Particular Awesomeness Deserves Promotion

To the point today.

I had a guest appearance over at Robertson Training Systems. Needless to say this is exciting. Mike is what you might call a big shot in the strength in conditioning realm. You can find that post here:

Ways to Improve Plantar Fasciitis.

So, I've decided to post a few items that I find particularly awesome.

Nutrition

Gourmet Nutrition Desserts
Precision Nutrition Strategies

Dairy

Case Against Conventional Dairy

Dairy Whole Story Part 1

Dairy Whole Story Part 2

Dairy Whole Story Part 3

A better source for dairy:

http://www.cornucopia.org/dairysurvey/FarmID_80.html

And where to find the best source of dairy in your local area

http://www.cornucopia.org/dairysurvey/index.html

Organic vs. Conventional by Brian St.Pierre

Soda and Artificial Sweeteners by Brian St.Pierre

Supplements everyone can benefit from on a daily basis by Dr. Johny Bowden

I've now fallen in love w/ CoQ10 and for good reason.

Carlson CO Q10 100mg

Detoxing w/ real food. Mostly b/c artichokes and beats were in there of which I love.

There are some great take aways in each of these. Hope you enjoyed them as much as I. Soon enough I'll be on a plane to connecticut for the Elite Training Workshop. Good stuff.

Recent Activity: Movies, Career Choices, and Nutrition FUBAR'd

I believe laughter to be one of the healthiest things you can do, and I added about 10 years to my life last night.

Horrible Bosses is great, no understatement, I was crying laughing.

Remember when jason bateman was not funny and nobody liked him?

Next: after watching this video I plan on ditching my own current CEO position and working under Kenny Powers.

That's all I have to say about that.

Big Update:

Over the last few months I've bought a house, started a business, delt w/ unexpected situations that are unable to quantify but generally stayed in shape throughout the entire process, however my 8 pack is lacking and it pisses me off. So, just like always, experiments on myself have ensued.

I want to keep as much mass as I can, I'm 6'4" 225lbs right now (a little light, but not bad), and sticking somewhere around 10% bodyfat (enter robert deniro face + disappointment, not awesome).

If I can't throw an awesome bomb by taking my shirt off, I'm not happy. Just kidding, I'm a fat face person.

So, workouts?

No drastic changes, a few but nothing over the top.

Nutrition?

Yes, drastic change. I've begun to eat like an animal created by the offspring of a lion, a horse and and a small hispanic family (minus the rice). Meaning I eat tons of meat, tons of green stuff and tons of beans (surprisingly mexican food has been the easiest way to maintain this if I am to eat out....unexpected and I like it. Mi amor comida de mexico).

I've allowed myself one day/wk to dramatically binge on anything that taunted me during the week. So that pizza that wanted to talk shit all week, yeah, he got his chewed up and shit out on sunday....bitch.

It was a tough decision but I cut some things that have been staples in my diet FOR YEARS.

-no steel cut oats

-no fruit (yeah, I know right)

-no potatoes (even sweet potatoes....tough one)

Some stuff I was already doing. For instance:

-No dairy (besides greek yogurt but who cares)

-No wheat, rice or grains in general

Now I get 100% of my carbs (outside of that one day food freak parade) from ridiculously low glycemic index, low glycemic load, and low insulin index foods. Basically that means I get my carbs from:

-vegetables (about 5-9 cups/day)

-legumes (beans and such)

-seeds and nuts (mainly quinoa, almonds and walnuts)

My protein sources haven't really changed much:

-Beef, chicken, pork, eggs

And the reasoning for the one day food parade that I've absolutely dominated for the last 3 weeks?

1) Denying your body calorically dense foods for too long can actually have a negative impact on endocrine function (hormones) as well as other bodily functions (especially in regards to fat loss and muscle maintenance). Taking one day/wk is not enough to create a drastic change to overall fat gain or loss. So even though the scale will tell you that you've gained 'weight', the progress you've had w/ 'fat' will not have been discouraged, as continual measurement (using the scale one or two days/wk maximum) will indicate.

2) Mentally it's just kind of nice to let it fly for a day. You know, you're out w/ friends, it's the weekend, it's summer, you want to swim, eat brats, pizza, drink beer, sip margaritas, flirt w/ the coolest girl at the party and generally live the life of every rich, overweight, happy person you know. So screw it, live it, do it, let loose for a day you uptight nutrifreak.

Now, obviously this diet is not sustainable, not even close. I just want things to happen fast to get back to my normal narcissistic self that loves walking by glass buildings, you know why.

