Our body weight is comprised of 50-70% water, so it’s no surprise that water should be a daily staple in your fluid consumption. We dehydrate through sweating, digestion, and even breathing. It’s suggested that even at 1% dehydration, our cognitive function can be impaired. By the time you start to feel thirsty, your body has already dehydrated by 2-3%!
Feeling hungry constantly? This could also be due to dehydration. Adequate hydration will not satiate the sensation of hunger. So, are you hungry or just really thirsty and forgetful? Many of us forget to consume water throughout the day. Our day gets packed with meetings and projects. You dehydrate. You become even more forgetful. Work becomes more difficult as thinking becomes more difficult due to a lack of fluid intake. Are you seeing a pattern, yet?
Dehydration can lead to drowsiness and slower metabolic functioning, as well. Adequate hydration aids in lipolysis, which is the breakdown of fatty acids or lipids. Water helps to increase metabolic function by increasing mitochondrial activity. Easiest way to break this down: WATER = breakdown of FAT = YOU LOSING FAT MASS!!
Alright, you get it. Water intake is important, but how much do we need and how do I make sure to get enough on a busy schedule? A study in 2004 states that ~91oz for females and ~127oz for males is adequate. If you’re doing any activity that raises body temperature, i.e. exercising or sweating out in the summer sun, make sure to increase the amount you are ingesting.
Tips and Tricks for More Gulps:
-Try carrying a bottle of water everywhere you go. BONUS: be environmentally conscious and friendly by carrying a reusable bottle!
-Water’s too plain? Try adding a fresh slice of lemon or lime
-Drink water before, during, and post-exercise to replenish what you’re excreting
-Try a water schedule. Set a 60-90min timer on your phone. When the timer goes off, take a few sips and reset your timer
-Check your pee. Colorless or light-yellow pee usually means you’re adequately hydrated
We’ve all heard the hype man in the gym yell at his buddy while sporting his cut off/bro tank/no shirt, “Eyes Up! Head Up! Chest Up!” while his friend quarter squats 225lbs. After that they move to the bench where they bench press 225lbs for a few sets, slam some mass gainer, do a few curls in the squat rack and head home. Fast forward a year and they’re still quarter squatting 225, slamming mass gainer, and benching 225lbs while still looking the exact same as they did a year ago. While they are enjoying their gym sesh and doing better than the other ninety percent of the population that’s sitting at home binge watching Netflix all night, these aren’t the people you want to take advice from while trying to make lifelong changes to your physique and health.
5 Reasons You Should Hire a Professional
1. When Your Car’s Broke, Do You YouTube How To Fix It?
We have so much at our disposal with these amazing computers sitting in our pockets and palms all day. A workout you find online might be fun every once in a while, but this is not the most effective or efficient way to make safe, lifelong adaptations to your body. Think about it, the average American owns 8 to 12 cars in their lifetime. When your car starts making some odd noises, you take it to a mechanic. Majority of the population could not google search the issue and fix the car themselves.
In your lifetime you get one body, not 8 to 12. However, when our knees hurt, our body doesn’t look the way we want, or we develop Type 2 diabetes, we google search fad diets and crazy workouts that we stick to for a week or two. Why are we willing to spend money on something that’s replaceable, yet have a difficult time justifying investing in the only body we will ever have?
2. What Works for Some Probably Won’t Work for Most
We’ve all seen it on social media: the competitor that does one show/meet and now is taking up to twenty online clients. Unfortunately, what worked for them to succeed is not likely to be what you require to succeed. Every BODY is different and has different requirements to reach the same goal. Exercise programming is not a one-size-fits-all. This is why we have so many different nutrition and training styles. A professional can help you figure out which path is likely to help you succeed, as well as help you make changes along the way when something isn’t working the way it was intended.
3. Desire and Execution Do Not Go Hand-In-Hand
Week 1 Day 1 of starting a new program: You wake up super excited to start! You hit your food goals for the day and crush your workout.
Week 1 Day 5: You’ve been sticking to the plan for five whole days. You’re starting to feel better, but you’re not seeing results yet.
Week 2 Day 4: You had a rough day at work. Maybe you’ll skip the gym today. You worked hard and you’re tired, you deserve the night off, right?
Week 2 Day 5: It’s Friday. Sure you missed yesterday, but so what? You’re friend asks you out for drinks after work when you planned on going to the gym. Drinks sound more fun than pushing through a workout after a tough few days at work.
Week 4: You’ve completely fallen off of the wagon. Oops! Oh well, better luck next time. Better wait for January 1st of next year to try again.
