Fat Loss – Body Transformation – Advanced Nutrition

I have a reputation of telling it how it is when it comes to changing the body and losing weight. With that reputation has come the accompanying reputation of being “very hardcore” and I’ve had clients that have told me that initially, they were afraid to contact me.

While I could probably bring in many more clients if I posted about how they could drastically change everything about their lives without following a nutritional strategy and by exercising as little as 15 minutes per day, I’d kick my own ass if I ever typed anything like that. I am well aware that we are in an immediate gratification society. I know people are always looking for the quick fix and the easy way out.

You want a real fitness secret? Do you want the holy grail of fat loss? Here it is: be ready to absolutely work your ass off. Everything you do had better be based on the premise of hard work. There is no easy way, there’s no shortcut. If that is what you’re looking for, then you may want to exit now and keep wasting your time, money and effort on $20 hour personal trainers, worthless supplements and exercise gadgets and the next modern miracle of fat loss.

Once you grasp that making a drastic change takes hard work, then you’re light years ahead of most other people who think they are serious about making the change. It’s not impossible. Hell, after a few weeks you’ll be amazed at what intensity, discipline, effort and consistency can do. That’s why I hold every one of my clients accountable and push them harder than they have ever been pushed – not just for the sake of pushing them, but to help them get better.

This blog is here to educate. You can read the training and nutritional articles all day and have a very solid grasp on what it takes to change your body, lose fat and begin looking better immediately. I put even more effort in educating my clients and really getting specific in their programs as they get closer to goals or set new ones. As the body develops new strengths, it also develops new needs, and I take pride in the ability that I know how to help clients to make adjustments to continuously make progress.

I hear it day in and day out: “I love the way I look, I love the way I feel, and while it seemed like it was torture, it also seems like time flew by.” While they’re going through it? It’s hard damn work. But for some really odd reason, they actually begin to like it (eh Michelle, Ruth?)

Again: Discipline. Effort. Consistency. Intensity. Education. Accountability.

These 6 things are crucial to changing the body, and they’re the core of my personal training programs and are what I instill in each and every client. Unfortunately, the biggest mistake people make is that they don’t have these 6 things in check. They either lack the discipline to eat what they need to eat and stay consistent. They won’t put forth the necessary effort to be prepared. They don’t push themselves with intensity to force change, or they simply don’t know what to do (it’s not about simply moving around from station to station, everything has a purpose).

Progression does not “just” happen, it must be FORCED!

Boyd Myers
Personal Trainer in San Antonio
Owner, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Rd (corner of Huebner and Bitters)
210.391.1454

While much of the articles I write and posts that I make target those that have become sedentary and are thinking about losing weight and changing their bodies, there’s another demographic that comprises many of the people that contact me about my personal training services: those who have been exercising for years and feel as if they’re spinning their wheels, not making progress.

So many people believe that drastically changing the body and/or performing at a high level is just a case of exercising more and potentially eating less. Of course, the initial response to any exercise is the body’s adaptive abilities, so initially, everyone makes some amount of progress. Unfortunately, most people fell to understand that they must change things up and give the body a new stimulus to adapt to.

Others are following a program they saw work well for someone else, and can’t figure out why they aren’t making that same type of progress. They’re ignoring the Principle of Individual Differences (we’re all different) and just keep waiting for it to work.

There are many reasons why people exercise and put forth the effort, but become frustrated or discouraged when they aren’t seeing the fruits of their labor. It’s not easy – while working out does stimulate the body and is a great stress reliever, most people are ultimately after physical improvements that seem to be very evasive for most.

As a Master Fitness Trainer with over 14 years of personal training experience, I am an expert at identifying the limiting factors of most training programs. At no point do I feel overwhelmed by any task when it comes to training a specific client. I’m not the “average Joe” that simply took a certification and started calling myself a personal fitness trainer. I’ve trained individuals from all walks of life, from stay at home mothers to numerous professional athletes, dancers, models, actresses, and every type of “hard case” you can imagine – nobody is beyond assistance!

So many of my clients come in with extensive exercise experience, but still make progress like my clients that come in with absolutely no background in fitness or training. Even better, my regular modifications to every aspect of a client’s program allow my clients to keep making progress, and to help them shatter whatever glass ceilings they’ve imposed on themselves.

