EFA’s and Fish Oil

Essential fatty acids (EFA’s) & fish oil supplements are becoming more main stream as of late. Outside of a protein supplement, I rarely ever recommend anything else to any of my clients (including myself) but these two supplements are worth mentioning.

An essential fatty acid is one that cannot be created within your body so you must obtain it from an outside source (diet or supplement), thus making it “essential.” You can find them in most cold water fish, extra virgin, certain organic peanut butters, olive oil - to name a few. The following are some scientifically proven benefits of Omega 3’s;
• Increase metabolism
• Increase fat burning
• Prevent cancer
• Reduce inflammation and joint pain
• Enhance skin and hair quality

Needless to say there is a lot of upside. However I maintain that if you eat a well-balanced habitual diet you should be able to get all the “essentials,” you need. Before buying either of these supplements, I would first and foremost consult with your physician to get their “okay,” then reflect on your eating habits. If you are unsure about what you should be eating or have specific questions, contact me about an online eating program and weekly grocery lists. joe@carabasetraining.com or

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Beer muscles with sweet potato and white wine

I stole this recipe from Cassandra Forsythe, M.S - it’s both healthy and tasty so I’d thought I share it

Shopping List

1. 1 lb raw mussels in shells
2. 1 12 oz can of beer (preferably something of quality and aim for a lager)
3. Garlic Powder or Garlic cloves - I prefer cloves
4. 1 medium size sweet potato

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Place mussels on a large baking sheet. Pour beer over mussels and smother with garlic (powder or cloves). Cook for 20 minutes then remove from the oven and let it cool down
• Wash the sweet potato and cook it in either the microwave or the oven (pre-heat oven to 375)
• Serve half the cooked potato with the mussels, goes well with a 4 oz glass of white wine - I prefer a nice Pinot Grigio

This recipe serves two people.

No pain, no gain?

In terms of challenging your body, you cannot get new and better results without pushing yourself through some discomfort. The level of difficulty you put yourself through should depend on what your goals are and your current fitness level.

If you are not a competitive or an professional athlete, then you do not need to push yourself to the edge. Training at 70-80 percent intensity should give you all the benefits of exercise, helping you lose weight and build muscle.

Regardless of your training level, fatigue will kick in at the end of a set, run or a workout in general. As you are pushing yourself through this and embracing the challenge, you must be able to tell the difference between good and bad pain or otherwise risk injuring yourself. Here are some tips;

• Good Pain: A feeling that you worked the intended muscles hard. I always tell my clients that they should be “uncomfortable,” and therefore challenged while lifting or during cardio but not in pain. Thus uncomfortable in this sense is a sign of a good pain.
• Bad Pain: Any shooting or sharp pain and any spasms. If any of these signs occur, stop immediately and evaluate what the situation.

Although I stress the importance of listening to your body and being safe, remember that in order for change to take place e.g weight loss, muscular strength, you must continue to challenge yourself. If you are unsure how to progress your workouts or your fitness levels, consult with a professional trainer.

Quick Cardio - C4’s

Perform steps 1 - 4 without stopping. Rest 30 seonds then repeat three more times (a total of four)

• 50 Jumping Jacks
• 15 Squat Thrusts
• 15 Prisoner Squats
• 30 seconds Mountain Climbers

If you are unsure of how to perform any of the exercise, comment your questions below. Also feel free to comment your thoughts upon completing an entire set.

The C4 is great for anytime you’re looking to burn fat quickly, whether it’s after your workout or at home when you wake up. To make the routine more difficult, add volume to each exercise e.g 17 reps or decrease the volume to make it easier.

Machine Circuit = Marketing Machine

Machines help sell health clubs. Their shiny, colorful and smooth appearance is more attractive then the hardcore iron barbells and dumbbells. Gym owner’s love these machines because of their appearance and because they get people moving through the gym more efficiently. Every gym regardless of its size has a designated machine circuit for people to follow and move on with their day.

Machines are beneficial as a rehabilitative tool or for body builders trying to focus on smaller muscles but not for the general population. Machines position your body so that all you have to do is perform the motion of the exercise. Where’s the function or purpose in that? If you are not training for a medical or sports specific purpose, you should be performing exercises that work a greater number of muscles at once aimed towards improving your life style.

Think about how often you have to perform movements where your entire body is perfectly stabilized, outside of stationary machines – there are very few if any of these occasions.

Incorporate exercises into your routine that require you to stabilize your body. Don’t settle for machines because they look pretty or because they’re “easy to use.” Demand more of yourself.

