Throw some D’s on that……

You know ……like the song. Throw some D’s on that……

Not those D’s……….

Or those………..

Nope still not those…………

Those D’s!!!

When people ask me what supplements are mandatory youll always hear me say protein powder, healthy fats, and vitamin D. Most of the replies I hear are stuff like, “really? vitamin D? like the stuff in milk?!?”

Yes really Vitamin D. More importantly vitamin D3.

I know you’ve heard of vitamin D but why is it so important?

First let me give you a crash course on what it is. Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin that has different forms. D2 is the plant form and D3 is the animal form.

The sun is another way to get vitamin D and youd think living in texas would give you an overdose of vitamin D. Wrong!

But I get it from being outside- honestly how long are you really outside? Especially with the weather weve been having recently.

But my office has a window and the sun hits me all day- Glass practically blocks all UVB which prevents your body making it.

But I really do spend alot of time outside- If you wear sunscreen or lotion even with as little as spf+15 decreases the amount of vitamin D made in your body by 99%

I eat cheese and milk- Vitamin D does not naturally occur in these foods, theyre fortified with it. Plus most people are allergic to milk. Why would you drink something youre allergic to?

Here are a few cool reasons why you should be taking it-

-Vitamin D deficiancy has been linked to at least 17 different types of cancers

-Parkinsons and alzheimers have been shown to have low levels of vitamin D

-Psoraisis has been linked to low vitamin D

-Low Vitamin D levels may contribute to depression, seasonal affective disorder, and chronic fatigue

-Vitamin D may protect against both types of diabetes

One of my favorite studies showed that mortality was 26% higher in people with low vitamin D. Let me put it backwards, people with great levels of vitamin D were 26% more immortal. That means Vitamin D prolongs life. Hell yea the closer to immortal the better right!!!

This immortal dudes oozing vitamin D

Ok enough of the boring but important reasons. Lets get to the REALLY cool reasons you should.

The Best Reasons-

- A new study by Dr. Shalamar Sibley showed adding vitamin D to a reduced calorie diet may lead to better and faster weight lost. To top it off when there was plenty of vitamin D3 in the body it got rid of excess body fat faster and the abdominal area.  What was even cooler was these same subjects retained muscle while losing fat.

-Insulin sensitivity is correlated with vitamin D3. Since keeping your blood sugar in check is important so is vitamin D3

-Vitamin D3 is needed in order to build muscle strength.

-Studies showed men with lower vitamin D also had lower free testosterone levels.

-Vitamin D plays a role in female fertility and hormone function.

Ok so how much vitamin D should you take?

I reccomend a higher range for athletes anywhere from 5,000 Iu to 7,000 IU. People who workout regularly I like a range from 4,000IU to 6,000 IU. People who dont workout at all should be about 2,000IU to 4,000IU.

To make it easier 4,000IU a day is a good range to shoot for.

That and being outdoors alot more. Sunlight isnt as crazy as the media likes to make it seem.

Maybe its the whole twilight vampire obsession that makes people scared of sunlight.

Spending more time outdoors leads to you being more active. Soak it up!

A short brain dump and some random things that come to my head at 2am.

One of my “resolutions” this year was to blog more and the first 2 weeks of this year didnt go so smoothly with that one. These past 2 weeks have been a blur.

With everything going on its been hard to even find a few minutes to sit and write. But all thats done now

Everything ive been working on full speed is done and and its time to downshift a bit (only to 110mph). One of the main things is I finally finished the certification ive been working on for a while.

Usually when it comes to certifications and even certain degrees im really iffy about them. Nothing against any of them. Some of the certifications out there are actually pretty good. Its just that the majority of them are pretty shady and will leave anybody off the streets certified in a weekend. Sorry if that sounds harsh but it leaves the good guys to have to clean up the mess of the bad ones. Id rather go and learn from the top people in the industry, the ones that have been there and done that that are actually changing lives and making breakthroughs.

Thats the reason I chose this certification as my next cert. Fast forward to now and its done and its been awesome! Working with some of the top people in the country.

Happy to be a part of the Precision Nutrition team

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The weekend before this past one I was finally able to celebrate my mom’s bday (it was at the beginning of the year, yes I know I was late).

So my mom, her friend Marisol, and my lil bro came up that weekend. It was good to finally relax a bit and have some friends and family time.

Oh and its always mandatory whenever my mom comes up that I give her a workout and a few weeks of workouts to maintain her back at home.

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With all the holidays around my inbox was flooded with questions about alcohol. Now with spring break coming up pretty soon I have a feeling my inbox is gonna get flooded again so im gonna answer it here.

My take on alcohol is easy, I can say dont drink. But honestly we’re all human and this is the real world so its gonna happen. So I have a 5 drink rule, as long as its 5 drinks a week or less you should be fine. It doesnt matter if its 1 a day or all 5 in one day just as long as it doesnt pass 5 in a week.

You dont like that rule? Would you have rather I said dont drink?

The other thing I do is green tea! Green tea is awesome when it comes to alcohol and its negative effects. Green tea is full of antioxidants that combat oxidative stress all over the body.

