Posts Tagged ‘P90X’

He’s Back

[Gina Backes at 2012-3-23 in: Fitness, Nutrition]

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If any of you have followed this blog, (there might be one or two of you) you are aware that at some point my husband Greg decided to workout with me. Unfortunately for him it happened to be when I was finishing up P90X Plus and moving on to Insanity. Greg was never an athlete, although he does remind me he played little league baseball. Because of this, I don’t think it was the best way to start out his experience in raising the heart rate and pushing himself physically. He did make it through most of the 60 days, but eventually he just “Insert excuse here.”

Over the past few months two realities have been reaffirmed when it comes to working out. For the first, Chalene Johnson, creator of Turbo Jam, ChaLEAN Extreme, and TurboFire says it best: you have to find your workout soul mate. You must find one that you are passionate about. Let’s face it. Most of us don’t approach the idea of getting in shape with complete enthusiasm. We reluctantly know we need to exercise more so we look at what’s popular and buy it. The problem is that it just might not be your soul mate. I was fortunate when I chose P90X to start. It was exactly what I needed and I enjoyed Tony’s style. If I would have started out with something like Turbo Jam, I probably wouldn’t have stuck with it. It doesn’t mean Turbo Jam is a bad choice. It’s terrific for those who are just starting out and love a more kickboxing, dance style workout. I would have felt completely out of my element. I probably could do it now, laugh at myself while getting the moves down and eventually have fun.

Greg has decided to begin working out with me and I think we may have finally found a workout that goes at his pace; Les Mills PUMP. We just started this program and he is much more willing to commit to 30 minutes of PUMP than 40 minutes of Insanity. He doesn’t feel overwhelmed like he has in the past. He even seems eager to get the workout done instead of looking like he wants to run away when it was time to dig deep. We do PUMP together, but when we’re done I throw in either an Insanity workout or one of PUMP’s deluxe dvds. It’s a perfect compromise. As a coach, it’s my job to help my clients pick the right program. I have some who approach me and say they want to try P90X, but in reality it might not be a program that fits their personality or their lifestyle. Ultimately it’s up to them to choose, but I need to assess what might be a good fit and present it to them.

The second reality is that an individual’s reason behind their desire to be healthy and fit can mean the difference between success and failure. In Beachbody, we call it the WHY! I have been amazed at some of the WHY’s people have shared. They are inspiring. And the greater the WHY, the higher the probability of them staying committed to a program. By greater I mean a life altering decision where this is one of the top priorities in their life. If it isn’t in the top 5, it’s going to be a struggle to accomplish. It’s something that Greg has finally embraced. While he may not able to prevent aging, he does have control over it’s affect on his energy, body, and quality of life. And he understands it has to come from both nutrition and exercise. You have to be committed because no amount of coaxing, persuading, or nagging from your coach can be a substitute. We can only encourage, answer questions, and make those small nudges. We don’t have that magic pill. It really doesn’t exist.

 

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11 Supplement FAQs

[Gina Backes at 2012-2-3 in: Beachbody, Nutrition]

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Steve Edwards answers questions about supplements.

I was answering these the other day for staff training and thought they’d make a helpful post for everyone. Basically they are questions we get from most of our customers in some alliteration about taking supplements of any kind. I have no idea who actually compiled these questions but I’ve heard them all many times.

1-what should I consume before a workout?

Nothing, hopefully, but there are times when eating something makes sense. Basically if your diet is good then you have an empty stomach and fully tapped glycogen stores that will last for 1-1.5 or so hours of hard training. However, there are many scenarios (dieting, too busy to eat, etc) that mean you should eat prior to training. When this is the case nutrition follows the post-nutrition protocol in that glycogen store replenishment supersedes all other factors, meaning mainly carbs, a little protein, very little fat and a solid electrolyte profile.

2-Can I take my supplements after 6pm?

Time is irrelevant because we all have different schedules and each supplement has different parameters for its usage. In general supplements are either meant to be 1) taken with food 2) taken in the morning on an empty stomach 3) taken before bed on an empty stomach 4) taken pre-workout 5) during workouts, especially long ones 6) taken post workout. Of course this is all dependent on what it is but those are pretty much the only nutritional windows we have to consider.

3-Will creatine make me fat?

Creatine has nothing at all to do with getting fat. It works in your Kreb’s cycle improving anaerobic endurance by allowing your cells to store more phosphocreatine. When you take creatine you store more water to add volume to your cells and that adds a little bit of weight but this disappears when you stop taking it. It’s never stored as adipose tissue (body fat). Only as water to allow your body to perform better. However, even a slight bit of extra weight can matter so those in, say, gravity-dependent sports will want to monitor their creatine usage.

