One of my favorite studies to date -

Feed: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness News From Medical News Today
Posted on: Thursday, July 03, 2008 8:00 AM
Author: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness News From Medical News Today
Subject: Weighing Up The Benefits Of Weight Watchers Vs. Fitness Centers

View article…  

Buy a Weight Watchers Cat - free with any Snuggie purchase

In summary the study took two groups of overweight individuals and put one group on weight watchers only – no exercise. The other group did exercise only, no diet changes. The results – weight watchers group lost 9 lbs average, and the exercise group lost very little weight over the 12 weeks. BUT – this study took it further and looked at the body fat changes, as well as the specific fat loss around the abdomen (the more dangerous fat). Turns out the weight watchers group lost mostly muscle mass, and very little fat, while the exercise group lost very little weight, but had lost a significant amount of bodyfat, while gaining muscle mass (hence the minimal changes on the scale).

In addition a CT scan of their abdominals showed the weight watchers group lost very little abdominal fat, while the fat lost in the exercise group was primarily from the core area – reducing their health risks significantly.   Why is this important?     The results showed that although participants that did diet only (weight watchers) had lost more weight than those that had gone to the gym – they were simply lighter fat people. Their body composition had not made a favorable change. In other words they had lost muscle but kept the fat.  

 These people had great results on the scale but horible results in real life. This is a big reason why we have a yo-yo phenomenon. When these participants go off the diet, because of their reduced amount of muscle, their metabolism will ultimately be slower and therefore they are going to be more prone to gaining weight once they stop the program.   Think of it this way – when you exercise you are telling your body ‘hey, we need this muscle at least 3 times a week for an hour of hard work so don’t get rid of it’. Not only will you be holding on to more muscle, but that muscle is what will be responsible for burning up fat.

Remember that show Temptation Island?

With that being said, remember that you can’t exercise your way out of a shitty diet. Unless you are Micheal Phelps. That is part of why the participants in the exercise only group had made such incremental – although better than the weight watchers group – changes. These people on a basic exercise routine had lost very little weight, but had made a favorable body composition change – losing fat, & gaining muscle.

The bottom line is – you need to do both. Watch what you’re eating by tracking it in a food log – do the math, learn about what’s going in your mouth. Then follow this up with exercise including strength training to build and maintain muscle mass and you will be well on your way to a leaner, healthier, stronger you!

 Eat healthy, and exercise smart – If you’re just starting out – try this…

 3 rounds of:

 15 pushups

 15 TRX pullups

 15 squat jumps

 Rest 45 seconds and repeat.

Still have more? Finish with 20 minutes of cardio (5 min warmup, 10 minutes of 1 min running, 1 min walking, 5 minutes cool down jog)

Enjoy the sweat!

1. Planning - If there were a best ab exercise – this would be it. Taking the time to plan out what you’re eating, and look at the foods you’re putting into your body is essential for fat loss. The best site out there is www.sparkpeople.com – a free online food log that is better than any weight watchers online program.

2. Showing up - Showing up for your workouts is the 2nd most important factor in losing fat. And I don’t just mean from January to March, I mean staying consistant and making it a habit. You know that lady you work with who dropped 50 lbs doing tae bo, and the other lady who dropped 20 lbs by walking – their secret? They stuck to it.

I used to be obese, until I found Nutrisystem.

3. Build the muscle - We all have a ‘six pack’ – it’s just either covered in last years cookies, or isn’t prominant enough to show through. Most likely it’s a combination of both. A complete exercise program and a proper nutrition program including a food log will help you burn the fat – but as for the exercises to build the muscle you have endless options, none of which are better or worse – as long as you do them. Not sure where to start? Here is a beginners Core Workout

The 20 minute six pack

That should give you somewhere to start, but that’s only a start. If you want a strong core you need to do the basic exercises we focus on here at RBX – Barbell Squats, Barbell Deadlifts, Reverse Hypers, Good Mornings, etc. This is important because with a strong core, you can squat more. Why will squatting more help you in your quest for the abdominal snow man (get it? ellusive and rarely seen…ha!)

Really? The Risk/Reward Ratio is just slightly off here... Ms Cleo says "I see a baaad day in yer future"

Well, when you’re in the gym you have a few options when it comes to exercises but if you’re like most normal people with a life and a job you have limited time. You need to focus on movements that get you the most bang for your caloric buck, and the easiest way to do this is to focus not on bicep curls, but movements that involve large muscle groups and multiple joints such as the squat and deadlift. There really is beauty in strength!

