Author: Tony

If I had to make a list of the worst things that people do in the gym, it would look like this.

1. Talking on their cell phone while exercising. I will never quite understand this. Seriously, you can’t live without your phone for an hour?

2. Wearing sunglasses. Why?

3. Staring at the tv in between sets (AKA: tv jaw). Are you there to train, or watch tv? Hmmmm, maybe that’s why you still look exactly the same as you did three years ago.

4. Performing endless repetitions of crunches in an effort to get that six pack.

What if I told you that performing endless repetitions of crunches is probably one of the worst things you could be doing in the gym from a postural standpoint? What if I told you that I haven’t had a client of mine perform a crunch in over two years because I think they’re a waste of time? Blashemy you say?

The rectus abdominus (RA) originates at the pubic symphysis and inserts all the way up at the 5th-7th rib cartilage and sternum. What do you think happens when you sit all day at work, in front of the computer with a flexed spine and then go to the gym and perform a bunch of crunches? You end up pulling your chest towards your pelvis, further increasing your already kyphotic (rounded back) posture. Not only does this give the appearance of looking smaller (sternum is depressed), but it also leads to a whole host of other issues such as shoulder, neck, and mid-back problems due to the scapular winging involved (shoulder abduction).

It may surprise you to find out that the main “function” of the RA is not trunk flexion (think: crunch), but rather to PREVENT rotational forces and provide stability. Mike Boyle (boy he sure is smart) has done a great job of applying the work of physical therapists James Porterfield and Carl DeRosa and bringing to light the fact that the RA should be trained as ANTI-rotators, not flexors (crunch). Essentially, I would prefer that people learn to PREVENT unwanted motion and train their “core” with stability in mind. Various planks, Pallof Press, various chopsand would all be a great start and infinitely more conducive

BONUS SECTION (a little case of tough love)

You want a flat stomach or six pack abs? I’ll give you the best movement, results guaranteed. It’s called the push-away method.

It’s simple really. When you feel “full”, push yourself away from the dinner table. Watch out for the dog underneath your chair!! Getting “abs” is about providing enough of a caloric deficit so that your body can burn off body fat, it’s NOT about how many crunches you can do everyday. You can perform crunches till you’re blue in the face, but it won’t matter if you have fat covering them. YOU CAN NOT OUT TRAIN A POOR DIET!!!!!!!

Exercise More (People need to MOVE more in general. Lift heavy things, it will be good for you).

Eat Less (junk)

Repeat

Forever

If I hear one more registered dietician or physician mention that diets high(er) in protein are dangerous, I am going to go postal. First lets make of a list of things that ARE dangerous:

1. Putting your finger in an electrical socket

2. Swimming in a pool full of sharks.

3. Responding “yes” whenever your significant other asks you, “does this make me look fat?”

4. Watching a Ben Affleck movie

Those are dangerous. Diets high in protein are NOT dangerous, as many fitness professionals would have you believe. Many claim that high protein diets will strain or damage the kidneys. Thing is, there has NEVER been one scientific study that has shown that diets high(er) in protein (in this case, upwards of 1 gram per lb of body weight) harm the kidneys in any way in HEALTHY individuals. I’m more likely to date Angelina Jolie than you are in finding a study which says high protein diets cause damage in the kidneys. READ: not going to happen.

And while there are “some” studies which do in fact say that high protein diets cause renal (kidney) dysfunction…..they were done on people who already had some sort of renal disease in the first place. Well duh!!!!

The term “higher” refers to a diet that has people (athletes or active individuals) consuming more than the general populations’ average intake of approximately 15% of energy from protein, e.g., as much as 30%-35%, which is within an Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Range (AMDR). The RDA states that 0.8 grams per kg of bodyweight per day is acceptable for all healthy individuals. However, what people fail to realize is that the RDA’s recommendations are directed to those people who do nothing but sit on their butt all day. 0.8 grams per kg of body weight is what the RDA recommends to stay alive. It’s just enough to stave of deficiency. That’s great, but that amount doesn’t come close to meeting the needs and requirements of athletes and/or those people who consistently workout.

Athletes, as well as those people who lead an active lifestyle consistently eat diets that are higher in protein compared to what the RDA recommends. Bodybuilders from way back in the 1950’s and 60’s ate higher protein diets (upwards of 300-500 grams PER DAY) and to my knowledge, there has never been a epidemic of kidney disease in these populations; even to this day. NOTE: I am NOT suggesting that you need to ingest 300-500 grams of protein per day, just trying to make a point.

Of relevance to “active” individuals and those in clinical practice is the fact that higher protein diets have quite consistently been shown to result in greater weight loss, greater fat loss, and preservation of lean mass as compared with “lower” protein diets. A framework for understanding dietary protein intake within the context of weight loss and athletic performance is laid out throughout TONS of literature and is beyond the scope of this blog entry.

