Got Passion?

18 08 2011

***This is an excerpt from a newsletter I wrote to all the EXL clients this last April, so it’s a little out of season, but the message is timeless.***

This time of year is challenging for me.  I find it hard to transition from winter to spring, from ski season to mountain bike season.  Because the snow has been so soggy I’ve forced myself to do a few spring bike rides.  Ya, I was slow.  A ride that normally takes me 90 minutes took me close to 2 hours.  I can probably chalk it up to being out of biking shape, but more importantly I contribute it to a lack of passion.  My heart just wasn’t in the ride.  Passion is what drives us to excel.  I will find my passion again for biking, it’ll probably take a few miserable spring ski adventures, but I will find it.

“If there is no passion in your life, then have you really lived? Find your passion, whatever it may be.  Become it, and let it become you and you will find great things happen FOR you, TO you and BECAUSE of you.” T. Alan Armstrong

Speaking of passion, I recently had the opportunity of training an individual that I believe epitomizes passion.  Some of you know him, he’s been a regular 6am camper for the last 3 or 4 months and he has gone through an amazing transformation.  His name is Stanton.  Stanton is a gym teacher at Orem High School.  He came to me at the end of last year asking for my help.  He told me he was going to win the Gold’s Gym Body Transformation Contest that would begin at the new year.  He told me he didn’t have the money to pay for my services, but he would once he won the contest (I believe there was a $1200 purse for the contest).  I was impressed, so impressed that I took him up on his offer.  I would train him and he could pay me later. For the next 3 months Stanton was the first camper at boot camp showing up early everyday.  Not only did he do the regular boot camp workout he doubled up his exercise by performing cardio intervals in the evening.  As far as nutrition went we worked on eliminating the bad habits for the first month, then we worked on eating healthy…lots of lean protein, veggies and healthy carbs. In month 2 we started rotating his carb intake.  Never once did he give me the excuse, “But, Mat, I can’t eat that much protein.” or “Mat, I’m so sick of cottage cheese and chicken.”  He was passionately chasing his goal.  I could’ve told him to skip backwards down State Street while shaking a shake weight would’ve helped him lose a few extra pounds and he would’ve done it.  Passion and compliance, it’s a magical formula for success.  Now, Stanton won’t know the results of the contest for a couple of weeks. To be quite honest, the results don’t matter.  In my eyes, Stanton has already won.  He is a champion.

Champions do not become champions when they win the event, but in the hours, weeks, months and years they spend preparing for it. The victorious performance itself is merely the demonstration of their championship character.  T. Alan Armstrong

My challenge for you is to find your passion.  What is it that drives you to workout?  To plan out your meals?  To skip dessert?  Is it to look good naked?  Or maybe you want to feel younger, healthier, stronger…?  Whatever it is find it, grab a hold of it, internalize it.  Write your passion down.  Write in down in powerful language that describes your fire within.  Post it in places  so that you will see it often.  And then share your passion with others.  If you can’t go through the simple task of writing it down or muster the courage to share it with family and friends, then how passionate is your passion?  Passionate enough to be a champion?

Passionately,

Mat “the trainer”

Not that it matters, but, here are Stanton’s before and after pics…and not only did he win the state wide contest he won his age division nationally and was runner up overall…Well done Stanton, my friend!!!

Drop the white socks, sport a smile and a spray on tan and you too can have a transformation like Stanton...oh yeah and a whole lot of sweat.


Comments : 1 Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Categories : Boot Camp, Competition, Fat Loss, Nutrition, Training

Supplements are they just a bunch of crap?

12 08 2010

I get hit up all the time to attend a meeting to check out “some new, miracle juice company…with an ‘optional’ business opportunity.”  The self-proclaimed “nutrition experts” rhapsodize about how the secret ingredient cured their aunt’s incurable cancer, helped Little Timmy grow back his severed leg and that it could even help me file my taxes.  Or, I get clients bringing in bottles of pills and powders they bought from  a local vitamin store asking me if they are any good.  My point is, is that supplements are a huge part of my industry (health/fitness).  They are a huge money-maker and can be a huge waste of money.  As Americans we are always looking for the quick and easy way to get results.  I get asked frequently, “Mat, what can I take (supplement/pill) to get “x” results?”   My initial answer is start with 6 small meals a day with 20-40 grams of protein, at least 2 servings of vegetables at every meal….

Looks like the party is on the bottom row...sign me up!

Supplements are exactly that…supplements.  Start with eating a diet full of whole foods with lots of vegetables, fruits, lean protein and healthy fats.  This alone will make more difference than a bottle of pills.  That being said, once you have that habit created there are some gaps in your nutrition and things you can add to assist in ideal health, optimum body composition and workout recovery/intensity and performance.  This is where supplementation comes in.

