Posts Tagged ‘BodyBuilding’

Some insights from Jamie Hale


21 Jan

I have never met Jamie Hale. I will be doing so soon at the 2009 JP Fitness Summit. You are all going to that right ? Yesterday I sat next to a man and he struck up a conversation with me. He was smart, southern, and had a certain kind of mystery about him. He had an attitude that he knew a little secret and wasn’t telling. Something about the man reminded me of Jamie Hale, even though I have still yet to meet him.

Here are some of my favorite insights from Jamie:

From the article “Hot Body Diets”

In my opinion all quality diets share some characteristics.

The key factors in quality diets are:

• Calorie intake (matters whether you’re consciously
counting or not)
• Consumption of sufficient quantity of essential nutrients
• Consideration of individual likes and dislikes
• Consideration of metabolic abnormalities
• Occasional breaks from the diet
• Recognizing that you don’t have to stick to the program
100% of the time to see the benefits

From the book “The Carbohydrate Files”:

Carbohydrate as energy

Dietary carbohydrates have been given an energy value of 4 kcal/g (17 kJ/g). However, where carbohydrates are expressed as monosaccharides, the value of 3.75 kcal/g (15.7 kJ/ g) is used. It is now clear that a number of carbohydrates are only partly or not at all digested in the small intestine and are fermented in the large intestine to short chain fatty acids. These include non-digestible oligo-saccharides, resistant starches, and non-starch polysaccharides. Fermentation is metabolically less efficient than absorption in the small intestine, and these carbohydrates provide the body with less energy. In light of recent research, the energy value of all carbohydrates in the diet should be reevaluated.

From the book “MaxCondition”

Practical implications concerning range of motion:

•No movement is possible without a certain degree of flexibility.
•Excessive flexibility can result in a decrease of stabilization.
•Injuries that occur during stretching are usually a result of an inappropriate
choice of stretching methods.
•Full range of motion weight training is effective for increased range of
motion.
•Improper sequence of stretching methods can negatively affect performance.
•Excessive static stretching prior to dynamic athletic events decreases
performance.
•Excessive stretching of tendons can reduce their ability to store elastic
energy.
•Adequate range of motion is necessary for optimal force production.
•All stretches may be dangerous if performed improperly.
•As a muscle is stretched beyond its normal resting length its force of
contraction gradually drops, reaching zero at 175% of resting length.
•Extension of a tendon beyond 4% of its length causes irreversible
deformation.
•Immobilization of a joint capsule for a few weeks causes chemical
changes in the collagen fibers of the joint capsule that will restrict flexibility.
•Ligaments stretched more than 6% of their normal lengths result in
tears.
•In most sports, dynamic range of motion is more important than static
range of motion.
•Static flexibility may increase when the muscles are somewhat fatigued

From  “Interview with Will Nobel”

5) What did you discover/conclude from your research?

I concluded that effectiveness of training varies tremendously from individual to individual. There are numerous resources that provide good info, but there are far more that are insufficient. There is a huge difference in training and training for a purpose. No matter how physically gifted an athlete may be they will probably never reach elite status without mental toughness as well. Another interesting fact that I have known forever is great coaches and athletes are not the same in one. Quiet often athletes do as they are told and never ask any questions as to why they perform a particular movement. This results in an athlete that decides to train everyone just as he would himself, doesn’t work.

Do yourself a favor and head over to Jamie’s site and pick up a book, read n article, or just sign up for his newsletter. He recently did a great interview with Bodybuilding.com’s legend Emma-Leigh. It was awesome.

http://www.maxcondition.com

How to Hire a Personal Trainer


20 Jan

I find it pretty amazing how at ease people are about putting their body in the hands of someone they don’t know. I have seen people be more uptight and guarded about installation of an air conditioning unit. Before you even think about hiring a trainer you should at least resolve in your mind exactly what you about to do, and how important it really is. Perhaps then you will take it as seriously as you need to take.

For the most part we hire a trainer out of need for real change in our lives or performance. That is a great thing, to make change for the better, and to better ourselves. The problem comes in when you put that decision in the hands of people who either don’t care or can’t help. Most of the time they lack the knowledge and, like in many professions, nobility isn’t found easily. Examples of this can be seen in all areas of professions (doctors, therapists, and mechanics), what I am going to focus on today is personal trainers.

