So we all know the importance of the pre-workout meal. Well, maybe I’m jumping the gun. I should say that I hope we all know the importance of the pre-workout meal.

And I should qualify the position I’m coming from on this topic. This is based upon training for performance and athletic excellence. The reason I make the distinction is that there is a growing movement and popularity for intermittent fasting when it comes to weight loss and body composition changes. I’m not referring to this type of goal.

When it comes to pre-workout nutrition for a performance goal wer’re looking to hydrate and top up the body’s supply of glycogen. Glycogen is the body’s stored form of carbohydrate which can be found in the muscle and liver. If we have some carbs before training this can help ‘spare’ muscle glycogen or minimize the depletion of this energy source.

And while carbs are our best source to accomplish this we want to make sure to keep the pre-workout levels of fats and protein a little lower. This may seem contrary to what you’ll see many ‘meat heads’ doing as they suck on a protein shake while warming up on the treadmill. Don’t follow this lead. Too much protein slows gastric emptying and impairs performance.

But while we hear all the time how important it is to eat before training, how important is it really? How much does it impact your performance? Can one meal really make a difference?

Consider the following session I had with a client this week. This client wears a heart rate monitor while training and of course we are monitoring loads, recovery times and outputs on energy system work. And for this particular workout the client had not had a pre-workout meal.

Here’s what happened.

When we got to some of the conditioning sets at the end of the workout this client  was suffering. He was having difficulty completing the workout. But it wasn’t just his mood or a subjective feature that is difficult to assign a real number. His heart rate was beating in the mid 170s for a set that would normally have him around 160 bpm.

But here’s the kicker.

His performance was off by over 10% as well.

In other words his body was working 10% harder than it normally does but was achieving 10% less performance.  Am I saying this was entirely due to a missed meal? No. Obviously nutrition is only one aspect contributing to optimal athletic perfomance. But it obviously impairs performance by as much as 20%.

And when you think about it 20% is huge!

That’s the difference between deadlifting 440 lbs or 400 lbs. It means your competitor is done the 100 m and you’re at the 80 m with 20 m to go. It means for every shift or effort during your game or sport you have work harder than your opponent and still be a step behind.

Remember how we said earlier on how the pre-game meal is meant to be glycogen sparing? Well without a pre-game meal you will have tapped into and potentially drained your body’s stores of glycogen and thus compromised the rate and degree at which you’ll recover from competition. In other words, if you play again soon you may still be at a liability in terms of your performance.

Make sure if your training is geared around sports performance that you don’t skip or miss a meal before training or competition. It just puts you at too much of a disadvantage to have any chance of being your best.

Chris                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        okanaganpeakperformance.com

There’s a commercial I remember seeing not too long ago. And it shows a girls’ soccer team drinking sports drinks during a break in the play. And one of the players asks the coach why they’re drinking sports drinks? And the coach replies saying ‘to replace the water you’ve lost’. So of course the player replies ‘if we’ve lost water why don’t we drink water?’

Makes sense doesn’t it? If all we’ve lost is water we should be drinking water, right?

Well it’s not as simple as that. We all know that we don’t just lose water. We lose electrolytes and expend cellular energy as ATP, from glycogen, to play soccer and other sports.

So if all you are drinking is water you are missing out on a couple of things that the body is losing when it sweats.

But it gets worse. And here are 3 Reasons Drinking Water During Intense Exercise Maybe a Bad Idea.

1. No Replenishment of Electrolytes

What’s the big deal with electrolytes? Isn’t consuming salt (electrolytes) a bad idea? Won’t this give me high blood pressure?

Here’s the thing about electrolytes. Your body needs them. It’s not an optional condition. For example, in each one of us is something called the sodium-potassium pump  which exists to move these two ions from opposite sides of the cell membrane. It has a particular role with nerve cells allowing them to respond to stimuli and impulses.

Anyways, this pump operates with a very specific concentration of sodium and potassium ions. Disruption of the concentration of these ions effects the operation of this pump. When there is a change in the concentration of sodium or potassium there must be a replenishment through food or drink or the body responds accordingly.

Your performance and ability to recover will be diminished when you deplete the concentration of sodium and potassium.

2. Glycogen is Depleted

If your sport or activity is not intense or short in duration you may be ok. But once the intensity cranks up or you have to go for extended periods of time you will notice your performance drops off.

