Personal Training, Sports Performance, Weight Loss, Continuing Education, CEU Provider

in Champaign, Urbana, Savoy, Mattoon, and Charleston

Nutrition: I know my scope

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I always get asked questions about Nutrition.  As this is a very broad subject I would like to write a couple blogs about it over the next few weeks.  Before I dive into it though, I must give you a disclaimer.  And this disclaimer is a big one and should be paid attention to!  And that disclaimer is:  I am not a nutrition expert!

I know, I know….crazy right!  I have been a personal trainer and strength & conditioning coach for nearly 15 years.  I hold several nationally recognized certifications and specializations in the field of health, fitness and sports performance.  I have worked with weight loss clients, sports performance clients, post rehab clients, general populations and senior populations.  With all of that I am still not an expert in nutrition!

Why, you ask?  Great question!  Because it is not in my scope of practice.  It’s very important to understand the scope of the personal trainer.  A personal trainer can design and implement training programs that will elicit a desired response.  This is what we are experts in, the physical side of fitness.  In our course of study, we have read a chapter in nutrition.  Heck, we may have even read a book on it.  One book, and certainly one chapter, does not make an expert.

So be wary of any personal trainer that is giving out nutrition advice (including me).  Be doubly wary when they are giving out nutrition advice and selling a product/plan/supplement with it!  Not to say they are giving bad advice or what they are selling isn’t good.  Just know that you need to be responsible to do the research so that you can make the best decision.

There are ways that trainers can hone their nutrition knowledge.  There are some reputable certifications and continuing education programs by which trainers can obtain this knowledge.  However, even with that, their scope is still limited compared to a Registered Dietitian or Licensed Nutritionist.

So why am I going to blog about it you ask?  Great question again, thank you for asking!  It really comes down to the fact that without proper nutrition (fuel) the work you put into your training will be all for not.  I feel it is my responsibility as a trainer to guide you in the right direction so that you can optimize your results.  I will not prescribe a diet plan, or say one is better than another.  Rather, I will make recommendations on how you can make small changes that will help you.

With all of that being said, I am going to layout my philosophy in nutrition.  Keep in mind, I am not an expert and most of these blogs will be based on personal experience and anecdotal evidence.  I should mention that I have done more education than just a chapter or book on the subject, but I still do not consider myself an expert.  So, for those of you looking for expert advice I can refer you to a good Registered Dietitian.

Stay tuned for more!

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6 Truths of Human Performance and Physical Development

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Ever wonder why you are doing a certain amount of reps and sets of a certain exercise?  Ever wonder how certain exercise programs are chosen for different goals?  Ever wonder why you have to rest so many days before you do the same exercise again?  Or how much protein, carbohydrates and fats you should be eating?  These things are all based on research studies.  There have been countless research studies dedicated towards how the human body works and how it responds to different stimuli.  In those research studies, participants would do a certain training program or nutrition program for a certain amount of time and the researchers would record any changes to the participants using various measuring techniques.  Through those research studies the science of human performance and physical development was derived.  But, within this science are wide ranges and overlaps of how certain stimuli affects an individual.  We are individuals after all and we all do not respond the same way to the same thing.  This is where the art comes into play.  Science has given us the foundation and direction, but the art, the application, is what gives us the result.  The art is where we take the science and make it fit the individual to give them the result that they desire.  Here is where the science and art meet to form undeniable truths of human performance and physical development. If you take these truths to heart and apply them to your workouts, then you will be sure to maximize your results!

 

