Fat Loss – Body Transformation – Advanced Nutrition

Hey San Antonio,

For whatever reason, most personal trainers offer very little, if any, guidance as far as nutrition. Most have no formal education in performance nutrition and don’t have the experience to help set up feasible nutritional lifestyle that will compliment a quality training program, and that can be implemented in your current lifestyle. My programs aren’t conventional, but are highly successful. I cannot overstate that when you eat and what you eat are imperative when it comes to transforming the body, and simply following a “diet” that only focuses on “how much” and that doesn’t take these things into consideration is a huge waste of time and effort. Believe it or not, my nutritional programs are not about drastic restriction. Yes, it takes quite a bit of discipline, but it’s very doable and the results are simply mind boggling (feel free to check out some of the testimonials and progress pics).

In this video, I discuss some of these things and explain the steps I take to get my clients started on the custom nutritional program that I create for them to help them reach their goals. Don’t settle for a cookie cutter diet that is created for the masses. So many people focus on things that are going to have a marginal impact (supplements, etc) but timing proper intake plays a drastic role in the type of progress you can make.

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,

For some odd reason, most personal trainers are stuck in the stone age when it comes to fat loss and body transformation: they continue to perpetuate the myths that it’s important to do tons of cardio, eat just enough to survive, waste your workout time with isolation exercises and excessive core work, and do absolutely nothing to educate their clients on how to make progress long after their personal training sessions have ended.

Everyday, I put everything out there for people to see.

I talk about the importance of nutrient timing and controlling natural hormone production through exercise and nutrient timing. My clients are surprised at how much I let them eat, how I reduce their dependence on excessive cardio and how their bodies continue to change. Not just change, but change the way they want them to – they become leaner and more defined, not just a smaller version of their current shape.

I post videos of regular clients doing things they never thought they would ever be able to do: including women lifting heavy weights and becoming leaner and leaner week after week. Not becoming big and bulky.

I explain the importance of training for functionality, and educate individuals about the body’s response to exercise, how the body actually changes and debunk the common exercise myths. Core work is for functionality and has nothing to do with appearance. Re-read that. Doing all of the crunches and sit-ups in the world will do nothing to stimulate the loss of body fat.

How many times have I said “a calorie is not a calorie” and YOU have control over what you get rid of and what you keep (lean body mass or disgusting, excess body fat)?

Of course, I regularly post up progress pics and testimonials from clients who continue to rapidly change, who looked better in their day to day clothing and in swimming suits. What good is it to lose a ton of weight if you still can’t show your progress?

Unfortunately, too many personal trainers still obsess over your caloric intake vs how much cardio you do, etc. They have you on the ground doing hours of abs every month. They insist that it’s important that you do several hours of cardio per week.

My approach is NOT easy. It’s tough as hell. It’s extreme. It goes against everything that everyone else is doing. But it’s completely science based and exponentially more effective than what most people are doing. There’s a reason that so few people obtain results, and why my track record of helping people completely transform the way they look is second to none. I design everything I do from scratch to ensure that you are going to reach your goals as quickly as possible and that your body will be forced to progress because I’ll never let it adapt.

The journey is great, but results breed motivation. Education allows results to persist. There are way too many personal trainers that have next to no grasp of the science behind body transformation, and have very little idea if what they’re doing with you is going to help you reach your goals. Hell, watch them train multiple clients – if every client is completely different, how are their approaches different? Most rarely change anything from session to session.

The choice is yours and is simple: do what everyone else is doing and continue to get the nonexistent results, or follow a program designed specifically for you, your current condition and your short and long term goals and have everyone asking you “How did you do that?”

Break the mold!
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

The amount of misinformation that is perpetuated in the fitness industry never ceases to amaze me, and many companies are willing to capitalize on any fear or myth in order to make a buck.

In the last few weeks, I have regularly written about how lifting weights will not make women big and bulky (check out this post). Of course, fat loss is completely evasive for most people, and usually, misconceptions about what needs to be done and fear of the unknown routinely leave people searching for answers or an easier way to change their bodies.