When the intensity of the exercise is high enough your body derives energy from the ATP-CP and anerobic glycolysis systems. The body can store glycogen in the muscle and liver for energy to meet these needs. But it would preferable to have an energy source from a drink that would spare muscle glycogen and still allow you to perform.

Think of it terms of finances. When you have to pay a debt there are better ways to pay that debt. There are certain accounts you would prefer to not have to dip into to cover this debt. Fueling your workouts is similar. If there is another option that spares your special ‘account’ i.e. muscle glycogen, than that would be preferable.

3. Water Quenches - It Doesn’t Hydrate

There is a trigger for the body to rehydrate. And this is increased osmolarity of the blood.

The what?

Exactly. Let’s break this down into English.

When you have a liquid with particles in it you can refer to the osmolarity of the solution. A liquid (solvent) with very few solid particles (solute) would have a low osmolarity whereas a liquid with a higher number of solid particles would have a high osmolarity.

High osmolarity in the blood serves as a trigger to rehydrate.

But here’s the kicker.

Water quenches thirst but does NOT rehydrate. Drinking water lowers plasma (blood) osmolarity and extinguishes the stimulus to drink.

Worse yet, drinking water alone will lead to increased urine output. Losing more water to urine does not help your hydration status. Plus being in a porta-potty does nothing to help your time in road race or triathlon.

Take home message

While there is benefit to using sports drinks you should keep the following points in mind:

* They are only for times when you are exercising intensely i.e. sweating profusely

* They are only for extended periods of exercise i.e. more than 50 minutes

* They work best in a 7-9% carb concentration, more is defnitely not better

Cheers,

Chris                                                                                                                                                                             okanaganpeakperformance.com

For example eight hours a sleep a night is a good thing. Yet the majority of us don’t get this much. In fact we get much less. For some this is as little as 5-6 hours per night.

We know the benefits of exercise in maintaining the musculoskeletal system, burning calories, eliminating waste and toxins not to mention looking good. Yet not everyone has somewhere where they can get in a training session. And many of those who have a gym membership don’t make use of it.

Lastly we know certain foods are great for maintaining health, preventing disease and enhancing performance. But we pass on these foods and opt instead for the foods which take years off our lives, rot us from the inside out and make us sick.

And the common denominator of all of these is that they involve a choice. Health is only a few good choices away for most of us. It doesn’t have to cost more and it doesn’t have to take more time.

So why do we pass on being healthy?

I think it has to do that many want the magic pill. They want all of the benefits without any effort. And they want it all yesterday.

This is in part why the Tabata Protocol has become hugely popular.

What exactly is the Tabata Protocol? It’s named after the Japanese researcher who compared 8 twenty second bouts of high intensity exercise and 10 seconds rest with 60 minutes of steady state cardio. Both groups increased VO2max but only the sprint group improved anaerobic performance.

But the popularity this has gained with the average person has less to do with aerobic or anaerobic performance improvements and more to do with time investment, glucose metabolism and fat burning.

That’s right. As soon as the mainstream media reported on the body composition changes that accompany High Intensity Interval Training this became all the rage in fitness programs, group exercise and bootcamps.

But there’s a problem with this love affair with the Tabata Protocol. In fact there are 5 as I see it.

Problem #1 – Too Intense for Most

If you read the paper from this research from 1996 you’ll know that the intervals were intense. 170% of VO2max intense. Most people have no appreciation for how hard this is. And if you simply follow the 20 seconds on 10 seconds off protocol this doesn’t necessarily mean you’re performing a Tabata.

Think about it. If you go for a run you may be at 70 or 85% of VO2max. The protocol calls for more than double this. Yet most people won’t hit this level of intensity yet will expect the same results as occurred in the study.

Problem #2 – You Need to Be in Shape 1st

There’s a noted physiotherapist, Diane Lee, who said ‘you don’t run to get in shape, you have to be in shape to run’. This couldn’t be more true for the Tabata protocol.

The research conditions involved high level athletes, not everyday people looking to lose 15-20 lbs. You do more damage to body when you jump straight into high level physical activity rather than easing into it. Unfortunately as soon as this protocol appeared in the mainstream media there was a knee jerk reaction by couch potatoes everywhere to achieve the same results for themselves.

