Challenge Fitness and Nutrition

TBT--November 5th 2011. Didn't even place in the top 5. It wasn't until two years later that I took home my 2nd place trophy.

This weeks Transformation Tuesday features my current client Mike Barnett. Mike is a perfect example of engaging with a program. He tells me my approach has helped him stay focused and the results help keep him motivated. The consistent coaching, accountability, nutrition and exercise education along the way helps him understand why I have him doing something and makes it easier to stick to. Mike is still heading towards his goal and is about halfway to reaching it. I have no doubts he can do it!

Food for thought.

Gut bacteria could be blamed for obesity, diabetes An excess of bacteria in the gut can change the way the liver processes fat and could lead to the development of metabolic syndrome, according to health researchers. Metabolic syndrome is a group of conditions including obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, high blood sugar and excess body…

This is funny...not always true but definitely when I'm competing or cutting.

I've taken mine today! Have you?

Don't be afraid to ask questions about whether the food you are eating is really good for your goal. One of the most frequent comments I get is from friends or clients is that are not happy with the way they look. And in the next sentence they say, " I don't understand, I eat healthy". But do you? Is what I must ask. You can eat all organic and non processed and not be getting the right macro nutrients. Again it depends on what you want. But if you want a muscular and lean body you have to time and likely reduce carbs, specifically sugars. And make sure you are eating enough protein. Time carbs post intense workouts. All other times stick to vegetables and small amounts of low glycemic carbs. Minimize fruits to only the morning and breads you might as well skip. If a six pack is not what you are looking for then of course you don't need to be as strict. Just don't fool your self that eating beans, brown rice, pasta and bread will get you ripped. And remember cheat meals are like taking a detour. It takes you longer to get to your destination. Unless you are part of the 5% that can eat what ever you want. And I know that is not me!

Interesting...

Saturated Fats are Good for You Saturated fats have been linked with heart disease mortality, but the real villain is trans fat from margarine and vegetable oils.

For the most part I agree but I personally think the abduction/adduction machines are ok.

4 Gym Machines That Need To Die These four machines are injurious, dysfunctional, or based on downright fraud. Here they are, plus some better alternatives.

This is a good move. Steps up the game for physique. Time to train legs!

NPC ANNOUNCES NEW MEN’S DIVISION – CLASSIC PHYSIQUE NPC ANNOUNCES NEW MEN’S DIVISION – CLASSIC PHYSIQUE http://npcnewsonline.com

http://blog.loseit.com/the-key-ingredient-to-cut-back-on-if-you-want-to-lose-weight/
This post also has a few tips to reduce sugar cravings.

Reduce Calories by Watching Out for This Sneaky Ingredient This week’s post is brought to you by Kristin Kirkpatrick, RD, a nationally recognized nutrition expert and an advisor to Lose It!. What’s one of the first things I tell my clients to cut back on t...

There are lots of cardio myths floating around so here's the results of a test from Gotime Training.com. They used Polar FT7 Heart Rate Monitors to see what truly burns more calories: High Intensity Interval Cardio (HIIT) or low intensity steady state cardio. Here’s the breakdown of each cardio session:

LOW INTENSITY STATE STATE
Duration: 69 minutes
Calories burned: 491

Average heart rate: 109 bpm
Max heart rate: 120 bpm

Results: 7.12 calories burned per minute

HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING
Duration: 17 minutes
Calories burned: 210

Average heart rate: 142 bpm
Max heart rate: 161 bpm

Results: 12.4 calories burned per minute

The results show that HIIT burns 42.6% more calories per minutes than low intensity steady state cardio. But the low intensity state cardio burned more calories, right? Yes, but who has hours to spend walking when you could simply amplify your cardio and get a much greater return on your efforts. On top of producing a greater calorie burn rate HIIT also offers these benefits over low intensity steady state cardio:

preserves muscle mass
increased Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (burn more calories after the training)
significantly increased aerobic and anaerobic fitness
decreased fasting insulin and increased insulin sensitivity
reduced abdominal and subcutaneous (under the skin) fat
stimulates hormones to increase metabolic rate
Get off the treadmill for hours and get after some HIIT! Try sprinting, rower, or body weight resistance training intervals. I prefer the stair climber and find I even burn more calories per minute.

Cardio Myths Busted, HIIT vs Low Intensity Steady State We put our heart rate monitor to the test and put a few cardio myths on the chopping block. Learn why HIIT cardio rules when it comes to burning calories.