All Calories are NOT Created Equal

Since I have begun working in the fitness industry I have had a hard time explaining to people the idea that it is what you put in your body that matters. Calorie cutting diets are popular and it is a common opinion to think that all calories are equal. Yes, I know, in a literal sense 1 calorie = 1 calorie. But the effect each calorie has on our body is dependent upon a few variables. The following is what you need to know about calorie-based diets and why they are not always the best idea when discussing fat loss or improving your body composition.

Why Calorie Based Diets Do NOT Work

1. Different macronutrients produce different responses in the body. These responses directly influence the metabolic rate and whether or not your body will be in fat burning or fat storing mode. Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) is the amount of calories our body burns at rest. Those who consume a low amount of protein experience a drop in their RMR. A recent study indicates that individuals on a high protein diet can improve their RMR by as much as 11%.
2. The number of calories required to break down food varies greatly. This is the thermic effect of food. It takes energy to digest food and your body burns significantly more calories digesting a meal or animal protein and vegetables than it does a meal of pasta and red sauce. Even fewer calories are required to digest foods like cookies and potato chips. So yes, I understand your cookie bar has only 80 calories in it. It is made of the same stuff that is in the 200 calorie bar with the same name. It is only smaller in size, not more healthy.
3. High carbohydrate consumption is common in calorie counting diets. Most of the foods for these individuals are low in fat but high in carbohydrates. This leads to an increase in insulin levels, especially when these carbohydrates are high on the Glycemic Index. When your insulin levels are cranked up throughout the day, so is the stress hormone cortisol which causes cellular aging, fat gain and could eventually lead to diabetes.
4. Substitute protein and "smart fats" for carbohydrates. The protein aids in restoring tissue and builds lean mass. The fats improve insulin sensitivity, restores brain health and builds hormones like testosterone.
5. If you overeat, you will get fat. That is a fact. If you overeat and consume a small amount of protein, you will be getting hit with a double whammy. The low protein diet will put your body in a catabolic, fat storing state (catabolic is the opposite of anabolic, anabolic builds muscle, catabolic eats away at muscle for energy). So in a sense, you will not only gain weight but you will also lose lean muscle. This will put a hurting on your body composition and negatively impact your body fat percentage. From a body composition perspective, if you are going to overeat, make sure 15-25% of your diet contains protein. That way you may continue to gain weight but you may also lower your body fat and improve your overall composition.
6. Whole vs. Processed Foods. The thermic effect of whole foods is much higher than if you ate the same amount of processed foods. In fact, it is almost double that of processed foods.
7. A lesson from the Pima Indians of Arizona. This group was once described as "tall and sinewy" but now obesity runs rampant through their community. They were known to eat a low number of calories, primarily from fish, small game and foods they gathered. Since the early 1900's they've slowly adopted the "white mans" diet and their body composition has changed and now their is a widespread of obesity. Consuming sugar, bread and other starchy foods have been the big change in their diet and it shows in the increase of their waistline. Their caloric intake was still relatively low, but their body composition changed for the worse!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Chris Fluck

The Power of No!

     The year was 2010 and after a shoddy academic performance at Bloomsburg University, I decided to leave school and finish my education elsewhere. Bloom was a place where I attended more parties than classes so at that point in time, it was the right decision. My room mate during that time also happened to be one of my best friends growing up. One day he gave me a call and asked if I wanted to join him for a new race titled 'Tough Mudder'. This was the very first race they ever hosted so I had no idea what he was talking about. After checking out some of the ridiculous YouTube training videos and the Tough Mudder webpage, we decided this race was right up our alley. Plus, any race that is willing to give out free tattoos was something worth looking into. Right around that time I began running and realized something was missing. I decided that boozing on the weekends (and the occasional weekday) was detrimental to my training. After looking at the 'Countdown to Race Day' and seeing the race was in 100 days, I decided to stop drinking and get serious with my training. I haven't drank a sip of alcohol since and couldn't be more happier with my decision. That is when I learned the power of 'No'. As they say in The Great Gatsby, "It's a great advantage not to drink among hard drinking people". That doesn't mean you wont ever see me out in a bar, as I do occasionally go out, but my night usually ends before midnight and I haven't ever woke up with a hangover from drinking too much water.

     Since I learned the power of 'No', I made it a priority not to waste any time. I am always working on something and although it adds some additional stress to my life, I love every minute of it. I became certified with the American College of Sports Medicine as a personal trainer, earned a bachelors degree, began coaching football, read over 100 books, and in a few short weeks will be certified (knock on wood) to be a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist with the National Strength and Conditioning Association. Hypothetically speaking, I could have accomplished all of these things while continuing to drink. But in reality, I know that was not going to be the case. I would not have accomplished half the things that I've done had I continued drinking. Plus it is hard to tell people that "I'm all about discipline" and focusing on studying with both my hands filled with food and booze. So that is why I choose to abstain!