Problem #3 – It’s Only One Tool

Think of all the different parts of training that one can do from Olympic lifting, powerlifting, plyometrics, medball training, suspension training, kettlebells, mobility work, core training, stretching and lots more.

And I haven’t even mentioned energy system work. Which is what the Tabata protocol measured. And specifically it targeted the anaerobic system.

There’s a saying that if the only tool you have is a hammer then pretty soon everything looks like a nail. In other words if we limit ourselves to Tabatas only, and all the time, we are putting severe constraints on the body’s ability to develop and perform at its highest level.

Problem #4 – It’s Not Meant To Be Long Term

There are bootcamps in town here that run all their training as a Tabata style. Push extremely hard, short rest and repeat. And they do this week after week, month after month.

Here’s the problem. The study ran just over a month. But not everyday. And it included a lower intensity workout on one day. And it had a beginning and end. And as we mentioned it involved high level athletes.

Problem #5 – More Risk

If you think about when you get hurt with exercise it’s usually when you challenge yourself and push a little more. And often times this comes when we try something we’re not as familiar with and haven’t developed the same tolerance to training.

For example, when you start a sprint training program you will be sore the first few times out. Especially if you haven’t been doing any running previously. The range of motion is greater. The forces upon impact are higher. The stress on the cardiovascular system is larger. So it makes sense the chance of doing harm, especially if we’re not ready for it, is pretty good.

Even if you’re not doing sprints at the track you need to ease in to your training. Don’t think just because you’re on a bike that you’re ready for the workload that comes with a Tabata. Recognize your limits and save yourself an injury by working up to the challenge.

Summary

The Tabata paper described here is a great piece of research that validates the benefits of high intensity interval training. This does not mean however that it is to be used by all populations, all the time. And it also doesn’t mean that anything done in a 20 s/10 s manner is necessarily going to torch the Molson muscle you developed over the holidays. Lastly, recognize that the protocol develops one aspect of one area of fitness. For the best all round health make sure to challenge the body in a variety of ways under conditions it is prepared for.

Chris                                                                                                                                                                                  okanaganpeakperformance.com

So a few weeks ago I did a Saturday workout with some friends. And normally this wouldn’t be reason to write a blog post but this time was a little different. It was different because we did them in the cold with minimal clothing. And by minimal clothing I mean shorts and shoes, t-shirts optional.

How cold you may be wondering? It was -2 C with a slight wind.

Now we didn’t start the workout this way. Here’s the protocol we used.

General Warm-up - 10 minute easy jog fully geared up. At this point I was wearing a toque, sweats, gloves, a jacket…basically lots of layers. Specifically performance gear that moves and breathes.

Movement Prep – 10 minutes of dynamic movements in a variety of planes and directions. I was still wearing all the gear from above at this point.

20 Second Conditioning Sets – This involves 20 seconds of six different movement you flow through from one to the next until each has been completed. This works out to a 2 minute set. Because there are 6 changes from one movement to the next you need to overcome inertia each time. This is part of what makes the drill so difficult. It’s similar to going for a run and having to stop for traffic lights. It is much easier to continue running than to come to a complete stop and then initiate movement again from a standstill.

Length of the Field – The last drill involved running the length of a soccer field, dropping to do 10 push ups then jogging back. The run heading out had to be completed in less than 20 seconds and the return in less than 30 seconds. Upon returning to the starting position you rest 30 seconds then repeat for the prescribed number of sets.

It was during this last drill we all stripped down. For the first five reps we wore shoes, shorts and t-shirts. And for the last 5 we ditched the shirts.

But it wasn’t that bad. The worst part was sprinting to the opposite end of the field. That was when we were most aware of the cold weather.

So why did we do this? Aren’t we at risk at getting sick?

Well the reason for doing this was to simulate a cold weather response and burn additional calories. When we think of the word thermodynamics usually only the motion part of the equation is considered.

For example when people talk about weight gain they’ll say ‘your intake (calories consumed) was greater than your ouput’ (sum total of all physical efforts.

But this definition is too simple. It ignores the fact that the word, thermodynamics, has two parts to it. ‘Thermo’ and ‘dynamic‘. We are attributing the calories we burn to movement only. But there are also heat calories lost. In this case of cold weather sprints we burn additional calories as we shiver to stay warm.