Side note – Speaking of strength – Our very own L.J. Hackett competed in his first powerlifting meet on December 5th. He didn’t do well, he did phenomenally well – Squatting 560 lbs, Bench Pressing 355 lbs, & Deadlifting 500 lbs for a elite total of 1415. All of this at 148 lbs. According to www.powerliftingwatch.com this was the 4th highest lift this year in North America at this weight. Did I mention he works 60+ hours a week, and still manages to fit in 2 hour workouts. If you have the chance send your congratulations to L.J. – his hard work and dedication is contagious and an inspiration.

L.J. - Part human, part cyborg. He had his blood replaced with deisel fuel last year.

Back to six packs – where was I? We talked about how important diet is, showing up for workouts, training your whole body, you saw the basic abdominal training program… oh, what happens when that one gets easy?

This is something we’ll get to later – I believe you need to train abdominals much like any other body part – you want it big (to show through) and strong (to keep your core strong for those important muscle builders the squat and deadlift – this is where true long term fat loss comes in).

The Green Chair, Water Bottle, Awkward Beach Goer Workout.

If you want big, strong biceps you don’t go into the gym, or beach in this case,  and grab a bottle of water to round out 1,000 reps of curls. You grab a heavier weight that will get the muscle to failure at or around 8-15 reps. The same goes for abs. Keep an eye on the blog because in the next few weeks I’ll be posting some of the more advanced core work we do here that is not for the beginner. In the meantime stick to what i’ve outlined above and in a few months you’ll find that friend you haven’t seen since high school.

If you like the blog, tell your friends! and if you ever have questions you’d like me to cover in a future post please leave them in the comment box below!

Welcome to RockBridge Capital...

 There’s a reason they are still out of breath and sweating up to a few hours after our workouts. I used to think you had to cool down from a workout. Why? I don’t know, I was just told that in my personal training course. I was also told to split body parts up and only do 3 sets of 12 isolating every body part using as many expensive machines as I could and wow – I had a lot of overweight clients that were getting no where. I knew there was a better way – and I found it! When I’m dealing with the busiest person in the world (everyone who comes through the door) – it means I get to see them at the most, 3-4 times a week for about 45 minutes. That’s if I’m lucky. What that means is we need to maximize our time as much as possible. I don’t have time to sit beside them while they jog on the treadmill staying in their ‘fat burning zone’. If we are doing anything, it will for sure be based around building muscle – muscle that will be burning calories all day everyday – whether you or I see them or not. But that doesn’t mean getting your heart rate up isn’t important. In fact, most of our strength training is done at highly elevated heart rates. We just chose to get there by using exercises that build muscle too.   

Bicepasauras

  Here’s the kicker - in the last 5 minutes of our workout there is no cool down - we’re just getting started – I want my clients to be doing ‘physiological cardio’ during the car ride home. In order for this to happen we’ll do one of the following:    

• 500 m all out timed row on the concept 2 rower – our best rower (he did it for the first time only a few months ago) has an official 1:23.3 500m row – try beating that next time you’re in the gym!
• 10 lengths of sled sprints with 110 lbs
• Tabata intervals on the cross trainer or stationary bike (:20 sec sprint, :10 sec rest for 4 mins)
• KettleBell Matrix (12-15 KB swings moving down in weight then back up)
• Tabata Strength Intervals (2 rounds of 4 exercises :20 sec on, :10 sec rest)

Each of these takes under 5 minutes to complete but is an all out effort. You leave the workout at an intensity level of 10 out of 10 – this takes time to recover from. Sometimes hours. That means hours that your heart rate is elevated – in most cases into a fat burning zone – and there you are – not on the treadmill, but in your car, or on the couch, or at your desk, continuing to burn calories! That’s the kind of cardio I really enjoy! Physiologically your heart rate is at a level equal to walking on the treadmill, or riding the bike. It’s a clever training system called EPOC – Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption, which basically means you are burning calories even after you’ve stopped your workout.Use this in place of your cool down and I can guarantee you will be seeing better results!

Grandma, could you do a V-look up on this data table for me?

You know what’s fun, trying to explain to your gradmother how you have internet on your cell phone that syncs with your email at work. She’s still trying to grasp the concept of indoor plumbing and I spring this on her!

Things have changed alot – in technology and in society in general. Work and life stresses are way different than they were 20,30, 40, and 50 years ago.

You know what hasn’t changed? Our biology. Not only did my grandmother walk uphill to school both ways in the snow, she had to fight off saber tooth tigers the whole way.

