Archive for March, 2009

Episode 129: Destination Abs: Phase 1

Posted by Kevin Larrabee On March - 31 - 2009

the-fat-loss-troubleshoot

Get this Week’s Episode:

MP3 Download/iTunes/RSS/Odeo

Hosts:

Kevin Larrabee (Twitter) and Leigh Peele

Sponsors:

A Little Back Story
  • How did this all come about?
  • How Did Leigh approach setting up the diet?
  • Weighing food
  • How did Kevin setup the training
  • The importance of pictures. Weighing/watching
  • posting updates

Questions from Listeners

  • Kevin,Have you had any constipation with the low carb diet? If so, what are some of the things you have done to combat this? Every time I go low carb constipatioin sets in. I have tried flax meal, 6 grams glucomannan daily, etc. But the “plumbing” still doesn’t move like it does when I’m eating oatmeal for breakfast and fruits 3-4 times a day. I am currently on a low carb diet (10 weeks in) and my body never adjusts as I have read. I eat anywhere from 1-2 cups of veggies with all 6 meals per day and drink 80-90 oz of water each day. Anything you or Leigh could recommend would  be great.Thanks,
    Jeff
  • Hi Kevin and Leigh,
    In creating Kevin’s nutrition plan, what specific factors were taken into consideration to make in individualized to him? Were there any hard and fast eating rule he stuck to besides calorie counting (i.e., no eating after 8 pm, avoiding certain foods entirely) or did you go for an approach that avoided these types of rules? Thanks for doing this for us to follow! -Mary D.
  • yo kevin! great job so far with the fat loss! as for the podcast with leigh it would be cool, if you could not only speak about your transformation but also about leigh’s book in general. you’ve mentioned those different phases before: how many phases does leigh’s book have and what do they consist of? and would be great if you could explain the refeed days (rules? kcals? for how long?…)all the best!
    ryan [switzerland]
  • Kevin and Leigh-Benn following the transformation online.Is FLTS a companion or replacement for the nutrition information I already own- PN 3.0 and Naked Nutrition?In general terms, how would I use the FLTS in conjunction with a program like Warp Speed FL?Once goals are achieved is there a plan that allows one to return to more normal eating and maintain leanness?

    Is  Body by Eats soon to be released or is part of FLTS?

    Any discounts for Fitcast listeners?

    Thanks,

    Mark

  • Destination ABS Podcast question.
    I’m about to start my own fat loss phase …Basically, 1000 cals under maintenance and low carb (usually under 50 g a day). How do go I go about setting up re-feeds (meal or day). Thanks. -Jesse
  • How important is sodium in getting abs?.. How closely do I need to watch my sodium intake to get lean. -Deana
  • Just curious about diet transitions. I mean, if I’m following one diet, the Metabolic/Anabolic/DiPasquele Diet, how bad would the transition to Leigh’s plan be? I’m the police cadet that emailed you guys a few months ago about fat loss with the diet. I’m down 15 lbs, but can’t drop any more. Also having a hard time with energy and sleep. Basically I’m interested in the transition from my diet to Leigh’s. Is there a section in one of the books? Does it even matter?P.S. Also what’s the difference between the oats, i.e. rolled, steel cut, and so forth?P.P.S. You guys are great, already got three other cadets to start listening. I’m trying to get them to buy Leigh’s plan so we can drop weight together. Thanks for the inspiration.-Kraig

PB2: The Ultimate Dieters Dream

Posted by Kevin Larrabee On March - 25 - 2009

pb2By: Kevin Larrabee, CSCS

I am a peanut butter addict.

During the Destination Abs Project I had one particular craving. A craving, dare I say need for peanut butter. The problem is that on such a low calorie diet I couldn’t dip my finger into the jar and satisfy my craving. Then, Leigh Peele along with a bunch of followers on Twitter mentioned PB2 as an alternative to peanut butter. I had used PB2 in the past, but not in about two years.

