We are not doctors!

A lot of people ask me advice on everything ranging from good workout plans to help them get a six pack, to how to improve their running times. I love these questions and I hope that I've given good answers. One thing that I've been very careful about is giving out advice on nutrition. As the above title aptly states, I am not a doctor. This applies to both issues stated above:

Nutrition:

I can't tell you how many times I've been asked to give advice on what someone should eat in order to get the gains they want, but it's a lot. It's actually technically part of my job description even though it shouldn't be. There are some serious problems with this.

I am not a trained nutritionist. And while we're on the subject, neither is that knuckle dragger in the tank top screaming protein every 4th word... What I mean is that I have no access to your medical files. I don't know your allergies or how efficient your liver is. I can't say that 1-1.5g of protein per body pound will actually help you gain mass or just blow you up like a balloon and make your wallet shrink. There is a very, very big difference between someone that went to school to become a nutritionist and someone who knows his/her way around a GNC. I've found that 80-95% of weight and diet issues are psychological(personal opinion). It turns out that eating the right foods, physically, is easy. All you have to do is eat the right foods... But if it were that easy, we wouldn't have an obesity epidemic. That's what makes a good trainer. Finding the psychological triggers and helping the client to identify and change them. Telling them to do more stuff or eat different foods doesn't help the long term issues at hand.

Eating right is a combination of self reflecting, outside intervention and a healthy support system, complete with short and long term goals. Overeating is not a what, it is a why. I'll repeat that because I feel it's that important of a statement. Overeating is not a what, it is a why. It usually takes someone years to go from the best shape of their lives to whatever shape they are when the finally sit in front of me and ask for help. This is important to take into consideration because inexperienced trainers (i.e your buddies or that gorilla in the gym) either don't know you well enough or don't understand how important your personal history is. A few reasons people gain weight:

1. Wedding
2. Divorce
3. Children
4. Death in the family
5. Loss of job
6. New job
7. Injury

It's rarely a case of "I just let myself go". There is always a reason why. I have to be very careful when trying to figure these things out because I don't want to seem like I'm prying into people's personal lives too much.

Most Americans work through lunch and sometimes even breakfast and dinner. They get a meal to go because it's quicker than making one or sitting down somewhere. This is not an excuse. I use myself as an example:

I'm usually up around 4:30am to work out before work. I get there around 8am and work(driving a truck from hospital to hospital) until about 4-4:30. I then have just enough time to drive across town to my second job as a personal trainer until around 7-8pm. I have adjusted my food intake to accommodate such a schedule. The 'How' of how I did it is pretty simple. But why did I do it? Value. I see the value in keeping my metabolism running as efficiently as possible. It pays off when I want to do another workout that night and I have the strength and energy to do it. I see the value in how it's keeping me healthy unlike some other truck drivers I see and know. I have changed my outlook and my habits slowly over the last 5 years to what they are now. It was never easy and it will never be done. I am still learning every day.

I have a lot of experience, both good and bad, with helping people find what works for them. But my clients are with me for a minimum of a year. I get a chance to actually know what makes them tick. That being said, I'm still not 100% comfortable giving out nutrition advice. "Protein is protein" is a popular saying around the gym. "Your liver is your liver... Until it isn't" should be as well.

I do consider myself a professional, but not a know-it-all. I would be more than happy to tell you what works for me, or what foods are healthier than others. That's basic knowledge. But if anyone starts talking to you about milligrams or doses, make sure you get their credentials first.

New Year, New Plan

I have been very busy these past few months. I've kept up with my training but I haven't been able to keep up with my blog. I've been averaging about 100 miles a month running and I even squeezed in a half marathon since I've been on here last. Today is day one of my new training "plan". I've registered for a few big races so far this year and I'm planning on running my first ultra marathon this September. I'll write more in a few. It's already 4:11am and I planned on being on the road by 4:00.

