Back in the olden days, workout nutrition consisted of a quick run to the water fountain between exercises.
Then came Gatorade.
Then, we were introduced to the magic 20 minute post-workout window of time.
We were told that if we chugged down a carb/protein shake immediately after working out, we would:
And there was (and still is) a lot of scientific research to back up this belief.
As a result, every gym put in a “smoothie bar” and we all chugged down some pretty gross post-workout protein shakes.
But wait, it doesn’t end there, we’re just getting started.
Researchers began to study whether pre-workout carb/pro nutrition might be even more efficient than post-workout carb/pro nutrition.
And their research showed that it was.
As a result, instead of one post-workout shake, I was now drinking half my shake pre-workout and finishing the rest post-workout.
I thought I had it all figured out.
Not quite.
The next scientific breakthrough discovered that while a combined carb/pro shake pre-workout worked wonders, a carb free protein meal didn’t work near as well.
And that was fine with me. Those heavy pre-workout protein shakes were sloshing around in my stomach and slowing down my workouts.
RECAP
At this point:
In a nutshell, the theory is that:
And voila, your body recovers faster & more efficiently from your workouts.
End of story, right?
Not yet.
In the past few years, I have been reading more about improving anaerobic endurance during workouts by supplementing with beta alanine or bicarbonates. And while the research shows mixed results, I have personally and professionally seen impressive gains in endurance during some pretty intense HIIT & HIRT workouts.
Since adding these supplements into the mix, I have been able to push some very intense workouts well past the dreaded 45 minute mark.
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So, what does all of this mean?
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It means that for best results, I recommend:
Keep in mind this is a best case scenario type of peri-workout nutrition program.
Most of you aren’t going to want to spend the money on all of this stuff.
So, if cost is an issue, I would recommend
Personally, I have tried 3 different workout beverages with sugar/BCAAs/Beta Alanine/Bicarb and have found that Biotest’s Surge Workout Fuel to be the most effective. It costs approximately $1.10 per serving.
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BTW – peri means around or about…so in this case peri-workout nutrition means nutrition around your workout
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I look forward to hearing your feedback. Workout nutrition is a hotly debated topic amongst all of the “experts” out there on the interweb.
My skin is thick, don’t hold back.
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This workout is dedicated to the “skinny-fat” cardio guy at my gym…you know who you are.
It’s a simple HIIT workout that is guaranteed to have you sweating buckets and burning mega calories.
THE WORKOUT
Cardio equipment of your choice (I recommend an exercise bike, but an elliptical or Versa Climber are acceptable alternatives)
Beginners are now finished….go home and rest
However, if you think you can handle some more HIIT, please feel free to do another:
And now, go home…seriously.
Note: HIIT sprints are designed to be performed at maximum intensity for maximum benefit. If your intensity starts to drop below 90% of your best effort, shut it down and call it a day. Intensity is key. It’s better to do 5 sprints at 100% intensity than 10 sprints at 75%
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Every autumn, I dedicate my workouts to strength & power.
I set myself a goal, hit the gym and unleash the beast.
This year, my goal was to press 350 lbs overhead.
And, as that stupid grin on my face can attest to, not only did I achieve my goal, I crushed it by pressing 365 lbs overhead. Woo Hoo!
Unfortunately, along with all this superhuman strength comes some superhuman eating and a wee bit of extra body-fat.
As of this morning, I weighed in at 252.2 lbs @ 15.4% body-fat.
Way too p-p-porky for my liking.
So, as I do every winter, I clean up my diet and start a new training program similar to the one I gave to the Healthy Irishman.
The goal being that I drop my body-fat down to 10% without losing much muscle mass.
What is new for this year is that I will be doing this transformation in front of my millions and millions of readers.
In the next few days, I will post an outline of workout & nutrition plans.
I will also post my daily workouts here. Feel free to sign up for email updates if you want to follow along.
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Earlier this month, Health Habits went undercover.
I approached 10 of the biggest, most powerful names in the fitness/weight loss business, and I tried to get the answer to one simple but powerful question.
But, before I get to the question, let me explain my motivation behind this little adventure.
So, being a wee minnow in the ocean of health & fitness, I decided to pick the brains of the giant whales of the industry.
Here’s what I did:
I emailed these fitness gurus and told them that some friends of mine had experienced great success with their program, but that I was having trouble sticking with the plan. I would lose some weight, cheat, gain the weight back…
Did they have any advice on how to improve my adherence to their amazing plan?
The Results
Of those two responses,
The first recommended that I needed to set goals and work step by step towards those goal.
Set goals…seriously?….Why didn’t I think of that? (sarcasm)
So, at this point, I was pretty bummed about the results of my little undercover private investigation.
But then this happened…
Doug,
Thanks for the email.
Your problem is one that I have personally and professionally experienced many times over the years, and to be honest, I don’t have a “fool proof” answer to your question.
My experience has shown me that every person is unique and that they need to find their own motivation. The thing that motivates me might not motivate you.
