Workout solutions for at home or on vacation!

         Ever find it hard to get the time to get all the way to the gym?  Better yet, ever been on vacation or away on buisness and find it difficult to find a gym?  Well here are a few of my favourite at home or on the road workouts that can be done with just some open space.  I should mention, should you have the opportunity to get yourself resistance bands or have a hotel with many stairs, you should incorporate these into your workout to help give you a much greater variety of exercises.

        The first is a former crossfit workout that I love.  I find this one is awesome because it puts you at your own pace, and allows you to challenge yourself on future workouts!

Circuit 1:

       Consists of 3 exercises for a total duration of 20 minutes.  Feel free to play around with the time depending on your fitness level.  You will try to get as many sets done as possible in the set time frame of the following 3 exercises:

Followed by 3 x Planks as long as you can with 1 minute rest in between.

Push Ups:  For push ups I recommend your hands directly below your shoulders.  If this hurts your shoulders move your hands outwards (NOT ALL THE WAY!) and continue.  Fun fact: The further out your hands are the more you work your chest and the closer they get together the more you work your triceps.  Keep your back straight and your bum down.  These can also be done on inclines or on your knees if you need to make them easier!

Leg lifts:  You start laying on your back.  I find it easiest to place your hands under your bum so your tailbone isn't on the hard ground.  You then pull your shoulder blades off the ground (the rest of your back can be flush) and don't pull your neck up to look at your feet as this can cause neck pain.  Your goal now is to not let your heels or your shoulders touch the ground again.  You then lift your legs off the ground until they point as close to the ceiling as possible.  UPGRADE: lift your bum off the ground as well to get added strain on the abdominals.

Body Squats - keep your posture straight and don't let your knees go over your toes.  Make sure it is a sit down stand up motion.  Squats are not just trying to get low, you want to mimic sitting down and standing up.  One easy way I use when teaching younger athletes is, if you were going to poop at the bottom of your squat you wouldn't want to poop on your shoes!

Plank:  The plank is the staple of any good ab routine.  It does a fantastic job at completely fatiguing the abs as well as build lean muscle without bulky muscle.  You want your elbows directly below your shoulders and nothing but a straight line from your shoulders to your heels.  Make sure you do not let your bum sag down or lift up and maintain a flexed core throughout the movement.  By not flexing your abs some of the tension will be transfered to your lower back and can lead to pain or injury.  UPGRADE: I put my toes on a bench and my elbows on an exercise ball.  This added lateral instability leads to a harder hold for the abs.

or

Circuit 2: 

           You will complete this circuit below 2-3 times with around 3-4 minutes of rest in between sets.  Each exercise will be done for 1 minute followed immediately by performing the next exercise.  This will be 8 minutes of hard work and can be done in as little as 20 minutes (2 sets).

Alternating Lunges- Keep your hips in line and your posture upright.  Only go as low as you feel flexible too, and don't let your knees go over your toes.  Is it too easy? Pick up something heavy around the house in each hand!

Push Ups:  For push ups I recommend your hands directly below your shoulders.  If this hurts your shoulders move your hands outwards (NOT ALL THE WAY!) and continue.  Fun fact: The further out your hands are the more you work your chest and the closer they get together the more you work your triceps.  Keep your back straight and your bum down.  These can also be done on inclines or on your knees if you need to make them easier!

Bicycles: These are also sometimes called 1,2,3's and are awesome at getting nice obliques (just outside your central abs) and serratus anterior muscles (those little abs up by your lats and chest).  What you do is again keep your heels off of the ground.  From there you bring your right elbow to your left knee by rotating and twisting the core around.  Don't reach with your arms, remember to bring your elbow to your knee by using your abs to both stabilize and perform the lift. You then follow by doing this to the opposite side.  Some people like to hold every 3rd one to make sure the motion stays slow and the abs are fatigued  I normally do not include the pause but I make sure each rep takes around 3-4 seconds.  This slow movement will increase tension.  Additionally fast twisting movement put a lot of torque and strain on your lower back and can lead to injury, so remember to slow down and use your abs.  Don't pull on the back of your head either, this can strain your neck.

Body Squats - keep your posture straight and don't let your knees go over your toes.  Make sure it is a sit down stand up motion.  Squats are not just trying to get low, you want to mimic sitting down and standing up.  One easy way I use when teaching younger athletes is, if you were going to poop at the bottom of your squat you wouldn't want to poop on your shoes!

Chair dips: Spread your hands out just beside your hips while sitting on a bench or chair.  Lift yourself up off the chair and put your feet flat on the ground (unless at the max length).  The further our your legs go the harder they will get.  Keep your back straight, breath, and only go as deep as you feel flexible too.

V sits: For v sits you start in a similar position as leg lifts however you are not sitting on your hands.  For v sits you hold your shoulder blades up or a weight over your head with your heels off of the ground.  You then move from this hold slowly into a V position.  This should be done slowly and controlled for the most strain on the abs.  This one can be a little tough for beginners so I included an alternate exercise called flutter kicks.  For flutter kicks remain in the leg lift position and keep your heels off the ground, you then kick your feet while keeping your legs straight and your toes pointed.  Your heels never touch the ground again until the kicking is done at the end of 1 minute.  UPGRADE: Do them on the end of a bench so that your legs can go into a negative horizontal angle for a wider range of motion!

Wall Sit: This one can be difficult and was taught to me by a personal trainer called the butcher when I was only 10 years old at hockey camp.  You sit up against the wall with your knees at 90 degrees and you hold that position.  Make sure your bum is in line with your thighs and that your feet are directly underneath your knees.  Try to keep your arms crossed on your chest and hold.