Here's one for my bro on CVN74

400m warm up jog
2x(6 spiderman push ups into bird dogs/6 jumping squats/6 side lunges)
2x(10 front leg swings/10 side leg swings)

Break off into teams of 4 and prepare for battle!
*Each team member will start off at a station. When the whistle blows, the team will begin their respective exercises. When they are done at their stations, they will switch. The catch: If one member of the team stops their repetition to rest, the entire team must rest with them. This calls for communication. If any member of the team completes a repetition while another team member is resting, that team will have 30 seconds added on to their time. 20 sec rest between pull up sets is allowed.*

Station #1
4x(15 Barbell Hang Cleans@115#/12 Down-Ups on an 18" box)

Station #2
4x(15 Weighted Iron Mikes 30#kb/20 Barbell Squat Thrusters)

Station #3
50 dead hang pull ups/30 Double Stair Climber Push Ups)

Station #4
4x(30 Overhead weighted flutter kicks/15 Handstand push ups)

Once everyone has completed all four stations, get together in a circle and assume a proper plank position. Hold as a team as long as possible.


Scoring:
First team to finish: 50pts
2nd place: 35pts
3rd place: 25pts
4th place: 20pts (Subsequent finishers will earn 5 less points than their predecessors)

Again, a 30sec penalty will be given to each team that continues with their workout without all members participating.

Extra points: 5 points will be awarded for every 30 seconds that a team can hold a proper plank position.

Progress Check Day 30

So, it's been a little while since I've posted anything on here. My work load picked up dramatically for a little bit so I had to let a few things fall by the wayside.

Today is Day 30 of my training program to prepare for the Bataan Memorial Death March in White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico in March, 2013. Things have been going well with the change in pace that I've instituted. Instead of focusing on explosive movements and quick paced workouts, I've elected to focus on my core and leg strength as well as pick up my running. I still use elements of my old routine for a few different reasons; I've still got a Warrior Dash to compete in coming up next month, I enjoy the fast pace of the training and it helps in muscle confusion.

For professional reasons(I can't keep giving away all of my secrets for free), I am not going to be publishing my workouts on here anymore. I will be sharing them with a select group of people who determine that there is a tremendous value in my program and wish to purchase it. I will, however, continue to share my knowledge and experience with anatomy/physiology, nutrition, supplementing and injury prevention.

Here is my progress so far.

Age: 28
Height: 64.25"
Weight: 153.4
BMI: 26.1
BF%: 9.0

According to the archaic CDC, my body mass index indicates that I am overweight. Anything over 25 is considered overweight for my height. It doesn't matter that I have 14" biceps, or a six pack... It needs to change. But I'm not the one to change it. I state this for a very important reason:

SCALES AND MACHINES DON'T TELL THE WHOLE STORY!!!

One of the biggest problems I have to help my clients overcome is not letting their scale dictate their progress to them. Almost 100% of the people I train(even after I specifically tell them it's going to happen and to ignore it) freak out when they see that after all the sweat and anguish of their new regiment, they haven't lost weight. Or..*GASP* They've put on a pound or two! There are a few things going on at this point:

• Your body is going through some serious neurological changes. Basically, the mind-muscle connection that athletes and active people have, doesn't exist in the overweight and sedentary. Muscle memory takes time just as losing that gut or gaining that mass. I show this by repeating certain exercises on a week to week basis. Toe-Tappers, Box Jumps, Medicine Ball Slams, etc... These exercises take hand-eye coordination, muscle strength and that mind-muscle connection to be performed correctly. That's why the one phrase I've heard from every client I've ever had, is "You make that look so easy". The great thing about this neurological change is that it is very similar to "riding a bike". Once you have become proficient in the movement, it stays with you forever. You may not have the muscular strength to do it well after taking too much time off, but your mind knows exactly what to do and it's only a matter of shaking off the cobwebs.
• Your body isn't quite ready to let go of anything yet. Exercise is stress. Stress produces the hormone Cortisol. Cortisol's primary functions are to increase blood sugar through gluconeogenesis; suppress the immune system; and aid in fat, protein and carbohydrate metabolism. Essentially, stress makes you fat. It would seem then that exercise would make you fat. So why doesn't it? 
• You are building muscle. Muscle takes time to form. Muscle weighs more than fat. So, if you haven't started effectively burning fat yet (because your metabolism hasn't kicked in at a very high rate due to lack of lean muscle tissue) but you are slowly building said lean muscle tissue, then that would be a pretty strong indicator that you might not be seeing those numbers drop as fast as you would like off the scale. But the good news is that eventually, you will have built enough lean tissue to start burning some serious Kcals(Calories burned throughout your day while performing your regular tasks). Your body fat won't stand a chance.

