Fat Loss – Body Transformation – Advanced Nutrition

Everyone is a fitness expert. Whether it’s the people at the gym offering their unsolicited advice, the latest certified personal trainer that just completed their weekend certification course, a Twitter genius spouting off about their upcoming competition or what have you, you don’t have to look hard to get the “facts” on how you’re supposed to train.

So, I ask myself, why the hell do people still believe that long, slow boring cardio is the way to lose fat? Why are people still doing fasted cardio when research and actual proof has shown that it is catabolic (read: burns lean body mass) faster than AIDS?

Yesterday, one of my clients was doing her prescribed 25-30 minute HIIT cardio that I had given her. Of course, a random lady scrubbing along at 5.5mph told her that her workout was ineffective and that she was only running for a total of roughly 5 minutes.

So let’s break open the journal of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise and compare the two.

Ok, before we do that, let’s ask ourselves: which saves the most time? Obvious answer there. Of course, NOBODY has enough time, as this is the biggest excuse why people do not exercise (or at least exercise effectively) – always in a rush.

In the aforementioned journal study, the following was discovered:
-In 6 weeks doing sprints, you can run for an actual total of 45 minutes (at 60-75% all out) versus over 13 hours at a constant speed and lose more fat.

-The sprint group lost 12.4% body fat and 2-3kg of fat per individual.
The endurance group lost on average of .5kg of fat per individual over 6 weeks.

-Sprinting increases oxygen consumption, improves metabolic rate, and burns a ton of calories fast. Distance cardio actually has the opposite affect on metabolic rate, due to the body’s basic survival mechanism kicking in an effort to fend off intense catabolic breakdown (induces the starvation reflex).

-Do a search on the side for afterburn effect. I’ve discussed it hundreds of times over the years. Medium of energy (fat vs glucose for you heart rate monitor freaks) is misleading. Just because you are burning most of your calories from fat after a certain point at loser intensity doesn’t mean a damn thing. First, you’re burning more overall calories sprinting, and ACTUALLY, the number is just as high from fat. Also, post-long cardio, your body turns to glucose for energy in an attempt to preserve itself. It’s the opposite for sprinting: your body has already attacked stored muscle glycogen, so now, it’s burning fat for a longer period after training.

Simple comparison: who is leaner – a sprinter or a marathon runner? I said leaner, not “skinnier”. Unless you like the tapeworm look, the sprinter has a much more desireable physique.

Stop slogging through hours of cardio – it’s KILLING your progress!

And if you’re wondering, I have all of my competitors performing HIIT (and nothing slow-go). Is it working? Go check out my Facebook Training Page and look at Chelsey’s pics, who won overall in her first show this weekend.

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

1. Slow, low intensity cardio makes you fat. By fat, I mean “NOT LEAN”. Ill looking. High intensity interval training is the only specific cardio you need unless you are training for an endurance event.

2. Working out is great, but being lazy in your daily life isn’t helping you get leaner. Get active and get lean.

3. A little bit of alcohol goes a long way toward making you fat. Give it up if you want to be lean.

4. Lifting with low intensity makes you fat. Get bang for your buck by performing multi-joint movements, and lift in the 70-85 1RM range for true hypertrophic response.

5. Lack of sleep makes you fat. Go home. Put work away. Turn off the television. Turn off the computer. Put down your phone. Go to sleep. A slight sleep deficit has the same hormonal effect on fat storage as overeating 600 calories each day.

6. Increase your resting metabolic rate makes you lean. Add lean body mass, period. It isn’t easy and there is a science behind it. You aren’t just going to get “big and bulky” unless you simply get fat.

7. Trans fats make you fat. Remove them.

8. Processed foods make you fat.

9. High quality sources of protein help you become lean.

10. Water, water, and more water keeps you lean, and keeps the body detoxified.

11. Vitamin D makes you lean.

12. Healthy fats make you lean.

13. Hard work makes you lean. If you aren’t getting there with the effort you are giving, give more.

14. High GI carbs make you fat.

15. Sugar, juices, sports drinks: Yes, they make you fat.

16. Probiotics help you become lean: healthy gut, healthy body.

17. Most people are zinc deficieint. Most people are fat. Zinc helps burn fat.

18. Dieting makes you fat. Yes, I did say that. It has to be a lifestyle.

19. If you are consuming high protein or BCAAs you are working on getting lean. Add B vitamins to the mix, as higher amino consumption robs the B Vitamin pool.