4-I heard chocolate milk is good to consume after a workout, is this true?

In ONE study chocolate milk outperformed Gatorade or something similar that was a carb-only electrolyte supplement and the dairy industry has made a big play out of it. It does come close to a 4 to 1 carb to protein ratio so it’s more appropriate than many options but won’t perform nearly as well as specialty formulated post-workout recovery supps.

5- Can I drink too much water and is it possible to dilute my supplements, thereby minimizing their effectiveness?

You could theoretically do this but it’s not particularly likely unless you’re exercising all day long where water can dilute your electrolyte balance and create a potentially lethal condition called hyponatremia.

6- Can i eat and take my supplements at the same time?

Depends on what you are taking. This is almost always addressed on the label. As a general rule vitamins are best taken with a meal and everything else is situational.

7- Is there anything I can take to reduce my soreness after exercise?

The best thing, by far, is a post-exercise recovery supplement because quick glycogen replenishment is the most vital factor for minimizing muscle soreness.

8- My joints hurt after lifting heavy weights. Is there any supplement I can take to make this go away?

Not really. Fish oil and other omega 3 supplements can help with inflammation but post-exercise pain in a joint, unless you have a chronic condition, is due to something more akin to an injury. Regular omega 3 supplementation can minimize the risk of such conditions to some degree and is almost always encouraged, especially for people on acidic high-protein diets.

9-How much protein do I need each day?

Daily protein intake is not nearly so important as how much you get each meal. Studies continually support that fact that large amounts of protein cannot be digested at one time, meaning that it’s important to have some protein each time you eat for best results. No consensus has been reached to upper limits as there are many factors that affect digestion but somewhere around 30 grams seems to be the range almost anyone can use. Therefore we like to recommend that all meals and snacks contain somewhere in the 30 gram range as a maximum for efficient protein utilization.

10-Is it bad to eat fat in my diet?

No. In fact you’ll die without it. There are only three macronutrients and they are all equally important for proper function and performance. Fat is every bit as vital to your diet and protein and carbohydrates, which is probably why most foods found in nature have some of each.

11- If i miss my window of consumption post exercise, should i still drink my recovery drink?

Basically yes but it depends by how much you’ve missed the one-hour window and what else you’ve eaten. When you are low on glycogen you need to replenish it if you’ve recently exercised. When you don’t exercise the template changes but after hard exercise you need to replenish your glycogen stores. Your body will do this with any food it gets but it’s much slower if you use the wrong macronutrient ratio. So if you’ve eaten after your workout a recovery formulation won’t help much but if you haven’t it will, even if it’s been more than an hour or two or three.

Article source: http://steve-edwards.blogspot.com/2012/01/11-supplement-faqs.html

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Saturated Fats, Diet Trends, & How You Should Eat

[Gina Backes at 2012-1-23 in: Beachbody, Nutrition]

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By Steve Edwards:
We’ve been writing diet guides for a long time, always have great results, yet nothing we publish gets much press because, frankly, it’s boring. The diets we write need to be a: short, b: simple, and c: easily followed by people with limited means in both grocery choice and money. But just because we produce what you could call “common sense” diets doesn’t mean we aren’t constantly scrutinizing the latest science. We’re always testing the latest research ourselves (particularly me on moi) and evaluating its place in our diet plans. Today I present Denis Faye’s exhaustively un-conclusive analysis of saturated fat.

Sat fat is one of the latest trends in dieting. Held hostage by the medical community for years as the harbinger of heart disease modern research seems to indicate it’s been falsely accused. And this, of course (given the “it’s either good or evil” mentality of our public) means we now have legions of people sallying forth on a sat fat craze wielding sticks of butter and tubs of lard like they’re light sabers against the dark side that is heart disease. So Faye went to the source, the actual science along with popular books on the subject, and found that this group might be arming themselves with faulty weapons.

My second source is the most authoritative (read: not lame or poorly researched) pro-sat-fat book I could find: Dr. Mary Enig’s Know Your Fats. (Enig was the first real whistle blower on the dangers of trans fat, decades before the rest of the world figured it out.)

To my shock, Enig gave only two instances where she felt saturated fats were of particular benefit. First, she suggests, “research has shown that saturated fat in the diet is needed by the body to enable it to adequately convert the essential omega-3 fatty acid (ALA) to the elongated omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA.” I found the study she cited and it turns out that she got it wrong(ish). According to Gerster, sat fats are marginally better than PUFAs for helping ALA convert, but not “needed.” Furthermore, this advice only really applies to vegans and vegetarians, given a healthy, more omnivorous diet should include EPA and DHA-rich foods such as fatty fish.