All in all, high protein diets DO NOT harm or cause any undue strain on the kidneys. And if I wasn’t convincing enough,

In a review titled, “Dietary protein intake and renal function,” published in Nutrition and Metabolism, September 2005, Martin et al concluded, and I quote:

“While protein restriction may be appropriate for treatment of EXISTING renal disease, we find no significant evidence for a detrimental effect of high protein intakes on kidney function in healthy persons after centuries of a high protein Western diet.”

Here’s a little list of fitness/nutrition concepts, ideas, techniques, habits, etc that I feel EVERYONE should be incorporating into their daily repertoire. If you disagree, tough noogies. This is my blog, so I can say what I want. And of course, I am right…;o)

1. Learn to train MOVEMENT PATTERNS and find structural balance in your overall programming:

Rather than focusing on body part splits such as “chest day” or “arms day,” learn to structure your routines so that you hit ALL movements patterns during the week. Doing so will almost guarantee that you will hit every major muscle group in the body, as well as help to alleviate any postural imbalances you may have.

Horizontal Push: bench press variations (barbell, dumbbell)

Horizontal Pull: seated rows, dumbbell rows, barbell rows

Vertical Push: Overhead pressing (barbell, dumbbell)

Vertical Pull: Pull-ups, chin-ups, lat pulldowns, etc

Quadricep Dominant: Squat variations (back squat, front squat, etc)

Hip Dominant: Deadlift variations (conventional, SUMO, Romanian, etc)***

Single Leg Work: Lunge variations (walking, reverse, dynamic), Step-ups, etc

As well as several other mini-categories that I won’t get into right now (mainly prehab stuff dealing with the rotator cuff, scapulae/shoulder blades, core, etc).

***I realize that not many will know what a deadlift is. Point blank, it’s arguably the best exercise as it works the ENTIRE body at once. Thankfully, Google exists….do a search. Or better yet, read this article: Mastering the Deadlift

2. Seriously, STOP with the body-part splits:

To be blunt, if you currently have a 40 inch waist, you don’t need to be performing an entire training session of bicep curls. Trust me, it won’t get rid of that belly. Additionally, body part splits (ie: chest day, arms day, etc) is just NOT a very efficient way to train (especially if one of your main goals is to shed some fat).

Ideally, one should follow a FULL-BODY routine three times per week (focusing on all the movements patterns, listed above). Doing so will involve more muscle mass, which will burn more calories, which will burn more fat, which will make you think I am awesome for telling you to ditch the body part split routines. It’s a win-win situation.

For more info on why full-body routines are FAR superior, read this.

3. Steer clear of machines:

Personally, I’m not a big fan of machines. I can honestly say that I haven’t had a client of mine touch a leg extension or leg curl machine (to name a few) in over two years. Unless they are preparing to become the world’s best butt kicker, I see no need. The same can be said for pretty much any other machine that puts you in a fixed plane of motion. Real life movement does NOT occur in a fixed plane, so why train that way? Likewise, I also don’t like the idea of people going to gym, only to sit in/on a machine. Most people sit at work from 9-5, the last thing I want them doing in the gym is sitting more.

Long story short, learn to use free-weights (dumbbells and barbells). If you don’t know how, hire a personal trainer to show you how. And if you do work with a personal trainer and all you do is machine circuits……get a new trainer.

That’s all for now. More to come soon.

Excuses. I hear them all the time. Comes with the job of being a personal trainer I suppose. I am often amused when I overhear someone making excuses as to why they aren’t getting the results they had hoped for. Sorry folks, but going to the gym to walk on the treadmill for 60 minutes, three times per week, while watching Oprah isn’t going to cut it. Nor is restricting calories (read: carbs) to Ethiopian levels (yeah, cause it’s the fruit that’s making you fat). In case you didn’t pick up on it, I was being sarcastic….;o) Consider this a dose of what I like to call “tough love.” Everyone needs it from time to time.

Excuse #1: “I don’t have time to eat breakfast in the morning.”

Riiiigggghhhhttttt. It takes no more than TWO minutes to warm-up a bowl of oatmeal. I defy anyone to prove to me that they don’t have two minutes to prepare SOMETHING in the morning. And while the idea of eating a bowl of oatmeal sounds about as appetizing as a bowl of broussel sprouts to some; throw in a few blueberries or an apple with some cinnomon and maybe a touch of chocolate flavored protein powder, and you have a very scrumptious meal.

Food for thought: There is a plethora of data out there which shows that people who eat breakfat regularily tend to be MUCH leaner than those who don’t. Additionally, eating breakfast has been shown to decrease cortisol (a hormone which tells your body to store fat) levels to a vast degree. All in all, your mother was right…. breakfast IS the most important meal of the day. Make it a priority. Get up earlier and quit making excuses.

Excuse #2: “I don’t have time to train/workout during the week.”