All jokes aside, this type of regimen works, no doubt about it, it's mentally sustainable for the time anyone needs to lose what they currently have. It's perfectly safe, really it's way more safe and beats the hell out of 90% of americans day to day diet, and I'm not talking about the stereotypical fast food, hamburger helper dumbasses either, or even the people who think eating panera, subway or "pick your own asian place" was a good choice.

So far, no doubt about it, the ripples are in resurgence and there's less love to grab on the lower back side of my torso (love handles, for the slow and impaired that may or may not understand my humor....it's kind of out there).

You may ask how I keep the sheets from floating at night....Well, I have my tricks for that too.

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Ways to make yourself sick

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1) Follow the USDA's (esp the old one) Food Guide

-Tons of grains so we all become bald/blind diabetics w/ high cholesterol and closets full of cloths that are too small for our fat asses.

At least we're moving in a better direction compared to what we had before:

2) Keep believing you'll be able to get all your vitamin and mineral needs from your diet alone.

Sorry, it's not going to happen.

3) Exercise the recommended amount....

Actually, in a way, I have to take this back. The government just changed it to 60-90 minutes/day, however.......

A) I get where they're going w/ that but it's gonna seem a little daunting to the couch potato that thinks walking 3 blocks instead of driving their car is considered exercise which sets them up for failure, they end up quitting and think someone should take care of them for that too but w/e. Opinions are like assholes, and sometimes I'm kind of an asshole....

B) Really quantity of time has no merit compared to quality of time spent exercising.

-For instance: A 90 minute jog every day, is not a quality workout. Actually it sucks, unless you're training for a marathon and doing a long run.

-30 minutes of intense interval training w/ different weighted implements would be though.

4) Don't lift anything heavy

Deadlifting heavy is more than juuuust getting an ass like this:

5) Don't take a quality source of EPA + DHA daily

6) Only take the recommended 600 iu of Vitamin D/day

7) Create a disconnect w/ daily activity and nature by reading blog posts all day instead of getting out and doing something active. Leave your house!

-Go play basketball (yeah you probably suck but who cares)

-Save some gas. Ride your bike to work or where ever you need to go that's 8 miles or less. 7 miles on a bike isn't that far.

-Go for a walk somewhere away from cars, concrete, and people in general.

-Nature has tons of entertainment if you get out and open your eyes.

-Ever try sleeping in when your camping? It doesn't work.

Point of the list is to get off your ass.

-Mowing your lawn isn't exercise and it's not a connection w/ nature. Though it is a form (weak form) of being active if you're not riding the thing.

-Eating grain fed salmon once a week doesn't make you healthy.

-Having a small spinach salad covered in Dorthy Lynch (of which I adored growing up, we all make sacrifices) will not give you an adequate micronutrient content or close to everything you need for the day.

-Just b/c you run a mile daily doesn't make you strong or fit (if that ruffled your feathers too bad, it's the truth) And if you cannot run a mile you need to do some serious work.

Nutrition: Fridge vs Cupboards

It's easy to list what's in your fridge. If you have the basics of a healthy diet then your fridge probably has a variety of plant based products, multiple lean protein sources and a few natural/organic condiments.

These could include, but not limited to:

Pickles (I prefer clausen's)

Sauerkraut (same)

Greek Yogurt (Fage, Chiobani, Oikos are good. I wouldn't eat the Greek Gods brand)

Kale

Spinach

Asparagus

Brocoli

Tomatoes

Cucumber

Strawberries

Grass fed Beef

Free Range Poultry

Free Range Eggs

Almond Milk (unsweetened)

Coconut Milk (unsweetened)

Pomegranate Juice

Horseradish

(for me this comes from a patch at my parents house, and I'm a very lucky guy for this)

Minced Garlic

(You're supposed to cut it as you use it, but if you're like me then you prefer doing it all at once)

Tobasco/Cholula

For me cholula almost always wins.

Natural organic ketchup

Personally I really like Annie's but making your own can be interesting on occasion as well.

Stone Ground Mustard

I prefer Boetje's Mustard. Theirs is simply the best.

This is actually what happens to be in my fridge right now but I also just went to the store yesterday. There's also some beer, different cheeses and I'm sure rotting food that I don't yet know about.....

The freezer is pretty boring, there's some random frozen meats and vegetables, but I usually keep some Ezekiel bread around too. Oh, and I'm a sucker for corn bread and ice cream (not at the same time). Everyone has their vice, and that's mine, so I have a couple mixes and a half gallon of mint chocolate chip ice cream, that I try to make last a very long time.

Where I feel people really go wrong is the crap in their cupboards.

Cupboards are usually where you stack the junk that wont ever go bad which usually means candies, pastries, chips, pastas, etc. These are things that wont help our waistlines, our performance goals, or quality of life.

I'd rather have this....

Than this....