Eat your Frosted Flakes!

Speaking of tigers – in the past, i mean a long long time ago, we humans had only two types of stress. Stress hormones would be present in only one of two situations

1. Short term – like running from tigers. We would have a huge rush of stress hormones that would trigger the fight or flight reaction. For the record, I would fight the tiger.

2. Long term – like a drought. This typically meant food was scarce, our body was stressed, but over a longer period of time. Our body learned to survive by storing energy.

Nowadays the closest thing to a drought is when we have to wait for Heather to get back from the store with more beer during the game. But, yes – this too is very stressful times.

Instead long term stress comes from work, family, money etc. Living with these stress hormones present over the long term does one thing – keeps that extra cupcake from last christmas sitting right abover your belt line. Good news though – exercise can help relieve stress and with proper nutrition will help you drop the extra weight you’re about to put on these holidays. Here are some other keys to fighting off stress from www.americanheart.org :

Enjoy the holidays – get out and get active!

I have one client who works out with me twice a week and does pilates once a week.

I have another client who trains with me 3 times a week and does yoga once a week, dance class on another.

Which one is providing the best results?

The funny part about some of this is that there are a lot of similarities between what works in RBX and what works for something like Pilates.

At RBX we try to use the best of the best – powerlifting, kettlebell training, crossfit, even pilates & yoga.

Putting a powerlifter in a room with a pilates instructor and having them find out which has the best approach to fitness would be like putting the ceo of cats in talks with the President of dogs… ok it’s a friday these jokes will just have to do – try to keep up.

Note - RBX does not endorse or support cat/dog karate fights in any way.

The reality is when you look at the similarities there are more than you may think. Powerlifters want to be strong. they train with jump stretch bands and chains for accommodating resistance. Pilates uses springs. Pilates focus is on building a strong core, powerlifters rely on core strength to perform the lifts required in meets.

The same goes for fad diets. If you look for the differences you’ll miss out on the similarities. For example look at south beach, weight watchers, & jenny craig.

Each of them require planning ahead.

They all provide social support.

All three have some type of calculating of calories.

They all use portion control.

They all have you start with a food log.

The other differences probably don’t matter. These are the keys to their success. There’s a great book out by Dan Buettner called The Blue Zone. In it he looks at the longest living populations throughout the world. Instead of looking at just one and writing about what they did to live longer than dust, he looked at several and wrote about what they all had in common. They all were non smokers, had strong social networks, were active for long periods of time, and ate healthy. surprisingly none of them drank acai juice or did herbal cleanses. Weird…

YOU look like you need a colon cleanse...

Just a side note here – I get approached by people on a regular basis trying to get me to sell the latest superjuice or acai/mangosteen/golgi berry supplement that will cure cancer and eliminate your dog’s morning breath – all while making you richer if you sell it to your friends. Here’s something they all have had in common – they were all salesmen, and none were nutritionists or dietitians. Again – it’s like me offering investment advice.

Sorry for the rant, back to the blue zone – some others contributed their long lives to other factors that likely didn’t matter in the long run.

If you’re looking for a solid fitness program, and a solid diet approach – keep an open mind and look for the similarities between programs that provide real results.

Those are the things that really matter.

Eat well, find a program that you actually enjoy, and show up – that’s the key to getting results.

Responsible for headbanging

Then, gold’s gym expanded and before you know it we have gyms with machines by the hundreds and yep – we are the fattest nation in the world.

It’s all the bodybuilder’s fault. Cardio in the morning, strength training in the evening, isolating your chest on one day and your bicep the next. Who has time for this and if this shaped the fitness industry, then why are we so fat? *note- Mcdonalds also may be slightly at fault*

The problem is – training like a bodybuilder works… for bodybuilders. Bodybuilders are extremely committed athletes ready to sacrifice their fruity pebbles if it means a better placing in competitions. This guy, however, may not be:

Yes you did...

And basically this is a more accurate picture of the average american. OK, maybe not the actual picture but you get the point… They work crazy hours, there’s a 60% chance they’re overweight or obese, are usually sitting at a desk most of the day and are lucky to get into the gym twice a week for 30 minutes. Your program needs to adapt and you definitely need to be getting off the machines. You sit all day – how much sense does it make to go in, sit down, relax, and work out?

So during this 30 minutes of workout time you have two choices – weight training or steady state cardio. One burns calories, one burns calories AND builds muscles. Muscles are responsible for your metabolism, which burns fat all day every day as its primary fuel. It’s an easy choice.

