Random Thoughts

1. Conditioning, GPP, fat-loss work, whatever you want to call it...it's all good. A really convenient and simple form that a lot of people like to do are incline, treadmill sprints. They are tough, fast and get the job done. But if you are an athlete or occasionally play in any sport, I definitely recommend that, if you are using treadmill sprints, that you also, at least once-a-week, do some real sprints. Because you're moving in that 80-90% range on the treadmill, you don't want your body to get it confused and think that's the speed you want to be going at all the time. Just make sure your body sees 100% at least once a week, even at a low volume of something like 100-150 yards. Hill sprints are great, especially for those who aren't in the right state to run an all-out sprint.

2. I finally got my auto-responder working right! Sign up on the right and check it out now!

3. The surefire way to know that you are in a intramural college weight room: The inordinate number of people quater-squatting under the notion that they're full squatting. You will never find as concentrated an area of delusional people as you will in a college weight room. Unless you are at a Lions home game (hometown cheap shot. Whoo!)

4. Try this bodyweight, isometric-based, body-weight workout from Joe Trinsey:

"A. 10 sec ISO squat
-20 sec rest
B. 10 sec left leg ISO Bulgarian Split Squat
-20 sec rest
C. 10 sec right leg ISO BSS
-20 sec rest
1:30 total time... repeat for a total of 5-6x through that circuit."

Try it with your bodyweight first, then think abut adding a dumbbell or weight vest. It's a really good workout for beginners, to help teach good firing patterns and build position, not to mention build some solid strength.

5. I am really hoping, for everybody, that this Stimulus Plan does something, and something soon.

6. In case you hadn't heard about it, Elliot Hulse had a great, FREE, online seminar last night on Ustream. Check out his website, Hulse Strength, to find out when the next one is. Also, check out his Gridiron Strongman DVD's, too. They are loaded, asbolutely loaded, with useful information and stuff you can use immediately.

7. If anyone else made the mistake of buying a SPARQ reaction ball 7 years ago (I confess!) when they were "misniformed", don't fret, I have found a use for it!...Self-myofascial release. Try it everywhere: Glutes, feet, RHOMBOIDS (holy sh*t!).

8. Check out the post below about Warp-Speed Fat Loss. It really is a great deal. If you are at all thinking about getting lean, don't miss it.

9. And I have a huge announcement to make. I don't think you're going to be hearing from me much more. I got an e-mail today letting me know I had won 5.4 million dollars, apparently for nothing, and it's being wired to my bank account as we speak. So, as I don't think I'll have Internet access in the Bahamas, this it for me. :-)

Deal or No Deal

OK, so I wasn't even planning on posting today, but then I heard through the grapevine that Alwyn Cosgrove and Mike Rousell were making one crazy offer on their "Warp-Speed Fat Loss" program (Good timing, too, since I seem to remember Spring Break is coming up kind of soon).

It goes something like this: They guarantee that you will lose 10 lbs. in the first 28 days on the program.

Now, that's awesome, but it's not even the best part. That would be that if you don't lose 10 lbs. in the first 28 days, they will refund your money PLUS $20.

So, you are looking at a win-win here. You either lose at least 10 lbs. (probably more truthfully) or you get paid $20.

Can you imagine what it will be like a month from now when everyone is at the pool or beach and you are laying out in the sun with a body you can be proud of?

Or can you imagine what it will be like a month from now when you'll be walking down the street, see an awesome T-shirt going for $20 and then purchase it, compliments of Cosgrove and Rousell?

Both sound good to me. Either way, do me a favor. If you or anyone else you know is interested in dropping some fat, check out the program.

Warp-Speed Fat Loss

If it's not for you, who cares? No big deal, you've got nothing to lose. And, don't forget to come back on Friday. I'll be making my second go ever at "Random Thoughts!"

The Witchless Witch-Hunt

While I am by no means saying steroids should be allowed in professional sports, I am definitely saying that the "witch-hunt" is a little ridiculous and even worse, doesn't make sense. This is from Marvin Miller, the MLBPA's founder:

"On the argument that steroids should be eliminated from the game because of health concerns: "Not one but two surgeons general have said that tobacco use is the worst cause of death in the United States that can be prevented--that we lose over 400,000 people a year to tobacco-related incidents and over time it runs into the millions. Yet not only do we not outlaw tobacco, but the U.S. Congress keeps giving subsidies to the tobacco industry and everybody sits back and smiles. On the other hand, there's not one single documented death from the use of steroids. So that's a hypocritical lie."

