Majoring in the Minors

Ok, I am back to gaining weight. For those of you who don't know - I got bored with my training last year. I was 157lbs and could run like the wind. Unfortunately, I looked like Christian Bale in "The Machinist" . . . so I figured it was time to amp it up. My idea was to see how much weight I could gain in 6 months. I didn't care if some of it was fat, I just wanted to be bigger. My initial goal was another 25lbs. So, with the help of my Costco membership and their abundance of steaks, I put on the 25 lbs in about 3 months. Why stop there? So, I gained another 25 in another 3 months. I called it hibernating - everyone else called me fat. :) I hit 205lbs in January of 2011. That's almost 50 lbs! None of my clients understood what I was doing, and frankly, neither did I. I was stronger than ever, but couldn't navigate a flight of stairs without taking 6 breaks.

Now, it was time to cut weight. I knew I had put on some muscle, but I guessed about half of it was fat. So, what to do now? Count calories? Figure out my lean body mass, add in my daily activity expenditure, and figure out all of my macros? No. I just started eating better. I cut down on the bad fats I was eating, reduced simple sugars and ate more complex carbs. The result? I lost about 29 lbs in 3 months. I am now 176 and quite comfortable.
Why am I telling you this? Because I have seen it time and time again. I don't know where the term came from initially, but I love the phrase, "Majoring in the Minors". It can be applied to almost everything you see. Whether it be nutrition, exercise or relationships, society feels the need to make things more complicated than they really are.

Take my situation. I wanted to gain weight, so I ate more and lifted. Then, I wanted to lose weight, so I ate more supportively, and increased my cardio. I did no calculations. I knew what I had to do and I did it. I get questions all the time from clients and friends that are way beyond where they need to be. Not that I don't like the questions, but they usually aren't too impressed with the answer I give them. It's basic.

I see it in commercial gyms quite a bit. People flailing their limbs, trying to do this inane exercise that they saw on t.v last week - because they saw a celebrity doing it and it was supposed to get them "rock hard abz.." Meanwhile, that same person can't get on the ground and give me 1 full range push up with good form. Don't get too advanced with your training or nutrition. Take a step back and just try to figure out if you are over complicating things. Normally the solution is right there in front of your face. Our minds are very smart, but don't over-think. Simplify.

Program Design...

This will be a quick blog post - I've got 10 minutes to spare before my next client.

I am writing this in regards to almost every person I see at commercial gyms. With the exception of the ones who are doing some sort of split (upper, lower - Chest, tri's - whatever it may be) please just start designing programs that will hit the OTHER muscles in your body that maybe you can't see while looking in the mirror in front of the dumbbell rack. You DO have more than just a chest, biceps and abs.

Here is an easy solution if you decide to do a full body workout at the gym later today. Don't think in terms of "muscles worked" . .think more in terms of the motions that your body goes through.

If I get bored with my training, or just want to beat myself up with a random workout- I only need to follow a few guidelines;

Quad Dominant Movement - Whether it be squats, lunges, leg press - just something to work those muscles above your knee that seem to be quite useless to some... Remember, women like men with legs, not men shaped like candy apples. :)
Hip Dominant Movement - Deadlifts, pull-throughs, rear leg elevated split squats - Again, you may think that not having an ass is great, but a strong, powerful behind is something to be proud of.
Horizontal Push/Pull - Chest press, bent-over row, 1 arm row, chest flyes, face pull - If you pick some compound movements here, you can hit a lot of muscles in a short period of time.
Vertical Push/Pull - Chin ups, lat pulldown, shoulder press, military press - Same thing here, you can hit almost everything in your upper body with these push/pull movements.
Core exercise - This, I will leave blank. I train core different that most people do, and I don't want to get into the whole crunches vs. anti-flexion debate. There is a time and place for everything, and I only have 5 minutes left. ;)

So, there you have it. Throw yourself together a workout from this. I have gotten great results for people who have very limited time with workouts based off of this platform. The first time I saw this was in a book by Ian King, I forget the name now, but I am not taking credit for this. It was probably around long before Ian King's time, but just stick with the basics movement patterns and you will look and feel better than you have ever felt.

And, next time I am doing deadlifts and let out a war cry/yelp at the top of my lift, don't judge me! Stop curling the 35's and come over. There is no greater feeling than lifting as much weight as you possibly can off of the floor. Then, dropping it and doing it again.