20. Fructose makes you fat. Fruit is fine, but shoot for lower fructose (dark colored berries) versus higher fructose (bananas, apples, oranges).

21. Excuses make you fat. Nobody has you chained up in a room forbidding exercise, and you control what you put into your mouth. You can make excuses, or you can make changes.

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 everyone,

NOW is the season for fat loss. If you’re in San Antonio, there’s a good chance you’ve already been outside in the warm weather, quite possibly in a bathing suit, and realized that there are some changes to be made if you are going to properly enjoy the warm Texas Summer.

This article is number 1 in the Summer Fat Loss series. I’ll follow this one up with a nutrition based article to hit the total fat loss spectrum. IF there’s some demand, I’ll write a third (and maybe a forth one) with example nutrition and exercise routines.

Contrary to belief, fat loss is not about damn near starving yourself and doing hours of endless cardio. In fact, the only time I have any of my clients perform constant level cardio is when they are getting ready for an endurance event: constant level cardio is actually TERRIBLE for overall fat loss!!!

Here are the keys to fat loss and what you need to know to get your body ready for Summer as quickly as possible.

1. Increase your metabolic rate by gaining lean body mass – I know I just lost half of my female readership. They think this means gain huge amounts of size and get “big and bulky”. That is not the case whatsoever. First and foremost, there are hundreds of thousands of guys that WANT to get big and bulky and very few are. If they can’t, ladies, you damn sure can’t, so forget that right now. No, you aren’t going to turn into a man. Understand that at rest and during activity, a little extra lean body mass will go a long way to how efficient the body is able to metabolize fat. Think about it… How nice would it be if your body was in a high gear for fat burning all the time? Resistance (anaerobically) training affects the body in a much different manner than aerobic training regardless of what intensity is performed at, so plan your training program accordingly; train to gain muscle —-> accelerate fat burning —-> become leaner.

2. Your primary goal must be maintaining the lean body mass you have, this must be your focus when your goal fat loss. Muscle is a premium. It’s easier to lose 10lbs of fat than to gain 1lb of lean body mass. You start losing muscle, your resting metabolic rate crashes. Keep the muscle, keep the fat loss going. Most people don’t understand how easy it is to lose muscle mass. It if weren’t an issue, people could get as huge as possible, starve themselves and be champion figure competitors or bodybuilders. The scale is not indicative of progress, and most people become so obsessed with losing weight that they burn muscle at an unacceptable rate.

3. Train heavy, yet focus on shorter rest periods. I’m talking about fat loss here, not powerlifting. If I’m getting ready for a powerlifting meet, I may take up to 5 minutes between sets. Of course, I’m training for an all out, single rep effort. While increasing strength is relative (the increased load is the response to which the body changes), I’m more concerned with your strength in a 4-10 rep range versus what you can do for an all out repetition. The shorter rest with heavier weight is optimal for increasing the muscle building (testosterone) and fat burning (growth hormone) hormones naturally. Obviously, this rep range is much heavier than what you’re going to do on any exercise video, calisthenic workout or body pump class – hit the damn weight room!!!

Duration and volume may vary depending on experience and condition, but exercise selection is much more universal: compound exercises (and variations) such as the squat, dead lift, pull up, rows, bench press, leg press, hack squat, pull downs, cleans, etc. Do not waste your time on isolation machines trying to get that burn.

4. Strength train more often; reduce your total number of cardio sessions. I’ve always said that if you’re going to do cardio, it needs to be of the High Intensity Interval Training style. I wrote my first HIIT article in 1998, when I still had hair. While science has led to changes in many training paradigms, this one is tried and true: train the same way all the time – with intensity. Your cardio sessions should very closely resemble your weight training – all out effort for short bursts, recover, and go again.

Remember, I’m trying to make you lean, not skinny or just a smaller version of youself. I want you to be proud to hit that pool party.

5. Get off the FiretUCKing couch. Be active day to day, not lazy. If your hobby is PS3, xBox and ESPN, get some new hobbies.

6. Put down the booze. This isn’t directly related to training, but I had to include it because it’s an Achille’s Heel for way too many. I don’t give a damn if it’s one drink per night, you aren’t going to “out-train” that. Can you “maintain” a certain level of fitness and drink, possibly (debatable). I can assure you that you cannot IMPROVE your physique if you are hitting the bottle regularly, no matter how little that may be. Is it more important to unwind and be social, or look bad ass when you take your shirt off???

