Tools of the Trade

What's old is new again in the fitness industry. All of the cutting edge research supports using simple "old school" lifts for gaining muscle and losing weight. One of our clients mentioned that a celebrity was demonstrating their workout on one of the morning shows recently and she was using a "kettle ball" (kettlebell). The celebrity trainer commented that this was the latest training tool and that every trainer should be using one. We have these "kettle balls" at our gym but they certainly aren't new. If I'm not mistaken, the Russians have been using them for like 100 years. We also like to flip tires, hit things with sledge hammers, and throw med balls, work with Olympic rings and all manner of fun and crazy exercise. Are these exercises more beneficial than regular weight training movements? No. Are they more fun? Hell yes!

I have been as heavy as 265 lbs with a 62 jacket during my heavy lifting days and as light as 190 during my bicycle racing and triathlon days. I thoroughly enjoyed each and every phase of training that I have experienced and I especially enjoyed working with the tools of the trade. Whether it is a titanium skewer for my road bike or a bench press shirt for power lifting, I just love new equipment.

I can't tell you how much fun it is to build and test different pieces of strength equipment. My latest project is called a slosh pipe. It is an 8 ft piece of 4 inch pvc piping filled 2/3 with water and weighing 42 lbs. It is an absolute monster on your core. Just standing and holding the slosh pipe can be an adventure much less walking, lunging, pressing and etc.

Who new you could have so much fun with plastic pipe? See video.



Until next time,

Rick Mayo

Navy SEALS

I was up late a few nights ago watching the idiot box (heaven forbid I read which might actually put me back to sleep). As someone who is normally asleep by 10, I was surprised at the number of infomercials that come on at that hour. Surveys must reveal that everyone who watches TV after midnight is unemployed and overweight because half of the commercials were for attorney services and truck driving schools and the others were for fitness products.

Three of the products were advertised as, “Created by Navy SEALS”. Really? I have never served my country but I love to read books about our great military. I recently read Lone Survivorand I don’t remember anything in the book about rotating pushup handles or hanging straps with cozy foam handles. I don’t doubt that the people responsible for these products served in the SEALS but I wonder if any of these products are actually used by the military in the training of our elite fighting forces.

Apparently, tagging a product with the SEALS name is very beneficial for marketing purposes. I’m always looking for revenue opportunities so here you go: “Now Available- The Most Effective Strength and Fitness Tool on the Market Today- The Training Log. That’s Right- This is a Real Piece of Wood the Size of a Telephone Pole Designed for Lifting and Rolling. Works Great on Cold Sand Dunes. Order Now!”

Oh yeah, “Designed by Navy SEALS”

Hooyah!

Rick Mayo

Smart Guy

Jack was pretty darn smart! Make sure you watch the whole video (the middle is a little cheesy).

Enjoy

Strength Training for Kids

I am often asked by clients, "At what age can my kids start lifting?" My answer is always the same- Right Now. Most people think of their own workouts when defining weight training. This usually involves exercises using some type of external resistance (weights). What we have to remember is that there are number of ways to create resistance for the body and our bodies don’t know the difference. Example: a push up is essentially the same movement as a bench press.

According to the NSCA, there are no adverse affects of proper strength training on the growth and development of kids. On the contrary, there is a boatload of evidence to support the positive benefits including but not limited to:

Increased Strength
Increased Lean Tissue
Increased Sports Performance
Decrease in Sports Related Injuries
Weight Control
Improved self-confidence

The key is that the program is age and experience appropriate. Youth programs should be designed using basic movements and not body building routines. There is no room for Dad’s preacher curls in Junior’s strength program! A simple active warm-up followed by 4-5 compound exercises is all that it takes.

We start youth training as early as age 8 at our studio. At this young age we use mostly body weight exercises (push ups, pull ups, body weight squats, jumping, running and etc). As a matter of fact, this is exactly how we start our adult clients. Once you can handle your body weight easily (it takes a while), then and only then do we add external resistance. If you can’t do 20 perfect push ups, you have no business on the bench press.

The video above features my 12 year old son performing a few movements that we use with kids his age that have some strength training experience.

Until next time,

Rick Mayo

Paralysis through Analysis

As a personal trainer and fitness business owner, I field every imaginable question regarding health and fitness. Naturally, many of those questions are about nutrition. It dawned on me the other day that some people just don’t understand the basics. This lack of understanding can lead to confusion and ultimately the failure of the client to reach his/her goal.
There are many new diets on the market these days. Also, some oldies have seen a resurgence in popularity. Most of the diet plans tout the carbohydrate as the source of all evil, attributing everything from cancer to obesity to this nasty macronutrient. The truth is that successful diets are simply a reduction in overall calories regardless of their specific nutritional makeup. I will admit that it is easier to overeat carbs more than other foods but they certainly will not make you gain weight if they are kept in check.
This leads to my point about paralysis through analysis. I had someone ask me at a dinner party recently, “I heard that carrots will make you fat cause they turn to sugar and then to fat. Is that true, because I hate carrots?” The person who asked the question was holding a half empty plate of brownies in one hand and a Pina Coloda in the other. The point is that without looking at the bigger picture, it is pointless to fret over fruits and veggies that may cause a slight rise in blood sugar. Also, although I am fully aware of the recuperative properties of protein, something tells me that 2 lbs. of bacon and 10 eggs is probably not the healthiest breakfast choice.
The best diet should include all of the food groups in moderation taking into account portion control. Read our success stories and you’ll see that the clients with the most short and long-term progress live by that rule. So next time you are wondering about the dangers of the artificial sweetener in you diet soda, put down the burger and biggie fries and head home for a carrot or two.

