By: Kevin Larrabee, CSCS

This is a quick video I put together today as I got the final pieces of my personal trainer bag of tools. I hope you enjoy it. Also included in the post is the video of Mike Boyle doing thorasic extension work with the dual tennis balls.

Mike’s T-Spine Mobilization Video:

Get this Week’s Episode:

MP3 Download/iTunes/RSS/Odeo

Hosts:

Kevin Larrabee (Twitter), Leigh Peele, and Mike Robertson

Sponsors:

• TurbulenceTraining.com- Boost Muscle Growth and Blowtorch Bodyfat!!!
  
• BlackStarLabs.com (Save 10% with “FIT10″ code in Coupons section at checkout)
  
• RobertsonTrainingSystems.com - High Octane Corrective Exercise and Performance Enhancement

FitCast NEWS

• (This is great!) Is there anywhere I can watch more exercise demonstration videos like the one you posted last week?
  Apart enjoying to watch the sexy beast you are ( ) , they look very helpful, especially for people that workout by themselves ,as I do.
  Thanks and enjoy your holidays,

  Hila

  • Videos are coming soon, most likely Thursday or next Sunday
• Leigh’s Fat Loss troubleshoot
• TheFitCastInsider for $79
• Pomegranate Green Tea

Questions for Mike

• First off, we like to discuss music for training a lot on the show, what is playing in the IFAST facility?
• And what is new with RobertsonTrainingSystems.com?
• My question is about knees, overuse injury, so-called “patello-femoral syndrome”, and squatting.I’ve got pain in both knees, under the knee caps.  In addition to lifting, I play Gaelic Football (sort of a cross between rugby and soccer), and after the last summer season, my knees were in a lot of pain every night.  The orthopedist had X-rays taken, and there is no sign of injury, just some arthritis.  I’m 38.  He says I should no longer squat ass-to-grass, should not go below parallel, and preferably I should do leg presses instead of squats.  But I LOVE SQUATS!  I’ve read others saying that ATG squats are fine and just wrap the knees or take Ibuprofen for the pain.  I went to physical therapy for a few weeks.  Mostly they focused on glute and ham strength, saying I was quad dominant and that was probably part of the problem, and also the reason for pulling both hammies at different times this past summer.

  So my question is, can I really do ATG and just deal with the pain, or do I really need to change quad exercises and stop squatting all together?

  Thanks,
  Chris in Minneapolis

• I have recently recommended the Bullet Proof Knees book to my Dad, as he’s had knee trouble most of his life, and started playing tennis again about a year ago after about 25 years of inactivity (he’s nearly 60).  He’s had to wear a knee brace occasionally, and recently just started taping his knee, which he claims makes it feel a lot better.  He’s seen a doctor about it, and had knee surgery many year ago, the doc said it was just inflammation of the medial collateral ligament. I’m not sure if he was the one who recommended taping it up, but I’m would like to know what the purpose or benefit of taping the knee would be?  Also, what would be some corrective exercises to target the the the MCL.  I told him to avoid leg curls and extensions, and he told me the doc said the leg extensions are ’safe’, but not the leg curls.  I thought both were very stressful on the knees, what is your opinion on this?Thanks!
  -Jesse
  Lakeville, Minnesota
• I love the show and listen to ya’ll while I am patrolling the city that I live in. I would like to know a fast warm up that you prefer before lifting. I don’t have mush time to spend in the gym and want to use my time effectively. I hate to say this but I usually cheat on my warmup to get more time on my lifts. Also, I would like to start a lifting program in my police department. Most of the guys that I work with are out of shape and overweight. They would never catch a suspect that runs. Any ideas on what direction to start. Most complain about their size but have no motivation to do anything about this. Anyways so for the long question. I can’t wait to hear you on itunes.Thank You,
  Matt
• Mike, first off, thank you for all the great articles you have on your own website and others. You must spend a lot of time writing! In your newsletter interviews you often ask about mistakes made and lessons learned from them, so here’s your turn; what changes have you made recently from lessons you’ve learned? Thanks! -Craig
• I have mild scoliosis. Are there any exercises that I should stay away from? Are there any exercises I do should more often to help manage the scoliosis? -Matt
• I am a 49 year old recreational golfer in good physical shape. I weight train twice a week. I have just finished Mark Verstegan’s Golf specific training and am starting the New Rules of Lifting program.
  My question is after I play or practice golf I cannot sleep on my left shoulder because of the pain. I can move my shoulder through is full range of motion
  with no pain except in the morning. The pain clears up after I get up and start moving.  I also have some discomfort when I do T-push-ups on the left side. What can I do to correct this?

