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How an Old Guy Uses Rest for Bigger Gains

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rest-gains

A lot of people carry around the erroneous belief that in order to grow you must never take any time off from training. This couldn't be further from the truth. It is important to rest for bigger gains.

Weekly Rest Days

Each week you have a training schedule (or should have a training schedule). One of the scheduled days should be for resting. That means no cardio and no weight training. Hiking or biking would be OK, but no weights and no extreme cardio on your off days. This is very important for your body to grow.

A Week Off Every 12 Weeks

Most training cycles last 12 weeks in length. Once you complete a 12 week training cycle it is important to take an entire week off from training. It is OK to do some light cardio, but absolutely no weight training during this week off. Many people are afraid to take time off like this because they think they will lose their gains. This is patently false. I have personally found that my strength actually increases after a week off. The body needs to recover and after a period of continuous weight training your recovery slows way down. The week off gives your body that much needed recovery time that will enable you to make bigger gains.

Listen to Your Body

While 1 day off a week and 1 week off every 12 weeks is the basic formula, it is more important to actually listen to your body. Sometimes your weekly recovery just isn't happening. Perhaps you need some extra days off during the week? I've personally experienced this issue when doing High Intensity Training. I was lifting full body 3 days a week. The second to last exercise of each session was deadlifts. After 3 weeks of this I began to dread the deadlifts. After speaking to my mentor, I was told to cut back to 2 days a week instead of 3 days a week. I was shocked, but listened to the advice. All of my lifts increased with the added rest.

Additionally, some people require a week off after every 6 or 8 weeks of training. 12 weeks is merely a guideline, not a rule. If your body says it needs a week off, take that week off.

Resting Brings Bigger Gains

We don't really grow in the gym, we grow outside the gym. Getting enough sleep, taking enough rest days during the week and taking an entire week off every so often are the keys to getting the rest you need to bring bigger gains. It may not make sense, but it is a proven principle. How often do you take a week off?

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Monday Madness: Cardio Medley Workout

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In today's fitness community High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a popular methodology. I recently tried a cardio medley workout that works off the HIIT principle, but uses multiple machines to accomplish the task at hand.

HIIT Explained

HIIT involves doing different intervals at varying intensity. The idea is that you push the body hard in intervals and then you allow it to rest in intervals. It keeps the body guessing to the point that the body continues to burn calories even after the exercise period is over. Some say this is the most effective method for performing cardio exercise. I would tend to agree with some warnings.

HIIT Warnings

HIIT takes its toll on your body just like intense weight training does. I would not do it more than 3 times a week for 30 minutes a session. Your body will need some recovery time when doing HIIT cardio, so give it to it. Don't over do it or you run the risk of injury and that will just stall your progress completely.

Cardio Medley Workout

This workout involves 3 machines and varying intervals. There are three time limits on these intervals and you just work through the various machines in a rotation. Pay attention to the interval time and the order of the machines. This one has 3 intervals set as easy, medium and hard. There is also a warm up and a cool down.

Exercise Time Level of Intensity
Treadmill 2 minutes Warm-up
Elliptical 4 minutes Medium
Bike 1 minute High
Elliptical 2 minutes Low
Bike 4 minutes Medium
Treadmill 1 minute High
 Bike 2 minutes Low
 Treadmill 4 minutes Medium
 Elliptical 1 minute High
 Bike 2 minutes Cool down

The total time is 23 minutes, but there are 4 minutes that involve warm up and cool down. The actual work time is 19 minutes. By doing this you reduce the boredom associated with cardio training and you get a build in HIIT workout at the same time.

I would do this about once a week or once every two weeks at most. Admittedly it won't work well in a crowded gym, but I do this early on a weekend morning and it works out just fine.

I hope you enjoy this crazy Monday Madness workout!

 

 

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Get the Mental Edge

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In any sport, including bodybuilding, the mental edge is something that can make the difference between success and failure. People spend a lot of time working on their skills or training their bodies, but they don't usually spend enough time working on getting the mental edge.