The Hunt

Let’s be honest, the chances of finding a good trainer are small, finding them locally are even smaller. Population of your city can matter but then Gray Cook is in a small city in Southern Virginia. There are crap trainers in New York and amazing trainers in Belmont, Mass.

As far as where to look for a trainer I recommend private trainers/local gym training  over commercial gym trainers if really looking to push forward. Most commercial gym trainers are just getting by to something “bigger and better.” To them it’s just a job. If you can, find someone that makes it their life. Private gyms are great for this as are self-employed trainers. They will work harder for you because they don’t get paid no matter what. The phonebook is a great place to start. Call around, talk to people and see who you will feel most comfortable with. If possible to get a referral to a trainer, do so. This way you can see what results they have already given and what kind of experience you could have with them. If you can’t do that though here are some tips and what to look for in a trainer you have no prior knowledge of.

The Right Certification

Let me preface this with the fact that a trainer could have a college degree, all kinds of certifications, and years of experience, and be horrible. It doesn’t take much to memorize stuff from a bookand take a test. All certifications have their weak points, and the ability of your trainer to go beyond just learning what they have to every two years is important. If you hear the phrase “continuing education” then you are at least with someone who cares. They may still be crappy, but they care. This all being said, you up your chance of getting a better trainer if they have a good certification and education. Here is a list of good certifications to trust: CSCS, NASM, ACSM, ACE, ISSA, and NSCA. I have my personal preferences, but again it’s the trainer, not the paper.

The Right Price

If it’s too cheap there may be a reason, if it is really expensive it may be hype. Look for someone willing to work with your budget, but that takes his or her career serious. You should be paying more for the assessment, and overall starting of your program vs. session expenses. For example, I charge the most at the beginning of working with clients. The assessments (which we will discuss) are the most important part to taking on a new client. This is the research and understanding stage of you, the client. While each trainer is different, good trainers understand that at a point your start to have to spend less time on investigation and more of acting and implementation. Sure there is constant re-evaluation of a situation and progress, but, for the most part your course should be pretty obvious to a good trainer when goals are set into place. If a trainer has the nerve to act as if your become more of a problem or more costly as time goes on or you get a feeling of their trying to milk you for all you have, then it is time to move on.

Right for your goals

You aren’t going to get served training for bodybuilding by an aerobics instructor. You aren’t likely to increase speed performance with a weight loss specialist. The best of trainers can cover all ground, but if you have a really specific goal, then find a specific trainer. If possible narrow it even further. For example, I get a lot of fat loss clients because I am the “fat loss expert” but I also get a lot of metabolic damage cases because that is my area of high researched knowledge. However, not that I haven’t worked with athlete performance and it is certainly growing, but currently I would send you to someone like Eric Cressey or Tony Gentilcore who work with that every day. A good trainer isn’t afraid to send you to the best. A good trainer knows when the best thing they can do for you is provide you with a better option and not let their ego get in the way.

The Assessment

This is by far the most important time you should be spending with your trainer. It takes truth on your part, and listening on theirs. If the following isn’t discussed, say thank you, pay them for their time if needed and move on.

  • Medical History-This is including surgeries, medications, injuries, and medical conditions. Not all trainers require a doctors approval but it is a good sign if they ask.
  • Muscle Balance, flexibility, and postural assessment-It doesn’t have to be a full on screen, some have a great eye from you just standing there. Still it should be discussed because how you are going to progress should depend on how messed up your body is or isn’t.
  • Strength and aerobic assessment-There should be some manner of strength tests and aerobic conditioning.
  • Goals-Where you want to be and how they plan of getting you there.
  • Nutrition-This this does get a little tricky. Unless your personal trainer also has specific education as a nutritionist or Registered Dietitian, then technically they aren’t ALLOWED to give you a detailed diet(in most states). Being that any goal you want to reach involves diet, this may make a trainer seem moot. Not the case, they can give you guidelines, and a basic structure. They can tell you what you shouldn’t be eating and direct you to how to, in a free manner, arrive at the needed info for your situation. Basically they should tell you in detail what you should do to do it yourself and try to bend and work around that rule as much as possible. That IS allowed and should occur.
  • Daily Habits-This involves understanding your daily routine, how fitness and better health can fit into your life, and what they can do to help you figure all that out.
  • Timeline-Involving more detailed knowledge of where they think you can go, how far and how soon to help keep you motivated and on course.