You don't think it would've been cool to have a miniature little native american friend when you were that age? I do

The following is a short list of some of the foods that'd be good to keep in your cupboards.

It's actually what I keep stocked in my cupboards on a regular basis.

-Steel Cut Oats (always buy in bulk)

-Quinoa (same)

-Brown rice

I use brown rice sparingly. Mainly just pre/post workout on occasion but that's about it, should probably throw it away, it's getting old

-Almonds
-Walnuts

-Chia Seed(that I grind w/ a coffee grinder)

-Flax Seed (grind those too)

-Protein Powder (whey+casein)

-Barlean's Greens
-Vitamin D

I really prefer Carlson's they make a great product for an overly reasonable price.

-Fish Oil
-Magnesium

-Zinc (used as necessary)

-CoQ10
-Multivitamin

-Melatonin (rare and random usage for whenever I want to go comatose for about 12 hours)

My spice rack gets used a ton but I run out of Turmeric and Watkin's Cinnamon all the time.

-Garlic

-Onion (yep, they're not even supposed to be refrigerated until you cut them)

-Sweet potato (same)

-Real Butter from grass feed cows (no need to refrigerate it either, in fact it'd get so hard you could barely use it)

-Extra Virgin Olive Oil

-Tarragon Vinegar

-Balsamic Vinegar

Interestingly, this is one item where paying more does make a difference, up to you.

-Dark chocolate

For my taste the darker the better but less than 70% cocoa and you're just eating candy.

-Peanut or almond butter:

I've tried alot of these and tend to enjoy Full Circle's the most, and it just so happens to be on the lesser expensive side.

Then I usually keep an assortment of tea's around. Right now it's

-Ginger Peach

-Honey Ginseng

-Earl Greyer

There's no rhyme of reason to this, I just think they taste good, except the Earl Greyer, Idk where it came from.

This usually surprises people but I do keep a good stock of canned goods in my cupboards. My mom has been canning food from her garden for longer than I've been around, and you don't go to her house w/o taking something home. It's usually tomatoes, green beans and applesauce. All of which are from soil that hasn't been depleted and the food was harvest when it was ripe, unlike the food you'd get in the store, so it's very good for you and comes in handy during the winter.

On my counter and dinning room table there are bowls of fruit that always have apples and w/e else I feel like having around at the time.

There are also things I don't keep in my kitchen on purpose.

A) I'll be more likely to eat them if they're around

B) They are so rarely used in my cooking that there's no point

C) Nutritionally they aren't the greatest choices in the world, so why give support by purchasing the stuff.

These would include:

-Wheat flour

-Sucralose (or any type of artificial sweetner for that matter)

If I want some sugar I'll have real sugar, we've been doing it for thousands of years. I think once in awhile is okay if you're living an active lifestyle and consuming 95% of your carbohydrates from better, plant based sources.

-Candy:

chocolate bars, twix, snickers, jolley ranchers (of which I don't even like hard candy), m&m's, chex mix. etc.

-Falsely marketed "healthy", "high in protein/fiber" stuff either.

You wont find a Fiber One Bar, Cliff Bar, Zone Bar, or anything else like that in my house. They're just candy too.

-Cold cereal's:

Cheerios, frosted flakes, Lucky Charms, Kix, sorry to burst your bubble these suck too. They're simply candy, and hold little to no nutritional value.

-This goes for the ones marketed to be "heatlhy" as well.

There's absolutely not one Kashi product in my house, nor Total, or anything else like that. They all suck, eat some real food.

And that's that. Really, in the end the basics get you by, most everyone just tries to make it complicated. Eat 5 big cups of vegetables every day and that'll go along way by itself.

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Call me crazy, this breakfast was good

I get quite a few questions as to how I eat on a regular basis and to be honest my typical breakfast is the same almost everyday.

• 5 eggs
• 1 cup pomegranate juice
• 1 big bowl of oatmeal(I do change what goes into the oatmeal periodically based on what's around.)

You might call me crazy, but I hardly ever cook the oatmeal. I just throw it together, pour some milk on top and leave. It takes me less than a minute to make breakfast and be out the door. I take my oatmeal with me and eat it in the car. So next time you try and tell me that you didn't have time for breakfast, just go ahead and save it. I find both of these recipes pretty good. Sometimes I'll spruce them up a bit more but this is pretty typical.

I have two go to oatmeals:

Oatmeal #1

• 2 cups thick cut oats
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp cinnamon (by the way cinnamon is an incredible spice, it has huge implications for dealing with blood sugar regulation. I often add them to my teas as well.)
• And I'll throw some fruit as I feel like it. Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, etc.

Oatmeal #2

• 2 cups thick cut oats
• 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
• 2 tbsp flax seeds
• and some granola (don't ask me how much I add, really it's morning and I just throw it all together.)

