Lift Hyooge - Look Awesome!

I wrote a "Did You Know?" post up at the gym I work at and I thought I would take a small daybreak from the meal photo posts and share this article with you. I was inspired by those females around me who lift lots of weight and look amazing! I was also reading a book that some of you girls should check out.. It's called "The New Rules of Lifting For Women" ...great read for females AND male trainers looking to help your female clients out more!

"Muscle definition is the absence of fat around a well-developed muscle." -unknown

Did You Know?

By Stephen Steigler, CPT

Topic: Girls Should Train like Guys; Guys Should Train Like Girls

This title might confuse you but as I explain further, I think the clouds will clear and you will look at your training program in a whole new light. Girls need to train more like guys; and Guys.. You need to train more like the girls!

You are probably still confused and that’s okay! You could be offended right now but please don’t take it the wrong way. I am not calling any of the guys a “girl” or vise versa. Something I have noticed in the commercial gym setting (where you are right now) is that some people need to step it up (Girls!) and some people need to take a step back (Guys!).

Girls.. let’s start with you. I believe that you will see more noticeable and appreciable changes in your body if you change up your training regimen a bit. Most females stick to hours and hours a week on the treadmill, stepmill or elliptical. On top of that many girls stick to lifting light weights for 8-20 repetitions or more and doing hip adductor and abductor machines and endless triceps extensions! I am not opposed to these machines or exercises as I think everything has it’s place and application but I believe that time can be spent doing something better and more efficient.

I have a few brief, general recommendations for you ladies… lift heavier weights, do fewer hours on the treadmill and sprint more!

Some of the common reasons that girls don’t like to do these types of exercise are that they think they will get “bulky” from doing them, which couldn’t be further from the truth! Keep in mind that the females on the cover of bodybuilding magazines are chock full of chemicals and extra juice. Ample testosterone is required for major muscle growth, which is why guys can build muscle much easier (Did you know that men have upwards of 15-20x more testosterone than women!). Also, muscle growth comes primarily from volume.. doing sets of 3-6 reps will provide much better strength gains without the bulk. So try some heavy sets and if you ever need any assistance, please find me and I’m glad to help! If you get bulky overnight then call me because I want to do what you’re doing!

Moving on to the guys.. this is a bit easier but JUST as much as important! If you take notice around a typical commercial gym, most guys will come in, do some arm swings by the bench press or squat bar and proceed to jump in and try way too much weight. If you don’t remember anything from this snip-it of information, remember that in order to create a strong house, you must first build a solid foundation.

My recommendations start with doing less weight. Make sure that your form is on point and never ever compromise form while progressively lifting more and more weight. Then if you can’t perform the exercise properly (once again, please come get me or ask me if your form is good any time) then take a step back and consider doing some strengthening of the muscles that help keep posture tight and tall.

Incorporate some more mid-trapezius/lower-trapezius strengthening by getting an exercise tube/band and pulling it apart with straight arms. At the very least, do a ton of pulling exercises like seated rows, high-rows and pull-ups or lat pull-downs. As a rule of thumb, throughout the week try and do 3 pulling exercises for every pressing or pushing exercise you do so that your body stays balanced.

Another part of the body often neglected by guys is the glute medius and exercises that strengthen the glutes overall. The glute medius, which is like the earlobe for the butt, is a muscle that helps pull your legs away from the body. During a movement like the squat, if your knees cave inward, you may want to strengthen these by simple walking to the side in a squatted position or use an exercise band once again to add in some resistance!

Another thing that will help guys lift more weight and more often is by diggin’ into the foam rollers! The health of the soft tissue is very important. There is a sheath of fascia that surrounds our entire body. Not only will you recover quicker but you will also feel a heck of a lot better after a great workout and you will be able to do it more often.. the right way!

I could go on for days about what would be good to incorporate into many exercises regimens but I will stop here. Please feel free to ask me any questions at any time. Girls, in the words of Lou Schuler, “Life Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess” and guys, let’s leave the egos at the door and build that foundation first! 

In Health,

SMS

Do as I do - AND say! - Day 4

Not your typical day of food on this specific day. You will see that I have eggs throughout the day, this week in the form of soft/hard-boiled eggs but I don't always consume them at breakfast. These pictures are posted in sequence of my meals throughout the day. 