PB2 is basically what remains after a process that presses the peanuts to remove the fat. The end result still retains the great taste of peanut butter with 85% less fat and only 53 calories per two tablespoons. Here is some more info:

Two tablespoons of traditional peanut butter contains about 180 calories, while two
tablespoons (approximately 12 grams) of PB2 powder, and contains just 53 calories.
PB2 also contains approximately 40% protein by weight.

The first implementation of PB2 was in my Casein Pro shakes. I used two scoops of the Casein Pro protein powder with two tablespoons of the PB2 in a shaker, not a blender. The shake mixed perfectly, no chunks and tasted like I threw in two huge scoops of peanut butter. I am sure I am going to find a way to use this stuff in a lot of my meals.

The people at Bell Plantation also have a database of recipes that incorporate PB2 HERE.

PB2 now has a new sibling as well, a Chocolate PB2.

chocpb2-6

The chocolate PB2 has the same makeup of PB2 with added cocoa and sugar to give it the perfect balance.

Here are some ideas from Bell Plantation:

Delicious on graham crackers, fruit, “salty” crackers, as a
cupcake icing, ice cream topping, or in smoothies.

I haven’t tried the Chocolate PB2 as a dessert spread yet, but I have mixed 4 tablespoons in ice cold water to make a chocolate/peanut butter pudding!!! Tastes amazing for 100 calories.

Check out the Bell Plantation website and order some PB2, I promise you will not regret it!

Destination Abs: Week 4 (End of Phase One)

Posted by Kevin Larrabee On March - 24 - 2009

the-fat-loss-troubleshootBy: Kevin Larrabee, CSCS

Whew…There goes four weeks of intense fat-loss. This was easily the most drastic transformation my body has made since I dropped the initial 35 pounds when I was in high school. Was it as big of a number in terms of pounds? No. But the transformation in the mirror was pretty major. Wow, I can’t believe I made it four weeks. I think the biggest supporting factor was posting on TheFitCast.com each week and receiving comments from you and having that responsibility to not disappoint each week.

Don’t forget that Leigh and I are recording a special podcast this week to discuss the diet and training and answer any questions that you have about the process. Please send questions with the contact page.

Leigh Peele has put together the nutrition portion of this program and I have constructed the training program. If you haven’t read her book The Fat Loss Troubleshoot, you have no idea what you are missing. Leigh has a no bull shit approach when it comes to this stuff. If you are one of those dieters who has smothered the furnace that is your metabolism, Leigh’s book will do the trick to get that fire stoked.

Now time for the pictures:

First up is Front Flexed with Day 1, Day 21, and Day 28

frontflex2309

Now for Side. Again, Day 1, Day 21, and Day 28

kevinside2309

Finally Back, Day 1 then Day 28

backflex2309

Phase two began today with Chest/Tris. Yeah, I know, it goes against everything I believe in but I need to address some lagging body parts. Strength can sit on the back burner for a bit.

Episode 128: Put Some PB2 in Your Mouth

Posted by Kevin Larrabee On March - 22 - 2009

Get this Week’s Episode:

MP3 Download/iTunes/RSS/Odeo

Hosts:

Kevin Larrabee (Twitter), Jonathan Fass,

and Leigh Peele

Sponsors:

FitCast News

  • Questions for Destination Abs Special
  • Dave Tate Interview Postponed
  • Been blogging up a storm
  • Online PT
  • PB2
  • FLzine.com updates

QOTW

  • I stretch religiously! Unless I’m seriously time poor, I stretch for around 30 minutes at the end of my workouts. For me, stretching is as much about winding down and relaxing, as it is about maintaining – even improving – my flexibility. -KB
  • I am the type that only stretches when I am sore or tight. I do utilize the foam roller when I do stretch. I have been having some knee pain so I have been stretching alot. I love having a client that is a physical therapist. Have you ever had the chance to stretch on a power plate? it is great only had the chance one time at athletes performance but have yet to get them where I work -Daniel
  • I hardly ever stretch, which is why I have zero flexibility. However when I have the time, I’ll do a dynamic warm-up before lifting which makes me feel 100% better. I plan to start foam rolling and doing some extra stretching on my “off” days from lifting. -Lindsay
  • My girlfriend and I foam-rolled every time we trained. However, since moving to Boston for grad school this last Fall, I have not been very consistent with it. As for stretching, I do not static stretch. I do dynamic stretching and warm up specific to the lifting I intend to do each particular session. -Robert

This Week’s QOTW: Who influences you the most in your training?

