​Hey everyone, hope this week has been a productive one! Its graduation season, so if you have recently graduated CONGRATULATIONS! That is a HUGE accomplishment. May you continue to succeed in all your endeavors. This past weekend I had the pleasure to watch some very good friends of mine walk the stage and graduate college. I wrestled with many of these kids and am still scratching my head at how some of them managed to graduate! Proud of them would be an understatement, I would like to send some very well deserved congratulations to Fernando, Dillon, Felipe, Abel, and Adrian, may you continue to succeed in life.
 
I hope your weekend was as eventful (but not as stressful) as mine, so to this week’s topic on the people’s blog; Blood flow resistance training, mainly what is it and does it really work?

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​Basically, Blood Flow Restriction training is what it sounds like, using tools such as plastic wraps to keep blood centered in whatever muscle is being worked. What the plastic wraps around the muscle does is control cardiac output. Broken down even further venous return (blood flow from the periphery to the right atrium) is restricted enough to keep the blood pumped into the muscle and allowing it to become filled. This is done while allowing enough flow of blood back into the body to not cause any serious damage to the person. To do this safely the top portion of the muscle wanting to be worked is wrapped carefully. Many scientists compare it to filling an unpoppable water balloon to its maximum capacity, except in real life it is the muscle being targeted being filled to maximum capacity.
 
I know what you’re thinking, why would anyone do this to themselves, they look like drug addicts.

​Well some would argue that the “pump” they get from doing BFR training is better than any drug. You see when you exercise to gain size, strength the muscles being worked fill with blood, or commonly referred to as ‘The Pump.” This is why when you are in the middle of a workout you look bigger then when you are not exercising, it’s because you have a “pump.” (I’m not making this up, that’s what it’s really called). While exercising normally you reach a state were your muscles can’t get any bigger (at the moment), the blood flow wont allow it. When you have the bands around the muscle being worked it causes the muscle to literally swell and become “supersized.” The theory behind it is that it cellular swelling which in turn tricks the muscles into faster growth. The trick happens when metabolic stress (one of 3 factors that cause muscle growth) is placed on the area due to lack oxygen, this causes your body to faster and under a longer duration of time sending you into an induced “hypertrophy state.” Doing this also causes your body to rely on type 2 muscle fibers as the type 1 muscle fibers (slow twitch) rely on oxygen to be efficient. This is important due to type 2 fibers rarely being worked (fast twitch fibers used during explosive heavy movements). Working these fibers will lead to an increase in size as well as explosiveness.
 
Ok guys bear with me, now we know what BFR is and how it works-in theory. Now it’s for the important part, does it work?
Before I even get into this, I want to say I may be a bit biased as 2 of my favorite scientists in the world published many articles on this topic (Dr. Jacob Wilson PHD., Ryan Lowry PHDc. M.S., so not that I agree with them completely off bias but science is science and as we all know it doesn’t lie.
 
The first study we look at had 2 groups, one performing leg press with blood flow restricted training at a low intensity (sets of 30,15,15,15 at 30% of their leg press max). The other group had the men performing leg press at the same rate (30,15,15,15 @ 30% Max). Muscle swelling, power, and soreness were recorded. After performing the repetitions, the control group with no wraps had no changes within the muscle. The BFR group had muscle thickness increased immediately after performing their sets. Muscle activation was greater in the BFR group than the control. This study indicates Blood Flow Resistance training increases muscle activation and muscle thickness without causing damage to the muscles being worked.
 
So, while performing BFR may seem extreme, it is in fact not harmful to the body when done properly. It also is proven to train the body into a “hypertrophy state” (increase in the muscles cells, causing growth) with less weight, which means less strain on the body.
 
The science behind BFR training is still not clear. What is clear is it can cause muscle hypertrophy at a rapid pace. A common theory is hormones are elevated through the rapid muscular hypertrophy, as well as the recruitment of the fast twitch muscle fibers. Since we are in this state longer and faster than traditional strength training we in turn elevate these hormones as well as create the need to enlarge more cells.
 
