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Primitive Initiative™- The Movement for movement!

March 18, 2015 By Garrett

In my near two decade fitness career I have had the pleasure of working with many clients of varying ages, abilities, dysfunctions, and goals.   In that time span I have worked with many Collegiate Athletes, budding youth athletes, obese and overweight populations, post-rehab/surgical clients, elderly populations, medical populations, the generally healthy, and even an Olympic athlete.  With this wide spectrum of clients I began to find one common problem within each demographic: the lack of movement within their training programs.

I am sure that it is not a surprise for some of these groups, but it may come as a surprise for other groups.  In my experience modern life has made us less and less likely to move.  As the human race has evolved we have developed lifestyles of efficiency.  Unfortunately this efficiency of life has made us inefficient operators of our bodies.

When we are brought into this world we are a blank slate, ready to absorb as much as we possibly can.  Everything we learn is through experimentation and exploration.  It is trial and error.  The more error there is the quicker we learn.  It is an amazing time in our lives.  Everything is a new experience.  We learn to smile, laugh, talk, crawl, walk, and run.  We learn to interact with others.  We learn to interact with and manipulate objects.  We learn to play.  Our play is wide and vast, almost limitless.

At some point in our lives we take one of two tracks.  We either become sedentary or we become specialized.  We may choose to play video games and watch tv instead of going outside and running around playing.  We may choose to play organized sports.  If we do play sports we start to specialize very early.  Many sports have become year round with the school season sport, AAU sport, Travel leagues, and sport specific training.  Our wide and vast movement patterns that we once had begun to disappear.

As we grow even older we go to college and take jobs that have us bound to a desk, hunched over a computer.  If we have the time and motivation to go to the gym, we pick select exercises that are inefficient and may cover only a very few of the movement patterns that are woefully missing from our lives.

Due to this slippery slope of non-movement, as we age we are unable to perform certain tasks efficiently.  Picking things up off the ground, reaching for a seat belt, getting up off the floor all become arduous tasks.  Our joints begin to get immobile, sore, swollen and broken down.  Sudden movements become risks of severe injury.  If an injury occurs it will take nearly two to three times as it once did to recover fully from it, if at all.  Chances are there will always be a limitation from the injury which ultimately will cause a compensation pattern. This will put undue stress upon another system or joint until there is another injury.  Once this injury cycle is entered into it is hard to escape.  Quality of function and ultimately quality of life is severely diminished.

It has been said that exercise is the only singular thing that reduces the risk of every known disease and illness and prolongs life.  I submit that movement is the only singular thing that will enhance and extend functional capacity, reduce injury, and increase quality of life.  My aim is to add movement back into fitness and into people’s lives.

Because of this I have created the Primitive Initiative®(notice the that I trademarked it!  That’s how strongly I believe this is the direction that the field should be and is going). The Primitive Initiative® is a movement oriented training model based on 14 fundamental movement patterns arranged in a specific sequence to maximize results.  It combines biomechanical training with energy system sequencing to provide real life fitness for real life movements.  Whether you call it athleticism, mobility or functionality, Primitive Initiative® enables the human body to operate in all planes of motion, in all positions of center of gravity, at all levels of intensity, in varying bases of support with efficiency and proficiency.  The Primitive Initiative® aims to add real human movement patterns back into fitness and exercise.  This is the movement for movement, and I am excited to share this technique with you over the next several blogs!

 

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Filed Under: assessments, certification, functional assessments, functional movement, fundamental movement patterns, human movement, movement, nutrition, periodization, personal training, running, sports performance, strength and conditioning, Uncategorized, vacation fitness, weight loss Tagged With: beginnings, functional assessment, functional movement, fundamental movement patterns, health and fitness professional, human movement, movement, nutrition, origins, periodization, personal training, program design, running

Nutrition- The Magic Pill

January 30, 2015 By Garrett

Since I am not an expert on nutrition my well is starting to run dry.  This will be my last blog on nutrition, at least for a little while.  My last blog focused on being realistic.  That concept flows nicely into this blog.  Today I would like to talk about “magic pill” nutrition.

We live in a world that is filled with “the answer” to your weight loss or performance goals.  These “magic pills” or magic nutrition programs boasts results unlike any other…..life changing weight loss, increased strength and stamina, getting ripped!  And what’s more, you apparently have to do little effort for these results to be obtained (at least that’s what is advertised).  Just buy this supplement or pay for this diet program and start your path to a better you!

Not too long after you start down that path you quickly realize that you either bought some snake oil or you actually have to put some effort into it.  You see, there is no such thing as a magic pill.  If something sounds too good to be true, it generally is.  In my time in this industry the only magic pill that I have found comes from within: discipline.