  Sincerely,
  Doug Calvin

By: Kevin Larrabee, CSCS

I have been a big fan of Tom Venuto’s stuff for a long time. He has helped thousands lose fat and put on lean muscle mass using scientifically back methods. First let’s talk about the use of EPOC, or Excess Post Exercise Oxygen Consumption. Putting it simply, exercising at high intensities, around 80-90% of max heart rate, and using short bouts of intense exercise (i.e. HIIT) causes your body to consume more oxygen, and burn more calories for up to 48 hours post exercise. Thanks to this effect, you will be able to burn an extra 200+ calories per day!

The best part of the Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle manual is that Tom has thrown in a ton of extra e-books such as: Foods That Burn Fat, Free subscription to the Burn The Fat Clients-Only Newsletter and The Burn The Fat Weekly Fat Loss Tips E-zine, How To Measure Your Body Fat in The Privacy of Your Own Home!

Here is some more info on the product:

Introducing “Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle“: A Complete Fat Burning System Based on The Secret Techniques of The World’s Best Bodybuilders and Fitness Models “Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle” (BFFM) is a 337 page fat burning success manual in downloadable e-book format, jam-packed cover to cover with all the fat loss methods previously known by only a small handful of the worlds best fitness models and bodybuilders. This program contains all the information you’ll ever need to help you melt away body fat permanently without muscle loss and without using drugs or unnecessary supplements.

By: Kevin Larrabee, CSCS

Hey everyone, I am back, blogging, and dropping some knowledge bombs. During my absense from blogging regularly, I think I have discovered the secret to succeeding when it comes to dieting and fat-loss. I didn’t do any research at the local university, or dig through dozens of studies, or discover a new root in the deepest part of the African rain forest. No, I figured it out all on my own.

Now what is that secret?

Well, it’s more like a “no shit Sherlock” kind of thing, but the secret is eliminating, “scheduled cheat meals,” all together. Now, before you close the browser and say to yourself, “Kevin just wrote the dumbest blog I have ever read, he should mail me $5 and a case of Spike for that waste of time” give me one more paragraph to explain myself. Deal?

You have probably heard of the 90% compliance rule from Dr. John Berardi. Personally, for my clients who are locked into their nutrition and training, I don’t think they should even consider it. From my experience, although limited, I have seen that one, “cheat meal” can lead to a, “cheat day”. For example, let’s say, “Paul” is planing a cheat meal for every Saturday that he eats whatever he wants. He decides to order a pizza at Noon. He polishes it off and figures, “I already ‘lost’ today in the never ending diet war, what will one more meal do?” And so it escalates.

Once you have programmed your body for that weekly cheat meal, you will have it every week until you break the cycle.

I agree the 90% rule will work for a portion of the population. Especially those who has been eating poorly and is more than 15-20 pounds overweight. But what about those who have 10 or fewer pounds to lose?

Now, my recommendation, for those that are serious about fat-loss, is to only use those cheat meals at special occasions like when you get tickets to the ball game, or when you are at a family event like a birthday or wedding. Why knock yourself off track and throw out the healthy eating habits you have learned for one, “cheat meal” that could sabotage the whole thing?

Yes, there are hormonal benefits to a scheduled cheat meal (see Leptin) that may actually keep the fat coming off, but again, I am mostly writing for the emotional eaters and those that can not control themselves once a cheat meal starts. Now ask yourself, what category do you fall into. Use the comments section to discuss, it will be interesting to see how many use scheduled cheat meals and how they handle them.