However, Lately I've been getting close to doubling my vegetable intake (one of my new goals, I'm kinda quarky). One way I've been able to do this and not feel like I'm constantly chewing, flossing my teeth, and withholding certain 'obscenities' (we'll call them that to be nice) is by using the blender. Drinking my veggies has become an extremely useful tool. I've also been taking more in during my second and fourth meals of the day. This lets me space things out a bit.

So, this morning I'm grabbing all the goods and I just happen to set it all right beside the blender. So.......My mind starts churning, and like all things that I do, I seem to take everything a bit further than it's supposed to (understatement, I do everything completely over the top).

I'll save the incident that occurred in my kitchen this morning and just give you the product of the process instead of the other way around.

So here you go. A crazy look at smoothies, but I liked it.

• 1.5 cups of snapped peas (like I said, quarky)
• 2 cups of mixed frozen berries
• 1 cup of milk
• 2 cups oats
• 5 eggs (raw).....I know, I know. Buy free range and your chances of food poison reduce to almost nothing. Your chances are extremely low to begin with anyway. By the way, I put two of those eggs in shell and all. Calcium.
• Chia seeds (there is actually some fantastic research buzzing around this little guy. It seems what used to clutter retirement communities has been found as an incredible little super food.)
• 1.5 tbsp Cinnamon

Sounds amazing right? Well no, actually it sound disgusting but I'm not gonna lie, I liked it. I was almost full, of which hardly ever happens. This is probably the healthiest breakfast I've ever made. It satisfies every corner that is pivotal for health: essential fatty acids, micronutrients, high antioxidants, polyphenols, catechins, soluble and insoluble fiber, this list could go on for a very long time. Mainly is satisfies my macronutrient needs while also being very antiinflamatious (therefore helping me be healthier and recover faster, as well as age slower, and make up words like antiinflamatious).

This recipe could also probably feed a small family so I wouldn't suggest the exact measurements. But that's part of the fun, play with it.

Workout splits for High School Athletes

I told you I'd write on workout splits and here it is.

Truthfully if a high school athlete has any kind of off season he/she needs to be splitting workouts. In season is an absolute must for this as well, you don't want/need to be using valuable practice time on lifting and conditioning. I encourage almost every high school coach to split workouts. The athletes are on a set schedule everyday, and the timing works out great.

Typically when setting up a daily split you want 8 hours in between your workouts. In any case, when designing programs you always want your fastest movements first. This is a common error among high school and collegiate coaches, and I'm guessing it's due to time constraints, but that just means that they didn't plan well. The way I've found splitting to be most effective is taking this programming guideline to heart. Doing your speed work in the morning/before school and your strength and/or conditioning work after school.

For Example
Wk 1, Day1: Lower body/linear day
Am:
1) Warm-up: SMR (6min), Dynamic Mobility(2min), Activation+Dynamic Flex (6min)

2) Explosive ground work
3) Plyometrics
4) Movement based speed work
Finish) SMR/static stretching and post nutrition

Then go to school.

PM:
1)Warm-up: SMR (6min), Dynamic Mobility(2min), Activation+Dynamic Flex (6min)
2) Explosive post chain dominate movement (clean, KB snatch, swing, med ball work)
3)Unilateral/bilateral strength exercise: max strength, max speed, or max effort depending on macro cycle
4) Post chain dominate exercise
5) Unilateral lift: 1leg squat, 1leg RDL, or lunge variation
6) Core: bracing, antirotational, or compound (absolutely NO sit-ups or crunches)
Finish) SMR/static stretching and post nutrition

Some Strength Coaches advise literally cutting all the sets and reps in half and doing half in the morning and half after school. Personally I don't agree. Your athletes are gonna get bored, worn down and there are much better options.

Doing all the speed work in the morning means a shorter workout and allows the coach and players to not have to wake up insanely early. If you've ever coached a bunch of high school athletes early in the morning (especially junior high girls) you know how important that is. I heard a lot about cloths when I first started. It also means they're more likely to eat breakfast, which is a big deal.

It also gives there bodies time to rest between bouts. Allowing for increased performance in each. Rest is extremely important at this age and this will allow them to be fresh for the each workout able to put more in, leading to better results.

They are getting 2 very active sessions during a day. I'd say kids probably average less than one hour of activity a day. Can you say pathetic? You can only imagine the sources of food they're getting when most of todays' schools are ridden with sugar vending machines full of "psuedo-healthy" and truly "death" food. bye working out 2x/day they'd be in a carb storage state for a much longer duration of each day (storing less fat). Leading to a healthier, stronger, and less likely obese/overweight athlete. Less fat also means they're faster, due to less dead weight to carry.

