Monday, March 31, 2008

Crap Trainers, Reality Checks, and Philosophy

There seems to be general confusion about what constitutes a good "trainer" these days. I can't begin to tell you how frustrated I get with mis-informed trainers. Well, at least the ones who are not open or receptive to new ideas.

Reality Check: A Large amount of personal trainers are crap. It's true, and that may be the reason a lot of them struggle to make a decent income. Anybody can make anyone else sweat or work hard. Hell, you can make me push myself till you have to wipe me up off the floor.

But what does it really solve?

I'll tell you: nothing. Trainers need to educate themselves on an on-going basis, never stopping, never being satisfied. We need to train people effectively to reach their results the fastest, reduce the chance of injury, and allow them the fastest recovery to help expedite the process.

Anything a trainer makes you do you should ask "why?". If they don't have an educated answer, then you need to find a new trainer. Their rationalized opinion doesn't count either. It should be an exercise that's relevant to your condition, your needs, and your goals--if it's not, then you may be wasting your time.

If someone is a functional guy, or a bodybuilder, or a muscle building guy that's fine. But if someone only stays in the confines of that philosophy, then you are pretty much screwed.

If all you have is a hammer, then everything becomes a nail

You must find training tools that are relevant to the task and best fitted to get you to your goals the fastest. If you subscribe to one philosophy you're limiting your potential to do great things.

Find an intelligent trainer who takes your health and well-being as seriously as you do. A quality trainer deserves to be paid high dollars because we can change your body and self-confidence permanently. If you are blowing your money on a mis-informed and bitter trainer, then do yourself a favor and find someone who knows what the hell they are doing.

*steps off soapbox*
:)

--
Ryan
e: ryan.patrick@yahoo.com

Andrea
e: andrea.behling@yahoo.com

How to Improvise

You don't need a large fancy gym with a towel service.

You don't need much equipment.

You just need to have DESIRE to workout and DESIRE to overcome the the situation.

This is just one drastic example of how you can make it to your goals even in the face of adversity. I



Next time you want to miss your workouts because of "excuses", to what heights will you push yourself?


--
Ryan
e:ryan.patrick@yahoo.com

Andrea
e: andrea.behling@yahoo.com

Sunday, March 30, 2008

A little from yours truly





--
Ryan
e: ryan.patrick@yahoo.com

Andrea
e: andrea.behling@yahoo.com

PPT Athlete

We're moving another component of this blog to Check it out: http://pptathlete.blogspot.com
It's going to cater to more of the performance specific crowd: athletes and law enforcement and even bodybuilding.

Check it out: PPT Athlete

--
Ryan
e: ryan.patrick@yahoo.com

Andrea
e: andrea.behling@yahoo.com

Friday, March 28, 2008

5 habits EVERYONE needs to adopt!

1. Sleep 8 hours a night
Adequate sleep provides the necessary time for muscle recovery. If sleep is not a priority, you could be inhibiting your chances of reaching any fitness goals! Sleep deprivation affects your mood, energy, concentration, and efficiency.

2. Drink at least 1 gallon of water a day
Water aides in digestion and absorption of food. It also regulates body temperature and blood circulation, carries nutrients and oxygen to cells, and removes toxins and other wastes. Drinking water throughout the day can also help distract you from feeling hungry.

3. Plan 2 days a week to cook
Preparation is key! If your food is cooked ahead of time you won't have any excuses for not eating clean.

4. Organize all meals into Tupperware containers
Go one step further, at night organize each meal and measure out the appropriate portions for the next day. Having your meals in containers ready to go, is the most efficient way to ensure clean eating throughout the day.

5. Create a workout program
Determine what your goals are, do you want strength, fat loss, hypertrophy, endurance, etc? Creating a set lifting program will put you on the right path for success. What if you don't know how to formulate a program? Ask a fitness professional or hire a personal trainer. Having a professional create your program is the best option! It takes all the confusion and guesswork away from you!

=)
Andrea
e: Andrea.Behling@yahoo.com

Ryan Patick
e: Ryan.Patrick@yahoo.com

Thursday, March 27, 2008

5 Minute Muscle

2 scoops of protein powder, I recommend Beverly International's Ultimate Muscle Protein or Biotest's Metabolic Drive
1/2-3/4 cup of oatmeal
1-2 TBS of Peanut Butter
Add enough water or Hood Low Calorie Chocolate Beverage to make into a pudding consistency

1 cup plain yogurt
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1oz walnuts or almonds
Cinnamon, to taste
Splenda, to taste
*optional: 1-2 TBS of Flax Seed Meal

When preparing chicken, try this:
Using a brush, glaze the chicken with olive oil and the blend below
Fresh finely chopped basil
Oregano
Rosemary
A few turns of cracked pepper
Pinch of red pepper
Aged Parmesan Cheese

--
Ryan Patrick
e: ryan.patrick@yahoo.com

Andrea Behling
e: andrea.behling@yahoo.com

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Pictures

Fat Loss Facts

This week I have been listening to some presentations from some of the top fitness professionals in the industry.

One comment was made that stuck in my head and has been floating around ever since regarding fat loss.