Mailbag

  • Hey Kevin, Where can i buy a fitcast shirt and thong? -Jovana
  • My questions is around monitoring body fat percentage. I keep measurements and I weigh myself but I was wondering of a good way to measure. I know there are scales out there that show this but are they really accurate? I have to think no. Are calipers really the only way to go? They seem really subjective. I did Maximum Strength and had great gains in strength and then did WSFL and lost about 12 lbs. Is there a rule of thumb also (i.e. – I see 4 abs but have a little gut – 14-16% range..etc). I have been consistently lifting for around 2 years now and am 32 years old.
    On off topic – Kevin – A few podcasts ago you mentioned Transporter in the same breathe of Die Hard. Your man love for Jason Statham has gone too far. Die Hard maybe the greatest action movie of all time, definitely in the top three. Any thoughts on greatest action movie ever?

    Thanks for the hard work everyone. It is appreciated! -Andy, Chicago

  • Hey this is Rick the person that asked the question about the Blood pressure awhile back. I just thought I would give a progress report on how I am doing plus ask a question on warm-ups I lost 25 pounds doing a fat loss training regime since November ‘08. I still take the blood pressure medicine but the blood pressure is stabilized now. It averages 115/78 when I wake up. People have noticed i look healthier now after I lost weight the right way. I definitely want to thank you guys and my trainer for giving me great advice so I can enjoy life more. That is why we do this!!Now onto warm-ups. Tony, AKA Mr Manhattan- THE LORD OF THE RINGS RULZ!! GENTILCORE mentioned the importance of doing warm ups. I always think warm-ups is just riding the bike or some other cardio equipment for 5-10 minutes to get your heart rate up and break out in a lite sweat before you start training. What type of warm-ups are you talking about specifically? Can they vary due to the trainees goals? Pink Dumbbell?

    One other question why did all of you decide to pursue the fitness industry?-Rick