In my humble opinion I can also see academic and psychological benefits as well. Getting up for something they want to do (get better as an athlete) vs. something they have to do (go to school). And I'm not saying all kids have this outlook on school but all the ones I've known do. They're also waking up and being active, getting the blood running. Therefore not falling asleep in class all day. Learning work ethic and the importance of preparation. Building pride in their sport and a healthy lifestyle through the work they've put in.

Response to my eggs

I guess my recipe is catching a little flack. I actually saw this coming but wanted to wait and see what people said.

The main problem seems to be that I ate 6 eggs in one setting. Well to be honest that's not that big a deal for me. In fact in high school I'd eat a full dozen sometimes, no problem. That was just me at the end of the day. I was actually way more active then than I am now, and I'd still do the same now without thinking about it. If I wanted to that is.

Okay, yeah, I get it. Most people don't sit down and eat 6 eggs at a time. It seems like a lot but really you need to stop and realize I weigh 230lbs and sit around 9% body fat. That means my body has around 209lbs of lean mass and all of that is metabolic, meaning it burns calories. So my personal diet is probably much larger than most people simply because I need more calories to operate. I also have a very active lifestyle and career. I'm lifting 4 days a week and working out with clients 5-6 days a week. Then on off days I'm typically off doing something else. So in order to function and maintain my body mass I need a high calorie intake. This was actually a pretty small meal for me.

Scenario:

Let's say Mr. X is a 38 year old banker that is 6' tall, weighs 180lbs, has a body fat of 18%, and works out 3-5 days a week. Not too bad. But, Mr. X has around 147lbs of lean mass that is burning calories and he sits behind a desk 5 days a week. The 3-5 workouts that he gets a week are going to need to be fed but for the most part Mr. X is probably not going to need to eat 6,000 calories a day, of which I probably do most days.

The whole 2,000 calorie thing doesn't work for very many people. It's just a number the food label uses to calculate it's percentages.

The point is to eat for your body. Same as lifting and training. You don't need to be taking a diet plan written for someone else and try using it. It doesn't work. A 150lb woman going for fat loss isn't going to be successful using a diet plan written for Robert Gallery. She also wont be successful using his workout program. Just doesn't work that way. Just a side note, but she wont be successful athletically using that program either, cause it's not built for her and she's not ready for it because he's a professional athlete, and professional athlete's are the freakest of athletes.

Your typical 150lb woman is not this freaky.

Food industry crap, Probiotics, and a Total Eclipse of the Heart

I am in complete agreement. In every way he says it. Just watch.

This guy hits it right on the head, and as far as that goes pretty much anything that you buy from the store is going to be that way. In case you missed it in the video, I'm saying almost everything you buy from the store is shit. Shit with really good marketing.

I'm gonna throw out a number and say 1 out of 50 of a similar item in stores actually do what they are supposed to and are even half way good for you and even less likely are they to be worth your money. Sucks enough to want to rip the heads off all the top ass wipes of the food industry. Too bad the rest of them don't get the hate that the tobacco industry does. We'd be much further ahead that way.

I'm also gonna throw this in here. 1) to lighten the mood and 2) cause it's hilarious

Using what you have

Typically I buy groceries on Sundays, but I don't go until about 9pm due to the ridiculous amount of people shopping at the same time. See I'm one of 'those' people that goes grocery shopping and even though I don't have to I still find myself going through each isle. I'm also not the most patient person in the world when it comes to standing in line so for me it's a much better experience to go later.

Not a good time to go for groceries.

The trouble usually comes at the end of the week when I'm running low. Usually I have some back up plans and go to's for when I get in a bind but the past week food was running short for sure. For one of my last meals of the day I ended up trying to use what I had. Which happened to be: my last 6 eggs, 1 green pepper, 1 tomato, and the last of a bag of spinach.

This is what came out.

I ripped up the spinach, cut up the pepper, and scrambled it together with the eggs and about 1tbsp of evoo, some salt and a lot of pepper. I love tomatoes so I left that out of the skillet to add later. I actually planned this cause I like contrast and the cold tomato vs the hot eggs is really good.

I had this and after I was done happened to find some almonds to chew on. It was really pretty perfect for what I needed. I wasn't working out that day, and my activity level in general wasn't real high so I needed to take in fewer carbs, of which the tomato was my largest source. There's about 37-40 grams of protein and a solid micronutrient content. The only thing in question would be the amount of arachadonic acid (very inflamatory acid) intake from the eggs, of which is not a huge deal for me since I have a large intake of EFA's daily in the form of fish oils, Evoo, pumpkin and flax seeds, as well as a large vegetable and fruit intake. Plus, eggs are great. They're a very inexpensive protein source and have many healthy benefits.