It’s too soon yet to say how effective this will be for us. But one thing’s for sure. It was definitely a rush. And it was motivating to not stand around wasting time between sets.

And the question about getting sick? I don’t mean to recommend this to anyone who already is fatigued or on the verge of being sick. But for those with a strong immune system and are up for the challenge give it a try. Just make sure to wear multiple layers and gradually ditch them as you warm up. Each day will be slightly different weather so decide what to wear based on how you feel.

Lastly, make sure to bundle up as soon as the last rep is completed. When the last rep is completed your temperature will drop quickly and won’t recover if movement ceases.

Chris                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       okanaganpeakperformance.com

Alright so it’s the middle of winter. Well maybe not the exact middle but where we are in Kelowna the daylight hours are shorter and the mercury doesn’t climb as much as other times of the year. And so with these longer colder days you’ll see fewer people outside doing activity. And more people plopped down in front of the big screen watching awards shows, movies or sports. We’ve even found new conditions (S.A.D., isn’t it?) to justify the need to get away from somewhere warm in the middle of winter.

But I’m here to tell you there are some great advantages to have seasons like we do. Especially this winter season. And it all relates to your sleep.

How can these cold, dark days of winter be of benefit to anyone let alone to all of us? Well they provide the ideal conditions for sleep.

For example, the bedroom is generally cooler. It gets darker a lot earlier in the evening. And with less activity outside this usually means quieter times near bedtime.

So winter is a great time to establish some great sleep habits going forward. With that in mind here are 5 Benefits of Improved Sleep.

Benefit #1 – Better Memory & Learning

As a former high school teacher I often knew we’d have a great class when the students came in well rested. They’d pick up new concepts more readily and we’d accomplish more during the class. The same is true of training athletes in the summer. If we are going to introduce a new drill we might schedule it when the athletes are better rested and have a better chance of success. They’d land more of their plyos. They’d progress more quickly on their Olympic lifts. They would run cleaner patters on their speed drills. And not only would this decrease the potential for injury it would also boost their confidence as they master new drills.

Benefit #2 – Improved Hormone Profiles

Although there are many hormones influenced by our sleep status there are two in particular which should be of interest to the majority of gym goers. And these are leptin and ghrelin.

Leptin tells you that you’re full and ghrelin tells you you’re hungry.

But guess what happens when you’re sleep deprived?

Leptin gets suppressed and ghrelin gets amplified. In other words the message that says ‘I’m full’ doesn’t work. And the message that tells you it’s time to eat comes through before it normally should.

Get your sleep in order and track how much weight you can lose. One of the participants of our Year Long Training Program lost 11 lbs in the first 2 weeks when she improved the quality and quantity of her sleep. And this was before she started on the workouts or the adjusted her eating habits.

Benefit #3 – Enhanced Recovery

It’s such a waste to see great efforts that aren’t rewarded. For example, imagine putting in 4-5 high intensity, quality  training workouts per week. And fininshing each with a recovery shake. And eating the highest quality foods at the right times and in the correct amounts.

Now imagine going to bed at 11 pm and getting up at 6 am everyday. What’s wrong with that you may wonder? Well a couple of things. First we aren’t asleep as soon as we turn out the lights. It may take up to an hour to fall asleep. And so right off the bat we’re only getting a maximum of 6 hours per night. And this assumes we sleep the entire night which for most of our clients is the exception rather than the norm. Add to this to the fact we should be getting closer to 8 hours per night and we’re always 2 hours short per night. And for teenagers this need is probably closer to 9-10 hours of sleep per night.

Benefit #4 – Reduced Inflammation

I won’t go into as much detail here. Inflammation can be a good thing when it is the result of injury we have suffered. We roll an ankle and the inflammatory response helps provide more stiffness to the joint and helps prevent further damage.

But for many of us we are eating foods and making lifestyle choices that cause us to be in a state of inflammation, even when we haven’t rolled an ankle. Getting more sleep at night is a quick and easy way to reduce this.

Benefit #5 – Improved Mood

Think back to many of your best days and many of them followed a great night’s sleep? You wake up before your alarm. You had time to get ready in the morning. You weren’t rushed. You had time to eat breakfast and make a lunch.