Why do people get so worked up over steroids? Why can't people get all riled up like they do for 'roids, but for tobacco? Or aclohol abuse? Or even aspirin (look it up, aspirin is pretty clearly more dangerous than steroids)?

On a side note, I just finished up my free article "5 Reasons You're Wasting Your Workouts". Yiu can get it by typing in your e-mail on the top right of your screen. Some good stuff there I've never spoken about. Check it out.

Lost in a Time-Warp

I want to talk for a second today about something that has nothing to do with training, but may be wasting your life, without you even realizing it. What is it? 

Something you're eating? Nope.

Something you're drinking? Nada.

Something in the air you're breathing? Clever, but no.

So, what is it? TELEVISION.

People today watch more television than ever before (look at this: Man Breaks TV-Watching Record). I'm  not even going to research the statistics, but if I recall right, if you're an American between 18-45, you're watching something like 4 1/2 hours of TV a day (if you're reading this blog, chances are you are not watching that much, but I guarantee your friends and family are). That is an all-out epidemic. 

Can you even imagine what it would be like to waste almost 20% of your day, and almost 40% of your waking hours sitting on a couch, accomplishing nothing? 

Do you have any idea what can be done with 4 1/2 hours a day? Heck, there's a book called "The Four-Hour Workweek", by Tim Ferriss. According to him, these people are spending a workweek, watching TV. An entire workweek, doing nothing, but watching a day's worth of TV.

Instead of getting lost in the time-warp that TV presents, you could be drawing up business plans, spending real time with your family (watching TV with them does not count. Come on!), reading (check out everything by Dale Carnegie, Malcolm Gladwell and Cormac McCarthy. That will keep you busy for a long time.) or even getting in a great training session (you know I couldn't resist). 

You could even be sleeping instead of tuning in. America is ridiculously sleep-deprived. There is no reason why you have to watch Chelsea and Conan before going to sleep. 

My point is this: If you find yourself watching TV for no reason other than it's something to do, check yourself. Get off the couch and out into to the real world. Make something happen.

Random Thoughts

Since it seems like every other blogger out there has been doing the "Random Thoughts" thing, I figured I may as well jump in on the act.

1. I know a lot of people will argue the point that "No one ever got fat eating a bunch of fruit," and while that may be true, I truly believe it can make someone dieting down to really low body-fat levels, fatter. Research backs it up, but more importantly in my mind, I've seen it, first-hand. I stay all year long in the 7-10% range. If I ever notice a gain in the mirror (by the way, I check myself out at least every 10 minutes, so I notice everything! :) ), it is almost always because I have been eating more fruit than normal. So, I cut it out, and things go back to normal. My advice to you is that if you are trying to get super-ripped, be weary of fructose (fruit).

2. Have you been reading Tony Gentilcore's blog over at the Boston Herald website? It's so funny, it's in the Entertainment section, not even the Health section. He's got a lot of good stuff to say, on top of his self-effacing humor. Plus, he's currently dieting on "Project Tony Gets Sexified", so he needs all the support he can get!

3. If you take care of your soft-tissue, your nagging pains will disappear. It's that simple. It's that incredible. People don't do it because it's boring, or because it doesn't make you HUGE or because it doesn't impress the ladies, blah, blah, blah. Do it. It takes maybe 10 minutes a day, which leaves you with 23 hours and 50 minutes a day of feeling good. I mean, I'm no financial expert, but I'm pretty sure that's one hell of an investment.

4. My new favorite upper back and shoulder health exercise:

Try holding it at the peak of the contraction for a 2-3 second count. Awesome stuff.

5. I know it's called The Vertical Jump Bible, but it is so much more than that. It will teach you almost everything you will ever need to know about training athletes for speed, power and strength. The damn thing is 250 pages long, it's not a book, it's a manuscript. Plus, it has enough programming to keep you going for years. If you haven't read it, I implore you. Really, I implore you. Find out more here: The Vertical Jump Bible.

6. If you've been trying to sign up for my FREE newsletter, complete with special tips and updates, you may have been experiencing some issues, as I've recently been alerted to. For now, while I figure it out, feel free to send me an e-mail at alexmaroko@gmail.com and I'll get you set up. Thanks for your patience.

And just like George Costanza always trying to to leave on a high note, I too will try to do the same. I'm out.