 Plank:  The plank is the staple of any good ab routine.  It does a fantastic job at completely fatiguing the abs as well as build lean muscle without bulky muscle.  You want your elbows directly below your shoulders and nothing but a straight line from your shoulders to your heels.  Make sure you do not let your bum sag down or lift up and maintain a flexed core throughout the movement.  By not flexing your abs some of the tension will be transfered to your lower back and can lead to pain or injury.  UPGRADE: I put my toes on a bench and my elbows on an exercise ball.  This added lateral instability leads to a harder hold for the abs.

Try these out guys! They can be done almost anywhere!

Cheers!

Ryan Trueman

Ryan.Trueman@dal.ca

The top 5 changes you can make to become healthier and look better!

These here guys are in my mind the top 5 things you can do to make changes to your lifestyle and get in shape today!  At least try just one* and you will be shocked how easy it is!


1) Cut out white sugars and gluten! These guys are everyones favorite foods, but they are what is ultimately making everyone fat.  Yes they are delicious but you have to stay away from things like these: (UNTIL CHEAT DAY <3 )

-Pops and Energy drinks (even diet pops aren't good for you)
-Gatorades and powerades other than post workout (to less of an extent G2). Gatorade is filled with sugars and is meant to be a sports drink to refill electrolytes not to be used as an every day drink!  G2 has half the carbs and can be drank a little more openly.
-Fruit Juices and to an extent fruits, don't over eat them
-White breads and pasta
-Candy
-A high percentage of foods with a sweet taste (label read)

2) Eat Breakfast!  By making sure you eat proteins and fats in the morning you help jump start your metabolism and trigger it to burn stored fats all day.  The longer you go in the day without eating the longer your body stays in something called ketosis.  Ketosis is when your body thinks it is being deprived of food and dying so it begins to slow down your metabolism.  Eating breakfast (especially 30g of protein within 30 minutes of waking up) can greatly jump start you on a healthy day full of energy! One thing, do not have simple sugars here, they will spike your insulin and lead you to an up and down energy balance all day!

3)Get moving no matter how little it is!  Most of the time subtle small changes can make drastic changes.  Something as easy as walking 20 minutes a day, or walking to work, can make huge caloric changes.  You ill ultimately start resetting your body and your metabolism!  Even better, a lot of times it is ends up in a snowfall affect where people often see results, and then do more, which intern yields more results, etc.  and eventually they are healthier all around!  This is even how I started! I cut out pop, and the next thing I knew I was revamping my whole lifestyle because the changes were so awesome!

4)Eat protein! Protein does so much for your body.  It is the very building blocks of our muscle tissue.  It is so so so so so important to get adequate amounts of protein in your diet.  Not only do you supply yourself with the supplies your body needs to grow and repair, it will result in setting your metabolism at an ideal rate.  Easy ways to accomplish this is by eating meat with one main meal a day or buying a protein powder and having a shake with breakfast! You wouldn't try to build a brick wall with no bricks would you? EAT PROTEIN

5) DON'T BE SCARED OF FATS!  Fats need to be consumed.  It is the transport system of many essential vitamins and nutrients, and is an awesome energy source!  Study after study has proven that low fat diets don't work.  That's because fat isn't the bad guy here, he just goes where he is told.  It is the two faced Mr. Carbs who is telling him to store as fat.  The easiest snacking idea that comes to mind here is nuts, just make sure you don't over indulge.
     One thing you do have to watch out for is trans fats!  These fats are man made and very difficult for our bodies to break down.  Without getting confusing lets just say it is because of the trans fats molecular shape.  These are the fats that need to be avoided!  Keep an eye out for hidden bad fats, and peanut butter is one great example.  The liquid texture of the natural peanut butter is real fat and healthy for you (if you don't over indulge) . You will notice normal peanut butter isn't and that is because they have sucked out the real fats and added some of their own.  Therefore, the fat in everyones normal kraft peanut butter isn't nearly as healthy for you.  In addition, watch out for fat free peanut butters, often times they pack them with icing sugar after they take out the fat!

There they are guys, easy changes.  With these subtle and small changes you can make drastic improvements to your health and look!  It's not hard to eat and feel healthy!  Just do some research and label reading.  Once you do your homework you can pick out the delicious and nutritious meals from the love that's on your handles!

Try them!


Ryan Trueman
Ryan.Trueman@dal.ca

 *Try anyone alone except the introduction of fats without the subtraction of carbs.  The carbs can ruin some health benefits and you will most likely gain weight.  All others can be done on their own!

Quick tips on how to burn the most and best calories during your cardio training!

Hey guys,
      I was talking to a guy today and he asked me about something that I think I should write on.  This is how to get the most out of your cardio sessions and the answer is easier than you think!

        When your heart rate is at or below 70% of your heart rate max (220-age approximately) you are primarily burning stored fats.  This sounds like it is awesome, I mean we are going easy and burning just fat what could be better?  The problem here lies in that you are only burning fats, and slowly.  A more efficient way of burning calories is to train using intervals.  Intervals are when you change your speeds and intensities.  By bringing your heart rate above this 70% you switch into a burning mode where you burn carbs as well as fats for fuel.  Now this sounds inefficient compared to before but remember, carbs store fats, aka carbs are fats essentially so you are actually doing better!  Not only are you burning carbs as well, you are also burning more calories at a higher rate than you burn fats in steady training.  This can get a bit confusing so here it is in an example for simplicity;


          Jenny Gymrat , likes to do her cardio workouts at a slow steady pace for a long duration.  This results in her doing 20 minutes at jogging pace on the treadmill.  When doing this she is only burning fats for a total of (random number) 150 calories of fat!  Sounds good right, but wait a minute.  Let's compare her to Johnny OnceAweek.  Instead if running at a steady pace, Johnny does intervals of 1 minute at 100% intensity sprints on a treadmill to 1 minute steady at 70% pace.  He does this 7 times for a total of 14 minutes.  Johnny has now lost only 50 calories of fat.  But wait, he has also lost 200 calories of carbs in the process.  So he has now lost a total of 250 calories which is more than Jenny!

