Angry Trainer Fitness » NUTRITION

Ask Alfonso: My Weight Loss Has Stuck!

Alfonso — Wed, 16 May 2012 15:54:55 +0000

Hi Alfonso,

First, I would like to say I really enjoy your site! I have found a lot of great information here.

My question is in regards to ‘starvation mode’. I am 30 years old and considered obese. I have changed my diet and have been working out for the last three months and so far have lost 25 pounds. I have another 75 I would like to lose.

I perform a combination of strength and cardio exercises. I have recently increased the amount of time working out and being active during the day and my weight loss has seemingly stopped. And I have been eating pretty close to my BMR of 2165. (Basal Metabolic Rate)

I am being told on one hand that I am now not eating enough because I increased my activity level but on the other hand, that I am eating too much and need to decrease my calories. I can search the Internet and get many opinions from both sides of the argument, so I thought I would ask you.

While I may be oversimplifying the term ‘starvation’ mode here, do you think that not eating enough is stopping me from losing weight? Or do I need to lower the number?

- Cheri

Hi Cheri.

Congratulations on your weight loss –that’s awesome. And I’m so glad you like the Angry Trainer Fitness site. Isn’t the internet frustrating? It seems like if you search long enough you’ll find whatever answer you’re looking for.

Okay so onto the subject of calories. You didn’t tell me your height or weight but I will say that a BMR of nearly 2200 calories sounds too high to me. A BMR is your body’s basic daily caloric requirement when at rest, without activity factored in. So I’m guessing that your figure is what you’re eating when you add the two together. But even with that being the case, it still sounds like too much to me – IF your goal is fat loss. If it were a maintenance calorie amount and you don’t gain weight from that intake then I’d say you’re good to go.

Keep in the mind you have to be in a daily calorie deficit to lose fat weight, because when your body is adequately fueled it has no need to burn excess body fat. Makes sense right? Think of this – I’m 200 + pounds and eat roughly 2000 – 2500 calories to lose weight and tighten up, so you’re almost eating as much as me! It is possible that you’re not eating enough, but I could only see that if you were exercising vigorously for hours per day and burning such huge calorie amounts that you’re not leaving much for daily body processes. And the ‘starvation mode’ phenomenon is real but it doesn’t happen nearly as fast or in the way the industry portrays it. So many people use this term loosely as an explanation for why they can’t lose weight when in fact far and few will ever truly be in this state. When taken to an extreme, in extreme, prolonged calorie deficits you will lose weight. However you’ll also eat up precious muscle tissue and likely gain it all back.

But here’s the good news. Since you’re so on track with how much you eat, it’ll be easy for you to make adjustments. For one, if you’re not eating lots of vegetables in your diet, add them in. They’ll help keep you fuller for longer and the fiber will keep you running all day. And be sure to keep your sugars low, even fruit. Fruit is natural sugar and it’s a great source of fuel. To burn fat we want slow releasing energy that keeps insulin levels low and promotes fat burn. Also be sure to eat lean proteins and healthy fats.

Second, I’d suggest you only knock off about 100 calories per day from your total for a 2 or 3 weeks and see what happens. If you resume weight loss you’ll know you were eating too much prior. If you still maintain then I suggest another 100 calorie drop per day for an additional 2 – 3 weeks until you dial in the exact amount that allows you to still feel good but that also promotes fat loss. I know it seems a bit tedious but this is really important. You must know what you’re doing in order to evaluate whether your plan is working or not.

And lastly, DON’T add more time to exercise. Although I will say make sure you lift adequate weights to maintain muscle mass and DON’T be a ‘cardio head’. Meaning make your workout more of the functional type with aerobics interspersed. Check out my YouTube channel for awesome multi dimensional routines. You should be hitting the gym or working out 4 – 5 days per week for no more than an hour – at most. The last thing you want is to be married to exercise and be reliant upon excessive sessions to regulate your weight. So many people want to workout more when they want to lose weight, when in truth if they just controlled what they ate they’d see far better results. Being a slave to exercise is no fun and truthfully it’s not healthy either.

So Sheri, eat a bit less and monitor whether fat loss resumes and stick to a realistic workout plan that you can sustain over time. I wish you all the best!

Which Diet Is Best?

The Paleo Diet

And if you have a question – please just click here. I’d love to help you!

