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Thinking Outside The Box Part 2

I’m just going to get right to the point in this week’s blog as I’ve got lots to say. If you didn’t get a chance to read last week’s blog then I suggest you go back to review and you’ll find out as to why I’m a little irritated and annoyed with the so-called “training rules” and “normalities” of how we as everyday people should or have been told how to workout. What I’m hoping to accomplish here is to give you the reader a different insight and perspective when it comes to training and dieting for your very own health and fitness goals. Remember, the opinions below are just that – opinions. I’m not suggesting that you must do as I say or do as I do. In fact, I would suggest that you form your own opinions and thoughts when it comes to how you should approach your workouts and diets and find a formula that works for you and only you. So without further ado, let’s get started!

Pre-Workout Meal:
What better rule to call out first then the famous “Pre-Workout Meal” rule. When I was working on my certification to become a Personal Trainer in school I was told that I should tell my clients to ALWAYS eat before they’re training sessions. And like a good little impressionable student I did what I was told. It didn’t matter if a client was training with me at 5am or 5pm I made sure that every single one of my clients ate before coming to see me. Now for many people this worked well. However for just as many people this did not go over so well. No matter what some of my clients would eat, they would end up just throwing it right back up during our session. Nevertheless I remained adamant with regards to just how important the pre-workout meal was, no matter how ill my clients would become. However lucky for me I had some rebellious clients who refused to take my text book advice as it obviously was not working for them and they decided to forgo the Pre-Workout Meal all together. The result – They trained harder, they trained faster and best of all they didn’t get sick! I was shocked and amazed. Was the text book wrong? Was I given misguided advice? No. My clients were simply listening to their own bodies and doing what worked best for them rather then following some generic blueprint protocol from and an outdated book that really had no science behind the necessity of pre-workout nutrition.

The Verdict – Pre-workout eating is really individual based in my opinion. Some of us digest foods faster then others. My recommendation is to try and find what works best for you. If you train better on an empty stomach then you do on a full stomach then don’t let anyone try to convince you on how to eat before your workouts otherwise.

Post-Workout Shakes:
Did you know that I haven’t consumed a Post-Workout Shake in over ten years? Not only that, but I don’t even drink protein shakes! Now before you go spitting out your chocolate whey isolate all over the floor let me tell you why. To be honest, I don’t like protein shakes nor do I think they do a thing for my physique or for my health for that matter. Yet we’re all told that after our workouts we should immediately consume our post-workout shakes. Now the majority of the population that train with weights probably have no clue as to why they consume a protein shake immediately after training. They are simply following what others have told them to do and what everyone else is doing. Hence the line ups at the juice bars at the gyms or the sounds of people shaking their protein powder and water in shaker cups in changing rooms across North America. I won’t bore you with the “science” behind why it’s apparently important to consume protein in liquid form immediately after your workout however I will tell you that the results are inconclusive about just how effective protein shakes really are for building muscle. In fact, to my knowledge there really is no clear scientific data supporting the importance of Post-Workout Shakes all together!

The Verdict – There’s nothing wrong with consuming a protein shake after your workout but don’t kid yourself into thinking that you are doing something magical or more beneficial for your body then if you were just to consume a regular healthy meal. Nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing can replace the importance of good old fashion whole foods. Which by the way have always been what I’ve used in my post-workout meals. And believe it or not I sometimes don’t even consume this meal until 2-3 hours after my workout! And I’m still able to build muscle and lose body fat!  If you have the opportunity to choose between a shake or a meal after your workout, choose the meal every time!

Fat Burners:
In all honesty I could write an entire blog about fat burners. I get asked at least once a week from clients and members of gyms as to what are the best fat burners to use. My answer always remains the same – Cardio & Diet! To have to rely on a pill to help you lose weight seems absolutely ridiculous and not to mention dangerous to me. The supplement industry is a multibillion dollar industry made up of false hopes and empty promises. 90% of the garbage that’s sold on the market is primarily just fillers and stimulants anyways and will offer little to no nutritional value to your physique or your health. And remember marketing plays a significant role when promoting these “miracle drugs”. Just because a famous bodybuilder or women’s swimsuit model is promoting a specific supplement does not mean that supplement is all they took to look the way that they do. Again, don’t kid yourself. Drugs play a huge role within the fitness community. And by drugs, I mean real drugs, not the ones that you can walk into a supplement store and buy over the counter. Most professional physique competitors use anabolic steroids, this is a fact. Even though steroids are illegal and banned in most sports they are allowed in most bodybuilding and bikini federations and very rarely are physique models ever asked or required to be tested for steroid use if at all for their photo shoots. So even though that guy with the ripped mid section or girl with the perfect ass claims to be taking the fat burner that you just bought, you need to ask yourself what else are they taking. Remember, ignorance is not an excuse.

The Verdict – Don’t waste your hard earned money on supplements that will promise you a world of results. Do your research, educate yourself on proper nutrition and implement some cardiovascular training into your workouts. And should you still decide to ignore my recommendations and go out and buy the latest fat burner or mass gainer on the market then give me a call afterwards because I’ve got some ocean front property that I want to sell you down in Phoenix Arizona.

Sets & Reps:
I touched on sets and reps in my last blog and how the majority of people who train with weights always follow the same training format of 3-4 sets per exercise followed by 10-15 reps per set. Some people who are training for power might only do 3-6 reps while others who are looking to “tone” (ugh….. I really hate that word) may go as high as 25-30 reps. So how many sets and reps do I do? I don’t really know. I’ve always worked off of feel. And what I mean by feel is that I just go until I can’t go anymore. Ofcourse I will do a few warm-up sets at the beginning of my workout but there’s only so much a person can warm-up! Once I’m warmed up I don’t look back. I push heavy ass weight and use super strict form. And I expect the same from my clients (unless they are working through an injury ofcourse in which case I tailor the workout more so to work around the specifically injured area). I don’t tell my clients to stop at a number. I tell them to stop when they can’t do anymore. And if they can still do more then I increase the weight and increase the intensity. Muhammed Ali had a great quote in the 70s that said – “I don’t count my reps. I only start counting when it starts hurting because that’s when it counts”. So you can go ahead and count your reps and sets and record every single weight that you lift each workout. But I like to keep it simple and maintain my focus on the actual workout and not on the damn numbers!

The Verdict – Muhammed Ali didn’t count his sets and reps and he was the greatest of all time. Enough said……

At the end of the day I’m not trying to challenge or belittle anyone’s thoughts on training and/or dieting. I’m really just trying to teach people on how to view achieving their health and fitness goals by using multiply perspectives and by incorporating different types of strategies. If you’ve been training a certain way for years and have stopped seeing results then change it. If you’ve been following a particular program or diet plan for only a few short weeks and have yet to see any results give it more time or look for ways to make small adjustments. Be patient and realistic with your results and expectations but never take your foot off the gas. Learn everything you can about diet, training and the human body as a whole. Read medical journals, talk to sport doctors, reputable physiotherapists, and highly sought out personal trainers. Get out there and inform yourself. It’s your body and your health that we are talking about after all.

And finally, most importantly make sure to form your own thoughts and opinions on what works for you rather then what works for the masses. Remember no one on this planet knows your body better then you do. And no one will give it as much attention to detail as you will either.

Train Hard, Eat Smart and Live Well.

Yours in Good Health,

Nick Cosgrove