Pancakes: Friend or Foe?

Good enough for The Rock, good enough for me!

The obvious answer: Pancakes in their typical form is not what one would consider to be a health food. Especially if you're consuming them on a regular basis, no matter how delicious they are!

They can be used to enhance metabolic function if used strategically, and I must add, this doesn't necessarily work for everyone. Typically for men around 15% and women hovering slight below 20%.

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Consider the following: a 28 year old, fairly healthy male. Has been lifting weights for 2 years and has a considerable amount of muscle mass and is pretty lean. Let's say he's 14% body fat, which is pretty good. That's the kind of physique where you say "oh yeah, they workout". 

And lets say they want to get to 8%, which is where you start to really lean down and look "jacked". The problem is the nutritional protocol you had in place to get you down to 13-15% isn't going to help you get down to 8%. I mean otherwise you would've already gotten there by simply staying the course, right?

So this is where pancakes fit into the picture. If this individual goes from 70% adherance to 85% of the time, they'll make a lot of progress. After a couple months, they get to 10% but they're still not at their goal. Thus a strategic calorie surplus often helps kickstart the fat loss process again. This "cheat meal" also has a lot of psychological benefits by breaking up the monotony of eating healthy foods 24/7.

Keep this in mind whether you are vegetarian, paleo, ketogenic or a "clean eater": When losing weight, there are many roads that lead to a healthier you, this is simply one way. 

My Name is Gary and I Worked at a Drug Rehab Facility

Secluded up in the Hollywood hills I had the opportunity to work with a disordered eating and drug rehab facility. Six months ago I was contacted to fill in for 6 weeks and fill in as their fitness director for the patients staying at the clinic. It was a very rewarding experience and I would like to share a few things I learned during my time there.

1. Disordered Eating Affects Over 20 Million Women & 10 Million Men Sometime in Their Lives.

The current figures show that at some point 30 million Americans will suffer from some form of disordered eating. Some of the common ones include:

• Atypical anorexia nervosa (weight is not below normal)
• Bulimia nervosa (with less frequent behaviors)
• Binge-eating disorder (with less frequent occurrences)
• Purging disorder (purging without binge eating)
• Night eating syndrome (excessive nighttime food consumption)
• Orthorexia Nervosa (unhealthy obsession with "righteous eating")

We all at some point struggle with body image and being confident in our own skin. Don't jump to passing judgement on someone simply because they're overweight or what you might consider "too skinny". You haven't walked a mile in their shoes or spent a second in their mind, so what makes anyone feel like they should have the audacity to pass judgement on them. 

That person is FAT! Well what you don't see is that they just lost their significant other, and food has become their way of coping.

That person is too skinny. What you don't see is this person has been told they were ugly their whole lives and now compensate by trying to fit into the standards that society deems fit as 'beautiful" by starving themselves eating as little as possible, often times complaining of headaches and lethargy. 

Without coming off sounding like a hippie, we all have to live on this planet together while we're here; don't make life harder for everybody by being a jerk. We need to practice compassion and empathy.

2. Talk to the individual if you  believe they may have a substance abuse or disordered eating problem. 

The prevailing theme I got from all the people I was interacted with was that they eventually had an intervention to make some type of positive change in their lives. The problem was that for some individuals it came a bit too late. Whether they had become morbidly obese or having organ failure due to rampant drug use, these people didn't just wake up with these health problems. Many of them said they wish their loved ones had spoken up sooner. 

Often people have these problems and it sits in front of us in plain sight. So if you suspect someone you love has a problem, try to get them professional help before it becomes a chronic issue that will be even harder to overcome.

3. Learning to disassociate food as good or bad. 

There's no such thing as "clean" eating. Food is food and I for one LOVE all kinds of food. When an individual begins to think of a typical food like rice as bad or dirty, that gives some insight to both their knowledge of nutrition but also their relationship with food in general. 