Here are some things to focus on instead:

1. Your pants/dress size
2. Feedback from friends/family/co-workers, etc..
3. Energy levels
4. Increase in weights/times/distances during your workouts
5. Your mood

So, I feel great. My training is coming along wonderfully. I've managed to stay healthy throughout the process and I look forward to these races coming up. I will try to do my next blog on stretches, injury prevention, picking the right training equipment and anything else any of my readers would like me to write about. Thanks for reading!

Randy Tuck
Freakfactoryne@gmail.com
freakfactoryne@groups.facebook.com

Fastest way to lose weight and tone Guaranteed!!

"THE FASTEST WAY OUT OF HERE IS TO GRADUATE!"
-Every military drill instructor ever

It's easy, when starting a new exercise program, to get carried away and try to do too much too soon. This puts you in a lose/lose situation: Putting in so much work will trick your mind into thinking that you should be seeing certain results even though you haven't been working that long. (i.e. You haven't been in the gym in 10 years so you start off going 5-6 days a week and lifting like you used to back when you were in the best shape of your life, and then getting pissed because it's been two whole weeks and you still weigh the same and have a beer gut). Also, you leave yourself open for some serious injuries that will undo all of that hard work you've put in. Imagine how hard it was to get yourself to even begin that program. The valuable time you've set aside, the sacrifices you've made with your new diet, etc. Now you're injured and have to start all over again after you heal. Why not avoid that whole scenario and just take it slow and steady?

3 to 4 times a week is sufficient enough to give your body the exercise it needs and the rest it requires. Remember:THE GAINS YOU GET HAPPEN DURING YOUR REST AND NUTRITION PERIOD, NOT DURING THE ACTUAL EXERCISE!!! 

Also, find a trainer and stick with them. You will never in your life meet someone who is in great physical condition that got there by "figuring fitness out on their own". You don't need to be paying out the nose for a trainer either. It doesn't matter how many letters they have after their name, how many degrees they have or how expensive the training is. If they are not as invested in your goals as you are, they are not right for you. Example: I excel at training people recovering from injuries because I shattered my wrist and needed to rehab it ASAP in order to get a job as a massage therapist. I also do well at helping people lose weight because I was obese in 2008. I've dabbled in body building and have run many medium distant races as well as obstacle course races (Tough Mudder-2012, Dirty Dog Mud Run-2011) so I can identify with people with those goals.

Also, Muscle=Metabolism! Cardio is good for many things; increasing your vo2 max, releasing endorphins, and warming yourself up for your workout. One thing that it is inefficient at , is burning fat or "calories".  Building lean muscle is the fastest way to burn fat and get that toned look everybody is looking for. And ladies, you won't look like a man no matter what you think. You have no idea what female body builders have to do to themselves to gain muscle like that.

1lb lean muscle will burn an extra 50kcals a day(fancy way of saying it will burn those calories while you are doing whatever you normally do).

10lb lean muscle=500kcal/day

1 week@ 10lb lean muscle= 3500kcals.

3500kcals= 1lb body fat burned per week just doing whatever it is that you do during the course of the week!

Depending on what program you choose and the frequency at which you are exercising, this takes anywhere from 8-14 months to achieve. A lot faster than it took to get to the point you're at now, right?

The moral of this post is that the fastest way to get the results you want is to do it right the first time.

