Do This to Significantly Improve Your Life

I don't care if you're a 40 year-old mom of three, or a 20 year-old kid just trying to impress the girl in your biology class, resistance training needs to be a priority in your training regimen. Whether you're trying to compete on stage or just look a little bit better naked, lifting weights is extremely important for many reasons.

Not only does lifting help to significantly improve your overall body composition, it also can help the functionality of your body, improve your bone strength, as well as improve the your metabolic rate and help you burn more calories at rest. But before I get into all of the benefits, let's go over the basics of lifting weights. 

Lifting Weights: The Basics

Understanding the many benefits on resistance training is good and well, but you first need to understand the different aspects of weight training and what they entail. Let's briefly discuss the some basic terminology just to make sure we're all on the same page.

Resistance Training: A form of exercise in which you move your limbs against resistance in order to improve muscular strength and endurance. The resistance comes in many forms like bodyweight, bands, weighted bars (dumbbells and barbells) as well as machines & pulleys.

Reps (or repetitions): The number of times you perform a specific exercise/movement.

Sets: The number of cycles of the repetitions that you finish. 

Hypertrophy Training: Hypertrophy in the fitness world means "muscle building". The actual definition is the growth of an organ or tissue due to an increase in cell size. Hypertrophy training is a type of training that is used to build lean muscle tissue. The most basic and common form of this type of training is typically 3-5 sets of 8-12 reps (note that this is NOT the only way you can build muscle. Building muscle takes the joined effort of a lot of different practices/habits in and out of the gym). 

Strength Training: A form of training designed to increase muscular strength. Typically 1-5 repetitions, usually 3-5 sets. This repetitions are not done to failure and each set has much more rest in between the next. 

1RM: This stands for your 1 rep max which is the most amount of weight you can move during an exercise for 1 repetition. 

These are the basic terms that I may use throughout this article, so feel free to scroll back up if you ever get lost!

Benefit #1: Significantly Improve Your Body Composition

Let's be honest, we're all just trying to look better naked, am I right? 

Glad we agree.

Now that we're all on the same page, let's get into the details with this one. Being lean and tight is going to be your best option when it comes to looking better naked whether you're a guy or girl. Doesn't matter your gender, no one is working hard in the gym to achieve an ultimate level of flab. The optimal way to create a lean, tight body is to make sure that you have a relatively low amount of body fat, and a high amount of lean muscle mass under your skin. The best way to achieve that is by lifting weights in a way that will force your muscle cells to grow. This is called hypertrophy training. Lifting weights for 3-5 sets of 8-12 reps has been shown to to increase lean muscle tissue (1). I need to clear something else up before I move on. 8-12 reps does NOT mean that you are only sticking to this range. 8-12 reps is simply a general range of repetitions that has been shown to increase muscle hypertrophy. There are many ways to enable our muscle cells to grow. 

Your body is extremely smart, and it will adapt to the environment and situations that you place it in. Take a minute and imagine a long distance runner. What do they look like to you? My guess would be very skinny. If not, you haven't watched the olympics enough. When's the last time you've seen a muscular distance runner? You haven't. This is true because that individual's body has been trained to be very efficient at running long distances.

Now, think of a sprinter. Much more muscular, right? That's because that person's body has been told that it needs to be good at powerful movements. 

It's all about what you're telling your body to do. If you train and tell your body that it needs to be good at moving weight, what's it going to do? It's going to increase the size of the muscle cells to move that weight easily.

Anyway, increasing your lean muscle mass and decreasing your body fat by performing resistance training will lead to a better body composition a.k.a a better looking body. And yes, I know what you're thinking ladies.

"Won't resistance training make me look like a guy?" No, testosterone will make you look like a guy, and you don't have enough of that so quit worrying. I'll tell you this, though: resistance training can most definitely get you that "toned" and "shaped" body that you've endlessly climbed towards on the stairmaster. 

Benefit #2: Improve the Functionality of Your Body

Not only are we trying to look better naked, but we're also trying to improve the longevity of our lives. There is no better way to work on this than by progressing in many different aspects of our health. When we think of resistance training the first thing that comes to mind is muscle growth and improvements in strength. I've got a surprise for you. Benefits to resistance training go much farther than your muscles. Weight training has been shown to have several health benefits that can improve not only the longevity of your life but the quality of your life as well (2). Some of these benefits are:

- Increased proprioception
- Increased movement control
- Improved cognitive abilities and self-esteem
- Improved bone density
- Decreased pain 

Ensuring that your body is performing at its best from gut health, to proprioception, to every-day strength is a great way to improve your quality of life. 

Remember, a lot of what we experience is a result of something within. 

Benefit #3: Improved Metabolic Rate

This is one of my favorite benefits, so I'm going to write another article speaking specifically on this topic. Stay tuned!

We have a big problem in the United States. It's an obsession with an "all or nothing" attitude. We place suffering on a pedestal. Why do you think that severe diets are still used even though they make people's lives miserable? Because people get praise for suffering and that makes them feel good. The same thing happens with training.

We place such a big emphasis on our workouts, what we're doing in the gym, how hard we're going, but don't think much about what's happening outside of the gym in order to lose fat and build muscle. 