When to Run

If during the assessment a trainer does or says any of the following, get out that phonebook, and find another one.

1. Is negative or treats you rudely.

The last thing you need is a bad attitude, especially when most of the time people don’t really want to be doing lunges in the first place. It is their job to always try to make you happy. That doesn’t mean walk all over them, but they should be in a constant state of making you feel better about yourself. Being a jerk does not equal being good.

2. Tells you not to eat or suggests that you can only lose fat eating a “special diet” or using supplements.

See at first you will lose some weight, think your trainer is a god and then guess what, either your sessions are over and you put the weight back on or you regain it and somehow, they turn it back onto what you were doing wrong. What do they care, they got your money, or will get more of it trying to help you “get back on track.”

3. If they don’t give you options and try to work with your schedule

Of course they don’t have to be at your beck and call and this is their living, but they should try and make it affordable for you and they should be open to new ideas and ways to work training options for you. If they seem like Prima Donna and you can’t even get to that first session, screw them and take you money elsewhere.

4. If they make any outrageous claims or promises.

A good trainer should know that it isn’t really about them, it is about you. They are there to help you get something done. They can only do as good as the team you are. Anything else is just cheap campaigning.

The Workout

So they passed your assessment test, now on to the workout. Already your goals should have been discussed and the “plan of attack” should be laid out. Here is what you should look for when moving into training.

  • Use of Free Weights-Free weights work stabilization, help create balance, and provide a better overall look and performance when used properly. This doesn’t mean cable work isn’t great too, or that machines don’t have their place. However, free weight are still king in my book.
  • Compound movements-What a compound movement is in the first place should be explained to you. You need a full body workout when starting off and I still advise them for advanced lifters as well.
  • Proper weight-You should be assessed on what weight is right for each movement.
  • Talking you through form-How do you know what to focus on if they don’t tell you? The job is to instruct you on proper form and make the exercise safe and worthwhile. This is the only time it’s okay for someone you aren’t getting cuddly with to look at your rear end.
  • Warming up-Now granted sometimes when on short sessions with a trainer the warm up may be a little less intense then it needs to be. My advice is if you know you have 30 mins to workout with a trainer, get there early and go ahead and do your warm up so that the two of you can get right down to business. Still if worth their salt, they should be telling you this, specifically dynamic work.
  • Enthusiasm-Your trainer should make you feel good about yourself. They should remind you that you’re there for a purpose and are not doing all those squats for nothing. We feed off the energy of others and intensity, it’s very important for a trainer to have that.

When to run

1.      They put you on nothing but machines.
2.      They aren’t paying attention to you while training.
3.      The have you doing tons of “crunches” and isolation movements.
4.      Wrong weight at the wrong times.

This should be plenty enough to help you find a trainer in your area. At the very least it should help you figure out who not to work with.

Breaking the Dogma of Meal Timing


20 Oct

Being in the midst of the Big Meal Challenge has brought up a lot of questions of some people about meal timing. I thought we could take today to set the record straight on just how many times a day you should be eating and how we evolved to thinking of multiple meals as the only given option.

If you go back, way back into the history of man they guided by a very simple eating style which was “Food, OMG food, eat it!” Hmmm, I guess that isn’t so different after all. However, the huge difference was their cry for food was out of extreme hunger and to survive longer in life and movement. Our cry is at the smell of the decked out long lines of trays filled with chicken wings, pizza, and warm brownies topped with ice cream. This is no longer America I am speaking about, this is any developed and economic flourishing country. If we desire we can eat all day long, from wake to sleep, food is there for the taking and all we have to do is control our dietary habit of how much of it we eat.

At a point researchers, based on mostly EPI based studies, and a few various controlled studies, decided that people who ate multiple meals a day were in better health condition than those who, claimed, to eat 1-2 times a day a skipped breakfast. Let us now take a peak into how the science that governs our lives works…

*insert dream waving lines*

Doc with survey: So how many times a day do you eat?
Fat person who is unhealthy: Usually just eat dinner, sometimes a snack during the day.
Doc with survey: So you don’t normally consume breakfast?
Fat person who is unhealthy: No, I am not usually hungry.