And on the flip side what does your day look like when you don’t have a good night’s sleep? You’re hitting the snooze button a few too many times. Then you’re rushing to get out the door because you overslept. Since you didn’t eat breakfast you obviously didn’t have time to make a lunch. Your first meal of the day will be coffee and a doughnut in the lunchroom. And lunch will be fast food to save time.

It’s so much easier to follow up a good decision with another. And a great night’s sleep sets everything in motion. You’ll have more patience. You’ll smile more. You’ll see unexpected problems as challenges and your energy will motivate others.

Summary

During the cold dark days of winter see this as a great opportunity to get your sleep in order. It’s not easy to always train and eat as well as we should. But as soon as we’re well rested the other decisions are a little easier to make.

Chris                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        okanaganpeakperformance.com

And I noticed something that I had seen before but hadn’t paid much attention.

This was you are being misled through the television commercials. While I know there are more here are two specific examples that I saw.

Advertising Lie #1 – Egg Whites Are Healthier Than Whole Eggs

This ad starts with a few friends from work sharing what they have changed in the New Year to live healthier lives. I can’t recall exactly what the different efforts each of them is making but one claims proudly to now be eating egg white breakfast sandwhiches.

For a while I’ve been trying to get the word out that whole eggs are not only healthy for you but actually essential. Essential in the fact that one whole egg contains about half of your daily requirement of choline.

But that’s not it. Look at the table below to see how many nutrients you’d miss out on by ditching the yoke.

Table 1: Egg Yolks Versus Egg Whites

Data from  USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 15

A few interesting things to notice about this table:

1. 100%  of the fat soluble vitamins (A,D,E,K) are contained entirely within the yolk.

2. The essential fatty acids (DHA, AA) are only found in the yolk.

3. The carotenoids are only found in the yolk.

4. For those that are concerned about their sodium intake this is contained primarily in the egg white not the yolk!

So the take home message is that eating egg whites is not healthier but actually causes you to miss out on many of the nutrients required for optimal health.

Advertising Lie #2 – Eat 6-8 Servings of Whole Grains per Day

This ad isn’t so much a lie as it perpetuates the belief that eating 8 servings of grains a day is healthy for you.

***quick aside…I’m going to take the position that the majority of people aren’t high level athletes, may need to lose a few lbs and would benefit from improved insulin sensitivity.***

What would 8 servings of grains look like?

4 bagels

8 slices of bread

6 cups of oatmeal

4 cups of rice or pasta

That’s a lot of grain! And when you consider how poorly we are at managing our blood sugar this would be an irresponsible nutritional choice.

I don’t fault the advertisers. They are simply passing along the recommendations from the national food guide.

But here’s the problem.

With each of the listed foods this probably means more processed food, more additives, more sugar and less nutrition. I say less nutrition because once somehow has filled up on 4 bagels or 8 pieces of bread how likely are they to eat broccoli, spinach, cauliflower or bok choy which supplies much more nutrition than any of the grains listed above does.

And what about the carb content? Well 8 servings could add over 100 grams of carbs per day to their nutritional plan.

Considering how rampant Type II diabetes and other Metabolic Syndromes are become this would not be a good idea.

Summary

Sometimes it’s hard to watch an add and not feel compelled to try the product. They use attractive models, incorporate a catchy jingle and do a decent job of convincing you of the benefits of eating their product. When it comes to eggs and carb consumption don’t fall for this trap.

Chris                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 okanaganpeakperformance.com

Prediction #8 – More Wind Resistance Trainers

Have you tried a Concept II rowing machine?  What about an Airdyne Comp bike? If you have you already know what a great whole body workout these machines offer. But if you haven’t the neat thing about them is that they are based on wind resistance. And the harder you push the more resistance you generate making for a more intense workout. Our clients love them. And when I say love them I mean they hate them but love the results they generate.

Prediction #9 – More Transverse Plane Training

99% of most training programs are in the sagittal plane. Think of biceps curls, leg extensions, front raises, squats, lunges…pretty much most exercises. However as the average gym goer makes the transition from fixed plane machine training to movement based exercises you’ll see more frontal plane and transverse plane training. Transverse plane exercises include things such as landmine exercises, rotational exercises, medball throws as well as number of exercises that can be done with a suspension trainer.

