainer, but he’s getting paid, therefore trying to find an angle so he can justify selling out.

THE COMPANY
Launch DRTV is the group. I am giving them exposure right now and good for them. That don’t mean I endorse them. Quite the contrary. But they are experts at selling you fitness stuff. They have an impressive roster of products you are familiar with. And they will continue getting rich of of people looking for an easy way out who are willing to drop a few dollars, hundreds of thousands of times. I snuck in a few snapshots from my phone while training a client.

UNAUTHORIZED PICTURES
Check out the device called Steel Abs. Couldn’t you do that with a bench or chair or even on the floor? Notice also the other moves (squats, pushups, lunges…) which really make up the majority of the “weight loss routine”, not the toy itself!

THE ALTERNATIVE
Everything is already out there. if you need a good program, learn how to use your body, its range of motion. Develop your mobility, technique, form, and anything you do will yield effective results, so long as you know there is no lazy, easy answer or magic tool that will “do it for you”. Better yet, if you need the guidance and accountability, stay tuned for the project I am involved with which will only require that you use what you already have at your disposal and get creative with it. If MacGyver could rig a machine with bubble gum, an elastic and some bleach, you can also use a jug of water, a broomstick, a chair or even your kid as a training weight!

CONCLUSION
Wanna lose weight? Read my previous blog authored by guest writer Jay Chavez. Book a session with me for training or with him for nutrition. There are simple ways out, not easy ways out!

Comments (0) Jul 08 2011

This week’s blog post is courtesy of a good friend of mine. Not about boxing or fighting, unless you’ve been grappling issues of weight loss and still wonder why it ain’t coming off. This blog doesn’t come with its own set of ice, advil or nurse. Read at your own risk.

Greetings, Actionauts! Thanks to the regular purveyor of wisdom on this blog, our friend Philippe, I have been given the opportunity to take a turn at the helm. Let’s hope I keep it off the rocks!

My name is Jay Chavez, and I have enjoyed working as a personal trainer for over twelve years. Prior to that I worked full-time for a naturopathic doctor for two years, and continue to work with him to further the health and well being of my clientele as well as increase my understanding of the human condition. In all of that time, in both the clinical and gym settings, there have been a number of frequently asked questions that just keep popping up. I would like to address a few of them here in the hopes that I can help bring a little clarity to the confusion.

WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO LOSE FAT?
How much time do I have to answer the question? I usually get asked this one at barbeques, birthday parties, and while standing in line at the bank when people recognize me from the gym. My trademark, two-minute-conversation response?:
“Show your body more respect than you have been. Treat it like your most valued possession, and it will become just that. Stop shortcutting, nickel-and-diming and disrespecting your absolutely best friend. Stop spending all of your money on the latest styles and gadgets and invest it in the quality of everything that goes into your mouth from now until you think you are lean enough, healthier than you ever thought possible, and poop roses.” I will then get the inevitable raised eyebrow or chuckle, and then the, “No, really, what should I do?” Somewhere, not so far away, an organic farmer is gently weeping…
I have had clients drop body-fat so quickly that their friends and family became concerned about their health. “Are you sure you’re OK? You’ve lost a lot of weight recently.” When those same friends and family members find out that their loved one is in fact quite healthy and has simply been working with a trainer, I usually get a barrage of telephone calls inquiring as to how they can work with me to get on a similar program. When I explain that the key to the fat-loss involves eating nothing but high-quality foods like grass-fed beef, free-range organic eggs and fruits and vegetables that are raised without any trace of pesticides and/or herbicides, the number of interested parties drops to near zero. “I couldn’t do that because (fill in cliché/really lame excuse here), but is there some way we could compromise so that I can still eat what I want and lose the same amount weight as (admirably disciplined client/friend/family member), just maybe not as quickly?” I then politely inform them that of the many lifestyle issues that cause people to become over-weight/over-fat, whether it is due to an excess of junk food calories, work related stress, shortage of essential nutrients, etc., etc., they all can benefit tremendously from the life-renewing forces that this “health-food” diet contains.
Your body is capable of miracles (like, for example, the amount of fat-loss most people are looking for in the two weeks before their best-friend’s wedding), but only when it is being fuelled to operate at full capacity.

