Recovery, Deload, and Getting Better

I had a client tell me this week “I don’t like recovery weeks, because they get me out of my routine.” I appreciate what she was saying and understand how important routine can be, particularly when it comes to your training. You get in “the groove” and you don’t want to get out. If we were all that way a little more of the time we would probably make better progress, more of the time. Taking time away from the gym when everything is going great seems counterproductive at best.

That is why it is good to understand how a training cycle is designed. Our training cycles are not random. They are designed within the context of the calendar year, yes. “Working out” is not your vocation, so the realities of the calendar must be considered. For instance we take a recovery week around Christmas because it just makes sense in most peoples lives. But our training cycles are also designed around how your body works. You train, you recover, you get better. Until you don’t. At some point there is always a “don’t” unless you “do” the right things.

Take a couple minutes to read this article: “I HATE Recovery Weeks!”. Go ahead, I’ll wait.

Ok, now that you understand a bit more about supercompensation and the recovery curve it starts to make sense, right?

We don’t want to wait until we are completely hammered and injured to deload and/or take complete recovery. Sometimes I hear that “this is a tough week”. That means that last week might have not been as hard, right? That is by design, that is a deload week, or a week that the intensity is not so high. That helps enhance the recovery curve and allows you to be ready to hit it harder on the “tough weeks”. Don’t get caught in the trap of thinking your body doesn’t work like the rest of ours, that somehow you can maintain maximum intensity forever. I can’t, you can’t.

So next week just take a break. Use your training “mind share” on getting out and doing some recreational activities. Ski, sled with the kids, snowshoe, hike. Take time to come up with some menus and easy meals to prepare. Don’t stress about taking some downtime at the gym. We all need rest, even Wonder Woman and Superman.

Make It Happen,

Coach Dean

P.S. – Here are some more recovery week articles for you to chew on

Minimum Effective Dose

Recovery Is Where The Magic Happens

Rest, Recover and Regenerate, It’s Not Optional

What is your definition of easy?

I received this from my friend and mentor Martin Rooney in an email awhile ago, and as I re-read it today it really resonated with me again. I am sharing with you because I suspect I am not the only one who needs to take action on what I know I need to do, rather than what I am comfortable doing.

Does any of this resonate with you?

——————–

“12 Mugs of Christmas” from the Makers of UMP!

We have a lot of “UMP” lovers at that train with us, and although you may not know it Beverly International, the makers of “Ultimate Muscle Protein” is a family owned and run company, just like Get Fit NH.

Roger and Sandy Riedinger are as passionate about providing the best quality supplements as we are about providing the best training, and that is one of the reasons we love doing business with them.

Sandy just sent over some recipes that she wanted us to share with you that she is calling “The 12 Mugs of Christmas”. There are some really great drink recipes using UMP. Some of them are sugar free, some of them can be adapted to be sugar free, and others are best saved as a post-training recovery drink.

Which one are you going to try first?

Thanks Sandy, and Merry Christmas!

Download your copy of “The 12 Mugs of Christmas” by clicking here

Eat Your Way Right Habit 8: Avoid Reading Food Labels

Ok, I guess that is more the result of Habit 8 than the actual habit itself, but still, it is a big time saver!

In my article on Nutrition Labels (click here to read) we deciphered a label section by section and gave some guidelines as far as what we should be looking for when we are choosing what we are going to eat.

But what if we could avoid all that nightmare altogether and eat tasty and healthy foods all at the same time?

That is where Habit 8 comes into play.

EYWR Habit 8: Eat Mostly 1-Ingredient Foods

You see 1-ingredient foods don’t need a label. Another term you could use to describe them is whole foods.

Take a look at the shopping lists from ThePPWKitchen.com

PPW Kitchen Shopping List 1

PPW Kitchen Shopping List 2

What did you notice?

That’s right. These are lists of almost all 1-ingredient foods.

You may also have noticed that most of these are fresh foods. If they are not refrigerated, frozen or eaten within a few days they will spoil.

Those are the nutritious, nutrient packed, and yes, tasty foods you want to fuel your body with.

When you eat Whole Foods – 1 Ingredient foods, you are avoiding a lot of the nasty stuff you just shouldn’t be putting in your gut.