All information contained within this site, Angry Trainer Fitness.com, is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health problem – nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician. No action should be taken solely on the contents of this website. Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health or on any opinions expressed within this website. Please see your physician before changing your diet, starting an exercise program, or taking any supplements of any kind.

Fitness Fact Or Fiction: Do Ice Baths Actually Work?

Alfonso — Sat, 12 May 2012 19:44:04 +0000

Time for another Fitness Fact Or Fiction here at Angry Trainer Fitness and today I’m looking at another popular fitness trend that leaves many people puzzled!

Yes I’m talking about ice baths. You’ve seen them in professional athlete’s locker rooms, in spas and some people even fill their tub up with ice and go for a dip! But why? After all we’ve all taken cold showers and it certainly isn’t a pleasant experience.

So does an ice bath really assist with muscle recovery and help heal aching muscles?

In theory I do think an ice bath makes sense. After all when you injure yourself the first thing you should almost always do is apply ice to the area to reduce inflammation. And if your whole body is achy and sore, then I guess it follows that a full body ice bath should be in order. But as with everything in health and fitness it’s not that simple.

The fact is the research on this topic is pretty inconclusive – some say ice baths DO work to reduce inflammation and muscle pain. But others say they’re a giant waste of time.

So before you start immersing yourself in cold water, let me give you a couple of caveats. For one, while muscle soreness was seen to be reduced in test studies, it’s not significant and was marginal at best. And while soreness may have been cut back a bit, the time it took for recuperation wasn’t improved at all. In fact the effects and benefits of an ice bath are comparable to taking ibuprofen, getting a massage or using a foam roller. However with the latter options you don’t need 20 bags of ice and to suffer through an uncomfortable experience!

Plus ice baths aren’t without potential risks. The most obvious hazard is the potential to develop hypothermia – a very dangerous state for the human body to be in. Most ice baths range in temperature from 50 – 59 degrees and after a mere 10 minutes, or possibly less, your body temperature begins to drop. Since there’s no real science to support or define how ice baths should be used, the amount of time that’s suggested to sit in one varies greatly. Some say 2 minutes at a time, other say up to 10 minutes, some suggest 20 and professional athletes have been known to go as long as 30 minutes! So which is it? Your guess is as good as mine! And those who are not in good health or suffer from cardiovascular disease are at an even higher risk. As I discussed in my Fitness Facts Or Fiction: Saunas post higher temperatures increase blood flow and heat rate. Conversely extreme cold results in vasoconstriction and constriction of the airways with slower heart rate and less blood flow. In essence that means the heart may have to work harder…

I’m sure an ice bath feels quite invigorating and wakes you up – but to actually sit in a tub filled with 50-degree water as a means of trying to improve performance and recovery is a bit of a stretch I think. In addition, it’s terribly inconvenient, costly and time consuming. And all for what? A marginal-at-best edge on recovery?

Of course there’s also the placebo effect. Like everything else we subject our bodies too, merely thinking that an ice bath is good for you can stimulate positive effects in followers. You’ll find people from all walks of life that swear by them and in fact many professional athletes attribute their success to a regular post workout bath.

Personally I think the jury really is out. If you’re a healthy individual and believe ice baths provide a benefit to you then go for it. Personally I think I’ll stay warm!

So do ice baths really work? I’d have to say this is fitness FACT – but minimally. Don’t expect miracles!

But what about you? Have you tried ice baths? Did they work for you and what do you think the benefits are? Share away…

Fitness Fact Or Fiction: Do You Really Need To Eat Every 2–3 Hours?

Alfonso — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 22:58:41 +0000

Today’s Fitness Fact Or Fiction is a subject I’ve been wanting to discuss for a while now. You know the old theory right? It’s been a long established ‘rule’ that in order to speed up your metabolism and supply a steady stream of nutrients to fuel muscles, you need to eat every two to three hours.

But is this true?

Proponents of this way of eating will tell you that you must supply the body with amino acids in the form of protein every 3 hours – 4 at most – to keep your body in what’s called an anabolic state and avoid a catabolic state (where your body basically feeds upon itself for fuel). This type of eating plan has been pushed for decades now as the best way to lose fat, gain muscle, regulate hunger and keep your body healthy.