  1. Consistency- doing something over and over again to get a progressive response and feedback from that response.  In order for a result to occur the body must experience a stimulus.  When it experiences that stimulus (if applied properly), the body will change accordingly.  Once that stimulus is taken away, then the body will revert back to the status quo.  For example, to become stronger we must strength train and strength train on a regular basis.  If we strength train once every other week we are not giving the body enough stimulus on a regular basis to perpetuate results.
  2. Proficiency- doing something accurately or the correct way.  Doing something with perfect form and technique is crucial to safe and effective workouts.  Our body, our movements, and our muscles are built to work a certain way.  Our body is a kinetic chain where all muscles/joints have a role in performing even the simplest of movements.  If we start to perform exercises incorrectly and with bad form we do not activate the correct muscles in the correct order.  This makes our movement/exercise inefficient (meaning you are not getting the most out of it!) and can potentially lead to injury.  These are two things that need to be avoided when it comes to working out.
  3. Specificity- To get better at something, you have to do that something.  If you want to get better at running, you need to run.  If you want to get better at Bench press, then you have to do the bench press.  The more similar a movement/exercise is to what you want to accomplish, the better your specific result.
  4. Intensity- Doing something at a level that will elicit a training response. Your body is an amazing machine.  It will always try to rise to the occasion.  If we apply a stimulus greater than it is used to, it will attempt to step up, so that the next time it will be able to handle that stimulus.  It also works in reverse.  The body will match the stimulus, so if it is not enough, the body will get weaker.
  5. Recovery- Allowing the repair process to take place.  Keep in mind that exercise is the stimulus.  It does not alone make us better.  In fact, it makes us weaker in the beginning because we are breaking systems down (more or less).  It is the time that we rest and recover that we become better.  If we do not allow that time rebuild the systems and allow them to come back stronger we will continue to break them down until they are completely broken (overtraining).  Having rest and recovery days as well as the proper amount of sleep is crucial to a fitness program.
  6. Dietary- Eating the correct amounts of macro and micro nutrients.  Just as rest is so crucial to the repair process, so is eating correctly.  Food is our fuel.  If we put garbage in, we get garbage out.  The cleaner a person eats, the more likely a person will accomplish their goals. Clean eating really just means eating less processed and fried foods and eating more natural foods.
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It’s All About Those Pants

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This is my first blog of many to come.  I feel that it would be fitting tell you a little bit about how I ended up in this field.  My personal story is very common amongst fitness professionals.  I once was sedentary and overweight.

As I grew up my parents owned a pizza shop, which we also lived above.  Can you imagine!  Unlimited supply of pizza and subs all day long!  Sounds heavenly doesn’t it?  Well, I won’t lie…….it was.  Unfortunately, the combination of this amazing food (I still can’t find a pizza that can beat it!) and an inactive lifestyle (my big weekend plans consisted of a large pizza, a couch and a tv) caused the inevitable.  My weight began to balloon.  Heck, my sister called me curtain butt on the account of how my shirt draped over the old gluteus!

It wasn’t until my 8th grade year that I decided to do something about it.  Sadly, I will admit that it was to fit into a pair of pants for the 8th grade formal.  Those Dockers were pretty sweet!  You should have seen them, pleats and all!  Unfortunately, they didn’t have them in my size but I just had to have them.  I vowed that I would fit in them for the dance…and…you know…actually be able to move in them without busting out the seams.  So I started to run.  I basically did a Couch to 5k, before Couch to 5k existed (I should be a millionaire!).  I ran a little, walked a little.  Each day I ran further and further until I was able to run 2 miles without stopping.  With each step I took, the curtain became less and less prominent!  My sister eventually had to find something else to make fun of me (don’t worry, she had plenty to choose from!).  And then it happened.  I decided my progress warranted a dress rehearsal to see if I met my goal.  I slid on those sleek, pleated, Kahki Dockers and to my surprise, they fit like satin Isotoners!  (ask Dan Marino how good those feel!).  Not only did they fit, they were a little loose!  I tucked my stonewashed jean shirt in, put on my leather braided belt and pegged up (tight rolled for you Midwesterners) my pants.   Damn…….I looked good!  I was ready!

Something that started out as an aesthetic mission, actually turned into an athletic one.  You see, I was never blessed with amazing athletic coordination (don’t believe me, throw something at me and see what happens).  As it turns out, I was ok at running.  Never great, but good.  At the end of my 8th grade year, after I rocked it out on the dance floor in my pantaloons, I went out for the summer track program.  I also started to lift with those old plastic encased cement weight sets in my basement.  I started to feel capable and confident.  I went out for the cross country team and track team in high school.  In college I ran track and power lifted.  In grad school I was a graduate assistant coach for the cross country and track team.  I also started to work at a local gym as a fitness instructor.  I wanted to learn more about helping people reach their potential.  I became a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and then have amassed multiple other certifications and specializations.  I pursued a professional career in the field and have been here ever since, learning, exploring, and evolving so I can better serve my clients.  It was like a domino effect.  One thing led to another and my path to my career was laid out.  It’s funny, I owe my career to those pants!

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