A Tale of Two People

Teachers are truly special people.  I have family, friends, training clients, and group exercise participants who teach.  I teach teachers more than any other population.  I love working with them because I know how challenging their days can be and it makes me feel good helping them de-stress during an awesome workout.  One of my favorite speakers, Alwyn Cosgrove, wrote an outstanding piece recently called A Tale of Two People on how much an impact- both positive and negative- teachers can have in a young person's life.  It's a quick read and I think you'll enjoy it.  


Check it out here:

When I was in high school in Livingston I was in an advanced mathematics class. I have no idea how I got there as I was clearly the dumbest kid in the class.

Sat next to me in the class was a guy (Keith Wilson) who spent his spare time (at 14 years old) working for a company converting the program code for an arcade computer game to a home version. He used to hand in his homework on a floppy disk…

Me? I was drawing sharks on the back of my notebook…

So while studying quadratic equations, (something that has been oh-so-useful in my life…) it was clear that I didn’t understand it. I asked the teacher to go over it again. He sighed an exasperated sigh – but he went over it again.

I still didn’t get it.

So I asked again. The teacher sighed loudly and said “Okay – the rest of you take a five minute break while I go over this again for Alwyn’s benefit …..” and then mumbled “for whatever good that will do”

Obviously I felt pretty small at that point. And of course the whole class heard him and laughed.
And I still didn’t get it.
And I never asked a question to this teacher again.
And I failed the exam for the class.

This teacher was a man who had a chance to make a kid feel better and help him, or put him down and make him feel worthless. He chose the latter. Why? Just because he could. That’s the kind of person he was.

Another person in my life was my Taekwon-do instructor – Derek Campbell. My Dad was made unemployed and we could no longer afford lessons. I went to my instructor and told him that we just couldn’t afford lessons anymore and I’d be back when my Dad got a job.

He told me to show up early for the next class and become his assistant – teaching beginners. He would pay me with free lessons.

I went on to become a fourth degree black belt, and seven time UK national champion as a result.

This teacher was also a man who had a chance to make a kid feel better and help him, or put him down and make him feel worthless. He chose the former. Why? Just because he could. That’s the kind of person he was.

One person changed a kids life and made it worse. One person changed a kid’s life and made it better. I remember both of them.

We have all had, and remember these people in our lives – the only question to ask is …

What kind of person are you?

Awesome Breakfast Option

Soy Milk Additive

13 Tips for Anyone Who Wants to Improve Performance and Look Better

Great article here from Molly Galbraith: http://articles.elitefts.com/training-articles/13-tips-for-anyone-who-wants-to-improve-performance-and-look-better-naked-part-i-–-training/

5 Worst Foods You Can Eat

I read an interesting article from Dr. Joe Mercola recently about the 5 worst foods you can eat.  No surprises here, but I wanted to share it with you.  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/10/18/worst-foods.aspx

One of my fav. pics

HBO's "The Weight of the Nation"

Fish Oil Facts

Why the Campaign to Stop America's Obesity Crisis Keeps Failing

What Does Your "To Do" List Look Like?

Jay Robb Shamrock Shake

 This is a MUST try! No food dye needed in this healthy, brain-building treat!

1/2 cup avocado
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (or full fat coconut milk)
1/4 cup Jay Robb vanilla protein powder
2 TBS cream cheese OR coconut cream, softened
1 cup crushed ice
4 TBS erythritol (or Truvia)
1 tsp stevia glycerite (omit if using Truvia)
1/4 tsp mint extract or 1/2 tsp fresh mint leaves

Place all ingredients in a blender. Puree until smooth. Pour into 2 glasses. Makes 2 servings.

NUTRITIONAL COMPARISON (per 16 ounce serving)
McDonald's Shake = 680 calories, 20g fat, 14g protein, 111g carbs, 0 fiber
"Healthified" Shake (coconut milk) = 355 calories, 31g fat, 15 g protein, 8.9g carbs, 4.4g fiber
"Healthified" Shake (almond milk) = 146 calories, 10g fat, 12g protein, 4.9 carbs, 2.8g fiber

Why Are We So Obsessed with Exercise?!

