I’ve found myself doing more and more Jiu Jitsu and athletic training lately. I’m loving it. Here’s the schedule I’ve been keeping:
Monday:
5:30-6:30 Renegade Athletic Training (mma)
6:30-7:30 Jiu Jitsu

Tuesday:
7:00-8:00 Weight lifting, PRESSES (chest, shoulders, and usually some biceps). Super high intensity. I’ve been doing timed training. 30 seconds bench press, 30 seconds shoulder press, 30 seconds bicep curls for a total of 1:30 of pure hell. Workout partner does the same, then it’s my turn. (do this for 3-5 rounds then go onto more fun stuff that hit the same primary muscles)

Wednesday:
5:30-6:30 Renegade Athletic Training (mma conditioning)
6:30-7:30 Jiu Jitsu

Thursday:
7:00-8:00 Weight lifting, PULLS (back, triceps). Super high intensity. I’ve been doing timed training. 30 seconds pull ups, 30 seconds bent over rows, 30 seconds skull crushers for a total of 1:30 of pure hell. Workout partner does the same, then it’s my turn again. (do this for 3-5 rounds then go onto more fun stuff that hit the same primary muscles)

Friday:
5:30-6:30 Renegade Athletic Training (mma conditioning)

Saturday:
Weight lifting, LEGS. Super high intensity.

Anyways, I LOVING this new schedule. My Jiu Jitsu skills are getting pretty solid, I’m more athletic than I’ve ever been (quick, agile, balance, everything) along with keeping a fair amount of bulk and strength.

Needless to say, I’ve been training like a madman and I’m loving everyday of it. One of the BIGGEST benefits I’ve noticed is my mental toughness is going off the charts. Mental toughness is something that very few people have. I was WEAK mentally when I first started training Jiu Jitsu and MMA. Like total pussy weak, yet I thought I was tough. This new found mental toughness has carried over into all aspects of my life and I’m reaping benefits from it. The bottom line: putting yourself through hell PaYS.

Here’s a progress pic showing off some bruises from grappling :)

I want to make sure our readers understand that we don’t expect over night changes. That may seem like a common sense thing, but I know how challenging it can be to get in shape. More than that, I know how intimidating the whole “fitness world” can be when you feel like you’re “outside” looking “in”.

If anything, we know that for you to truly transform your body you have to first transform your mind, your thoughts about food, your thoughts about yourself, your thoughts about your abilities and more than anything else, what you truly believe is possible. That is something that VERY rarely comes overnight. It takes hard work. It takes failures and readjustments. It takes consistent effort and commitment. And most of all, it takes time.

I know for me, when I was at my lowest I had ballooned up to 275lbs… I never worked out. I saw a lot of my friends and my room mates “somehow” make time to go to the gym and I both envied and loathed them for doing what I just couldn’t. I never ate healthy – I practically lived off of Dr. Pepper. But when things started to click… when I realized that I was REALLY ready for a change I knew I was so addicted to my habits I couldn’t just drop everything cold turkey. I had tried that before and it never lasted. So, I slowly tested the water.

It started off with cutting back on certain things. I then worked on getting to the gym multiple times a week. And then I built off of each success I had. I focused on the times I had achieved what I wanted and learned from the mistakes and slip ups I made. But no matter what I kept going – I never stopped trying to do better and learn more. And that was the key.

So – I know a lot of our posts can seem intense. They can seem blunt or over the top or whatever. But really, we’re trying to spark some desire for change and we know that takes time. So don’t read everything and think to yourself, oh man, there’s just no way I could just suddenly do all that. That’s ok. Be honest with yourself – that’s the only way you’ll make a lasting change.

Set goals. Daily. Weekly. Monthly. Yearly. Whatever – but take this stuff one day at a time. If you think it’d be impossible for you to suddenly stop eating all processed carbs, then just start cutting back. Give up a little here and a little there. You’ll be amazed at how quickly that will start to breed more and more changes and what’s even crazier is that you’ll WANT to give up other things because you won’t see it as something you’re giving up. Rather, you’ll start viewing those “sacrifices’ as things you are gaining control of… and that is a very powerful feeling.

