Simplifying Workout Nutrition

By Courtney Ferreira, MS, RD, LDN

You’ve probably heard it before: “You can’t out train a bad diet” and “Abs are made in the kitchen.” Redundant? Perhaps. True? Definitely.

Consistent time in the gym and dedication to a workout routine are not the only solution to your physique and strength goals. What you put into your mouth also matters -- perhaps even more so than the workouts themselves.

Exercise should complement your diet, not make up for it.

Figuring out what to eat and when to eat it is not easy, and conflicting suggestions are thrown at us everyday. Today I want to share my tips for pre- and post-workout nutrition to help take the guesswork out of your day and to energize you through your toughest workouts.

Podcast Ep. 11 - Barry Fritz + 8 Hypertrophy Lessons from a Veteran Lifter [Muscle & Strength]

Anyone who’s ever spent time around him knows he’s something special.

Maybe it's his brilliance when it comes to the human body, or perhaps it’s his unassuming nature. I say it’s both. He might be the smartest guy in the room, but he’d be the last person to tell you so.

His name is Barry Fritz, and he's the instructor at the National Personal Training Institute of Philadelphia, the school where I earned my diploma in personal training.

A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to interview Barry for an article for Muscle & Strength on building muscle. With Barry's 40+ years of experience, it's always a pleasure to hear what he has to say.

To read the article, click the following link: 

https://www.muscleandstrength.com/content/8-hypertrophy-lessons-veteran-lifter

To listen to the complete 50-minute interview, click below to listen to Episode 11 of the Fitness Pollenator Podcast:

https://googledrive.com/host/0BweoQIuhXZAqWTBVRlBGWnQ3V2M/ep11barryfritz.mp3

You can also find the transcript to the entire interview below:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_YtLzHjhU1xZomEezQNKv3Sq0Yg4T0mMWHP4tDS4qKY/edit?usp=sharing

If I Had Two Legs For Just One Day

For a little while now, I’ve felt like I was on the verge of writing something groundbreaking. Something earth-shattering. Something that would knock the socks off of just about everyone who would be lucky enough to read it.

The feeling comes on particularly strong when I’m in the presence of tremendous creativity or art — be it in a room full of artfully moving athletes or at the concert of one of my favorite bands. Unfortunately, the feeling always seems to escape me as soon as I pop open my word processor. Why is that, I wonder.

As far as the subject matter for my imminent masterpiece goes, I’m not yet certain. Although my writing is usually exercise-related (and occasionally autobiographical in nature), I don’t necessarily want to pigeonhole myself. Rather, I imagine this work would transcend genres, sharing far and wide and making me a household name among the likes of Lindsay Lohan, Donald Trump, and Big Bird.

Anyway, this blog post probably isn’t that masterpiece. Nonetheless, I did have a conversation with a gym member today, Leroy, that got my wheels churning, so I figured I would share. After all, this is my blog, and that’s what blogs are for.

The Busy Dad Body: Lose Weight, Increase Energy, & Still Have Time For Family

By Ridwan Mao

Mike was 35 when he and his wife had their first child. At the time, Mike was exercising consistently 5 times a week, felt great about his body and his small business was growing.

The first 6 months were the most hectic -- and for him that meant his priorities shifted drastically and his health hit the back-burner. His life became a juggling act of trying to balance work, taking care of his baby and spending time with his wife… all without sleeping or showering.

After 6 months, Mike had gained 10 pounds... and after a year he had gained 25.

Between being on-call for the growing baby and increasing demands from his business, his body changed almost without him noticing.

Mike currently has 3 children, and has tried repeatedly to jump back into his old exercise routine, but the hour-long workout sessions 5 times a week no longer fit into his lifestyle. Diet has never been a major focus in his life, but as a father he's been thinking more about the nutritional value of his food for his children.

His self-confidence has taken a toll, but more than that he wants to be a role model for his children and have the energy to play with them. He knows he has to make a change before it's too late...

Except as a busy dad, where do you begin?

My Love Affair with Cindy

By Jerry Washington

Life is kinda funny. You think you have it all figured out and you can almost predict the future.

Then BAM!

Something, seemingly out of nowhere, hits you and you are forced to determine if your old way of thinking is still valid.

That happened to me the other day when I finally tried CrossFit. Something just came over me and convinced me that on that day I would be throwing bars over my head and kipping on pull ups.

So I marched into what is called CrossFit Bala and asked to be a part of the next session.

So I first started off with what's called "skill" work.

That was relatively easy. So easy in fact, it almost lulled me into a false sense of security, but apparently that was the warn up.

Then came the actual workout.

Cindy.

How To Track Your Fitness Progress [AskMen]

Tired of activity trackers and calorie counting apps? Me too.

That's why I was so intrigued when my friend told me about how she ensures she's making constant progress towards her fitness goals.

Find out how she does it in my latest AskMen article, How to Track Your Fitness Progress: How a Calendar and Colored Markers Can Help You Crush Your Fitness Goals.

Here's the link:

http://www.askmen.com/sports/bodybuilding/how-to-track-your-fitness-progress.html

Podcast Ep. 10 - Eric Bach & Marc Lewis

For Episode 10 of the Fitness Pollenator Podcast, I have a double whammy. That's right -- I have on not one but TWO awesome guests: Eric Bach and Marc Lewis.

Eric (left) is a chiseled strength and conditioning coach based in Denver, Colorado. Marc (right) is working on his PhD in exercise physiology at UNC-Greensboro. (He's also chiseled, but you'll have to take my word for it.)

In this episode, we run the gamut of topics, including:

• The biggest differences between training athletes and training the general population
• What online training is and whom it's for -- beginners or intermediate lifters?
• Eric's bread and butter: Front squats (!)
• Marc's bread and butter: Concurrent training (i.e. simultaneous aerobic and strength training)
• Eric's recent T-Nation article:
• Shut Up and Get Strong
• Eric and my recent two-part series:
• Common Injury Sites And Clever Workarounds: Part 1 – Upper Body
• Common Injury Sites And Clever Workarounds: Part 2 – Lower Body
• Marc's upcoming article on strength training for endurance athletes
• Stay tuned for the link to this one in the coming weeks

Listen to the episode now at the following link:

>>https://goo.gl/AwUugn

And subscribe to the podcast on iTunes if you haven't already.

New episodes are on deck for 2016, including the return of Mobility 101's Matt Ibrahim (way back from Episode 4)!

Put Your Foot on the Target

At first glance, Tae Kwon Do and strength training may seem like two disparate forms of physical preparation. One is a Korean martial art; the other is a way to build muscle. Upon further inspection, however, they actually have a whole lot more in common than you might think.

When my friend and black belt Chris DiToro (of Paek’s Martial Arts School in Abington, PA) asked me to meet up last week to discuss the biomechanics of kicks, I jumped at the opportunity. There’s nothing I love more than talking shop with other movement professionals — especially when they’re coming at it from such a unique angle (i.e. Tae Kwon Do).

Don’t mess with Master DiToro

Master DiToro did not disappoint. To begin, we discussed the basic premise of Tae Kwon Do. Just like strength training, in which the goal is to move a load from one place to another, there is really only one goal in Tae Kwon Do: to put your foot on the target — be it someone’s head, a wood board, whatever.