What’s Faye has done is exhaustively analyze the actual data and show that their enthusiasm might be better placed elsewhere, like doing some exercise or, “no don’t say it” perhaps just eating a balanced diet. Just because saturated fat may not be something that we should avoid doesn’t mean it’s should be the cornerstone of every meal. He concludes:

At the end of the day, I think the answer is to focus on your own biochemical needs. Even Enig admits, “there isn’t any real evidence that everyone needs to consume exactly the same balance of fatty acids.” She also points out that it’s naïve to categorize most foods as sat fats or PUFAs, given both animal and plant-based fat sources tend to be a mix of both. With that in mind, the answer might be as simple as a little self-analysis. Is your current diet working for you? How do you feel? How’s your blood work? Are you having any issues such as inflammation or high LDL cholesterol? If all this looks good, your sat fat levels are probably pretty right for you. If not, it might be time to start experimenting a little, no matter what your Crossfit trainer tells you.

And this gets back to the philosophy behind the Beachbody diet guides. Eat with restraint and common science. If you’re performance increases your body composition will improve. If it’s not working, re-assess and tinker until it does. And this works, oh, about 100% of the time. We have millions of success stories. Among them we have vegans, pesactarians, Paleoers, Atkins-ers, calorie-stricters, Zone-o-philes and probably even some Pritikiners. Because our plans work with you, and your lifestyle, no matter what that happens to be. Nutrition is simply not that tricky. In closing I’d like to say I’m paraphrasing Michael Pollan but I’ve been touting this since long before he wrote it. Eat mostly whole foods, lots of plants, drink plenty of water, and do some exercise and things will get better. Everything else is nitpicking.

Article source: http://steve-edwards.blogspot.com/2012/01/saturated-fats-diet-trends-how-you.html

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Working Out And Injuries

[Gina Backes at 2011-11-8 in: Beachbody, Fitness]

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I have been working out with P90X/Plus/Insanity and Brazil Butt Lift for over a year and a half now and have never really encountered an injury. There have been little tweaks here and there, but nothing that made me think I should probably take more than a day off. Even then, I usually just took it easy. Last week I experienced a strain in my upper back that I just couldn’t shake. I tried to modify, but it became apparent I needed to take a day or two off to let it heal.

I was fortunate my injury was very minor. It’s kind of weird how almost obsessive you become when you have made a commitment towards fitness and you start to see results. Taking unscheduled time off can be frustrating. You feel like all the progress you have made will come to a screeching halt and even go backwards. Deep down inside I knew the right thing to do was to take a rest, but it took me a few tough workouts to finally convince myself. Obviously it’s really important to listen to your body and take any injury serious. By pushing yourself when you should be taking time off, you risk either creating another injury by overcompensation or causing more damage to the injured area.

Steve Edwards does a nice job with a two-part series, taking a simple look at how to best avoid getting injured, and what to do should those precautions fail. In the first article, he talks about two types of injuries and how we can avoid one. He mentions the Total Body Solutions DVD Beachbody caries. I just recently purchased this and I am excited to try it. This DVD features a series of assessments and drills to increase range of motion, help relieve pain, and prevent strain in commonly stressed areas like the shoulders, neck, core, lower back, and knees. I will let you know how that works when I implement the program after I am finished with my second round of Insanity.

The second article discusses how to deal with an injury in three steps. My favorite line in the article is “It’s common to see athletes return from being injured better than they were before they got hurt. This is because when you’re injured, you are forced to rebuild your body the correct way.” This is an important point to remember when you come face to face with an injury.

 

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10 Reasons Women Need to Lift Weights

[Gina Backes at 2011-10-7 in: Beachbody, Fitness]

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I ran across this article today and thought it was really important for women to understand why resistance training is needed. Women are usually reluctant to add resistance training for various reasons. One of those reasons is a fear of becoming overly muscular. Rest easy! It’s impossible for women to bulk up due to the limited testosterone levels. Women also don’t see the benefits of weights, but Whitney Provost explains those in the following article.

By Whitney Provost

Many women believe that the only way to lose weight is to do cardiovascular (aerobic exercise). So they jog or take aerobics classes five times a week. Eventually, though, they notice that while their bodies are a little smaller, there are still a lot of flabby and jiggly bits. Sound familiar? Aerobic exercise is important for good health, but it’s only half of the equation. Keep reading for the other half.