         This is where people normally have the pitfall.  They buy into the steady cardio burns fat idea.  Not to mention, steady cardio yields repetition.  Repetition also has it's draw backs because you will slowly adapt and lose fewer calories each time you do the same thing.

Here are some good interval workouts that some of my clients use;

Cardiovascular Training Ideas

1 min on/1 min off  

30 seconds on / 1:30 off

Rowing machine. Ex. 3 x 2km, 4km steady, 6 x 500m

1 minute on/ 3 minute steady jog

Steady walk/run on treadmill with incline

Track laps. Ex. Sprint a lap, do an exercise, immediately sprint another, etc

Sprint stairs with treadmill steady jog even walking treadmill in between

Plyometrics. Ex. Jump squats/ lunges/ box jumps on a timer

*steady means jog or about 70%, where off or easy means just keep making the movement, ex bike with no tension, or walking on treadmill

~Remember steady cardio burns fat calories, while interval training burns fat and carbs which leads to a greater net calorie burn in a shorter period of time. 

             So moral of the story here guys!  Workout with intervals with high and low intensities for shorter durations, rather than go steady on the elliptical or bike for 20 minutes!  This will yield better results! Don't be a Jenny Gymrat be a Johnny OnceAweek!

 Cheers!

Ryan Trueman
Ryan.Trueman@dal.ca

Two easy ways to avoid those dreaded hangovers!

We have all been there.  The awful day that follows such a wonderful night.  The HANGOVER. Should you ever come into this issue (daily,weekly,monthly we don't judge here) here is two quick tips to help you get through those rough mornings!

1) Eat Asparagus before or after (I'd say both) a night of drinking, can greatly reduce your hangover  troubles.  Asparagus boosts key enzymes that break down alcohol after a night of drinking and help protect you from the dreaded hangover.  In simple terms, asparagus is your flu shot to protect you from the flu.  MAKE SURE YOU DON'T HEAT IT UP.  Asparagus loses a lot of it's nutrients when it is cooked and fried! Try fresh or barely steamed!

2) A lot of hangover issues come from the dehydration you go through.  Before you go to sleep and in the morning have water or even better an electrolyte drink.  Electrolyte drinks are drinks like gatorades and powerades.  I recommend G2 because it has lots of electrolytes with fewer carbs so you get the benefits of a low carb drink.

Try them out guys, both are documented and backed by science!

Ryan Trueman
Ryan.Trueman@dal.ca

A great ab routine that gets results in as little as 15 minutes 3-4 times a week and can even be done at home!

Throughout my years of training I have been asked only one question as much as how do I lose weight,  and that is, how do I get abs?  The truth is you can get abs very easily with a low carb diet and as little as 5-10 minutes 4 times a week.

I got abs like these (yes another selfy but it gets the point across) from as little as 5 minutes a day at the end of my workouts.  The key to getting abs, is adding weight and work until exhaustion.  Abdominals are a muscle group that is a primary stabilizer for your posture and therefore have a high tolerance to fatigue, therefore what we can do is exhaust the muscle through either constant tension or little rest!  Now remember, you need to take off the fat jacket before you will get the visual, so keep strict to your diet and exercise and your abs will be there in no time!  Here is one of my favorite ab circuits you can follow easily even at home, and takes as little as 15 minutes!

*ALAP means as long as possible.

All are done on 1- 2 minutes of rest x 3 sets!

Here is a better explanation of the exercises for those who need it!


Leg lifts:  You start laying on your back.  I find it easiest to place your hands under your bum so your tailbone isn't on the hard ground.  You then pull your shoulder blades off the ground (the rest of your back can be flush) and don't pull your neck up to look at your feet as this can cause neck pain.  Your goal now is to not let your heels or your shoulders touch the ground again.  You then lift your legs off the ground until they point as close to the ceiling as possible.  UPGRADE: lift your bum off the ground as well to get added strain on the abdominals.

V Sits: For v sits you start in a similar position as leg lifts however you are not sitting on your hands.  For v sits you hold your shoulder blades up or a weight over your head with your heels off of the ground.  You then move from this hold slowly into a V position.  This should be done slowly and controlled for the most strain on the abs.  This one can be a little tough for beginners so I included an alternate exercise called flutter kicks.  For flutter kicks remain in the leg lift position and keep your heels off the ground, you then kick your feet while keeping your legs straight and your toes pointed.  Your heels never touch the ground again until the kicking is done at the end of 1 minute.  UPGRADE: Do them on the end of a bench so that your legs can go into a negative horizontal angle for a wider range of motion!

Bicycles:  These are also sometimes called 1,2,3's and are awesome at getting nice obliques (just outside your central abs) and serratus anterior muscles (those little abs up by your lats and chest).  What you do is again keep your heels off of the ground.  From there you bring your right elbow to your left knee by rotating and twisting the core around.  Don't reach with your arms, remember to bring your elbow to your knee by using your abs to both stabilize and perform the lift. You then follow by doing this to the opposite side.  Some people like to hold every 3rd one to make sure the motion stays slow and the abs are fatigued  I normally do not include the pause but I make sure each rep takes around 3-4 seconds.  This slow movement will increase tension.  Additionally fast twisting movement put a lot of torque and strain on your lower back and can lead to injury, so remember to slow down and use your abs.

