Constructing a Diet Plan, Part. 1

I've gotten a ton of requests to write up meal plans for various people lately. Since I can't really do that free of charge anymore (it wouldn't be fair to my paying clients) I decided to do the next best thing. 

There are a series of criteria and a step-by-step process I go through every time I design an eating plan or template for myself or for a client. For the sake of simplicity I won't disclose all of them here, but using myself as an example, here are some of the main ones: 

Main Metabolic Indicators

Metabolic Type: Slow Oxidizer, 

Parasympathetic Dominant

Blood Chemistry

Blood Type: A

Blood pH: ~6.2 over 7 days, indicating acidity

Zinc Tally: No Taste, indicating low zinc

     

 -----> From this data (which can be done easily at home) as well as other indicators that cannot be done without lab work, we can conclude that there is likely a disbiosis in gut ecology, which shapes our supplementation plan and allows us to emphasize certain foods in the meal plan. 

Goals: 

Maintain weight and fuel performance during a period of heavy training and high activity. 

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Now that we have an idea of the makeup of the athlete, we need to calculate the ideal macronutrient profile of each meal. 

Caloric intake calculations: 

4370 kcal/day. 

I use a formula that takes into account resting metabolic rate, the thermic affect of food, lean body mass and activity level as well as type of activity. It would take forever to type out here, but can be found here.

It's important to note that I don't count calories myself or recommend counting calories for experienced trainees. This is because energetic needs are different on a day to day basis and once you are healthy your body has a way of communicating it's needs very well. Thus, for experienced people these numbers simply serve as a guideline to shoot for. However, with those who are just starting out, I feel that it's important to count calories in order to make sure you are not over or under eating. I can't count the number of skinny guys who have told me "I eat all day long, until I'm stuffed!" But every time we go ahead and count out everything they are eating, the calories they are taking in wouldn't feed a starving pigeon. 

Macronutrient Ratios:

60 % Carbohydrate

25 % Protien

15 % Fat

When calculating these ratios we need to take into account Metabolic Type and activity level above all other things. This is the ratio I have simply found to work best for me, and it can be fine-tuned on a day-to-day basis. I have seen the ratio swing dramatically in the other direction as well, and no two people are equal. In fact, the ratio above is unlikely to work for a large majority of the population, since Slow Oxidizers don't generally exist in nature. Again, it is simply what works for me and my Metabolic Type. 

Now that we have the main indicators and guidelines for the makeup of the athlete, we need to figure out specifically what foods are best for their individual makeup, at what ratios, and what times of the day to emphasize them. We also need to cover their activity level, peri-workout nutrition, and supplementation. 

Part 2 will deal with selecting specific foods for each individual. 

Stay tuned!

- T

Awesome Article

I was going to write up a blog on my daily eating, but that's going to have to wait a day or two. It's more important that everyone go and read this article by Jason Ferruggia:

http://jasonferruggia.com/life-wasted/comment-page-1/#comment-2906

It really puts everything into perspective. One of my favorite articles to date. Check it out. 

My Favorite Single Leg Movement

Just a quick post today. 

Bulgarian Split Squats with a 3-5 second pause at the bottom have to be my favorite single leg movement, and in my opinion, maybe the best overall lift for athletes in general when done right. They open up the hips while really hitting the glutes. The glutes are the engine for an athlete - as Kelly Baggett says, "No glutes = no results." 

This is a video of mine from back in November hitting 135 x 5. My ultimate goal right now is 275 x 5 done properly and with a five second pause. 

Sex In A Dish

Over the last four or five months I can count on one hand the number of times I've eaten "cheat" food: 3. Once after a tough workout I went out for a couple pitas with my training partner. I went out for wings on my buddy's birthday, and wings again on my birthday back in may. Besides those three mishaps, my diet has been composed of 100% organic, whole foods: Free ranging meats, wild seafood, fresh raw fruits and vegetables, nuts, seeds, and some sprouted raw grains like buckwheat, quinoa and occasionally brown rice. While these foods have always made up the bulk of my diet, over the past few months I have gotten dramatically stricter with what I put into my body - that means cutting out the one or two times I'd go out to eat during the week before. 

