Technique Breakdown: Inverted Rows

Learning the inverted row is the first step to performing a chin up/pull up. It teaches you how to properly engage the lats, pack the shoulders and allows you to adjust on the fly. 

The EASIEST way to teach this movement is from the finishing position first, then moving out.

1. Pull the handles back with your elbows slightly past your body with your shoulder blades pack and your lats engaged. Making sure that your shoulders don't roll forward.
2. From there walk yourself forward until you find a position that you're able to hold onto but is only a slight challenge to maintain. That's where you should stand to begin. 
3. Keeping the core tight, ribs down, extending the arms and then pull yourself back up. 

As you progress, you can slowly work your way towards having the starting point underneath the anchor point of the TRX or suspension trainer. Eventually the final bodyweight progression is to elevate the feet, at that point you should be able to start performing chin ups!

Is __________ healthy? How to Read a Food Label

Photo by rawpixel.com on Unsplash

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/07/05/upshot/is-sushi-healthy-what-about-granola-where-americans-and-nutritionists-disagree.html

This list was recent published alongside the article "Is Sushi "Healthy"? What About Granola? Where Americans and Nutritionist Disagree by the NY Times.

Occasionally we stand in an aisle at the market and we're wondering, is this healthy? I don't see why technology can't be of some help there, but what's most alarming is that most of the list is  either a raw ingredient or a pre-packed item which usually means it has a food label. 

Of the 50 foods, assuming you aren't cooking from scratch, usually come prepackaged with a label.

• hummus
• popcorn
• peanut butter
• nutella
• granola
• chocolate
• coconut milk
• canned tuna
• feta cheese
• beef jerky
• greek yogurt
• turkey bacon
• yogurt
• dried fruit
• tofu
• cottage cheese
• polenta (it's technically cornmeal, but if it's polenta, that means it's now been cooked and seasoned, thus should come with a food label)
• smoked salmon
• sparkling water
• brown sugar
• rye bread

I left out pizza, as it could or could not be frozen so I didn't add that. 

And of the 50, here are the raw, typically unprocessed ingredients:

• couscous
• quinoa
• shrimp
• tuna
• rice
• honey
• tilapia
• watermelon
• pork
• chicken
• salmon
• basmati rice

My two big take aways from this article:

1. Most people have an extremely vague sense of how to select food for a balanced  nutritious diet. I understand this is a small sample size, but definitely indicative of the fact that we are extremely undereducated when it comes to knowing what is a solid quality source of protein, fat and carbohydrates. Sadly this article only covers the glaring issue of not knowing WHAT to eat and not how much to eat. We should know chicken (not fried) is probably a solid choice and possibly not know the portion sizing, instead the majority of Americans don't know either!

2. We don't know how to read a food label, or interpret a food label. 
(Note: I understand that this has been a problem for years considering all the rumblings about attempting to redesign the label to make it even easier to understand. Sadly I don't think it's that difficult to understand but a'las sigh.... 'Merica.)

Starting from the top: Serving Size

Many manufacturers try to pull one over on consumers by listing 12g of sugar in one serving, not the whole package which contains 8 servings. Whatever imaginary label this comes from (I took this label off the FDA website) it contains a whopping 96g of sugar per package. 

Your daily allowance of sugar should remain below 10% of total calories.

Total Calories

Learn to use percent Daily Values (DV) to help evaluate how a particular food fits into your daily meal plan. The calories and percentages listed are based off an adult consuming 2,000 calories a day. 

A food item with 5% of DV of fat provides 5% of the total fat that this individual should consume a day. Percent daily values are for the entire day not only one meal or snack. 

YOU may need more or less than 2,000 calories per day, so for some of the nutrients you're going to need more or less than the listed 100% DV.

You should also aim for lower amounts of saturated and trans fats, cholesterol and sodium. Look for higher amounts of vitamins, minerals and fiber. Most Americans do not consume enough fiber, which should be 35g/day for all adults. 

Goes without saying but if a majority of your diet comes from fruits and vegetables without labels, you'll be better off. 

Other Nutrients

• Protein
  A percentage Daily Value for protein is not required on the label. Eat moderate portions of lean meat, poultry, fish, eggs, low-fat milk, yogurt and cheese, plus beans and peas, nut butters, seeds and soy products.
• Carbohydrates
  There are three types of carbohydrates: sugars, starches and fiber. Eat  fruits and vegetables plus whole-grain breads, cereals, rice and pasta.
• Sugars
  Simple carbohydrates, or sugars, occur naturally in foods such as fruit juice (fructose) or come from refined sources such as table sugar (sucrose) or corn syrup.

It stands to repeat again: Added sugars will be included on the Nutrition Facts label in 2018. The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends consuming no more than 10 percent of daily calories from added sugars.

