Why You Should Care About Macronutrients

Guest Post by Jake Dermer

Bodybuilders and gym rats alike obsess over their macronutrient splits, a term that refers to the ratio of carbs, protein, and fat consumed per day.

When it comes to my online coaching program, I rarely call clients’ attention to macronutrient splits, trying instead to make a weight loss friendly split happen naturally. I like to have them track their protein intake and aim for their target body weight in grams of protein per day. Additionally, I tell everyone that vegetables should make up half of your diet.

So what does that look like on a daily basis?

My 5 Biggest Personal Training Mistakes

Most seasoned trainers and coaches will tell you unashamedly that they’ve made a ton of mistakes over their decades in the trenches. For instance, Mike Boyle himself wrote an article a few years back called 25 Years, 25 Mistakes.

In 25 years, you’d expect a guy to make a few boo-boos here and there. No one’s perfect. But what about relative newcomers to the training game? I for one don’t have nearly the tenure of Coach Boyle. (I obtained my personal trainer diploma in 2013.) Yet I have to admit I’ve also made quite a few mistakes.

For younger trainers, however, there seems to be a taboo surrounding this admission of fallibility. After all, if people know I’m not always right when it comes to fitness, will they still want to train with me? Or will they realize I’m nothing more than an imposter in a personal trainer costume (i.e. sweatpants and a dri-fit t-shirt)?

Real personal trainer or imposter?

I think it’s safe to say that eternal professional damnation will not be in the cards if I admit to my snafus. I state this with confidence for the following reason: You have to make mistakes to stay fresh and keep learning. If you’re not screwing up every now and then, you’re not improving at your craft.

It’s exactly these “Oh Shit! Moments” that engrain in you the lessons you can’t learn from reading a textbook, blog post, or T-Nation article. Not only that, but experiencing them firsthand solidifies them in long-term memory, so you’ll never make the same mistake again.

How Being Born with One Leg Gives Me Strength

When I first met Jen Sinkler in person a few months ago and she told me she was in the process of rebranding to “Unapologetically Strong,” I thought, "Wait, I like Thrive as the Fittest!”

But as I reflected more on the meaning of her new mantra, “Unapologetically Strong,” it quickly began to resonate with me. Perhaps it does with you, too.

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I’ve had the cards stacked against me ever since birth. In fact, when I was born there was a pretty good chance I would never walk, attend a regular school, join a swim team, or deadlift 175 pounds.

Yet, one by one, I accomplished each of those feats. While they might not seem like much without context, you can probably imagine what a big deal they would be for a guy who was born missing a leg.

“Unapologetically Strong?” To me, this motto means being strong not just physically, but also emotionally -- and not being afraid to show it.

That's me.

The Best Way to Do Single-Leg Exercises for Booty Gains

Axially loaded, bilateral exercises [which are done while standing on two feet with the resistance directed downward (e.g. gravity)] are widely regarded as being awesome. After all, who doesn’t love to squat and deadlift?

If there’s one knock on these exercises, though, it’s that they don’t do a great job of targeting the booty (AKA "dat ass"), especially in the range of motion it needs it the most: full hip extension, or even a small degree of hyperextension.

Luckily (for all the booties out there), somewhere along the line single-leg versions of the squat and deadlift came along. Due to their narrower base of support (one footprint instead of the area between two), these exercises require tremendous balance and hip stability (i.e. booty work), which may even make them more specific to sports.

This specificity has led some strength coaches to favor single-leg exercises over their bilateral counterparts (while others berate said freethinkers for abandoning tradition). I certainly can’t blame the unilateral proponents, although as an amputee I’m admittedly biased. My personal favorites, by the way, are reverse lunges, single-leg Romanian deadlifts (RDL), and step-ups.

The Best Way to Do Single-Leg Exercises for Booty Gains

Regardless of whether exercises on one leg or two lead to better performance on the field or court, one thing is for sure: single-leg exercises work the booty a whole lot more -- especially when performed with the twist I’m about to describe.

Which Squat Depth is Best FOR YOU?

The other day I got into a huge argument with a physical therapist friend (and avid bodybuilder) over squat depth. It was so heated, it almost came to blows.

Well, maybe the physical violence part is a stretch. (He's much bigger than me, especially in the biceps, and could definitely beat me up.) But it was a pretty fiery exchange — until we busted out pen and paper, drew out the stick figures above, and realized we were actually saying the same thing! Sit back, relax, and allow me to explain.

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First and foremost, we agreed that squat depth is a highly individual matter. It depends on a slew of factors including hip anatomy, limb lengths, training age, training status (i.e. time of season), and goals. No one depth recommendation will apply to every single person.

With that said, there are certainly instances where we can pretty reliably recommend one depth over another. Here are a few examples.