If you are intimidated to use free weights or unsure how to, send me an email at joe@carabasetraining.com.

What can you do?

I found out today that I have to get another dental procedure, only a week after unexpected root canal procedure. No matter how much I brush my teeth, floss and stay away from candy; I had to get this work done. There was nothing differently I could of done that would prevented it. But what can you do?

Nothing. I can’t control whether or not my filling comes out or if my wisdom teeth come in much like many other things that happen every day to many other people. When something happens that you can’t control, you are only wasting time by dwelling on it so don’t, it sounds annoying to other people and is useless.

Focus on what you can control. Keep yourself in top shape, foster new relationships, have fun with friends and family, show gratitude towards what you have etc.. The point is to focus your energy on things you want and can make happen.

An average physical active adult in a consistent weight training routine is not guaranteed to live forever or never get sick, but his/her risk of most diseases and/or an early death is guaranteed to be lower than an average sedentary adult of that same gender.

Whole v.s Refined

Typically whole grains have more fiber and protein then refined grains, which means they’re slower to digest.

The following are some benefits of whole grains;
• Better weight control
• Less heart disease
• Less cancer
• lower risk of diabetes

Refined grains are processed to improve flavor, mostly in the form of white breads, white pastas and breakfast cereals - all containing no nutritional value. Refined grains are often hidden by manufactures’ that use the label “enriched.” When in reality, refined grains are the opposite of enriched. Most the nutrients are lost during the flavoring process.

Not to say you can completely stay away from processed foods. Most of what we eat is either processed, fertilized, cross-bred, hormonally enhanced and/or genetically manipulated to some extent. Whole grains at least are foods that are minimally processed.

Refined foods do nothing to slow down our blood stream. Therefore those who eat mostly process foods have higher levels of insulin and blood sugar - which are building blocks to diabetes and heart disease.

Before you buy bread, check the ingredient list. If the first product lists “whole grain” or “whole wheat,” you should be good. Make sure to keep looking down the list, especially for high-fructose corn syrup. If present, put the product back. When comparing two products, pick the product with more fiber and protein. A good benchmark for fiber is 4 grams per serving.

There is only one time you should ever consume a refined bread over whole wheat or grain bread - post workout. Only after your workout, you need a quick boost in your insulin levels so white bread is acceptable here. Other than that, stay away.

Recovery

You must always give your muscles forty-eight hours to recover before you work them again.

You build muscle with rest. Strength training creates micro-trauma - tiny tears and strains in your muscles and connective tissues. As a result of these tears, your body responds to these minor damages by making your muscles bigger and stronger, thus protecting them from future damage.

Bigger and stronger muscles do not automatically equate to bulk and size - to any lady readers. I can’t say it enough how women simply do not have the genetics and testosterone muscles to build muscle like men. Bigger and stronger muscles for women = tighter bodies and increased metabolic rates.

I always stressed variety in training routine with both clients and friends alike. That is because if you repeat the same exercises at the same weights, your muscles will adapt to the stresses you are imposing on it and you will see little change. It should be your goal to keep imposing new stresses to your body so you are continually forcing your body to make new adaptations.

Quad Dominant

When I first start working with clients, I have found that most people tend to be stronger in the front of their thighs than the back. This means their hamstrings tend to be weaker than they should be, relative to their quadriceps. Research has shown that when the quadriceps’s are more than a 1/3 stronger than the hamstrings, there is a greater risk of damaging the ligaments that hold the knee together.

Tight muscles in the front can stretch out the connective tissue on the back, thus making them longer and comparability weaker. From head to toe, your body is connected in ways you would never think about. Therefore it’s important to be conscious of this imbalance and create a routine that evens everything out. Assess your front strength v.s your back strength e.g quads - hamstrings, abs - lower back..find the weaker link and improve it.

My overall goal is to train my clients to do what they couldn’t do before and one important part of this is to improve the relative strength of your upper body, lower back, glute’s and hamstrings, as you do this, everything will get stronger and the ratio will shift.

Shake of the Month

I get a lot of my clients asking me how and what to mix in with their protein shakes so I figured I’d dedicate one entry a month to share some tasty recipes.

Strawberry-Pineapple
1. 1-2 scoops of strawberry whey protein powder (the amount of grams will depend on your body weight and desired weight)
2. 1/2 cup of canned Dole Pineapples
3. Two handfuls of ice
4. Fill to the top with water (more water - more liquid, less water - thicker)
5. Blend until all the ingredients are processed until smooth.

This can serve as a great post-workout shake because it will give you a good amount of protein to help rebuild muscle tissue and also allow your body to use the sugar from the pineapple to spike insulin levels.