     One of my favorite quotes comes from the book Season of Life: "I've never met, or heard of anyone that said, boy, I'm really glad I got drunk last night, or did drugs, because I made a really good decision that I wouldn't have made without that". In my opinion, there is nothing more detrimental to your potential as a human being than alcohol or other substances. In my small circle of friends and family, these past few years have been tough on us and substance abuse is at fault. There have been trips to rehab, multiple arrests, deaths of former teammates and even the death of my own brother at the hands of illegal substances. I recently came across a something from basketball coach Bobby Knight about the power of 'No' and felt it rang true. Coach Knight said "No, is the most important word in the English language. No is used by tough people...Yes causes a heck of a lot of more trouble than No. In saying No, you may miss an opportunity, but you wont get yourself into trouble. Trouble follows yes, not no". What a great way of thinking and I wish someone would have told me this sooner. I wish someone would have told all of my friends this and I wish someone would have told my brother this. If they did I still might have my big brother around. So next time someone asks you to partake in something you are not so sure is a good idea, be tough and remember the power of NO! You wont regret it!

Hope you enjoyed,
Chris Fluck

Say Bye Bye to Bodybuilding

Growing up in a home with a weightlifter and former bodybuilder (my father was Mr. Teenage Lehigh Valley and also registered a 410 pound bench press in his thirties weighing 185 pounds), I was exposed to only one type of training: bodybuilding. I remember hammering out the bench press in my parents basement and working in some "curls for the girls" before calling it a day. Luckily, I have learned quite a bit since those days but it seems that I may be in the minority. Every time I walk into a commercial gym I see the same things that I always imagined Muscle Beach looked like in the 1980's. I see guys in tank tops performing the bench press, chest flys, about 20 different varieties of biceps curls and working their triceps like there is no tomorrow. And on top of that, I see what appears to be an unlimited amount of rest periods between sets and tons of chit-chatting among the gym regulars. The more I think about it, the more I realize that you can't really blame them. It is probably all they know or sadly, all they care to know.

I create programs for a wide variety of clientele and the main objective is fat loss. If we all take a photo of ourselves, I think every one of us (myself included) could afford to shed some fat and improve their overall well-being. I am going to share with you some of the biggest mistakes being made in gyms and then offer a sample workout program that I often use with clients and one that I do personally.

The purpose of this piece is not to disrespect the bodybuilding community, as previously said, my father spent years of life training and competing and I have a great deal of respect for the discipline needed to succeed. I just do not think that it is for everybody. When the goal is fat loss, following a bodybuilding plan of training 5-6 days per week, splitting up the body parts trained each day, and isolating muscle groups is not the most productive way to train. The body is an integrated unit and it should be trained that way. The exercises that you choose to do should train movements, not individual muscles. Some examples of these types of exercises include squats, deadlifts, bench press, military press, pull-ups/chin-ups, and rows. These exercises train much greater amounts of muscle which will lead to more calories burned during and after your workout. Plus, who really has the time to train like a professional bodybuilder? Total-body training maximizes your time and maximizes the amount of work you can accomplish over a given time period.

Another issue I have with the average gym goers is that it seems "leg day" is often neglected. Too many people (mostly guys) only care to know how much you can bench and nothing else. The problem with this is that 70% of your muscle mass is in your back, hips and legs. Neglecting this part of your training will severely limit your results. Performing exercises like squats and deadlifts are full body exercises that involve just about every muscle in your body. Your shoulders, upper back, and core have to stay "locked in" to perform the exercise and this can't be replicated anywhere else. Running, playing hoops, or performing leg extensions are not enough. Find a squat rack and get after it!