Until Next Time,

Rick Mayo

Good Read

I just finished "The Starbucks Experience" for the second time. If you work in the service industry, you owe it to yourself to read this book.

What were we thinking?

I actually saw this video on another blog and thought it was hilarious! Kinda makes you wonder what we will be laughing about in another 50 years.

Squats vs Crunches

This midsection belongs to NPPT trainer Anthony Wilkins. 99.9% of guys who train with us want to have leaner abs. There is a common misconception that extra crunches or other ab exercises will produce abs like Anthony's. The truth is that you must have a very low level of body fat to have visible abdominal muscles. The abdominal muscles are not that large, thus they do not require much energy. The legs, on the other hand, are your largest muscles and demand high levels of energy. The more energy (calories) you use the leaner your will body will become. Since squats use more muscles than nearly any other exercise and require more energy, they are far superior to crunches in producing a leaner midsection. You have a few extra minutes in your workout and you want to focus on your abs? Skip the crunches and stay in the squat rack.

Ready, Fire....Aim!

I was talking with a friend of mine, Clyde Odgen, about some marketing projects that I had in mind. Clyde owns a really cool marketing firm in my town. After listening to my lofty ideas and my proposed timeline for the project, Clyde simply stated, "Rick, it's like I tell all of my clients, just get started! If you wait to launch your ideas until everything is perfect, it's not going to happen." At the time it seemed like such a simple statement but Clyde had just identified the number one challenge of an OCD business owner! Just get started and work out the details as you go.

I thought about this theory the other day at the kick-off party for our 3rd annual Fall Back to Fitness Challenge. At the challenge I spoke about strength training and its benefits for weight loss. We even demonstrated a dumbbell workout that could be performed at home with little or no equipment. I was having a conversation with one of the participants and he said, "I can't wait to get started on my new workout program. I'm going out this week to purchase some new running shoes and then I am going to look at treadmills at the mall. Do you know where I can one of those multi station workout machines? I'll train every day once I get that stuff. I am psyched." The truth is by the time this poor guy receives all of his equipment the 6 week contest will be over and he will be stuck with some really expensive clotheslines in his basement and no fitness accomplishments.

A better plan--Quit waiting and take action. Even minor changes in your nutrition and exercise habits can result in great success over time. Walk for 20 minutes after dinner, drink three extra glasses of water....... Everything counts.

Any grammatical errors in this blog should be evidence that I have made great strides to overcome my OCD! How about you?

Ready, Fire...Aim,

Rick Mayo

Pilates Body

This is a picture of southern California trainer Lauren Brooks. She has the quintessential “Pilates Body.” Want to guess how Lauren got these long, lean muscles and low body fat? I’ll give you a hint, it wasn’t with Pilates or yoga. You see, Lauren practices and teaches heavy strength training techniques using kettle bells, Olympic lifts, and other basic “manly” lifts.

I get asked at least once a week, “How can I get a Pilates body?” I usually respond by asking, “Can you put your legs behind your head?” There is no correlation, but at least now I have their attention. Pilates has been marketed as an activity that will not only give you a lean, muscular core but will also actually lengthen muscles and give one a ballet dancer’s body. Not true. This myth is partly due to the fact that Pilates has been practiced by dancers to promote range of motion and functional flexibility for dancing. It’s easy to look at these bodies and forget that they dance eight hours a day and eat bean sprouts for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Let’s look at the claims. First, your muscles attach to bones at each end and as far as I understand, those don’t change length after your teenage years. If your femur bone is 20 inches in length, no amount of stretching will change that. This means your thigh muscles will be no longer than 20 inches in length no matter what you do. Secondly, a lean and muscular midsection is a result of low body fat levels in the abdominal area. Pilates is very beneficial for flexibility, but it falls short in the fat burning category.

Since we have established that it is impossible to actually lengthen your muscles, let’s talk about how to change the way your muscles look. Muscles, like fat cells, only change in two ways: they get smaller or they get bigger. Though it may seem counter-intuitive, you want to make your muscles bigger. Now before you conjure up visions of a professional wrestler, remember that muscle takes up very little space in relationship to fat. The larger your muscles, the faster your metabolism. Thus the more calories you will burn resulting in lower levels of body fat. The only way to make your muscles grow is high intensity strength training. Lauren is a perfect example. She lifts very heavy weights for low reps and she is tiny.

“But I feel long and lean after my Pilates class.” Great! That’s how activities like Pilates are supposed to make you feel. I am not asking you not to do Pilates or any other mind/body activity. I think these activities are fantastic for flexibility and relaxation. I just want you to be realistic about why you do it and the results that you can expect.

Until next time,

Rick Mayo