Ingredients List
Decide what you want (and don't) in your food.

• Hydrogenated/partially hydrogenated oils (source of trans fats)
• High fructose corn syrup (not necessarily because it’s handled much differently than other sugars, but it usually indicates a non-nutritious food)
• Added sugars (including hidden sources like syrups)
• Artificial colors (example: FD&C Yellow #5)
• Canned items not labeled BPA free
• Atlantic or farmed salmon (instead of wild caught)
• Products from China (which has recently been busted for many food safety violations, such as melamine in baby formula and heavy metals in various foods and herbal preparations)
• Animal ingredients
• Gluten
• Non-organic
• Nitrates/nitrites
• High sodium

Photo by Alexandr Podvalny on Unsplash

When in doubt remember the following

Prioritize Ingredients Over Calories

Technique Breakdown: Most Important Part of a RDL/Hip Hinge

The hip hinge which is demonstrated above during a Romanian Deadlift (RDL) is a core movement in the gym. Hip hinging lays the groundwork for olympic lifting, squats, deadlifts, and kettlebell swings. 

The hardest part of learning this is independently moving the hips through flexion and extension while limiting the movement of your spine, namely thoracic over-extension. The main issue I have with coaching up this movement is that most individuals spend their days slouched over in posterior pelvic tilt (think the opposite of arching your low back for a buttfie).

One of the main go-to drills for building spine stability where you aren't moving into flexion or extension during movement is the dead bug. 

Two main points of a dead bug!
1. Neutral Spine while moving.
2. Exhale fully to ensure proper positioning of your ribcage which is keeping neutral spine while extending your limbs.

If you would like a progressive breakdown of how I coach clients from start to the barbell, please leave me a comment and share this with a friend who looks like a question mark anytime they deadlift!

Saturated Smaturated, Dark Meat>White Meat

I have dreams about this chicken from adHoc

I'm speaking here not just from a culinary stand point but also a fitness professional. Now before you pick up that d-a-f (dry as fuck) see every protein strand because its overcooked chicken breast and come at me, hear me out! 

The average piece of chicken breast contains:
231 Calories
43g Protein
5g Fat
0g Carb
1.5g Saturated Fat

And dark meat:
287 Calories
38g Protein
14g Fat
0g Carb
3.7g Saturated Fat

If you look at it based on those numbers, you'll notice that you can squeak out a bit more protein out of chicken breast while keeping your saturated fat intake down. The increase in calories from dark meat comes from fat. (Note: If you have a physique based goal and are watching calorie intake, I would go white meat.)

As a cook, I much prefer cooking dark meat for two reasons: I think it tastes better and it's pretty difficult to overcook thighs and drumsticks. But the SATURATED FAT!!!!!!

And saturated fat is BAD right?! 

Here's a few points on Saturated Fats and why you should include them in your diet.

1. Saturated fat seems to support the enhancement of good cholesterol.
2. Fats from palm oil and coconut oil are highly saturated, but not necessarily bad. Palm and coconut also contain medium chain fats, which can support health and optimal body composition.
3. Eating saturated fats showed direct improvement in mood and cognition. It's why comfort foods are often very fatty.

The biggest problem with saturated fats seems to be the sources (processed food and oils) combined with refined carbohydrates which as a result causes your health to suffer. If you do choose to consume tropical oils like palm and coconut oil, I would attempt to eat them in their native form. The refinement process often creates hydrogenated fats in an attempt to make the products more shelf stable. 

Saturated fat should make up no more than 10% of total calories.
 

I can't stress that enough....read that sentence above one more time. NO MORE THAN 10%

For someone eating 2000 calories per day, that would be a maximal intake of 200 grams of saturated fat per day.

As a fit pro and common sense weilding human, I know that a bucket of fried chicken or pizza on a weekly basis isn't healthy, but I'm also a lover of good food. And sometimes it comes in the form of a pizza or chicken. I don't deprive myself of these types of foods because of some fad diet. 

Always, everything in moderation.

Technique Breakdown: Plank Plus Row

Looks cool and easy enough, rowing while in a plank. I wish that were so. 

After seeing enough people butcher the movement, I've decided to do a breakdown of how to perform it. 

Equipement needed: 

Sled, Battle Rope, Airex pad (optional)

1. After you tie the rope to the sled, pull the rope out until the end and place an aired pad right in front of it. 
2. Get into a 3 point plank, and without allowing the hips to rotate, row the rope and pull the sled towards you. 
3. I'm shown here with a cone to really hammer down the point of not allowing the hips to rotate.
4. To make this move harder, feel free to bring your legs closer together to make yourself "less stable" and thus forcing you to work harder and stabilize.