Let’s note for a moment that the reason, usually, those who are largely overweight aren’t hungry in the morning is because they were going to town the night before.

Doc with survey: So how many times a day do you eat?
Skinny person with recycled tree print purse: Few times a day I pick foods from my garden, maybe I will have a light breakfast with some fruit or nuts. A night a larger meal with some wine.
Doc with survey: Well aren’t you the perfect human, did you know we hate you all?
Skinny person with recycled tree print bag: Yes, yes I do. I think you need some B12 for that.

Now it may appear that I am severely “type casting” but that is the point. If you think that your dietary guidelines came out of something a lot more deeper and prolific than that, then think again. The majority of you are eating based upon nothing more than a magazine quiz at a doctors office that you always lie on.

The truth is that meal timing is a very personal and individual based thing. Some say it could be heritage based. For example, if you have heritage of a more coast residing great grandpa then you might be, by genetics, more accustom to eating multiple meals as it was more readily available to you. Those living by the shore where fishing and imports flourished had more varieties and frequency of foods. However, if you were deep inland, it is not as if there were grocery stores all around. It could be days before the next kill, bread press, or delivery of the few foods that could travel came through, particularly in the winter time. For you it wasn’t even just one meal a day, it could be a one meal every three.

This isn’t to say that this was recommended but, the Greeks were certainly doing well in the power dominating category, however others proclaimed the classic phrase of “Hunger is the best sauce.” Fast forward again and our revolutions are televised and they are supported in hand with “Chester Chettah.” Someone had to save us, enter in diet and fitness authors of the 80’s. Not until the 80’s did a harsh look come in to the basis of meal timing. Sure it was in the underground before then but at the peak of bodybuilding, gyms for fun, and jazzercize people started looking at the cherry picked benefits of multiple meals in a day. People started noticing that the bellies were growing and their had to be a reason. The answer, and still seems to be today, was Sugar. Sugar highs, sugar lows, and sugar woes. What was the solution given to a nation of growing bellies and sugar crashes?

Eat more, and more often.

To be truthful this concept isn’t all bad, nor is it all good. As always with any dietary strategy nothing is ever that cut and dry nor does it fit with everyone. The problem is that we, as a people, don’t like the following words…

Maybe
Depends
Possibly
Likely
Unclear
Without Certainty
Could Be

We as a people need leadership and answers that are absolutes. We like black and white as it gives us a comfort and a place to rest our worries. The truth is that when it comes to meal timing there is only one absolute to how often we should eat.

Grab a snack to hold you over for tomorrow where you are going to find out…

  • What meal frequency eating type you are.
  • How many meals you should be having in a day/week.
  • What time of day is best to eat for you.
  • The tell-tale signs of when what you are doing is wrong.
  • How to best test the theories that have set the course of healthy eating as we know it.

Interview-Jamie Hale


12 Jan

When I first spoke with Jamie Hale I was instantly at ease. It could have been his welcoming nature or perhaps it was that darn southern accent that made me feel right at home. Regardless I was excited to have some swapping of words on various subjects. We talked about perspective, skepticism, and the importance of solid research. That conversation left me wanting more, so what follows is just that.

Leigh Peele-Today I got hit in the face with the ridiculous guidelines that are being given by the new Physic Clinic by T-nation “no tomatoes and better be scared of the 2 carbs in a piece of sugar free gum”. Why do you think it has gotten to this point Coach Hale? And what is the best way to tell someone who has been lead down this road of being obsessed over the carbs in a tomato that are trying to get back on a sane eating path?

Jamie Hale-People do not like to think for themselves. If they actually thought for themselves the majority of fitness and nutrition gurus would be out of business. Many people have been taught what to think but not how to think.

I would hope the best way to cure this problem would be to show them evidence that indicates facts. But it does not seem to be that simple. We still have to keep striving to produce fact based information and destroy the dogmatism.

Leigh Peele-Agreed. When it comes to fact based information the majority of fitness professionals don’t even realize what that is. It’s just picking a cert, take a course, read a book, oh and get that CPR course done. Let’s say there is a professional out there that just didn’t know any better, that like most didn’t really think there was anything to challenge. Where would you suggest them to start to help improve their knowledge and outlooks?