All I can suggest is that you try to find something that creates an emotional response down deep in your heart. Take that emotion and use it to fight those bad habits that we all have.
I hope this helps
So, whaddaya think of that?
My faith in human nature has been restored.
A multi-millionaire personal trainer to the stars has his own problems and is willing to admit that he doesn’t have all the answers.
But, where does that leave us?
Is there a magic answer to my question?
How do we train ourselves to stick with the game plan?
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Occasionally, I still design training programs for Strongman and Powerlifting competitors.
And the hardest thing about designing those programs is that these guys never, ever want to do anything except train for strength.
No rehab/prehab work, no HIIT, no flexibility/joint mobility work and certainly no cardio.
They are all too afraid that if they do any of that stuff, they will lose strength.
Arggghhhh!!!
No matter what I say, they don’t want to listen.
So, when I read the excerpt to this study, I actually laughed out loud….and then sent out a bunch of emails beginning with “I told you so”.
The Study
Researchers compared a traditional resistance training program designed to increase strength with a CrossTraining style of program that combined strength & endurance training.
The study lasted 16 weeks and was tested on 38 sedentary, apparently healthy males (25 yr +/- 8 mo).
Subjects were age matched and assigned to 1 of 3 groups.
After 16 weeks, no changes were found in the strength of the subjects in the Con group .
But surprisingly, after 16 weeks, researchers found that both the Res group & the Cross group were equally effective at “eliciting improvements in strength”.
They concluded that “concurrent resistance and endurance training (CrossTraining) does not impede muscular strength gains and can be prescribed simultaneously for the development of strength in sedentary, apparently healthy males and thus may invoke all the physiologic adaptations of resistance and endurance training at once.
So, for all of those guys who think that doing some HIIT or (shudder) cardio is going to steal all of your strength…RELAX
Samson and Delilah - Peter Paul Rubens
CrossTraining (done properly) can give you the best of both worlds.
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This workout is designed for all of those people who say they would like to exercise, but when push comes to shove:
It’s my No Excuses Workout.
Program Goals:
The workout consists of 2 workouts that can be performed twice per week for a total of 4 workouts
The remaining 3 days of the week can be devoted to the walking program outlined in Boomer Bodyweight Workout #1
WORKOUT #1
Superset #1
Perform the following two exercises back to back for 5 minutes with no rest between sets
Superset #2
Perform the following two exercises back to back for 5 minutes with no rest between sets
Superset #3
Perform the following two exercises back to back for 5 minutes with no rest between sets
Repeat all 3 supersets 2 to 3 times
One complete circuit of all 3 supersets takes 15 minutes + any rest you take between supersets. Two circuits will take 30 min +. Three circuits will take 45 min+
It’s important to keep rest to an absolute minimum. This is how you are getting the aerobic benefit of the workout.
WORKOUT #2
Superset #1
Perform the following two exercises back to back for 5 minutes with no rest between sets
1 or 2 Leg Hip Thrusts – Maximum 20 reps total for both legs
Bodyweight Tricep Extensions – Maximum 10 reps
Superset #2
Perform the following two exercises back to back for 5 minutes with no rest between sets
Bulgarian Split Squats – Maximum 10 reps per leg
Bear Crawls – Crawl 5 yards forward, reverse and crawl 5 yards backward
Superset #3
Perform the following two exercises back to back for 5 minutes with no rest between sets
Reverse Lunges – Maximum 10 reps per leg
Plank – Work up to 60 seconds
Repeat all 3 supersets 2 to 3 times
One complete circuit of all 3 supersets takes 15 minutes + any rest you take between supersets. Two circuits will take 30 min +. Three circuits will take 45 min+
It’s important to keep rest to an absolute minimum. This is how you are getting the aerobic benefit of the workout.
And remember to go at your own pace. The goal is to get healthy.
If you are a beginner, it is most important to learn how to perform the exercise well before picking up the intensity. Use some common sense people.
For advanced trainees, focus on reducing rest time and increasing the difficulty of the exercise.
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The transformation of the Healthy Irishman (and bro) continues
And they’re both going to be nasty workouts
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Yesterday, I outlined the Irishman’s transformation.
Today, I will post Workout #1….feel free to try it out for yourself
WARM-UP
Repeat as many times as possible in 10 minutes (no rest between exercises – 30 sec. rest between supersets)
Note – You NEED to get through this at least 3 times in 10 min.
By the end of the 10 min. warm-up, the Irishman should be sweating hard and gasping for breath.
WORKOUT
Superset #1
Exercise # 1
Exercise # 2
5 Minutes rest between supersets #1 and #2 – Use that time to set up for superset #2
Superset #2
Exercise # 1
Exercise # 2
5 Minutes rest between supersets #2 and #3
Superset #3
Exercise # 1
Exercise # 2
Go Home…you’re finished
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Exercise Videos
Goblet Squat
Lateral Raises
Bent-Over Lateral Raises
Swing Snatch
Straight Arm Pushdown
Pulldown variations
Shuffle Lunge
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