Lean Eating Coaching Program Reminder

By the way, John Berardi is still accepting people for his lean eating coaching program where you could win $20,ooo. It's being given to the best body transformation (not the best body). 

Could be up your alley. I hope you'll look into it. This is a great option for anyone looking to change their bodies and begin living a more healthy lifestyle. 

This is the next video that he's put out. Here Berardi talks about motivation and how to punish yourself correctly so that you will continue to adhere to your diet in a way that it stays important to you. It's pretty cool. 

http://precisionnutrition.com/cmd.php?pageid=778229&u=bm

Good Luck. 

$20k to the Best Body Transformation

John Berardi is my go to guy for nutritional information. I can be sure that he's not gonna lead me down a wrong path because he's too stuck in his ways or anything like that. He is anything but closed minded. He's kinda like me in that way, he uses what works, throws out what doesn't and is constantly looking to improve in anyway he can. 

This is Berardi

But, he's doing a big thing right now, and I'll be talking about it for the next couple weeks because it is of huge value to you. He sort of says it in his message, worse thing that happens is you get some of the best coaching in the world, amazing information given to you that you can use for the rest of your life, the best body of your life and probably the best shape of your life. Best scenario you get that along with a bunch of money. Sounds good to me.

Here's the link. Get there soon, I know the last time they did this it sold out pretty quick. I know they've changed things this time so more people get a chance. Anyway, Here you go.

http://precisionnutrition.com/cmd.php?pageid=778229&u=20k   

By the way, Berardi is an interesting guy. Don't let the weird message creep you out. He's a much better nutritionist and coach than he is an actor. Go for the challenge, you're not really going to lose either way.  

I really encourage you to do this though. I can't say enough good stuff about this guy and I know too many people who could benefit from a resource like this. Good luck.

My Top 3 Keys to Fat Loss and Health

What if I told you there were 3 simple tips that could very quickly change everything about your body? You're health, fitness, and performances. If you were to only concentrate on these three your body would...

• become a calorie burning machine
• You'd see fat drop like crazy
• You'd keep more muscle during cuts
• You'd build more muscle during gains while also acquiring less fat
• Would lead to a very noticeable difference in your training and competition.
• Reduce your risk of diabetes
• Increase your IGF-1 and testosterone levels (anabolic hormones: healthy fat burners)
  

You may think that only concentrating on three things would be way too simplified. Nutrition is very complicated and multifaceted, so that just cannot be. Well you be correct. But I was thinking of this last night, and trying to think how simple I could make nutrition for the average person on a very general scale (which is very hard for me because I typically like to throw way too much out there).

This is what i came up with. Focus on:

1. Fiber
If each and every US citizen was getting 40-60g of fiber a day our obesity problem would be close to ZERO. In fact many other health issue would dissipate as well. Hardly anyone would be even close to overweight though. Now this is quite a bit of fiber and on average I don't get this much in a day. But the point is, increasing your fiber is going to make dramatic changes. By no means am I refering to cereal bars and fiber supplements. Even though fiber supplements have there place, it would be much better to get a good mix of soluble and insoluble fiber from whole food sources like vegetables, fruit, and certain grains (oats and/or quinoa are both great).

Adequate amounts of fiber will slow the speed at which carbohydrates/sugar can be digested and enter your blood stream. Making sure that you have a steady state of energy circulating throughout your day. This will also drastically reduce your chances for late onset of diabetes, of which is the next big epidemic. Diabetes will probably kill more people in the next 15-30 years than cancer. That is what the high carb low fat diet is doing to America.
Also getting all those micronutrients from the plant sources is incredibly good for you. For your skin, bones, everything. You'll look and feel a ton better. 

Choosing good carbohydrate sources is key here.

2. Protein
Getting enough protein is essential, and commonly under appreciated. This, along with the other two is what holds people back much of the time. Please just for a second try and step out of your dogmatic thoughts and follow me for a bit.

First of all protein can have a similar affect as fiber. Your body is going to have to work hard at digesting it, so it's going to slow absorption down a bit. This is great, because that means metabolism is going to have to ignite and work that much harder. Increasing thermogenisis (body temp) slightly which in turn will allow you to burn more fat. And the slowing of absorption keeps the body's blood sugar/carbohydrate levels at a more constant or steady state throughout the day.

Then getting protein often and throughout the day (every 2-4 hours at least) is going to increase your body's natural production of testosterone and IGF-1 levels. These are your anabolic hormones which means they attribute to burning fat and gaining muscle. So if you are in a negative energy balance you are going to lose fat eating protein in this way, you'll also lose less muscle. Remember muscle is metabolic so it burns calories and we want to keep as much as we can. If you are in a positive energy balance you are going to gain muscle eating this way, and will put on less fat.