By: Brian St. Pierre, CSCS

Kevin has left his indelible mark forever at Cressey Performance. I highly doubt there will ever be another intern quite like him. His obsession with lame TV shows like Chuck, Heroes, Battlestar Galactica and that crappy Terminator show. His incorrect insistence that Star Trek is better than Star Wars, which we all know is asinine, along with his overall terrible taste in movies (Transporter series?). His relentless use of “that’s what she said”, at least 5-10 times per hour, often to his own comments.

He also has an incredible resemblance to George Costanza, with his very loud and random outbursts. Kevin is getting upset!

There are lots of other Kevinisms that I would love to cover that this small blog can’t even begin to serve justice. Even with all that ridiculousness, Kevin has transformed into a pretty good strength and conditioning coach.

As a CP intern, one of your main jobs is to teach clients the weekly dynamic warm-ups. Since this changes almost every week, you become very competent in a large variety of dynamic mobility work, and Kevin is certainly no exception.

Unlike a lot of other facilities, CP interns are expected to be hands on and coach their asses off right alongside Eric, Tony and I. It is much more of a trial by fire, and Kevin took to it well, always willing to jump in and coach, never showing hesitancy. That’s not even something I can always say for myself when I was a CP intern.

All in all, Kevin has earned my respect for knowing his stuff, showing his eagerness to learn, and an amazing ability to miss more bench press attempts than any person alive.

You can learn more about Brian at his website: http://brianstpierretraining.com

KL: Nate, can you tell the audience a little about who you are?

First and foremost, I’m a writer and author. I’m a contributing editor to T-Nation.com and have written for Men’s Health, Men’s Fitness, and Maximum Fitness magazines. With the help of Lou Schuler and Avery Publishing (a subsidiary of Penguin, one of the largest publishing houses in the world) my first book, Built for Show is in stores nationwide.

It’s weird as hell walking into a bookstore to see a picture of you staring back. I thought it’d impress dates if I took them to the bookstore. “Hey, look at this! This guy looks like he knows what he’s talking about!” Unfortunately, almost all of them went for Mario Lopez instead. Freakin’ Saved by the Bell, man. It’s killing me.

Any way, before all of that I had the privilege of bothering a lot of guys I looked up to in the fitness industry. (Many, if not all, have been featured on the Fitcast.) I was a personal trainer for four years, the last two of which I had my own studio and trained everyone from housewives to a few professional athletes.

But writing is where my passion is. So when I had the opportunity to work for T-Nation full time I jumped on it.

KL: Where did the idea for “Built for Show” come from?

I was at a seminar and some of the presenters were talking about “finding your niche.” Everyone wants to train athletes. Everyone wants to train fat people. I’ve done both, and while I’d have success in each, it’s just not the audience I want to talk to.

So I started thinking about my background and what I wanted in my body. And I started listening to all the guys who aren’t in the fitness industry.

I found the overwhelming majority of guys aged 18-30 just want a few things:

- A great looking, muscular body that attracts women and makes other guys jealous

- Strength to do cool shit in the gym and on the field (if they’re playing a pick-up game of football or whatever)

- Programming with specific goals and not a lot of time spent in the gym

Thankfully for me, it meshed perfectly with my philosophy and the methods I used to get to where I am now. (Until very recently I only trained three days per week for no more than 60 minutes.)

I’ll put it as simple as possible: I like to train hard and with purpose; I like to go out and meet women; I like to indulge in simple pleasures like whisky, wine, and the occasional cigar (in moderation, of course); and I like to live a lifestyle that serves me and my goals.

Built for Show is a training/lifestyle book for guys who want to live the life they choose.

KL: In your book you talk about the transformation you made physiologically, what did you change in terms of how you trained?