• Added sugars
• Added sodium
• Preservatives
• Artificial sweeteners
• Food dyes
• Chemicals

and who knows what else!

When you start with whole foods YOU are in control. You get to decide what spices, and herbs or garnishes you add. You don’t have to worry about what’s “in there” except what you choose to add.

And no, eating 1-ingredient foods does not have to be boring.

Because you can still combine 1-ingredient foods into a delicious meal. In fact you can get pretty fancy using all 1-ingredient foods. For instance this Beef Fajita recipe from Coach Nancy is super easy to make and uses all 1-ingredient foods (unless you top with salsa):

Beef Fajitas

• 1 ½ pound beef flank steak, cut into 6 even portions
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 large green pepper, cut into ½ pieces
• 2 Tablespoon jalapeno peppers, can used canned
• 1 Tablespoon chopped cilantro
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 ½ teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander
• 1 14 ounce can stewed tomatoes, do not drain
• Shredded cheddar cheese optional
• Salsa, optional

Combine steak, onion, pepper, jalapeno, cilantro, garlic, chili powder, and coriander in slow cooker. Stir in tomatoes.

Cover and cook on low heat for 8-10 hours or on high 4-5. Using a slotted spoon, place on a bed of lettuce and sprinkle with cheese and salsa, if desired.

We are in the home stretch with Eat Your Way Right Through The Holidays 2013, and I am proud of all of you who are taking steps, some small, some bigger, to reach your health and fitness goals and make 2014 your best year ever!

Make It Happen!

Coach Dean

Seven Strength Superstitions Women Believe

Listen up ladies! This is Coach Meagan and I recently read an article by Sohee Lee about heavy weights and us – you know, women. I thought it was fantastic so I wrote my own version for all you ladies at Get Fit NH.  Let’s squash some rumors that may be holding you back or may be holding someone you know back from starting to train for their life.

Superstition number 1: If I lift heavy weights I will look like a man

Wow! I can’t even tell you how many times I have heard women say this. Let’s talk about testosterone really quick. Testosterone is the hormone primarily responsible for muscle gain. Ladies, I can tell you that you do not have enough testosterone floating around in your body to ever look like The Hulk. Women possess roughly 5% of the testosterone men possess which means men have about 20 times as much testosterone in their body than the average woman. With that being said, pick up something heavy- you won’t wake up looking like a female body builder, I promise!

Superstition number 2: Women can’t be good at pull-ups.

Well, we all know that isn’t true as most of us have seen some ladies around Get Fit NH cranking out some pull ups. Are pull ups hard? Of course they are! I have never seen a woman get up on the bar for their first time and be able to bust out pull ups. Naturally, women have less upper body strength then men. I have, however, seen women work their tail off to earn those pull ups.  Why do you think we train assisted pull ups, negatives, and rows? So that we can build up those latissimus dorsi muscles (also referred to as lats) so that we can eventually do unassisted pull ups.  Why do we do farmer walk variations? Not only are they training core stability (and so much more), but they are also training our grip strength. When we encourage you not to use chalk or gloves there really is a reason! We want you to build the grip strength to hold on to the bar and pull yourself over it!

Superstition number 3: Protein supplements aren’t necessary for women.

FALSE!  Protein powder is the fastest and most convenient source to get in to your body within a few minutes post training. Our muscles are craving that protein to not only kick start the recovery process, but also to promote muscle growth. Just like any other food, if protein is consumed in excess then it can certainly make you gain weight, but we rarely see anyone, man or women, who eats too much protein. Ladies, we know that we should be consuming a minimum of 20-30 grams of protein every time we eat, so don’t be afraid to supplement when necessary.

Superstition number 4: Abs are just not achievable for me. After all I have two kids and I’m over 18.

Not the case at all. We all have a six pack. Yes it’s true, even me, even you.  It is up to us to train our bodies to let those abs come into the sunlight rather than be coated with a layer of fat. Most of you train with us 4 hours per week. It is up to you to maintain healthy habits those other 164 hours per week that you are not training. Proper nutrition, recovery, adequate sleep, and so on are all habits necessary to meet your goals. Besides have you seen Coach Nancy? And she has six kids!

Superstition number 5: When you work out your fat will transform into muscle.