Anyway, there came a time when I began to miss some of the "treat" foods that I had occasionally indulged in previously. So I began to come up with ways to re-create these treat foods, albeit in healthier ways. I've made everything from wings and nachos to cookies and ice cream, along with a number of other desserts. These recipes are made entirely from organic whole foods and truly taste way better than any of the versions made with chemical laden processed garbage. 

I am having a ton of fun re-creating all these different dishes, and I'm even toying with the idea of writing a cookbook to put them all in one place and share them with the masses. I figured I'd give you guys a sneak peek at one recipe you might find in the cookbook:

Chocolate-Coconut-Raspberry Pie (aka. Sex in a Dish):

These measurements are all very approximate, I personally don't measure anything anymore because I've gotten a feel for how much of each ingredient to put in. 

Crust:

3 Tbsp Coconut Oil

4 Tbsp Raw Cacao Powder

2 Cups Shredded Coconut

3 Tbsp Raw Agave 

Vanilla and Celtic Sea Salt to taste

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until they have formed a "batter." Spread evenly over pie dish. 

Filling:

1 "bowl" of fresh raspberries 

1 "bowl" of raw macadamia nuts

1 Tbsp Raw Cacao

1/2 Tbsp Raw Agave

Celtic Sea Salt to taste

Blend all ingredients together in a food processor until smooth. Scoop out evenly overtop pie crust. Top with shredded coconut if desired. 

Freeze overnight or eat right away, it doesn't matter at all. Personally I like it frozen. Just don't cook it! 

A simple, easy dessert free of chemicals and processed crap. Just 6 ingredients that pack a huge nutritional punch. I wouldn't suggest eating it every day, but for those times when you just need dessert, go ahead and indulge guilt free with some "sex in a dish." 

Put the Bottle Down - Alcohol and its affects on the human body

Personally, I don't drink. I've never had alcohol in my entire 19 year life, and I don't really plan on that changing anytime soon. I was recently asked "how that actually helps me be healthy." After wrapping my head around the fact that somebody could actually think that alcohol was healthy, I decided to get all my thoughts down on paper and share them with you guys, so that hopefully somebody will benefit. 

Have you ever wondered why very few people like the taste of alcohol the first time they try it? This is because the human body was not designed to consume alcohol. Carol Simontacchi's book, The Crazy Makers, states that Americans consume more than 37 gallons of alcoholic beverages PER PERSON each year in the United States. This means averages out to roughly one and a half cups per day. 

Alcohol has a very simple chemical structure and thus is absorbed very rapidly into the stomach and small intestine (this is also why it is often used as a carrier agent for medical drugs). When alcohol is metabolized in the liver, it dramatically stifles the liver's ability to produce energy. This means not only will you get a toxic, overloaded liver, but you will also be more prone to feeling rundown and low on energy. Also, because of the rate of absorption into the stomach and small intestine, alcohol has a roller-coaster affect blood sugar balance. This leads to a state of hypoglycemia, especially when one consumes alcohol on an empty stomach. 

Go into almost any restaurant in the world. If you are of age, the first thing they will offer is alcohol. Why? Hypoglycemia leads to a rapid blood sugar crash, which makes you hungrier when you order! In a society that consumes 37 gallons of alcohol per year, is it any wonder why we are rampant with health and weight problems? 

On top of this, when consumed around mealtime, alcohol is a blocking agent for the proper absorption of several vitamins and minerals. This means that even though you may be eating a very nutritious meal, the presence of alcohol significantly decreases the value of the meal. Finally, when alcohol is consumed without fat and protien to slow absorption, damage can be done to the wall of the small intestine. This is why alcohol consumption is a leading cause of leaky gut syndrome. 

Now, I know that almost no one reading this is about to give up drinking, and I'm not telling you to. There's no reason not to have fun and enjoy life, and if a night of drinking is what it takes to enjoy life, then go right ahead and do it. Just consider doing some "damage control" and taking these precautions:

1.) Avoid drinks containing sugar like coolers - these are complete crap and are full of chemicals that glow in the dark and that probably no one in the world can pronounce. 

2.) Watch what you are mixing your drinks with. A night of drinking becomes a lot more detrimental to your health once you mix a liter of Coke into all your drinks. 