WINTER SUNDAY MORNINGS on Commonwealth Avenue in Newton are a blur of polypropylene and spandex. Legions of runners in fluorescent moisture-wicking fabrics labor up the hills; squadrons of cyclists in jerseys with exotic logos hurtle down them. While much of America is still in bed, this is rush hour in fitness-crazy Boston. “It’s cult-like,” says Adam Naylor, a sports psychologist and director of the Boston University Athletic Enhancement Center. “If you step back, you would think this is a little insane.”
To read the full article, click the following link: http://articles.boston.com/2012-04-15/magazine/31335806_1_sports-leagues-olympic-rower-health-club

Do It For Yourself

Training Mistakes to Avoid

“Training Mistakes To Avoid”

It’s often drilled in our head what training modalities yield optimum results, but I’d like to share a couple examples of what to avoid:

·          Training at Slow Speeds- While you should implement controlled movements while ensuring proper technique, you should not sacrifice power.  Fast-twitch/Type II muscle fibers are the ones that diminish with age.  Therefore, don’t hesitate to include faster concentrics/muscle fiber shortening.  Specifically, when pushing weights overhead on a dumbbell press, the weights should be lifted with a bit of force, assuming this “newfound force/speed” is coupled with perfect form.

·          Over-Isolation of Muscle Groups- Areas such as the hamstrings and triceps are important to strengthen, but not necessarily in isolation.  Muscles work functionally in groups, not individually.  Leg extensions and bicep curls (see above pic) should be replaced with more important, compound exercises such as split squats, push-up, and pull-up variations.

Vegan Recipes for Carnivores

Still One of my Favorite Ads

My Girls Lift Just Like my Guys...some harder!

To this day, I still don't understand why some (too many) people think women should train differently than men.  Of course there are some exceptions (figure athletes, pregnant clients, and sport-specific training vs those in the general public, perhaps), but when it comes to general health, I just don't see why women should be training differently than men.  I know the girls I train bust their butts in the weight room and equally so when it comes to their conditioning.  Personally, the only thing that changes is the language I use both during and between sessions.  

For example, a lower body power exercise such a Squat Jump is known to improve bilateral leg strength and power.  Technically, it also improves the function and aesthetics of the glutes.  Therefore, my verbal feedback to men may be something like, "this will help you jump higher and develop strong legs."  The ladies may hear, "this will help firm your thighs and make your butt look better."  In the end, it's all true but it's about relaying what I know will improve the given client(s).  

All in all, the only appreciable training difference between the sexes comes down to the language I use with them.  Both genders need to train hard, eat right, and get plenty of rest to look and feel their best.

I was looking through a few articles and found a piece from Integrate Fitness 411 that discussed this very topic.  Here is a piece of the article I really enjoyed and agreed with:

I've never trained my female clients differently than their male counterparts because everyone needs to be able to make the same primal patterned movements. If I did do things differently, it was because they were pregnant. And even then, while the intensity varied, the exercises didn't until they needed to.

With all of this being said, why do public gyms look like eighth grade dances with "Men in the weight room, women in the group class studio and cardio areas" as Lea Swenson, NASM-CPT, put it.

Why are women marketed toward classes? Why are they shown lifting lighter weights in ads? Is the emaciated model figure what Madison Avenue says a fit woman should look like? Why are women lead to believe that more cardiovascular activity burns fat? Why, for the love of Jack Lalane, can't Madison Ave just pump out factual exercise science????? Because it won't sell.

Crossfit, P90x, Insanity, etc...