Training down! Keys to Nutrition For Summer Fat Loss coming soon!!!

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

What works? Want the HONEST truth? You can make gains on absolutely any training program if you stick with it and are consistent. There is no single “correct” program – but there are ways to train optimally for specific goals. If you are reading this blog, I’d guess it is safe to assume that body transformation, fat loss and physique enhancement is what your goals are based upon.

The purpose of ANY exercise program is simply to coax your body into adapting to a new stress. The stress must be severe enough to stimulate adaption, but not so severe that you get injured or end up over-trained. You improve fitness by making a series of small adaptions (more weight, high volume, more intensity, etc).

Planning an effective exercise training program is as much art as science. Before you go any further, simply LEARN THE TRUTH. Don’t buy into old nonsense such as “tone with higher reps and grow with lower reps”, “lose fat by doing more cardio and eating less” and other similar bullshit.

When designing your program, apply these principles:

-Train Specfically. For fat loss, this applies to nutrition and the appropriate training. It isn’t simply doing more calisthenics and cardio. Don’t fall into that trap.

-Establish Realistic Goals. Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, goals. If they aren’t all of the above, they aren’t going to be reached.

-Have a PLAN. Gyms are often packed, yet, few people are actually in shape or make drastic changes over time. If you have a plan and goals, then you will regularly make progress.

-Condtion Your Body Gradually. While most people do too much too fast, there are people that start out reading a magazine on a bike, and if they went any slower, they’d be doing backwards. Find that happy medium, but increase the stimulus regularly (and quickly).

-Train consistently. 2 times per week isn’t consistent enough. If you miss 2-3 workouts per month, you’re missing 24-36 workouts each year. I guarantee you’d look better if you did not miss those workouts!

-Train first for volume and then for intensity. Get the body ready and then train to kick ass!

-Do not over-train. MORE is not better. I know people that brag about going to the gym 15-20 times per week. IF you can go that many times, you aren’t training hard enough. More is less.

-Do not UNDER-train. Yep, this is as much as a problem. It IS called WORK-out. IT has to be WORK.

-Listen to your body. If it is your mind telling you to be lazy, ignore it. But pain and fatigue are very real. Pay attention to what your body is saying and rest when needed.

-Cycle the volume and intensity of your workouts. No two workouts should ever be the same. The body responds to variety!

-Work on your weaknesses. This is how you become great at ANYTHING. Don’t only do the things that you are good at or that come easy.

-Nutrition is home plate and everything else revolves around it. You cannot out-train a bad diet.

-Train your mind. Learn what you are doing and why you are doing it and apply your knowledge to your gym time!

-Have fun!

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 all,

I have had a lot of readers request an occassional calisthenic workout for them to perform as a change up between weight sessions and as a break from their normal routine. So, here you go:

Warm up with a light jog and then begin, no rest between sets!
-100 Bodyweight Squats
-20 Push Ups
-100 Jumping Jacks
-20 Plyometric Squat Jumps
-100 Crunches
-20 Burpees
-100 Bodyweight Squats
-20 Leg Lifts
-100 Flutter Kicks
-20 Push Ups
-50 Crunches
-20 Leg Lifts
-50 Squats
-20 Push ups
-50 Jumping Jacks
-20 Burpees
-10 Minute Run (and I mean KICK ASS RUN, not quick walk).

DO WORK AND LET ME KNOW HOW IT GOES IN THE COMMENTS!

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 all,

A great majority of the people that read my blog and acquire my services want to look a certain way, and more times than not, that certain way is much leaner and more defined than they already are. Of course, most of my blog is directed toward those people. With that being said, there are a few guys that I train on a regular basis that want to put a lot more muscle on and simply be much bigger than they already are (GET SWOLE! Yeah, I hate that term as much as you do).

Anyway, while it is definitely possible to put a large amount of muscle on, there’s a big difference between adding 10-25lbs of muscle to a frame and staying lean and completely changing your physique by becoming massive, and believe it or not, there are some things to think about when it comes to adding a great deal of size.

I’m speaking from experience on this. I am by no measure a small guy. I’m just under 6′ tall and usually in the 240lb neighborhood. While that isn’t offensive tackle massive, it is definitely larger than the average guy when you consider that in my early adult years, I was much closer to 175 than 200lbs. While I don’t think anyone ever considered me small from a muscle standpoint, my joints are definitely for those of a much smaller stature.