If only it was that easy! First off let’s learn to appreciate some fat. Sometimes when we use the word “fat” it gives people the chills like it is a terrible thing, but it isn’t! If you had 0% bodyfat you would not be alive. Bodyfat serves as an energy reserve for your body and it helps cushions our joints and organs as well as maintain the integrity of healthy skin and nails. When we train we build muscles and lose excess bodyfat at the same time, which is why your body weight may remain relatively static. The best way to find out is to make an appointment to get your bodyfat tested regularly.

Superstition number 6: You have to keep your muscles guessing.

I did some additional research on this myth, because there are so many different “opinions” out there on this subject. The fact is that your muscles do not have a brain therefore it is impossible to confuse them.  You must give your body the chance to develop skill or neural adaptions so that your muscles increase. I know most of us have short attention spans and like to do different stuff all the time. However there is greater benefit to repeating the same movement patterns than to just doing different to be different. That is why training phases at Get Fit NH are designed the way they are. We can (and do) have variety, and the basic patterns of movement can be trained many different ways with many different tools, as you have experienced. However there are always going to be some “big rocks” that we focus on. Deadlifts anyone?

Superstition number 7: To lose fat, you need to crank up the cardio.

This is a huge myth that causes your coaches heartburn! Forget the treadmill, elliptical, stair stepper, and all of those other knee buster machines. Maybe you like that you can visually see how many calories are burned during your “cardio session.” Here is some scientific fun factual advice for you- Stop focusing so much on calories burned at the gym and think about what is happening when you leave the gym. When you run on the treadmill you burn calories and shortly after you stop you return to a normal metabolic rate. With strength training you build muscle and burn more fat. More muscles means the more fuel you are constantly burning therefore even when you are not at the gym you are still burning.

Look we all have a certain idea of how we want to look, but most of us would agree that strong and lean, no bulk added, would fit us pretty well.  Hopefully I have helped convince you that being strong will help you reach the look you have always wanted.

Meet you at the Hex Bars?

Make It Happen,

Coach Meagan

Round 2 of the Get Fit Games Is Here – Saturday December 21st

You asked for it, you got it!

It’s time to talk some trash (if you are into that sorta thing) and break some records. A perfect way to both end a great year and kick off recovery week will be to held Saturday December 21st, 8:00am sharp, at Get Fit NH Concord – The Get Fit Games!

Make sure you check out the record boards in both gyms and see what you are shooting for – because records are made to be broke.

Don’t worry if you aren’t currently able to compete in the overall, just come do the events you can.

Once again we will ask you; please don’t sign up if you aren’t 100% sure you can be there, as space is limited to 25.

Looking forward to it!

Place: Get Fit NH Concord
Date: Saturday December 21st
Time: 8:00am to 10:00am
Agenda: Pure Awesomeness!

Eat Your Way Right Habit 7: Control Your Calories w/ Zero Sugar Beverages

Hard to believe that we are 3/4 of the way through our end of year challenge!

Are you feeling good?

Are you learning some things about your habits and your body?

Are you starting to see that good choices lead to good outcomes?

Keep it up!

This week we are going to focus on keeping the “sneaky” calories that really add up out our nutrition plan.

Did you know that the typical large coffee has 35 grams of sugar in it? Just one a day is an extra 140 calories. Have one of those every day and that is an extra 980 calories a week, or 50,960 a year.

That’s enough calories to add 15 pounds a year – just from one cup of coffee a day!

Ever taken a look at the nutrition info from a double mocha peppermint latte? Ouch!

And even if you are not a coffee drinker there are plenty of other places where those calories are hiding. Soda, fruit juices, the wide variety of “sports performance drinks” that are supposed to be good for you. All these can add extra pounds and we don’t even think about.

Another downside to sugar in our beverages (even fruit juice) is how quickly it metabolizes and can cause blood sugar swings, which causes us to reach for more food, which adds up to even more calories.

So this week it is time to focus on those labels and see if there any sugar in there. But don’t be fooled by those sneaks, because they don’t all use the word “sugar”. Here’s some other names for sugar you might just see.