Alwyn Cosgrove said that fat loss is simple...but it isn't easy.

It's one of those moments when the light bulb goes off. We know the physiology behind fat loss and how to get there the fastest, it's pretty cut and dry.

Although it is simple, it requires a lot of effort and directed attention. A "con" for the general public, if you will.

I know I can get anyone into the best shape they desire as fast as possible, but it's whether or not they want to commit to the efforts.

Do your actions match your goals? Everything you eat, every time you exercise is an opportunity to improve yourself.

So make the most of it...

--
Ryan Patrick
e: ryan.patrick@yahoo.com

Andrea Behling
e: andrea.behling@yahoo.com

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

23/1 Rule

You spend roughly 23 hours per day outside of the weight room and maybe one hour inside.

We can do all the corrective training in the world during our 1 hour session, but if you don't change your habits outside of the gym then the efforts can be very fruitless.

In my best cases, I'll see clients for 3 hours a week, thats 165 hours per week they have to mess their posture up versus the 3 hours I spend with them attempting to fix it.

If you have a forward head posture, and 90-95% of people do to some degree, find lifestyle habits that will complement your efforts in the gym.

-take periodic breaks when sitting; roughly get up to walk around every 15-20 minutes
-sit tall, and put the monitor at a position where you don't have to look down at it
-a stand up desk :)
-stretch your pecs, lats, levator scapula on a regular basis

It takes little time and can make a huge difference in your life, beyond just looking normal

--

Ryan Patrick
e: ryan.patrick@yahoo.com

Andrea Behling
e: andrea.behling@yahoo.com

Monday, March 24, 2008

Q & A Session

Q: How do I gain muscle?



A: It varies greatly on the individual, and such a simple question can be quite loaded. There will always be the guy who seems to get "jacked" in spite of anything he does or eats. On the flip side, you'll see guys who seem to be at odds no matter how much they eat or lift.

What I can tell you is that you need quality nutrition throughout the day to promote muscle growth (assuming your training is on track). Your body taps into amino acid pools when it needs them, not when you eat. If you don't have AA readily available then you're body will eat muscle. So make sure you have periodic feedings with lean protein as a staple of your meals.

Next, be sure to include high quality fats and carbohydrates. For those on the go, cashews, almonds and various other nuts provide a great amount of calories without really killing your appetite the rest of the day. You can "sneak" fat calories into many dishes without noticing too much difference in volume of food consumption. Substitute whole eggs for egg whites, add olive oil to chicken dishes or salads, and use high calorie snacks such as nuts (or trail mix depending on how much muscle you need).

One of the basic rules is more weight to bar and more food to the plate, stick with this and you'll have much more muscle mass in the long run.

More to come on this later this week...


--
Yours in health,

Ryan Patrick
e: ryan.patrick@yahoo.com

Andrea Behling
e: andrea.behling@yahoo.com

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Patrick Peformance in the media

Andrea made a nice appearance on T-nation in this picture. Testosterone Nation/Muscle with Attitude (Female oriented sister site) is one of the best fitness oriented sites on the internet!!!

We're so proud of her!

http://www.musclewithattitude.com/physClinViewAll.jsp?s=readTopic
She's on page 11 of "tropicalshoes"


--

Ryan Patrick
e: ryan.patrick@yahoo.com

Andrea Behling
e: andrea.behling@yahoo.com

MUST SEE pictures from the show...

Andrea placed 4th in the Northern Kentucky Bodybuilding and Figure Championships. Here are some great pictures from Saturday night:










--
Yours in health,

Ryan Patrick
e: ryan.patrick@yahoo.com

Andrea Behling
e: andrea.behling@yahoo.com

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Woo Hoo

Just got back from the show, yes it's a late 2:00 a.m. after the standard post-contest binge and tan wash-off! Andrea did amazing coming in 4th place in an extremely tough figure division!

We're talking 250+ competitors with no cross-overs. If you aren't familiar people often compete in a Novice division and then "cross-over" to the Open Division, which is the real deal.

In only her second show Andrea braved the open girls at one of the most competitive regional shows in the NATION...this show is nearly the size of some of the national level shows!

Somehow I get to eat a lot of junk food out of it too :)

--
Ryan Patrick
e: ryan.patrick@yahoo.com

Andrea Behling
e: andrea.behling@yahoo.com

Thursday, March 20, 2008

Pre-contest Pump Up

Hello everyone, hope everything is going great and you're all following your diets and workouts!

We've got some exciting news to share... well, first of all I've been a role player all week making sure my girlfriend can go on auto-pilot into her second figure show!

She looks AMAZING and we think she's going to do awesome!

In other news, we've got two girls who just started on their contest prep and you wouldn't believe the transformation one of them has made in just 2 short weeks! Unbelievable...

Pretty soon we hope to have one bodybuilder getting prepped for his first show (looking in August or September).

Stay tuned as we'll have some pics from before and after the show. Oh yea, it's the Northern Kentucky Bodybuilding Championships by the way.

Break a leg.
--
Yours in health,

Ryan Patrick
e: ryan.patrick@yahoo.com

Andrea Behling
e: andrea.behling@yahoo.com

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Stand UP

I've recently switched to a stand up desk. That's right! No more sitting for this guy. I believe this is going to be a more common phenomenon.

