Trainer Tuesday

Trainer Tuesday!

Even though we did not have a Client of the Month for July, your favorite Trainer has a pretty cool story. In the middle of March when he was getting a hard working client ready to step on stage, he stepped on the scale at 219lbs.

He then started a training program of workouts 6x/week.
Day 1: Lower Body
Day 2: Upper Body
Day 3: Sprint training
Day 4: rest
Day 5: Lower Body
Day 6: Upper Body
Day 7: Strongman training

During these workouts he set a personal best for Deadlifts(465lbs x3), Barbell Walking Lunges(185lbs x8), and Incline Chest Press(120lbs dumbbells x8). While making gains on his strength, he also improved his sprint speed and endurance using 3-mile run times (29:08 to 26:04).

Not only were the workouts stellar, but his high fat, moderate protein, low carb cycling meal plan was just what his body needed. In the middle of July he weighed 208lbs, his body fat % had decreased by 5%, and he's stronger and faster than in March.

High five your favorite Trainer when you see him. You've probably played a part in keeping him inspired.

McCohn Muscle Client of the Month- June 2014

Jess DelRe's journey with McCohn Muscle Training has been like the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy! It has been a 16 month journey that has included persistence, dedication, loyalty, patience, education, frustration, flexibility, focus, sacrifice, and good old fashion hard work.

Now you've probably heard several people say, "forget the scale. It doesn't mean anything." This is true in certain situations, but not all of them. The scale is a tool that tells a story. It also can be used to motivate people to make better decisions in the kitchen, and work harder in the gym. When Jess first started training, the scale said that she made some poor choices with nutrition, and was not spending quality time in the gym. By her own admission she lacked upper body strength, and from assessing her she also lacked core strength and cardiovascular endurance. So we attacked her training and nutrition with vigor. Training sessions 3x/week and homework on the weekends. Food journals were front and center every week. Jess did everything that was asked of her, however the scale was saying that there was not much change. So that dedication, focus, and sacrifice turned into frustration.

Anyone that knows me as a trainer knows that I have pride in what I do. I get results! So when someone is doing their part but isn't seeing results, it's a blow to my ego. A BIG blow. For a while, Jess DelRe was like the puzzle that could not be solved. Looking back on it now, it was just an obstacle we had to get through together. It required her to be flexible, me to educate myself more, and both of us to be patient.
After five months of training Jess lowered her body fat by 6.5% and improved her 1-mile run time by 4 minutes. She had also lost 8lbs, which isn't bad but we knew that more could be done. Jess began doing things she had never done before. Running 2-miles without stopping. Deadlifting and squatting over 100lbs in the same training session. Running 3-miles without stopping. Her performance was on another level. In the meantime I increased my service by generating meal plans courtesy of Evolution Nutrition. This was a game changer for Jess. She followed the plans to a T and the excess weight began coming off. Then Jess upped the ante. She wanted to get to a certain weight by her birthday at the end of May. Two weeks prior to her birthday we were 5lbs away from the goal. So we scrapped everything that had been working well, and implemented what I call the "Deadline Diet." Wouldn't you know......WE HIT THAT GOAL! I suppose I should add that she has lost a total of 23lbs and 12% body fat. This recognition of Jess DelRe is well deserved. It's also a testament to staying the course, even when it seems that what you're doing is not working. Great job Jess! Let's find another obstacle to knock down.

McCohn Muscle Client of the Month-May 2014

Mother, Wife, Leader, Doctor, Athlete, Yogi, Runner, Bike rider, Lifter, Coach, Nature Lover, Owner, Volunteer, Partner, Friend, Helper. Overall World Class Person. 

I heard her husband refer to her one time as the All American girl!

The first time I trained Dr. Laura Skaates she was already in phenomenal shape. Her vision was to be well prepared for the 2012 Arnold Classic Pump and Run. I gave her all types of tough exercises and high intensity movements and she took it all. It was easy to tell she had a competitive side.

What I did not know is that Laura is one of the most OUTSTANDING people on the face of this Earth. She is a young mother of three. I've had the privilege of training her two oldest and like her they are awesome people in their own respect. Her husband is one of the coolest guys in the world. She leads a healthy, good looking staff at Skaates Family Chiropractic on Cooper Rd. in Westerville. If you've ever been there you know what the atmosphere is like. Besides being a great business coach and client, Laura Skaates is an exceptional leader. If you've served in the US Army you've heard the expression, "Lead From the Front." That's what she does. She leads by setting the example; by showing more than talking which is becoming more uncommon nowadays.