Now, there have been some ridiculous gadgets that have come and gone over the last decade or so. Since so many people believe that they can reduce abdominal fat by doing crunches (you cannot spot reduce fat whatsoever, and doing crunches will do absolutely nothing toward reducing body fat), garbage exercise machines/gadgets such as the Ab Lounge, the Bender Ball and the Abdominator have all made attempts at capitalizing on a common misconception. Everyday, a new fat loss pill comes out, and often, they simply contain a few commonly known products that have a slight fat burning effect, recommend a starvation diet and initially, people lose a little bit of weight, buy more and more of the product (even though they hit an abrupt wall and typically rebound) and the creators laugh all the way to the bank.

Of course, many people really don’t know what’s useful and what is not. But no matter your fitness experience or knowledge about fat loss or changing the body, I think you can see that this is absolute bullshit:

Now, I’ve seen some nonsense in my life, but this takes the cake and is a first class case of false advertising. Muscle fibers do not “tone” or define, they either grow or dissolve. This thing has as much capability to activate fiber recruitment as riding in a wagon down a gravel road. Definition is obtained by reducing body fat, not by repetitive motion.

While I realize I’m giving this nonsensical product a bit of free advertising, I couldn’t resist pointing out how ridiculous it is. And, of course, the product itself is so ridiculous that it is kind of funny.

While I can pray, I guess it’s safe to assume that people will waste their money on this thing. Of course, they’ll be sorely disappointed.

Body transformation can only be achieved by a disciplined approach to following a well-designed program that is dedicated to progression. To achieve health, condition and a physical appearance like you’ve never had requires going further than you’ve ever been. Over 80% of people fail to reach fitness goals that they set for themselves. Do not allow yourself to be a number…

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,

Here’s my client Julie deadlifting 185lbs, which is 50 more pounds than she weighs. I say it time and time again – lifting weights is essential to becoming lean, and is also very empowering for women. Julie works extremely hard and her fat loss progress is completely inspiring!

She keeps getting leaner and leaner, while getting stronger and stronger. Ladies, stop believing the myth that weightlifting will make you big and bulky!

Great work, Julie!

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,

Here’s a video blog of five tips to help you get started in your fat loss and body transformation progress. Simple and straight to the point (the way I like 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

Hey San Antonio,

When it comes to losing fat and drastically changing the body, most people admittedly are overwhelmed with exactly what they need to do. The first time I meet clients, I tell them that there are 168 hours in any given week. What you do with me 2-3 hours per week is the stimulus for change, but what you do in the other 165 hours is what will make all of the difference.

I also take pride in helping my clients every hour of every day. I not only allow them to call, text or email me whenever they have a question, but I’ll also go as far as giving them an hour by hour breakdown of the day and what they’ll be doing. I’ve said it a thousand times – my clients are a direct reflection of me and my personal training service, but personal training is only a fraction of what I do.

Below is an actual one day breakdown that I gave one of my clients. I give many clients a week at a time, including times for shopping and meal preparation for the upcoming days. I don’t give out diets. I give out eating plans, as the eating changes day to day based on activity, schedule, etc. You can settle for marginal results, or you can achieve the extraordinary.

Of course, this is a “plan” and things happen, but having a map like this spelling everything out makes the journey clear and easy:

5:20 – cardio
30 minutes, varying intensity on either treadmill or elliptical
Keep the heart rate over 100, gradually increasing intensity until it reaches 125, and then reduce intensity until it gets back down to 100. Repeat for the duration, cool down for 5 minutes post-cardio.

Meal 1 6am
4-6 egg whites
1/2c oatmeal w/splenda & cinnamon

Meal 2 8:30am
1 scoop protein powder
at least 1/4c, no more than 1/2c oatmeal

Meal 3 11am
4-6oz chicken breast
steamed veggies (green or white)
1/4c brown rice

Lunchtime (12)
Workout with Boyd, High Intensity Full Body Intervals

Meal 4 1:30p
4-6oz fish
1/4c whole grain pasta
steamed veggies (green or white)

Meal 5 4:30p
1 scoop protein powder
2 fish oil caps

Meal 6 7:30p
4-6oz lean cut of beef
unlimited veggies
2 fish oil caps

Optional Meal 7 – 9:30p
1/2c low fat cottage cheese
blended with splenda and 2oz strawberries

Every day is a different day with different demands. Every person is a different person, in different condition with different goals. When I write out a schedule like this, I consider all of those factors and include that in the map. Nothing is cookie cutter – foods, serving sizes, times for different nutrients – they all change depending on the client and the goals they’re going to reach.