That in mind, remember that you don't always have to have breakfast food... for breakfast! I loooove having breakfast food like eggs and bacon for dinner! I don't know why or how this whole breakfast foods must be consumed in the morning shenanigans started but lets break that habit! Enjoy this days food and I hope I have inspired you to eat more fresh, wholesome foods... cooking is fun, enjoyable, therapeutic and tastes absolutely stellar! If you don't know how to cook you might want to buy a cookbook that helps you or take some cooking classes. Without further adieu...

Morning Conditioning = some carbs & protein (tapioca crepes!)

Breakfast of veggies and GF ground beef!

Delicious snack of almonds and coconut butter.

Small meal pre-workout.

Post-Workout: Awesome crepes, banana and whey with water!

Post-Workout: sweet potato!

A few eggs (cage free of course) with some veggies.

A couple more eggs with a little yams and veggies!

And finally a few toasted almond slivers!

Hope you all enjoyed what I ate :) Now get out there and please eat some good food that is good for you! Oh and lift some weights while you're at it! (I love dead-lifts and squats) Get it!

In Health,

SMS

Do as I do - AND say! - Day 3

Another day of successful and delicious food! I love eating fresh, whole, natural food as close to the farm as I can get. I find that not only does it keep my body composition in check but fuels me throughout the day and helps me feel GREAT! Try grass-fed beef this week and I think you won't go back.. better fatty acid profile and the taste is out of this world. Also keep in mind that food not only affects how we look but more importantly how we feel. To the pics!

Hard-Boiled eggs and zucchini squash.

Coconut butter mixed with slivered almonds and cinnamon. Awesome snack!

Post-Workout: Whey protein shake with an apple and a root bake!

Post-Workout: Yams.

Another coconut butter and almond snack.

Grass-fed ground beef with sauteed cabbage and an egg!

That's it for another great day of awesome tasting food that helped me feel amazing! Keep eating fresh and lift some heavy weights!

SMS

Do as I do - AND say! - Day 2

Okay here is day 2 of my week! As you can see, I have recently incorporated whey protein shakes into my post workout window, usually with a piece of fruit (banana, peach or berries preferred) and a root vegetable like a sweet potato or yam. Enjoy!

Breakfast - Eggs and veggies!

Snack - coconut butter with slivered almonds and cinnamon.

Pre-Workout: GF Ground beef and veggies with a coffee.

Post-Workout: Whey Isolate Shake and a banana.

Post-Workout: Yams!

Last calamari steak with yams.

Quote of the day: "You can't 'sculpt' your body without first building the muscle." -Lou Shuler, The New Rules of Lifting

Hope you had a great day!! Get some sleep, eat a great fresh meal and lift some weights!

Coach S

Do as I do - AND say!

I do this stuff because I love it. I really do. I also thoroughly believe that if you want to look good, feel good and move well, eating a diet that is rich in stuff like meat, poultry, fish, vegetables, fruit and good fats is probably the best way to achieve that! I believe it to be extremely important for one to practice what they preach and so for the next 7 days, I will post a photo diary of the past 7 days of the food that I ate. It really isn't that difficult to eat healthy and delicious and set yourself up for success to get to your goals if you have basic cooking skills, shop fresh and be prepared. This will be a series of posts that will show you a visual representation of what foods I like to eat and what has helped me stay extremely lean, fuel my workouts and feel amazing! Here is day 1:

GrassFed Ground Beef with sauteed spinach and cilantro.

No Oat Oatmeal made with Almond meal, coconut milk, cocoa powder, cinnamon and a dash of sea salt.

GF Ground beef with zucchini and cilantro.

Post Workout: 1 Scoop of Whey Isolate with 1 banana and 1 Yam (not pictured) 

More GF Ground beef with sliced heirloom tomato and cilantro.

Steamed carrots cooked in coconut oil and a soft boiled egg!

Pan-fried Calamari Steak with sauteed green cabbage and spinach salad. Delish!

So there is day 1 ... I hope you got some ideas and remember that food affects how you look but more importantly how you feel!

Until tomorrow,

SMS

I've gone cocoNUTS!

I have recently become quite the huge fan of coconut products, everything from coconut oil to coconut milk. I am still not on the coconut water train but because of it’s high electrolyte content (mostly from it’s insane amounts of potassium – take that Mr. Banana) it is a better sports drink for endurance athletes in my opinion – Natures Gatorade. But on to some of the benefits that I have learned about coconuts.

Get ready for the ultimate anti-drug.

Coconuts are not only good for your heart health but it is anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal and anti-parasitic… it is simply a superhero in my world. A majority of these benefits come from coconut oil specifically. Scientific research shows that the medium-chain fatty acids (the good stuff, we’ll get there in a second) help fight off all those bad bugs, parasites, viruses and so forth.