Females, do not worry about bulking or getting "man(ish)" as I hear so often. It doesn't happen or work like that. Girls need to produce testosterone also, and each and every girl in the world already does. It would take tons upon tons of time and work, while eating tons of food and probably getting supplemental hormone help to get a girl to look "manish". 

Girls that eat protein with every meal, often throughout the day, and lift heavy stuff are sexy as hell. Embrace it.

3. Water

Water is possibly your most valuable tool. What do you need? One big bottle to fill full of the stuff. Then every time you finish it go refill it immediately. 

How much? the daily recommendation of 64oz doesn't really work. It's only going to work for some people, and those people are going to weigh approximately 120lbs and not live very active lifestyles and are not trying to change their bodies in any way. So outside of those people lets get a system that'll work for you. How about AT LEAST 1/2 your body weight in ounces of water per day, that does not include the water you will take in during meals or workouts.Really in my humble opinion that is still borderline. You're just not going to drink too much water (it is possible but it's just a crazy amount of water that you would need to drink and you'd be hurting terrible before you even got close). 

Proper hydration is absolutely pivotal for performance, for fat loss, and for general health. 

It keeps your muscles operating efficiently and with strength, keeps the organs running perfectly, helps your body get rid of toxins. Being well hydrated drastically reduces your risk of injury, lets the liver function efficiently instead of having to help the kidneys out when you are not hydrated which will allow you to process more fat. It helps keep you from tiring quickly, helps to satiate you so you're less likely to overeat, then also keeps your blood sugar more consistent rather than up and down peaks and valleys that are unhealthy and lead to late onset of diabetes due to the overproduction of insulin and pancreatic activity. 

Your liver is a filter and it processes the fat in your body. Everything we eat, all the processed junk and all, it gets filtered out through the liver. If the body is not hydrated the kidneys don't do well and the liver helps them out, taking away from its main job. We only get one liver so it's not like the air filter in your car that you can replace when it gets gross, so we need to liver functioning properly. This means staying hydrated for one and getting good amounts of whole foods that wont have tons of the 'nasty stuff' in them. 

Fat is also holds some of our toxins. It is possible that your body is actually holding onto fat just because you're so full of stuff it doesn't like. This is where the hydration comes in again.

1 Month Challenge

Try these out for one month. Commit and you'll see what I'm talking about. The water will making you feel like you have to go the bathroom about every 15 min, and the fiber might make you wonder a bit, but believe me just these three will have dramatic benefits to anyone. Like I said 'commit' yourself to these, and you'll find exactly what I'm talking about.

You think you know big?: Highschool

Alright, So I have a couple guys that I really care about but don't get to train or see on a regular basis simply because of distance. Both want and need to gain weight, both are still in high school, so both are still in a very heavy growth phase whether they are lifting hard or not. This changes the game a bit, but it doesn't need a new set of rules. If you know what I mean? Just to let you know, I'm not getting into lifting or supplements today, but I'll hit them soon.

1) Eat as often as possible. At least every 2-3 hours. NO MATTER WHAT. You gotta eat and eat often, and you should be eating about 6-8 meals throughout the day. By doing this correctly based on the other rules below will raise metabolism and the higher it is the more food you can eat, the muscle you can gain, the more fat you can burn. It will also increase endocrine system activity in a safe natural way. So you will see a rise in testosterone, HGH, and IGF-1, and an increase in insulin sensitivity. All these hormones are your anabolic types, the ones that make you grow muscle and lose fat.

2)Develop a drinking problem, Water that is. Drink yourself full all day long. For a high schooler trying to gain lean mass the old 1/2 your bodyweight in ounces of water per day is not enough. I say get up to 2/3 your bodyweight in ounces of water/day, and that is outside of meals and workouts . You're going to feel like you need to head #1 all the time at first, but after a couple weeks your body will adjust, your blood plasma levels will expand and you'll be able to retain more of that water, which is where you are trying to get. This does a ton of stuff, but you're mind will work more efficiently, your muscles will be much healthier, you will have dramatically decreased your risk of injury, and you'll start seeing muscle build up and fat dissipate.

Most need to get close to 1 gallon/day

3)Don't eat like a horse. Who does that? I'll tell you who, vegans do that. Ever met a muscular vegan? I'm guessing probably not. You wanna get big? Eat like a freakin LION that's how you're gonna get big. MEAT, pile it up. You need that protein, you need it with every one of your meals throughout the day. Especially complete protein, which means it has all 8 essential amino acids. Anything that comes from an animal is going to be a complete protein. And aside from putting on muscle this will also lead to an increased thermic effect. Your bodies temp will rise, which means an increase in metabolism, more fat loss during cuts, and less fat gain with high calorie diets like these two high schoolers need.