Now as you know I started Intermittent Fasting a while back which basically takes this theory and tosses it out the window. I experienced dramatic fat loss and muscle gain and to this day I still use the plan. For those of you who are unfamiliar with intermittent fasting or IF, you basically have a few options, but they all involve a length of time during each day where you don’t eat. For me I use the 16/8 fast, meaning I eat everyday between the hours of 11 and 7 and that’s it! (Except for my Mexican Adventure!) Now on some days I’ll get 2 meals in, some maybe 3 and if I’m lucky I’ll cram a fourth feeding in. As you can see it’s hardly anything like what we’ve been sold on and I usually go about 16 hours each day without food. And guess what? I haven’t lost one little precious pound of muscle.

In addition, every two weeks I fast an entire day – sometimes longer. Two weeks ago I fasted for 36 hours on a Monday before beginning my week of workouts. I think once again we’ve failed to give the human body the respect it deserves for surviving millions of years. I’ve learned to take a hard look at our exercise and nutrition plans and to compare them to what we’d have without civilization. If our exercise programs are meant to mimic natural activity and make us more functionally fit, then why wouldn’t we eat that way as well? I’ll tell you why – because food has become more social then necessary and we now have supermarkets to shop in at any time of the day! The truth is that the human body has learned to adapt in times of famine and stress and also learned to deal with overeating when food was plentiful.

Now before you all go running to write me and tell me that these periods in time are why our bodies developed fat stores, let me stop you right now! THERE WERE NO FAT CAVEMEN. Sure their bodies adapted to store fat for fuel in absence of a steady food supply or when the climate changed, but they weren’t carrying around 50–200 extra pounds of body fat as we see in many American waistlines.

Now believe me I’ve been there! I can remember being neurotic about eating every 2-3 hours. I had a log, wrote everything down, calculated calories and nutrients and even set an alarm to remind me it was time to eat – even if I wasn’t hungry! And why? Because that’s what every muscle magazine said to do. Looking back it just seems silly with no basis in real science.

Throughout the years I’ve met countless bodybuilders and athletes who didn’t follow the accepted eating protocol and yet they performed amazingly with bodies like Greek gods. I always wondered how this could be the case since they were only eating 3 squares per day or following an irregular feeding pattern. The truth is that the body adapts and will use what you give it to improve your health and fitness. I’m not suggesting that the 2-3 hour meal plan is a bad one, since it worked for me and millions of other people. The point is – it’s not the only way to have a healthy eating plan. Whether you eat 3 meals of 500 calories each or 5 meals of 300 calories, I really don’t think it matters all that much. What I do think matters is WHAT you eat, your nutrient profiles and how hard or intense your exercise plan is.

One of the reason we started ATF was to take the guesswork out of getting fit and eating right. At the end of the day if you eat right and exercise appropriately, you’re body will reflect it. It truly is just that simple.

So for me the 2-3 Hour Eating Plan is a Fitness Fiction…

The Angry Trainer Tries Intermittent Fasting

Does Intermittent Fasting Work

Fitness Fact Or Fiction: Is Chocolate Milk REALLY A Good Post Workout Drink?

Alfonso — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 21:31:07 +0000

So here we go again with another Fitness Fact Or Fiction. This question was posed by my site producer Richard, who wanted to know if it was really true that you should drink chocolate milk after a workout. Surely such a sugary drink can’t fit with a healthy diet?

Okay… Well first up I must tell you that I’m biased towards ALL milk products. I’m honestly not a fan of milk and I’m of the mindset that only calves should be drinking their mom’s milk. For me, I’ve just read of too many allergies and possible health implications stemming from consuming milk and along with my own personal experience, it’s led me to believe that for most people cow’s milk is just not necessary. Check out my post Taste It Or Waste It: Milk for more of my thoughts on the white stuff!

Now before you jump up and attack me, let me first say we all have our own thoughts and choices and this just happens to be my point of view. And yes, I’ve looked into raw and organic varieties BUT, by a landslide, my diet is mostly milk free. If you tolerate milk well (many don’t) and have no stomach or intestinal issues than more power to you.

Okay, so why is chocolate milk being pushed as a sports supplement drink? It’s simple really. Plain milk has a good amount of protein and some natural sugars in it. But when you add some chocolate along with the additional sugar it requires to make chocolate milk, you basically have a high sugar / moderate protein drink on your hands. It’s cheap, tastes good and honestly who doesn’t like chocolate milk?