Mental Edge

My friend, Shawn Goodsell, has a company called Mental Edge and he specializes in teaching athletes the mental aspect of their chosen sport. Speaking with Shawn you quickly realize how much he knows about the mental aspect of sports. Shawn has created some audio programs that help you with the mental edge aspect.

Consistency Yields Results

My oldest son used Shawn's audio program as well as one called “The Goalie's Mind” to work on his mental edge before every game and practice. As an ice hockey goaltender he was able to play better and more consistently as a result of these programs. My youngest daughter used Shawn's audio programs to sharpen up her mind before soccer games and practices. It worked very well for her as well.

Consistent use of these audio programs yields awesome results. Being mentally tough means you have confidence going into a game or practice. You will possess a clarity that you never had before. You will see your own mistakes and be able to correct them.

Any Sport Will Benefit

Shawn has a long list of sports he has created audio programs for. This approach (the 5 Performance Keys) is extremely effective. By teaching you to deal with The Control Game, The Focus Game, The Expectations Game, The Disappointment Game, and The Composure Game Shawn gets you handling all possible issues that might come up that would hinder your mental edge.  This works for all sports.

As someone into the sport of bodybuilding I find these tools invaluable. The lessons I've learned from reading Shawn's blog have taught me to overcome a lack of desire to train on a given day or week as well as many other obstacles.

I highly recommend Shawn and his products.

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Saturday Sharing: Thoughts on IIFYM

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Bodybuilding as a sport requires some intense dedication to eating the right things. You hear the words “eat clean” so often when you participate in this sport. I have also heard many jokes about the phrase “eat clean” and it really got me thinking. In fact, the entire nutrition issue has been at the front of my thinking the past couple of months. You might wonder why that is.

Nutrition in Bodybuilding

I had been taught that in order to get into great shape I had to “eat clean” (definition: lean protein, vegetables and a small amount of starchy carbohydrates) the vast majority of the time. I was allowed one “cheat meal” every week. As I got closer to a show that “cheat meal” was taken away. In addition, the carbohydrates were also taken away. The amount of cardio I had to do went up and up. I became a very grouchy man after being deprived of carbohydrates and doing a couple hours a day of cardio.

As I began to plan for my next time on stage, February 8, 2014, I wondered if there was a better way. What I found amazed me.

Metabolic Damage Videos

I initially came upon IIFYM.COM via some Metabolic Damage videos put out by Dr. Layne Norton. In his series on Metabolic Damage Layne speaks about the damage bodybuilding competitors do to their metabolism. He also gives a prescription for fixing the problem (reverse dieting). Listening to all three videos really got me to thinking. What Layne was saying made sense to me and fit with what I had experienced.

Enter IIFYM

IIFYM stands for “if it fits your macros” and it makes the case that hitting your macronutrient ratios is the most important factor in getting and staying lean. I began to think about this and realized that it actually makes a lot of sense. It also gives you some flexibility to eat at a party while doing contest preparation. Life itself becomes so much easier as a result. There are not so many dietary restrictions placed on you.

IIFYM is not a license to eat whatever you want whenever you want. It still tells you to eat good foods, but makes it clear that you do not need to suffer while doing it. This approach teaches you to count macros. Because you have a little more flexibility you wind up with less of an urge to cheat on your diet. Just focus on the macros and the rest will follow.

My Thoughts

As the title of the article says, now I want to give you my thoughts on this approach. First, I believe it works and I am planning to use it during my own contest preparation. However, I do not believe it makes anything easier. You still have to keep track of what you eat and how much you eat. Thus, if you were hoping that you could stop tracking what you eat, forget that notion immediately. However, I believe the ability to pick what your carbohydrate source is as long as you hit your macros is a major boon for most people. Yes, there will be those who enjoy “suffering” and will stick to the old tried and true approach, but there are so many others who are using the IIFYM approach and getting shredded that I thought I would give it a try myself.