Well if you’re asking about the very beginning when I first started lifting, I was doing all of the typical things wrong. I wasn’t using mostly compound movements; I rarely trained my legs; I did way too many pushing exercises; I flexed my abs in the mirror like a little frat boy.

But once I determined what kind of body I wanted and why I wanted it, I started to look at my programming in a whole new light. When I was 18, I weighed 140 pounds. At 20, I weighed 180 pounds.

I now sit at 188 and am pretty happy with where I’m at. Now, with the help of Mike Robertson, I’m just working on my mobility and strength.

I always figured it was smart to talk with and learn from  guys who have done what you want to do.

But if you were to look at how I got to 140 to where I am now, it was all centered on basic principles (compound movements, little rest, heavy lifting) with some cool tweaks in exercise selection and programming.

For instance, I don’t consider myself a bodybuilder, a powerlifter, an “athlete”, or an Olympic weightlifter. I’m just a guy who wants a badass, capable body.

What I do is take different methods from each of those disciplines (along with a lot of others) to get to where I want to be. So the Built for Show programs have a lot of variety.

18 and 140 pounds

23 and 188 pounds

KL: Kind of off topic, but what advice do you have for young trainers or those who are still in college who want to get into the “industry?”

Travel to seminars, make an impression, be humble, listen, and act.

I took out a $1,200 loan to go to my first seminar on the other side of the country. I didn’t know anyone.

I brought a book as a gift for TC (the editor of T-Nation.com) and for Alwyn Cosgrove, the two guys who I really admired. I bought a copy of Magnificent Mobility from Eric Cressey and Mike Robertson and tagged along to a lunch with them.

I got back home and emailed everyone I met a “thank-you” note.

And whenever they gave me advice, I acted on it. I did what they suggested. That, in turn, led them to trust me more and let me “in.” These guys are my friends now, and I’m starting to “pay it forward” to help other guys.

KL: Who do you consider “must see” when it comes to seminars and why?

Alwyn Cosgrove because he’s the funniest, most-engaging presenter I’ve ever seen.

John Berardi because he can break down the most complex system into easy-to-digest sound bites.

Both Eric Cressey and Mike Robertson because I don’t understand half their shit and instantly feel smarter by listening to it. (And because they’re incredibly intelligent, badass coaches.)

And, for a non-fitness reference, Tim Ferriss, author of the Four Hour Work Week. Tim’s a friend of mine who simply amazes me every time I see him talk live or whenever him and I chat through e-mail.

KL: Finally, pitch myself and the audience the book, who is it for?

I don’t feel like I need to pitch Built for Show – the guys who’re reading this know if it’ll be good for them or not.

If they want a muscular, capable, strong body that attracts women, gets the job done (whatever the job is) and if they want lifestyle, nutrition, and fashion tips to help maximize their potential, then Built for Show was written for them.

Pick Up Built for Show HERE

The 30 or so days between Thanksgiving and Christmas tends to be the time of the year we put on the most unwanted bodyfat. Personally, I think it is because of the following reason:

• The obvious: Tons of junk food and home cooking surrounds you are holiday get togethers. You figure, what the hell, it’s the holidays, I will fix these habits on January 1st.

I have strayed from this quite a bit these last few years. It is OK to have a piece of apple pie on Thanksgiving or some Christmas cookies, but you don’t need to just throw your good nutritional habits out the window.

That brings me to the first FitCast Holiday Gift on 2008’s list. That is Warp Speed Fat-Loss. I did Warp Speed two months ago and went from 203 to a stronger, leaner 190 in just 28 days. Alwyn Cosgrove and Mike Roussell did an amazing job with this product in the way they layout the diet and training.

Mike literally tells you exactly what to eat for 28 days depending on your weight. And if you want he will give you guidelines to make your own meal plan. Alwyn’s workouts will take you about 60 minutes and will just cause body fat to strip away. If you have 20 pounds or so to lose, Warp Speed is a great way to get ready for the beach season or to just shed off that unwanted holiday body fat that you added.

Pick up Warp Speed Fat-Loss Here