Preparation is the key. If you know exactly what you are supposed to do each and every day and are prepared for that day, the likelihood for success is greatly increased.

Why guess? Why not put everything together to ensure synergy from both nutrition and training?

Never settle for a program that you have to wonder if it will work, because you’re guessing at what to do next.

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,

What a perfect Thursday! Here’s a video blog on the most essential thing you must have if you’re looking to lose fat and drastically transform your body. It doesn’t happen overnight – it takes hard work, consistency, and a little bit of what I discuss here in the video.

I also want to take a second and congratulate Deron on his absolutely amazing progress after just 7 weeks. See the video for more on his story. Deron, the sky is the limit and you’re an inspiration to all that sees your transformation.

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,

This is one of my longer posts in quite a while, but while working on emails and reflecting on the last several months and what lies in store for me in the near future, I allowed a small, seemingly simple topic to become a 1300 word post, so enjoy!

While going through my emails Sunday evening, I read one from a personal trainer here in San Antonio that was contemplating hiring me to advise him as he prepared for a bodybuilding show in June. He and I have spoken numerous times, and I think he is an excellent personal trainer and is quite competent – if someone asked me about his services, I would gladly give him my endorsement.

One question he asked me was if is being a competitive bodybuilder has helped my personal training business. While I will admit that some potential clients have viewed it as an accomplishment that lends credibility to what I do (walk the walk/talk the talk kind of thing), I think that many of my clients have often felt my passion from their first meeting with me.

He mentioned that his primary reason for wanting to compete was to help his personal training business and attract more clients. My advice to him was to save his time, his effort, his energy, and his money (competitive bodybuilding is an expensive sport when followed the way I do it: all organic food (in HUGE amounts), best cuts of meat, supplements, tanning, registration fees, posing trunks, NPC card, and most importantly, time).

Don’t get me wrong – I’m extremely proud of the effort I put forth when preparing to compete. I like having every aspect of 16-20 weeks laid out in front of me. I loved feeling like every day was a contest, and I had to win every single day to stay alive in my “season” to eventually make it to my imaginary “playoffs”, culminating in my “Super Bowl”, which is the show itself. Funny thing is, by the time you’ve reached that day, unlike most other sports, you already have won and the result of the competition is of little consequence.

But to decide to compete to increase business? I couldn’t do it. There’s only one reason on this earth I choose to compete: because I want to. If your heart isn’t in it, you WILL find excuses not to continue with preparation. Trust me, adversity presents itself in many, many forms, from injury to job related stress, relationships, family sickness, and the regular drama that we live with each and every single day seems to multiply to an almost unbearable level when we’re under that type of stress. So, to do it for any reason other than yourself just isn’t going to be enough.

With that being said, while I am talking about bodybuilding in this specific post, I am actually foreshadowing a bit: and it has helped my business evolve to what it is today. You see, I actually pick and choose my clients. I often turn clients away if I don’t feel they are a good match for me, as I would hope they’d not train with me if they weren’t completely confident about what I can bring to them.

I’m not crazy, and of course, a bulk of my income comes from personal training and actually training clients. But I’ve found that my business THRIVES when I am training the type of people that I hand choose. Of course, I can’t go out on the street and say “I want to train you” and have that person walk in my studio. That’s not the “hand picking” I am talking about. Of course, people need to find me first. A majority of those people are from referrals of clients, and since my clients know the way I operate, they don’t refer people to me that aren’t completely serious. Of course, the internet and searches for “personal trainers San Antonio” is my other form of leads. I do get leads from local doctors and other professionals, but a bulk of my clients come from current and former clients and the internet.

With that being said, what do I look for? It’s simple: determined individuals. I am looking for motivated individuals. I want to train driven individuals. Most importantly, I want to train people that want to make a change PRIMARILY for a specific person: not their children… Not their spouse or significant other. Not their parents. Those are great sources of motivation, but the people I want to train have to want to make a change for themselves.

I get the occasional “My wife really has been riding my ass about losing weight, and well, thought I’d give this a shot” email or walk-in to my studio and I simply explain how I don’t think that I am the person that you want to train you. I’m hardcore. I am demanding. I expect high levels of progress. I’m not afraid to make drastic changes if something isn’t making the changes that I’m expecting and I’m not afraid to say “you’re not pushing it hard enough.” I’m very compassionate, I’m also very talkative, usually entertaining, and I understand that “life happens”. But I’m also a professional and I’m also very direct.