  • One of my female friends asked me to help her lose some weight. But there are a couple of problems. She’s about 2000 miles away, so I won’t necessarily be able to make sure she lifts with good form. Also, I’m not sure how to get her motivated to lift and eat right because, any tips for that or tips in general?
    Thanks a lot, -Blane P.S. I love the show, except that I’m trying to listen to all the old episodes and it gets in the way of doing homework.
  • Hi
    I would just like to say first how much I love listening to the Fitcast!
    I have a question about bulking. I am currently lifting 3 times per week using compound moves (squats, lunges, deadlifts etc) and have been eating 20% above my maintenance calorie levels on these days. On non-weights days I do some light cardio and eat at maintenance. I am struggling to gain weight with this eating pattern so it is obvious I need to eat more food!
    However, I was wondering whether it would be better to eat more on days when I lift and continue to eat at maintenance on non-weights days or whether it would be better to eat above maintenance on days when I do not lift? I really want to gain muscle but want to keep body fat gains to a minimum.
    Thanks in advance for any advice you can give me! -Emma
  • Hi Kevin -
    I enjoyed reading your article, “Muscle on a Budget.” I had a question in regards to the following statement:
    “One word of caution: avoid like the Bosu Ball any frozen vegetables that steam right in the bag in the microwave. Sure, it’s quick and convenient, but it’s also a great way to get a full days supply of xenoestrogens in every serving.”
    Now I understand that eating the veggies that have cooked inside of the bag would be a bad thing, but can you comment on the effectiveness of taking the product out of the microwaveable package and then preparing it in order to avoid xenoestrogen exposure? Is the risk from xenoestrogen exposure mainly tied to microwaving the veggies in their plastic container.?
    The only organic frozen spinach I can find that is NOT from China, is Cascadian Farms brand cut spinach. (I prefer frozen spinach b/c I would rather avoid the time spent cleaning spinach). The spinach is held inside a steamable plastic bag which is housed in a cardboard box. I have been preparing the spinach by removing it from the plastic bag and then boiling it in a veggie broth.
    Do you know if the veggies that have been put inside the plastic to begin with are already contaminated with xenoestrogens? I read somewhere that frozen veggies are first blanched, so I wonder if these blanched veggies are then quickly put into the plastic while hot from blanching (causing leaching) and then flash frozen. I know it sounds paranoid, but I wonder if I am just spinning my wheels by only removing it from the packaging.
    Thanks,
    Tom
  • Hi Gang!
    Pumped to see The FitCast at #10 on iTunes Top Audio Podcasts!
    I did a review for you Kevin. I hear you all but begging for them, so I thought I’d appease you, if only briefly!
    Keep up the great work guys. I’m loving listening and learning. I still have many episodes to catch up on, but am getting there. I aim to get through 3 each day, until I’m all caught up.
    Cheers,
    Kimmi, in Adelaide (Australia)
  • Hello, emailing from the frozen North, Cold lake, Alberta, Canada. I have a question that sort of ties in to your question of the week. With most of my workouts they call for rest of 60 or 90 seconds between sets. Some exercises are intense and I understand that I will need that time to catch my breath, but sometimes it seems that I’m just standing there waiting. Which is the best option for that rest time? Do some stretching for the particular body part you are using, foam rolling, sing out loud what ever is playing on my mp3 player, Or is it best to just sit there and do SFA. (sweet fuck all). As far as stretching now, I sometimes do it depending on how much time I have (yes horrible habit on my part). I currently do nothing for Foam Rolling, mainly because I am just hearing about this thanks to the Fitcast podcast.
    Also one more quick question. Which do you feel would give me a better workout? weights using the Metric system or the u.s imperial system?…. :) * ha ha*
    Thanks
    Chris.

Too Fat To Work? Want Free Money? THIS IS SAD…

Posted by Kevin Larrabee On March - 20 - 2009

PD*27594688By: Kevin Larrabee, CSCS

This is another news story that I just had to blog about. It is not funny, it isn’t cool new research about a life saving product or a new way to exercise that causes our body to lose fat faster. It is about a family in the United Kingdom that is mad about the compensation they are getting from the government while being out of work. Why are they out of work? It’s not because they slipped on ice and hurt their backs or because they all have a life threatening disease that keeps them immobile.

They are on disability because they are, “Too Fat to work.” Really? Really? (One more) REALLY?

The Chawners family haven’t worked in 11 years. They, “claim their weight is a hereditary condition and the money they receive is insufficient to live on.” The father of the family even went as far as to say, “What we get barely covers the bills and puts food on the table. It’s not our fault we can’t work. We deserve more. “

When they go into detail about their diet’s this is what they eat because “healthy food” is too expensive, “We have cereal for breakfast, bacon butties for lunch and microwave pies with mashed potato or chips for dinner.”

The last quote from the telegraph.co.uk article that really made me scream bull shit was from one of the daughters that is currently attending college, “I’m a student and don’t have time to exercise” she said “We all want to lose weight to stop the abuse we get in the street, but we don’t know how.”

WHAT.

THE.

F**K.

Really? I have clients that work 50-60 hours a week and still find time to exercise 4-6 hours per week. I went to college and exercised 6-10 hours per week and started this website, the podcast, was a resident assistant, went to multiple seminars around the country and read every book and watched every DVD about fitness that I could. That is not an excuse. If you “can’t find the time to exercise” then I am sorry, but you are just simply lazy.