Soooo – to take from one of my favorite movies of all times – it’s all about baby steps. Don’t feel like you have to do everything over night. Set small goals – baby steps – to make changes that are realistic and can be gradual. Have an end goal to work towards and set a time frame for it.

When you break your goals into small manageable baby steps you’ll be amazed at how quickly you can walk a mile.

Keep it up guys – you’re all doing an awesome job and we are so stoked that we can be a part of your transformation!

Nico

Flu shot? Swine flu shot? NO THANKS. I’ll take care of the REAL issue: my immune system. The reality is the majority of people in this county are sickly from depleted immune function due to eating crap food continuously. Of course, they don’t want to face the REALITY of the situation and would much rather run to the doctor for the magic pill solution: the flu shot. I mean who wants to take control of what they’re eating? That’s way harder then standing in line for 30 minutes at Costco for the magic pill! However, as we all know by now, MAGIC DOESN’T EXIST. If you actually look at studies, the effectiveness of flu shots are widely overestimated.

If you’re serious about avoiding the flu this season, it’s time take control of what you’re putting down your pie hole. Some dopy flu bug doesn’t stand a chance against a well-groomed immune system. It’s time to turn your immune system into a fully armed soldier ready to take out the enemy. Here are 3 SIMPLE ways to make it happen.

1. stop consuming sugar and processed carbs

If you’re serious about your family’s health and your own for that matter, it’s time to take control of your sugar intake. Getting some ‘magic pill’ vaccine is NOT the answer.

Want to be certain you’ll get sick? EAT BUNCHES OF SUGAR ON A REGULAR BASIS. Feed your kids lots of sugar, processed carbs, breads, etc. that will guarantee they’ll get sick.

You see, when you drink a coke, or eat a candy bar, or eat a couple pieces of white bread, eat your pizza, or drink your cool-aide, you literally FLOOD your body with glucose. What happens? Your immune system gets knocked out for up to 5 hours. Literally shuts down and gets recruited to try to get rid of this sudden flood of glucose. It’s busy trying to get the load of glucose out of the blood stream, not patrolling for undesirables.

MOST American’s have chronically elevated glucose levels from eating crappy crap food. Think about your diet. How much of it consists of processed carbs and sugar? If you’re like I use to be, probably the MAJORITY. Then we wonder why we end up with the flu? haha. Isn’t it obvious? Our immune systems are always down. No wonder most people are overweight, obese, on their way towards diabetes, getting multiple colds every year along with the flu whenever it ‘comes around.’ They are continuously stuffing their faces with processed carbs, flooding their system with glucose.

The immune system was meant to handle bugs like the flu JUST FINE. You don’t need some stupid shot and neither does your child. You need to eat foods that allow your immune system to be on patrol. You need to feed your body the nutrients it needs to have a powerful immune system equipped with fully automatic assault rifles.

When you’re continuously ingesting processed carbs, your immune system is the equivalent of a 3 year old with a stick trying to fight off an army of terrorist.

2. get your vitamin d

The vitamin D data is very clear that a lack of vitamin D compromises innate immunity, making it easier for someone to get H1N1 swine flu, as well as traditional flu.

It makes sense when you consider that fact that 70% of children are deficient in vitamin D.

Ways to get Vitamin D:
SUNLIGHT
Pure Cod liver oil, 1 Tablespoon (Note: most refined cod liver oils today have the vitamin D removed! Check your label to be certain.)
Salmon
Mackerel
Tuna fish
Sardines

3. EAT NUTRIENT DENSE, LIVE, NATURAL FOODS

Eating alot of nutrient dense, live foods will allow their immune systems to be on full alert armed with fully automatic assault rifles. Flu bugs won’t stand a chance in that fight. They will be destroyed with ease. Eat vegetables. Eat natural foods that come from the earth, NOT a box.

I highly reccomend checking out THIS article on immunity boosting foods.