Before I go any further, please know that when I mention getting “big” or gaining “size”, I am referring to adding muscle mass, not becoming a huge fat ass by eating everything in sight.

When you gain a great deal of size, remember that you still have the same bones, joints, heart, lungs, etc. I stay relatively lean – I don’t blow up and get fat. The size I am now is just about as heavy as I can be without having complications. Any heavier, and I start experiencing knee and ankle pain, become lethargic easy (and I mean throughout the day, not so much during activities), have a more difficult time getting restful sleep, and a few other things. It’s important to note that I was very gradual about adding the size that I have added – it most definitely didn’t come overnight.

While I am all about helping people gain significant muscle mass, there is definitely a reasonable range to consider (and a realistic timeframe to have as a goal). Putting too much size on too quickly (aside from much of it being from body fat) has other less than desirable effects!

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 everyone,

After I posted yesterday’s workout for my client Jonah, I received a few comments about that type of training – let me qualify a few things.

-The type of training he is getting ready for is VERY calisthenic based.

-He spends up to 2 hours per day in the pool, as that is the most difficult part of AF PJ/CCT Training

-He runs over 40 miles per week

-He is 5’10″ 165lbs

One thing that a lot of people who cruise blogs may not understand is that not everyone is training to lose weight or to look like a bodybuilder. Jonah’s top priority is to be ready to take whatever they throw at him at his selection school, and our training days are drastically different from that of say, a Bikini or Figure Competitor.

Unfortunately, most personal trainers don’t get this: a specific workout depends on:
-the client’s condition (to include injuries, pains, strengths, weaknesses, and abilities)
-the client’s goals

There’s no one size fits all!!!

Working out is more than breahting hard and breaking a sweat – there has to be a method to the madness and every movement, every set, every workout must have a purpose!!!

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 everyone,

I have a client that is preparing to enter the Air Force with aspirations of becoming a member of the elite Air Force Combat Control Special Operations team. Today is our calisthenics day, and I have taken the popular “100 Workout” and modified it. In case you don’t know, the 100 Workout looks something like this:

100 Jumping Jacks
90 Crunches
80 Squats
70 Leg Lifts
60 Jumping Jacks
50 Crunches
40 Squats
30 Leg Lifts
20 Jumping Jacks
Run 10 Minutes

and for some brave people, repeat. This guy is a step above regular conditioning, so he’ll be doing this and about 4 variations of this, with kettle bell swings, burpees, push ups, plyometric jumps, dips, broad jumps and much more. I know what he’s about to go through, and you can never be prepared enough (this will go well with the 3 hours per day he already spends in the pool).

Time to kill it!

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 many people in gyms. So many people “workout”. The supplement industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. Personal Training is one of the most in-demand careers in America.

My one question is simple: if so many people are obviously so involved in fitness, why do so few people look like they really workout?

The answers, while as simple as the question itself, aren’t easily fixed.

-To make a drastic change in the body, one must take drastic results. It isn’t as simple as going to the gym and going through a routine of a few exercises that “target” those bodyparts you are interested in changing. I see the smae people doing the same things in the gym and it’s obvious what their thought process is: lunges, leg curls, light squats, etc – she’s trying to firm her butt and her legs. Curls, db bench press, flies? He wants bigger arms and a defined chest. Seems logical, but it takes a more full body approach, and a MUCH more scientific approach.

-What most people think of as “eating clean” isn’t very clean at all

-Working hard is more than breathing hard and sweating. WHAT your doing is just as important as your exertion.

-As humans, we seek the path of least resistance. Most people will settle for a leg press before a freeweight squat, a bench press machine to a barbell bench press. A lighter set before adding 5-10lbs and really pushing it. It’s easy to convince ourselves that we’ve “done enough”.

-Being focused for 4-5 days per week simply is not enough.

-Follow what is popular and look like the masses. We are the most obese country in the history of mankind. What the masses are doing is not working, and when you see someone on tv telling how it worked for them, look at the small print that says “Results aren’t typical”.

IF you’re going to workout, LOOK the part. It doesn’t come easy, but if you’re going to play the game, play it to win!

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 everyone,

No matter what gym you may venture into anywhere in the world, you could easily mistake any given day as National Arm Day, World Bench Press Day, International Ab Day, or something similar. No matter how often you frequent the gym, no matter how much you run or whatever else you do: if you do not squat, then you do not workout…

Many of you may be thinking you don’t want bigger legs or you are just trying to lose weight – this article is for you too – squatting is essential for fat loss!