Poor Tracy Anderson…

Posted by Kevin Larrabee On March - 19 - 2009

doing-it-wrongBy: Kevin Larrabee, CSCS

Uh-oh. Looks like Tracy Anderson’s new gym is in some trouble. As we mentioned before, Anderson and actress/clients Gwyneth Paltrow decided to go into the gym business and bring Anderson’s two hours/6-day a week workouts to the public. Well, it looks like things aren’t going so well for the new venture. The Huffington Post reported that the gym is have trouble obtaining members. It seems like the main reason is the price.  The “spy” that contacted the Huffington Post said,

“Membership is like $4,500 to join and then hundreds of dollars a month. Who can afford that right now?”

I could not agree more with this spy (and spies are cool anyways). Here are some more details on the membership’s cost:

“In addition to the monthly dues at the new studio, members must pay an initiation fee of $787.50 for six months or $1,500 for a year.”

Really? Thousands of dollars a year to use some f**king rubber bands and to see three story posters of Tracy’s plastic looking body? No thanks.

I beg all of the women that read this blog and listen to The FitCast. Educate your female friends about the BS that Anderson is spewing, because I can promise you that they have seen her or Paltrow talking about how you need to exercise two hours a day six days a week.

If you haven’t seen how Anderson trains her client’s check out this blog post from a few weeks ago. And to be safe, make sure there is no one around you within shouting distance.

Top 5: Trader Joe’s Products

Posted by Kevin Larrabee On March - 18 - 2009

trader-joes

By: Kevin Larrabee, CSCS

Why I Shop at Trader Joe’s

Last week I was reminded by podcast listener and online client Tim that I never wrote that Trader Joe’s Top 5 article that was promised months ago. Well, here it is. I talk about Trader Joe’s on the FitCast, a lot. I do about 80% of my grocery shopping there every week. I recommend all of my clients do the majority of their shopping there as well? Why? Because they have the highest quality organic products around at very competitive prices.

Every time I go to Trader Joe’s there are a few select products that I always seem to be picking up. These range from frozen vegetables, to meat products, to green tea, to eggs and egg whites, to peanut butter, and sometimes the occasional peanut butter filled pretzels. Now without further ado, here is my top 5.

1. 96% Lean Hamburger Patties : I am a huge fan of these 96% lean burgers because they are quick and easy to prepare and they taste great! Trader Joe’s does all of the work for you by packing the meat, separating them, and weighing them to make counting calories even easier. I will eat two of these a day, everyday. Who says you can only eat chick breasts on a low calorie diet? They are also pretty cheap, $4.50 for a 4-pack.

96lean

2. 50% Salted Almonds: The 50% salted almonds are the perfect balance for those who need some quick fuel on the run. I haven’t found better tasting almonds since discovering these while in California. I always keep a bag of these in my gym bag for when I need to keep hunger at bay in between clients.They are priced at $4.69

tj-5050almonds

3. Low-Fat Cheese: Who doesn’t like string cheese? Again, this is another great item that is easy to grab on the go for some quick protein.Also the shredded 3 cheese blend works perfectly in your morning omelets.

tj-cheese

4. Egg Whites: Again, another purchase to make life easier. These past few weeks I have been eating mostly egg whites for breakfast. having the egg whites all ready separated in a carton makes dieting a little less stressful.

whites

5. Bottled Green Tea: I drink at least one of these a day. Having chilled green tea helps me keep energy up between and while training clients. On my non-training days (no Spike days) I usually have two bottles. One client has recommended mixing the tea with seltzer water as well and squirting in a lemon.

tj-greenteaice



Destination Abs: Week 3

Posted by Kevin Larrabee On March - 17 - 2009

the-fat-loss-troubleshootBy: Kevin Larrabee, CSCS

Week 3 is now behind me. Again another tough week with the diet. I have had 100% compliance to Leigh’s guidelines. 100%. This is what it takes to get the fast results that you want be it fat-loss or muscle gain. As I write this I have one meal left in day 1 of my refeed. It is weird that I am eating carbs (about 400g) and I am not really enjoying them. Like they taste good, but it wasn’t like there was a party in my mouth and everyone was invited.