The remainder of the studies all suggest BFR training will lead to hypertrophy much quicker at a lower volume than traditional strength training. When looking to put on muscle it is our goal to reach the “hypertrophy state” It was previously thought the best technique to reach this state was through overloading our muscles with weight within 70% or higher of our 1 Rep Max (per movement), or from pushing our muscles to failure with lower weight (typically requires a lot of sets, reps, and time). If the goal then is to reach this state and we can reach it at a faster/safer route then I strongly feel it is worth trying. I myself will be partaking in this BFR training to see if significant change occurs within my body. If we can increase muscle size with little wear and tear to the body, it is worth trying. I hope further research is done and the scientific community can prove the effectiveness or BFR training and back it 100%.  As a professional within this field it would be awesome to be able to use techniques like this with clients whom struggle from previous injuries or cannot lift as heavy as needed to reach a hypertrophy state. ​

​Hey there, this week went by so fast. I feel like yesterday was just Monday! Our baby boy just turned 2! So that was pretty heart breaking, I’m sure all you parents feel the same way every time your kids have birthdays. It’s crazy, I never imagined I would be THAT parent, you know the one that takes his son out for 3 different birthday diners and he’s not even old enough to appreciate them, but here I am making him a spoiled brat. Hope your week has been great if you had a birthday recently then happy birthday to you (shout out to Devon)! So back to The Peoples Blog, this week I left our topic open to YOU (the reader). This week’s topic brought to you by Sandy Ross is “what is the best for reducing belly fat?”

​To begin our topic, we must understand that belly fat is also known as visceral fat; visceral fat is body fat that is stored near our internal organs and abdominal region. As we know the abdominal region is in our belly area, thus when reducing our belly fat, we are in turn reducing our visceral fat.
 
Our first study had 21 groups (a total of 582 subjects) perform aerobic activity in hopes of reducing visceral fat. The aerobic exercise was performed at 10 METs or more. MET is short for Metabolic Equivalent Task, in short it measures the amount of energy you expend per movement. MET is measured from 1.3 (Standing) – 16 (Running at a speed of 10 MPH). A measurement of 10 which the movements were performed at would be equivalent to running 6 MPH.  Out of the 21 groups, 17 of them showed a reduction of fat. The other 4 groups showed no correlation of aerobic exercise reducing visceral fat. After further testing they eliminated all the subjects with metabolic related disorders, what was left was 425 subjects. From those subjects, it was concluded that aerobic exercise at a rate of 10 METs is REQUIRED for visceral fat reduction in people without metabolic related disorders. In short running at a pace of 6 MPH will put you in the zone to burn this belly fat. Running is not required, any aerobic exercise performed at 10 METS  will reduce the fat, we just have to make sure we keep the correct pace.
 
For example, when exercising your heart rate and body should be at a level of intensity like that of running at a 6 MPH pace. This means the dilly dallying, gossiping, and extra-long water breaks must cease if you are serious about burning the belly fat. The goal then is to keep the intense pace for the duration of the workout or until your body says no more.
 
To test what methods of training was best for reducing belly fat scientists studied the effects of HIIE (high intensity intermittent exercise) and the effects of SSE (steady state exercise) and measured their effects of belly fat reduction. HIIE is commonly referred to as HIT or high intensity training, in short it is a form of interval training that focuses on short bursts of maximum effort followed by a brief rest most commonly consisting of a movement of lower intensity. The intensity of the training continues until one cannot perform any longer, often leading to fatigue faster than traditional training methods. SSE is a form of training were one stays in a constant continuous intensity as opposed to spiking effort and heart rate. The object is to work at a fairly intense pace for a longer duration of time. This study took a total of 15 weeks, after the duration of this study both groups showed a tremendous increase in cardio fitness, but only the HIIE group showed a significant reduction of total body mass, fat mass, and trunk fat (also known as belly fat). The study concludes with HIIE performed 3 times a week for a duration of 15 weeks will reduce body fat and trunk fat at a significantly greater rate than SSE training. In short, when choosing a type of program to perform you will get a lot more “bang for your buck” doing HIIE training to reduce belly fat.
 
For this example, I take the usual fitness goer (myself included) whom does body building type of workouts. Do a few sets here, move on, then a few more sets, while we are sweating we are not feeling at that peak intense level. We may feel at that level during our set but our break and dilly dally time is so long we just never get that “dying” and exhausted feeling. Now if your goal is to target the belly fat this type of training will not bring the results wanted as fast as HIT movements. Now “CrossFit” gets a bad rap due to their workouts being “deemed” extreme, in reality if you are serious about burning the belly fat your programming should be much more related to a “CrossFit” style program than a bodybuilding/powerlifting program. The intensity and minimal rest times (if any) used in CrossFit programming is essential in ridding the body of belly fat.
 