Day 18

Gonna have to write this down now since I won't have much time after. This is technically Day 18 of my training program for the Bataan Death March next year, but it's Day 2 for my little workout experiment. I've put together a pretty intense but manageable program to see how well it works with a regression and progression aspect available. Meaning that anyone can accomplish the goal of the workout, even if they can't necessarily do the specified exercises.

Warm up:
400m incline jog
Dynamic movements for legs
3x(6 jumping squats/6 side lunge)
2x(25 jump rope rotations/6 box jumps)
3 min set-up/hydrate

W/O#1 -4 rds, work on form
6 Power Cleans
6 Front Squats
6 Dead Lifts
2 min rest/hydrate

W/O#2-25 min AMRAP
20x24" Toe Tappers
10 KB Iron Mikes
6 ECBB's w/BB  115#
12x4ct Hanging L-Sit Flutter Kicks
10 Floor Wipers w/115#BB
6x24" Box Jumps

Cool Down
200m walk
3x(10 Hand Stand Push Ups/20 KB Mad Russians/15 Swimmers)
10 min Foam Roll/Stretch

I'll post my times and weights later.

Day 17

Thursday, August 9th, 2012

Trying a new strategy. I feel like I've really been winging these workouts. I have enough experience to get by and get a good workout in, but I feel like I'm lacking structure and accountability entirely. I am going to start printing these programs 4-6 weeks in advance and sticking to them no matter what. Today is day 3 of my abstinence from alcohol. Junk food isn't really a problem for me. I don't smoke and I still have yet to go back to chewing tobacco. I really hope this works, because I've really been feeling sluggish lately. I've been sleeping in and feeling really down. I know it has a lot to do with how chaotic my schedule is and I'm hoping that I land this new 9-5 job soon. I'm going to start with a list of things that I believe I need to work on in order to be successful in my training:

1. Consistency: I need to stick with the plan and not run off on a tangent every time something new pops up. It's impossible to tell if something is working if I can't stick to it long enough to see the payoff. 
2. Structure: I have to stop making my workouts up once I get into the gym. I have a notebook for a reason. Also, this blog should help me stay on course.
3. I need to constantly be making pros and cons lists for my actions. I'm very spontaneous and lack some self control with certain things. This could be a symptom of PTSD but I'm not about to self diagnose. I only came to that conclusion after researching the effects on receptors from dopamine overloads and the ill effects of adrenaline over a sustained period of time (i.e. deployment to a warzone) which comes from and causes thrill seeking behavior.
4. Keep my goal in sight: I can't let short term issues get in the way of achieving a long term goal. If I wasn't already in the shape I was in, my training for the Tough Mudder would not have been enough to pass the course safely. My training wasn't up to my usual standard and, again, I need to be holding myself accountable.
5. Be a little more selfish: I feel like I've been spending a lot of time helping other people reach their goals and not enough time training myself. It wouldn't be an issue if I were being paid for the training, but I'm not and it is very taxing on my body, mind and wallet.
6. Diet Diet Diet! Nothing more needs to be said.
7. I need to change my sleeping habits. I'm up until 1 or 2 in the morning and miss out on hours of potential training time. This actually inhibits me a lot. If I woke up earlier, I could get my cardio out of the way, do whatever chores need to be done and have hours and hours of time to let my body heal before I do my strength training in the afternoon. Instead, I feel like I try to squeeze both workouts in at once and end up losing out on both. I never work earlier than 10:30am or later than 9:00pm save for a few exceptions, so I really have no excuses.
8. I need to lay off the TV. It's just sucking my life from me. I need to limit myself to 1 hour a day. Gonna have to work down though. I think I'm around 4-6 hours some days.

If I can work on these things, I think I will see a huge change in my mental state as well as my physical state. The psychological aspect is the hardest part to grasp. The physical changes are just a byproduct of a complete life overhaul.

I ran 3 miles this morning at around an 8min/mi pace. Not even close to average for me, but I haven't been stretching properly. In fact, might as well throw that up there.

9. Make time to stretch every day!

Gonna grab some food and head to the gym in a bit. But, while I'm eating, I'm going to start creating the scaffolding for my workout plan.

.