Surround yourself with positive people

Negativity is everywhere. It's on the news, it's in the paper, and it's made it's way into our lives. I encounter so many people everyday who are constantly producing so much negative energy. But, the worst part is that it is contagious. If I spend enough time with these people, I start to think like them.
Now, I consider myself a very happy person. I tend to look on the bright side and see the cup as half full. I also like to be around people that think the same way. Now, I know what you are thinking - What does this have to do with training?

Everything.

I have many clients that walk through the door here at All Canadian Fitness that are very excited. I mean VERY excited to get started. I can see it in their eyes. As soon as we are finished with the consultation and I convince them that they CAN and WILL succeed, they leave here with their heads held high. There was even a woman a few weeks ago that actually pointed to a blank spot on our success wall and said, "That's my spot." - Which I thought was amazing.
They start their training full force and throw everything they have into their own success. But, then something changes. A few sessions in, I see that motivation start to falter. They start to be late, have bad excuses as to why they haven't worked out this week, and even worse, have made terrible decisions when it comes to their nutrition. Now - I am no idiot. They had success in the first few weeks - even losing a few inches. So, what has changed? That's what we always take some time to sit down and figure out. Unfortunately most of the time, it is their support system at home. It could be a number of things making the people around them act the way they do when they start to see their spouse/partner changing in a positive way. Whether it be frustration at their own lack of motivation, the stress of now having to change their own nutritional habits to begin to support their partner or jealousy in seeing the physical changes being made by their better half - it all takes a toll.

Now, it's usually (I say usually because I have seen a few instances in which the sedentary partner actually agrees to make some changes) the person that has been having success ,that has to switch back to the way they were in order to make their spouse happy. I have heard every line as to why this person shouldn't be making a positive change.

"Why do you need to get fit? You are already in a relationship, who are you trying to get pretty for?"
"You are sore all the time, how is this helping you?"
"You've tried things like this before and always failed, why are you bothering?"

And, it's this type of negativity that people don't forget. It unfortunately manifests itself as a little voice in your head that you hear all day - when you are eating that supportive lunch, on your drive to the gym, when you are sitting on the couch debating having that bowl of sugary cereal before bed.. and you feel defeated.

It doesn't have to be this way. I'm not saying split from your partner, but make it known that you are making these changes for yourself and no one else. Take the POSITIVE things that others are saying about you and write them down. Read them everyday. Know that you have the power to change and the will to make it happen. Just picture yourself at your ideal weight or measurements and imagine how good it will feel. Buy new, smaller clothes. Do it now.

There are always going to be negative people. Don't feed into it and don't become one yourself. If you need some positive reinforcement, send me an email! I'll tell you that you are a rockstar and nothing can stand in your way. Surround yourself with incredible people and you will soon see yourself start to change.

I guess that's enough of my motivational, hippy nonsense for now. :)

Goal setting

This weekend taught me a lot. For those of you who don't know - Ernie, Kristen, myself, and a bunch of our clients were up in Barrie this past weekend competing in an epic event called the Warrior Dash. It consists of a 5km run (mostly uphill) and combines that with about 12 different obstacles. I wont go into too much detail, but you should all take a look at the website.

Anyway, my point is that I had originally just wanted to beat my time of 34 minutes last year - but after beginning our training class, I figured it was time to shoot high. I had done almost no training last year and to beat my time wouldn't take too much effort. So, I trained. I told myself that I would get top 50 in my age group. I told myself I would get under 29 minutes. I set out some realistic steps to get there according to the time frame that I had. Guess what? I got 28 minutes and 50 seconds and came 44th in my age division.

What I am getting at, is that if there is one thing that is lacking in the majority of people that I see walk through the doors of ACF, it's a lack of short term and long term goals. Don't get me wrong, weight loss is great, so is putting on some quality mass... but I am talking about goals here. Most of my clients who have been the most successful are the ones who have a specific goal in mind when they come in for the consultation. Whether it be a wedding, a vacation, a sport specific goal. . whatever the case may be - everyone works better with goals.

Go home tonight. Think about where you want to be physically, in your professional life, even in your personal life - and write it down. It could be 3 months, it could be a year, hell, I have goals written for myself for 5 years. Now, this isn't "The Secret" and I'm not going to tell you to write yourself a cheque for 300,000 and post-date it for 3 months from now. . then just sit back and wait until the date comes.. then BAM! Profit! No, now it's time to write down some steps to get you there. Set up a time line. What are you going to do differently today, that is going to get you closer to your goals tomorrow? Start short term. I'm telling you. . time flies. A year can pass with no changes and only you are to blame. Do you have any idea how good it feels to accomplish a goal that you have set out for yourself that actually means something to you? When I saw my time and place in the race - I was truly happy with my results and effort. It does wonders for your psyche. And the best part is, once you attain one goal, you will set more.