Before I get into what supplements I recommend, let me paint a picture of the current supplement industry.  Supplements like protein powder, multi-vitamins, fish oil, creatine, chondroitin etc. fall in to the category of “dietary supplement”.  Food is considered a dietary supplement.  They are not under the same regulation as drug companies because they are “not intended to cure or heal an illness” though they can have similar affects and likewise side affects (1).  Because it is a dietary supplement manufacturers do not need to report to the FDA to prove the claims made by their products.  They merely need to prove that they are safe to ingest or use.  They also do not need to prove that what they are advertising is actually in their product.  These flaws have sparked many debates on the safety of supplements.

Tod Cooperman, M.D., president of ConsumerLab.com, a company that’s tested more than 1,900 dietary supplements for quality and purity states, ”One of every four supplements we’ve tested had some problem.”   For example, ConsumerLab.com analyzed Nature’s Plus Ultra Chondroitin 600, a joint-health supplement that claims to be “the highest potency, most concentrated chondroitin supplement ever developed.” But the lab results showed that the product didn’t contain even trace amounts of chondroitin. Multivitamins are even worse, an astonishing 52 percent of those tested didn’t make the grade according to ConsumerLab.com testing. Worse, many of these multis contained excessive amounts of lead, prompting the nation’s second-largest supplement retailer, Vitamin Shoppe, to pull one of its multivitamin formulations from store shelves.(2)

Supplement roulette, pull the trigger and see if you win.

Companies have been known to spike a new product with prescription drugs to elicit  better results in order to steal market share and increase future sales.  Another “trick” is stacking an expensive, popular supplement with less expensive products in a “proprietary blend” to increase the perceived quantity of the expensive component while saving costs for the manufacturer.(2)

“But, Mat, what about all the unbelievable before-and-after pictures some of these products have?”

In 2007 makers of Xenadrine, EFX, Cortislim, One-A-Day WeightSmart, and TrimSpa all agreed to settle out of court for $25 million on claims of false advertising.  Investigators found before-and-after subjects actually lost weight by diet and exercise, not by popping some pill.  In fact, the same investigators found that members of the placebo group in the company’s own research actually lost  more weight than the supplement takers did (2).  Wow!!!  These companies actually skewed their results with subjects that “cheated” by actually exercising and dieting…hmmmm. (check out this link to some pics of some “cheaters” that have gone through EXL Fitness Boot Camp)

In an effort to control this insanity, the FDA has stepped in and is requiring supplement companies to comply with current good manufacturing practices by June 2010, and to manufacture with “controls that result in a consistent product free of contamination, with accurate labeling.” In addition, the industry is now required to report to the FDA “all serious dietary supplement related adverse events.” (3)  This is definitely a step in the right direction, though it has been pointed out that the FDA is severely undergunned to follow through with these heightened regulations and loopholes still exist in the upcoming regulations that will most likely be exploited by some dietary supplement manufacturers. (4)

So what supplements do I recommend?  The correct question should be, “What brand do I trust?”  Very few companies have complied with the new regulations (there are a few months before the deadline), but Prograde has already received an “A” rating with GMP (good manufacturing practices).  I’ve been in the industry for a long time and I’ve been frustrated finding a brand I could trust.  I found some MLM companies with great products that actually went through the same testing as  pharmaceuticals guaranteeing a great product, but they were crazy expensive and I wasn’t really into asking my friends and family to come attend a meeting on a jungle juice with a business opportunity, plus a juice doesn’t give me protein or healthy fat I was looking for too.  From the current dietary research I knew the supplements I wanted.  When Prograde started a few years ago by some prominent fitness professionals that were sick of the low quality, over hyped products I was skeptical they could pull it off, but the company has really stepped up to the plate offering all the supplements I recommend save one…glutamine.  But, the other products are sound and I recommend them without hesitation.

1.  Multi-vitamin

2.  Protein powder

3.  EPA/DHA (the essential oil in fish oil)

4.  Workout/recovery shake

5.  Glutamine

6.  Meal replacement powder

So in review, supplements can assist you in reaching your fitness goal, however, they are no replacement for proper exercise and nutrition.  When choosing a supplement base it on the quality of the brand, not on convenience or price.

Stay Fit,

Mat “the trainer”

PS- Please make a comment on these supplements or your experience with supplements.

PS- Pass this post on to anyone looking to improve their health, energy and physique.

PPPS- Word of the Day: rhapsodize (RAP-suh-dayz) verb.  To talk with extravagant enthusiasm.