So if your current bodybuilding plan is not the most productive way to spend your time, what are you to do? Before I get into the program design, I want to speak about the key ingredient: kettlebells (KB). If you have access to them, I would highly recommend building your training routine around using them. If your exercise selection uses bells 50% of the time, you are doing something right. I credit Dan John with the following template for building an exercise program:

1. Hinge (Hip Hinge): These exercises include maximal hip bend and minimal knee bend. The KB Swing is a fat burning machine and would include them in every program. No bells: try the box or broad jumps. Need something more advanced: KB clean or snatch, power clean and power snatch.
2. Squat: This is the progression I use- Goblet Squats, 2 KB Front Squat, Barbell Front Squat. I also mix in some unilateral exercises like split squats and pistol squats.
3. Push: Bench Press, Military Press, Single Arm KB Bench, Single Arm KB Military Press
4. Pull: Bodyweight exercises include pull-ups, chin-ups, and horizontal row. I also perform an exercise referred to as 'Bat-Wings' that include KB's.
5. Loaded Carry: This is an often neglected portion of training programs but it is a game changer. Lift, push, drag, carry or roll heavy objects over a prescribed distance. What muscle group does this work? EVERYTHING!
6. Sixth Movement: This portion of the template includes all the other things you'd like to include. If you want to do biceps curls, go right ahead. Do not build your entire fitness program around the 'sixth movement' (i.e. an entire workout comprising of biceps exercises or rope waves).

This template involves training the large muscle groups and necessary recovery is needed. Never compromise quality for quantity and remember more is not always better. It is comparable to taking medicine, take the prescribed dose and you have no worries. Take more than the prescribed dose and more harm than good can occur.

The final issue that needs to be addressed is rest periods. Shooting the breeze for 5-10 minutes between sets isn't going to get it done. Shorter rest periods increase the metabolic demands on your body which leads to more calories burned during and after you workout. You will also be able to complete greater amounts of work over shorter periods of time and that should be the focus each workout (just remember it is quality, not quantity). How do you do it without totally fatiguing yourself? Pair up non-competing exercises with 30-60 second rests between sets. An example would be to perform a set of goblet squats followed by pull-ups. That way your lower body works as your upper body "recovers" and vice versa. Or if you feel like cranking it up, perform KB Swings between each set of each exercise and watch the sweat drip off your body.

I hope this piece was insightful and if you have any questions or in need of more information, please feel free to contact me!

Chris Fluck

Warrior Cardio by Martin Rooney

I was doing some perusing at the world's oldest, and my favorite place to purchase books, Moravian Bookstore in Bethlehem and came across the book Warrior Cardio. It was written by Martin Rooney who is an internationally recognized expert in fitness and martial arts and the book provides great detail on what every fitness program should include. Below are a few points that I found interesting

Rooney speaks of one of the biggest problems with today's fitness population. "People and trainers prescribe exercises according to what I call the Illogical Four: Novelty, Coolness, Ability to Produce Soreness, and Ability to Produce Fatigue". If you base your exercise selection on any of the aforementioned "Illogical Four" you are missing the point. Train and choose your exercises to improve performance in all aspects of your life, not on any of the "Illogical Four". Remember, just because something is hard or gets you sore doesn't mean it is an effective approach to optimal training results.

There is a good, and somewhat basic, discussion of the three energy systems that the body uses during exercise. To put it in simplest terms, there is an energy system for quick, explosive moves (think 100 meter sprint); an energy system for events that last up to 2 minutes (think 400-800 meter run); and an energy system for events that last longer than 2 minutes (think long, slow distance running). Rooney is an advocate for training the first two energy systems and the best way to do that is with sprint interval training. He cites a study that states that sprint interval training "produces as good aerobic training effects as traditional long-distance running, if not better, but with a fraction of the time commitment". So basically it offers a little more bang for your buck. If sprint work is not in your current training plan, you're missing out on a tremendous way to tax your body and maximize your time!

This is something that a large number of women have a hard time understanding when it comes to weight training. Rooney is not the first, or last, to touch on the benefits of heavy resistance training. Lets say Women A presses a 10 pound kettlebell for 15-20 reps and wants to get "tone". Women B decides to press a 25 pound kettlebell for 6 reps. Her entire body is using all her resources to press that weight overhead. Because of this, Women B elicits a greater energy expenditure than Women A which means the more energy is needed to recovery. So Women B will be continuing to burn more calories post-workout because she physically taxes her body more than Women A.

Thoughts on recovery: "Your workouts can be perfect, but if you don't give your body enough raw materials to rebuild and adapt through proper nutrition and allow it the chance to go through sleep cycles, you won't make the best gains possible". The adaptations occur as you recover. Give your body, and mind, time to recover from each and every workout. You are not being tough by going through or around pain. You are being dumb.

The final piece of the book that struck a cord with me dealt with consistency. "Consistency is the best-kept secret behind why some people succeed and others fail. When you're consistent over time, small gains will eventually equal large ones". A little bit on top of a little bit eventually becomes a lot over time. Make an effort to get better at one thing every time you train!