But is it healthy? No of course not. However if consumed right after a hard workout chocolate milk may be beneficial for your recovery. When you exercise you burn up precious muscle glycogen and tear down muscle tissue. Immediately following exercise for about 30 – 45 minutes, you have what’s called ‘heightened insulin sensitivity’. Which means your body is ready to go, it wants and needs sugar to start refilling those used up sugar stores and could use a good dose of protein to get the recovery process started. So in this instance a serving of chocolate milk actually isn’t so bad. But to draw the conclusion that chocolate milk itself is ‘healthy’ is a bit misleading in my opinion.

For instance, I’ve often suggested a sugary snack or cheat meal following an intense workout. Heck, I used to eat ice cream in my post workout shakes for the sugar content and to jack up the calories. Should we then assume that ice cream and cookies are healthy? I think the answer is clear. While I don’t think it hurts to chug a chocolate milk post workout, I would much rather see you take in a quality protein shake that also has a decent serving of fast acting sugars and a vitamin and mineral content more geared towards exercising individuals. Plus many post workout shakes will also be fortified with amino acids, creatine and many other beneficial compounds. Chocolate milk, while it does contain sugars and protein certainly can’t match precision engineered foods. So personally I’ll stick with my whey and casein protein shakes! You can bet you won’t catch me drinking chocolate milk anytime soon.

Fitness Fact Or Fiction? – Is chocolate milk really healthy? I’d have to say FICTION, using it post-workout has its benefits – but you can do better!

Are Sugary Post Workout Snacks Good?

Will Protein Shakes Help With Weight Loss

GNC Beyond Raw Product Review

Bad Diets = Bad Parenting

Alfonso — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 17:17:33 +0000

By now you all probably know that there are certain topics that definitely set off my Angry side! And today’s posting certainly fits the bill…

If there’s one thing that drives me crazy it’s when I hear parents say the following line: “They’re kids, they can afford it”,

You know what I’m talking about. You hear it when their kids are chowing down on candy, Happy Meals or pizza. But these parents aren’t just letting their kids indulge. They’re letting them OVER-indulge. And they genuinely think it’s no big deal. I couldn’t disagree more.

But let me first say this – I’m NOT talking about allowing your kids to eat cookies, cake, ice cream, or even fast food. No what I’m talking about is when children are allowed to eat thousands of calories in garbage at one sitting. Not only is it gross but it’s also setting them up for a lifetime struggle with food.

Jillian Michaels recently tweeted a question to all of her followers asking how they felt about a mother who called her daughter fat and publicly told her she couldn’t have sweets and treats. Now this lady sounds like a witch, but although I disagree with how she got her message across, on some level I do have to agree with parents who restrict how much junk their kids eat. Have you ever been in a Starbucks with a couple and their children and watched in awe as their kids ordered 700 plus calorie dessert drinks? Or how about this one – have you attended a party where kids were allowed to eat not just one, but two, three or even more pieces of cake? After eating 3 slices of pizza! Seriously, that’s just bad parenting.

Let’s put it another way – if a child has a foul mouth and uses curse words that they picked up around the home, how would you feel then? Or if a child started smoking at age 14 because both their parents were smokers? I’m thinking all of you would be in agreement that it reflects poorly on the ability of the parents to well… parent. After all these are learned behaviors that turn into lifestyles. So why is it different when we see young children who are overweight being given junk food time and time again? The “they can afford it” line is total crap and a major cop out. During the formative years your children learn habits and lifestyle cues that become incredibly hard to break. Trust me, I know. I grew up eating whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. I ate donuts, ice cream, Hostess cakes, pound of pasta, cheese, soda, you name it, I ate it. I had zero intervention on where my limits should have been.

As a result, as an adult it became very hard for me to get my portion sizes under control and draw the line when it came to junk food. To this very day I struggle with my diet and I truly believe it’s because of how I ate as a child. I also believe this is another reason why we have such a pandemic of obesity on our hands – we’re feeding our kids garbage without consequence. Ironically I know parents that also have pets who are more concerned that their dogs don’t eat food from the table then that their own kids are eating 20 cookies! Now that doesn’t make much sense does it?

I know, some of you will say that your children are thin, maybe even under weight. Surely it’s okay for them to over indulge in junk and sugary food right? They need to gain weight right? Heck no! Forget about the outward appearances, what about their insides – their blood sugar, liver, pancreas, what about their HEALTH? This is a case of us once again judging people based on how they look and making assumptions. Whether your child is thin or overweight, excess indulgence is never okay.