Strength training will build muscle and burn calories which will ultimately lead to increased metabolism and higher amounts of calories burned all day every day. Therefore everyone should be strength training right?

Not really – If you don’t like it you shouldn’t do it…

Aw Ryan! I can't believe you just said that!

Hopefully you are all throwing up in your mouths right now.

You need to do strength training, even if you don’t like it. Why? Because it’s what works, and i’m not just talking about for fat loss, i’m talking about preventing sarcopenia (muscle loss due to aging), keeping metabolism high, joint’s healthy, preventing osteoporosis, and attracting the opposite sex. All very important things!

Alwyn Cosgrove has a great article outlining the hierarchy of fat loss -

1. Correct Nutrition

2. See #1

3. Activities that burn calories, promote muscle growth, & elevate metabolism (Strength Training & Strength Training Circuits)

4. Activities that burn calories and elevate metabolism (Cardio Circuits)

5. Activities that burn calories and don’t necessarily maintain/promote muscle mass (Steady State Cardio)

He goes on to talk about the fact that if you only have 2-30 min sessions each week – do all number 3. If you have more time, add in number 4, and if you have even more time and enjoy watching paint dry, try number 5.

Even if you are a marathon runner, you should be doing strength training. Even if you’re on a diet dropping weight faster than Paris Hilton drops her pants – you need to be strength training.

Do it because it works.

Exercise Nerd’s Note – If you do decide to start with cardio, at least add in some hills, or high intensity intervals split with periods of rest. Not only will you burn more calories, but you’ll keep burning more even after you’ve stopped thanks to a wonderful phenomenon called EPOC – more on that here

If you don’t have a clue when it comes to weight training, 1. get a trainer to help you, 2. start with high intensity interval cardio workouts. 3. Start anyway – yes there’s a risk of injury, but not doing it you have a risk of becoming sedentary which will pretty much guarantee you’ll get an injury. Pretty easy decision if you ask me.

Start at the gym, find something you’re passionate about and keep at it. Talk to a trainer, and unless you’re going into bodybuilding don’t train like one.

Are frozen veggies just as healthy as fresh? Because I’ll be honest, buying fresh veggies is about as convenient as a 7 hour layover in Chicago.

Bored at the Chicago Airport - This guy has a killer haircut

This guy also had a denim shirt on. Denim shirt, jeans & a denim jacket - aka the Canadian Tuxedo

 Turns out frozen veggies get a worse wrap than an airplane bathroom, once you get used to it – it’s not that bad. It’s like the walls are giving you a hug.

Anyway, let’s look at two twin green peppers, one goes the fresh route, the other frozen. They are both picked at the peak of freshness but the fresh one gets a small blemish and doesn’t get chosen for a few days until my frugal aunt picks it off the discount table. As the pepper ages it loses nutrients faster than Kate Gosselin loses her temper.

Turns out frozen veggies are just as good as fresh, and may even be better because they’re preserved at the peak of freshness. You will lose a little bit of nutrients depending on how the veggies are cooked, but this is true for both fresh and frozen versions

Add to this the fact that they are way more convenient and wow, I’m buying stock in broccoli… Get it? Broccoli stock.

While I prefer the taste of fresh I think the convenience of frozen out weighs the benefits of fresh.

I forgot a few fast women we have running on sunday as well. Jen Gorham & Amanda Mason are running, as well as two from my bootcamp – Emily Brown & Tracy Lobao. Best of luck to everyone on Sunday!

Too many lunges?

Speaking of fast women – Heather cooked up a nice dinner last night thanks to a recipe from Mrs. Krebs.

In a slow cooker combine the following and let cook on low for 6 or 7 hours:

3-4 Chicken Breasts

2 boxes of chicken broth

2 cans of northern beans

2 jars of medium salsa

Top with shredded cheese.

It’s delicious and best of all it’s impossible to mess up. Do you think that’s why they call it a slow cooker? Even slow people can get it right?

All the Best!

Ryan Swan

Meal 1 – “The Healthiest Breakfast in the World”. I stole this from Dr. Mohr and I have to say it really may be the best breakfast in the world.

1 whole green or red pepper chopped

3 big handfuls of spinach (chop this up if you don’t want chunks… mmmm spinach chunks)

Step 1

Add 2 omega eggs & 4 egg whites

2 Omega Eggs, 4 egg whites - notice how much darker the yolks are

I scramble all this together and once cooked add about 1/4 cup of reduced fat shredded cheese. Note – I hate fat free cheese more than I hate Axl Rose for breaking up Guns & Roses. Stick with reduced fat and start living a real life.