I know: doing legs sucks, and squatting sucks more than anything else. But put temporary anguish aside and consider these things:

-The largest muscles in the body are below the waist. When you do a proper leg workout, those large muscles do the work – when large muscles work, more calories are burned.

-Large muscle groups grow the fastest. More lean body mass = a higher resting metabolic rate

-Training large muscle groups forces the body into a desirable hormonal state – In Layman’s terms, training legs causes an increase in overall muscle building and fat burning hormones.

Your legs move the weight, your lower back stabilizes the body, your arms squeeze the bar: squatting is not JUST a leg exercise – it’s a full body exercise (as is the dead lift).

Proper squatting provides even more benefits:
-Gaining strength will lead to increased lean body mass
-Squatting increases flexibility
-Regardless of what the misinformed think, proper squatting actually strengthens the knees

Now, I would guess that less than 1/4 of the people in a typical gym perform squats. Of that number, I would then say that less than 5% actually do them properly, which leads me to: “How do you squat perfectly?”

I know what a lot of personal trainers and doctors believe (I’ve heard it at least 100 times): squatting less than full range of motion is ok and will lessen the likelihood of injury. This information is completely false. While these partial squats may very well stimulate the quads, the lack of full ROM doesn’t properly activate the glutes and hamstrings, leading to muscular imbalances that greatly increase the chances of a knee injury.

First, let’s discuss unracking the bar.
-I personally like to set the bar in the power rack at about upper chest level, so that I am slightly squatting to get under the bar. I do not want to lift the bar off by going to my tip-toes or bending at my lower back.

-Position your feet directly under the bar.

-Place the bar on your upper back/mid-trapezius. Do not try to put it on the top of the shoulders or on your neck. Sounds crazy, but a lot of people hold the bar entirely too high.

-Tighten everything and lift the bar from the rack

-One step back with each leg and then you’re in position to begin.

Before you begin:
-Chest up.

-Eyes forward – do NOT look at your feet.

-Again, bar on the muscles, NOT the spine.

-Straight wrists – your back should be supporting the weight, NOT your wrists.

-Elbows back.

-Feet at proper stance (depending on the style, I prefer at least shoulder width).

-Toes OUT.

Descension:
-Knees out. If your hip flexors/groins are weak, you may have a tendency to buckle the knees. Don’t let this happen – keep them out.

-Focus on sitting. Do not let your knees go past your toes.

-Get DEEP. Your hips should drop below your knee. I know it may FEEL like it is, but have someone judge it, or better yet, video yourself. Stopping before this is basically using the knee as your “brakes” – use the muscles and the natural range of motion.

Going UP!
-Torso angle should be like this: /

-Hips and chest go up together – this is a squat, not a good morning raise

-Keep your feet flat and “Grab” the floor with your feet to activate the glutes. Do NOT shift the weight to your toes!

-Keep those knees OUT! IF you are injured, you cannot train!

I always prefer the squat/power rack and free weight squatting. Locked machines and fixed routes are not optimal for developing the full and natural ROM, and will lead to the same imbalances and injury risks listed above.

Practice makes perfect. If you cannot keep perfect form and use a full ROM, swallow your pride and lower the weight. Performing lighter, proper sets will lead to better gains than heavy, improper squats and will keep your risk of injury lower.

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 Everyone:

Last week, I switched a few days around on my training and actually ran my mile Friday. After not running for several years and then running for the third time in a week, the mile was insanely difficult (I ran a fast 3/4 on Monday and a slower 1.5 on Thurs). Anyway, Friday I felt as if I was running in a foot of water. But that will change once I get conditioned to actually running again.

One other note I’d like to add is that I AM running in my Vibram Five Fingers. Not a huge deal, because I have always been a toe runner, so this changes nothing for me as far as my form.

This morning was only scheduled for a 1/2 mile. I wanted to see how close I could get to 3:15, and I actually was able to break that time and did a 3:06. I know that sounds terribly slow, but I really haven’t ran anything other than sprints in over 7 years (50lbs ago). Not bad considered I did 10 sets of heavy squats and 8 sets of heavy front squats yesterday!