Look, I’m not trying to take the fun out of being a kid. I know childhood is about having fun and treats. But as parents we have the foresight to know what’s best for our children and what they need to learn to become successful adults. I allow my boys cookies, cake, ice cream and just about everything else a kid could want. But they know what a serving is, they know that ½ gallon of ice cream isn’t healthy. They know that food is fuel and that forming poor choices and habits now will hurt them later in life. As usual, the word balance comes into play. If you’re a parent, you have an obligation to be concerned and worry for your child’s future. So the next time you child asks for seconds or thirds of junk food, say no and remember it’s called good parenting. Your kids will thank you when they’re adults.

But what do you think? How do you monitor your own kids’ diets? And how did your own childhood eating habits affect your diet today? Comment away…

Fitness Fact Or Fiction: Can I Eat A Sugary Snack Post Workout?

Alfonso — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 14:43:24 +0000

Here we are again, tackling yet another common ‘golden rule’ of fitness.

You’ve been told for years to stay away from sugar, that it causes energy crashes, stimulates hunger and in the long run can contribute to weight gain. But numerous magazines and websites urge trainees to consume sugary snacks post workout – including sports drinks and Gummi Bears. So what gives?

First up, here’s what happens when you eat foods high in sugar. Typically you’ll receive a spike in your insulin level, which is a hormone that carries sugar around in your blood stream. Think of insulin as a taxi or transport system. Many times we eat too much sugar and too much insulin gets released, so your body, in an effort to not go into a dangerous hyperglycemic state, clears all sugar from your bloodstream. And guess what happens when the sugar clears – you end up in a low blood sugar state, get tired and hungry and often reach for more sugar in an effort to wake up. And so the sugar yo-yo cycle continues. I’m sure you’ve all been there!

Now keep in mind the above scenario generally fits with people who eat large amounts of sugar and then sit around, either at work, at home or in the car. However the post workout time frame is a very different story.

During exercise there’s two main things that happen. First, we use up a lot of muscle glycogen and blood sugar for fuel during the workout itself. I’m talking about fairly intense sessions here, you know, the kind I promote here at Angry Trainer Fitness – full body circuits of 30–60 minutes a time. Because you’re using up those precious sugar stores, your body becomes extra sensitive to sugar intake following an intense workout – it’s basically ready to start refueling and gas up the tanks. Remember those insulin ‘taxis’ that carry the sugar around your body? Well during the day and under normal conditions they’re driving around and abiding by the speed limit. But after a workout, they’re ready to go full throttle and race the sugar to the parts of your body that need replenishing. This phase is called ‘heightened insulin sensitivity’ and lasts for about 30–45 minutes max after you workout before returning back to normal levels.

So what does this mean for you? Well I can tell you that I used to eat ice cream as part of my 1,000 calorie post workout shakes in my early 20’s and I was lean as could be. And now, I’m using the Beyond Raw product line from GNC (review coming soon!) that includes a 850 calorie post workout shake! And no, I haven’t gained any weight.

What this essentially means is that you can indeed take in more than normal levels of sugar post workout AND benefit from them, without fear of gaining excess weight. In fact I tell people that if they want a chocolate chip cookie as a treat the best time to eat it is right after a workout! It’ll most likely be used to refuel muscle tissue and it’ll satisfy your cheat.

In fact the more simple the sugar the better! Typically you’ll hear experts urging you to only eat foods that elicit a slow rise in your blood sugar levels. However post workout, we want the exact opposite effect – simple sugars that digest ultra fast and fill the muscle stores up.

Now let me clarify. I’m not suggesting that all of you eat ice cream or cookies after a workout. And depending on your goals, whether they be fat loss or muscle gain, you may want to stay in a low blood sugar state and not consume a sugary post workout meal or drink. It’s all dependent upon your aims. I personally use the post workout shake as the only ‘meal’ in which I get simple sugars. The rest of my day is fibrous veggies, lean proteins and healthy fats.

Of course if you suffer from any form of diabetes or sugar related issues, you must consult your physician before you make any changes to your diet. But for those of you that are healthy and looking to get a jump start on the recuperation process, some simple sugars right after a workout combined with a scoop of quality whey protein can be just what Dr Alfonso ordered!

Fitness Fact Or Fiction… this one’s FACT!

Do Protein Powders Help Weight Loss?

Should You Go “Gluten Free”

The Simple Truth About Simple Sugars

Fried Food ISN’T Bad For You? Seriously?

Alfonso — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 18:00:55 +0000

Okay everyone – check this out for a headline: Research Shows Fried Foods Don’t Contribute to Heart Disease. Yep that was an actual article published this week. Come on, really?