What does this mean and why should you care?

Well research shows that antioxidants in green tea will protect the liver from damage from alcohol. One study found that green tea eliminated liver damage from alcohol intake, and it may help you minimize feelings of a hangover because of better liver function. AWESOME RIGHT!!!

So next time you know your gonna have all 5 drinks in one night. Then consider drinking a few cups of green tea before and a few after or the next day if its been an all nighter.

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Got an awesome email from the good folks at Groupon.com That were getting awarded with Best of SA 2011. One of my goals for 2012 was winning something like that so that was awesome!!!

I know that award was for 2011 so its still the goal for this year. But youll be seeing this cool logo around us

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Lately ive been playing top chef and playing around with healthy recipes and creating new ones

I normally have my own recipe for pizza using really thin pitas or flat outs and its great. But for someone whos looking for a really low/no carb pizza I found the perfect recipe.

Cool thing is its a way to get veggies in with your pizza (If the schools would make pizza like this then it’d be cool to classify it as a vegetable)

I got this one from none other then Dr. John Berardi

Cauliflower pizza

The crust is 1 head of cauliflower with 2 cups of low fat cheese, 3 whole eggs, and spices. And on top there’s some peppers, onions, tomatoes, more low fat cheese, and Parmesan

Ill be honest I havent tried this one yet so my best guess is mix that up and put it in the oven at 350 degrees for a few min.

Ill try it this weekend and let you know how it goes.

This is the pic of what it looks like when its done.

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Told ya it was a short one. More stuff to come

Hows your effort? Well I think its time for a tune up.

Your results are mirrored by your effort. If you put in half assed effort, then expect half assed results.

With everything, you get what you put into it. With work, you get paid more for doing more. Relationships work better when you work for it. So why should your fitness be any different?

You think because you got out for a walk once in a while your results are gonna go full speed? Yes as long as youre moving is great. But once youve got the moving down, then its time to step it up a bit.

When youre working out and stop because you dont like an exercise, or just do 20 half assed reps instead of 3 full good ones, or just skip the entire workout completely who does it affect? who does it fall back on? You!

What kind of results do you think you get with that. You get what you put into it.

So start everyday of the week with these 2 questions.

What effort have you put into today that smashes yesterdays accomplishments?

Have you put in this much effort?

 Youre gonna have to learn to get out of your comfort zone and do work. Get comfortable with being uncomfortable.

“If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get what you’ve always gotten.” Anthony Robbins

“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” – Albert Einstein

At the end of every year I like to look back and see what are the biggest things Ive accomplished and the biggest things Ive learned.

I always have a list of the biggest take aways the last year gave me. Here are 2011′s top

1. Do more mobility work- 3 years ago you wouldn’t catch me doing any of that. That’s for sissies right! We only lift heavy here! 3 years ago you would’ve also seen me have trouble to scratch my back or even bend down to pick something up.

I had the mobility of a 150 year old telemarketer. At the time mobility work was just an afterthought. I quickly learned how important it was one day when I bought this cool jacket that had the ipod and key pocket in the back. Well on the way to my car after a workout it started raining and I was fumbling trying to reach my keys on my back for 5 min. I looked like an idiot.

3 years later that’d never happen ;D

Me and this dude had the same mobility

2. Back off from training- Training heavy and hard all the time was cool when you were younger and could recover from it. Granted i’m not really old. Ive put my body through more than most and probably fast forward it to age 60.

Training 6 days a week heavy and hard for 1 hour to 2 hours was great when I had the recovery of wolverine.

Now that my time is limited my workouts are a little scaled back. They’re 30-45 min long and everything counts. Now don’t get me wrong. I have the same intense workouts, just more precise and a little less volume.

Recovery is full speed now and Ive never felt better and stronger. Focus on recovery. Train smarter not harder.

3. Foam roll and tissue work- Foam rolling reminds me of a multivitamin. It has tons of benefits for you and is recommended daily. The only difference is foam roll and tissue work you can feel the difference right away.

Helping with recovery and tight muscles. Foam rolling is like a deep tissue massage minus the scheduling and cost.

Anyone that’s ever foam rolled their I.T. bands before will tell you how much of a pain in the ass it is. But they’ll also tell you how great they feel after.

4. Find limiting factors- with any goal especially nutrition. The biggest tip that will skyrocket results and cut the time it takes in half is this. Find your limiting factors. Things that get in the way of you reaching those goals.

That’s the easy part, anything from work, kids, getting up early, don’t like certain foods can be considered a limiting factor. Now the main part is finding HABITS around them. Yes habits. For instance if one of your limiting factors is no time to workout. Instead of just saying i’m gonna workout, turn it into a habit outcome. Say I will do 20 min of exercise. Doesn’t matter what type as long as its 20 min. Then it turns into a habit and it overcomes that limiting factor.

5. You cant go full speed on all cylinders. I learned that alot this year. There alot of aspects to life like work, play, learning, relationship, hobbies ect. The list goes on. We as humans are specialists. Women do better at multitasking than men (or so Jen tells me) but still no one can go full speed on all them. You’ll burn out.