Don’t put forth the effort and fall into the mindset that you’re just not able to look a certain way. The only physical limits that we have are those created in our minds. Definition, defined muscles, and looking like someone who exercises and has discipline is reachable for absolutely anyone, no matter how far away that may seem to you right now.

If you’re content with exercising and not seeing results, then I’m not the personal trainer for you. But if you want to get out what you put in, feel free to contact me to discuss your situation.

Boyd Myers
Personal Trainer in San Antonio
Owner, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Rd (corner of Huebner and Bitters)
210.391.1454

Hey San Antonio,

I just wanted to take a few seconds to recognize a few of my amazing clients!

Sarah is 6 weeks out from her figure competition in which I do believe she will win and obtain her professional card as a figure competitor. Her work ethic is like few I’ve ever dealt with and while she is competing for the ability to obtain professional status, that is NOT her full time job: her corporate job contains her for 12-14 hours per day minimum, yet, she makes time to do what is necessary from both the nutritional and diet standpoint. She’s a perfect example of what hard work and consistency can do. While many people don’t train with the goal of competing, if someone with her schedule is able to do that, anyone can train to get to where they want to be physically.

Andy and Chade have worked with me for some time now, and they continue to make progress. I’ve bragged about these two guys for a while now with good reason: they’re business owners that put in a ton of effort in their highly successful business, yet, make the time to invest in themselves and that has turned in to more than 100 combined pounds lost and a total transformation of their bodies: from soft guts to visible, defined abs! More than 10″ off of each of their abdominal circumferences with every body part defined and conditioned – absolutely amazing progress and I’m happy every time I see them because they are perfect examples of what drastic changes are possible.

Catherine has only been training with me for a short while, but she is obsessed with making a drastic change and is willing to take whatever I dish out. She told me Tuesday was the hardest workout that she had ever done – that although she felt that I was trying to make her cry (and/or quit) that there was NO WAY she was going to “give me the satisfaction”. I recognize her desire to drastically change. Catherine, I am not trying to make you cry: I’m going to make you BETTER! I have no doubt that quitting is not an option for you.

For those that think it’s too late to change? Tell Ruth: she’s 58 years old and during our initial consultation, she basically explained that she hated everything about exercising. Now, she does lunges and abs on her day off and her clothes that she used to wear are falling off of her. She enjoys the “torture” (her word) and works harder and does more than the average 23 year old: never does a “girl push up” (Only the real things), squats, bench presses, kettle bells, plyometrics – if it can be done, she does it!

Chris came to me roughly two months ago in his final couple of months as an active duty Air Force member. While I think he initially came to me thinking he wanted a jump start on getting him fit for the rest of his life (trust me, people tend to put on weight at the end of their military careers!), I don’t think he was prepared to change as drastically as he did. His family will be here for his retirement ceremony next week and he’s extremely excited for the person they’re going to see – and I’m honored that he gives me so much credit (HE did the work). The best part? He routinely tells me how it’s just something he does now: the eating and working out are natural to him now and were easily integrated into his lifestyle.

I could go through my client list and tell a similar story about each and everyone of my clients: this personal training studio is full of the same type of success stories, and I’m extremely proud of each and everyone of my clients. I told them what was required when they came to me, and that I expected nothing but exceptional change for them.

You CAN do it – the only limitations that are holding you back are self-imposed. Do not settle!

Boyd Myers
Personal Trainer in San Antonio
Owner, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Rd (corner of Huebner and Bitters)
210.391.1454

Hey San Antonio and beyond,

It has been an absolutely crazy last few days for me but I wanted to get a blog in before I hit my workout with the insanity that I typically do ;). My little boy started Kindergarten yesterday, and while school is a huge rite of passage, it still was an emotional time for me. I love seeing the little boy he is transitioning from baby into, but the man he will become gives me a sense of accomplishment and pride like nothing else I have ever felt.

Referral is the main source of my business. My clients don’t hesitate to talk about what we’re doing and they’re usually asked “what on earth are you doing” and “how did you lose that weight?” I hear a lot of the same stories: “I was telling her what we do and she said that her personal trainer never pushes her or never changes the workouts up.” One of the first thing I tell my clients is that no two workouts will be the same – the body adapts and we must continuously change to force the body to keep adapting. The other thing that they hear right up front from me is that the only easy workout is the last workout. I don’t want you to dread anything: every day is a new day that is an opportunity to become better. But this isn’t for those who aren’t ready to change. People often say “I’d do anything to look a certain way” and I hold them to that.