 Plank:  The plank is the staple of any good ab routine.  It does a fantastic job at completely fatiguing the abs as well as build lean muscle without bulky muscle.  You want your elbows directly below your shoulders and nothing but a straight line from your shoulders to your heels.  Make sure you do not let your bum sag down or lift up and maintain a flexed core throughout the movement.  By not flexing your abs some of the tension will be transfered to your lower back and can lead to pain or injury.  UPGRADE: I put my toes on a bench and my elbows on an exercise ball.  This added lateral instability leads to a harder hold for the abs.

 So there it is guys!  Try this routine 3-5 times a week along with a healthy diet and you will see abs in no time!  The proof is in the pictures!


Cheers!
Ryan Trueman
Ryan.Trueman@dal.ca

Your sweeteners and diet pops are still making you fat! Your solution is found here!

Why your sweeteners may be hurting your results!
What a lot of people don't realize is that the world of fat loss is not centered around calories in and calories out.  Without repeating myself too much from previous posts, we must look at so much more.

The reason we avoid simple sugars is because of the insulin spike.  This insulin spike is the taxi that drops fat off right at your hips.  The issue I have lies in the fact that sweeteners have no calories, so they must be healthy for us right? You can't get fat off zero calories can you?  The answer is YES.  Most sweeteners do still spike your insulin levels.  This spike leads to an increase in fat absorption the same as a spoonful of sugar would do. It gets worse! Often times, sweeteners can destroy or interfere with the processes of healthy bacteria that works inside of us!
       But wait!  There is still good news to those of you who love your diet pops!  Studies have shown that if you indulge every once in a while and keep it to under 12oz of diet pop you should get away with it.   However, after that 12oz you dramatically slow down your journey to becoming a Skinny Minnie!

EVEN BETTER!

A substitute that I use for things like coffee and tea is called Stevia.  It is a natural plant that has 300x the sweetness of sugar without any affect on your blood glucose levels.  It is extremely sweet and needs only a speck of it added to coffees and teas.  You can buy them in individual packages like sweeteners at local health food stores.  It isn't in many foods on the shelf in North America yet, but it is a big hit over seas (where they are miles ahead of us on citizen health) and should start to show up here shortly.   Try it out and help yourself today! Stay informed, Stay healthy!

Ryan Trueman
Ryan.Trueman@dal.ca

Some of the vitamins and supplements I have used and why!

Hey guys.  A lot of people often ask me what I am on and what I have used.  Here is a list of a few of the things I have used.  Keep in mind guys my article on knowing your products and make sure you run any of these things by your doctor prior to use.  They are mostly everyday vitamins but some can react poorly with certain people.

Cinnamon-  this is simply cinnamon in pill form.  What cinnamon does is slow down the digestion of your food, and the speed at which your food passes through your large intestine.  It is a great way to cut weight by lowering the insulin spike that comes from simple sugars.  To sum it up, if you are going to eat something bad when you shouldn't, try one of these prior to your meal (avoid within an hour of post workout).  I buy them in pill for the simple reason of, have you ever witnessed the cinnamon challenge? A spoonful of cinnamon sucks, but feel free to sprinkle it on anything!

Calcium combined with Vitamin D-  Calcium is just an incredible nutrient that I never want to be low on.  Not only does it aid in bone development, it is a key contributor to muscle contraction and repair. I have two types of vitamin d (just different serving sizes) and I use them prior to going to bed and when I wake up.  By taking vitamin d with cholesterol prior to bed, you increase the amount of testosterone that is created while you sleep, thus giving you an easy testosterone boost!

Mega Men Sport Vitamin-  There are countless nutrients you need to function properly physiologically and I find mega men the best mix of nutrients for it's price.  It is a great product that has many different versions for athletes, as well as women and men over 50.  This is the only supplement I buy at GNC as only they offer it.

Co Enzyme Q10-  This is one of the best antioxidants you can have.  What it does is destroys those free radical cells in your body that lead to the breakdown of your body and aging.  A great one for those who would like to live young for a long time.

Omega 3 fats-  These are essential fish oils and fats that your body needs to stay healthy.  They aid in nutrient uptake as well as keeping joints pain free.  I always recommend fish oils in the morning, and it can make a big difference in how you feel for the rest of the day, physically and mentally.

Glucosamine- This is an awesome natural substance that can be used for anyone with joint pain.  Glucosamine helps aid in the recovery of joint pain and injuries and helps rebuild cartilage.  For anyone who has a prior life of being an athlete and who maintains a healthy lifestyle I always recommend glucosamine.  It also does a great job with those who are aging with lower body joint pain and helped a great deal with a client of mine for her knee pain.

            That brings to an end my day to day vitamins and supplements and brings us to the products in the background I use for the gym.

Glutamine- This is one I do recommend to everyone who is physically active.  Glutamine (not to be confused with glucosamine above) is one major BCAA (branched chain amino acid).  What BCAAs do is aid in recovery and muscle building.  Better yet, glutamine is the primary one, and about 70% of skeletal muscle is built from glutamine.  It is naturally occurring in your body but can be as low as 50% of its original concentration after a workout.  You should take glutamine everyday and I take mine prior and during my workouts to achieve the best affects.  I buy flavorless powder and add it to anything like G2 during workouts or pre-workouts.