Keep checking with this site for more on my progress. Ask any questions you may have. I will do my best to answer them.

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Six Steps to Stay Binge Free

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Last year when competing for my first bikini competition, I had a lot of issues with binge-eating. I would sneak food in the car. I would stuff myself full of peanut butter then cry and refuse dinner. I would go to Whole Foods and eat cookies and sweets, then rationalize it because I was doing yoga and needed the calories. I hated every single thing about the last time around competing because of what my relationship with food became – I had NEVER been one to struggle with disordered eating. I felt tired, cranky, hungry, nauseous and guilty on a regular basis.

Since I started preparing for Fitness Atlantic on January 2nd, I do not feel as though I am struggling. I feel happy, determined, focused, strong and all of those happy emotions. Here are my Top Six Steps to Help You Stay Binge Free whether you are competing or are just trying to clean up your diet:

1. EAT!!! Yes, it’s that simple. If you keep your body fueled with the right foods you will not go hungry. For me, I need to eat every 2 – 3 hours. This is always recommended because that is how long it takes the human body to digest small portions like 3 ounces of protein and a cup of vegetables. However, if you meal is immediately after a grueling cardiovascular workout like HIIT Sprints, then your food will most likely digest quicker, which means eating a meal again after 2 hours is probably a good idea. The bottom line is that if you stay fed you won’t go through your cabinets like a racoon in the trash.

2. CHEAT!!! Plan a cheat meal or cheat treat. A great time to have a cheat meal (notice I did not say feast?) would be the night before a long run the next morning. That way you will use those extra calories as fuel. But don’t go overboard!! An appropriate cheat would be a sushi roll with some spicy mayo, a grilled Kobe beef burger or a splitting a piece of cheesecake with your lover.

3. HAVE A PLAN!!! Knowing what obstacles are ahead of you will help you develop a good plan. If you know that on Wednesday afternoon you have a board meeting and there will be sandwiches and chips there for lunch, don’t be scared to bust out your BYO Chicken Salad!! Or if you are at a dinner, ask the waiter politely to help you find something on the menu as you have “dietary restrictions.” Better yet, look up the menu online and find something that you know will satisfy your dietary needs. If you go in with that plan, you are far more likely to stick to it.

4. DRINK UP!!! I drink a gallon of water each day, if not more, but you know what, sometimes I get sick of water. So at some point in the mid-afternoon I need something else so rather than explore my cabinets looking for something naughty to nosh on while staring for hours at my computer screen, I brew a cup of coffee and use a bit of unsweetened coconut creamer or Stevia. Or perhaps you could try a vitamin or electrolyte packet in your water. Mentally, it gives you a break and it gives your pallette a new taste that water alone does not solve.

5. DON’T FREAK OUT!!! So what you had an extra tablespoon of nut butter? It is not the end of the world and certainly not a reason to cry yourself to sleep. We all know each morning is the start of a new day. But guess what, every hour is a new beginning. Every 60 seconds is the beginning of a new minute. Just reset. Throw the food away or place it back in the cabinet, brush your teeth and start over.

6. AVOID TRIGGER FOODS!!! I have two triggers: Nut butters and Sweets. I had to set a rule last year that I try to hold on to 99.9% of the time, and that is to NOT go to the bakery at Whole Foods after yoga. Even if I can make it out of there without buying anything I will obsess over baked goods the rest of the day. Our Clean Eating goddess Tosca Reno makes reference to refined sugar being like cocaine because it’s incredibly addictive, so for me, now that my system is cleansed of refined sugars, I keep it that way. And as for nut butters, I sometimes ask Ryan to hide it from me if I know I’m feeling weak. If you know that you can’t stop yourself from eating vanilla wafers for example, then why do you keep them in your house at all?! These are tricks that help me. What are some tricks that help you remain binge-free?

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