My first job is to motivate you and to help push you to become better. Sometimes, we get a little run down, tired, or simply have a slight reduction in motivation – when this happens, it’s my job to guide clients to the spot of which they set their goals. If I have to pick them up and carry them, I embrace that.

Stop doing the same old thing. The same thing keeps getting the same results. You have to continuously take yourself to the next level to reach new heights.

The body is an amazing organism, and the mind is the engine that moves it – you are only restricted by yourself. Never hold back!

Boyd Myers
Personal Trainer in San Antonio
Owner, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Rd (corner of Huebner and Bitters)
210.391.1454

On the Personal Trainer in San Antonio Blog, I often say that radically transforming the body and maintaining fat loss progress is one of the single hardest things one can possibly do.

But let’s put things in perspective for a second.

When you’re a bit too tired to workout, or just don’t have the energy to get another set or to find the intensity, remember that you are ABLE to be there. Right now in Chile, there are 33 miners trapped in a collapsed mind. Today, after 17 days, it was discovered that they were alive and had made it to a “safety” seam (kind of like an apartment within the mine for emergencies). They are now in the process of being rescued and barring a catastrophe, they’ll be pulled out alive.

Seventeen days in a mine with no contact with the outside world would seem like an eternity. Now, while being rescued, they are getting supplies, water and fresh air. But 17 days is the tip of the iceberg: it will take over 4 months to get them out.

Think about the big picture. A little discipline and work ethic will go a long way, but you have to make it happen. So you’re tired, work too much, and have a lot going on at home – you aren’t trapped in a mine 3000 feet underground.

Do not look for excuses, they’re way too easy to find, and excuses don’t lead to progress.

Do the work! Obtain the results!

Boyd Myers
Personal Trainer in San Antonio
Owner, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Rd (corner of Huebner and Bitters)
210.391.1454

So you want to drastically change the way you look? Well, time to stop the excuses and get started. It’s a never ending progress and drastic changes do NOT happen overnight. But the first step is the hardest one, and if you’re going to walk 1000 miles, you have to take that first step. This advice may be general in nature, but if you’re wondering how to get started or what to do to change your body, lose fat and start feeling better RIGHT AWAY, this is a start.

Are you ready to take that first step? Here’s what you need to do:
-Follow these nutritional guidelines to the “T” for two weeks without deviating, skipping a meal or cheating.

-Train intensely with weights three times per week focusing mainly on compound exercises that train multiple muscle groups (bench press and variations, squats and variations, rowing variations, lunges, stiff leg dead lifts, leg press, pull ups, pull downs, dips, push ups, presses, etc). I don’t care if you train a few muscle groups or the entire body each day, but train with intensity and break out of your comfort zone. Add weights, do a crazy 50 rep set here and there – whatever. Just mix it up, do things you don’t normally do, and train with a purpose. I have numerous sample workouts here on the blog, so check out the little search button on the side.

-Intense cardio three times per week, 25-30 minutes each session. Sweat. You should not be able to read a magazine or chat. Be focused and push it.

-Shoot for between .8g – 1.2g of protein per pound of bodyweight from protein sources that I have listed in my food list.

-No refined carbs, sugars, processed or fast food for the entire two weeks

-With the exception of protein drinks (sparingly, not the centerpiece of your diet), drink nothing but water for two weeks. No soda, no juice. And absolutely, NO ALCOHOL. Spread your water consumption evenly throughout the day, but strive for an ounce per pound of bodyweight. Coffee drinkers, I can allow you a little coffee, but keep it raw – no creamer or sugar.

-Eat a source of veggies in at least 4 meals.

-The most important thing? Stop delaying – get off of your ass and put the plan in motion.

There you go, simple and sweet – this obviously will not turn you into an underwear model overnight, but within 2 days you’ll start feeling more energetic and you’ll begin flushing the body of toxins and excess waste. After two weeks, this behavior will almost be habit, and you’ll be in a position to really start making progress.