Swollen by Nutribolic-  Swollen is a pre-workout offered by a company out of western Canada.  It for me is the best pre-workout for me as it does not have any nitric oxide (NO) in it.  If you can recall NO expands blood vessels and leads to increases in blood flow which makes me feel to light headed and spacey at the gym.  Many people like it, I just prefer not to use it.  I find Swollen gives me a great pump feel and has substances to aid in blood flow and muscle growth inside it.  Additionally it does have a bit of caffeine that isn't enough to put your head in the clouds.

Tribulus by Allmax- Trib is a natural herb and it boosts testosterone levels.  The Allmax product I always recommend as it has been shown to be almost twice as affective as some other trib products on the market. Keep in mind this just helps your body boost it's own testosterone production and does not put any additional testosterone in the body and therefore is not an anabolic.  This is perfectly legal and I find it just helps me bulk up and has it's additional benefits in it's libio affects as a bonus.  I do however don't feel many people under the age of 21 needs to use something like trib as your test levels are still fairly elevated, as I am sure all you can all see at any nightclub.  One great stack for trib is to take it with standard creatine monohydrate for putting on quick size.

All of these products are completely legal and approved and can be purchased over the counter at many local stores.  

Hope that helps answer any questions and feel free to email or comment if you have any further questions!

Cheers!

Ryan Trueman

Ryan.Trueman@dal.ca

3 Fat loss secrets to getting quick results!

Hey guys, so I have had a lot of questions regarding fat loss lately but I want to take a step back from the conventional, and introduce you to some tricks and secrets that will help aid you in your journey.  These are 3 simple small changes that all have scientific evidence for their results.

1) Find accountability.  This one is awesome guys and I have used it with friends and it does work.  What you do is find a friend or team that all has goals of either eating healthier or to lose weight.  Now here is the fun part, everyone takes a before picture.  This picture is kept to yourself if need be.  The goal after this is for the next month, take a picture of every bit of food you eat and liquid you drink and this will be shown or sent to the group.  Many things in life fail when their is no consequence to your actions.  What this does however, is hold you and your friends accountable for your diet.  It is really easy guys and I recommend a closed facebook group for it's ease.  If you are feeling extra bold, leave yourself subtle reminders in problem areas.  If you don't like your "muffin top" maybe write the word muffin and tape it to the fridge door!

2) 30 grams of protein within 30 minutes of waking up.  This makes drastic changes to fat loss.  In one study changing nothing but adding this step caused an individual to lose 19lbs in one month with only 4 hours of exercise! (the whole month)

3) Glass of cold water as soon as you wake up and before bed and cinnamon before any bad foods.  Your body will burn calories to heat the water up for you to process it, and as well will jump start your metabolism for the day!  With the addition of cinnamon you can slow down your food and your insulin spike!

May I recommend capsules.. for anyone who has done the cinnamon challenge.

Feeling low on energy from dieting?  Try two teaspoons of almond butter before bed.

These are three easy small tips to follow!  By doing these basic changes and avoiding white carbs and sugars, you can be on your way to skinny faster than ever!

Cheers

Ryan Trueman
Ryan.Trueman@dal.ca

How to lose 20lbs in 30 days with Tim Ferris!

Hey guys, I was on route to write another blog this morning (I will still try and do another one up), and I came across an awesome article posted by Tim Ferris.  This should help everyone in their journey to fat loss.  It was developed by one of the smartest guys in the industry and someone who I personally have great respect for.  I love how a lot of concepts he mentions overlaps with ones I have stated before too!  Enjoy guys, it is a great article!

http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2007/04/06/how-to-lose-20-lbs-of-fat-in-30-days-without-doing-any-exercise/

Ryan Trueman
Ryan.Trueman@dal.ca

Overtraining : Don't kick your muscles when they're down!

I recently got a request to touch on overtraining, so here it is.

     Overtraining is when an individuals exercise exceeds their recovery capacity. Overtraining can lead to loses in strength, size, overall fitness, endurance, and is a major problem in athletes, gym rats and everyday people trying to lose weight. The main issue people have is that they want to be in shape so bad they think doing more accomplishes more and this is simply not the case.  Your body has a healing capacity and a capacity to rebuild muscle, and once you pass this threshold, you are now doing more harm than good.  This is all to familiar to me, and I see it at least once everytime I am at the gym.  I even made the same mistake myself starting out.  I have been there, I have wanted those results just as bad as you and I ended up hurting myself.  I had a sprained shoulder, little results, and constant fatigue, and all because I didn't know one principal designed by Tim Ferris, author of the 4 Hour Body.  It is about doing the least amount required to get 100% of the results.   Being at the gym longer, and doing more sets does NOT mean more muscle and better gains.  Often times you will actually see DECREASES in strength and results.  Here are some easy signs that you may be overtraining.  Keep in mind guys, overtraining isn't just doing too much when you are at the gym, it is also caused by not taking enough days off to rest.  Remember, you can't rebuild without giving your muscles the time to do so!

-You are finding it difficult to accomplish workouts you can normally do.  This is normally a sign that you are not getting adequate rest.  Eventually your body will get so fatigued that what was easy in the past may now be very difficult or strenuous.

-You are very tired.  Overall tiredness can come from a number of reasons, however it is a major sign of overtraining.  Your body is always in recovery mode and finds it difficult to do day to day things.

-You are noticing less results even with the addition of more work.  This is the vicious circle of overtraining, and is the one I got stuck in as a young uneducated lifter.  In many instances an individual isn't getting results, so they increase their work at the gym, which ultimately leads to losing gains, and thus again starting the cycle.  Keep an eye on your results all the time guys.  See how your clothes fit and how your body looks, it will tell you a lot!