Mat Gover BS, CSCS and Pam Gover CPT are Orem fitness boot camp instructors, personal trainers, and real world fat loss experts. They also own EXL Fitness & Performance, a personal and group training studio.   To book Mat to speak at your Utah Valley company, club, or organization please contact him by email at matgover@mac.com or by phone at (801) 836.7185. For a free one-week trial to his Orem boot camp to experience the best personal training in Utah Valley please call Mat or drop by the gym (1623 N State St, Orem right next to Costa Vida).

1.  US Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994

2.  O’Connell J. (2007). The untold dietary-supplement scandal. Men’s Health.

3.  U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2007-06-22). “FDA Issues Dietary Supplements Final Rule”. Press release. Retrieved 2008-09-10.

4.  Liva R. (2007). New FDA cGMPs for Supplements: Smoke or Substance?. Integrative Medicine Journal.


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Categories : Nutrition

7 Best All-Around Exercises

10 06 2010

About a year ago I posted an article called “The 7 Worst Exercises”.  It shocked a few people because the list contained a few beloved exercises like the “Thigh Master 2000” and elliptical trainers, exercises a lot of people thought were great exercises (read the post here and learn which others made the list and why).  After posting the article I had numerous people ask me, “Mat, what are the 7 best exercises?”  I just figured I had written and spoke enough about all the good exercises that I didn’t need to make such a list.

So let me reiterate my criteria for a “good exercise”.  A “good” exercise incorporates multiple muscles and multiple joints.  It also incorporates multiple planes of motion, requiring balance, mobility and stability.  These criteria rule out almost every exercise found in a big box gym.  Machine exercises are out and so are single joint movements like bicep curls and tricep extensions (2 favorites in a typical gym).  If you attend EXL Fitness Boot Camp or train at EXL then you are familiar with literally hundreds of such exercises.  But, the list is for the TOP 7.  These exercises, I feel, give you the most bang for your buck.  Meaning rep for rep you will train more muscles, and accelerate your metabolism and get real world strength more than any other.  So put away your pink dumbbells and as much as I love Richard Simmons, I’ll have to ask you to put away the “Sweatin to the Oldies” workout video.  These exercises really crank.

The Original P90X

  1. Turkish Get Up:  Ideally done with a kettlebell, but can be done with a dumbbell or barbell or even small-ish people.
  2. Snatch:  I don’t care if you do the snatch with a dumbbell, kettlebell or barbell it rocks and it’s challenging!  It requires full body explosive power, hip and shoulder mobility and it taxes the core big time.  My personal favorite is the kettlebell snatch.  It’s referred to as the czar of kettlebell exercises.
  3. Pull-ups are king for a strong back.  But, I’m going to take it step further…rope climbing.  Not only do you get a strong back and improved posture, but you get the added advantage of working grip strength.  There is a direct correlation with grip strength and shoulder strength.  The stronger your grip the stronger your shoulders and vice versa.  Have you every shook hands with a guy that has perfect posture and  great shoulders?  He could probably bring you to your knees with his grip.  And the other situation is true…if you can’t open a jar of pickles then you most likely don’t have good posture or nice looking shoulders.

    or is it?

  4. Deadlift:  No this isn’t some stunt Edward does in the new Twilight movie (ya, I live with some Twilight-addicts), but rather an awesome full body exercise focusing on lower body and upper back.  I actually prefer deadlift to squats for many reasons.  One, it does not load the spine like a squat.  Two, it’s extremely functional.  Meaning, it’s your go-to motor pattern (or should be) to lift anything heavy from the ground.  Three, it works on grip strength (see pull-ups and the reference to manhood above).  Four, it’s unique in that it targets two of the most common weaknesses…upper back and glute stength.  Ninety percent of all people walking through my door for the first time suffer from poor posture (upper back strength) and gluteal amnesia (inability to fire glutes).  Don’t know what a deadlift is?  Well, it’s basically a squat in which you’re pulling a weight (barbell, kettlebells, medicine ball, dumbbell) off the floor. At first glance one may think deadlifting is bad on your back, it’s actually the contrary.  It’ll build a strong back and an awesome “nut cracker”…glutes.

    Good Point

  5. Push-ups:  You can’t get simpler or more functional than a push-up.  It can practically be performed anywhere.  They are great for improving shoulder health.  Not only do push-ups work the upper body, but if done with perfect posture, the core is activated as well.  No equipment is needed and there are a million variations to challenge even the strongest of push-up aces. In the video below I demonstrate spiderman push-ups which really engage the core.  Here’s a link to a post I wrote on push-ups=> Push-Up Boot Camp.
  6. Rear Foot Elevated (RFE) Split Squat:  I wrote an entire blog article on this exercise (The World’s Best Lower Body Exercise).  Couple this with an upper body exercise like a dumbbell curl and press and you’re talking serious full body carnage.
  7. Heavy Sled Pushes:  Ask anyone that trains at EXL about sleds and they will probably blurt out some form of an expletive and then smile and tell you how you need to try it.  Not only does it work the lower body in an extremely functional fashion, but the whole upper body and core work together as well, not to mention the metabolism blast you receive.