Sam

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I had a perfect example last night of what Sam was talking about in yesterday’s post. My wife, who is in love with anything that involves being outdoors (preferably in the mountains), decided she wanted to improve her rock climbing abilities so she can be more like spider-woman… So, what did she do? Well, she’s researching the guy up there…. Chris Sharma.

If that picture up top doesn’t give you an idea of the crazy stuff this guy does, check out this video below.

Honestly, my first reaction when she showed me that was surprise. I don’t expect her to climb any crazy arches over water any time soon – and I’m willing to bet she doesn’t either. So why that guy? Of all the people she could look up to and research and model and learn from, why Chris Sharma? He’s one of the best; that’s why.

Think about it, has anyone ever had a role model who wasn’t amazing at whatever he or she did? Growing up, how many little kids who played baseball said they want to grow up to be Mario Mendoza. Never heard of him? I didn’t think so. The Mendoza Line is named after him… but not in a good way (learn more here)

No, we looked up to Michael Jordan and Nolan Ryan and Deon Sanders… guys who excelled. Guys who blew the competition out of the water. The true MASTERS of their sport.

Now let me make sure everyone is clear on one thing – Sam and I definitely don’t pretend to know absolutely everything about health and fitness. In no way are we perfect when it comes to this stuff. We don’t claim it and we definitely don’t think it. So please don’t take either of these posts as us claiming to be the Michael Jordan’s of fitness. Instead, what we’re trying to really hammer home here is a pretty simple concept:

Whatever your goal might be, find someone you can look up to, emulate and model your behavior and actions after.

However, there’s one thing to keep in mind when doing this as it relates to health and fitness. You want to make sure you’re emulating/modeling someone on the same playing field. Now, you might think that goes against everything I just wrote about… so let me explain what I mean by that.

Too often as a trainer I had guys compare themselves to bodybuilders or I had women in their 40’s compare themselves with fitness models in the early 20’s. The good part about this? It gave them something to shoot for – a goal for their hard work. The bad part? Well, most of those people don’t REALLY look like that.

“I’d say probably 80 to 90 percent, I’m not kidding you, of all the stuff I see in magazines is complete hogwash.” – Rick Schaff, Photographer/Author

See what he means in the video below – his interview starts around 2:38. Then there is a second amazing interview at the 6:20 mark.

“There’s all kinds of techniques and tools you can use to completely manipulate the body. In fact, some of the before and after pictures… they could be done in the same day.”

So really, what I’m trying to say is it’s a balancing act. You never want to sell yourself short when it comes to what you can achieve through hard work, dedication and time. I know if you would have told me even five years ago that I would become a trainer and become fit and active I would have laughed in your face. At that point in my life, I was so entrenched in my beliefs that I thought it was impossible.

But at the same time, pick who you listen to and you who emulate wisely. Don’t hold yourself to a standard that isn’t real. Find someone with a similar body type or similar goals – or someone who has experienced similar trials. Someone you can relate to and connect with on a deeper level than just an image.

Besides, isn’t that what a role model is all about? They’re someone you look up to in all aspects, not just the superficial ones.

Some food for thought for today.

Keep up the good work and keep doing what you know,

Nico

I walked into the book store today and couldn’t help but overhear an overweight man giving advice to an overweight woman. The new magic pill was “an alkalizing green drink” that would cure all her overweight and health issues. She was diligently taking notes on what he had to say…

Recently, I noticed Oprah was giving out some more healthy living advise. Millions of people take her words as gospel doctrine. Isn’t it a bit ironic that she hasn’t been able to even stabilize her weight? Here’s a lady who has millions of dollars, any personal trainer she could ever want, an entire chef crew, an awesome home gym, catered everything, and she can’t keep her weight under control. THEN, she has the nerve to give out advise to other people? haha. The funny thing is people listen.

The other day my roommate told me that eggs are bad for you because they have fat and cholesterol in them (don’t worry I quickly enlightened him on the truth).

One of my favorite quotes is:

if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.

Nothing could be more true when it comes to health. There is so much conflicting information out there it’s a joke. SO without further ado, here’s a NO BS, 2 filter guide, for filtering all the conflicting health advice out there.