Two studies, both have proven results to reduce the visceral/trunk fat in the body with one thing in common, the intensity of the exercise performed. We can then conclude that reducing belly fat is directly related to the intensity you are working at. If we want to “shrink” down that belly, be prepared to work hard and push yourself at an intense pace. As always and it goes without saying, be sure you are receiving proper nourishment and are performing good eating habits. Until next time, stay safe and enjoy your weekend!

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​Hey yall (years of living in Oklahoma has broken me, I now say “yall”). Hope your weekend was an epic one. My family and I met Stan Lee, it was literally a dream come true. He was such an awesome guy and chuckled at the fact that we named our son Logan after his character “Wolverine.” My fiancé met Lucious Malfoy from the Harry Potter series, so this was a weekend to remember. This weekend really made me realize how much I appreciate my life, my clients and YOU! If your reading this then I am talking about YOU specifically. I appreciate you taking time out of your day to read my blogs, as a token of appreciation I am now leaving the blog topics open to you, the readers. Recently I was asked to write about what diets/foods are best for weight loss. While this is such a broad subject I will break it down as best as I can.

​First off I am a strong believer in changing your eating habits and keeping a calorie deficit to lose weight, anyone who has trained with me will tell you I am AGAINST specific diets. While these fad diets as I call them do work, eating the same foods daily becomes repetitive, boring, and discouraging. Also science has shown many of these fad diets to have adverse effects on long term health. For example, Low and no carb diets are one of the current fads, while these diets can help you lose weight, they can also affect your hormones and metabolism. When the body has little carbohydrates, insulin levels lower, the drop in this essential human hormone can alter our metabolism and hormone balance. Also, fad diets have a high rate (80%) of weight regain once the dieter has finished following it. One reason people see a rapid weight gain when they begin eating normally from a no/low carb diet is simple; every gram of carbohydrates has 4 grams of water. This means the 10 lbs. you lost in 3 days from cutting carbs was actually water weight and not actual fat loss.
 
Now my second point, while all these specific diets claim to make you lose a ton of weight faster than the others, science proves otherwise. In a study between the Atkins, Ornish, Weight Watchers and Zone diets, scientists concluded “no statistically significant differences between diets.” in fact the study showed the decrease in inches, weight, and overall health to be similar with each diet. Overall health, size and weight did improve in every participant at the conclusion of the year. One interesting fact about this study, the participants had a hard time following these diets for a duration of two months, much like my earlier point of fad diets being discouraging/boring to follow.
 
Back to my topic, if specific diets aren’t the answer then what is?
 
This is actually more simple then you think, have a caloric deficit big enough to reach your goal.  3,000 Calories is equal to 1 Lb., so every 3,000-caloric deficit we have we lose a lb. The trouble we as humans have is eating the correct food. Many of us tell ourselves that we don’t have time to cook meals, so instead we eat fast food thinking it is healthier than it actually is. For example, a grilled chicken sandwich meal from McDonald’s, while grilled chicken sounds healthy is actually equivalent to 720 calories assuming we drank water instead of pop. Now for someone whom is on a 1600 calorie plan, that is almost half of their daily allotted calories.
 
So, to answer what foods are best to eat, stick with low calorie foods that have the proper nourishment values to support our lifestyle.
Here is a list of recommended foods per nutritional value.

These foods are all high in their respective daily values and when proper portions are consumed they are also friendly on the calorie consumption side. Pair these foods together to make a low calorie nutricious plate, be sure to stay aware of the serving sizes as this will effect the amount of calories consumed.




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​Hey everyone! Hope your week is going great! I don’t know about you but I am ready for this weekend, we have tickets to the Dallas Fan Expo where we will be meeting one of my heroes the great Stan Lee (creator of Marvel Comics). Side note: outside of being a trainer I am the world’s biggest nerd. So, this week I had a new client ask me what protein powder they should purchase, after talking with me about their eating habits I suggested them not to purchase protein powder.  The reason I didn’t recommend protein was they are getting their daily protein needs from their food consumption. This got me thinking, how many people are taking protein powder and don’t understand why they are doing it? This inspired me to break down the protein powder supplement to help YOU decide if you need protein powder within your diet.

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​We have all been guilty of this at one point or another, I bet we have all had our protein shake after our workout with the thought of losing ‘gains” if we didn’t consume it fast enough. So, what exactly does protein powder do? Well protein powder is simple, it is a convenient way to give your body mass amounts of protein at once. Protein is the biggest component when building muscle, it is used to build and repair broken down tissues, this is important due to exercise breaking down our muscles, the body then repairs them and this is what causes us to develop bigger, stronger muscles. Protein is also a building block of hormones, bones, cartilage, and skin. So, we can safely say protein is a necessity within our diet.
 