Of course, these are my choices.  What are yours?  Make comments below, I’d love to get feedback.

Stay Fit,

Mat “the trainer”

Mat Gover BS, CSCS and Pam Gover CPT are Orem fitness boot camp instructors, personal trainers, and real world fat loss experts. They also own EXL Fitness & Performance, a personal and group training studio.   To book Mat to speak at your Utah Valley company, club, or organization please contact him by email at matthetrainer@me.com or by phone at (801) 836.7185.  For a free two-week trial to boot camp and experience the best personal training in Utah Valley please call Mat or drop by the gym (1623 N State St, Orem right next to Costa Vida).


Comments : 4 Comments »
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Categories : Boot Camp, Cardio, Core, Fat Loss, Training

Nutrition Tip #8 Fiber Facts

30 04 2010

Tip #8
Fiber Facts
by Dr. John Berardi

Shoot for about 40-50g of mixed fiber per day, but no more. The absolute lower limit is 20g per day. Your main fiber sources should be (in order of importance): vegetables, beans, nuts, fruit, and grains (like oatmeal). If you eat 1 oz of mixed nuts, 1 apple, 2 cups of kidney beans, and 2 cups of mixed vegetables each day, you’ll be getting 41g of fiber. Also, a small amount of supplemental fiber is okay. You can get soluble fiber from psyllium, guar gum, and apple pectin, and insoluble fiber from flax seeds.

SEE ALSO:
This tip is sponsored by Precision Nutrition – my pick for the best nutrition and supplement resource currently available. Containing system manuals, gourmet cookbook, digital audio/video library, online membership, and more, Precision Nutrition will teach you everything you need to know to get the body you want — guaranteed.

Order Precision Nutrition now and get $50 off!

Why fiber?  Fiber helps lower cholesterol, control blood sugar level, and aids in satiety and colon health.

Stay Fit,

Mat “the trainer”

Mat Gover BS, CSCS and Pam Gover CPT are Orem fitness boot camp instructors, personal trainers, and real world fat loss experts. They also own EXL Fitness & Performance, a personal and group training studio.   To book Mat to speak at your Utah Valley company, club, or organization please contact him by email at matthetrainer@me.com or by phone at (801) 836.7185.  For a free two-week trial to boot camp and experience the best personal training in Utah Valley please call Mat or drop by the gym (1623 N State St, Orem right next to Costa Vida).


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , ,
Categories : Nutrition

Whey…No Whey??

28 01 2010

Why do most protein powders contain whey?  Click the link below to find out.

http://exlfitness.getprograde.com/whey-protein-questions.html

Stay Fit

Mat “the trainer”

Mat Gover BS, CSCS and Pam Gover CPT are Orem fitness boot camp instructors, personal trainers, and real world fat loss experts. They also own EXL Fitness & Performance, a personal and group training studio.   To book Mat to speak at your Utah Valley company, club, or organization please contact him by email at matthetrainer@me.com or by phone at (801) 836.7185.  For a free two-week trial to boot camp and experience the best personal training in Utah Valley please call Mat or drop by the gym (1623 N State St, Orem right next to Costa Vida).


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , ,
Categories : Fat Loss, Nutrition

Healthy Holiday Nutrition Tip #1

10 12 2009

Hey, I know you know this.

You know you know this.

Fail to plan, plan to fail.

You can’t just HOPE you’re going to behave yourself at holiday parties.

You can’t just do the same old things you’ve been doing.

You can’t just miss breakfast have a light lunch and then go to a party filled with temptation and not go a little insane on the cheese platter ;-)

You have to plan your meals.

You have to plan your workouts.

You have to set your goals in stone.

You don’t want to be the person that comes out of the holidays 5 to 10 pounds heavier, do you?

If you don’t plan your strategy from preventing it, well, you can PLAN on getting some new clothes that fit your new size.

This is far from doom and gloom. You can still enjoy your favorite foods at parties. You can still have a great time.

But what you can’t do is just have a free-for-all and stuff your face with everything put in front of you.  You know that.

Tell you what: Plan on taking a nice 30 minute walk this weekend and do some solid thinking about what your plan will be. And when you get back home, put it on paper and commit to it. And think about how great you’ll feel about yourself when January comes after you’ve followed your plan. Oh, and be sure to reward yourself to by doing something special for yourself.

Stay Fit,

Mat “the trainer”

PS – As a proud Prograde Nutrition partner I have to remind you Prograde is having a heck of a Holiday Blow Out on ALL of their awesome products. Everything you need, including the coupon code to save 15% on all Prograde Nutrition products is right here: http://exlfitness.getprograde.com/specials.html Hurry because this deal expires this Friday, December 11th at 11:59pm EST.