Wanting to get healthy and fit is great, but what about the days when your motivation and desire are low? Many people don’t stick with their fitness goals because they don’t have anyone or anything holding them accountable on the days they don’t “feel like it”. We take care of the things we invest in the most, why not make that your health?
4. The Food Pyramid, The Mile Run, and Dodgeball
Odds are grade school P.E. was the last time you had someone teach you about exercise and nutrition. Research in the field of exercise and nutrition more than double every 6 months. That is a lot of new information that has come out since you were in grade school! It’s not your job to keep up with new research, but when we know better we can do better. Smart programming can help you reach your goals in a realistic timeframe that is safe and maintainable.
5. The Ultimate Investment Opportunity
We invest in random companies, our home, our cars, and much more so why not invest in your health? The estimated lifetime cost of treating diabetes in the US is around $85,000. The average cost of knee replacement surgery is $45,000. The average cost of a coach is $50/hr in person per session and the average cost of an online coach $150/month. This means you could have 1700 sessions or 47 years of online training for the same cost of having diabetes, and 900 sessions or 25 years of online training for the price of a new knee. How crazy is that? Working on your health under the supervision of a professional sounds like a better investment than diabetes or spending time in the hospital getting your knee sawed open, right?
Gym bros, youtube workouts, and fad diets aren’t likely to help you reach your goals in a timely, efficient, and safe manner. Find a knowledgeable and trusted professional in your area or online and invest in your health and fitness goals. Go crush your goals and live a long, healthy life!
Athletic development takes time and practice. Perfecting any skill requires repeated repetitions. When it comes to peaking athletic performance, this rule holds true. Sequencing for training tends to follow in a four-step fashion: General Fitness (also referred to and GPP), Maximal Strength, Strength and Endurance, and Maximal Speed. Most coaches take a block periodization approach when programming their athletes through this sequence in preparation for competition.
GPP and Maximal Strength occur during the accumulation phase. The goal of this phase is to develop basic motor skills and technique. Programming during this phase includes high volume along with medium to high intensities. Our novice athletes will stay in this phase for a longer period of time; whereas, elite athletes will adapt to these stressors rather quickly. The accumulation phase is usually trained for 4-6 weeks with a retention of 5 weeks before returning without loss in performance. During this phase, we are looking for physiological adaptations. We want to increase the level of homeostasis of the athlete. We are working aerobic capacity as well as maximal strength gains for general fitness. The goal should always be to rebuild muscular tissue and the use of energy substrates. The body’s ability to synthesize protein will increase, along with the storage of glycogen. Mitochondria created within the muscle fibers will also increase in order to create ATP and glycogen production. Simply put, we’re looking for the body to grow and repair.
The Strength Endurance and Power sequencing occur during the second phase, the transmutation phase. Think of this phase as the athlete morphing from general athleticism to beginning to truly excel at their specific sport. The goal is to take the strength gained in the accumulation phase and teach the athlete how to be able to use it with fast and with power. We are looking for motor and technical abilities related to the athlete’s performance goals. This phase places less stress on the physiological adaptation of the body, and places a greater emphasis on the neurological system as well as specific motor abilities. Programming during this phase will include high intensity with increasing velocity. This training block with be anywhere from 2-4 weeks long with a residual effect of 2-3 weeks.
Maximal Speed is achieved in the realization phase. This phase is where all the magic happens and is the most crucial for optimal sport performance. This phase in the pre-competition phases, also referred to as “peaking” an athlete. We are focused on acceleration and speed during this phase. We want our athletes to be as explosive and powerful as they can be heading into competition. Due to the neurological taxing of this phase, this block is only 1-2 weeks long and leads directly into competition.
As coaches, we want our athletes headed into season feeling stronger, faster, and more powerful than they ever have before. Not only does this give the athlete an elevated sense of confidence during practice and performance, but it gives the athlete the best chance to avoid injury and stay in the game. The goal of programming should always be to keep your athletes healthy, plain and simple. Stress their body enough to initiate adaptation, but not so much that we cause injury. Be safe. Be smart.
Cal Dietz and Ben Peterson. Triphasic Training Manual: A Systematic Approach to Elite Speed and Explosive Strength Performance.
Home for the holidays without access to a gym? No problem! Check out this easy-to-do, minimal equipment workout.
Squats 4×12
PullUps 4×2(Substitute pullovers 4×12 if no access to pullup bar/rings)
SL RDL 4x8ea
SA Rows 4x12ea
PushUps 4×8
SL Glute Bridge 3x20ea
Hollow Rock Bicycle 3×20
Reverse Lunge to Tuck 3x6ea (Substitute jump lunges or reverse lunges depending on fitness level)
Consume BCAAs peri-workout. Consume whey protein post workout followed by high protein, high carb meal.