We know we need protein, so how much truth is there in needing protein immediately after your workout? Very little; yes the body needs protein to help recover but what it actually needs after an exercise is carbohydrates. Carbs are what the body runs on! They are our primary source of fuel, during any type of training session our body uses our carbohydrates to run (much like a car with gasoline). When we run our car on empty we can no longer drive without risking damaging the engine, the body is the same way except instead of gasoline we use carbs. Studies suggest after exercise our body needs a 5-1 ratio of carbs to protein. That 20 grams of protein shake you just took in, the body needs 100 grams of carbs to get its proper carb to protein post workout ratio.
 
Many people consume protein powder to help hit their daily protein needs, what many people don’t know (I was there too) is how much protein do they actually need.

• First off, if you are trying to build muscle – which many of us are- you need 1.5 - 2 grams of protein per day per Kilogram of body weight.

 

• The normal competitive athlete should ingest 1.2-1.4 grams of protein per Kilo of body weight. Endurance athletes should consume 2.0 Grams per Kilo.

 

• Recreational athletes should consume 1.1-1.4 grams per kilo

 

• The average adult should ingest 0.8 grams per kilo of body weight.

 
Now that we know the recommended daily protein needs lets figure yours out! First, find your category out of the four recommendations. Next calculate your weight in kilograms since these recommendations are measured in this unit. Remember a kilogram is equivalent to 2.2 pounds, therefore a 230-pound man is 104.5 Kilograms. You find this number by dividing your weight by 2.2, next multiply your weight in kilos by the recommended daily values. For myself I consume 1.5 grams per body weight as my training regimen requires it. I then multiply 104.5 by 1.5, my protein goal per day is to consume 156 grams of protein.
 
Now you have your protein goal for the day, it’s time to figure out if protein shakes are right for you.

​For myself I do not consume protein shakes unless I have no access to food-which is rare, my fiancé makes sure I’m always fed. Apparently I’m grumpy when I don’t eat. My reasoning for not consuming protein shakes is simple, I get my daily needs from the foods I eat. On a typical day you should be eating 3 meals and at least 2 snacks. If your 3 big meals have some form of meat you are getting at least 40 grams per meal. 3 chicken breasts are around 126 grams of protein (42 grams per 8oz), along with your meat your sides and snacks throughout the day have protein as well, for example one cup of pinto beans has 41 grams of protein-give or take- for myself with 3 pieces of chicken breast and a cup of pinto beans I have already exceeded my daily protein needs. For this reason, I do not purchase or take protein powders.
 
Now don’t think I am against protein powder, I do believe it is good in certain circumstances. For people whom do not have much time or forget to eat, I highly recommend buying and taking protein powder. If you have a huge gap between your workout and your next meal, drink a protein shake, it has calories to help fuel your body until meal time. If you eat pretty consistent and close to when your workout ends then there is no need to purchase expensive powders, your food has more than enough protein to reach your daily needs.
 
If you find you do need to take a protein supplement I recommend taking whey protein as it is a complete protein (has all 9 of the necessary amino acids required for a healthy diet). If you don’t have specific goals such as needing a high calorie powder then a generic cheap brand will do the trick, protein is protein. For the most part you will get the same benefits out of the cheaper more cost-efficient protein powder as its more expensive counterpart. 

Hey guys and gals! I am currently on baby duty hoping my son falls asleep soon. As I’m laying with him I can’t help but feel guilty for the cheat meal I just had (Mexican food, it gets me every time). Every week after my so-called cheat meal I feel a sense of guilt within my stomach, in this case I think it’s the salsa. I’m sure many of you can relate, the satisfying taste and feeling while devouring your heavily anticipated meal followed almost immediately with the feeling of guilt and regret. Feeling this way really stinks, right? Whelp that got me thinking, just how harmful are these weekly cheat meals?

​So to my women out there, just because your pregnant doess that mean you should stop exercising?
 
Absolutely not! In fact exercise during pregnancy is beneficial to yourself as well as your child. The positive physical and mental benefits from regular exercise during pregnancy far out weigh any risks, in fact exercise should not just be promoted but should remain a crucial part of your pregnancy.
 
I underdstand being tired and sick while pregnant, I saw it first hand for 9 months (thanks babe). These feelings make you not want to exercise, but what if I told you exercise would help rid you of many “pregnancy symptoms.”
 