Mat Gover BS, CSCS and Pam Gover CPT are Orem fitness boot camp instructors, personal trainers, and real world fat loss experts. They also own EXL Fitness & Performance, a personal and group training studio.   To book Mat to speak at your Utah Valley company, club, or organization please contact him by email at matthetrainer@me.com or by phone at (801) 836.7185.  For a free two-week trial to boot camp and experience the best personal training in Utah Valley please call Mat or drop by the gym (1623 N State St, Orem right next to Costa Vida).


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Categories : Fat Loss, Nutrition

Delicious Protein Pancakes

25 11 2009

It’s been a great year here at EXL Fitness and Performance. And I’m very grateful for you being a part of that success. This week being Thanksgiving I want to make sure I’m showing you how grateful I am.

But before I do…

Let’s get serious for a moment. You’re going to eat a LOT of food this Thursday. You know it. I know it. And that’s ok. I’m sure you’ve been working out just a little bit harder to prepare for it, anyway? ;-) And I know you’re going to get a good workout in on Thursday before you chow down, right? (current camper/clients: you should have received an email giving you access to an awesome workout you can do at home or on the road, the only equipment you need is a chair or bench).

Now, besides that, I also want to remind you of one thing you do NOT want to do on Thursday, and that is skip meals so you can stuff yourself with one big one. That’s a no-no.

You still need to start your day right by boosting your metabolism with a solid breakfast. Especially if you finished the “kick your trash” boot camp workout I sent you, or played a mean game of “Turkey Bowl”.  So to help you out with that I’ve got a gift for you from me and my buddies over at Prograde Nutrition. It’s a delicious Protein Pancakes recipe.

Thanks to the protein in the recipe your blood sugar won’t go crazy like it can just by eating a Brobdingnagian stack of pancakes with sugary syrup. Nope, this recipe will fill you up, nourish your body and give your metabolism just the boost it needs.

You can get the Protein Pancakes recipe (hyperlink to http://exlfitness.getprograde.com/prograde-pancake-recipe.html)

FYI, the Prograde Protein is a high quality pharmaceutical grade protein sweetened with stevia, a natural sweetener, not an artificial sweetener like most protein powders.

As far a topping for your pancakes, I like fruit and a little plain, low-fat yogurt sweetened with a little Splenda, stevia or agave nectar…yum;-)

I prefer 1 BIG cake to 2 smaller ones, bon apetit!!

Be sure to let me know how you like it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Stay Fit

Mat “the trainer”

PS – Seriously, have a nutritious breakfast this Thursday and your body will thank your for it on Friday. ;-)  Feel free to post what you had for breakfast on T-Day.

PPS- Pass this post on to anyone looking to improve their health, energy and physique.

PPPS- Word of the Day: Brobdingnagian (brob-ding-NAG-ee-uhn) adj 1.  Of extraordinary size; gigantic; enormous.

Mat Gover BS, CSCS and Pam Gover CPT are Orem fitness boot camp instructors, personal trainers, and real world fat loss experts. They also own EXL Fitness & Performance, a personal and group training studio.   To book Mat to speak at your Utah Valley company, club, or organization please contact him by email at matthetrainer@me.com or by phone at (801) 836.7185.  For a free two-week trial to boot camp and experience the best personal training in Utah Valley please call Mat or drop by the gym (1623 N State St, Orem right next to Costa Vida).


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Categories : Nutrition

The Organic Debate, Nutrition Tip #6

14 11 2009

EXL_RGBThis is another topic that came up on the grocery store tour: organic versus regular fruit and veggies.

Tip #6
The Organic Debate
by Dr. John Berardi

The average person should consume two pieces of fruit and three servings of vegetables per day as a minimum. Athletes probably need even more – I recommend 10-15 servings per day for each of my athletes. Expert often spend too much time arguing about organic vs. regular fruits and veggies. I agree that raw, organic fruits and vegetables are best since they have a higher micronutrient count, but any fruits and veggies are better than none! Get sufficient fruits and vegetables in your diet before worrying about whether they’re organic or not. Once you’ve done that, worry on.

SEE ALSO:
This tip is sponsored by Precision Nutrition – our pick for the best nutrition and supplement resource currently available. Containing system manuals, gourmet cookbook, digital audio/video library, online membership, and more, Precision Nutrition will teach you everything you need to know to get the body you want — guaranteed.

Order Precision Nutrition now and get $50 off!

This same reasoning goes with free-range chickens and cattle versus farm fed.  Just eat more lean sources of protein period.  Stick to whole foods and avoid the processed, pre-packaged crap that is so prevalent in our society.  Once that habit is engrained then worry about how much exercise your protein source received before it was slaughtered.