Leigh Peele has put together the nutrition portion of this program and I have constructed the training program. If you haven’t read her book The Fat Loss Troubleshoot, you have no idea what you are missing. Leigh has a no bull shit approach when it comes to this stuff. If you are one of those dieters who has smothered the furnace that is you metabolism, Leigh’s book will do the trick to get that fire stoked.

The training went well. I haven’t done crunches in like two years I think. Maybe more.

Here is a picture of the refeed food:

refeed-food

Finally here are the updated pictures. From Left to Right it goes Day 1, Day, 15, then Day 22.

(Day 1 then Day 22)

backflexkev1

(Day 1, Day 15 then Day 22)

kevinside

(Day 1, Day 15 then Day 22)

updatekev

Episode 127: Spike and Protein Don’t Mix (w/ Mike Boyle)

Posted by Kevin Larrabee On March - 15 - 2009

Get this Week’s Episode:

MP3 Download/iTunes/RSS/Odeo

Hosts:

Kevin Larrabee (Twitter), Jonathan Fass,

Tony Gentilcore, and Leigh Peele

Sponsors:

FitCast News

Question of the week responses:

  • Hey guys,Great episode this week, as usual.

    In response to the Question of the Week, no, I do not weigh my food, although as part of my Dietetic Internship I have weighed other people’s food (before AND after eating, AND to the nearest tenth of a gram!) during a rotation at the Irving Institute of Clinical Research.  If you thought Leigh Peele was anal, try doing a research study that involves calorie counting!

    The show also made me wonder how many people actually understood what Jon meant when he said “p.o.” before Cass explained it.  I’m doing clinical rotations now and abbreviations like this one have been so ingrained in my head that I didn’t think anything of Jon’s use of the term until Kevin gave the “Nerd Alert.”  I realize that Fitcast listeners come from many different backgrounds and some have an extensive clinical background while others probably had no clue what the heck Jon was talking about and it would be interesting to see how other listeners felt about this.

    Keep up the great work as always,
    Manny

  • Yes, I weigh my food with a digital scale. Leigh’s video on how easy it is to mismeasure food was all the incentive I needed. -Amanda
  • In regards to weighing food: Yes, I weigh everything when I’m home. For nuts, I have saved various sized scoops from powdered products and found which ones correspond to a serving for each kind so I don’t have to weigh my daily rations of almonds/pecans/Brazil nuts. -Weldon
  • YouTube Preview Image

Mailbag

  • hello fitcast crew,thank you for the fascinating answer to my previous question a few months
    ago about stance training. i was truly honoured to receive the joint
    pink-dumbell award for that episode. I’ve got two more questions that i
    hope you could answer.

    1. When i do bodyweight squats, my legs reach about parallel with the
    floor at the bottom of the movement. When i do front squats with a
    moderate weight (8-10 reps), i can go down into a full squat. But when i
    try single-leg squats, i find it quite hard to even get down past 45
    degrees. This seems to be a big limiting factor in my ability to go into a
    low kung-fu drop stance, which places the vast majority of your weight on
    one leg. Do you have any tips for improving my this? I already do other
    single-leg exercises like lunges and Bulgarian split squats and don’t have
    any major problems with those.

    2. Do you have any ideas for improving finger strength (think gripping,
    clawing or jabbing with the tips of your fingers)? Most grip exercises i
    have heard of seem to work the gripping muscles in the forearms as opposed
    to the fingers themselves.

    thank you very much,

    from kazim in china

  • I hope this is where I send the mailbag questions. Please file this under “Mailbag”.
    The show is great. Keep it up. Kevin, you need more nerd tweets. My question is about Red Bull. I love Sugar Free Red Bull. I actually own PoweredByRedBull.com. I like it, like Kevin likes Spike Shooters. What are you thoughts on SF Red Bull? Is it terrible for me? I love Red Bull.