The Deadlift

In terms of functional lifting, the Deadlift may be the most useful gym exercise that mirrors everyday activities. Every day we bend down and pick up something.
It works several muscle groups; hamstrings, glutes, hands, forearms and upper & middle back. Thus making your body work harder, allowing you to burn more calories and build more muscle.

Performing the Barbell Deadlift:
• Load up an Olympic barbell, stand with the bar against your shins with your feet shoulder width apart and your toes pointed forward.
• Squat down and grab the barbell with an overhand grip, your hands should be just outside your legs
• Straighten your arms and tighten your core
• Look straight ahead
• Pull the bar straight up your shins as you stand; pushing your hips forward and pulling your shoulder blades together
• Pause at the top position for a slow two seconds – make sure your chest is upright and back is straight at this position
• Slowly descend the weight back down your legs to the floor. Make sure to control the speed in order to avoid a sudden jolt to your lower back muscles

You can perform the lift with dumbbells as well, just gripping a dumbbell in each hand and holding them right outside your legs.

If you group your workout routine by muscle groups, I recommend to add the Deadlift to your back or legs day - I perform the Deadlift every back day. If you train your full body each session, make sure the Deadlift is the top of your routine right along with the squat.

The exercises that are the most difficult or uncomfortable are typically the best types; the Deadlift right along with the Front Squat is defiantly one of them. Start with lower weight to master form and to get comfortable.

Eat Beans

Beans are possibly the best source of fiber out there .Most of my clients lack fiber in their diet. According to the American Gastroenterological Association, the average daily intake of fiber is eleven grams - compared to the recommended daily value of 35 grams daily.
Why Fiber? Diets that are higher in fiber have been linked to lowering risks of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and obesity.

An average cup of beans will give you anywhere from 11 g (kidney) up to 17 g (aduki) of fiber! According to a study by Patti Bazel Weil, R.D from the University of Kentucky, a daily cup of cooked beans can lower you cholesterol up to 10% in six weeks.

A lot of my meal plans focus on a serving of beans, in some capacity each day, especially for those clients who are looking to lose weight. Beans have a low glycemic index or raise blood sugar levels very slowly. This helps the regulation of blood sugar and insulin, keeping your appetite from spiking.

The following are a few ways I add beans to my daily diet;
1. One cup to my egg whites
2. 1/2 cup, 1 cup of vegetables with olive oil and vinegar
3. 1/2 cup, a can of tuna with olive oil

No matter how you like it, add beans to your diet. Let beans be your only carb source for dinner and you’ll be guarantee to drop some weight.

A Night Cap

Cottage cheese is a great night time snack because it’s rich in casein protein or long lasting protein that will continue to pump protein into your muscles as you sleep. As always, make sure to buy the no fat variety.

Easier said than done right?

I can’t stand the texture of cottage cheese so I blend it into a shake;
• 2 spoons of no fat cottage cheese
• a cup of blue berries
• handful of ice cubes
• half of a cup water

The texture is gone and I am still able to have a healthy bed time snack. Do not - not eat before bed. Remember, during sleep, your body “fasts,” and slows down your metabolism. Keep your body working

When to breath?

When in doubt - breathe. Holding in your breath while exerting yourself can stop the blood to and from your brain; this is known as the Valsalva Maneuver.

You should always exhale on exertion or when you are going against gravity e.g curling up a weight. If you are new to training or just confused in the gym, breathing can be a difficult skill to learn. I recommend all my new clients to count repetitions as they are performing the exercise; this ensures that air is coming in and out.

Do not make this mistake……

Do not make the mistake of NOT properly fueling your body before a workout. If you eat nothing before you exert yourself in a workout, you will not have enough energy for an optimal workout and worse, you will get light headed and could potentially faint (especially worse when weights are involved). Understand that this will not help you burn fat - it will do the complete opposite. When your body needs calories, it holds onto fat before protein and carbohydrates.

On the other hand, eating too much and/or eating the wrong types of food pre-workout can have similar disastrous effects. Stay away from high protein and fibrosis foods pre-work. High protein and fibrosis foods require of time and blood to digest properly or move through your body, therefore, the gas and acid from these types of food will be sitting in your stomach as you try to work out. Not only will your stomach feel upset, your body will still be needing calories for both energy and digestion, which can also make you light headed.

So what are you suppose to eat before a workout?
You want a low glycemic carb source along with a smaller portion of a lean protein. The low glycemic carb source will help yoTu sustain enough energy for your workout and the protein will help start the muscle building process.