-An easy way to tell is just looking at what you are doing.  If you are doing high intensity training every day you are often times overtraining.  I only lift 5 / 7 days of the week, and ensure I take an extra recovery day after very intense lifts.  My workouts are always under an hour (before doing abs).  Remember, if your muscles are still sore, don't work them again!  Some exceptions to this are muscles that are hard to fatigue such as core and calves.

-Restlessness- When you are working on high intensity training too much, you can actually leave your nervous system activity elevated.  This can lead to insomnia, and many other restlessness feelings.  Make sure you let your body take a day off like you enjoy one after a stressful week of work.  On the other hand, if you are normally an endurance athlete, the opposite can be felt.  You may feel extra sluggish and tired more often.

-You just plain hurt.  Your body is always trying to talk to you, you just need to look for the signs.  If you are constantly  in pain your body is telling you it is beat up.  It needs the down time because that soreness is actually the process of rebuilding.  Compare your muscles to a car.  If the soreness is still there, the mechanic is still working on the car.  You wouldn't walk in halfway through a tune up take your car and race it full speed again would you?  Give your car a chance to get back to 100% so you can drive it all out again!

- Weakened immune system.  When your muscles are run down, your body is run down.  Your body is trying to constantly repair and this has adverse affects on your immune system.  Much like when you are stressed, your immune system is weakened because your body itself is so weak and overworked.

Ways to combat overtraining

A good protein filled diet can do wonders.  Things like BCAAs are recovery specific proteins and they can help you get back on your feet quicker.  Another great addition are testosterone boosters.  Test boosters not only help with overtraining, but rebuild more muscle and add a little libio to the bedroom as a bonus.  Take note, body builders have a number of substances helping them get to the size they need to be.  These substances also increase their recovery speed and allow them to workout at such a high end level.  The average person would be in a state of overtraining if they were to do what body builders do.  You have to work your way into it and supplement right.
    I often recommend no more than 5 exercises a workout (6 with a superset) and no more than3 sets for more than 2 of those exercises.  Try to keep your routine short, and with adequate rest.  I recommend normally 1-1.5 minutes, and make sure you take at least a day in between working the same body part twice.  If you really feel the need to workout, try doing cardio on your day off, or short circuits with stretching and core at the end.  Make sure you aren't at the gym for extremely long, that often means one of three things, too much rest, overtraining, or you are talking too much!

          Remember guys.  Your body doesn't always want to be in a state of recovery.  The idea is not to build on torn muscles, it is to build on rebuilt muscles.  Don't send yourself backwards in time!  Only do what is needed, and you will wreak the best benefits.  As Tim Ferris said in the 4 Hour Body, it is about doing the least amount of work required, to achieve 100% of the results, anything more is simply hurting your progress!  Everyone is different, so find your perfect routine and avoid the issues!

EXTRA NOTE!

   Those people who may be using abien as a sleep aid, it can cut your deep sleep by up to 90%  This is the time of night when we do most of our recovering and building.  If you are on abien you may have a feeling of overtraining and fatigue.  This is a very common drug and if you are on something similar you should look into it!

Cheers

Ryan Trueman
Ryan.Trueman@dal.ca

Arm Workout for the Guys!

Hey guys, so I have had a few articles lately that were geared towards the women, so here is one for the guys!  A lot of people around the gym always ask me what I do for my arm routine and how I keep their size up, so here it is.  This is my CURRENT arm workout.   If I put 5/5 beside the exercise this means make sure you are focused on the muscles being worked and take 5 seconds up and 5 seconds down.  This is really important and will be used to generate the most size and strength possible! Light weight the right way guys!

Biceps

Standing alternating bicep curls with dumbbells (5/5) 4 sets x 8 reps.  Technique and control will be your friend during this one.  Make sure you use weight you can control both ways.  The key is to keep your posture straight with your shoulders set back.  Try to keep your elbows still and close to your side.  I use a palm up grip but a hammer curl (thumbs up) could also be used.  Nice and slow guys, and if you can watch your form in a mirror, keep an eye on your shoulders so they are not aiding in the lift.

Seated bicep curls at the same time with dumbbells (5/5) 3 sets of 8 reps.  This one is killer if done properly!  You want to really really focus here and make sure you are taking the ENTIRE 5 seconds up and down on this one.  This will give no rest to your biceps for the entire set and should leave you with a great pump!  The reason we sit down is to try and eliminate the shoulders from helping.  I usually use a slight incline on an upright seat to use gravity to make it a little harder.

Preacher curl on cables alternating (8 seconds down / explode up)  / concentration curls, 3 sets of 10/10 each arm-  This is our first superset of the workout and that means doing one exercise and moving directly into the next.  On the first exercise make sure you lower the weight slowly and then explode up for power.  On the second exercise look at the picture below.  This again helps take the shoulder out of the equation and allows you to focus on the bicep.

Preacher curls ( use the actual preacher bench not shown above)

Concentration curls

Dumbbell dropset 1 set-  This exercise is done to finish off the muscle and waste it.  Whatever you can lift at this point for standing curls is where we will start.  You will do standing curls at the same time for as many reps as possible with this weight and then take a 30 second break (NO LONGER!).  Following this break you will move down 5lbs and repeat this process.  You should go all the way down to a weight that isn't too easy and if it is, try repeating a certain weight for the last few sets.  I normally start around 55lbs and move all the way down to 20lbs and do 20lbs twice.

Triceps

Incline skull crushers 5 sets of 8- These should be done with your elbows facing forward and make sure your elbows aren't pointing outwards.  I use the easy curl bar, and move the weight extremely slowly down and up.  Use an incline that puts you around a 40 degree angle, and ensure you are using a safe weight!