It happened to me this year and when I burned out I crashed mentally for about 2 days. Luckily it was the weekend so it was good recovery time.

Instead of fighting it, go with the flow. I learned to just go with the flow and do what my body says. I love to read and used to try to read about 4-6 books a month (if you would’ve known me in high school reading was my least favorite, don’t ask me how it changed I don’t know). One book would be a fitness book, one nutrition, one business, one just random, on motivational etc.

I noticed though sometimes for a month id be full speed eating up fitness related books but had no interest in any business or random books. As much as id force it I couldn’t read anything else at all. So id try to plow through all the books only to get burned out and not read any at all and not remember what I read.

So I learned to just go with the flow and if i’m feeling just like reading fitness books then go with it. When that happens ill devour like 7 and retain all of it and my productivity goes through the roof.

Just go with it.

No need to burn out

6. Find a doc that matches you- Ive heard so many horror stories this year about doctors that don’t match their patients. I’m not sure if its just the greed or what but its crazy now. Ive had people tell me that their doctor says squating even with bodyweight and walking and running are 3 of the worst things humans can do, they’re not meant for it.

WHAT!!!!!!!! So were not meant to sit down when were tired, walk from place to place, or run when a dog is chasing us! I don’t know about you but that’s DUMB!! You can follow that advice and get your ass bit by a dog if its your doctors orders. Me Ill run.

Recently Jen was feeling flu ish and we went to a doc that ran all these tests and couldn’t find anything, he wasn’t listening to what Jen was saying about how she felt and kept running tests and running up the bill. So we went to get a second opinion and that guy was awesome! After 30 min of just listening to Jen he figured out the problem got her meds ready and were out the door and good to go.

He looks legit.

So does this guy

7. Keep things minimal. 2011 was the year of the minimalists. From minimalist workouts to minimalist living. Its a good thing too, keeping things uncluttered and purposeful keeps things simple.

Just this past weekend on Christmas day the house across the street from Jens parents burned down. You could see everything and it was sad. I thought about it if it were my house and all my stuff that would be gone. Made me think if I didn’t have so much stuff I wouldn’t worry so much. I don’t use most of it anyways. It just creates clutter and takes up room.

Lately all i’ve needed has been in my gym bag that I take with me everywhere. Its like my house in there. No way am I saying i’m a nomad and live out of my bag. I’m saying knowing everything I need is there keeps things simple.

Bob Proctor calls it making space I think. I cant remember but one of his books talks about making space for the other things you want. You want new clothes or a new wardrobe, then clean out your closet so the universe can put those things in.

8. Never be too busy for family. This one is the biggest and hardest lesson I learned this year. With everything I do from opening a bigger studio, doing camps, training, seminars, nutrition classes, athlete training, public speaking, article writing, blog writing, and my own research and study its easy to be too busy for family.I can honestly say I do more before noon on Monday than most do in an entire week.

This year I lost one of my closest cousins. She was my age and was my twin I guess you can say. Although in no way was I ever on her level. She was my age and had already had several degrees from UT working on graduating this may to scratch off another degree off her list. She also was the captain of the rugby team, had a great boyfriend, tons of friends whom she helped with school and motivating them to keep on track, tons of different hobbies, etc. And she still had the time to do any and everything fun she wanted to and be with family. If you ask me I think time went by super slow for her, either that or there was 10 of her. (Santa Claus would ask her for time management tips)

My biggest regret is taking things for granted and being too busy to be at alot of the family gatherings. I think back sometimes and see how many times I could’ve spent time with her or visited but was too busy.

I think of things now when everything’s going full speed and i’m super busy. I slow down now and think what would Stephanie do. If she can do a million and one things in a day and still find time to go to your birthday dinner or just give you a call cause you were having a crappy day, whats my excuse.

I miss you Stephy

9. 2 words I learned from my cousin Stephanie . 2 powerful words that will get you through anything and I think was her catch phrase. POWER THROUGH. Whenever things look overwhelming and feel crazy like I cant I look at my wrist at the wristband that was made for her. On it it has those 2 words in bold. No matter if its a tough workout that you feel like you cant do anymore or you have so much work piled up you cant breathe theres only one thing you can do. POWER THROUGH.

10. Veggies arent so bad. After 23 years im finally getting the taste for them. Ive always been honest with you and told you I hate veggies. Ill eat them because I have to not because I want to. But I dont know if im just finally outgrowing the whole veggies look like boogers thing when I was a kid but they are actually not bad. I crave them now.

11. Go to the movies. Go watch a movie more often. Slow down and watch old movies and new movies. Renting them is cool but theres something about actually going to the theatre and enjoying yourself that gives you a small vacation or reboot. Unless you work at the theater then youre better off renting.

12. Read more. Like I said earlier dont ask me how but when I was younger youd never catch with a book. It was boring and id always fall asleep. I dont know how I changed so please dont ask me to change your kids. I guess it comes with time.

Everytime I read something I want even if its just some blogs or articles I become more productive. Learning is good.