I would recommend this book to anyone looking to gain insight on how the body works and he offers a full workout and diet plan in the book. Just don't be that person who skips to the workouts and diet and doesn't put in the time to read about the "why" behind it all!


Chris Fluck

One Extra Degree

"At 211 degrees water is hot. At 212 degrees it boils and with boiling water comes steam...and with steam, you can power a train!". The difference is only one extra degree!

Working in the fitness industry, my job is littered with questions in regards to fitness and lifestyle modifications. My usual answer is to add just a little bit more to their current routine. If you are training 3 days per week, make an effort to add a 4th. And when you reach 4 days, 5 is not too far away. If you're disciplined enough to train 5 days per week then I feel that you have it in you to train a 6th day. The same can be said for diet. If you eat well 50% of the time, make it a priority to eat well 60% of the time and so on. Reasonable diets and tough workouts are the basic template to live a healthy lifestyle. It sounds simple but there is nothing easy about it.

7 Ways to Make it Happen

1. Goal setting. The difference between exercising and training is having a point. Point A is our current state, Point B is where we want to get to. The mission is to keep the mission the mission. The goal is to keep the goal, the goal.
2. Get help. I always think of the joke about the lawyer who represents himself in court: he has a fool for a client! It is tough to do it alone and there are tons of different ways to get help. Hire a trainer, find someone who specializes in nutrition, join a fitness group, get your friends on board, etc. Tell them all your goals and they will (hopefully) hold you accountable.
3. 212 Degrees. Remember that quote when times are tough. Make that your battle cry (it was for the Junior Varsity football team I coach this past season). The difference between success and failure is a fine line. Often times we are close to that line and don't even know it. Men and women throw up their hands and surrender when a little more effort and patience would take them to the next level. Hopeless failure would then become glorious success!
4. As Margaret Thatcher once said, "you may have to fight a battle more than once to win it". Every decision is not life or death. If it were, I'd be dead a thousand times over. There will be days, weeks or months when we struggle to stay on track. Experience tells me that no one stays on path. Everyone gets lost at one time or another. Just don't let that define you. We can't always avoid short-term failure but we can always strive for success!
5. Elimination and addition. For those with time constraints lets take a look at the big picture. If you eliminate 30 minutes of television or web surfing each day you get back more than 180 hours each year! If you add something new each week, you create over 50 additional opportunities for excitement and challenge each week. And if you really want to make a statement, add something new twice per week and that is over 100 new opportunities that you wouldn't have had before!
6. Act like you've been there before. Every time you succeed in life does not call for several extra rounds of beer, a salutary cupcake accompanied by high-fives and back slapping. It is what you set out to do, don't be surprised when you do it. Be proud, celebrate, but remember, stay focused on your mission!
7. Effort! There are no secrets to success. Success with anything, success in anything has one fundamental aspect- effort!

Enjoy your first weekend of the summer!
Chris

Why am I not getting faster?

I was motivated to write this piece after a conversation with a few guys at the gym this week. The topic was how to go about improving your run time for a variety of distance races. After some thought, and fact checking with the NSCA textbook, I have identified five areas that play a huge role in your run performance:

1. VO2max- this is the volume of oxygen you can consume while exercising at your maximum capacity. Your VO2max correlates well with the degree of physical conditioning that you have been doing. If you want to improve this, improve your conditioning. Unfortunately your VO2max has a peak and once you reach that number, you are maxed out and need to focus on other areas to improve.
2. Muscle fiber type. This is determined by your genetics and greatly influences your oxidative or aerobic capacity. Type I muscle fibers are aerobic in nature and have a large oxidative capacity. When you think of type I fibers, you should think of marathon runners. This muscle type is fatigue resistant but they also lack the ability to contract powerfully. Type IIx fibers are anaerobic in nature. They fatigue easily but are muscles that contract forcibly. Think of football players and shot putters when you discuss this muscle type. Type IIa fibers have characteristics of Type I and Type II fibers. When you think of how this muscle type works, think of a sport like soccer that is both aerobic and anaerobic in nature.
3. Lactate threshold. This is that feeling you get when you aren't too sure how much life you have left in those legs of yours. It is that point where you feel that your body might fail you as you storm up that hill or sprint to the finish. This usually occurs when you are working out anywhere between 60-80% of your VO2max.
4. Stride length and stride frequency. Stride length is related to body height and leg length. For those of you with a frame similar to mine (I stand 5'8" on a good day), you are out of luck. Our birthright put us at a disadvantage. Stride frequency is how often your feet turnover. Stride frequency is more trainable than stride length. Focus on brief ground contact time and get those feet turning over! Running speed is the interaction of stride frequency and stride length.
5. Specificity of training. This is putting it all together as you make a plan towards achieving your goals. This is how often you decide to use resistance training and how frequent you plan on running.