I'm not trying to be Captain Motivational Speaker here, but just try it. Set one 3 month goal. It doesn't have to be in the gym. If you take the necessary steps, it will come into fruition.

Next year, for me at the dash - it's top 50 overall, and top 10 in my age group. :)

When you sprint, does it look like Forrest Gump with his leg braces on?

It's time to tackle some speed issues. I have trained a few marathon runners in the past, and I've always managed to get their times dramatically improved with some foam rolling, activation drills and some strengthening of some dormant muscles... but it's time to talk about sprinters.

Remember, just because someone looks like they are running perfectly, doesn't mean they are. Most people that run aren't running to the best of their ability. They aren't activating their glutes on the push-off (read my last post to see why.. it all comes back to excessive sitting) they have tight hamstrings restricting their hip extension, or they have a weak core and weak and underactive hip flexors above 90 degrees that are limiting their hip drive. If all you needed were strong legs to sprint, all of the powerlifters would run like the Flash.

Now, without any sort of assessment of the client on my part, I am going to give some general guidelines to get you faster than ever. It all starts with foam rolling. If you don't know what this is, or have never been a victim of the foam - I HIGHLY suggest that you go out and buy one. I could go on for days about the benefits, but I will just lead you to the best article I have found on the subject.

---> http://www.strengthcoach.com/public/1303.cfm

Now, we need to wake up some muscles. First I want you to go back and read that last post I had about under active glutes. Do those drills. Then stretch out your hamstrings. Have a seat on the floor, bring one leg into your crotch, straighten the other leg out, and reach down for your toes. Hold on each side for 30 seconds. After that, do these drills to warm up the hips.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_3xd-nPoGU
and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpG-cWLl0hQ&feature=related

These are my 2 favorite mobilization techniques from half kneel. From there, we can work on your hip flexors. Now, the hip flexor that has been said to work above 90 degrees is called your psoas and is generally very weak and inactive in most people. So, first, we need to stretch it.

This is the best link I could find.. I really need to start filming these things myself...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AVaxTHFWe4&playnext=1&list=PL2497E607C0FFCA55

Just hold that stretch for 30 seconds on each side, don't rock back and forth.

Now, with that muscle relaxed a bit, we need to activate it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z25gCrRtdQg

With this exercise, the idea is to find a box or so that allows you to bring your knee to 90 degrees, From there, you have to keep your back tall so that you don't compensate this movement with lumbar flexion (you don't need to really be against a wall, but it helps to keep you upright.) Then, just using your hip, raise your leg up there and hold it for up to 30 seconds on each side. If you start to feel cramping, just don't hold it as long and build up.

Now, from there, you should be ready to run. Make sure you have a nice plant from both feet, and really enforce that back leg on that push off. Pump the arms, slight forward lean, and get to running. Now, if you were here, I would DEFINITELY incorporate some resistance training to strengthen your legs and core, but this is a basic post on how to get the right muscles firing. Do this as your warm up every time you sprint and you will begin to feel stronger and faster.. because your body is running right.

Enjoy, sprinters. :)

Happy Canada Day!

It's a time to celebrate. Celebrate the fact that we live in this amazing country. Celebrate friends, family and the people who we appreciate.

But, be careful. I've always said that the reason that I work out and eat well is so that when holidays like these come along, holidays that are filled with festivals, cottages, camping, or whatever it is that you choose to do on the long weekend - is so that I can indulge and not feel guilty. You never want to be "that guy" or "that girl" that is at a function, being offered delicious foods and catch yourself saying, "No, I can't have that, it's not in my nutrition plan." I was at a barbecue yesterday and I ate at least 2 sausages (with whole wheat buns) some chips and I had a couple of drinks. I ate just like everyone else. I know I was good throughout the week leading up to this weekend, so I felt like I deserved to pollute my body a little bit.

People get a bit too strict when it comes to their eating habits. It's all about balance. I know the extremists.. I used to work for one a few years ago. Sure, most of the foods that we enjoy are laden with fats, high in sugar, and do almost nothing for us nutritionally - but we like them. They make us feel good. Nobody looks at come carrot sticks and says, "Perfect. These are going to be great after a stressful week at work. Time to sit down on the couch with my bag of carrots and watch some movies."