Many have a fascination about fitting things into a category. I eat paleo, I eat low fat, or I eat gluten free. Most of the diets people think they're following is simply marketing. Everyone was all about juicing a year ago, the narrative has changed very recently.

Education is the key to truly being the master of your health.

What's a quality protein? How about carbs? What happens if you happen to eat too LITTLE carbs and fat? These are common dietary scenarios that individuals live everyday with. Learning more about what goes on in YOUR body will do wonders.

Related: Just say "no" to that detox diet or juice cleanse by Dr. John Berardi

Ultimately being healthy should be the metric we all strive to achieve. Being happy with who you are and striving to be the best version of yourself is what matters the most.

The #1 Key To Healthy Knees

Photo by Andrew Tanglao on Unsplash

Every so often I receive a text or an e-mail from a friend or current client asking about knee pain. The universe is funny this way because I then proceed to receive 3-4 more messages about knee pain.

It's going to sound like I'm not answering the question but when someone has a knee issue I don't actually focus on the knee.

The only caveat is if they've suffered any trauma to the knee i.e.- they felt a "pop" when they fell or got hit directly in the knee playing pick up Basketball. THEN the knee is the site of the problem. 

For the rest of us, the fact of the matter is that knee issues are typically due to problems in other areas of the body, not the knees themselves. The two most common reasons for knee pain are...

• Lack of Ankle Mobility (In particular sagittal dorsiflexion and plantar flexion)
• Poor Hip Mobility

If you said the key to correcting and preventing most knee injuries comes down to improving hip mobility...TELL THEM WHAT THEY'VE WON ROD!

They've won an all expenses paid trip to a lifetime of healthy knees!!!!!!!!

A lack of hip mobility in all planes of motion not only leads to knee pain but can also manifest itself in back pain as well. A lack of mobility in the hips also seems to coincide with an individual's glutes not pulling their weight.

Most who have patellofemoral pain do the Google search and wind up concerned about isolating the vastus medialis obliquus (VMO). Thus they end up performing hours of terminal knee extensions (TKE) and still wind up with fragile knees. Their anterior knee pain in many cases is due to soft-tissue imbalances between the stronger lateral knee structures and the weaker medial knee structures (which includes the VMO). This muscle imbalance leads to a lateral pulling of the patella into the femoral condyle which results in anterior knee pain.

Research has found that many athletes who experience patellofemoral pain had a significant decrease of strength in their hips, as much as 30%. So we need to get the posterior fibers of the gluteus medius and the gluteus  maximus to fire more effectively.

HOMEWORK

• Begin by foam rolling of the lateral structures. I'd focus on the vastus lateralis (think the area on top of your leg towards the outside but still on the quad) and IT band.
• Improving general quad strength (via quad sets, leg extensions etc.) TKEs could definitely be part of the program; just understand they aren't a true isolation exercise.
• Improving the motor control and strength of the gluteals
• Stretching the quads and calves
• Not really something that influences it directly but proper program design helps a lot as well.

The Mini band warm up series. Perform 10 lateral steps in each direction, followed by a forward and backwards 45 degree step at 10 & 2 o'clock. I would repeat the series 2-3 times prior to exercise.

Many individuals lack external rotation of the hips. Try the FABER (flexion, abduction, external rotation) test yourself by sitting down tall on a chair and place your foot on your other leg's knee and see if you can get that thigh to parallel to the floor. Most people end up with their leg hiked up like chicken wing. You can perform the actual test if you have a friend who you trust won't tickle you when they try to hold your hip down. 

The pigeon pose which is taken from yoga is one of the best static stretches for helping to open up the hips. The biggest takeaway from this movement isn't so much to mimic the pose but to also be able to square your body, hips and shoulders, so that you're not stressing your back or your knee too much. Elevate the front knee with pads until you can get to the floor as shown. 

Integrating all this into movement prep will be the squat to stand. If you can properly pull yourself down into the squat position, lifting the arms up and then stand without compensating; you'll be well on your way to achieving your fitness goals. 