IF I WORK OUT HARD ENOUGH, CAN I EAT WHAT I WANT?
This one, while asked quite often on it’s own, is almost always rearing it’s head in the discussion over the previous question. There has to be an easier way! I know twenty-something-Susie-or-Johnny-treadmill-neighbor doesn’t eat like that, and they look fantastic! Alas, I usually have to remind them they are not the Susie-or-Johnny of right-now, they are the Susie-or-Johnny of the future, when years of neglect and abuse have finally taken a visible toll (I will expand on that at another opportunity; I only have so much space!). All of the wonderfully slimming hormones your body produces during puberty eventually run dry, and you are left accountable for the quality and quantity of each and every calorie that crosses your lips. “But wait!” cry the math majors. “If burning more calories than I consume causes weight-loss, then that means I just need to work out hard enough to burn the right number of calories to continue to eat what I want and stay lean!” The look on their faces as they come to share this “discovery” with me is quite priceless. You’d think they just stumbled across something along the lines of cost-effective renewable energy, or free Internet porn…
I have a good friend who, for the purposes of protecting those that should know better, we’ll call “Betty”. Betty too had come to this incredible realization long ago while in the process of studying to become a professional personal trainer. She did the so-called “calorie-math”, and in order for her be able to consume all of the pizza, beer and ice cream that the average person “enjoys” while still maintaining a figure that regularly made grown men fall off moving equipment, she needed to work out for three hours a day. Every day. Now I know that part sounds incredible, but it is no-where near as crazy as the fact that she actually did it for nearly ten years! I met her at the beginning of what were to become the last two years, at which point I was informed of her self-described “win-win” program. I then had the audacity to question where exactly the “winning” aspect was in any routine that left the participant lean but with poor skin and hair (her long-running concerns for which she had also expressed to me) and no time whatsoever for a personal life. It turned out she was always too busy working out to be going out. Being Betty wasn’t easy, after all, nor therefore would any attempt be to woo her. This sad fact was what brought the staggering run of intensive exercise to its uncelebrated end. She conceded that I was right and we designed a meal plan that helped her to maintain her physique and improved her health. Much to her delight, three years after that new beginning, she still looks as fantastic as ever, while now only spending four or five hours a week exercising.
So what is my answer to the question? Can you work out hard enough to eat what you want, and still look the way you want? I guess that depends on you first answering my qualifier-question of whether or not you value participating in everything else going on in the world outside of the gym.

HOW OFTEN SHOULD I BE WORKING OUT?
Before I can answer that, I (or any competent trainer, for that matter) would first have to understand your current “stress budget.” Your “stress budget” is the total amount of stress that you are taking in from your chosen lifestyle. That means we figure out how demanding your career/job/indentured servitude, your personal life, your diet (that word again!), and your recreational activities are on your adrenal glands. That’s right, those two walnut-sized organs do more than just sit on top of your kidneys like cute little bowler hats. They manufacture and secrete a myriad of hormones that help us adapt/cope with all of the aforementioned “stressors” in a manner that – ideally – helps us maintain our health and vitality. However, they are small, and can only handle so much stress for so long before they begin to fall short of their ability to keep us bouncing back up for yet another round of our chosen foolishness (yes, I know what some of you do with your free time away from our sessions…). When that happens, not only will your quality of life take a serious downturn, but your health will be placed in jeopardy as well. Stay within your stress budget and you will avoid a lot of problems!
If your adrenals only have a few minor issues to contend with, such as the occasional three-hour oil change, then you can be said to have a very low stress budget. That means you have plenty of adaptive energy in reserve, and could theoretically use it to participate in an exercise regimen that calls for working out four to six days a week at a high level of intensity. If, on the other hand, your adrenal system has to cope with a lifestyle perfectly suited for its own prime-time reality-TV program, well, I’ll just say that your best bet is to start out real-slow. To start with, try working out one to two days a week at a moderate intensity.

Jay can be reached for scheduling nutritional consultations at urhealthfitness@yahoo.com, and seen in many non-fitness related establishments around the Los Angeles area.

Comments (0) Jun 29 2011

Those of you who know me personally may wonder WTF is the talking about? I’m not that thick to begin with.

Well, first off, I was bulking up on purpose in the beginning of the year. Put on about 14lb from my homeostatic 180lb to 194lb in less than 2 months while only adding on 4lb of fat in the process. Not, it wasn’t water weight,m because I was eating a bunch of carbs and I was eating and lifting to grow! I had started the process on January 10, 2011.
March 10, 2011, I got injured at work by doing something stupid (there are no accidents, only bad judgment, for this kind of stuff), i.e. lifted 2 125lb dumbbells that were wedged between the rack and the mirror at Gold’s Gym, where I no longer work, because some douchebag decided to not dispose of his weights properly. Pulled a muscle around T1, which then escalated to tension in the cervical spine.

SO, WHY THE NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT?
First off, not being able to lift heavy for a while, my caloric burn/resting metabolic rate would drop tremendously and I would only pack fat eating the way I was. Second, I am a trainer, I can’t look like shit. I don’t have to look amazing so long as I can perform and stay lean. Third, I started working for an exercise video project and I needed to do something safe, for myself but mostly the users, with moves I can sign off on proudly without delivering “yet another weight loss video”. For that, I’d need to lose weight myself (camera adds weight) and since it is getting more difficult (age) to lose fat, I needed something that I know would work for many people. I wanted to look shredded, like I never had before.

THE PROCESS
I decided to of course not take the journey alone and combine my knowledge and have it checked by another trainer friend of mine who specializes more in nutrition now, Jay Chavez. I’ll have him post a guest blog and you can contact him for your food needs. Good man.
So, the process was to water load, which in my case was to drink 1.5 gallons of water per day, to flush it out of my system. Concurrently, Jay suggested I take Bone Up, by Jarrows, to avoid depleting too much of my minerals,like calcium, potassium and magnesium. I also was taking green tea extract (decaf), garlic extract, alpha lipoic acid (antioxidant helping in recovery) and policosanol before bed. And, since at that point I’d recovered from my injury, I started to push a little harder doing the workouts I designed for others, I also was working on a personal goal of mine by following Kenneth Jay’s Perfecting The Press routine, which revolves solely around the kettlebell military press. With the hard work and all, baby cause sleep deprivation, workout design and testing, plus work, I was feeling pretty beat up. So, to help, I found an herbal product that allegedly promotes HGH production, called Vital HGH. Placebo? Dunno, but I feel like it helped me recover better and continue to push.