3.) Consume drinks made from organic sources when available. 

4.) Try to avoid beer, as it is highly estrogenic. Stick to regular vodka, and mix it with something like water and lemon or water and lime. Red wine is also a better option than beer. However, don't be fooled into thinking it is healthy. Any health benefit from red wine is a result of the grapes that were used to make it, and even then, the Resveratrol (healthy compound in grapes/red wine) content is very, very small. 

5.) Consume alcohol in the presence of protien and fat to slow absorption. Nuts, avocado, coconut and free-range meats are all good options. You can even bring a small bag of raw nuts with you when you go out drinking to dampen the negative affect. 

6.) Practice moderation. 

I hope this article shed some light on the negative affects of alcohol, or at least gave some guidelines for a healthier night of drinking.

- T

 

Feel Better in Ten Minutes

"If you live your life the wrong way, at some point you'll end up in a cardiologist's office. If you live it the right way, at some point you'll end up in an orthopedic surgeon's office."

I guess I've been living my life the right way.

I've had my share of injuries over the years. I've experienced countless ankle sprains, breaks, shoulder pain, low back pain, neck pain, you name it. I even had arthroscopic surgery on my left hip last year to repair some impingement, a bone spur, and a labral tear. All before I turned 20. 

Funny thing is, if I knew then what do now, I wouldn't have had to go through all that pain because I'd have effectively programmed my training to bulletproof my body against possible injury. Then again, if I hadn't gone through all the pain and injuries, I wouldn't have learned what I am about to share with you now. 

I've probably done every single pre-habilitation modality known to man. Foam rolling, ART, mobility work, stretching, glute activation, low trap activation, thoracic spine spine mobility, lumbar spine anti-rotation, blah blah blah. You name it, I've programmed it into my training. With great results. I'm not here to tell you not to do these things, they are all extremely valuable, and future blog posts will touch upon each of them and more. 

However, within an all-encompassing pre-habilitation program there is one modality that I've seen increase my results (with regards to pain and injury prevention) over and over again. I do this series after each workout, and on off-days as well. It's a series of body weight isometric holds designed to teach proper position, while activating the right muscles (foot intrinsics, psoas, glutes, low traps, serratus anterior) and lengthening the muscles the impede proper activation. I got the original idea from Alex Vasquez of Evolutionary Athletics, before molding it into my own. It really only takes 5-10 minutes, and will really accelerate your injury prevention, movement efficiency and recovery. 

I do each hold for 30 seconds, but you can use a shorter or longer time if you want to. Move continuously and smoothly from each hold to the next. Keep a neutral spine throughout and emphasize glute activation, while spreading your toes to grip the ground. 

1.) Raise right foot into a psoas activation hold

2.) Pull right leg back out behind you into a single leg RDL position (hold bottom position)

3.) Lower right leg to the ground and assume a lunge position. Be sure to lengthen the right side hip flexor while squeezing both glute muscles. 

4.) Pull right foot in line with left and get into a deep squat position

5.) Rise up into a Goodmorning (hold bottom position), while simultaneously holding the top of a prone Y position with upper body.

6.) Keep goodmorning position with lower body while moving into a prone T position with upper body (hold top position of prone T)

7.) Maintain goodmorning, move arms towards hips while rolling shoulders down and back, squeezing shoulder blades together. This is the upper body position of a prone cobra hold.

8.) Move back down into a deep squat position

9.) Pull left leg back behind into a lunge

10.) Rise up onto right leg, pull left leg back into a single leg RDL hold

11.) Pull left leg forward into a psoas activation hold. 

12.) Move to the ground and assume the bottom of a pushup position. Use two elevated blocks for extra range of motion. Focus on squeezing shoulder blades together and pulling with the biceps to lengthen the pecs. Avoid anterior tilt of the shoulder - they should be held down and back the entire time. 

13.) Roll over into a yoga table pose.

You can also finish by lying on the ground and performing deep breathing into the chest for 5-10 minutes. Try a 5 second in - 5 second out tempo. This dramatically accelerates recovery by shifting your nervous system back into a para-sympathetic dominant state. 