Prediction #10 – More Periodization

For while there was a growing popularity that involved workouts which were drawn up on a moment’s notice. These workouts were daily programs that did not have much consideration for the many factors that should be considered when designing a training program. I’m talking about things like a competitive season, training experience, intensity of training, quality and quantity of recovery, volume of training and more.

Hopefully we’ll see fewer fitness professionals ‘wing it’ when it comes to program design. Hopefully we’ll see more consideration to a long term approach to program design. Hopefully we’ll see more consideration for the principles of periodization.

Prediction #11 – More Anti-Rotation Drills

It’s only common sense that if people are going to perform more transverse plane training they need to be able to control this motion first. There needs to be a base level of stability before high levels of force can be produced. With this in mind expect to see more Turkish get ups, more Pallof presses, more bird dogs and other exercises that require stabilization of the torso in the transverse plane.

Prediction #12 – Less Organic Food

Do you remember a few years ago there were some people who thought if everything they ate was organic they were eating healthier? Well we now know that just because something is organic doesn’t mean it’s healthier. There are definitely things about buying organic which are true. It costs more and it’s trendy. But beware of the foods that involve a peel, rind or gourd that you throw away before you eat the food. It may not make sense to buy these as organic. Unless you have money to burn and are trendy.

Prediction #13 – More Prepped Meal Services

One thing that I think will catch on more in 2012 is the number of people using food preparation services. There are more companies providing this service, meaning the quality goes up and the price becomes more competitive. Most people recognize the value nutrition plays in their training efforts and most people are busy. This is a way to put more emphasis on quality nutrition while saving some time.

Well there you have it. This is where I see the health and fitness industry headed in 2012.

In the comments section answer the following question:

* What trends have you noticed in health and fitness?

* Which trends of the 13 above do you agree with?

Chris                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         okanaganpeakperformance.com

So here we are a day out from New Year’s Eve. 2011 was a great year but what does 2012 have in store for us? Read along to learn the Top 13 Fitness Predictions for 2012.

Prediction #1 – We’re Going to Learn to Breathe

What? Really? Isn’t this something everyone learns to do with a huge wail as they enter this world? And if not they get a whack on the backside from the delivery room doctor.

Well, yes I am not saying we don’t already breathe, we’re just not breathing the right way. And this leads to problems with improper muscle firing patterns, increased tension through the upper thoracic and neck as well as decreased sports performance. While I’m not a huge advocate of yoga this may be something we could steal a page from this practice.

Prediction #2 – Where is Your Head At?

This ties in a little bit with #1. But think about it…your head houses the CPU of the body. If the head is out of alignment what happens to the rest of our posture? And our movement? And our sports performance? The chance for injury?

Prediction #3 – Long & Neutral Spine

When it comes to spine position we’ve heard all different types of coaching cues and recommendations from drawing in to bracing and everything in between. Probably the simplest and most beneficial approach would be think of lenthening the spine and maintaining a neutral position. Bonus tip (these tie in with #1 and #2 above…I love efficiency

Prediction #4 – I Need More Angled Bar

To truly appreaciate the above prediction you need to say it with a Christopher Walken voice ala SNL. Cow bell anyone?

Anyways angled bar training is in. This could in the form a landmine unit or a grappler handle. Sometimes you’ll simply see people putting an Olympic bar on end in the corner of the gym to do the same. Whatever means is used to do this you’ll see more if it in 2012.

Prediction #5 – More Online Programs

We now have www.PremierHockeyTraining.com, our ‘Year Long Training Plan’ (Year I and II), as well as our ‘Non Running 1/2 Marathon Program’ all online. We work with people all around the world. Watch for more programs and more offerings from the web when it comes to fitness and performance.

Prediction #6 – More Days

What kind of results does 2 day/week training get you? Not much. But we all want the most from our efforts. We used to say that 3 days a week was adequate but the truth is the body can handle more. And when we talk of wanting more energy this is usually the case of moving more to mobilize stored energy (i.e. fat) and feel better as a result. Look for more people to train 4-6 days per week instead of 2 or 3.

Prediction #7 – More Mobility

For a while there we heard the message ‘mobility before stability leads to vulnerability’. In other words if we moved a joint before we could control the movement at that joint we risked potential injury.