So should you all run out and eat French fries and batter dipped shrimp? Heck no, that’s absurd. Here’s the scoop behind this new research – 40,000 Spaniards were followed for 11 years. These people ate 138 grams of fried food per day, which included 14 grams of either sunflower or olive used for frying. And guess what, after 11 years only 606 of the 40,000 had an incidence of heart attack or clogged arteries. Sounds good right? Not so fast.

Let’s talk about the numbers first. Remember that the participants ate 138 grams of fried food per day. Well, that’s ONE order of large fries from your favorite fast food joint. One chicken breast from KFC is 176 grams. A fried fish sandwich you ask? How about 206 grams in total weight! See my point? Compared to the average American diet, 138 grams of fried food per day is actually much less than what we as a nation consume. And two, I can guarantee you that fast food chains are not frying your food in premium olive or sunflower oil. So any health benefits from cooking in those oils don’t apply to us.

My other major issue is that while the study says that the participants ate a certain amount of fried food each day, I want to know what it was that they ate. Different cultures in various parts of the world eat foods native to their region. For instance, some societies eat much more fiber via fruits and vegetables. Was this part of the Spaniards diet? We know fiber helps to regulate weight, lower cholesterol and overall provide many health benefits. I highly doubt our Spanish friends were eating the fried food served here in the States. Make no mistake, only Americans eat like…well Americans!

If we had a nation of people sautéing fish, meats and vegetables in healthy oils, we’d probably see a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease and have nearly no obesity. But that’s not what we do is it? We use butter, margarine and cheap oils to fry fatty food that’s been rolled in some sort of breading and we eat way too much of it. And that’s not healthy, no matter what any study (mis)leads you to believe. It’s a proven fact that high cholesterol, blood lipids and other cardiovascular health issues can be significantly reduced when saturated fats are taken out of the diet and replaced with healthy fats and vegetables. I mean seriously, this is heart health 101 and it’s shameful in my opinion that articles like this make it sound as though it’s okay to eat fried food.

I’m always wondering who publishes these studies and what their motives are. I’m fearful that people will just read the headline, skim the article and think they have carte blanche to eat all the fried food they want. The last thing this country needs is to start believing fried food doesn’t have a negative impact on our health. Now, let’s be clear. One large serving of French fries per day is probably harmless. But let me ask you – who eats just one large fries or one piece of fried chicken? Yeah, that’s what I thought…

But what do you think? Do you find this research to be misleading? And have you come across any similarly misleading articles recently…

VIDEO: Angry Trainer Chat: Diet Dilemmas

Alfonso — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:43:47 +0000

Last night I held my second Ustream chat of the New Year – all about Diet Dilemmas.

Thanks to everyone who joined in – there were some great questions asked along the way!

As you may have seen we had a couple of technical difficulties before I went live! I always say if you give me a dumbbell I’ll lift it all day long, but when it comes to technology, I’m definitely challenged! Still once we got underway, the chat was great.

As usual we’re going to post the video up on my Angry Trainer You Tube channel – so if you missed last night just head on over to there and you’ll see the whole chat. The first 4 mins are a tad quiet but after that it’s all good (yep The Angry Trainer figured out how to turn the volume up!!!!)

During the session I explained exactly what the word ‘diet’ means, which ones work – and why, and how to choose a diet that works for you. Plus I also answered lots of our viewer questions concerning carb cycling, calorie intakes, and what I think of low calories diet brands like Lean Cuisine.

Don’t forget next week’s chat will again be Tuesday at 9pm EST. I’d love to have you come join and I’ll be posting the topic the day before.

See you then,

Alfonso

Click here to view the embedded video.

Fitness Fact Or Fiction: Bench Press – Feet Up Or Down?

Alfonso — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:32:38 +0000

Here we go again with another popular Fitness Myth that always leaves a lot of people scratching their heads. Should you leave your feet firmly planted on the ground during a bench press – or have them up on the bench? And what’s the difference?

The truth is actually quite simple – both ways can be valuable in your training. First up let’s talk about the feet down position. With feet down you’ll be strongest and most powerful. Just look at any powerlifter – you don’t see them benching 500 pounds with their feet up do you? Having your feet on the ground gives you a great base of support and allows you to keep your torso locked in position. Another advantage of this position is that if you move your feet back on the floor (closer to your shoulders) you’ll also benefit from more spinal extension, meaning your chest will rise up in the air a bit more giving you some space between your low back and the bench.