Jamie Hale-I would suggest they contact other professionals they admire in the field. This can be a double-edged sword if you begin to rely on their suggestions too much (appeal to authority) without seeing the evidence. Only after checking the statements of the authority numerous times should you begin to consider their word as fact without actually seeing the evidence (still questionable).

I would advise beginning trainers and coaches to look into the Primary Research Data and listen to sources that are able to provide evidence and logic for their explanations. With that being said, it is a myth that we can be skeptical all the time as this simply would require too much time. If trainers would learn the basics of logic and rhetoric they would save themselves much time and money.

Another issue to consider when in attempt to gain knowledge is why do you seek knowledge? If you seek knowledge to make yourself a better personal trainer or if you are interested in becoming a better science writer, the knowledge required is significantly different. The everyday approach to knowledge acquisition is quite different than the scientific approach. This is just as a quasi-experiment is different than a true experiment. One of the key aspects to being a successful personal trainer is to possess good communication and motivational skills.

Leigh Peele-Very true what you say, it’s all about the want feeding the need and going with your desires. What drives you most Coach? What about this field and your place in it get you out of that bed every morning?

Jamie Hale-At the moment I am really excited about a new cd I received from Dan Moore containing 200 full studies. Actually some of the data are reviews, minibooks etc.. I get up each morning and look at my forums (MaxCondition, Practical Scientist, Knowledge and Nonsense) and answer my e-mails. I also look through information I collected on the previous day (highlighted section). I spent the majority of my day investigating, and discussing Primary Research Data. Currently I am also spending a great deal of time looking at different types of logic. I am also working on some information that will help people in the fitness industry learn how to construct valid arguments and identify logical fallacies.

Below I have included the basic system I use for learning. Let’s assume that you have already decided the data has proven valid. Discussing the sources of the information and whether they are valid or not is a different discussion. Let’s stick to discussing what strategies are used to retain and understand the correct data you are investigating.

My general Learning method:

-Read the information and highlight key points.
-Look at references provided in the paper
-Look up the definitions of any words that I am unsure of their meanings (abbreviated notes on the paper concerning definitions, discussing with colleagues)
-2nd reading involves reviewing and analyzing highlighted points and definitions
-3rd reading, before the third reading I put the info away for 2-3 days and review highlights again
-At this point I have formed a mental picture (similar to concept map) and I review the concepts randomly through out the day
-If I am having problems understanding the concepts or quickly recalling what I have learned I will read again and look further into more studies regarding similar or the same subject matter.
-Once I feel like my comprehension of the material is adequate I began writing on the topic if I am really interested (I have learned a great deal through writing)

Once every few months I pick some material at random that I have collected and read the highlights and highlighted references again. If I have a hard time recalling the information presented in the paper the process begins again. Sometimes I will read the entire paper again, but most of the time I start with the strategy I mentioned involving the 2nd reading.

I think in order to fully understand and be able to apply the newly attained information to various situations it is important to have visual cues. I like concept maps written on paper as well as concept maps I form in my mind. For me Rote style of learning does not really enhance long term memory or apply to new-problem solving situations.

My biggest drive comes from the passion to further enhance my knowledge and critical thinking skills.

Leigh Peele-Talk about a map for learning! I have to say I might even start to use that approach in my research, I somewhat lack that organized manner and it can leave me jumping from analyzing joint inflammation issues to the effects of casein post workout. I sit back and go�how the hell did I get here?

Of all that you wrote there is one thing that really jumped out at me when you stated “you learned a great deal from writing”. I have to agree 100% it is one of the reasons I love writing because the research I put in always leads me to new knowledge. Since you recently released the book “Knowledge and Nonsense” I can assume a lot of new finds came out of that. Can you give a run down of what the book is about?

Jamie Hale-There was a great deal of things I discovered when writing Knowledge and Nonsense. I looked into subjects that I had not really considered investigating before. It also took a while to write the introduction to the book (advise from Alan Aragon). The introduction to the book gives readers my suggestions on navigating the book. It’s not everyday you purchase a Fitness book that is almost 500 pages long. The instructions in the introduction make the book relatively easy to navigate. The table of contents and index also make the book user friendly. This book provides something for everyone. To demonstrate the wide diversity of the book consider the two indexes: Biochemistry and Genetics and Vertical Jump Enhancement. After reading this book you will be armed with the proper artillery to argue with anyone about Exercise and Nutrition. Below is an abbreviated table of contents (table of contents in the book much larger).