Tricep extensions, 3 sets of 8- These will be done on the cables and again I recommend the easy curl bar.  Make sure you are tucking your elbows in and keeping them still.  This movement should be exclusively the triceps moving the bar, and your abs stabilizing your body still.

Tricep extensions on the machine /dips, 3 sets of 8 / max reps -  These are done in a superset.  On the machine focus on keeping your elbows still.  I realize that there are different tricep machines out there but their overall goal is the same, so feel free to use any one you like.  The dips can be done on a bench or a bar, I use the dip bar.  They will be as many reps as possible and done immediately after the triceps

Machine Ext.

Dips

That is it! Don't over train your arms!
Enjoy!

Ryan Trueman
Ryan.Trueman@dal.ca

Why am I not losing weight? Some key mistakes to weight loss

Some big mistakes you might be making when trying to lose weight!

Here is a few big mistakes I tend to see more and more guys.  They stem from a lot of concepts that society has a little twisted, and hope they help!

1) Cutting calories:  A lot of people think losing weight comes down to calories in and calories out, and this is simply not the case.  Calories in and calories out has a rather huge hole in it's design; and that is the fact that our bodies deal with different calories differently.  Additionally, many people cut the wrong calories or too many calories.
     Cutting too many calories is a major problem that I see far too often with young women.  Some believe that by eating next to nothing they will lose weight and that is simply not the case.  Yes it is true that cutting calories can cause weight loss, but most of this is usually due to a cut in BAD calories. By cutting too many calories you actually put your body into something called ketosis.  Ketosis is when your body reaches a state where it believes you are dying because you haven't eaten enough calories.  This stems from evolution and allows our bodies to survive when food is scarce.  Similarly to you turning your laptops screen brightness down when you are saving energy, your body will conserve energy when you are starving yourself.  Your body will slow down your metabolism so as to not waste any energy and calories you need to run your bodies basic needs.  In simple words, by not eating, your body stops using, which is a vicious circle of slowing down your weight loss.
      Along with this calorie cut comes the cut in essential calories!  Nutrients like protein and fats are essential to your body working to lose fat.  If you look back at my article on carbs, you will quickly realize that most people are cutting out the wrong nutrients (often people cut out fats and not carbs).  By not eating fat your body will not burn stored fats, as well as it will not soak up the essential fat soluable vitamins.  Here is a quick chart to show you what you may be missing!

Table 1: Vitamin facts.
Vitamin	Source	Physiological Functions	Deficiency	Overconsumption
A (retinol) (provitamin A, such as beta carotene)	Vitamin A: liver, vitamin A fortified milk and dairy products, butter, whole milk, cheese, egg yolk.  Provitamin A: carrots, leafy green vegetables, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, winter squash, apricots, cantaloupe.	Helps to form skin and mucous membranes and keep them healthy, thus increasing resistance to infections; essential for night vision; promotes bones and tooth development. Beta carotene is an antioxidant and may protect against cancer.	Mild: night blindness, diarrhea, intestinal infections, impaired vision.  Severe: inflammation of eyes, keratinization of skin and eyes. Blindness in children.	Mild: nausea, irritability, blurred vision.  Severe: growth retardation, enlargement of liver and spleen, loss of hair, bone pain, increased pressure in skull, skin changes.
D	Vitamin D-fortified dairy products, fortified margarine, fish oils, egg yolk. Synthesized by sunlight action on skin.	Promotes hardening of bones and teeth, increases the absorption of calcium.	Severe: rickets in children; osteomalacia in adults.	Mild: nausea, weight loss, irritability.  Severe: mental and physical growth retardation, kidney damage, movement of calcium from bones into soft tissues.
E	Vegetable oil, margarine, butter, shortening, green and leafy vegetables, wheat germ, whole grain products, nuts, egg yolk, liver.	Protects vitamins A and C and fatty acids; prevents damage to cell membranes. Antioxidant.	Almost impossible to produce without starvation; possible anemia in low birth-weight infants.	Nontoxic under normal conditions.  Severe: nausea, digestive tract disorders.
K	Dark green leafy vegetables, liver; also made by bacteria in the intestine.	Helps blood to clot.	Excessive bleeding.	None reported.

 Additionally, cutting proteins out of your diet slows down your rebuilding of muscles.  This means that any gym gains will be slowly diminished in another vicious circle, the protein lacking circle.  When your body is deficient of nutrients, your body will start using itself for energy.  This means that yes you may lose a little bit of fat for quick energy, but you will also be losing your muscles.  Essentially, you are having your muscles broken down, and not rebuilding, and thus you are spiraling downward more efficiently.  

      To add to this calorie cut, there are the issues that come when you go back to eating calories.  When you starve yourself and then eat bad calories, your body essentially grabs and stores them like you would store food in your cupboards for later.  Because of this, not only have you slowed down your metabolism, you have also become more efficient at storing bad calories as fat!  Again starting a downward spiral and tougher losses in the future.

2) People don't drink enough water!  By not drinking enough water in a day, your body will do all it can to hold onto it.  Water weight can lead to bloated looks.  By drinking water your body won't feel like it needs to hold onto it for the future.  I know it sounds crazy, but drink water to lose water! 

3)Doing only cardiovscular training is a long slow plan.  Doing cardio will only make you more efficient at doing cardio.  Make sure you also weight train in circuit style workouts.  This will jump start your metabolism as well as burn more calories and tighten your body up!  Why not lose fat and build the body you want at the same time!  Especially when it is a more efficient way of burning calories!  If you must do cardio everyday for your own feel good sake (which I completely support) make sure you switch it up and train with intervals.