If I went to a doctor and had a condition that was caused by something I was or wasn’t doing, I’d want him to be direct, up front and open with me. Don’t beat around the bush and don’t make simple recommendations like “Well, I’d really like for you to do this.” BS. I don’t do that either. I expect my clients to follow my nutritional guidelines and ask questions about things they’re not clear on or simple changes they may want to make (it may not be simple and it may end up catastrophic). I want them to give me feedback on how they feel. I want them to ask me why, do research, and understand the methods behind my guidance.

So, in a nutshell, I’m picky. There are hundreds of personal trainers in San Antonio. Many of them may at least look like they know what they’re talking about. Most of them probably have a few impressive letters by their names representing popular certification programs. A few of them may have been lucky enough to train someone who has made a decent transformation.

But be clear – change starts within. If you’re motivated, a caveman could point you in the right direction on how to change your body, lose fat and become healthier. However, I think most people expect more than that – they expect the bodies of their dreams. They want to be taken to a different level and they want their friends to ask them “what on earth are you doing?”

While many people obtain “results” with a trainer, there’s a difference between hiring a young motivated rep-counter and hiring a professional fitness coach and life coach.

Personal Training and Fat Loss Management are results based businesses, and in San Antonio, these career fields have a very high level of attrition. Time is expensive and results don’t come easy. Most personal trainers guide every single client through the exact workouts and are happy with whatever results they may obtain. I would never allow myself to become so complacent and I’d never settle for marginal results, and I expect the same from my clients.

Life is too short to settle. Live each day as if it is your last on this earth. Motivation dwindles, and there are days we fall down and wonder if getting up to our knees, much less our feet, is even possible. Short term goals being regularly accomplished lead to great, sustainable results in the long term.

Become amazing, expect amazing, and never, ever 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,

I think that too many people just “accept” that they must live with pain and just deal with it. Well, this is not true. Pain is your body’s way of saying “Something is wrong.”

Prepping for a bodybuilding show is just about as physically (and of course, mentally intense) as anything you can do. The repetitiveness of training and cardio really does a number on the body. Since you’re fighting against the clock, time off is a luxury that most competitors don’t have.

I really pushed it during my prep. I was aching and in a measurable amount of pain by the time November 21 came around. I did what I could to push through it during prep, including massage, chiropractic care and used many antioxidant based supplements to keep my physical defenses high. But I had been working extremely hard for months, and with the stress of the holidays and of course, the new year stress (and throw a few hard collisions :), my spine finally felt like it had quit. Friday, I thought I was going to absolutely die – I couldn’t move. Couldn’t even sit up without assistance throughout the weekend. Couldn’t roll over in bed without grimacing in pain. It was, in fact, miserable.

So, today, I visited my chiropractor and good friend Dr. Greg Otterman (http://advantagecpt.com) and let him work his magic.

I know that a lot of people are skeptical about chiropractic care, but I’m telling you – a good chiropractor can and will cure pain, period.

Today, I received a few types of treatment, and although the relief wasn’t instant, it has been about 10 hours since I left his clinic, and my pain is very tolerable. I will still take it easy for a few days, but I am certain that I’ll be at 100% sooner than later.

I just wanted to take a few minutes to thank Dr. Otterman and his staff for the amazing treatment. I have referred numerous clients, friends and even my son (who had a small ankle problem when he was 2 years old that Doc took care of) to Dr. Otterman, and he has taken care of each of them. I don’t loosely recommend any service or business, but I do recommend Dr. Otterman’s clinic without hesitation.

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’ve added another goal for this year. As I have mentioned in the last few weeks, I am preparing for a bench press competition on March 27, 2010. While bench pressing is very specific and not for everyone, I have found another event that I am going to simultaneously be training for that would be something that more people can enjoy, the Warrior Dash.

Remember, running is not one of my favorite activities (as most bodybuilders and power lifters prefer less impact forms of cardio exercise). However, climbing massive hay bales, running through rivers, climbing mud hills (and subsequently sliding down), cargo nets, forest runs, jumping fire (really) and running through 3 feet of mud sounds like a very good time.

The event is held in Forney, TX on May 1, 2010, so make plans to join us!

For more information, check out this link:

Warrior Dash – May 1, 2010 – Forney, TX

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