Don’t waste time wishing. No more excuses. You must make time and you must put forth the effort. It takes consistency and effort, and everyone has to start somewhere.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Boyd Myers
Personal Trainer in San Antonio
Owner, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Rd (corner of Huebner and Bitters)
210.391.1454

Do you push it a bit further every single workout?

Do you introduce new exercises on a regular basis?

Do you regularly work on becoming better at things you aren’t good at?

When is the last time you went a whole day eating the right foods in the right amounts at the right time without deviation? A week? Ever gone a month? Think you’d look and feel different if you would?

Do you regularly change your nutritional approach to account for different needs based on activity, recovery, and natural hormone manipulation?

Do you have a personal trainer? Does he/she keep you accountable?

Do you regularly assess yourself? More than just the scale: skinfold measurements? Circumference measurements?

Do you set goals and share those goals with friends for positive pressure? Do you reach your goals and set new ones???

Do you miss a workout every couple of weeks?

Be honest and assess yourself: change does not happen overnight but it is not evasive. If you aren’t doing what it takes, why aren’t you? The effort is so very worth it!

You CAN change you! It is NOT easy, and it is not passive. It takes consistency, dedication and effort. You must force progression, not sit around and wait for it to happen. Three more reps, 5 more pounds, one more training session.

Do not settle!!!

Boyd Myers
San Antonio’s Body Transformation and Fat Loss Expert
Owner, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Rd (corner of Huebner and Bitters)
210.391.1454

I train with a ton of intensity – in fact, I put everything I have into every workout I do. When I am preparing for a competition, I do so with the mentality that I will not lose because I did not do enough or that I was outworked.

But that transfers to so much more than physical fitness. I put that same effort into my business and into my family life.

The beauty of it? That mentality is contagious. Most everyone that hires me as their personal trainer tells me that they’ve never worked out with such intensity and that they’ve never pushed themselves as hard as I push them. They also let me know that they never dreamed that they could obtain what they’ve obtained. But the most rewarding part? They often let me know how it transfers from the gym to other parts of their lives. How everything just seems to become easier. They are able to do more, focus longer, recover better and simply become better in every aspect of their life.

Life is too short not to be attacked each and every day. Fitness is a great way to improve one’s life, but it is but a small piece of the pie, and one must learn balance. Getting into the best shape of your life is an active process and requires constant attention, but is much easier to accomplish when the other facets of your life compliment each other.

Attack each day with controlled aggression. Let no task stand between you and your goals. Never forget to stop, take a deep breath, and smile.

Become unstoppable!

Boyd Myers
San Antonio Fitness and Nutrition Expert
Owner, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Rd (corner of Huebner and Bitters)
210.391.1454

I had a client give me the perfect tagline today. You see, he has lost roughly 6 inches off of his abdominal circumference in a little over a month. Perfect example of what a few adjustments can do – he has worked out for years and was doing what he thought was “the right thing” when it comes to eating.

Anyway, he made the statement: San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio, Personal Fitness Revolution – Where Fat Comes To Die!

I really like that!

Boyd Myers
Personal Trainer in San Antonio
Owner, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Rd (corner of Huebner and Bitters)
210.391.1454

I read and hear so many discussions about the latest fitness crazes and more times than not, people are worried about things that in the grand scheme will have very little to do with overall progress.

I’ve been writing very comprehensive fitness and body transformation blogs for a little over 5 years now. Of course, the first San Antonio Personal Trainer blog crashed and burned a couple of years ago (gotta love computers) and that led to me starting the Fat Loss – Body Transformation blog that you’re reading right now. Since this blog started, I’ve laid it out, and I’ve made it pretty simple. Changing your body isn’t about getting huge or toning or firming. It’s simply about removing body fat, increasing the metabolism, maintaining or gaining lean body mass (and ladies, you are not capable of becoming big and bulky).

I am an expert in the arena of body transformation, drastic fat loss and performance nutrition. You don’t read about the latest fads here. I don’t “diet chase” or get squarely behind one type of training (aka Beach Body Coaches and their glorified cardio routines). My approach is based on science and experience. I don’t believe in making up a catchy term that embodies common sense and pretend it is new and revolutionary (shake weight, P90X, Nutrisystems, etc, etc, etc).