She also has tremendous athleticism.

Insert inversion pic

She does stuff like this. Pull ups, box jumps, kettlebells, squats, sprints, balance and ab exercises; you name it, she can do it. Earlier this month Laura participated in the Cincinnati Flying Pig Pump and Run. For those that do not know, the Pump is bench pressing a certain percentage of your body weight as many times as you can. In Laura's case, 70lbs (we were training like it would be 85lbs for some reason). She pressed out 27 reps like a Boss. Wouldn't you know that 27 reps was the highest of any participant in the Pump and Run, male or female. Then her 5K RUN time was 25:30 which was 3rd best of all the female participants. So basically, SHE ROCKED IT! Funny thing is that she was still disappointed because her goal was 30 reps on bench press and a 24min 5K.

I guess that is how one sustains success though. 97% would be satisfied with finishing as the top performer at this event. She's not one of them. She's always keeping that competitive edge. So she possesses greatness because she uses it in everything that she does. Let's offer up some congratulations to Dr. Laura Skaates for all her success. She deserves it!

McCohn Muscle Client of the Month-April 2014

These ladies would make any trainer proud. They're perfect examples of hard work, sacrifice, and persistence. Their journey has not been easy by any stretch, but they are still enduring. And they are leaders that moms everywhere can admire.

Stacie "The Photographer" Bowers and Marta "Skull and Bones" Valente started #GutCheck BootCamp together on March 10th. Over the span of that month and a few days Stacie has dropped 7lbs and 3% body fat. She has done it the healthy way too. Not by skipping meals and doing excessive cardio, but by having healthy snacks in between her three main meals and consuming a nice balance of macronutrients (carbs, protein, fat).  She has shed over an inch off her waist and an inch from her hips. Stacie is also a regular participant at Skaates Family Chiro Pure Fitness class on Saturday morning. One of the coolest things about her in my opinion is she has 5 children. Five kids!!! And she stills make the time for her fitness and is outworking so many people. Quite the inspiration. Nice work Stacie!

Marta is a soccer mom for real. Her husband and children both love the sport. When she started #GutCheck BootCamp last month she did not have any exercise experience. Did you miss that? She had NEVER been to a gym before, but she was eager to make a change. Over her last month she has shed 6.5 lbs and lost over 2% body fat. She's made it to every 6am class which speaks volumes for someone that is not a "morning person." It's not just the exercising though, Marta is eating healthier than she ever has and drinking more water than she's used to. #GutCheck has just given her an avenue to continue to make many positive changes in her life.

All the hard work is paying off for them! You can make a change too. All you need is the right mindset and some unwavering commitment.

Let's stop calling HIIT "fat burning"

It tickles me when fitness professionals refer to high-intensity exercise as "fat burning." 

High intensity exercise burns calories; the fat is burned once the workout is over and the athlete partakes in a healthy nutrition plan that is very low on sugar and involves the proper calorie intake. 

HIIT(high intensity interval training) is a wildly popular way to exercise right now, and rightfully so. It's amazing benefits include boosting metabolic rate, high caloric burn, post workout after burn, and a serious endorphin high if you do it right. However, HIIT does not use body fat for energy, it uses carbohydrates, glycogen in the muscle, and ATP (adenosine triphosphate). Here is a brief explanation of why HIIT should not be referred to as "fat burning."

I’m going to be quick and try to use words that are simple as this is a science and the terminology can get kind of ridiculous.

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is intense, sometimes 100% given bouts of effort followed by short recovery periods. It gets the heart rate up and burns a high amount of calories in a short period of time.

Now the body has three main energy systems and manipulating these systems during sessions is a big part of my training style. They are phosphagen, glycolysis, and oxidative. At any given time all three systems are active but the contribution of each system during training depends on the intensity and duration of the activity.

The best example of the phosphagen system at work is watching a sprinter. OR during a boxing match when a boxer has his opponent on the ropes. The opponent is obviously hurt so the boxer gives everything he has in an effort to drop his opponent. There is no strategy here, just all out effort. This is how the “working” part of HIIT should be performed; with all out effort. Now you can only do this for a short period of time, and the body cannot rely on oxygen so it is therefore “anaerobic.” Now out of all the macronutrients ONLY CARBOHYDRATES can be used for energy if there is not involvement of oxygen. Your body prefers carbs as source of energy because they break down 30-40% faster than fat. Have you ever tried doing HIIT on an empty stomach? Doesn’t work out too well.