When combined with a regular pre-habilitation program of myo-fascial release, stretching, mobility and activation work, this simple routine can greatly improve the way you feel and perform. Try it out after your next workout and let me know what you think. 

- T

Feed Your Cow Grass!

Take a casual stroll by your local supermarket's meat counter and you can quickly see pounds upon pounds of the bodybuilding staple foods: chicken, turkey, pork, and perhaps most popular of all, BEEF. If you're up to it, ask the butcher what his most popular cut of steak is, and he will most likely point to a "marbled" variety, a cut with lines of fat running throughout like veins. 
Now, I'm not here to tell you that fat is bad - quite the opposite. I'm not anti-fat at all. However, I'm going to go ahead and say that the fattiest cuts of commercially-farmed beef are likely the most unhealthy. In fact, those white lines of fat are a good indication that you are eating a sick animal, one that has been fed an unnatural diet of grains throughout it's lifetime. 
Let me explain.

A cow's natural diet is made up of grass. Cows are meant to roam free in fields, grazing on natural organic grass all day long. Commercial farmers of today have taken their animals off of this natural diet and placed them on a diet made up of grains. 

What's so bad about grains? 

According to grass-fed farmer John Wood, when a cow is fed grains, it's blood pH is shown to drop around pH 4. This is due to the acid balance of the starches ingested. Now, those with any basic knowledge in biology know that the body functions best with a pH of around 7 (in humans, this varies slightly, but that is a different topic for a different time). When a cow grazes on grass, it's pH will generally come back at 7. The bacteria that live at pH 4 cannot function at a pH of 7, so when a cow comes back with a pH of 7, it is much less likely to harbour harful bacteria in it's gut and will be quite healthier overall. Further, when a pH of 4 is found, bacteria grow rapidly, so the cow must be placed on anti-biotics to protect it's liver. All of these factors combine to create a very unhealthy cow. 

By now we all know the benefits of a proper omega 6:3 ratio within our body. Ratios can vary slightly between people, but generally a ratio of between 2:1 and 4:1 allows for optimal health. What is important to note is that cows who have been fed grass often have a ratio of 2:1. Some have even reported profiles better than 1:1. Compare this to a grain fed animal who averages a ratio of 20:1, and it's not too hard to see which cut of meat will be more nutritious. This is also why a cut of grass-fed steak will be naturally very lean when compared to a cut of commercial beef. You won't see nearly as much "marble" in a healthy animal. In a society that is overrun with inflammatory diseases, achieving a proper omega 6:3 ratio through diet is paramount. 

It is important to note that, as Paul Chek says, you can't get health from a sick animal. We are only as healthy as the foods we put in our body. If the animals we eat are weak, tired and sick, we become weak, tired and sick. When a grain fed animal lives off of cheap, highly processed starches as well as a hefty dose of antibiotics and becomes fat, what do you think we are ingesting through this animal? You got it - antibiotics and poor quality omega 6 fats. On top of this, many commercial meat vendors add sugar to their meat. What in the world is sugar doing in a steak? Well, not many people know this, but sugar is a highly addictive class 1 drug. On top of making the meat taste better, it has people coming back for more. This means more sales for the meat industry, and less sales for the local farmers who actually care about the animals they raise properly. It also means less health and more disease for people all over the world. 

Bottom line - stick with grass fed, free ranging meats and win the health race. 

Now, I know what you are thinking because I've been through it before - how in the world do I go about getting grass-fed beef when all my supermarket carries is grain fed? Luckily, getting your grass fed meats is much easier than you might think. A small amount of research on your local farmers and local farmers markets will provide you with many options to choose from. Personally, I live in Ontario Canada, and found my local farmer our in Baden, a fifteen minute drive from my house. I found him through this resource:

http://www.foodlink.ca/?first=3ef30af6d766b&second=447c8c7ff3a68

There are also many internet options that one can look into. For those in the United states, check out US Wellness Meats:

http://www.grasslandbeef.com/StoreFront.bok

I definitely suggest plugging your location into google along with the term "grass fed beef" and seeing what it comes up with. You can even find grass fed meats at your local Whole Foods market if you live near one. 
Take a look around. Grass fed beef is easy to find, and is well worth the effort. 

-T