I've Gotta Disagree Here

"Vertical jump is a naked view into the workings of the neuromuscular system, and this is why it is regarded as such a reliable diagnostic tool for they identification of the ability to produce power. It too is limited in its ability to be improved through training. A kid with a 15" vertical will never have a 23", no matter what he does."

-Mark Rippetoe 

Let me preface my forthcoming rant with the notion that I am a big fan of Mark Rippetoe's, respect the hell out of him and have read everything he has out out there. That being said, I fully disagree with this quote, for two reasons.

First, I was a kid with a 14" vertical when I started training. I was almost 18 years old at the time and clearly, I was not "born" to be a basketball player, or an athlete in any power-related sport for that matter. Sure, I could run a 4:45 mile at that time, but that was never the type of athlete I wanted to be. I wanted to run fast and jump high. So, I went to work. And now, about a 19 months later, I have a 23" standing vertical (and a 30" running vertical). You can't just chalk that up to puberty, since I was already 18 when I started. This was a direct result of smart training and hard work.  

Second, the other thing I have a problem with is how Rippetoe states that a kid will never add 8" to his vertical, no matter what he does. That's dumb. I'm sorry, but it is. You can do almost anything you want to, given you are smart about it and have enough time. Going from a 15" vertical to a 23" vertical isn't even that hard to attain. To say it'll never happen is just pessimistic. 

If you want anything in this life, you have to believe in yourself that you can get it. You have to believe that you can do it. And if anyone out there thinks I'm BS'ing or not being realistic, e-mail me. I implore you to contact me. Heck, I'll train you online right now for free (something clients are currently paying for) and put 8" on your vertical. If I sound angry or over-passionate right now, I'm sorry, but it just burns me down deep to hear someone say that something is impossible. 

I'll have more to say on this later, but I feel it coming in an article sometime in the near future. I'll keep you posted on that (The easiest way for me to do that is for you to sign up for my free newsletter in the top right corner of your browser. Just put in your e-mail and once a week, you'll get updates, tips and other stuff that will directly and immediately impact you, your training and your life). 

Insulin and Dieting

Today is another Monday, which, of course, means it's time to talk hormones once again. I want to talk briefly about insulin and what it does (or by it not being there, what then happens) when you go on a low calorie/low-carbohydrate diet.

For starters, insulin is a hormone released by the pancreas. It's commonly referred to as the "storage hormone". When you eat any food with carbs and to a lesser extent, protein, insulin is released. It then works by moving the recently digested blood sugars into your cells. This is great for muscle building and protein synthesis. But it's also not so great because it will also set some storage aside in your fat cells.

OK, so now that we know the basics of insulin, let's cover what happens when you start limiting your carb intake and insulin isn't being released like it used to, when breads and cereals were the norm:

• When insulin is low, the "block" on fat mobilization is released and your body will now be a lot more apt to break down the fat from fat cells. This is the first step in burning fat and probably the most important in dropping fat. (1)
• With lowered insulin, testosterone is more likely to, and usually ends up, binding to SHBG (sex-hormone BINDING globulin). This will lower your free testosterone levels and your overall T levels. This is bad for a number of reasons, the main one being muscle catabolism. (1)
• Because insulin is the storage-hormone, it has superb anti-catabolic effects. Basically, you won't be losing muscle when insulin levels are elevated. But if insulin is low, you no longer have this impenetrable defense against muscle loss. 
• Cortisol will increase, which will lower testosterone and will increase protein breakdown and conversion of those proteins into glycogen in the liver. 
• Cortisol can also decrease the conversion of thyroid hormone T4 into T3, which will slow down your metabolism.

Now that the boring, science stuff is out of the way, let's recap what happens directly with insulin on a low-carb/low calorie diet. Your body will be more inclined to burn fat, but it will also be more inclined to break down your muscles. It can also grind your metabolism to a screeching halt and lower your positive hormone levels. 

Now, I am not saying all this to persuade you to think low-carb or low calorie diets are bad. They are not. They are probably the best way to lose fat. What I'm trying to point out is that dieting is very hard on your body, and for all intents and purposes, they suck. 

My advice is to never let yourself get too heavy. If you're always lean, you shouldn't ever have to worry about going on an extreme, arduous diet. If you do let weight get out of hand, then the road back to sexiness is going to be harder and longer. 

Cheat meals, bulking cycles and all-you-can eat buffets all have a time and place. The issues arises when that time is all the time and that place is your life.

1. McDonald, L. (2003) The Ultimate Diet 2.0