Again, I am doing this for time only. I stay considerably lean and I focus on nutrition for fat loss, not added cardio (scan the blog, I discuss why personal trainers don’t understand this philosophy often). But then again, most personal trainers don’t know which ocean borders California, how many states there are in the US, nor their right from their left. Harsh, but sadly, true.

Anyway, Thursday will be my “over-reach” run where I try to improve on my pace from last week, and Saturday will be my first actual TIMED mile (since the first one). Can’t wait to see exactly where I am!

Boyd Myers
Master Fitness Trainer – San Antonio
Owner, Personal Fitness Revolution
San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio

Hey everyone,

As I mentioned yesterday, I have decided on a goal of running a sub-five minute mile.

The key to any training goal is specificity – you have to train specifically toward that goal. Obvious, right? Well, you’d be surprised at how many people don’t get this simple concept: to become a better runner, you run (not swim or bike) and vice versa. There may be a little transfer, but training specifically for your goal is imperative. I work with a lot of people to help them prepare for marathons. Although I am not an avid runner, it requires more than “just running” and the full body approach is important. Still, remember the goal: running x distance in x time.

As a personal trainer, I run into lack of specificity often. People tell me what they want to do and what they have been doing to get there, and they are usually miles away from where they need to be from a training and a nutritional standpoint. Of course, most of the times it is due to misinformation and not knowing HOW to get from point A to point B.

There are a few things I have to work around. First and foremost, I am chasing the world record for a raw bench press, and power lifting is a priority to me. My current power lifting numbers are all considered world class, and so that can’t take a backburner if I am to remain competitive on the power lifting scene. My current training split is typically a 3-4 day split where each workout centers around either squatting, bench pressing or dead lifting. With that being said, while running is part of the picture, I’ll probably train only 3 days per week. My lifting sessions are simply brutal, so recovery is important.

Here are the first couple of weeks worth of training:
Monday:
This is my high intensity, moderate distance day. On this day, my runs will be as fast as I can possibly run for 1/2 to 3/4 mile in the morning. As I progress, I will probably add a second similar run later in the afternoon/evening, and start with 1/4-1/2 mile on the second run with the same goal.

Tuesday:
This is Squat day. With the low volume of the previous day, this is probably the most optimal day to do squatting and still be able to put a quality workout in. While my power lifting is a priority, I am prepared to scale back the volume on my squat days to allow proper recovery.

Wednesday:
This is bench day. With no lower body on this day, I’ll be ready to run on Thursday.

Thursday:
This is my distance day. Remember, I’m not running a marathon, just optimizing my mile run. I’m 245lbs, hate running, and I have my knee drained every 2-4 weeks (old military and football injuries). This day is a very light pace 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 mile run.

Friday:
Dead Lift Day! While my bench is my best lift, my dead lift is also near world record levels for my bodyweight. I also focus on upper back lifts on this day as well.

Saturday:
Time Trial Day! This is the day I determine where I am at! I’ll actually evaluate myself every other week, but I will run one mile every week and focus most on the highest pace I can maintain for the entire distance, and focus on improving that pace regularly.

Sunday:

Rest day. This is the day for recovery – mind, body and soul!

Throughout, I’ll post my nutritional strategy and changes that I make.

Boyd Myers
Master Fitness Trainer – San Antonio
Owner, Personal Fitness Revolution
San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio

Hey everyone,

Hope this week is treating you well.

I realize that many of my readers are new to my blog and don’t know a lot about me other than the introduction and maybe they’ve watched a few of my videos and read a few of my articles. If I had to drive myself, I’d say I was very motivated and driven, to say the least.

Many of my long time readers realize that I have been chasing the raw bench press world record for the last year plus. I’m not far – within striking distance, and I am now beginning my final push to at least tie the record (715lbs) by my birthday (March 16).

But this week, I have also started another chase: I want to run a sub five minute mile.

Now, I know this isn’t world record pace or anything close, but let me give you a little background:

-I personally HATE running with a passion.

-I used to be an avid runner (I ran 10 miles every Saturday at a sub 6 minute per mile pace).

-That was 10 years ago, and my physique has drastically changed – I was in the 180lb range then, now, after several years of focusing on bodybuilding and power lifting based goals, my bodyweight stays much closer to the 240-245lb range.

-While I do mix high intensity training along with sprinting into my current regimen, my typical longer endurance cardio is on a machine (elliptical, bike, etc). I have NOT ran much over the last decade.