Consult your physician before beginning any exercise program or nutrition program. Use at your own risk. PR Training Systems is not liable in any capacity with regards to using this workout.
Macronutrients and flexible dieting have become a hot topic in body composition for performance, increasing muscular size, and fat loss. So what exactly are macronutrients or “macros”? Macronutrients are our primary sources of energy, or calories, required to complete activities of daily living along with any other activity that we decide to participate in. There are three macronutrients: Carbohydrates, Proteins, and Fats. Throughout the next few articles, we will break down what each of the macronutrients are, why they’re important, and how to use them to best fit your goals. First on the chopping block: Protein.
What Is Protein?
Protein is a long, nitrogen containing molecular compound comprised of amino acids. Protein is the structural component of a cell. It is responsible for the structural component of cells as well as cellular growth, repair, and maintenance of tissue. There are 20 amino acids, 9 of which are essential at birth and 8 going into adulthood. This means that of the 20 amino acids, our body can naturally create 12 amino acids, but 8 must come from our daily nutrition. Amino acids promote protein synthesis, which is the process of cells creating new proteins.
How Much Protein Do We Need?
How much protein you need depends on your specific goal as well as weight.
Maintaining Current Body Composition: ~0.4-0.5g/kg of body weight
Increase Muscular Size without much change to daily activity: ~0.6-0.7g/kg
Active Individuals: ~0.9-1.2g/kg
Endurance Athletes: ~1.2-1.4g/kg
Strength and Power Athletes: ~1.6-1.7g/kg
MAX Muscular Growth: ~2g/kg
What Kind of Protein Works Best?
Any time you can get your protein from a natural source, such as meat and vegetables, the better! Your body breaks down the food into amino acids and initiates protein synthesis. However, most people have a tough time consuming that much food and sometimes the source of protein might not get to processed as quickly as we’d like (i.e. post-workout). This is where protein supplementation can help!
So you walk into your local supplement shop and the walls are lined with a bunch of different protein. What kind should you get? Soy? Casein? Whey? The choices seem endless and the guy at the register only seems interested is selling you something instead of educating you. Here’s your breakdown of each:
Whey: This type of protein contains all 9 essential amino acids (EAA) and contains ~25% more EAA than other types. It is particularly high in the EAA leucine, isoleucine, and valine which is awesome as these don’t need to be metabolized by our liver before our body can use them! Be careful, though, as there are different types of whey.
–Whey Hydrolase: This particular whey is already broken down into amino acids
–Whey Isolate: This whey is a pure form of whey protein minus the lactose (milk sugar)
–Whey Concentrate: This is the most common form of whey. It used to be high in lactose, but has been fortified to contain less in recent years.
Casein: This protein is high in the EAA Glutamine, but is lower in concentrate of the other EAA(BCAAs). Casein’s primary downfall is that it causes gastrointestinal(GI) issues in many consumers. The benefit of casein is that it is slow to digest. Because of the slower digestion of casein, many athletes will consume it before bed in order to sustain protein synthesis during the nighttime fasting.
Soy Protein: This protein is very rich in EAA/BCAA’s. Soy protein contains no lactose as it is a plant protein; however, it tends to be lower in the EAA methionine. The more recent versions of soy protein is fortified with methionine, though! Since soy protein is derived from plants, it makes it a great option for vegans looking to increase their protein intake. However, soy protein contains plant hormones(isoflavone) which, in some research, can increase the estrogenic effect in the body.
Why Is Protein Important?
When sufficient protein is present(in form of amino acids), we inhibit AMP Kinase(AMPK). During exercise, ATP is released for energy. This increases AMPK levels which activates AMPK protein. AMPK inhibits a pathway called mTOR and protein synthesis. When AA are present(as well as carbs, but we’ll talk about that next time), we inhibit AMPK and hit the gas pedal on gains through the mTOR pathways. EAA/BCAA = Gain Train!!!
When Should I Consume Protein?
Simply stated: You should shoot to consume your protein allotment in evenly spaced meals containing 20-30g/meal.
If you’re training, it can be a little different and should go as follows:
Pre-Workout: 30-50g of easily digestible protein
Peri-Workout(during your training): 10-20g of BCAAs
Post-Workout: 30-50g. You have about a 2 hour window to get this is. Ideally, get part from a shake while you cook yourself a meal containing the other part.
Evenly split your remaining allotment of protein into meals of 20-30g/meal.
Beelen M, Koopman R, Gijsen AP, Vandereyt H, Kies AK, Kuipers H, et al. Protein coingestion stimulates muscle protein synthesis during resistance-type exercise. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab 2008;295:E70-E77.