13. Test out what works for you and write it down. I dont think ill ever stop learning about myself and researching different things. Things that will get yall better results, what works what doesnt. Im always a guinea pig.

This year ive experimented with alot of things that ive learned from. Things like meat and nuts breakfast, nicotine gums for fat loss and energy jolt (good jolt just wasnt for me), different sprint intervals, gaining 10lbs of muscle while losing fat, gaining 50lbs of strength without gaining any muscle weight. A ton of stuff.

The nutrition one is the biggest take away. Try this. Write down everything you eat and the how you feel after.

It will show you exactly what your body doesnt do well with and what it does. For me, nothing makes me feel better than meat! A good steak and ill be happy all day. Pasta on the other hand leaves me feeling sluggish and tired after. Even if it was healthy pasta.

Try it and see what works for you

14. Rotate things. Your body is an amazing machine. It adapts well and fast. So rotating things like coffee, tea, preworkout drinks, workouts, intensities and all the rest keeps your body from getting used to it. Remember the very first time you had coffee and the jolt was crazy. Then after a while you need 2-3 cups cause your just not feeling it as good as it was. Instead of letting it get there, rotate things.

Take preworkouts for instance I love them. But I rotate brands and ingredients every month or so I can keep the same feeling with it. If not it doesnt do anything for me anymore after a while using it.

Food is another good one, rotate from bison to regular beef to chicken ect.

Please dont say muscle confusion for exercise. Thats a term some people take too far and use as an excuse to just throw a bunch of random crap together. Its like nails on a chalk board for me. I mean rotating like intensities and goals.

These people all said muscle confusion

15. Buy it once buy it right. I used to just get certain things cause they were cheaper or easier to access. Until I realized how much of a pain in the ass it is to replace it all the time and keep fixing it.

Things like car phone chargers that break in a week. Or a cooking pan that wont stick and last forever. Yea theyre more expensive but its an investment. Buy it right and youll only have to buy it once.

16. 20 min of me time. Everyone has 20 min. Use that as me time. Do whatever you like to do like video games, read, go to the park. But do it for you. We go about our day pleasing everyone most of the day but if you dont reboot and charge your own batteries you cant spread the good vibes.

17. Try to get better- at everything. Try to become better at your job. Try to become better at your hobby. Try to become better with family.

kekich credo #28. Keep an active mind, and continue to grow intellectually. You either grow or regress. Nothing
stands still.

18. If it makes life easier do it/get it. Technology is amazing now a days. Im the most unorganized person but with things like evernote, youd never know that. If certaint things make life easier than do it or get it.

19. Breathe. Alot of people who know me know I dont really ever get mad. I could get cut off in traffic and it wont bug me. Things can go wrong and I wont panic. Somebody can screw me over and I wont wanna cut their head off.

Lifes too short to be upset because the guy in front of you is driving 2 miles under the speed limit. Look at the big picture. If you can see your life all in one timeline whats really gonna worry you more a relative being sick or somebody getting the last coffee at work. Some people have bigger problems.

Breathe, relax, things will play out how they should. Youll be alright.

Kekich credo #52. Don’t be preoccupied with things over which you have no control, and don’t take things
personally.

If you have the power to change it then do so. If not dont worry. Shit happens

20. Scar tissue. Have you ever noticed when you get a cut and it heals the scar tissue from where it heals is alot harder and stronger than before.

Anytime things get tough or you get hurt, think of it as scar tissue. In the end youll be stronger and if it happens again no worries, it wont cut the skin, your tougher now.

I put this on facebook a while back and I got so many messages from it. It reminded me of this lesson.

“Think of tough times as a workout. Yea it’s a pain during but it always makes you better, faster, stronger. Smile through it
“tough times don’t last, tough people do” -(don’t remember who said it)”

21. Successful people do daily what mediocre people do occasionally.

Kekich Credo #74. Patience is profitable. Achievement comes from the sum of consistent small efforts, repeated
daily.

22. Localize! This past year ive had the privilege of meeting alot of local business owners and seeing first hand all the awesome stuff they do.They are amazing!

Shop local, drink local, eat local! As much as possible!

23. Dont grow up. Be a kid as much as you can. Doesnt mean you dont have responsibilities. It means to lighten up a bit.

Have fun! Its cool to have a tight ass, Its not cool to be one!

The more you have fun and enjoy things the more people will enjoy you.

24. One time at chruch the pastor said something that stuck with me. He said be where youre at when youre there.

Didnt seem like much at the time but after a while it fully sunk in. Just because you are acutally there doesnt mean youre really there. Get me?

Dont just show up, but be there. It makes no sense to go to the movies only to be on your phone. If youre in a meeting then be in that meeting, not daydreaming about after the meeting.

25.  Any trainer can deliver an ass kicking. It takes a great trainer to deliver results. What would you rather have a workout that leaves you crippled (literally) every day. Or a program that delivers progressively kick ass workouts that get you closer to your goal instead of closer to the E.R.