And so we spent time focussed on stability. We did front planks, side side bridges and glute lifts. We did them for time and one leg and on balance toys. But now we’re ready for some mobility work.

Look for more people to realize the need to have ankles, hips and t-spines that move well and facilitate optimal movement.

Stay tuned for Part II of Top 13 Fitness Predictions for 2012.

Chris                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          okanaganpeakperformance.com

Every now and again I am impressed and pleased with the results our clients achieve. Don’t get me wrong I feel this way with every success that is realized by someone we work with. But sometimes I feel compelled to share this person’s story with you.

Jarrod started training with us in the fall. I’d known Jarrod for a number of years and thought I knew the guy.

You see Jarrod and I went to high school together. And we played high school basketball together. We went to and still go to the same church.

So when Jarrod started training with us I thought I knew his story. But before I get to his story let me tell you a little more about Jarrod’s results.

The Results

So in the space of a couple of month’s Jarrod has:

* dropped 17 lbs of fat

* decreased bodyfat 2.6%

* decreased his tape measures by 24 cm (that’s a whole foot less of Jarrod!)

Now here’s the really cool part.

Jarrod had been stuck at 225 lbs for quite some time. He had plateau’ed. His efforts were still there. His motivation was as great as ever. But he was stuck.

So he came to us.

Now I can help anyone lose weight. That’s not hard.

The hard part is fixing someone’s movement patterns. And eliminating someone’s joint pain. And introducing them to new lifts when the goal is weight loss.

And these challenges were all things Jarrod experienced during the process of realizing his goal. He came in to sessions tight and sore afte we activated muscles that had been taking it easy for too long.

He continued to believe in the process even when initially the scale didn’t budge. You see Jarrod hadn’t been doing much in the way of squats, deadlifts and presses. And as he started doing these lifts he got stronger he built more muscle.

And so while we were burning calories and fat he was also building muscle.

But he trusted in the process and stayed the course.

And then he turned a corner. He started to become more flexible. His range of motion improved. His fitness improved. And his strength improved.

The Payoff

And lastly the scale dropped.

And Jarrod is now at the cusp at being the lighest he has been since highschool (over 20+ years). Only he now has broader shoulders. And moves better. And can pull 225 lbs deadlifts with ease. And competes in men’s league basketball.

The Man Behind it All

So who is this Jarrod guy? How can this happen for him?

He must have loads of free time and unlimited resources to achieve this?

Or he must have not other demands or commitments that stand in the way of achieving all of his results?

Far from it!

First of all Jarrod is married. And so he has all of the obligations and responsibities that come with this commitment.

But many of us are married. Few have 5 kids.

Yes, you read that correctly. Jarrod has 5 kids between the ages of 3 and 11.

And Jarrod is also a writer. You may recognize his work in a variety of parenting magazines or websites, some advertising reviews, his column on castanet.net or maybe you’ve flipped through his book, Ad Fool: Truth in Lies, on the desk at the gym.

Can there be more?

Only if you consider serving as Chairman of the local school board as being more. To the order of 15 hours per week of volunteer work.

But here’s the kicker.

Why He Succeeded

The guy is always on time. He doesn’t complain. He does what you ask. He comes in on his off-days for Group Fitness Workouts. He follows the meals plan and journals what he eats.

In other words we set Jarrod up to make success inevitable.

It didn’t happen in the first week or two.

And it wasn’t without some hard work and sacrifice.

But at this morning’s session Jarrod summed it up best when he said he enjoyed the Christmas holidays because ‘he now knows what  his body will allow in terms of nutrition and calories as well as what it requires in terms of exercise’.

And it’s at this point that greater gains continue to come. But the really cool part is that they seem to come more easily now as well.

Congratulations Jarrod. We’re all proud of your succcess and feel privileged to be able to work with you.

Chris                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                okanaganpeakperformance.com

So there’s a lot of interest in unilateral training. This might be single-legged or one arm at a time type of exercises.

Why the increased emphasis on this type of programming?

Well part of it has to do with the fact that leaders in our industry have come out with very strong support as to the benefits on unilateral training. I remember a few years ago Loren Chiu discussing the benefits of single leg training on athletic training. This was back when everyone was still going crazy over balance training and Loren was one of the first, that I can recall, that offered an alternate option to training on balance toys.