The following are my two favorite pre-work meals;
• 1/2 whole grain pasta and a 8 oz glass of water with 1 tsp of protein powder
• Whole grain bread with low sodium turkey and a light spread of hummus

Last but not least…..give yourself about an hour to digest whatever you eat before training.

The Flaxseed and it’s oil

I’ve mentioned the importance of omega-3’s in previous postings and both flaxseeds & flaxseed oils are the best sources for an important omega-3 fatty acid called alpha-linolenic acid. Alpha-linolenic acid is an essential fatty acid because the body cannot make it up and there for must be consumed from the diet.
In addition to the omega-3’s, the flaxseed contains omega-6’s and certain omega-9’s that are great for the heart.

Flaxseeds are a great source of ligans. Ligans have the following health benefits for both men and women;
• protective effect against various cancer
• increase the sex hormone Binding Globulin (binds to estrogen and helps get it out of the body)
• boosts colon health
• promotes healthy skin
• helps stabilizes blood sugar

Flaxseeds not the oil - contains soluble fiber. Like any other seed, flax seeds are tiny and can essentially be added to almost anything with you even knowing it. The following are a few ways I add them to my diet;
• Sprinkle over a salad
• Mix in the blender with my protein shakes

Mind-Muscle Connection

Going through motions relies on mostly momentum and gravity using very little muscle.

For your muscles to grow you have to actively contract them by mentally thinking about that muscle during the intended lift.

Test:
1. Standing upright with no weight, curl up each hand as you were to perform a basic biceps curl
2. This time as you curl, focus on contracting (flexing) your bicep the entire motion up and resist gravity back down

Feel the difference? The latter should be much more challenging because you are actually using that muscle to perform the exercise - not the momentum or flow of gravity.

Be aware of the muscles you are trying to hit with each exercise you perform. As you move through the motion, focus on contracting that muscle. This new level of concentration actually makes you work harder, thus you burn more calories and build more lean muscle.

To practice your mind muscle connection, perform the following motions throughout the day. Pick one motion an hour and go through 30 reps in a row – focusing on the intended muscle
• Frontal Press: Pectorals
• Overhead Press: Deltoids
• Triceps Extension: Triceps
• Bicep Curls: Biceps
• Leg Extension: Quads
• Leg Curl: Hamstrings
• Calf Raise: Calves

The Draw In Maneuver

Here’s why you should care about it;

* It allows you to build your core no matter what you are doing and when you are doing it
* Improves posture
* Reduces injury
* Uses muscles (thus working muscles aka burning calories and building bigger muscles)
* Keeps your physique on your mind making it harder for you to fall into lazy traps and make unhealthy decisions

So what is it?

Simply put, you suck your waist line (bully button) into your spinal cord while maintaining a proper breathing pattern. MAKE SURE TO BREATH NORMALLY!

While at your computer desk, watching television or in my abs class doing a reverse crunch - draw in!

Edamame

Edamame is nearly the complete opposite of an empty calorie or a food/liquid with no nutritional value. This nutritional powerhouse is full of protein (muscle building amino acids) and fiber with a low net carbohydrate count while fewer than 100 total calories!

An edamame is a soy bean. You can find them on the menu at most Japanese restaurants or now even in the organic frozen food section of grocery stores. Typically the soy beans come in a pod in which you have to pop them out to eat but some frozen food sections offer them out of the pod as well.

The following are some ways I eat edamame,
• As a snack with a sprinkle of sea salt
• Mixed in with my salads
• Sautéed with other beans and vegetables as a side dish

Edamame also makes a great night time snack.

Adherence

Time seems to be the underlying excuse as to why people skip workouts and are in bad shape. I’d be willing to bet that everyone has enough time; they’re just not choosing to make it.

I read a study the other day that found approximately 85% of people who just begin a new workout program drop off in the first six months, 85%! We wonder why us Americans have such an obesity problem.

I always knew it was tough for people just starting off but never realized how bad it actually was. The following are some tools I use with my clients to keep them into the game that you should consider if you are having a hard time maintaining a program;
• Think and visualize what you want. Write it down and put it some where you’re going to see it daily - pictures are extremely effective.
• Tell friends. Pick two positive influences in your life and tell them your goals - they will keep asking and you do not want to let them down
• Make time. For some of my really busy clients, I have them do six 10 minute workouts each day. Everyone has 10 minutes at some point.
• Understand that there are relapses. Life happens and you may miss a day or two but know that it’s normal. Respond as soon as possible.
• Consult with a professional. If you have no clue what to do, find a trainer and/or dietician who can help.

The more you put in, the more you will receive