Studies have found the use of exercise during pregnancy to be associated with fewer symptoms of the usual pregnancy sickness. Exercisers experienced a significant decrease in shortness of breath, headaches, hot flashes, back aches, and vomited less frequently than their sedetary counterparts.
 
So how exactly should you exercise during these 9 months?
 
Here are the guidelines of The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
 

• 30 minutes or more of moderate intensity performed 5x a week
• 20-60 minutes of more intense exercise 3-5x a week
• Avoid contact sports such as Judo, Wrestling, etc.
• Avoid exercises that bare a lot of weight on the joints such as running and jumping, the change in posture and increase in weight can cause damage to the joints and lower back
• Eat lots of carbs, Pregnat women use carbs at a faster rate while resting and active
• Do not push yourself to the limit or even close to it, your oxegyn intake is far lower then when not pregnant
• Stay Hydrated, I cannot stress this enough
• Stay cool, use fans if you need too
• Eat, Eat Eat! Make sure you are eating enough. Studies show exercise does not effect the fetus when proper nutrition is involved
• Use light weights with higher reiritions
• Use a moderate intensity of 60-70% of your max heart rate or a 12-14 on the RPE scale
• For elite athletes whom want to keep there fitness level it is safe to keep your heart rate around 81% of your maximum level

 
What about the dangers of exercise?
While following the guidelines should ensure you train safely during this time, there are always risks.
 
Immediately terminate your exercise if any of the following occurs
 

• Vaginal bleeding
• Shortness of breath
• Dizziness
• Headache
• Chest pain
• Muscle weakness
• Calf pain or swelling
• Decreased fetal movement
• Amniotic fluid leakage

Contact your doctor right away if any of the severe occurs such as vaginal bleeding, amniotic fluid leakage, or you just don’t feel right.
 
What about those whom didn’t exercise before becoming pregnant?
Fear not, it isn’t just recommended to begin a program but it is actually beneficial to your child to do so. A study done on women whom were pregnant but lacked exercise before hand concluded that exercise actually helps the child to grow while in the womb. Every child was both heavier and longer then the control group, scientists attribute this to the lean body mass to fat ratio of the mother.
 
Now this doesn’t mean to get out there and start a crazy workout plan, I suggest a moderate exercise plan that incorporates weight lifting. Keep the weight light and finish each set before it becomes to strenuous on the body. The goal is to get a good exercise and sweat, not to hurt ourselves or cause unnecessary strain on the body.
 
If your pregnant or are thinking about it stop stressing, there is no reason to quit your exercise regimen. Exercise will not only help keep your “baby weight” under control but it will help the development of your little bundle of joy.
 
Lets face it, nobody wants to put on an extra 30-40 lbs, stay active and keep the baby weight gain low. Before continuing or starting a workout program be sure to speak to your doctor. I recommend hiring a qualified trainer wqhom knows about pregnancy for the months you are pregnat If you have any questions or need help making a program feel free to shoot me an email, Id love hearing from you [email protected] .



​From Soaring Eagle Fitness, congratulations to all the expecting parents, and a special congratulations to our very own Courteni and Un-named (she has yet to announce) on their little bundles of joy!

Hey guys hope your week is going great! I’m feeling better since my last blog, seeing the Packers lose like that helped me cope with the Cowboys season ending. I recently started up with a new client this week and while teaching the proper bench press technique I was asked what many others ask, how low should I go?
 
The answer to this?
​Depends on how heavy you are going, when using lighter weight that is easy to control touch your chest to get the full range of motion, any time you perform the “chest touch” be sure to control the weight and incorporate just your chest to push the weight back up, when you begin shifting your shoulders and pushing them forward using them in the process to get the weight up you are no longer working just chest and are in fact damaging your shoulders and performing “bad form,” I suggest doing less reps or moving the weight down. It is important to control the weight and not rush through the movements as this will cause you to incorporate your shoulders.
 
What About when using heavy weight for less reps?
If you are not in a power lifting competition I suggest stopping 2-3 fingers above your chest, unless you are a competitive weightlifter there is no reason why 400 lbs should be laying on your chest. I know it is a common misconception that doing this hinders your strength, but a study done in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research confirms “partial reps” do not affect your strength levels but in fact “suggest that partial range of motion training can positively influence the development of maximal strength” (JOURNAL OF STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING RESEARCH Vol. 18 Issue 3).
 
The Verdict: When lifting lighter weight stick to slow and controlled reps that come down to your chest. When lifting the “big boy weight” let’s stop a few fingers above the chest!
 
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