    Thanks. -Matt

  • I have tried fish oil in the past and always get the after burb effect. Now there is a lot of hype over the quality of fish oil and I was wondering what a good brand and a good price to pay for quality fish oil would be. All any of the podcasts I listen to every say is “don’t cheap out” on the fish oil. I agree, but they never give a brand recommendation.So what brands of fish oil do you guys take and where can I get it online? What are some things I should look for when selecting a brand of fish oil?

    Thanks,

    Shannon

  • I’m about to have shoulder surgery (labrum repair & sub acrominal decompression) at the end of April. Rehab on the shoulder is looking at 3-5 months. Any suggestions on exercises I can do while my shoulder is out of commission. I recently made big strides in strength but I need to get body fat down. I’m thinking this is a good time to stop worrying about adding strength and mass and just worry about leaning up. Also any thoughts of pre surgery exercise to either help the rehab out? Thanks guys, love the podcast. -Charlie
  • Hey guys.. I have 2 questions about something that I think everyone experiences but doesn’t think much of. It would be great to get your opinions. 1) What causes DOMS? I believe that the common misconception is that it is due to lactic acid, but that is a myth right? lactic acid is flushed out pretty quickly. I understand that it is due to microtears and breakdown in the muscle fibers. If this is true, wouldnt it make more sense for me to be more sore an hour or two after I lift rather than 2-3 days later. I swear, if I do something that I havent done in a while, even like snowboarding for example, sometimes I am most sore like 3 days after. WHY? My second question kindof depends on your answer to the first question, but from my understanding, DOMS is basically a side effect of the muscle repairing itself, which is essentially how you build muscle. However, if this is true, then why do we try to minimize muscle breakdown by things like ice baths and anti-inflammatories. Arent we just preventing what we are ultimately trying to achieve. Thanks guys, I look forward to hearing your answers -Nilo
Q&A with Mike Boyle
  • Hi KevinI really enjoy your podcasts, but I must admit I am a few episodes behind.  I’ll have to listen to Episode 126 soon.  The stuff on low back injuries is always a good to review.

    My question is fairly simple.  I am trying to figure out the difference between split squat exercises and lunges.  To me they look basically the same.  Is there a difference with regard to form and muscles trained??
    Thanks for the info!!

    Catherine

  • Mike,
    I’ve enjoyed your talks at Perform Better Seminars several times. You were the first to introduce me to foam rolling.

    My 3 day a week strength workout is fairly intense. Very little rest between exercises and lasts 30-35 minutes (not counting rolling prior to and stretching afterwards). I finish off with a 4 minute Tabata routine with a band attached to the wall and my waist using various lateral and forward sprint patterns. This really helps my movement on the tennis court. My pulse maxes out around 170 (I’m 52 years old).

    My question is: I cool down on an Air Dyne immediately after the Tabata. It would be very easy for me to maintain a relatively high pulse (150) with very little effort because I’m tired from the workout. Is there value to steady Energy System Development at the end of a workout when you’re exhausted and it’s easy to maintain a high pulse just using a steady pace? And if so, how long would be beneficial?

    Thanks,
    Craig from Stone Mountain, GA

  • Hey Kevin, I’m loving the show.I’m a 47 year old male, 5′10, 180 points, pretty solid build.

    I’ve been focusing on pull-ups for the last few months, and have built up to 4 sets of 15 -17 each set every morning. I’m loving them. I change my grip every set — palms in, palms out, wide grip, narrow grip, etc.
    Lately, however, I’ve developed a pain in one elbow. The injury seemed to start in the joint — like tennis elbow — but now seems as much in the forearm muscle near the joint as in the joint itself. It seems like a tendon strain to me, but my joint “cracks” (like cracking a knuckle) every so often when under strain.