Stay Fit

Mat “the trainer”

PS- Please add a comment organic vs regulart fruits and veggies debate.

PPS- Pass this post on to anyone looking to improve their health, energy and physique.

Mat Gover BS, CSCS and Pam Gover CPT are Orem fitness boot camp instructors, personal trainers, and real world fat loss experts. They also own EXL Fitness & Performance, a personal and group training studio.   To book Mat to speak at your Utah Valley company, club, or organization please contact him by email at matthetrainer@me.com or by phone at (801) 836.7185.  For a free two-week trial to boot camp and experience the best personal training in Utah Valley please call Mat or drop by the gym (1623 N State St, Orem right next to Costa Vida).


Comments : 2 Comments »
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Categories : Nutrition

Fit 4 Fall Body Transformation Winners

25 10 2009

EXL_RGBWe just recently finished our Fit 4 Fall Body Transformation Contest.  A no holds barred contest comparing total percent body fat lost and visual changes when comparing before and after pics.  It was just a 7 week program but both our winner lost 4% body fat.  I’ve never seen such a dichotomy with winners.  In the men’s division Kelly Wilkinson lost close to 20 lbs with over 17 lbs being body fat.  He did lose 2.5 lbs of muscle, but I’ll gladly trade  2.5 lbs of muscle for 17 pounds of fat  any day.  In two boot camp phases Kelly has lost 69 lbs.  Way to go Teek!!  In the Women’s division Angela Oakeson also lost 4% body fat.  She started in the teens with her percent body fat which is considered lean already.  Losing 4% is quite remarkable, she also lost 2 inches in her waist.  Both win a free month of EXL Fitness Boot Camp.

Other winners losing between 2-4% body fat include Lynnette Wolf, Jacci Miller, Jeff Rust, Steve Washburn honorable mention goes to Debra Durfey.  Each winning massages provided by Joan Mower and Monica Nardone and spa packages provided by Evolution Day Spa and Pampering Plus Mini Spa.  Free day climbing packages at Momentum Indoor Climbing Gym were also awarded.

We have just begun our Push Yourself Boot Camp phase.  This is a performance transformation contest testing push ups.  Awards for most improved and most push ups overall will be given out.  If push ups are the bane of your existence or you would like to improve your push up strength follow the push up program I posted last winter.

Now for our nutrition tip #5 sponsored by Precision Nutrition.

Tip #5
The 10% Factor
by Dr. John Berardi

If some people eat one food not on their plan, their failure to be perfect sets in motion a psychological chain of events that leads to frustration and the inability to get right back on the plan. The all-or-nothing mentality sets in and BAM, they’re back to nothing. But it doesn’t have to be this way. 100% nutritional discipline is never required for optimal progress. The difference, in results, between 90% adherence to your nutrition program and 100% adherence is negligible. So allow yourself the extra 10% wiggle room. This will allow you the freedom to eat a few extra things not on your menu without the guilt and subsequent crash.

SEE ALSO:
This tip is sponsored by Precision Nutrition – our pick for the best nutrition and supplement resource currently available. Containing system manuals, gourmet cookbook, digital audio/video library, online membership, and more, Precision Nutrition will teach you everything you need to know to get the body you want — guaranteed.

Order Precision Nutrition now and get $50 off!

I am a firm believer in the 10% rule.  Not only does it allow you to eat some foods not on your nutrition plan, but it gives you a mental break.  Often times when we mess up on our nutrition program it sets in motion a cascade of feeling and emotions that can sabotage our progress.  Now, ideally I prefer you to plan your 10% meals, but life happens.  When it does, accept the nutritional breakdown and get back on the program.  Do not let it escalate into a whole day or weekend of nutritional weakness.  To put the 10% rule into perspective, I eat 6 times a day 7 days a week so 42 meals a week.  That allows me 4 meals a week to not follow the rules.  That does allow me some breathing room, but by no means is it easy.  That still means that 38 times in a week I followed the nutrition plan eating ample amounts of lean protein, a wide variety of vegetables and healthy fats at every meal.

I can already hear you out there, “Wow, 4 cheat meals a week!!!”

Let me clarify something here.  All 10% meals are NOT “cheat meals”.  And all “cheat meals” are NOT 10% meals.  Confused?  Let’s start by defining a “cheat meal”.  A cheat meal is an unplanned breakdown from your nutrition program.  A 10% meal is a planned wavering from the nutrition plan.  This can include an overindulgence of your favorite food…like hot dogs.

That's a lot of mystery meat

That's a lot of mystery meat

Or it can be just a small wavering from the plan.  Not all 10% meals are full on orgies of processed foods and refined carb gluttony.  A 10% meal can be eating long grain wild rice in a meal that usually mandates no starchy carbs.