To clarify the purpose of this piece, it is to improve performance and not for any other reasons. When you decide your training plan, make sure to include resistance training as it will help you recover from injury sooner, improve strength and prevent muscular imbalances. 2 or 3 days of resistance training is plenty if you perform total-body exercise routines. The next step is to address your aerobic capacity. You can do this by performance long, slow distance runs. These runs are at an easy pace and is often referred to as "conversation exercise". You should be able to carry on a conversation during these runs and should be the longest run of your training schedule. Once you establish a firm base of aerobic endurance training, you then begin to add in tempo runs and interval training. It is vital to have a solid aerobic base before increasing intensity. Tempo runs are at a pace slightly faster than race pace but over a shorter distance. So if you are running a 5K, your tempo run will be 1.5-2.5 miles at a pace faster than race pace. If it gets easy, increase the distance you run, not the intensity of your run. Interval training is much more intense and should be added to the program after tempo runs. These are high intensity runs with specific rest periods. Examples of this are performing hill runs or 400-meter sprints. Always take adequate rest time to ensure a full recovery. This type of training will greatly improve your lactic acid tolerance which will greatly help you accomplish your performance-based goals. Vary your training and watch your times improve!

Chris Fluck

Fitness Coaching

     In today's age, it seems that you can find a coach for just about anything. There are life coaches, business coaches, coaches to teach you how to use Facebook and the list continues. With that being said, the definition in recent years has become hazy. A coach is someone who teaches, but there job title is not that of a teacher. They are not your boss but at times could be downright bossy. And to be honest, they don't necessarily have to be great at the sport or activity that they coach you in (I can only imagine legendary gymnastic coach Bela Karolyi attempting a split if his life depended on it). The bottom line is this "Great coaches often tell you things you need to hear, not what you want to hear". And most of the time you are probably going to need to do more.

     In theory we can all reach our goals on our own. But when it comes down to it, who doesn't need more tips? Who doesn't want to see better results? Who doesn't want to have a blueprint for success? Who doesn't love learning how to manage energy more efficiently? These were all questions posed to me as I read an article written by fitness pro Todd Durkin. And when you put it that way, it makes it very difficult to answer "I, don't" to any of them. Who in there right mind wouldn't want help? Even great athletes need a coach to help them be the greatest they can be (turn on the French Open and you will see all these tennis players with their coaches by their side). A good coach will help you focus on what matters most. And to all those things that do not matter much: get rid of them! Being a jack-of-all-trades just means that you aren't a master of one. A good coach will help set you up with a routine, and in the world of fitness the answer to these four questions often prove to be the starting point for change: Are you exercising? Are you eating good? What are you reading? Who are you spending your time with? All of these factors influence the decisions you make and could be the determining factors that may be holding you back. So here are my 7 coaching tips for making positive changes:

1. Focus is going to be the key to any success you will have. Eliminate distractions and focus on 5 or 6 important things and get good at it.
2. Do not mistake activity for productivity. Economy of time should be the goal for all things that need to get done on a day-to-day basis. Do not cut corners, but get things done in a timely fashion. Those extra minutes will add up
3. Work out more often. 2-3 workouts a week will not be enough to get it done. At the minimum, add in an additional 1-2 low-intensity workouts on days that you typically would not work out and aim to burn 300-500 calories. As those calories add up over time, you will be trimming down!
4. Clean up your diet. Decrease portions but eat more regularly. Hydrate your body throughout the day. Eat breakfast. Double your protein and vegetable intake. If you are serious about fat loss, ditch the booze! If you still aren't seeing results, keep a food journal and try to find trends that could be preventing you from succeeding!
5. Put an emphasis on strength training. On the days you go to the gym for strength training, make sure you are trying to get stronger. Each day aim to do something that you have never done before. Strength training will increase lean muscle tissue which will have a positive effect on your overall body composition (muscle increases, fat decreases).
6. Set goals and place them everywhere. Write down 3-5 things you want to get done and look at them on a regular basis. Attack each goal with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind!
7. Win the day. Picked this quote up from Drew Brees' memoir and it applies to everything you do in life. Focus on what is in front of you, not what is far off in the distance. If you are worried about the mountain in the distance, you might trip over the molehill right in front of you! 

Details create success. We all get to a certain point in life, whether it is in our job or at the gym, where learning and progress may come to a halt. This is where the small things and attention to detail become the catalyst for positive change. Hope these tips help!

Chris