    I’m not a fan of taking a bunch of medicine, and don’t want to start in on a bunch of anti-inflammatories. I’m not too excited about a cortisone shot either. I’d hate to stop doing pull-ups since they are doing good things for me, plus they are so convenient. Is there anything else I can do to keep up with the pull-ups without the joint/tendon/muscle pain? I’d appreciate any advise.

    Thanks, and keep up the good work.

    – Brian

  • How do you assess your new clients be it a high school athlete or an office worker -Sam
  • Mike you emphasize single leg training, how do you transition an untrained individual to doing more single leg work?
  • What’s new at StrengthCoach.com and what should we look out for in the near future?

Top 5 Fruits

Posted by Kevin Larrabee On March - 13 - 2009

Fresh or Frozen, Local, Seasonal and Organic are best choices.

By: Brian St. Pierre, CSCS, CISSN

This article was one of the most difficult of the series. Only Top 5 vegetables was probably a harder list. There are a ton of really healthy fruits that I just had to cut. Needless to say, there are probably lots of fruits that depending on the day I might switch in with something on this list. On this particular day, this is what I decided.

1. Wild Mixed Berries
– (blue, rasp, straw, black, cran, goji, coffee, noni, acai, etc.) Berries as a whole are nutritional powerhouses, and if I separated them they would probably constitute this whole list. They can help joint health, heart health, cancer prevention, macular degeneration along with a host of other benefits from their plethora of antioxidants and phytonutrients. Enjoy them fresh or frozen in all their varieties, preferably organic.

blueberriesrasp

2a. Kiwifruit – Kiwis are an often overlooked fruit, as they almost taste too good to be so healthy! They have twice the vitamin C of oranges, and are one of the most nutrient dense fruits on the planet. They are very high in fiber and potassium for a healthy heart. Kiwis have been shown to not only prevent oxidative DNA damage, but they have been shown to help stimulate repair of the cellular damage that has occurred. The peel is rich in healthy enzymes, just for good measure.

kiwi

2b. Cherries – Cherries are loaded with antioxidant compounds that are anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, and anti-cancer. They contain the wonderful quercetin, an anti-cancer compound. They also contain ellagic acid, like raspberries, a powerful anti-tumor compound that causes cell death (apoptosis)  of cancer cells, with no change to healthy cells. It is also anti-viral and anti-bacterial. One more compound of note  is perillyl alcohol. New research is being done to understand the mechanisms, but it has been shown to inhibit the tumor growth of pancreatic, stomach, colon, skin and liver cancer.

cherries

3. Pomegranates – Enjoy either the fresh seeds and pulp, or even indulge in a few ounces of juice everyday as this will help lower blood pressure, improve cardiovascular health, and possibly help slow aging. Pomegranates are also shown to help prevent LDL cholesterol oxidation, help prevent blood clotting, slow the growth of prostate cancer, and improve erectile dysfunction. They also contain potent anti-microbial properties.

pom

4. Grapefruit – Grapefruit contains a good amount of lycopene, a powerful antioxidant shown to help prevent prostate cancer. They also contain limonoids, phytonutrients that inhibit tumor formation. They have also been shown to decrease cholesterol, incidence of kidney stones, and also help the liver remove carcinogens. Grapefruits are also somewhat effective for weight loss, especially if you have metabolic syndrome, as they improve insulin resistance.

grapefruit

5. Red Delicious Apple – This apple has the most antioxidants of any apple, mainly due to its deep red color. Apples, like cherries, contain quercetin, which is a powerful natural anti-inflammatory that may help prevent Alzheimer’s and heart disease. It is also high in pectin, a great soluble shown to help lower LDL cholesterol. Apples are also high in boron, which may help prevent osteoporosis and arthritis.

apple

Wrapping up, your best bet is to just get several servings of fruit per day, whether they are on this list or not. Fruit is nature’s candy, so enjoy.


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