What’s the advantage to doing that you ask? For one, with your chest elevated higher, the bars range of motion will actually be shorter. Again if you look at powerlifters, they curve their spine excessively during a bench press and sometimes the bar only moves a few inches. What this position also does is help with scapular retraction (pulling the shoulder blades together). With shoulders back, you can really focus on the chest and get a great burn in the pecs. It’s virtually impossible to have an arched back, with a high chest and rounded shoulders – so this position partially helps keep the shoulders down and emphasis on the chest muscles.

Okay, now for feet up. Obviously with your feet on a bench instead of the floor you’ll be less stable. The bench is narrow and with your legs raised you’ll have to concentrate more on balancing the weight – not just lifting it. If you were to stand at the foot of the bench while someone had their feet up, you can see just how wide the bar and weights are in relationship to their narrow body and foot placement. It should be apparent that this position requires more stability and balance.

But with your feet up there’s also another huge difference. With feet up you take much of the curve in the spine away, which can place you in an awkward position to push from. This means that you could go into spinal flexion, with a rounded back and shoulders instead of shoulders back and chest up. The result is that people end up recruiting more of their shoulders to accomplish the lift rather than their chest. So the key with this method of bench press is to use a lighter weight. When your feet are on the ground, a lot of the correct body positioning work is done for you simply by having your feet down so you can focus solely on pushing weight and have great leverage. But with feet up you’ve got more to think about – balance, back position, shoulders back, chest up etc, so using lighter weights is important.

Now there’s a time and place for both options in my opinion and I’ve certainly trained my own chest both ways. I find that the feet up position along with lighter weights allows me to focus more on my chest muscles and receive a better workout. When using either dumbbells or a barbell, I prefer to have my feet up – in fact sometimes I even raise them up in the air for an even greater challenge. But if your focus is to move the most weight you can, feet down will be the way to go. Of course you could use both ways within the same workout, starting with feet up and switching to feet down as you fatigue. Or you could use one method for a few weeks and then switch to the other.

Either way is good and I recommend you try both ways. The key with both methods is to lift the weight, not your ego and practice great form. You’ll get better development and reduce your risk of injury too. That’s always a good thing!

Angry Issues: Time For Some Cold Turkey!

Alfonso — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 15:19:19 +0000

It’s Thanksgiving Week so this Angry Issue is all about Turkey. Cold Turkey to be precise!

I have an uncle who always come out with the same joke. He says, “Do you know Will? Will Power!”

Of course it’s a cheesy joke, but my uncle was so regimented in his diet that every year he’d give up cake or desserts for 3 months. Now many nutritionists and trainers, myself included, often caution people to stay away from any plan that involves completing eliminating a food. But I think there are exceptions….

I’ve said before, I had a HUGE ice cream problem. I ate it virtually every day and in ridiculous quantities. One day, over a year and a half ago, I promised myself I wouldn’t eat ice cream at all for one week, then two, three, then a month, and now it’s been well over a year. I set short-term goals and achieved success. Of course, ice cream isn’t a food group that’s vital for health, so giving it up was a great thing for me.

I think that most people are emotional eaters, and consequently reach for comfort food to feel better. And I also believe that giving up a food that is clearly a hindrance to your health and fitness is a great mental challenge. Besides the fact that you need to have iron discipline, it will also force you to learn to deal with emotional issues in a different way.

I’ve met some people that say they HAVE TO have a glass of wine every night, or a cola at lunch for energy. Other’s say they can’t give up bread and pasta because they don’t feel well when they do. And others are more honest, saying “I know it’s not good for me, but I’m not giving it up”.

Funnily enough I’ve meet very few people who have food issues with natural, whole foods! Sure, I’ve met people who love carrots and other vegetables and eat them by the bagful, or eat pounds of grilled chicken everyday. But those are not things we need be concerned with. If only more people had that problem!

So here’s today’s Angry Issue. Below are 5 different types of foods. I want you to imagine that you had to give them up for a WHOLE YEAR. Which would be the toughest to go cold turkey on. I want you to order them from 1-5, from easiest to hardest, and tell me why you put them in that order…

SODA

CANDIES

ALCOHOL

FAST FOOD

MEAT

Some tough ones in there! Okay everyone – those are the five foods. Send over your lists and let’s see what you all say…