1. who’s giving it?

Would you take advise on attracting women from this guy?

Would you take financial advise from this guy?

Would you take yoga lessons from this lady?

hmmmm….

So why on earth would you take fitness advise from someone who isn’t fit? Why would you take health advise from someone who isn’t healthy? Why would you take advice from a doctor who isn’t vibrant and healthy herself? It makes no sense.

I always find it funny that someone would give much, if any, merit to some bodybuilder workout routine who is injecting steroids, hgh, among other things. Why would you look to these guys for advise? You’re NOT PLAYING THE SAME GAME on the same field.

2. does it fit into the evolutionary picture

This is really simple folks. Evolution has been confirmed time and time again through many scientific disciplines. Adaptation is observed. Mutation is observed. The human body evolved over a LONG period of time. What did early humans eat? What did early humans do? I wrote about this extensively here.

The next time you hear someone tell you that “eggs are bad for you.” You can ask yourself “would a hunter gatherer have eaten eggs?” If the answer is yes, you know that they’re full of it.

If humans ate it 10,000 years ago, then you should too. Why? The human genome is not much different today then it was then. Our bodies thrive off the same foods. Natural meats, fruits, vegetables, seeds, and nuts. If some study comes out that determines almonds are bad for you, I’ll call BS. Why? Because the human body evolved eating nuts.

Sam

“But why should these companies want to change? Their loyalty isn’t to you, it’s to the stockholders. The bottom line: They’re a business, no matter what they say. And by selling you unhealthy food, they make millions. And no company wants to stop doing that. If this ever-growing paradigm is going to shift, it’s up to you.” – Morgan Spurlock, Supersize Me

It’s up to you.

Guys, if you only take away one thing from Sam’s post yesterday let it be that. It’s up to you. I’ll say it again and again because it’s probably the most important thing we could ever beat into your head. If I can tell you anything from my experience as a personal trainer it’s that my clients that took PERSONAL responsibility for their actions – both good and bad – were the ones that saw the most progress, because they were the ones that were most aware of how those actions affected their goals.

I think a really good thing to think about here is the understanding that if you want to make a major change in your life – and I mean a major, true, real and LASTING transformation – you’ve got to break the mindset that you’re powerless and instead, take power in knowing that you, and only you, are what will make those goals happen.

We all know that in many ways the cards are stacked against us. As Sam’s post points out, fast food companies, soda companies, and snack companies all have the upper hand, one they’ve had on us since we were young (For a very interesting example of this, check out this study). But, the one thing they can’t control is the power we all have internally of self-actualization. See, the reality here is we’re not robots. Although we can very easily have our emotions and the chemicals in our bodies manipulated by feel good advertising and tasty treats, at the end of the day, you still have a conscious being that chooses to make decisions. It may not be easy, but it’s still there. (This goes back to a previous post about pain/pleasure).

So – what does this all mean in terms of a real world application? How does any of this help us reach our fitness goals? Knowledge is power.

“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” – Sun Tzu, The Art of War, 500 BC

Now guys, understand this isn’t about being perfect. This isn’t a post to say never eat fast food ever again. What we’re trying to do here is help you understand what you’re up against so you can make a conscious decision on what you want to do. If that includes going out to eat with friends or family every now and then, well, so be it. At least you’ll be making the CHOICE to do that instead of just going along with the ride and not realizing why it is you crave fast food. It’s about a conscious awakening to your decisions. This isn’t about what you SHOULD do – in that context, should is a very dangerous word. It turns our actions into something we feel we HAVE to or NEED to do instead of something we CHOOSE to do. Don’t work out because you know you SHOULD. Don’t eat healthy because you think you SHOULD. CHOOSE to do these things. That’s the only way a true and total transformation will occur.

It’s a choice. And once you know that – once you’re fully aware that you’re in control – well, at that point the world is yours.

Keep up the good work and keep doing what you know,

Nico

P.S. For those of you that aren’t friends of ours on facebook, here’s a cool video about just how “real” McDonald’s fries are.

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