Barley malt
Cane juice crystals
Demarara
Dextran
Dextrose
Diastatic malt
Diatase
Ethyl Maltol
Fructose
Fruit juice
Galactose
Glucose
Golden syrup
Lactose
Maltodextrin
Maltose
Malt Syrup
Maple Syrup
Molasses
Muscovado
Panocha
Refiners syrup
Rice syrup
Sorbitol
Sorghum
Sucrose
Treacle
Turbinado

Wow!

I would encourage you to start now to wean yourself off all calorie containing beverages, but start with the sugar. The simplest way to achieve this is to get used to drinking water, green tea, and sticking with black coffee. If you need a little cream that’s fine, but the less calories you drink the more your body will thank-you!

Make It Happen!

Eat Your Way Right Habit 7: Drink only zero sugar beverages

Fun Friday Challenge To Help End Hunger

Would you believe us if we told you we discovered a way to make Fun Friday’s even MORE fun?

I know, hard to believe, but it is true! Great thanks to Maria Gilbert, one of our 8:30 ladies, for planting the seed for this marvelous idea. As we know, we are approaching the holiday season very quickly and we live in state surrounded by poverty and hunger. It is the sad truth that sometimes we turn a blind eye to, but it is the season of giving. I am confident that Get Fit NH has more than enough helping hands to gather A LOT of non-perishable food items to make somebody’s holiday season a little merrier, what do you say? Are you up for the challenge?

Here’s how it works, come up with a challenge to complete before or after a training session on any Fun Friday during December. It could be anything, a dead lift challenge, ski erg, push up, pull up, anything! Declare your challenge on the sign- up sheet that will be located on the counter and then find a sponsor. Your sponsor will donate non-perishable food items based on your success. If you want to be REALLY brave, you can let your sponsor choose your challenge.

After you have completed your challenge, make sure your sponsor knows how you did so they can go shopping! 🙂 We will collect your food items here, and then donate them to our local food banks. I can’t think of a better way to remind us that we can make a difference!

For example:

These are just examples, be creative and challenge yourself. If you need an idea (or a push) your coaches are always there to guide you. Just remember that you are challenging yourself to help someone is going through challenging time.

There are only 3 Fun Friday’s in December so let’s make it happen!

Coach Meagan

P.S. According to our resources, the most needed items are:

• Canned Chicken
• Canned Tuna
• Canned Salmon
• Peanut Butter
• Jelly
• Mac n Cheese
• Canned Soup/Stew/Chili
• Canned/Dried Beans
• Canned Nuts
• Rice and Rice Mixes
• Pasta
• Noodle Mixes

Thanksgiving

thanks·giv·ing

noun

“the act of giving thanks; grateful acknowledgement of benefits or favors, especially to God.” – Dictionary.com

I am truly grateful we have a holiday named “Thanksgiving”. Because for just a few days it makes me say the word over and over again.

“Happy Thanksgiving”

“Have a wonderful Thanksgiving”

“Enjoy your family at Thanksgiving”

It is kind of ironic that the next day is called “Black Friday”. Now I understand how important this time of year is for our economy and businesses to survive. But to my recollection I have only ventured out once on that day to do any shopping, and that was a quick run to Dick’s Sporting Goods at 4:00am, because I woke up right at my normal time anyways. I glanced across the street on my way by and was convinced that anyone who ventures into Wal-Mart is crazy or possessed – no thanks. Now to those of you who enjoy the madness my hat is off to you, because you are very brave, and more power to you. Could you grab me a Starbucks on the way by? 🙂

But I Digress.

Can I encourage you to be truly thankful this year, from now until New Years?

It seems that we let this time of year stress us out to no end as we try to meet the seemingly endless expectations that tug on us to make every perfect, buy all the right gifts, put up just the right tree – busy, busy, busy.

And then it’s gone.

The holidays are over and we settle down into the long New England winter. (I am working really hard on being thankful for that one.)

Life is not easy. Sometimes our days are filled with disappointment, heartache and pain.

Which is one reason why I am grateful for the people in my life.

My family, who put up with me with love even on the worst of days.

My friends, who I don’t get to spend nearly enough time with.

My Get Fit NH team and co-workers, who labor with me to make it all work.

My clients, who share a part of their day with me. Who I get to laugh with, cry with, help through some struggles, and witness some incredible achievements.

To God, who has given me 47 years so far, in spite of myself.