Im pretty sure theres another 75 things on this list but these are the ones I can really remember off the top of my head. Looking forward to a FUN 2012

Kidding kidding

This past weekend I had was able to relax a bit and hang out a bit. On sunday I met up with a friend of mine I hadnt seen in a while and we grabbed something to eat.

It was pretty cool because I havent seen this dude in a long time.

This guy has always been a positive person always seeing the good in things and looking at the big picture. So I was surprised when while at a stop light a ferrari pulls up next to us and my friend starts talking smack. Look at this a**hole in his ferrari, he probably inherited a bunch of money or something. Prick!

By a show of hands how many of you have friends or know someone like that?

If you dont know anyone like that ill explain why at the end of the blog post.

Like I said I freaked out that this was his reaction, the main reason why I freaked out was because I actually know who the dude in the ferrari was. He was an old client of mine that was a retired plastic surgeon. What freaked me out the most was that my friend didnt even know my old clients story or background yet went on about how he was lucky and got it all handed to him.

My old client was an immigrant who struggled to put food on his kids plates when they moved here. Worked odd jobs and went to school part time, did that for years till he finally graduated and got a job. Then years later opened his own clinic. Then years later finally got himself that car after he retired at 71 when his hands werent steady for procedures anymore.

Point im getting at is without knowing how much work it took, my friend just bashed him.

I asked him why he wasnt in a ferrari? He had excuse after excuse about how its hard for him to study because he cant retain anything.

How he cant get a job because he doesnt have the time because of school. How he couldnt work weekends because he needs those to relax.

This could go for fitness too. How many times have you heard someone say of course that persons in shape, they dont have kids. Only to find out that person has 5 kids.

Or of course that person is fit because they dont have a job only to find out they have 3 jobs.

A friend on facebook shared this video and ive watched it all weekend. I STILL GET CHILLS WATCHING THIS!

Michael Jordan said it perfectly………maybe its their fault for making it look too easy or effortless

Remember earlier in this post I asked if you knew someone like that? And that if you didnt know someone like that id explain why at the end of the post.

Heres why……………..

Take a step back and look around at your friends……….if they have their hands raised up and are staring awkwardly at you

………………….maybe you dont know anyone like that because that person is YOU.

Self Awareness time

Quick monday post.

This is one of my favorite Credos

Kekich Credo #99 –

Experience is not what happens to you. It’s what you do with what happens to you. It takes a

wise man to learn from his own mistakes… and a genius to learn and profit from the mistakes

and experiences of others.

I really like it cause its true. Mistakes arent bad if you learn from them. But why go through the mistakes when you can learn from the mistakes of others and avoid it.

Now with that I leave you with these videos and give you the best advice ive probably ever given anyone.

DONT BE THAT PERSON!!!!!!!!!!

Now first up, a perfect example why the garage or backyard is the perfect place for weights. NOT YOUR ROOM

Heavy squats should have a spotter so you dont have to drop the weight. Like this dude

Anything made by Chuck Norris should only be used BY Chuck Norris

Deadlifts are one of my favorite exercises. If I could only do one exercise itd be deadlift. But not this guys way. Aside from horrible form and lack of breathing, this is the perfect example of why yelling is stupid.

Another reason why machines arent your friend. The bandanna didnt help him much either

This one might be gross for some…….but remember timing your meals around your workouts is important

If youre interested in kettlebells this one is great. Kettlebells are great once you learn the fundamentals of them. If not then youll end up like her. The only person probably worse off then her is Jillian Michaels

Another reason why you dont hold your breath during exercise.

Friends dont let friends kipping their pullups

 

And last but not least heres a compilation of different people not to be like. Some youve seen, some new. Have fun!

 

Todays point- Dont be that person!!!!!!

By a raise of hands how many of you have stayed up late and seen the infomercials of the latest and greatest fitness machines?

Ok good.

Now how many of you have actually bought them?

Ok bad!

Weve all seen the super awesome shake weight! The one exercise machine that brings you back to your adolescent days fellas.

Now theres a new one out called the Free Flexor! I have no idea whats worse the people that come up with these products or the people that buy them. Since youre a reader here I trust you dont buy them right?

I think Jimmy Kimmel actually has the best one out there. Check it out

Anyways all these late night products got me thinking………What is the best and most effective exercise machine?

Weve already ruled out those top 2. So what could it be?

The Answer is…..drum roll please……….Ta da! YOU!!! Yeah you. The best exercise machine is the one you were blessed with.

Your own body and bodyweight are perfect machines. Still dont think so? What if we add some tools.

Lets play a game. Look at the picture below and see what exercises you can do to create a great workout.

Lately i’ve been playing around with bodyweight workouts. More recently playground stuff. Now before you go and label me a bodyweight guy ill have you know im weight guy at heart and love nothing more then a heavy barbell. But its good to go outside your norm and add variety.

Reason 1- Ive been playing around with these kind of workouts lately because I got spoiled having most of my workout equipment in my garage. Now that its in the new place my garage is empty, pair that with a super busy october and youve got my 5 day a week workout cut down to 3.

So adding in bodyweight workouts saved me tons of time without sacrificing strength and muscle. Great Success.