For optimal fitness, longevity, and a lean body, weight training is essential. If you avoid pumping iron because you’re afraid of getting “bulky,” then you’re missing out on one of the best fat-burning methods around.

Weights, Weight Loss, and a Tape Measure

When you’re weight training, you shouldn’t rely exclusively on the scale to gauge your progress. You can use a body fat tester or a tape measure to track how many inches you’re losing. The size of your body will shrink as you shed fat and build muscle, but your weight may not change as dramatically as you expect. Besides, what’s more important, the number on the scale or how you look in your skinny jeans?

If you’re still not convinced that you need to lift weights, here are 10 reasons you should reconsider.

  1. Chalene Lifting a DumbbellBurn more fat. Researchers at Tufts University found that when overweight women lifted heavy weights twice a week, they lost an average of 14.6 pounds of fat and gained 1.4 pounds of muscle. The control group, women who dieted but didn’t lift weights, lost only 9.2 pounds of fat and gained no muscle. When you do an intense weight-training program such as ChaLEAN Extreme®, your metabolism stays elevated and you continue to burn fat for several hours afterward. During regular cardio exercise, you stop burning fat shortly after the workout.
  2. Change your body shape. You may think your genes determine how you look. That’s not necessarily true. Weight training can slim you down, create new curves, and help avoid the “middle-age spread.” Just look at the amazing body transformations of the women who’ve completed P90X®. Dropping only 3 percent of your body fat could translate into a total loss of 3 inches off your hips and thighs. And no, you won’t bulk up—women don’t have enough muscle-building hormones to gain a lot of mass like men do. If you keep your diet clean and create a calorie deficit, you’ll burn fat.
  3. Boost your metabolism. The less muscle you have, the slower your metabolism will be. As women age, they lose muscle at increasing rates, especially after the age of 40. When you diet without doing resistance training, up to 25 percent of the weight loss may be muscle loss. Weight training while dieting can help you preserve and even rebuild muscle fibers. The more lean mass you have, the higher your metabolism will be and the more calories you’ll burn all day long.
  4. Woman with GroceriesGet stronger and more confident. Lifting weights increases functional fitness, which makes everyday tasks such as carrying children, lifting grocery bags, and picking up heavy suitcases much easier. According to the Mayo Clinic, regular weight training can make you 50 percent stronger in 6 months. Being strong is also empowering. Not only does it improve your physical activities, it builds emotional strength by boosting self-esteem and confidence.
  5. Build strong bones. It’s been well documented that women need to do weight-bearing exercise to build and maintain bone mass, and to prevent osteoporosis. Just as muscles get stronger and bigger with use, so do bones when they’re made to bear weight. Stronger bones and increased muscle mass also lead to better flexibility and balance, which is especially important for women as they age.
  6. Fight depression. You’ve probably heard that cardio and low-impact exercises such as yoga help alleviate depression, and weight lifting has the same effect. The endorphins that are released during aerobic activities are also present during resistance training. Many women find that regular strength training, in conjunction with psychological treatment, helps lessen their depression symptoms substantially.
  7. Family BicyclingImprove sports fitness. You don’t have to be an athlete to get the sports benefit of weight training. Improved muscle mass and strength will help you in all physical activities, whether it’s bicycling with the family, swimming, golfing, or skiing . . . whatever sport you enjoy.
  8. Reduce injuries and arthritis. Weight lifting improves joint stability and builds stronger ligaments and tendons. Training safely and with proper form can help decrease the likelihood of injuries in your daily life. It can also improve physical function in people with arthritis. A study conducted at the University of Wales in Bangor, United Kingdom, found that mildly disabled participants who lifted weights for 12 weeks increased the frequency and intensity at which they could work, with less pain and increased range of movement.
  9. Get heart healthy. More than 480,000 women die from cardiovascular disease each year, making it the number-one killer of women over the age of 25. Most people don’t realize that pumping iron can also keep your heart pumping. Lifting weights increases your “good” (HDL) cholesterol and decreases your “bad” (LDL) cholesterol. It also lowers your blood pressure. The Journal of the American Medical Association reports that people who do 30 minutes of weight lifting each week have a 23 percent reduced risk of developing heart disease compared to those who don’t lift weights.
  10. Defend against diabetes. In addition to keeping your ticker strong, weight training can improve glucose utilization (the way your body processes sugar) by as much as 23 percent. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 16 weeks of strength training can improve glucose metabolism in a way that is comparable to taking diabetes medication. The more lean mass you have, the more efficient your body is at removing glucose from the blood, which can reduce complications from diabetes or even help prevent type 2 diabetes in the first place.

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