I am going to put some effort, some action, some work, into slowing down a bit this holiday season and making the time to enjoy the things and people who are important to me. I am going to do my best, but with the understanding some people just can’t or don’t want to be happy, no matter what I do. They will get my kindness and compassion, but not one second of my time worrying.

That is work worth doing, and a word worth saying more often than we do.

Thank-you.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Coach Dean

Eat Your Way Right Habit 6: Start Your Recovery

Here is the bottom line.

Good post-training nutrition improves your body composition, performance and total recovery. Ignore it and those three will suffer. If we want to maximize our time in the gym, a proper focus on nutrition after training is key.

Nutrition Coach Ryan Andrews highlights the 3 primary reasons for having a solid post-training nutrition strategy:

Athletes/Exercisers want to:

• Replenish their energy stores
• increase muscle size and/or quality
• repair any damage caused by the workout

And why do we want to do those three things?

“In doing so they want to increase performance, improve their appearance, and enable their bodies to remain injury free.”

and lastly from Dr. Andrews

“Proposed benefits of good post-workout nutrition include:

• Improved recovery
• Less muscle soreness
• Increased ability to build muscle
• Improved immune function
• Improved bone mass
• Improved ability to utilize body fat”

(You can read Dr. Andrews entire article on the Precision Nutrition site by clicking here)

Guys these are all good things, in case there is any doubt. Ignoring post-training nutrition as part of our overall nutrition strategy is not a good decision. You don’t want to be sore all the time, with suppressed immune function and your body holding onto fat like a 2 year old holds onto his favorite blanket, do you?

So what does good post-training nutrition look like?

There are really 2 parts to that answer.

1. Consume a drink consisting of a protein/carb blend during and/or immediately after training
2. Eat a whole food meal within 2 hours after training

I am going to go with the premise that most people reading this are looking to lose body fat. That being said a protein/carbohydrate ratio of about 1:1 seems to work pretty well, although going as high as 1:2 usually is just fine. You don’t have to go crazy with the amount of protein, ~15-25 grams is fine, with the corresponding ratio of carbohydrate.

Some good choices for Step #1:

• Very Blueberry Smoothie (recipe here) has 27 grams of protein and 35 grams carbohydrates
• Myoplex Nutrition Shake has 25 grams of protein and 23 grams of carbohydrate
• If you want to go with something more solid, a Dale’s bar has 22 grams of protein and ~33 grams of carbohydrates depending on the flavor.

Step #2 corresponds with our previous habits. You want to have a meal that includes protein, vegetables, and this is also when you want to eat your “other” carbs, for all the reasons we outlined in previous weeks.

Many of our clients (the 8:30am ladies in Concord are very good at this) have their protein shake pre-mixed and waiting in the car for the ride home. This is ideal. As soon as you shout “Make It Happen” you should start sipping that drink or chewing that Dale’s bar. If you do that, you have Habit 6 covered!

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why does Habit 6 specify protein and not carbohydrate?

A: To remind us that a “sports performance drink” such as Gatorade(r) or Powerade(r) is not adequate, because it does not have enough protein to start the protein synthesis recovery process. We want carbs, but we need the protein first and foremost

Q: Why just after resistance exercise? What about after cardio?

A: When we specify resistance exercise we are talking about weight and/or interval training such as here as Get Fit NH, as opposed to endurance exercise. Resistance and metabolic resistance training is designed to break down the muscle in order to build it back up and make it stronger, which is why protein is needed for repair, and the carbohydrate assists recovery in that process. Endurance training generally does not elicit the same physiological requirements, unless it is continuous work for 45+ minutes.

Q: Do I have to eat the solid meal within 2 hours afterward, or can I just skip it so I can lose weight faster?

A: Skipping this meal is a real good way to get “skinny fat”. In other words you may drop total net pounds for a little while, but what is going to be left behind is less muscle and more saggy. Not cool. You want a foundation of lean muscle, yes, even you ladies. The appropriate amount of body fat on this foundation of lean is what gives you the “toned” look with curves in the right places. Guys, just stick to the muscle part, ok?

Eat Your Way Right Habit 6: Eat/Drink your recovery nutrition including lean protein within 1 hour after resistance training.