Dennis MD, Baum JI, Kimball SR, Jefferson LS. Mechanisms involved in the coordinate regulation of mTORC1 by insulin and amino acids. J Biol Chem 2011;286:8287-96.
Moore DR, Robinson MJ, Fry JL, Tang JE, Glover EI, Wilkinson SB, et al. Ingested protein dose response of muscle and albumin protein synthesis after resistance exercise in young men. Am J Clin Nutr 2009;89:161-8.
Tipton KD, Ferrando AA, Phillips SM, Doyle D, Jr., Wolfe RR. Postexercise net protein synthesis in human muscle from orally administered amino acids. Am J Physiol 1999;276:E628-E634.
Nutritional demands of the body is one of the most commonly misunderstood processes when trying to change body composition. Everyone throws around this magical word: Metabolism (or Metabolic Functioning). Who can tell me what metabolism is? No one? Some seem to think it’s this magical little thing that floats around in our body and is either “fast” and chews up fat and swells up our muscles, or is “slow” and balloons our body and makes us gain weight.
The thing about the human body is that it only does what we tell it to do. Imagine that food is a text message from your boss at a fancy chemical factory. You receive the text that you’re to mix up these chemicals to create something, so you do it. Well, if you put the wrong chemicals in, your boss gets upset because you’ve created one thing even though you meant to create something totally different. This is kind of how metabolism works in terms of flexible dieting and tracking macronutrients.
Metabolism is an all-encompassing term for the chemical reactions that collectively occur in the body. It is the all energy producing and using processes that occur within the body due to food. It is the process that allows our body to “adapt or die”. Different food sends different “text messages” to our body to use this energy for different purposes through three metabolic pathways to create adenosine triphosphate(ATP), or ENERGY!
Metabolic Pathway #1: ATP-PCr System
-Anaerobic Metabolism
-Maintain energy(ATP) levels early in exercise
-Limited capacity/only lasts a few seconds
Metabolic Pathway #2: Glycolytic System
-Anaerobic Metabolism
-Process of turning the carbohydrate glucose(sugar) into pyruvate to create ATP(ENERGY!)
Metabolic Pathway #3: Oxidative System
-Aerobic Metabolism
-Primary energy system used at rest or during long-duration, low intensity activity
-Can use carbohydrates, but primarily fat
The food we put into our body allows for metabolic functioning to supply us with enough energy to go about our day, to create an energy surplus or energy deficit. This determines if we have enough energy to help build/maintain muscle and exhale fat(yes, exhale. However, this is a topic for another time), or if our body needs the energy to just survive day-to-day tasks.
What text messages are you sending your body? Are you building and adapting or are you in a constant state of just survival?
Body split workouts are a thing of the past. We know that total body workouts are the most efficient type of training to reach your goals. Your body can handle more stress per muscle group along with recovering faster than the old-school body split style workouts we used to do.
Below is the video of your total body-booty focused workout.
Exercise 1: Hip Thrusts 4×6 with a 5s isometric hold at the top of rep 6
**Tips**
Find a bench, box, or set up a step like in the video that is about the same height as your heel to knee. This height allows for optimal range of motion (ROM) through the whole movement.
Keep your shoulder blades on the step throughout the whole set.
Always keep your chin tucked and look toward your pelvis.
Focus on squeezing the glutes as high as possible while maintaining a posterior pelvic tilt. Keeping your chin tucked, looking down toward your pelvis, and keeping your bellybutton suctioned back to your spine are all cues that can help you perform this movement properly.
Exercise 2A: Barbell Incline Press 4×8
**Tips**
The higher the incline, the more shoulder work you get involved. I do flat bench on my opposing day to this lift, which hits my pectoral muscles more. I focus on my shoulders during this exercise, which is why I’m at a 45deg incline versus a 30deg incline. Adjust the bench to meet your goals.
Focus on keeping your shoulder blades tucked tightly together and flat on the bench. This helps keep the head of our humerus bone depressed so we don’t have a pinching sensation on our bicep tendon.
Exercise 2B(to be done as a superset with exercise 2A): Bent Over Barbell Rows 4×12
**Tips**
Shoot your hips to the back wall of the room while keeping your ribcage down and belly tight. This tightness protects our back and helps to keep you from bouncing during the exercise.
Think of this exercise as a two-part pull. The first pull comes from retraction of the shoulders. This is where you pinch your shoulder blades together. The second pull comes from bending the elbows to pull the bar toward your bellybutton.
Exercise 3A: Neutral Grip Pull-Ups 3×4
**Tips**
Pull-Ups are tough! If you can’t complete all sets and reps, try adding a band. A band helps you learn proper core engagement of the exercise while providing assistance compared to a pull-up machine.