Here are the things you need to be concerned about when it comes to drastically changing the body:

-Intensity, intensity, always intensity. I’m stealing this concept from General Patton, and replacing the word “Audacity” with “Intensity”. It isn’t about quantity of exercise, but about quality. Get in, do work, and get out. Don’t bullshit around.

-From a nutrition standpoint, worry about 1) What you eat, 2) When you eat it and 3) How much you eat. Everyone has different foods that work well for them. How do you find out? Try them. I have posted a few very complete food lists here on the blog and have explained nutrient timing in-depth numerous times. That little search function on the side is your friend.

-Your training should be centered around compound exercises with supplementary isolation exercises, NO MATTER YOUR GOAL.

-Long, boring cardio done daily should only be your concern if you are an endurance athlete. Regardless of what many personal trainers believe, long, excessive cardio is not the basis of body transformation nor fat loss.

-While excessive cardio is poison to your progress, you should develop a moderate to excellent cardiovascular base and should never be limited on your ability to train with intensity because you struggle to recover between sets. Brief, intense cardio (under 40 minutes and in most cases, 30 min max) will lead to a more desirable change in your physique and not that “Kenyan Marathon – Somalian Refugee” look I often refer to.

-Understand that the body works in systems and one system always takes priority. For those that believe you can get your “cardio in with your weight training” and put a ton of focus on heart rate during weight training don’t understand the Kreb’s Cycle. Weight training is to stimulate the growth of lean body mass. Lean body mass has two states – it is growing or it is shrinking. There’s no middle ground here – toning is the addition of lean body mass and the subtraction of body fat. Training at a high heart rate takes the focus away from maximizing lean body mass growth stimulation (the glycolytic and CP/ATP pathways) and puts more focus on the oxidative systems. Thing I’m wrong, P90Xers? IF high heart rate training stimulated muscle growth, then how come marathon runners have very skinny legs, while sprinters have defined, desirable limbs? Again, max heart rate training is important, as the heart IS the most important part of the body. But you will get the most out of your training by specifically focusing on cardio and resistance training at separate times.

-”Now let’s talk about supplements” is a common phrase I hear. No, let’s not. Keep it simple – in MOST cases, all that most people should be buying are healthy fats (EFA, Sesamin), BCAA’s (Scivation Xtend) and a protein blend (Syntha6, ProComplete40) and in some cases, a pre-workout jolt (I like Arginine and Caffeine). Of course, many people need to have nutrient deficiencies corrected, and that is a specialty of mine. I often recommend different supplements such as 5HTP, Melatonin, GABA, Arginine/Orthinine/Lysine, and many other specific antioxidants and minerals – but understand that most of that depends on specific cases, goals and other factors. Most people spend WAY too much money on supplements that they do not need. Nothing gives you amazing results – if it did, it would be scheduled and controlled, and the purchase of those items could lead to agents kicking your door off it’s hinges and seizing your assets! My point is that in no way, shape, nor form should supplements be considered the cornerstone of your training program.

-Most of the things that most personal trainers have their clients doing are designed to look fun, not help them in absolutely any way. “Wow, I want to try that” – that trainer is banking on 3 or 4 people saying that. I don’t get why most personal trainers have their clients doing a lot of silly exercises that will not yield results. I learned a LONG time ago that as a personal trainer, your success only depends on your the success of your clients. When they’re making progress, marketing takes care of itself. I am proud to say that I have not paid for one form of advertising in over 5 years!

Want to read more? Check out the search function on the side, and look for these topics:
-Nutrient Timing
-”Big and Bulky” (debunking myths about women and weights)
-compound exercises
-exercises you should do
-supplement recommendations
-food list

Of course, my clients get much more specific guidance on their programs and needs, but I guarantee that no blog anywhere will tell you more about what you need to make progress right now and help you evaluate your program as a whole.

I totally understand that most people do not want to think that they’ve been wasting time, but I’m amazed at some of the simple adjustments so many people could make that would make a world of difference.

You have the desire, the motivation and are willing to put forth the effort – why on earth would you settle for marginal results? Progress is ALL that matters.

Boyd Myers
Personal Trainer in San Antonio
Owner, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Rd (corner of Huebner and Bitters)
210.391.1454