Reason 2- Recovery. Ever wonder why it takes you 4 days to recover from a weighted leg workout? One of the main reasons is spinal compression. So by doing bodyweight workouts, it limits spinal compression thus shorter recovery time. Shorter recovery time=more workouts could be done. More workouts being done with great recovery=greater results!

For example push presses. They are great and build upper body strength and shoulders. But they also compress your spine. So what if you change that to hand stand pushups. Little to no spinal compression but still a heavy load for the press.

Now dont get me wrong, compression is neccessary. Without it we’d be weak and injury prone. This is just training smarter.

The list goes on and on. Point is easier to recover from so you can train more frequently. Take a look at gymnists. They do the same thing almost everyday and have the bodies to prove it.

Reason 3- Youll be surprised how rough a bodyweight workout can be. I only know a handful of people that can throwdown and good bodyweight workout and complete it.

Now back to the picture above. Here it is again.

Heres a cool workout you can do with the machine you were blessed with and the tools above.

Warmup (dynamic type warmup)

Frankenstein walk 10 each leg

Run in place 20 sec

pushup 10

lunge 10 each leg

jump jack 25

squat 15

Now the fun part-

Decline pushups 3x 15 or 2 sets of as many as possible

Ring pullups 1 set as many as possible

jump squats 25

suspended rows (using the swingset) 2x as many as possible

Pistol squat (using the swingset to hold on to) 3x 10 each leg (turn it into a jump if too easy)

Pike pushup with elevated feet 2x as many as possible

Dips 1 set as many as possible

Suspened lunge (back leg on swing) 2x 15 each leg (turn into jumps if too easy)

Ab rollout with swing 3x 15

Finish with some sprints- 3x 20 yards 1 min rest in between.

Now wasnt that fun? Do you think that workout will get you closer to your goals then the video above? Tired of me asking all these questions that you already know the answer of? Perfect!

I dare ya to test out that workout at any playground you can find. Side note- Try this workout when its not a peak time for kids. Nothings worse than a dozen kids trying to copy what youre doing and then parents thinking your the pod piper trying to whisk theyre kids away into a healthier lifestyle.

If you want a part 2 to that workout let me know Have fun!

A common theme ive been seeing alot is people coming up to me saying theyre eating 1200 calories and doing zumba, bootcamp, personal training, bodypump, and crossfit and still not losing weight!

Doing all that with only 1200 calories is a slap on the head! But well leave that for another post, thats not what im gonna talk about today.

So when I ask what they eat for those 1200 calories ill either hear uhh……ummm…..uhh… I dont know. Or ill hear I ate 100 calorie snack pack, and some chips that are only 100 calories, some yogurt, etc.

Acalorie isnt just a calorie. Its like trading a Ferrari for a Fiat. Theyre both cars right? Ladies its like MAC make up or makeup from the gas station across the street………………………(record player stops)

disclaimer-As I feel the need to teach Jen fitness and supplement stuff when we go to GNC, she feels the need to teach me makeup and clothes stuff at the mall.

Moving right along.

So a calorie isnt just a calorie. a 300 calorie meal of chicken and veggies is gonna do more good for you than a 300 calorie meal of cookies and punch.

But lets not focus on calories. I love K.I.S.S.ing   (keep it simple stupid). Keeping things simple so we can have an easier time following them. The only times I would really recommend counting calories is when your job or goal depends on it. For instance a figure competitor or bodybuilder getting ready for a show, a pro athlete, a model getting ready for a shoot etc. Or losing the last 10-15lbs of your goal.

Thats when crossing your T’s and dotting your I’s are necessary. For general fat loss and fitness just following simple rules is perfect.

*Warning*- Dont be fooled by the simplicity of it. Just because its simple and doesnt involve alot of mathwork and big technical words doesnt mean its not effective. Simple does not mean easy.

Ok so here are the rules!

Rule #1- Protein is king. The easiest nutrition plan for fat loss and muscle building is all surrounded my protein. Youll have alot of people tell you different things as far as protein and how much you should have a day.

I still love and have had tons of success with clients and myself with the 1 gram per pound rule. Top physique athletes have 1.5 to 2 grams of protein per pound of bodyweight. Ill stick to the 1 gram rule and ill explain why.

Top physique athletes get paid for being on top. Not only that, theyre energy demands are more than normal not to mention the level of leanness they already are.

Well stick to the 1 gram rule but with a bonus twist. Shoot for 1 gram per pound of lean bodyweight you wanna be. For example a male weighing 220 that wants to be a lean 185 would shoot for 190 grams a day. A female weighing 150 that wants to be a lean 130 would shoot for 135 a day.

Now dont go extreme and weigh 200 and wanna be 115 so you shoot for 115 a day. Nope nope it doesnt work that way.

I put it that way so we can adjust the levels according to the results were getting. Shooting for your lean bodyweight gives us some room to up the protein when results start stalling.

So every meal revolves around protein.

Rule #2-  Complete sources of protein. Not every protein is the same and will have the same effect. The 3 grams of protein in a trail mix wont have the same effect as 3 grams of protein from eggs or chicken.