Beyond the typical "what's the best _______ for _____ " question I often get (it's typically a weight loss inquiry), I do get asked a lot about "the enemy" a lot.  It usually goes like this:  "Paul, what do you think of Insanity, P90x, Crossfit, etc...?"  While I can't say I hate everything about them, I'm honestly not a fan of any of them.  I've been thinking of how to best put it into words what exactly it is I don't like about this mishmash of programs so many people are trying.  Strength Coach Mike Boyle recently had a posting on his site that I LOVED and essentially echoed my sentiments towards the aforementioned programming.  Check it out here:

The intelligent people in our industry are fighting a war of sorts. Because we 
are constantly battling misinformation, half-truths, lies
and out right stupidity we can often come across as
impatient. The enemy has many names, Crossfit, P90X, Insanity, Bar
Method, Tracey Anderson and so many others.
A new enemy constantly appears on the horizon and they all
have the same theme. The enemies simply ignore science and
empirical evidence and replace it with marketing. They ignore common sense and replace it with marketing. They prey on the uniformed.
Our job as fitness professionals, personal trainers or
strength and conditioning coaches is to con tinually try
to keep the pendulum in the center and use our common
sense. One of my favorite quotes comes from
Benjamin Franklin is:
“common sense is not very common”
This can be combined with another great quote:
”a little knowledge is dangerous”
We exist in a fitness world overpopulated by people with a
little knowledge and too little common sense. The resultant
combination of a little knowledge and a lack of common sense
is the foolish programming that we are forced to battle
against.
What the smart people do in this industry is make the client
feel and look better while at the same time keeping the
client healthy and safe. Is that too much to ask?
The only thing that makes me feel better is that we are
succeeding. 
Keep it up, don’t sell out.

Micro-gyms (think opposite of the Big Box, lots of equipment, 

no instruction) are thriving all over America. Don’t throw up a Crossfit sign or any other sign for its marketing value. Continue to deliver great programming and great results.

I was reviewing a recent blog post from my colleague, Eric Cressey, about the recent passing of his Uncle.  Having lost many close family members over the years, I can relate to losing a loved one.  More importantly, I try and always take a lesson (four in this case) and remember the good times.  The lessons Eric presented in his article were ones that I incorporate into my training sessions with my clients.  These include:

• Showing up- I always make it a point to visit my clients in their special events outside of our sessions.  In the last year or so, I've been to several basketball games, dance competitions, baseball games, etc... to prove to my clients I care about them as people.  It also allows me an opportunity to assess their movement and identify areas we can address in the weight room (i.e. postural improvements, decreasing injuries, etc...)
• Always be Calm- Eric talks about his uncle never yelling- ever.  I never liked the "screamer coaches" (i.e. Bobby Knight) who pace up and down constantly yelling at their players.  It never motivated me, and if anything, made me shut them out.  I'm constantly pushing my clients, always demanding their best, but I've never been the trainer who you hear from across the gym yelling, etc... I worked with a trainer like this several years ago and was always discouraged that he had more business than me.  Lesson learned was that I could not be someone I wasn't.
• Always be Positive- This rings true when working with clients who need a LOT of work on their nutrition.  I often have them keep written records of what they are eating and some of what I initially see is honestly pretty bad.  However, I simply take 1 behavior at a time to work on for 2-3 weeks at a time and move from there.  This could be increasing veggie intake, incorporating more protein, or drinking more water.  The huge key is to simply work on ONE THING for 2-3 weeks.  Keep it simple and stay conservative.
• Always be Approachable- I've had so many clients, grp. ex. participants, etc... tell me how easy I am to talk to.  This all stems from a lesson I learned early on that says "people are concerned about how much you CARE more than how much you KNOW."  The amount of knowledge I possess means NOTHING if I am not approachable.  A lot of it stems from my passion to truly enjoy helping people.  

For the full article from Eric that inspired this blog post, click the following link: http://www.ericcressey.com/four-valuable-lessons-i-learned-from-my-uncle

Protein Intake for all you Coffee Lovers!