THE FINAL TOUCH
2 days prior to filming, I had to stop all liquid intake (besides just enough to take my supplements and what lies naturally in veggies) to start pulling water away from the skin and get that shrink-wrapped look. I took a water pill, OTC, called H20 Lean, by MRM. Didn’t feel like it was doing the job, so Jay suggested I take a hot bath and keep warm clothes on to keep the sweating process active, to evacuate even more water through the pores. I did that and did an amazing stretching session that also promoted my sweating process. Overnight, I lost an extra 5lb!

THE NUMBERS
I started March 10, 2011 at about 193-194lb. May 1, 185-187lb. On June 2, I was around 182lb. June 4, 180lb, June 5, 175lb! I really count my May 1 date, as it was closest to my homeostatic weight (the weight gained before wasn’t going to last as I hadn’t carried it on my body long enough).

THE DIET
Since I eat TNT/Paleo “light”/Wildfitness style anyway, not much changed other than my timing. I wasn’t eating for growth anymore. Carbs close to nothing, but if I needed any for fuel and to spare my muscles from breaking down too much, I’d eat low glycemic carbs, at least 2-3 hours pre-workout, nothing for at least an hour post, and never at night. The rest was lean protein, fresh organic veggies (little to no fruit) and water. Someone eating more carbs to begin with may get faster results, but will take more time to psychologically adjust, whereas for me, it was no big deal.

2 WEEKS LATER
Went back to my 183lb range, +/- 3lb. Eating with more flexibility and “entitlement” (wine, beer, ice cream on occasion, as well as bread here and there a couple of times per week), water consumption back to normal. Performance in training still good (progressing as a matter of fact) and no noticeable loss of leanness, rather slight mass gain. It’s as if my body adapted and is still burning fat like crazy! It’s not that warm for June, and I feel like it’s way warmer than it is! Resting metabolic rate through the roof!

Comments (0) Jun 21 2011

There are a few different clans in the training/fitness world. Can’t equate it to a “caste system”, but closely resembles the feuding families in HBO’s Game of Thrones in the sense that there is feuding. I want to discuss 2 sides only today, and discard the corporate, just “recently certified enough to be hired” trainer who gleans knowledge from supplement company owned muscle fitness rags.

THE TRUE PERFORMERS
Folks who can deadlift a dump truck, bench press a methuselah tree, squat a Himalayan mountain. These guys have power, strength, guts and glory. The last part, alas, may only matter in their own circles. Don’t get me wrong, I have tremendous respect for them. I have a few friends, including some females, who can put seemingly strong-looking men to shame with the grace and elegance of their movements and the load they carry. The folks in that group tend to go so much into performance that their achievements extend past the levels of mere mortals and becomes almost cultish and obsessive. They even look down on people looking to get or already having the “Hollywood Physique” (genetics, good luck, vanity). To them, it ain’t cool to look good. If you’re fat but lift like the manliest of men, you’re alright. Who cares about the dedication, the discipline and the work it took you to get there? Mortals have no appreciation. Should they?

THE LOOKERS
Super dialed-in eating habits. Superior genetics (sorry, some of us don’t have them, but that doesn’t mean we cannot max out our individual potential). Movie star looks. Super shredded, ripped, cut, chiseled body that looks like it can twist a 2″ Oly bar with the snap of a finger.
Zero functional muscular balance. Disproportion of upper body vs lower body limbs. Walks like a recently raped duck when gets off stage, or starts to move in any direction. Or suffers injuries because of the imbalances. Abides by the Adonis Index of 1.6 shoulder to waist ratio. Lots of targeting and isolation work.

WHAT’S MY POINT?
There is none. I’m just curious if the people who go for looks only and are victim of what shrinks call the Adonis Complex, and if the folks whose lives revolve around how much they can bench or deadlift, brutally exposed in Chris Bell’s Bigger Faster Stronger, instead of building a life, become all victims of a form on narcissism? I try to not promote either, just good health, good posture, improved vitals, improvement of self and personal records without being obsessive over it. Are all trainers doing their work (the passionate, educated ones) out of some childhood issue or traumatic event (I was super skinny, yet super athletic, but with nothing to show for it, and I had to kick ass at martial arts to shut up the bigger, stronger folks, and I suffered massive back injuries in the late 90′s which ignited the trainer light in me)?

What’s cooler? To look good or to perform well? Is your choice validated by your own current state of body? What motivates you? Me, I just want to see how much I can mold my body, or improve my performance. Both are important, but not as important as being healthy, fit and being able to do what you’re supposed to do while knowing you need to get better. Staying the same is getting worse.

Comments (0) Jun 02 2011