Stick to lean meats like chicken, fish, meat, turkey, eggs etc. The list goes on. NO SOY!!!!!!!!

Vegetarians have trouble with this issue so there are ways around this like finding complete sources of protein from veggie types like quinoa, ezekiel bread, etc.

I wont go into protein sources too much with that one because its been said a million times and fingers are starting to cramp from typing.

On another note to keep your fingers from cramping I strongly recommend you exercise them like this.

Rule#3 Going green! The Hulk had it right, go green! Veggies should be the next thing added to your plate at every meal. Now when I say veggies I mean fruits too. I know fruits arent veggies but like to place carbs in 2 categories. Fibrous being one, and everything else being the other.

Any kind of veggies, the more variety in color the better.

As far as fruits throw them in the mix too. I would cut them out around 1pm or 2pm. Your body should be downshifting by then doesnt need any extra sugar. After all we are trying to get lean right.

Hulks was pissed when he found out those green things in the background were only trees, not broccoli.

Rule#4- Stachy Carbs. If youre training hard with resistance (weights or bodyweight) starchy carbs are needed. But choose them wisely and sparingly. On any other plan these would be ok the play around with, but if the goal is fat loss use them sparingly.

These carbs are the fuel to your workouts and muscles. The trick with these is timing.

The best time to have these is first thing in the morning for breakfast. And around workout times meaning pre, during , and post. ALWAYS HAVE CARBS POST WORKOUT.

These types include old fashioned oats, steel cut oats, sweet potatoes (my personal favorite), white potatoes, brown rice.

Men should have 150-200 grams of carbs per day, majority being after workout

Women should have 100-130 grams of carbs per day, majority being after workout

Heres an awesome recipe for a great postworkout meal from the Gourmet Nutrition cookbook that will keep you sane on these low carb days.

(photo courtesy of Precision Nutrition)

Banana Cream Pie Oatmeal

Ingredients
Low-fat milk or almond milk 1 cup
Coconut milk ¼ cup
Old fashioned large flake oats ½ cup
Water ¼ cup
Vanilla protein (equal to 25 g protein) 1 scoop
Banana (sliced) ½

Serving Size
Serves 2 large or 4 small.

Preparation Time
3 min. Preparation Time
10 min. Cooking Time

Introduction
This recipe combines fresh bananas and coconut milk – a beverage made from the meat of mature coconut. Packed with anti-viral, anti-bacterial, and anti-fungal agents, coconut milk is not only delicious; it’s also very good for you. If you like the taste of piña coladas, you’ll love this oatmeal recipe.

Instructions
In a small pot bring milk and coconut milk to a boil over medium heat. Add the oats. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until milk is absorbed (approximately 7-10 minutes), stirring occasionally. Combine 1?4 cup of water with protein in a separate bowl. Mix with a fork until protein is dissolved. For a smoother consistency, mix powder with water in blender or food processor and blend until protein is dissolved. Pour protein mixture and bananas over oatmeal and serve. Serves 2 large or 4 small.

Variations and Options
If you like your oatmeal softer, add 2-4 tablespoons of extra water to the pot before adding oats. If you are lactose intolerant or wish to avoid dairy, replace the 1 cup of milk with 1 cup of water and ½ scoop of protein powder or 1 cup of almond milk. Alternatively, you can substitute with non-cow’s-milk dairy (e.g. goat’s milk, yogurt). For a creamier mixture, instead of mixing the protein with ¼ cup of water, try combining the protein with ¼ cup of apple sauce or yogurt. If you’d like your oatmeal to be infused with banana flavor, add ½ cup of mashed banana once the oatmeal has simmered for 5 minutes. Then continue to cook for an additional 2 minutes or so.

Nutritional Information
(per serving)     large     small
Calories (k/cal)     523.1     261.6
Fat (g)     16.7     8.3
Saturated (g)     11.5     5.7
Monounsaturated (g)     1.4     0.7
Polyunsaturated (g)     1.2     0.6
omega-3 (g)     0.3     0.1
omega-6 (g)     0.9     0.5
Carbohydrates (g)     53.9     26.9
fiber (g)     6.1     3.1
sugars (g)     14.0     7.0
Protein (g)     39.4     19.7

Rule #5- Refeed. At the beginning of a lean phase you should refeed at least once a week. I call it cheat days or refeed, you can call it whatever you like. Choose one day (mines saturdays) and bring up carb levels with some foods youve been craving. Im not saying go all out eat whatever you want all day.

Choose one meal time and eat whatever you want then. I have a list that I write of everything im gonna eat on that meal, its another tip to keep you sane during the week. Read about it here DEFERRED EATING

Once youve been eating clean for a while and start getting leaner, these refeed days can be every 4 or 5 days. Yay for more muscle!

Theres alot of science about this involving leptin and how it boosts metabolism and fat loss but again my fingers hurt so another day.

Rule#6 – Eat 4- 6 meals a day. Now this has had a ton of debate and over time my thoughts on this have moved around a little. With this centuries crazy lifestyle eating all those meals isnt always possible. Honestly I feel you can get away with the same old 3 meals a day as long as the meal size stays with the target your shooting for the day (obviously more food in those 3).