On the other side of the coin there are people such as Mike Boyle who have written about the ‘death of the back squat’. You have to keep in mind that many of these article titles are written to be attention grabbing and challenge a conventional wisdom. This is not be confused with my soon-to-be-released article on how watching sports on tv over the holidays is an effective strategy to make you a better employee, athlete and person overall.

But back to the unilateral training discussion.

We’ve seen the transition away from good old back squats. And these have been replaced with single leg varieties. Even the traditional barbell bench press is more familiarly seen as some version of a dumbbell lift. For example you will see single arm push ups, alternating or even single arm dumbbell presses.

So that’s great. We’ve made the switch to incorporate more single limb exercises. We’re good to go. Right?

Well, not exactly.

Just because one limb is doing all of the work doesn’t mean the opposite limb gets to take the set off. So with that in mind here are 5 Things to Keep in Mind with Unilateral training.

#1 – Wind up to Unwind

What does a quarterback do with his non-throwing arm before making a pass? Or a discuss thrower before he releases the disc?

They pull the arm away from the opposite limb. This creates separation through the upper body specifically through the thoracic spine. This increased separation between the limbs increases the stretch between them. This stretch allows for tension to develop in the muscles that will ultimately be needed to make the throw.

In training you can think of this when doing a snatch with a kettlebell.

Take a look at image #1 and #8 below. In particular look at the position of the left arm. Instead of letting in hang beside the body it is reaching back as far as possible to create this pre-stretch described above.

#2 – Counter Balance

One of the obvious uses of the free limb with single arm or leg training is to counter balance the motion of the working limb. As load moves in one direction there is a need to balance out this force by applying a force in the opposite direction.

Think of performing a single leg squat from an elevated position. As you bend the knee and hip to lower yourself to the ground there is a requirement to load up the glutes and hamstring to reduce the force of the descent.

While this is a challenging exercise it can be made easier by reaching the arms forward in front of the body. Not only does this help counter balance forces it allows helps lengthen the spine.

#3 – Increased Core Activation

Over the years I’ve heard a similar analogy to describe spinal stabilization. One noted physio said to think of squeezing a tube of toothpaste. Another strength coach said to try to lengthen the spine. Many will talk of proper posture and trying to be as tall as possible.

These are all similar cues to attempt to ellicit the same outcome. Which is spinal stabilization.

As we reach the free limbs as far as possible, for example on a single leg squat, we do a better job of stabilizing the spine. And this allows to be more balanced, handle heavier loads and train more safely.

Reason #4 – More Working Side Activation

Normally when I see someone doing a single leg deadlift there is room for improvement. And it has nothing to do with the working leg. Instead it has to do with the free leg.

They have a relaxed, flexed knee on the non-working side. And while it’s ok to begin the hinge in this way it would be beneficial to extend the knee of the non-working leg before extending the hip to stand up.

Why does this matter?

Well when they extend (or straighten) the knee of the non-working leg it helps them achieve a glute contraction on this side before contracting the glute of the working leg.

#5 – Better CAP

CAP means concurrent activation potentiation which is a fancy way of saying something that induces a higher outcome or result. For example, biting down on a mouth guard helps a powerlifter achieve higher levels of muscular activity and lift bigger weights in competition.

How does this apply to unilateral training?

Well imagine the non-working arm on a one arm push up? Some people will let this arm hang. Others will place it loosely on the hip.

But here’s a trick Dr. Stuart McGill shared with me. Shake someone’s hand and trush and crush it.

Now try again but this time push your heels hard into the floor and try and split the floor. Lift your chest tall and squeeze your hip hard with your free hand. Which effort resulted in the stronger grip? The second one of course.

In the same way on a 1 armed push-up don’t ignore your other limbs. Push your feet into the floor. Straighten your knees and squeeze your quads and glutes. Lastly place your free hand on your hip and squeeze tightly. This contraction through the non-working hand still feeds into the shoulders and chest and allows for a better effort on your lift.

Summary

Keep these tips in mind as you incorporate unilateral training into your program. Remember that bilateral lifts are by no means bad things but there are definitely a number of benefits of single limb training that shouldn’t be ignored.

Chris                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 okanaganpeakperformance.com