4) Eating before bed.  So many people think that eating before bed is bad for you, however, most people have never thought about this too much.  When it comes to eating before bed, the important message is WHAT you eat before bed.  Eating calories that are packed with slow acting proteins allows your body to keep out of ketosis longer, and effectively keeps your metabolism going.  Much like breaking your day into 6 small meals instead of 3 big meals, this will keep your metabolism on it's toes! In fact eating cholesterol before bed with a vitamin d pill, actually boosts testosterone production over night which can lead to more muscle gains!  Don't worry ladies you still have 1/10th of the testosterone us men do, and this will not make you jacked, but simply help firm up those muscles!

5) People just don't get enough protein!  Often times there is one huge barrier to getting through the first couple weeks of calorie cutting.  The issue with cutting calories is hunger, and this is amplified after a workout.  If you are hungry while on a carb reduced diet it is because you are not getting enough protein.  Most people cut calories by eating things like salads, however, salads are not nearly as calorie dense as most food.  Which means you need to eat a lot more salad or you need to add things like legumes to make up this caloric deficit.  

6) Look for hidden calories!  A lot of calories are hidden in foods we think are healthy.  Things like dressings, sauces, drinks, and spreads are all packed with hidden calories like icing sugars and preservatives.  Keep your eyes open!

7) READ EVERYTHING FAT FREE!!!!!! Fat free substances may seem healthy but they are quite the opposite.  Avoid these whenever possible and if you must make sure you check the label.  If you can't read the words or sugar is at the beginning (as in most) play it safe and leave it on the shelf as many fat free products pack their products with icing sugar!

8) Stop trying to target your fat loss to certain areas.  Genetics and gender play huge rolls in where your fat would like to store.  All too many people do abs to lose their belly and this is a bad idea.  I always like to explain fat in this analogy.  Fat is like a winter coat and is stored on the outside of your body.  If a man builds abs underneath his jacket of fat (without working on cutting down the thickness of the jacket), than the jacket will only protrude further out, and add inches to your waistline.  You want to put on a thinner coat as well as build muscle under your jacket.  Losing a belly comes down to diet and exercises, and unfortunately, targeting areas simply just hasn't been proven to be affective.  Stored fat calories are going to be burnt off everywhere, so deal with full body exercises  and focus less on problem areas.  I have seen all too many times women who do abs so much their pants stop fitting and their bellies remain.  Take off that jacket and workout smart!

9) Last but not least, don't give up!  Muscle weighs more than fat, and when first starting out can build quickly.  Many people will live and die by the scale and this is a bad way to track progress.  If you lose 5 lbs of fat but gain 5 lbs of muscle, you have done yourself a 10 lbs favor, however the scale hasn't changed at all.  Keep in mind that gains and losses go both "weighs".  Don't quit because the scale goes up, most people will put on muscle at the start of any weight loss goal, and this can show on the scale

Hope that helped a little more everyone!

Cheers

Ryan Trueman

Ryan.Trueman@dal.ca 

How your menstrual cycle affects your workouts!

Hey girls!
This pesky little gift from mother nature can make big changes on your routines and looks, here is some helpful info to help you achieve your look!

Your menstrual cycle has a big affect on your look.  The week before your period your temperature and your metabolism are increased, so essentially your body will burn more calories.  This will be accompanied by an increase in cravings and wanting to eat.  You can have a few more calories than usual in this week but don’t go overboard because the following week will be the opposite.
      The first weak after your period you will have a tendency to retain water and this clearly adds to the bloating look.  Use this week for more intensity in the cardio aspect and focus on not eating salty foods that help aid in water retention.  As crazy as it sounds, it is also very important to stay hydrated during this time as it slows down the retention because your body won’t feel the need to hold onto water because you are supplying it with plenty.  Also note that your pain tolerance is usually higher following your period, and the added water weight can add to the intensity of cardio training.

Hope these quick tips helped!!

Ryan Trueman
Ryan.Trueman@dal.ca

Great Late Night Treat! (Pst. it's gluten free, grain free, dairy free, no sugar added)

Hey guys, I am sitting here craving a late night snack and I decided to share with you my perfect solution!  It is protein waffles with frozen blueberries!  The recipe is quick, easy and  healthy to eat before bed.  Not to mention it is gluten free, grain free, dairy free, and no sugar added!  The trick here (if you want it to work the best) is to use a type of protein called casein protein.  Casein is not as affective for you post workout as at night, and should really only be used before a prolonged time in fasting (long time without eating).  It is a very slow acting protein and will supply your body over a longer period of time with good fuels.  This keeps your body out of ketosis during the night (your body thinks it is dying and slows down the metabolism to save fuel to survive, this is an old evolutionary trait) by having a constant supply of energy!  Another key thing to have with it is a good syrup.  I use a no sugar added E.D. Smith syrup that is in the picture below(not the best possible choice but close enough and all they had) but feel free to try different ones! Here it is the recipe:

2 large eggs
1 large spotted banana
1/4 cup protein powder of your choice (recommend casein unflavoured powder but I used vanilla)
1/4 tsp vanilla

upgrade: try adding cinnamon or no sugar added frozen yogurt on top

I mixed everything together using a handheld mixer and pour that in a waffle maker (pretty cheap units at walmart for around $30-50) and then I put frozen blueberries on top as well (not too many guys keep those insulin levels down).  All that was left was to add the syrup and I was all set!
Eating healthy isn't always eating bad tasting foods! Enjoy a great treat for positive gains!

Cheers!
Ryan Trueman
Ryan.Trueman@dal.ca