Oh really? But I bet you can tell me who won American Idol or what happened in the season finale of Lost, right? It’s funny how people never have time to train, but have all the time in the world to watch their favorite television shows. To prove my point.

The National Human Activity Survey (n=8000): subjects watched on average 19.8 hours of television per week.

American Time Use Survey (n=58,000): subjects watched on average 21 hours of television per week.

Anyone who tells me that they don’t have time to train/exercise at least five hours per week is totally lying to me.

STOP WATCHING SO MUCH DARN TV, and do more exercise. Watch what happens. Quit making excuses.

The following is an excerpt of an article I wrote that originally ran on t-nation.com, titled Dieting Disasters. To Read the entire article, click here:

Ditch the Calorie Containing Beverages!!!

This is usually the very first thing I tend to “tweak” when I start with a new client. Unless someone is actually trying to put on weight, I’d much rather someone EAT their calories than drink them; especially when dieting. I once worked with a woman who would drink two of those fully-loaded lattes from Starbucks every… ..single… ..day. She was easily ingesting 500+ calories per day from those alone. At first I limited her to one per day and eventually we took them out all together. She made fantastic progress.

If you’re one of those people who’s always had a difficult time losing weight/ fat, try getting rid of all calorie containing beverages from your diet. This includes, soda (diet soda is acceptable in moderation), fruit juice (nothing but concentrated sugar, deficient in the good stuff… fiber), lattes (heavy cream, sugar, etc), and GASP… alcohol.

I actually had a really great conversation with a colleague of mine about the effects of alcohol on fat oxidation (body’s ability to burn off fat) not too long ago. Unfortunately I couldn’t find any significant studies dealing with the topic, but my educated guess is that alcohol slows it down significantly.

Alcohol is basically a poison to the body and when you pound down six drinks (if not more for some people), the liver has to work diligently to process and excrete the alcohol from the body. And since alcohol has to go through the liver to be metabolized, it’s impossible for the body to burn fat during this time. So for those who have a tendency to drink a few times per week, you’re really shooting yourself in the foot in the long run. Not to mention you can only use the “beer goggle” excuse for so long.

I know many of you are thinking to yourself, “what about all those people who claim that drinking a glass or two of wine per night actually improves health?” A person who drinks a glass of wine or beer with dinner normally sits down and drinks it over 30 minutes or so. They relax and unwind. Rarely does someone POUND a glass of wine. So is it the wine consumption that makes them healthier, or the fact that they actually sit down and RELAX and enjoy it every night?

The same could be said for dark beer. Dark beer tends to be similar to wine in the sense that people generally don’t “chug” it. Also, it’s been shown that the flavonoids found in dark beer have the same characteristics as red wine in that it’s very high in antioxidants and helps to reduce the risk of blood clots. Again, is it the dark beer that offers the benefits, or the fact that people sit down to relax and enjoy it?

If I had to choose, I would prefer that people limit themselves to a drink (maybe two) a few nights per week rather than binging on the weekends during $1 beer nights at Hooters. And I would also prefer that people drink more water and green tea.

It’s been said that up to 80% of Americans will experience lower back pain at some point in their lifetime (ouch). As a trainer, I am asked all the time what are the best movements in the gym one can do to strengthen their lower back. How’s this for a paradox: Dr. Stuart McGill (author of such fantastic books as Low Back Disorders and Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance) has stated on several occasions that lower back health is HIGHLY correlated with endurance, while those with stronger and more powerful lower backs are more commonly injured. So while you may think that those back extensions are helping you……..think again. Strengthening the lower back may not be such a good idea.

And on a further note: It’s rather asanine that the American Medical Association still uses loss of spinal range of motion as the classification scheme of lower back dysfunction. There isn’t a single study out there that shows that lumbar spine (lower back) range of motion is correlated with having a healthy back; in fact, the opposite is true! Again those with better STABILITY (super stiffness, as Dr. McGill calls it) and optimal hip MOBILITY are much better off. So, for all those physicians or personal trainers who tell you that all you need to do is “stretch out your lower back,” don’t listen to them. They’re giving archaic and outdated advice.

What can you do?

1. MOVE! We’re a very sedentary society, and as such, predispose ourselves to lower back injuries because we’re so locked up in our hips and thoracic spine (mid-back). These two areas typically need to be more mobile and when they’re not (because you’re sitting all day in front of the computer playing solitaire when you should be working), our lower back suffers, because it’s forced to compensate and use more range of motion. Range of motion it’s not necessarily designed to have. In short…get up and move around periodically.

2. A great exercise that really challenges your “core” and helps promote stability/endurance, is the plank. Get down on the floor with nothing but your elbows/forearms and toes touching the ground. You should position your body in a straight line, squeeze your glutes and try to keep a neutral spine. There should be no movement. Hold this position for 30 seconds and repeat for a total of 3-4 sets. Try to increase your time each week.