What are medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) you ask? They are extremely unique when it comes to fats because they get metabolized by the body quickly into usable energy. This is great because most fatty acids take a long time to be used for energy due to the processing through the liver into lipoproteins that normally has to happen with short-chain and long-chain fatty acids (enough sciency mumbo jumbo). Think of a time-released caffeine effect from this powerhouse. While on the topic of metabolism, polyunsaturated fatty acids can slow the function of the thyroid, which regulates metabolism, but coconut oils MCFAs can support the function of the thyroid increasing metabolism and increasing energy.

Do you like wrinkles? I didn’t think so…

Coconut oil also has an anti-aging component! I am amazed as you are because I know that even my baby face some day will soon fade… (See picture to the left) but I’m going to rock it as long as I can! The saturated fat in coconut oil (remember the MCFAs?) doesn’t oxidize as easily as unsaturated fat. In short, the quicker oil oxidizes the worse it is for our body because that can translate into more free radicals and that ages us quicker. Boom! Anti-aging! Not to mention you can lather this stuff all over your body for a clear coat!

This article could go on much longer about the unique properties of coconut oil and how it can aid our quest for optimal health but let’s discuss how we can get more coconut into our bodies!

Most of the fantastic benefits of coconut are seen in the oil but that doesn’t mean other coconut products don’t help our quest! In fact, I am munching on some unsweetened dried coconut flakes. Don’t hesitate to try some coconut milk (in your coffee too!), coconut butter (on whatever you might put regular butter on) and the dried coconut flakes (I like to make a trail mix with raw nuts, unsweetened coconut flakes, cocoa nibs and a dash of sea salt).

I suggest replacing your cooking oils with coconut oil and you will start to reap some of these benefits! Be aware that there is virgin and expeller pressed varieties but stick to the one you prefer (the virgin coconut oil has more coconut flavor which I personally prefer) but both have the same benefits.

“Nutrition is 100% of the battle; ironically so is Exercise.”

Now go coconuts!

In Health,

Stephen

Your Diet - My Diet

Everything works and nothing works.

Confused? Okay good, let's try to see what that means.

I am no scientist but I have acquired, through personal experience and the experience of my clients, an array of what I believe to be useful information when it comes to diet and fat loss. I love to eat and try new and healthy foods, but that doesn't mean that everyone else does. I can also manage to go in the sun, get burnt quite easily then turn right back to being a slightly off-white. There is a slim chance that my burn will turn into a tan but others can easily bronze their entire body. Get my point?

Different diets have worked for different people for hundreds of years. Within the past few decades we have had such diets come into popularity like Atkins, South Beach, Protein Power, Paleo, High Carb-Low Fat, Low-Carb-Low Fat and so on. I could probably write an entire blog post naming all of the different diets out there. I am not one to say that one is BETTER than the other but simply just different.

We all have a different biochemistry and though there are multiple similarities and mechanisms within the body that works the same for 99% of the population, it just might be the case that MY diet is completely and 180 degree different from YOUR diet. My point is simply this, I can get by with eating almost entirely and I do mean ALMOST ENTIRELY (not 80%, 85% or even 90% but closer to 98%) fruits, vegetables, beef, poultry, fish, nuts and seeds. To be honest that is my diet right now and I am probably the leanest I have ever been; in fact just last night I noticed 3 veins across my obliques and abdomen that I have never seen before.

Why is it that some people out there can eat processed food and carbohydrates like bread and pasta (be it whole wheat or not) and compliment that with highly processed cheeses and meat that is foreign to most carnivores on this planet (taco bell, what is autolyzed yeast extract and why is cocoa powder in my chili?) and have abs that make even Gerard Butler from 300 jealous? That's because they found a way that works for them. I can recommend a way of eating to a client that parallels what I am consuming in my diet but it isn't positive that they will get the same results as me. I know from my own experiences that I can get extremely lean by limiting some foods and staying completely away from others.

To sum it up, try different things and try to find something that works for you. We know that protein helps us build and retain muscle and that helps us look good when you get rid of the fat. We know that carbohydrates might not be essential for the body (at least in the amounts that those on a typical west coast diet consume) and healthy fats like those found in avocados, nuts and some oils have amazing health benefits like previously mentioned in my post about Omega-3s! Try different combinations and see how amazing the body can adapt. After all, the best diet is the diet that you can stick to and adhere to.

I love MY diet, do you love YOURS?

Until next time

In Health,

Coach Steigler