When you sit all day--and most do sit for the typical 9-to-5'er--you eventually slouch, bent over at your desk working hard.

This hunchback posture can eventually get stuck in place. No, it's not the same as your mom always saying if you cross your eyes they'll stay that way.

Soft tissue actually "creeps" as you sit in a fixed position for an extended period of time. Over time you can develop a kyphotic curve in your spine resembling quasimoto:



A stand up desk gives you the freedom to stay in a upright posture. Personally, this has drastically improved my attention and efficiency when I work on projects.

I'm still new to this, but I can say the only drawback is getting used to the standing duration--think arriving late to Christmas Eve Mass and standing in the back.

Well, I suppose it looks like I'm standing at a urinal too when people walk into my room too. This past week I have noticed the standing became less of a problem. Right now I've got the white trash stand up desk--a normal desk on propped up on blocks. Soon I may purchase a real one.

Do your posture a favor and remember whatever you do in the gym for an hour, you have 23 hours to mess it up. Make those 23 help you instead of limit you.

Do work.

--
Ryan
e:ryan.patrick@yahoo.com

If this doesn't make you get off your ass, nothing will!



Off to workout...

--
Ryan
e: ryan.patrick@yahoo.com

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Macgyver Workouts...On the GO!

Q: What do I do when I'm on the road and don't have access to a gym?

A: Do what Macgyver would...get creative and figure something out. No, you don't need a shoelace, straw, and bar coaster to solve this puzzle. There are all sorts of bodyweight variations that you can do with even the smallest amount of space.

-Bodyweight Squats
-Planks, Side Planks
-Push-ups
-Step ups on a chair
-Lunges in all directions


Macgyver says, "Of course I do bodyweight squats."


...and that's just the beginning, way more progressions follow. So Macgyver your workout when you're on the go and you can still keep up with your fat loss. IF you're more advanced you can have nice feeder workouts that will stimulate your metabolism if you're trying to gain some muscle--how many can do a one handed push-up, or multiple sets of high rep chin-ups?

Be creative, there are endless resources out there that you can use to find bodyweight exercises that fit your needs when you're on the go.

--

Ryan
ryan.patrick@yahoo.com

Fat Loss Plateuas

1. Calorie deficit is king when it comes to fat loss, but it is absolutely not the ONLY variable that should be manipulated. At some point cutting calories is futile.
2. Fat loss isn't a mystery. The Hawaii chair, thigh-master, (insert random fad device) didn't last because they didn't produce real results. Quality programming intentionally implemented is how it should be approached.
3. Calorie deficits--not always dieting. You can increase your energy expenditure (more exercise)
4. If you aren't losing weight, you aren't in a calorie deficit anymore.
5. Exercise + Proper Nutrition = Results; the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts. Don't leave home without either one.

--
Ryan
e:ryan.patrick@yahoo.com

Needs vs. Wants

Many people want certain results from their training--arms like Cameron Diaz, for example--but in many cases what they need is postural makeover or improved movement patterns. Now all that sounds boring compared to Cameron's arms, even to a nerd like me!


Coaching comes into play because people cannot always "self-assess" very objectively. Even I have a difficult time observing what I need and therefore have other qualified coaches oversee my programs and diet to make sure it aligns with what I need. There can be harmony between your needs and wants in a single program, and an educated coach can provide that perfect blend. Let's say you want fat-loss; that goal can easily be achieved while "patching" up a few other problems you may have. Find a coach who has substantial knowledge and can help ensure you make continuous progress.

--
Ryan
e: ryan.patrick@yahoo.com

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

A Testimonial

Ryan Patrick is a powerhouse of fitness and health.

In the time Ryan has been my trainer, I have gained incredible muscle tone and strength. With his guidance, I improved my nutrition and eating habits, and increased my self-confidence ten fold!

When I started working out with Ryan, my fitness level was embarrassing. I was intimated to be in the gym, but he assured me on day one that I would get fit. He was right. Not only would I get fit, I would be in the best shape of my life in just months!

Now, I’m stronger than I have ever been and friends are noticing. My chest is finally bigger than my waist and my arms and legs are getting bigger and leaner each week! In just a few more weeks, I anticipate seeing a six pack where my beer depository used to be!!

My commitment to getting fit brought me to the gym, but Ryan kept me there. He has been a coach, an accountability partner, a nutritionist, a therapist, and most importantly an inspiration. Ryan is passionate about fitness and training, and this passion is contagious.

If you are considering hiring a trainer, you must hire mine. My confidence is at an all time high and the mental and physical improvements keep coming!

Ryan is also a tireless coach. He will provide you with mountains of feedback, encouragement, and instruction.

I consider him my personal partner in good health, and could not be more proud to recommend him to you!
-Troy Johnson


And wouldn't you love to have a testimonial like that? To be someone who has changed their look and their self-confidence about themselves? You can be...Memorial day is 12 weeks away: enough time to make significant changes and unveil your new body to the world on the un-offical start of summer. Subscribe to our newsletter and tell your friends and family to subscribe!

--
Ryan