NOTE: No two knee problems are identical thus you should listen to your body before plotting course on a corrective solution. I believe you should seek professional help if you can't figure out what's going on. 

And of course the only thing I ask of you is if any of this information was useful or insightful to please share this with a friend whom this information may be able to help.

How I Organize My Own Training Program

Lifting + Running = more calories. CHECK!

So you're trying to be a great long distance runner but still have biceps, pecs and 400lb deadlift? You're crazy! (silence) umm...Is that even possible?

The short answer is I don't know.

I've only started to take up running again. I'm currently tweaking my own programming adjusting under the bar volume, milage on the road and macros in the kitchen.

But I firmly believe this goal is very possible. Here are a few of my observations so far.

Strong legs in the gym= strong legs on the road too

The biggest thing I've noticed when running 8+ miles is not that my legs get tired; I got the legs just not the lungs for running faster. I recall back in high school and college that my legs would routinely get tired performing anything above 6 miles, add in any kind of considerable incline and my legs were fried.

Years of squatting and deadlifting have made my legs much more resilient to fatigue. This is interesting considering they're technically calling upon different fiber types: slow twitch vs fast twitch and different energy system: aerobic vs anaerobic.

No Cramping or Side stitches

Another common problem runners have is related to poor breathing mechanics. This often results in getting side stitches or cramps in their oblique area. 

As a weightlifter I understand how to properly maintain a certain level of tightness to ensure a stable midsection. This is a result of proper breathing mechanics to ensure not exhaling fully because this will destabilize the trunk (think a relaxing yawn, you draw in A LOT of air followed by fully exhaling). 

Also having a core strong enough to perform 20+ reps on a trap bar with 350lbs is a pretty strong transverse abdominis, it should be able to hold up to the fairly easy pounding running transmits. Here's Dr Quinn Henoch demonstrating a PRI technique of how to breathe using the diaphragm. 

How This Might Work For You

I suppose it's important to cover who this type of training WON'T work for:

• If you struggle with the core lifts of squatting and deadlifting, and you perform zero unilateral work. (Struggle like you can barely perform your bodyweight on these lift without looking like you're performing it during an earthquake)
• If you think a one minute plank is REALLY hard. (again without looking like there's an earthquake)
• If you're a physique athlete, you'll lose SOME muscle therefore distance running is counterproductive to your goals. (and there are better ways to whittle away that last remaining amount of fat) 

Related: Screw Cardio! Four Complexes for a Shredded Physique

Any lifter with a few years under their belt and a decent command of the core lifts would be fine and might even benefit from added C word...Cardio (GASP). 

Sunday: OFF

This is in anticipation of a BIG lifting day on Monday morning. 

Monday: Heavy lifting session

Here is where I push the envelope on my core lifts. I work up to a heavy single and back off for a decent percentage depending on how I'm feeling 70% ( I feel terrible)- 90% (I have the POWER!!).

I squat and deadlift on the same day. I bookend session with a superset of a chest supported back movement/rear deltoid movement along with anti-flexion core work.

I may or may not perform a light run afterwards, 3-4 miles at a sub-maximal pace 60-70% Max HR. 

Tuesday: Lighter lifting session

I'll typically perform hip thrusts on this day, weight is dependent on how I'm feeling of course. I'll typically superset 6 movements, move at a decent pace since I'm not looking to really move the needle on weights. Core movements include anti-rotation like payoff presses.

I will take the day off from running. 

Wednesday: No Lifting

Having not run the day before, this is usually my longest run of the week. So far it's been 8 miles. If there's a day where I want to push the distance it's on Wednesday. I move this along on a pace I deem fit, so far it's been slow and steady as to allow my joints to get used to lifting and running. 

Thursday: Upper Body

I'll perform 3 supersets consisting of a variety of pressing motions always with a pulling motion. Example: Incline dumbbell bench press and Chest supported incline dumbbell row, dips and a single kettle bell racked walk or standing dumbbell military press and inverted rows. Flexion based movements like reverse crunches and hanging leg raises comprise my core work today. 