Ch 1- Basic Nutrition
Ch 2- Popular Diets: the science (approximately 43 diets reviewed)
Ch 3- Bodybuilder Nutrition Roundtable (features 8 nutrition advisors)
Ch 4- Hormones
Ch 5- Nutrition: Fact or Fiction
Ch 6- Muscular Bioenergetic Pathways & Muscle Fiber Types
Ch 7- Kinesiology and Biomechanics
Ch 8- Training for Skeletal Muscle Growth
Ch 9- Exercise: Fact or Fiction

This book destroys much of the popular bodybuilding and fitness dogma. In the chapters that discuss Exercise and Nutrition: Fact or Fiction, 114 topics are discussed.

Leigh Peele-Not only no nonsense book but jesus a book chalk full of page after page of no nonsense. You certainly aren’t lacking volume of material.

Jamie, a lot of my readers teeter on that edge of really going after the science of things. These aren’t just the weekend warriors either; these are some fitness professionals as well. What can you tell someone on that edge of the truth and great knowledge to get him or her to dive in? How can understanding WHY you do something make you better at it in your mind when it comes to training?

Jamie Hale-It’s fun to discover the truth. It’s fun to be able to shoot down the Type 2 SS (supplement salesman) or the gym guru who tells everyone in the gym what to do. With a basic knowledge of the Primary Research Data this is possible. With a basic understanding of logic (science of reasoning, thinking, proof or inference) you will be able to see through the rhetoric often used by the fitness industry.

I don’t think that understanding a particular exercise will necessarily make you better at it. But it will probably help with the overall training regimen. If you understand the mechanics and different modes of training you can tailor the movements (and the placement of movements in the workout) to meet your specific needs. Although I don’t think most trainees are really interested in why they do things they just want someone to tell them what to do. On the other end some athletes may be too analytical and this can be detrimental. I think this was one of my biggest problems as an athlete. I was speaking with one of my old baseball coaches a few days ago and he told me I was the fastest person on the bases he had seen, but I was uncoachable. My Boxing and Olympic Weightlifting coaches told me the same thing.

Leigh Peele-It would seem Jamie that you are just too smart for your own good then. I am sure this is a phrase you will hear often in your life.

I am starting a new section that I am adding on to the end of my interviews titled “The Pro and the Case Client”. I give you the case and you give me what you would do in a training aspect to help them with their problem.

Case Client #002-”Training A.D.D Guy”

Client #002 has a problem with making advances in his training because each week he reads some new technique, method, or program that he just must try. He also gets highly bored with training routines in general and is a classic case gym floater. Because of all this sketchy training he has really no true ability in strength or core function and should really no go beyond the basis of bodyweight movement. He also has a desire to do various show moves like pistols and one arm push ups. How would you guide Client #002? What would you say to him to get him on track and to keep him on a program and how much of a problem is A.D.D training? Is it a problem at all?

Jamie Hale-I would ask the client for his/her preference of movements. I would suggest the client follow a training regimen that emphasizes various motor qualities and targets the particular qualities they are most concerned with. If the client really loves variety and becomes bored easily I would suggest we stick to some core movements for a specified period, but change the accessory movements often. This allows some consistency while at the same time allowing variety to deal with the boredom factor. With most of my training programs there is a fair amount of variety but yet enough consistency that we can track specific increases in strength and total work (per movement). I don’t think it is unusual to run into a client who is always looking for change. I must admit I have fallen victim to this myself lately.

Leigh Peele-Excellent coach, I think we have all fallen victim of this but making sure to track change and progress is obviously the key to actual progress. I can’t thank you enough for the time you have taken and in my mind this is just a part 1. With your book being so filled with information I can assure you there will be a part 2 coming up.

To Purchase Knowledge and Nonsense go click to add to cart below. I assure you this is almost as primo as it gets for information you really need to know.

To find out more about Coach Hale check out his site here at http://www.maxcondition.com

The Fat Loss Troubleshooter – Leigh Peele

Common Sense Meets Advanced Knowledge