Glycolysis is the breakdown of carbs- whether it be glycogen in the muscle or sugar in the blood. For the most part this is the energy system we are using when we work out. We’re giving intense effort but it is not 100%, and most of us don’t train for hours so it’s not prolonged exercise.

Now the oxidative system is where FAT is burned (used for energy). Lower intensity exercise, steady state work for a prolonged period of time. This is when the body shifts from using carbs for energy to using fats and protein. Yes protein too, that’s why it’s not ideal for muscle building and preservation.

Dr. Len Kravitz, Ph.D. is a well respected exercise physiologist in the fitness industry. He performed a lab experiment that gave these results: 66% effort over X amount of time burned 219 calories, 35 Fat cals and 184 carb cals. 74% effort over X amount of time burned 249 calories, 30 Fat cals and 219 carb cals. 83% over X amount of time burned 275 calories, 22 Fat cals and 253 carb cals. 

So basically what I’m saying is HIIT burns a lot of calories and you will burn fat but it’s not until AFTER the actual exercising (E.P.O.C.), not during. And I’m annoyed with people calling HIIT fat burning, ESPECIALLY exercise professionals. They should know better. But we all know that all fitness pros are not created equal.

Ready. Set. HIIT it!!!

Arnold Classic athletes at Max Out Gym 2014

One problem compounded by another. Gorgeous MMA Felice Herrig and Quentin McCohn.

The Arnold Classic 2014 was undoubtedly one of the best ever. Even though I did not attend the expo or go to any of the competitions, I could follow the greatness through social media sites Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. One reason the urgency to go down to the Columbus Convention Center wasn't there for me is because Arnold Classic athletes were plentiful at Max Out Gym the entire weekend, thanks to LHGFX Fitness Model Photography.

Lee LHGFX kept fitness, figure, physique models and bodybuilders walking through the door all weekend. How about that job? Lee told me used to be a Personal Trainer and for seven years he was training 50+ hours a week. That's pretty impressive. Now he owns a business that travels city to city, and from beach to gym taking pictures of some of the most impressive bodies in the world.

See Michelle Lewin

There were almost a dozen others including WBFF Pro Ashley Hoffmann, Dana Bailey, and Marco Rivera. This was an exciting weekend to be a member, trainer, worker, or owner at Max Out Gym Columbus. There may be one more athlete coming. Stay tuned...........

February/March McCohn Muscle Client of the Month

How about a little pre-natal recognition!

Maternal fitness: "Women that perform regular weight bearing exercise throughout their pregnancy maintain a leaner body composition that their sedentary counterparts."

Nichole, on the left, is currently at 6 months. Katie Bird, right, is 7 1/2 months. They have gained less than 20lbs combined.

Both ladies have gained upper strength during their pregnancies also.

It is an honor being a Personal Trainer because people entrust you with their bodies. So there is probably no higher honor than to train a woman that holds a growing baby in hers. Every week these ladies are in the gym getting it. They are not just walking on the treadmill either. They train their cardiovascular system on the treadmill, Arc Trainer, and in rare cases the StairMaster. They squat, change levels with step ups, and change direction with lateral movements. Incline bench press for stronger chest and shoulders. Low rows to strengthen back and assist better posture. They also do lots of shoulder, biceps, and tricep exercises with cables, bands, and dumbbells. 

You will never see them lifting heavy objects directly over their head or performing exercises laying flat on their back. 

Training pregnant women is a challenge as they report a high incidence of low-back pain, increased incidence of strains and sprains, and their balance may be affected by changes in posture, increasing risk of tripping and loss of balance. As long as they are aware of these things, and work with a fitness pro that is competent to provide safe and effective exercise programs for them, they will be a billboard for HEALTHY PREGNANCY and healthy lifestyle after the birth.

Katie told a brief story the other day of how she moved some furniture around while her husband was at work. He came home and saw the room change and got mad at her. She probably should have not done anything, but how empowering it must feel to know that she can!

We haven't made a post in over a month now.  If you've been checking regularly, we apologize for the lack of updates. McCohn Muscle Training will continue to strengthen our relationship with the community through social media, and outdoor/indoor activities. Be on the lookout. Our website is updated and live right now: www.mccohnmuscle.com