Here’s a real life example.  The basic nutrition plan I teach has 10 rules or habits lovingly referred to as the “10 Habits of Highly Lean Eaters” or the “Healthy 10″ for short.  One of the rules is only eating starchy carbs (breads, pasta, rice, corn, potatoes, oatmeal) only within 1-2 hours after exercise.  Now I usually workout first thing in the morning, but there are days that my workout falls in the middle of the day.  I will occasionally plan a 10% meal on those days and have steel-cut oatmeal for breakfast.  Is that a cheat meal?  No.  Is it unhealthy?  No.  Am I following the program?  No and yes.  No, in the sense that I didn’t follow the aforementioned rule and ate carbs outside the workout window, but yes because it was a planned 10% meal, one of the 4 I have planned in a week.  I’m not saying I never eat pizza or I get veggies with every meal.  I am saying that I plan my 10% meals so i can enjoy other healthy foods like steel-cut oats or enjoy some not so healthy foods like pizza.  When life happens and I don’t plan accordingly  and I skip veggies in a meal or skip a meal altogether or while watching the game at a friend’s house I inadvertently eat half a pizza, then that is a cheat meal, unplanned and potentially triggering a landslide of guilt and regret leading to further mayhem and anarchy.  Hopefully, when I have a cheat meal it’s at a point in the week in which I haven’t used up all my 10% meals and my cheat meal will constitute a 10% meal and my quest for ideal body composition will not be squelched.

Planning out in advance your 10% meals gives you something to look forward to, helping you to stay firm in resisting nutritional temptation.  But, even if you have already maxed  out your 10% meals for the week and you falter and have another cheat meal.  All is not lost.  You still have made some great nutritional decisions earlier in the week.  Your fat loss goal may be delayed a little, but you have learned something about yourself.  Use what you have learned and apply it next week.  Figure out your emotional weaknesses and faulty nutritional planning and remedy them.  It may take a few weeks to figure out solutions, but the solutions will serve you better.

Not all nutritional breakdowns are remedied by just being stronger willed.  If one of your friends just had a miserable break up with their boy/girl friend don’t offer to take them to Coldstone Creamery and console their grief while downing a big ol’ fatty sundae.

How bout take your friend out for a friendly arm-wrestling competition instead of ice cream...LOL

How bout take your friend out for a friendly arm-wrestling competition instead of ice cream...LOL. My money's on the brunette.

Go for a walk or hike and talk it over.  We often times use food to “ease” our emotional hardships.  When in reality it furthers our dysfunctional, emotional connection with unhealthy eating habits.  Break the cycle!!  Either choose a healthier fare and foster an emotional connection to healthier food or choose another healthy, non-food alternate to help ease the emotional pain.

Likewise, don’t sabotage yourself by going to your friend’s house to watch the game on an empty stomach.  Which is like inviting a recovering alcoholic to a wine tasting.  Avoid the gaucherie of someone asking, “Who ate all the pizza?”  as you’re polishing off the last bite.  Be smart, don’t put yourself in situations that compromises your self-discipline.

Coincidentally the 10% rule also applies to exercise!

Stay Fit

Mat “the trainer”

PS- Please add a comment on the Fit 4 Fall Contest winners and/or your feelings on the 10% rule and emotional eating.

PPS- Pass this post on to anyone looking to improve their health, energy and physique.

PPPS- Word of the Day: gaucherie (goh-shuh-ree) noun.  1.  lack of social grace, sensitivity, or acuteness; awkwardness; crudeness; tastelessness.

Mat Gover BS, CSCS and Pam Gover CPT are Orem fitness boot camp instructors, personal trainers, and real world fat loss experts. They also own EXL Fitness & Performance, a personal and group training studio.   To book Mat to speak at your Utah Valley company, club, or organization please contact him by email at matgover@mac.com or by phone at (801) 836.7185. For a free one-week trial to his Orem boot camp to experience the best personal training in Utah Valley please call Mat or drop by the gym (1623 N State St, Orem right next to Costa Vida).


