You are what you eat!

Somewhere along the line everyone has heard this quote at some point or another. I'm starting to see the truth behind it, and who ever coined it should be making millions off of royalties.

In the past few insertions of the intern blog, I covered more of the workout side of things, which is proving complicated in itself what with all the drop sets, clusters, rest/pause etc. All these complex periodizations are extremely useful and beneficial to athletes. But what good is a personally designed workout program without a coinciding nutrition plan? The answer......simply not good! It's comparable to having a high output V8 with no gas. IT JUST WON'T WORK!

Good nutrition is essential to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. This is why SST offers nutrition talks with each of its athletes. Firstly, we obtain a record of what the athlete is currently eating. This provides a good base upon which to build and direct proper construction. A nutrition program is created and tailored to the athletes' specific needs. Whether the athlete wants to lean up or stack on the pounds, supplements and nutrient intake are adjusted accordingly.

I followed a caveman diet for 14 days. Why eat like a caveman you ask? Cavemen did not have access to doughnuts, bread , potato chips and pop; all the things which are making our society obese. This diet is rather easy to follow. If you are not sure about something, simply ask yourself “did cavemen have access to this? If they did than you can eat it. For example, did they have access to fish? Yes they did. Did they have access to grapes? Yes they did. How bout twinkies? Nope, so you don't eat it, pretty easy in my opinion.

Along with this diet I started myself on fish oils. A supplement that I've learned is beneficial to everyone. So what did this caveman diet and fish oil supplementation get me? On my first day at SST I was 215 lbs. After 3 weeks of following the diet and fish oil dosage of 15-20 grams per day I'm proud to say that I am now a leaner 204 lbs.

Eating bbq chicken, steaks, grilled salmon stuffed green peppers, grilled zucchini, eggs and cottage cheese doesn't sound like dieting to me. If this menu of items keeps leaning me out consider myself sold!

-Brian Mangaroo - May 12, 2008

Round 3

Testing……1………2………..testing……is this thing on? That is the name of the game here recently at SST. During the cold winter months varying teams come to SST for off season training. Whether it is soccer, baseball, volleyball or football it doesn’t matter, results is what these athletes are after.

Testing an athlete’s athletic ability seems like an easy enough task to undertake. I was thinking that we would take their height, weight, body fat, then test their bench press, squat and maybe chin ups right,  WRONG! The level of involvement and detail required to properly assess an athlete is paramount. The process requires an incredibly educated eye.
           
Assessments usually begin with a basic dynamic warm-up, followed by the klatt test. This involves the athlete stepping off a low box approximately 12 inches off the ground and landing on one foot. This test identifies any weaknesses, inhibitions or tightness in the muscles of the knee, hip, pelvis and lower back. Upon landing you must look for any involuntary movements, such as the knee buckling or a small hop forward. Each involuntary movement identifies a different problem. Picking up on these movements can be difficult at first but becomes easier over time, so I’ve been told!

What’s the point you ask? Initial assessments give the trainers a good baseline upon which to build the individual’s program. After identifying weak spots, exercises and periodizations can be selected strategically. Also, after identifying those initial weaknesses, this testing protocol allows SST to analyze whether or not the program selected is working efficiently. If results are not progressing, other methods are applied.   

This type of personalization is what makes SST stand above the rest. There is no basic template here which is handed to everyone. All athletes are different; therefore their programs should be different. After all, if everyone is unique in their own way, they should be treated as such!

- Brian Mangaroo - April 23, 2008

Round 2

Last week I discussed the initial feelings and impressions I felt during my first couple weeks here at SST. I mentioned being overwhelmed and overloaded with information; nothing has changed. Each day brings about new information and opinions on varying topics.

I havefound that researching any suggestions you might hear, no matter the source, is extremely important in filtering the truth from the BS. For example, all my life I have heard that weights should not be lifted until the age of 16 when the body is fully developed. Old adages of weight lifting will stunt your growth causing you to never be over 5 feet tall. If this were true, would not everyone be 5 feet tall. How many times as a kid did your parents have you lifting stuff around the house or in the yard, lugging groceries and garbage bags? If proof is truly in the pudding simply ask the terminator himself. Arnold Schwarzenegger started lifting heavy weights at the age of 13 and he is Six Foot Two.

As time rolls on my shaky base of knowledge is ever expanding. Last week we had our intern exam. Excluding everything else going on in my life I thought I had a fair amount of time to prepare. However, once under the gun the questions kept coming but the answers were out to lunch. Even the simple things such as warm-up stretches were drawing blanks. Flipping through the written test was intimidating. 60+ questions requiring detailed explanations such as daily dosages and timing for vitamins and supplements. Much of the questions requested information that I have not yet attained. I am beginning to realize just how deep the rabbit hole is and I believe the answer is infinite.

-Brian Mangaroo - April 15, 2008

The Rabbit Hole

I became interested in weight lifting during my high school days at Notre Dame when they offered a weight training class for the first time in grade twelve. At first, I picked up the class because it sounded more interesting an elective than wood shop. During the next four months I learned very basic exercises such as the bench press, rows, pushups, squats and arm curls and how to ride a stationary bike (complicated I know). But that was it! I saw gains in size and strength leading to my continued interest in resistance training.

My interest grew during university. Having enrolled in anatomy, nutrition and physiology classes, my related knowledge was expanding. Articles and magazines on training became the norm. I was searching for a quicker way to see gains. Needless to say I thought I had a good handle on exercise and nutrition.

My first phone call to SST for an interview was challenging. I was questioned immediately regarding diet and how to engage an athlete who is slacking; I was unprepared to answer such questions during the initial phone call but it did present a challenge and got me thinking. Trial by fire seems to be the theme at SST; although intimidating at times, it does engage the thought process, requiring one to think quickly. The interview had me breaking a sweat as I was required to demonstrate such things as knowledge of exercise technique. Technique alone is not sufficient; there must be reason and research behind it.

SST brings about many aspects to which I was unfamiliar with. I was under the impression that high reps meant toning and low reps with heavy weight meant mass gains. I was quickly introduced to new ideas such as: tri-sets, drop-sets, rest-pause, clusters, undulating and conjugate programs. I was completely overwhelmed and overloaded with information. The wealth of knowledge here seems never-ending. Every new day brings the feeling of being in class for the first time in university, a clean slate waiting to be filled. Having been at SST for over a month now, I am starting to see just how deep the rabbit hole goes!

- Brian Mangaroo - April 4, 2008