Now, I must commend people on taking that first step down that path.  After all, that is the hardest step they will ever take…..to make the decision to make a change for the better.  And I will never take anything away from that!

But here is the thing……..I have never found a supplement or diet plan that worked without a certain level of effort and discipline involved.  In most of the “magic pill” scenarios that I know about you have to follow a certain nutrition plan that either reduces calories, controls portions, cuts out processed foods or any combination of these.  Some accompany this approach with shakes, pills, meal replacement bars, or full out delivered meals.  And guess what….it works!  People who stay disciplined to the rules of the “magic pill” product will have positive results.

Imagine that!  Someone who is disciplined in controlling their calories, portions, and content of their food having positive results…………. Oh, and taking the “magic pill” too.   Who knew?   Well, I hate to break it to all those people out there who are doing one of these “magic pill” programs.  It’s not the “magic pill”.  It’s the discipline of eating right that will get you the results!

Finding out how many calories you should consume, how to divide those calories through the day, and where those calories come from should be the cornerstone of any nutrition program.  This is the foundation.  Without a strong, solid foundation everything else will fall apart.

Before you go throwing a lot of money towards these “magic pill” programs, start with the foundation first.  Shop the periphery of the grocery store, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, eat quality proteins and grains, and avoid anything that is fried or has highly processed food/ingredients in it.  The less man made and manufactured food the better. But be realistic in your approach.  If you need the structure/accountability of a program or the ease of a prepared shake/meal or even a plan to start with then by all means look into these programs.  But know that they will not be nearly as successful if you do not take care of your foundation and stay disciplined in your approach.

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Filed Under: nutrition, personal training, weight loss Tagged With: diet, nutrition, personal training, weight loss

Nutrition: Being Realistic

January 20, 2015 By Garrett

I love pizza!  I love Chinese food!  I love burgers!  And don’t get me started on bacon!  Man, if you tried to eat my bacon good chances you would be pulling back a bloody nub!  I love food in general.  It is my biggest weakness when it comes to the health and fitness equation.  I am active through the day.  I workout 5-6 days per week (sometimes 7).  My workouts are designed appropriately for me (I know a good trainer!).  I get 7-8 hours a sleep per night (most of the time).  But food….oh food, that is my Achilles heel.

When I was younger (see my Blog “All about those pants”) this love of food and my lack of physical activity really caught up to me.  So I made some changes.  Not only did I start to exercise, I started paying attention to what I ate.  At times I was misguided.  I used to eat white rice with ranch dressing on it thinking it was healthy.  I didn’t know.  I was doing my best, but I have learned a lot since then.  But most importantly I realized then that in order for me to change the way I looked and felt, I needed to make a change to how I was living my life.

Change is something that people struggle with.  It’s different.  It’s uncomfortable.  It’s strange.  But, unless a person changes the way they do something, the result will be exactly the same.  If the result is not desired, the factors that influence that result have to be changed.

But here’s the thing…….these changes don’t have to be extreme.  I have always said that extreme measures rarely last.  If it doesn’t last what is the point.  The goal should be able to find a nutrition “lifestyle” and not a nutrition “diet”.  Find something that you can live with for the rest of your life.  After all, that is what we are talking about…..a lifelong pursuit of optimal function and health.

I would love to say that “you need to completely cut this out” or “you need to only eat this way” but in reality, we both know that won’t last.  Life is to be enjoyed.  However, moderation is the key.  We can’t enjoy life to the point of it being a detriment to our health, function or attitude.  So let the times of enjoyment be earned through times of discipline.

Make small changes and let them build to big ones.  Cut back on certain foods that are bad for you and increase foods that are good for you.  Live 80/20, 90/10……or whatever percentage that helps you realize that you should eat healthy a majority of the time.  If you are realistic in your approach your results will be permanent and you will be a much happier person.

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Filed Under: nutrition, personal training Tagged With: health and fitness professional, nutrition, personal training, weight loss

Nutrition: I know my scope

January 14, 2015 By Garrett

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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Filed Under: nutrition, personal training, weight loss Tagged With: diet, nutrition, personal training, scope of practice

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Latest Blog Posts

  • Healthy Lifestyle vs. Busy Lifestyle
  • Primitive Initiative™- Climbing Progressions
  • Primitive Initiative™ Jumping Progressions
  • Primitive Initiative™- Crouching Progressions
  • Primitive Initiative™- Getting Up Progressions

Latest Blog Posts

  • Healthy Lifestyle vs. Busy Lifestyle
  • Primitive Initiative™- Climbing Progressions
  • Primitive Initiative™ Jumping Progressions
  • Primitive Initiative™- Crouching Progressions
  • Primitive Initiative™- Getting Up Progressions

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