No running.

Friday: Lower Body

This is my accessory day, depending on how my week went , I'll evaluate if there something that needs strengthening. Here I'll almost always perform some type of unilateral lower body move like split squats to start then move onto technique drive movements like Paused Squats and 1 1/2 rep style deadlifts.

Again I'll perform some type of back work. If Thursday had a lot of vertical pulling, I'll keep it to the horizontal variety on Friday or vice versa. Core is often more dynamic in nature like bear crawls, unilateral farmer's walk or a valslide body saw.

Running: Moderate milages if my low end is 3-4 and high end is 7-8, I'll perform a 5-6 mile pace run where I'm trying to lower my mile pace. If my 7-8 mile run is performed at 8:10, I'll attempt to perform these 5-6 miles at 7:55-8:00.

Saturday: No Lifting

I will run again, usually a really easy sub maximal 3-4 miles. Mostly a recovery run.  

Final Notes:

• Leading up to deciding to run again, I was performing some kind of squat pattern movement 4x a week and deadlifting 2x a week.
• I have upped my carb intake, around 3g per lbs now per day and upped my fat intake by 50%. I may play around with this and lower my carb intake. I'd like to see if I'm able to maintain performance and not have to eat 1-2 cups of starchy carbs at every meal. I LOVE rice but after a while, it's a bit much. 
• I still play Basketball occasionally. Ball is Life bro...
• I'm performing a crazy amount of soft tissue work to maintain proper muscle length and try to avoid injury considering the amount of added stress to my body. Hence the slow progression of adding in miles. Big milage is often associated with injuries in runners. 
• Speaking of recovery, if I don't sleep at least 8-9 hours on lift+run days, I'm a zombie the following day. This makes it even harder considering I'm working all day too.

Why You Shouldn't "Work Up" To Hiring a Personal Trainer/Coach

Every week I receive an e-mail or inquiry that goes something like this:

I'm looking to get serious about my training but would like to begin in a month. I'm trying to work myself up to working with a trainer.

Here's why you shouldn't feel this way and needlessly spend your time spinning your wheels. Even worse, you may put yourself behind the proverbially eight ball with poor movement patterns and reinforcing bad habits. 

We Already Made the Mistakes For You

Individuals become personal trainers after many years of trials and tribulation both mental and physical. We've failed and learned from mistakes. So why spend weeks or months making those exact same mistakes!

We want to help you get to your goal in the quickest way possible, so you can have the body you've always dreamed of. If you decide to hire a trainer, it's not for an hour of their time, 3x per week. You're hiring them for their years of expertise and knowledge.

I go into work every day with the goal of making you better. Your goals are our goals, if you succeed then we succeed.

We've Been Where You've Been

Nobody likes change. Why go through it alone. Part of why you hire a coach is that they've been in your shoes at some point in their lives. That experience is something that can't be taught.  

And even if they haven't been in your exact position, a great coach should be able to empathize with your fears and concerns. Sometimes you look at a trainer's physique and think they've never been fat or out shape. Which is simply not true. We all begin from the same start line. 

Hair good for the selfie. Now where's that "How to Deadlift video" again?

Trainers Are Usually Not YouTube Educated

What I mean by this is not that we don't occasionally peruse YouTube to learn from better coaches, but that the overwhelming majority of our expertise isn't only from the internet.  

They've often spent years either in school earning a degree, a CSCS or being accredited by reputable certifying bodies like ACE, NASM, NSCA, and ISSA. This is another aspect of what you're paying for. If all they did was open up a magazine or choose a workout from a website, wouldn't you just do it then!? (sadly the answer is no for a lot of people)

I've spent a decade reading countless books and watching video products to be the coach that I am today. I'm not only proud but can stand with my head held high that I provide people the best possible service that I can.  I really believe this, down to my core.