Notice 2 key words on that statement, isnt always possible, and you can get away with. Isnt always possible is true, but where theres a will theres a way. And get away with isnt ideal, once you find out you can get away with something, you wanna find out what else you can get away with.

So try to stick with the 4-6 meal rule. If needed 2 or 3 of those meals can be liquid meals in shake form, ta da!!! You cant tell me you dont have 5 seconds to chug a shake. Gets you closer to your college days. Except the end result is a more muscle less fat, instead of a hangover and a stomach that hides your feet when you look down. Thumbs up for maturity!

Rule#7- Meal timing. First thing is to eat some sort of protein within 30 mins of waking up. This small tip alone will help boost results. Especially if its in protein shake form.

Meals should be every 3-4 hours.

Let me give you a scenario I like to say alot.

If I leave you stranded on an island and I feed you at 8 am then I feed you at 10pm. After doing this for 3 days what are you going to do?

Duh save some of the food because you know im not gonna feed you till 10pm. So why should your body be any different. If youre body digests its food and knows its gonna be fed soon, then theres no reason why it should store fat for energy.

If you eat 1 or 2 meals a day way spaced apart I dont care if its the healthiest meal it wont be enough to cover your bodies energy needs so its gonna store some. Its meant to survive.

Rule#8- Write it down. Write your stuff down so you can have something to follow off of. What can be measured can be improved, I dont know who said that its true.

Tracking everything you eat keeps you on track and also gives you a reference. Say 2 months ago your energy was great and you felt your leanest and you dont feel that way this week. You can always look back and see what you were eating differently and how that helped.

Learning how your body reacts to certain things is the best thing to do.

Rule#9- Make it a habit! If after you reach your goal you go back to your normal eating. Dont freak out when you go back to your normal weight.

Make it a habit, you didnt do all that work for nothing!

There you have it! Follow those 9 and lean muscle will be thine. (When you say it, say mine instead of thine it sounds way better)

Comfort zones are what keep us where were at. Paralyzing us keeping us from greatness. Fair warning, I might get a little deep as I just finished an hour of reading Some of Paulo Coelho’s stuff so I’m in that kind of mood. If you don’t know who he is I strongly recommend you reading his stuff.

Anyways, as the old saying goes “if you do what you’ve always done you’ll get what you’ve always gotten”. I think that’s how it goes.

I’m gonna share with you my a ha moment of comfort zones. It’s a little embarrassing but it’s funny.

You see years ago I met this beautiful woman, today she is my fiancé. She is about 7 feet or at least it feels like that to me.

One of the first times I went to a dance with her I was terrified.

1. Because I’m not a good dancer. After a couple of drinks I’m a great dancer…in my eyes. To everyone else, I’m worse than before.

2. Jen is way taller then me so I didn’t wanna look like Chelsea handler and Chuy.

But after I got over my fears and got outta my comfort zone I went and danced. It worked out for the best! Fast forward and now im engaged, so I guess my moves impressed her

that or the whole comfort zone thing.

There are plenty of other times that stepping out of my comfort zone helped me accomplish things but that one stood out the most.

Anyways think back to some of your proudest moments and biggest accomplishments….What got you there?

Im willing to bet it took stepping out of your comfort zone and doing things you dont normally do.

So whats holding you back from your goals this week? Every week try and do something outside of your comfort zone. Try something different and see what cool stuff happens.

Success is getting comfortable with being uncomfortable

Have a great week!

Im ready for October!

I know its tuesday not monday but why wait all the way till monday to do a motivational post! Alice in wonderland has an un-birthday so why not. (Jens favorite movie thats how I know)

(By the way if I had a daughter, these 2 would be the last 2 dudes id want her taking drinks from)

You dont have to have a set day to be fired up!

Check out this cool video! I love it! It asks how bad do you want it. It doesnt matter what goal you have or what  you wanna do. All that matters is how bad do you want it!

Ive heard it all, I wanna be fit and at a better job but im 40yrs old with 3 kids…….I cant.

Im not telling you to quit your career and tell off your boss, whoa whoa pump your brakes. Ease into that one.

All im saying is replace the word can’t with lazy.

“Laziness is resting before you’re tired”-Unknown

How bad do you want it?

Ive heard I dont have the time for it. Or I cant give this up, or I cant do that. Then you dont want it bad enough and sorry if it sounds mean but you dont deserve it. If you dont want it that bad then quit thinking about it and move outta the way for the next person who does want it that bad.

The one I hear alot is I cant do it because of this person or that person. Or this person wont let me, or theyll laugh at me or hate me.

Warning: Cover your kids eyes

Thats my response to that one.

When you see the best at something, most of the time those people have gone through hell and back to get there. Every single adversity to be where theyre at. They wanted it that bad.

Before you say this person has awesome genetics and can literally do one pushup and gain muscle, forgot those. Nothing against them but they should be in their own continent in atlantis and leave “real” people without Adonis genetics alone.

So again how bad do you want it?