Basically, what I am saying is enjoy yourselves. If you eat a bit too much this weekend, or don't get all of your workouts in, don't sweat it. Don't over do it, but know that you have worked very hard and deserve a little indulgence this weekend. But, if you are one of my clients - and you DIDN'T work hard this past week and STILL choose to eat everything in sight this weekend.. . you will pay next week. ;)

Happy Canada Day.

Athlete Testimonials

My true passion lies in training athletes. You don’t have to be the best of the best to be an athlete. To me, an athlete is all in your mindset. I have trained athletic individuals that have no desire, no ambition and are here on someone else’s dollar – these are not athletes to me. Athletes are the ones who show up at 6am in the rain for a run on the back trails, ones who understand the meaning of hard work and see that what we are doing is a tough journey and are ready to take on whatever it is they need to in order to achieve their goals. Athletes have passion and a drive that is unmatched. Here are a few testimonials from a few of my favorite athletes –

"Over two years ago I moved to a farm. I thought I had an active lifestyle before but it paled in comparison to the amount of daily physical activity at my new home. For years I had run, biked and played hockey to keep in shape. A little bit of cross training but not much. I had also experienced the odd back spasm starting in my mid thirties and I just chalked it up to getting older. Flash forward to the hobby farm, I'm in my mid forties and I'm moving rocks, clearing fencing, cutting up dead trees, renovations and riding horses and one day I had the mother of all spasms. Most people, especially men know exactly what I mean. You can't get up you're lower back is on fire. After weeks of slow recovery, that meant getting just enough mobility back to get by, nothing really had improved. I had done a ton of research on the internet, of course, and was optimistic that maybe more than my back was the issue. I found a physiotherapist who helped me with a specific muscle injury and that lead me to Bryan. I started with Bryan and he did an evaluation and, wouldn't you know it, I was out of balance. Apparently doing the same repetitive exercise isn't as healthy as I thought. I can still remember the first set of exercises he gave me to do every day at home. I could barely do a set of each. They hurt, they made me work hard, but over time I started to get stronger.

It's now over a year later and I had a very busy work month with very little time to work out. If I sat for too long my back would begin to hurt. Immediately I started up the exercises again and within a week no more pain. I don't take back pain medication, I can run, I can lift, my flexibility has improved and most importantly I know that my health and wellness is up to me."

Ian, above, was have some pretty bad pain that was referred from his hips. Years of riding horses and bilateral movements had left him very tight and weak in certain areas. He was more diligent that anyone I have ever met, and everything I told him, he would go home and research to make sure he was getting everything out of it. It was a long journey, but just by doing a few simple exercises every day and some soft tissue work, he is now able to do everything he was scared of doing before.

"My son has been training privitely at All Canadian Fitness with his Personal Trainer Bryan Smith since 2009. Michael is 15 years old and plays AAA Hockey for the Minor Midget Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs as an Elite Goaltender.

Prior to joining All Candian Fitness, Michael was training soley on ice with his Private Goalie Instructor and really kept the element of "off-ice" training" limited because the intent was to focus soley on goaltender training.

I have had relatives go through The All Canadian Fitness Model of training in the past which resulted in one accepting a full hockey scholarship at RPI University and another is a Certified Sports Psychologist in Southern Ontario. Their success stories are based on one important principle that All Canadian Fitness stresses and that is committment to take the athlete outside their comfort zone and make them a superior athlete.

Bryan Smith has addressed all if not more of of the elements involved in taking Michael to the next level. Bryan has developed a relationship with Michael and is breeding him as a true athlete, first and foremost.

Without Bryan as his Personal Trainer, I don't think Michael would be where he is today. The one on one dedication that Bryan shows with Michael only means that in the final analysis, he will reach his goal successfully as a top notch athlete and superb Goaltender.

The strategies that Bryan uses to continually have Michael progress forward are nothing but brilliant. There is nothing missing in the training regiment which is specific to his position as a goaltender.

As a Parent, I can only re-iterate what I've said about Bryan. Dedication, knowledge and a "results oriented" Trainer. I will have absolutely no problem recommending Bryan as a Personal Trainer to anyone who wishes to use him.

" A man can be as great as he wants to be. If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done"

Bryan Smith is our Personal Trainer for life!!"

Michael listens to everything I say. He is one of the only people I train that if I told him to drink motor oil to get faster, he would ask, "What grade?"

I love my job and all of my clients - if you want some serious results, come to All Canadian Fitness.