Lions are huge and eat alot of food.

4)Stay healthy too. You need vegetables and fruits. They are going to enhance everything: your workouts, competition, and all your other day to day stuff. You need more than 6 servings of each everyday. A serving can be as simple as a cup or what you can fit in the palm of your hand. Now, I may not be going on and on about this one, but it may be one of the most important. You will not grow near as quickly as you could've if you miss this step. Get your vegetables and get your fruits.

This link will send you to a great resource for making this stuff taste better

So you've got all these things down so far. Great, lets move on.

5) EAT, EAT, EAT!!!

I said to eat every 2-3 hours before but I didn't say how much. You gotta eat till you're almost sick. When I was in high school I gain 40lbs in one summer and I went from 145lbs at the beginning and end of my freshman year to weighing well over 215lbs at the end of my senior year, I maintained a low and healthy body fat percentage the whole time and only grew 2 inches taller. How? Well, looking back I could've gained more and done much better had I known then what I know now, but I did pretty well.

Try this out for a week. For 3 of your (at least 6) meals/day weigh in before and after the meal. If the scale does not go up 5lbs by the end of the meal go back and eat more. Sound ridiculous, well that is what it's gonna take. But you're not done yet, once you've downed 5 lbs of food, start drinking milk, put as much as you can down. That oughta do you well.

To some of you 5lbs may seem like alot to others it may not. For me, this is still a typical meal, and people wonder why I can put on 10lbs of muscle in a one or two months when they've been trying for months upon months for minimal gains. It's because I can put down about 12lbs of food at almost any given time, and I can do it multiple times during the day.

It is not going to be easy, but this is what it takes. I hear all the time about how athletes will do anything, well this is one of those things. It takes conditioning, just like training and lifting. When I'm in a growth phase my diet is just as hard as my lifts. Sometimes its a grind. Especially in the morning, which brings my to my next point.

6)The breakfast of champions is not a bowl of wheaties, but yes they are tasty.

This needs to be big, your biggest meal of the day. Breakfast means at least 4-6 eggs, a big bowl of oatmeal, add some healthiness with some ground flax seed and fruit, you can add bell peppers, onions, garlic and stuff like that to your eggs as well, and get at least one glass of milk. You need water in the morning as well, or you could get some decaf tea's if you like something warm but stay away from juices and sugar filled crap like that.

7)Lay off coffee and soft drinks

You are too young to be having coffee. Unless you want to stay the same size you are right now, then go ahead, but that would defeat the purpose of you even reading this. At this stage caffeine is not going to help you one bit, neither will tons of sugar and all the other crap that is in pop. Your body is going to have to work just to get rid of that stuff rather than be working on building your muscle like you told it to do when you were putting in that grueling workout.

8)Get your pre workout meal in.
The Preworkout meal is 6x more important than your post meal because it has 6x the affect. You cannot grow from a crap workout. Eat to fuel your workouts first and recover from them second. Treat your workouts like competition, which you should already know.

1-1.5 hours pre workout/competition you need:

• High glycemic foods like: White rice, pasta, bread
  
• Lean protein: Turkey, lean hamburger, ostrich, stuff like that

The high glycemic foods spike the sugar in your blood that you are going to need during a strenous workout, and the protein is going to kind of 'grease the load' when it comes to amino acids. You will be delivering many more amino acids to your muscles while you workout not just after, and it will help you perform. Protein during a workout actually improves mental acuity, and endurance (anaerobic endurance obviously), and enhances recovery.

9) Get bedtime and midnight snacks.

Eat before you go to bed every night. Lots of vegetables, lots of protein, and ONLY LOW glycemic carbohydrates (oats, quinoa, most fruits). You want your metabolism rolling all the time, especially when you sleep. Tons of stuff is going on then and you want you body to be using those nutrients to repair itself and let you get stronger and faster, and gain muscle.

Midnight snacks, some can get away with this, but don't be setting an alarm or anything to wake up in the middle of the night. Sleep is way to important for that. But do keep something to eat beside your bed in case you wake up. BCAA's and a protein drink are a frequent favorite of mine. It's quick, it's easy and I like the taste.

10)Sleep

You're in high school, you have tons and tons of time. Sleep is anything but overrated. At your age you need 9 hours a night and a nap in the middle of the day. When you sleep you recover. Not enough sleep is going to lead to a decrease in hormone production, especially HGH and Testosterone. It will also lead to increased stress, which means more cortisol and that means your body is going to be storing more fat and gaining less muscle. It will lead to crappy workouts and it'll make your school work harder (snowball affect). This may be the most important tip of all. So if you are reading this at midnight, stop and go to bed, it'll be here later.