With that being said, I will be running 3 times per week with my one mile assessment being every other Friday to chart my progress. I am a person of metrics and love to measure to see where I am at to stay on track and to make sure I am doing what needs to be done.

Understand, I am not running as a weight loss tool. When I shed weight, I do so with manipulation of food intake and by changing up my macro-nutrient intake. This is a pure “Me Versus The Clock” scenario.

I’ll keep a training log here on the blog for those who are interested, along with my time progress, recovery and more. If you’ve read my training blogs in the past on message boards (and here on this blog when I competed in my last bodybuilding show) you’ll know that I cover nearly every aspect of what I am doing.

Oh, and of course, I will continue my power lifting training (which includes very heavy squatting, dead lifting and benching). Working my runs in to allow for optimal recovery will be tricky, but I have a great strategy where I shouldn’t suffer too much.

Help me out by cheering me on! If you have a goal you are working on, post it in the comment section!

Let’s CRUSH our goals!

Boyd Myers
Master Fitness Trainer – San Antonio
Owner, Personal Fitness Revolution
San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio

Hey San Antonio and you other Fitness Fanatics elsewhere!

Had quite a few questions to tend to from the holidays, so I thought I’d do them here!

Hey Boyd,

I am a local high school senior and have committed to play Division 1 football next fall at a prestigious university. Do you work with high school athletes?

Absolutely. I work with athletes of all ages amateur and professional. The transition from high school football (even Texas high school football) to college football is drastic. It is imperative to go into conditioning program a step ahead of the competition. Quite simply, I help athletes become faster, stronger and more cardio conditioned. We focus on regular power moves to develop base strength (bench press, dead lift and squat) as well as explosive movements that transfer into the sport of choice (plyometrics, Olympic movements, etc).

Not only do I focus on the training, but on the nutrition as well to get the most out of your training and to fuel your training and recovery – unfortunately, nutrition is the weakest link in most amateur athletes repetoire. I develop an optimal nutrition and supplement regiment for every athlete.

Ok Boyd, I have tried it all – lots of cardio, less eating, etc. I thought I was doing it right until I read one of your articles from a few months back about becoming skinny fat and how doing what I am doing is only going to make me a smaller version of myself. Not so much a question but a “Dammit I should’ve listened to your advice”!

It’s never too late! Starving and excess cardio may help you look better dressed, but gaining lean body mass and proper training help you look better naked!

Boyd: Which is better? Low reps (3-6) or higher reps (12+)?

Better in what way? Kind of a general question but let me try to help you: no matter your goals, there are reasons to use absolutely every rep range. I honestly use as few as one rep (on a regular basis) and as many as 100 reps in some exercises.

It’s like having a tool box and trying to figure out which is better: a screwdriver or a hammer. You have them both, so why not use them?

Any tips for coming off of a spell with the flu?

More than tips, I have sympathy, because for more than a week, I was battling the nasty flu as well. First and foremost, get yourself some pro-biotics and replenish the good bacteria in your system (especially if you were on antibiotics). My choice is Endo-mune. Second, take a week to “get back into the groove. Your body is still probably recovering, so the worst thing you can do is decimate yourself and make your body relapse into sickness. Increase antioxidant intake (permanently). A great way to not have to recover from sickness is to not get sick. Rest more. Yeah, sounds simple, but most of us aren’t even close on the amount of rest we need. Sleep deprivation has hormonal effects on fat storage and opens us up for a multitude of sicknesses. Sleep more, get sick less, period.

I have a very long email that I am responding to about fat loss/muscle gain, and I will be posting my answer here when it is ready – I think most people will benefit from it, so check back later on.

Make today great!

Boyd Myers
Master Fitness Trainer – San Antonio
Owner, Personal Fitness Revolution
San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio

Hey San Antonio,

Just a quick snippet we took about 40 minutes into my client Joey’s workout. Joey is a martial artist and while we often train for strength, this workout was totally circuit and cross training, where we worked with the TRX Suspension System, Kettle Bells, and the ab wheel of torture.

There is no one way to skin a cat, you just have to work hard and have the proper plan of attack (like Joey) – here is about 5% of his entire workout:

All tools are on the table in my personal training studio, whether it is power lifting, Olympic weight lifting, cross training, Russian Kettle Bells or whatever it takes. No training studio has a more complete view of training than mine, I assure you.

KICK BUTT!

Boyd Myers
210.391.1454
16613 Huebner Road

THE Personal Trainer – San Antonio!