This, too, is a two-part pull. The first pull is done while trying to depress the scapulae, or pulling the shoulders away from the ears. The second pull is done while bending the elbows to pull your collarbones toward the bar.
Exercise 3B: Dumbbell Pullovers 4×15
**Tips**
Pinch your shoulder blades together and try to keep the shoulder blades flat on the bench. Keep the ribcage down throughout the whole movement while trying to posteriorly tilting the pelvis.
Extend the weight until your upper arm is by your ears, then focus on tightening your core while returning the weight vertical.
Consult your physician before beginning any exercise program or nutrition program. Use at your own risk. PR Training Systems is not liable in any capacity with regards to using this workout.
Knowing where to start when beginning a new exercise program can be challenging. Most gyms have a ton of equipment with little to no instruction. Check out the video below on the best way science shows to begin exercising for a novice.
Sport is constantly pushing acceleration work. We teach kids to move as fast as the can. So why are we teaching walking before crawling? Starting is only half of the race.
Kids aren’t learning to safely stop and we’re seeing kids as young as 12 with ACL injuries. This drill is to work on two things. 1. An athlete is successful when he or she can respond quickly to an external stimulus. The girls are facing away and listening to my sound(actively and blindly searching for the stimulus) in order to beat their teammate to the mat. 2. Their job is to get to the line first, but to stop before the mat as closely as possible. I had the girls go multiple times and switched the foot they had to stop with. This allows for the girls to learn Time to Contact. We’re using all of these tools to help prevent injury and make our athletes safe and proficient athletes, while the athletes are just playing a game and competing against each other. Find ways to make the exercises competitive/fun and the athletes will work harder for you!
Too often I get an inbox stating something like this, “I run 5 miles every day, I eat healthy, I workout 5x/week, but I’m not seeing any results!” My answer to this problem? Stress.
We hear all the time how terrible stress is for our body. Doctors love telling us that cortisol is terrible. Cortisol is the “Stress Hormone”. Excess of cortisol can lead to weight gain, lower immune functioning, impaired memory, etc. So if stress is so bad for you, then why are so many successful strength coaches and athletes preaching about the importance of stress? Some strength coaches even call themselves Stress Managers.
Stress is the body’s response to any and all change. Think of the body as a chameleon. A chameleon walks onto tree. Danger becomes present, so the chameleon changes color to blend with the brown. The chameleon becomes stressed so it’s body adapts in order to stay safe. Just like the chameleon, our body has a protective mechanism that keeps us safe. When we become stressed, our body wants to fight to get back to being balanced, or to homeostasis.
The runner that runs 5 miles every day and sees no change is not changing due to their body adapting to the stress of running. The runner’s body will not change unless it is forced to, so if they’re running the same distance every day using the same routes then the body is not put under stress to change.
This is where that bad, nasty cortisol comes in. We’ve found a way to take cortisol and use it to our advantage. While exercising, our body goes into a sympathetic state, or the fight-or-flight state. Cortisol activates our adrenal glands allowing our bodies to work harder than normal. Hans Seyle wrote a book called “The Stress of Life”. In this book, he discusses the general adaptation syndrome(GAS) and supercompensation. The runner who runs 5 miles every day is stressing the body more than someone who is laying on the couch each day; however, the runner’s body has adapted to the stress. The stress of running 5 miles is no longer a big enough stress to force the body out of homeostasis in order to adapt.
GAS is broken down into three stages by Seyle: Alarm Reaction, Resistance, and Exhaustion. We’ve already discussed the alarm reaction stage as it is the fight-or-flight stage, the workout or training session. Next comes resistance.
In this stage we return our body to the parasympathetic state. Returning to a parasympathetic state is important as it allows the body to return to homeostasis. This is when our body heals and replenishes so we have enough energy to make it through our day. If the body does not fully reach a parasympathetic state, our body can go into the next stage.
This stage is the Exhaustion stage. Overtraining occurs in the exhaustion stage. Have you ever noticed that during an extremely stressful period in your life, you tend to get sick? Students might get sick around finals. If you have a big project for work that keeps you worrying and up late at night you might get sick. This is due to exhaustion. Your body is in a continuous sympathetic state. Your body never has time to heal, so your immune system depletes and you get sick.
The trick is to finding that sweet spot where you stress your body enough to initiate change, yet you allow enough rest and recovery time for it to heal so you do not become exhausted. This can become tricky and each person is different. You and I might each have different levels of stress that our body can handle. Listen to your body…but make sure you’re not babying it.
Continue to push your body past its limits, but love your body enough to allow it to rest.