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Categories : Boot Camp, Competition, Nutrition

Nutrition Tip #4…Revving up your metabolism

25 08 2009

EXL_RGBWe just finished our first ever Skinny Jeans Lifestyle Transformation Contest.  And the results are nothing short of amazing.  If you weren’t involved, the contest was a test of compliance and making healthy lifetstyle changes.  Each contestant was given a score card and a scoring system by which to earn points.  Points were awarded for nutrition, strength training, cardio and supplements.  Who ever had the most points at the end of the 6 week contest won.  It was called the “Skinny Jeans” contest because you had to comply to the latest fashion trend and borrow your teenagers tight jeans and workout in them for 6 weeks.  Just kidding, I actually wonder how some of the those kids actually get into those jeans…it’s a mystery.  But really, each contestant brought in a pair of jeans that didn’t fit real well, or maybe were reserved for those “skinny days”.  Pictures were taken, the jeans were left at the gym and after 6 weeks pictures were taken again to see if there was a change.  Every contestant that refused to truckle to their bad habits and finished saw a difference.  I think the results were amazing.  Here are the winners.  Remember, this was a contest on compliance.  We didn’t measure anything except if they were adherent to an exercise and nutrition routine, and it was only 6 weeks long.

3rd Runner Up-  Darin McSpadden

July 7, 2009

July 7, 2009

August 18, 2009

August 18, 2009

2nd Runner Up- Debra Durfey


July 7, 2009

July 7, 2009

August 18, 2009

August 18, 2009

1st Runner Up- Monica Nardone

July 7, 2009

July 7, 2009

August 18, 2009

August 18, 2009


Grand Prize- Doug Holdaway

July 7, 2009

July 7, 2009

August 18, 2009

August 18, 2009

Doug Holdaway is our Grand Prize Winner out of 246 points possible he missed 1 point.  Which means instead of doing intervals (a more effective choice for revving up your metabolism) on 2 days he went on a bike ride with his kids.  He nailed his nutrition and his strength training.  Great job!!  He’s a great example of dedication.  I know his contestant pics aren’t that dramatic, but check out his “before boot camp” pic taken a year ago (Doug actually reports when he started boot camp in January he was actually 10 pounds heavier than in thisLake Powell pic…just amazing.)

From Pillsbury Dough Boy to...

From Pillsbury Dough Boy to...

underwear model!!

underwear model!!


Ask Doug and he will tell you nutrition, strength (especially metabolically driven boot camp workouts) and interval training, in that order, were the keys to his success.  Read my Hierarchy of Fat Loss articles to learn more.

Here’s a quick tip on revving up your metabolism.  I’ve trained hundreds of people and many people think starving is the answer to weight loss.  It only leads to temporary weight loss and a decreased metabolism.  Ask any of these Skinny Jean winners and they will tell you they are far from starving themselves.  They eat frequently and , they eat delicious food.  If you want to feel and look better start with nutrition and exercise.  It’s not rocket science.  Just make it a priority.

Tip #4

Revving Up Metabolism
by Dr. John Berardi

I recommend more calories than most do. That’s because there’s no such thing as a stagnant metabolic set-point. Instead, metabolism chases intake. So, if you want a bigger metabolism, you need a bigger food intake. And if you’re worried about fat gain with this approach, just use outcome-based decision making and adjust energy (calorie) intake every two weeks based on your results. Not much ‘damage’ can take place in only two weeks. So if you end up boosting your metabolism, you’ll be thanking me eternally. And if it turns out you’re consuming too much, you can just adjust down.

SEE ALSO:
This tip is sponsored by Precision Nutrition – our pick for the best nutrition and supplement resource currently available. Containing system manuals, gourmet cookbook, digital audio/video library, online membership, and more, Precision Nutrition will teach you everything you need to know to get the body you want — guaranteed.

Order Precision Nutrition now and get $50 off!

We just started a new 7 week phase of boot camp along with a body transformation contest called Fit for Fall (F4F).  Don’t wait any longer sign up for boot camp or for some personal training sessions and get results.  If your program is working for you, great.  But if you have a hard time staying motivated, or find yourself spinning your wheels at the gym on your own don’t hesitate any longer.  I still have openings in my 7am, 9am (Women’s Only) and 5pm boot camps as well as some personal training times available.  Call, txt to email me for your free one week trial to boot camp or free Fitness Profile for personal training.

Stay Fit

Mat “the trainer”

PS- Please make a comment on these before and after pics as well as comments on revving your metabolism.

PPS- Pass this post on to anyone looking to improve their health, energy and physique.

PPPS- Word of the Day: truckle (TRUHK-uhl) intransitive verb.  To yeild or bend obsequiously to the will of another; to act in subservient manner.

Mat Gover BS, CSCS and Pam Gover CPT are Orem fitness boot camp instructors, personal trainers, and real world fat loss experts. They also own EXL Fitness & Performance, a personal and group training studio.   To book Mat to speak at your Utah Valley company, club, or organization please contact him by email at matgover@mac.com or by phone at (801) 836.7185. For a free one-week trial to his Orem boot camp to experience the best personal training in Utah Valley please call Mat or drop by the gym (1623 N State St, Orem right next to Costa Vida).


Comments : Leave a Comment »
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Categories : Competition, Fat Loss, Nutrition, Training

« Previous Entries


Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.