Here’s what the finished product looks like  -

I call this spinacheesypepperegg

Meanwhile behind the scenes i’ve been toasting a Better Start English Muffin. Top it off with 2 tblsp of Almond Butter or Natural Peanut Butter and a piece of fruit (peach or apple are my weapon of choice). Please note the sliced fruit is not just because I knew other people would be impressed with how good my plate looks, but that I’m completely convinced that sliced fruit tastes better. Oh, and I’m Canadian so of course I eat my eggs with ketchup.

I didn't pick out the flowered plates...

Breakfast
	Calories	Fat	Carbohydrates	Protein
Egg, fresh, 2 large	149	10	1	12
Egg white, 4 serving	68	0	1	20
Peaches, fresh, 1 medium (2-1/2″ dia) (approx 4 per lb)	42	0	11	1
English muffins, Thomas’ English Muffin, 1 serving	120	1	24	4
Peanut Butter, smooth style, 2 tbsp	190	16	6	8
Spinach, fresh, 3 cup	21	0	3	3
Green Peppers (bell peppers), 0.5 cup, chopped	19	0	5	1
	609	28	51	48

At about 10:30 I had the following snack

About 12 Strawberries, Yogurt & a pack of walnuts/almonds/raisins

At 1 I had the following lunch

Turkey & Roast Beef Wrap with Hummus & Mixed Veggies

Lunch
	Calories	Fat	Carbohydrates	Protein
Turkey breast meat, 4 ounce(s)	118	2	5	19
Beef Lunchmeat (roast beef), 3 oz	151	3	5	24
La Tortilla Factory – Low Carb Tortilla, 1 serving	50	2	10	5
Hummus, 2 tbsp	46	3	4	2
Cheddar Cheese, 2 oz	229	19	1	14
Mixed Vegetables, frozen, 1 package (10 oz)	182	1	38	9
	775	30	63	74

Yogurt #2 & A Protein Bar

Snack (AM & PM combined)
	Calories	Fat	Carbohydrates	Protein
Clif Builder Bar, 1 serving	270	8	31	20
Dannon Activia Peach Yogurt, 4 oz., 1 serving	110	2	19	5
Dannon Activia Raspberry Yogurt, 4 oz., 1 serving	70	0	13	5
Trail Mix, 0.3 cup	208	13	20	6
	658	23	83	36

1 cup of Chili, pack of veggies, an apple & about 15 rice crackers

Dinner
	Calories	Fat	Carbohydrates	Protein
Large Chili, 1 serving	280	9	21	25
Green Giant Frozen Mixed Vegetables, 1.5 cup	100	0	22	4
Apples, fresh, 1 large (3-1/4″ dia) (approx 2 per lb)	125	1	32	0
Rice Crackers (15)	104	1	22	2
	610	11	97	32

	2,651	FAT  92	CHO  294	PRO  190
	2200 – 2550	49 – 99	248 – 414	75 – 223
d

 I recently read a book called “When you eat at the refrigerator pull up a chair”. In it the author talks about how she ate her way to well over 300 lbs, one small bite at a time. She realized that most of her meals were a hodge podge of whatever she wanted from the fridge.

A 12 pack won't get you a 6 pack

 She explained that a real pull up a chair, knife and fork, table set meal was a rarity when she was eating for her, but if she had friends over she would put on a spread worthy of a king and queen. Candles, tablecloth, utensils, and well prepared meals. It hit her that she would never think of having a guest over and standing at the fridge with them saying, here’s a bite of peanut butter, and here, have a nibble of this leftover, how bout a spoonful of this ice cream – it’s low fat…

Once she started treating herself with the respect she treated others with her eating got under control.

 Dr. John Berrardi talked about this in his recent blog post on how clean eating can make you fat -

 He talks about meal plans that are super clean for the average person rarely work because of these extras that are unaccounted for.

 You can still go broke even if you only shop at the dollar store. My girlfriend has this disease… anything under $15.00 is basically free in her mind. Trips to target often result in $200 worth of $10-15 items.

 We had an intervention… she’s been doing much better.

On another note – Jackie Krebs and I made a deal that we would drink 2 glasses of water at every meal for a week. There’s no specific 8 oz or 10 oz measurement. Just two honest glasses of water with each meal. Try it – can you last a week? I’ve made it 5 meals so far. Breaking goals down and tackling them one at a time can result in greater success.