An improved metabolic rate is one of the greatest reasons to lift weights. Resistance training has been shown to increase the amount of calories burned at rest. Why? Because the body needs to work harder when it has increased muscle mass. Here's something I want you to understand though (especially if you're a female). An increased metabolic rate does NOT come from an unbelievable increase in muscle mass. I'll give you an example. One of my clients came to me maintaining her weight at an average of 1700 calories each day. She weighed about 101 lbs at that point. She now weighs around 102-104 lbs and she maintains her weight at about 2300 calories. She has a little more muscle mass now, and her metabolism has transformed into this crazy calorie furnace. If she needed or wanted to lose body fat, she would be in such a great position to do so. Why? Think about it. She wouldn't need to do much additional work. Just dropping her calories a touch each week would do wonders. 

When it comes to fat loss, it's about priming the body to burn as many calories as possible with as little effort as possible. Why? Because that's sustainable. Imagine if you plateaued your fat loss while lifting, doing 1 hour of cardio, while eating 1000 calories. You seriously think you can happily maintain that for years to come?

Nope, didn't think so. 

If you wan't to be burning more calories throughout your day, using resistance training to increase your metabolic rate is essential. 

Takeaways

The takeaway from this article is simple. Lift weights. 

Programming plays a crucial role in weight training for progress. If you're interested in coaching, I'm taking on clients and have some openings available. Fill out an application here.

Thanks for reading! Feel free to share this article with your friends. 

For more awesome info, follow and subscribe!

References

1. Thomas, Michael H., and Steve P. Burns. “Increasing Lean Mass and Strength: A Comparison of High Frequency Strength Training to Lower Frequency Strength Training.”International Journal of Exercise Science, Berkeley Electronic Press, 2016, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4836564/.

2. Westcott, W L. “Resistance Training Is Medicine: Effects of Strength Training on Health.”Current Sports Medicine Reports., U.S. National Library of Medicine, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22777332.

About the Author

Adam is a fitness professional, Chipotle fanatic, and cookie enthusiast based in Fort Collins, CO. After hanging up the baseball cleats, he found a strong interest in the human body and how it performs. Since then, Adam has been transforming lives through fitness in a fun and encouraging atmosphere. 

Adam is an ACE CPT and has years of experience in fat loss, muscle hypertrophy, and sports performance training.  

PROS & CONS: Your Guide to Online Coaching & Personal Training

Since I branched out to start Poehlmann Fitness, I've consistently been asked what online coaching is and how it works.

"Adam, what the heck do you do now? I know you're in fitness, but.."
"So are you like, a personal trainer? Or..."
"So do you train people over Skype? That's what online training is, correct? You watch them workout on the computer, right?"

Since Poehlmann Fitness hit its one year mark this summer, those questions come up a little less often, but I still want to break things down. The purpose of this article is twofold. I want to:

1. Provide you clarity and insight on the major differences between online coaching and personal training. 

2. Help you understand which option will be best for you whenever you decide you want to hire a coach/trainer. 

Before I get into the details, I want you to read the following sentence closely:

I am BOTH an online coach as well as a personal trainer. I LOVE both, and this article is written from an unbiased point of view.

This article is made purely to inform and educate you, so you can find the best fit for your health.

Anyway, into personal training we go. 

Personal training is something that most everyone is familiar with. It's been around since most of us can remember. Most of you may be familiar with the general process but we'll run through it anyway. Here's how it works:

You're part of a local gym, and you decide that there is something you'd like to accomplish. With most other things in life, you may not need major assistance from another individual to achieve your goal. However, this goal that relates to your health requires knowledge and experience from an individual who is well-immersed in things like health, fitness, nutrition, etc. 

You seek out a trainer/coach and the gym and hire this individual. You begin training with them for the most amount of sessions per week that you can afford, because you're paying for their time, and that's it. Depending on the trainer/coach, he/she may have you also sign up for other things like a training program to do on your own, nutrition coaching, wellness coaching, etc. 

At each session, you get undivided attention (if you've hired a great coach) as well as professional eyes on everything that you're doing. On the flipside, this means they have no clue what you're doing outside of those 1-on-1 sessions. 

Once you and the trainer/coach reach your goal and/or run out of sessions, you discuss and assess your time with each other thus far and move forward if needed and desired. 

This is a very general and brief description of the process. There are other details that can change the process, such as training styles, experience, personality, etc.
Most of which come from the coach/trainer you hire. 

Now that we have a refresher on personal training, let's go over online coaching. 

Online coaching is a whole different animal. To get as much detail in this brief description as possible, let's go back to the beginning of the process.

You've decided that there is something you want to learn or achieve in your fitness journey. Whether it's improving general health, building muscle, losing fat, whatever it is, you want to accomplish something. This something - similar to the goal with personal training - requires the advice and attention of someone who is well-versed in that field. 

You get on the computer, and do some research on all of the online coaches that you can possibly find. You contact a few and apply to be coached by them. After narrowing it down and making a decision, you move forward with that one specific coach. Depending on the coach's systems and business structure, you pay a fee of some sort. For the sake of this scenario we'll just say that it's $200/mo. for their services (FYI, coaches range from ~ $200-500/mo.).

Unlike personal training, there are more services included for the fee that you are paying. Some of these services are nutrition coaching, custom training programs, weekly check-ins, 24/7 messaging support, etc. 

An online coach is more so a health (fitness, nutrition, wellness included) coach rather than just a personal trainer with an online platform. 

Depending on how the coach's services work, you'll be set up with a training program with exercise video demos, a nutrition protocol, and a platform that this is in. Poehlmann Fitness clients are set up on an app called Trainerize. 

As you go through the process, you check in with the coach on a regular basis and update them on how things are going.

Am I right?

Once you reach your goal or your membership/subscription expires, you and your coach discuss thoughts on moving forward. 

That's a quick summary of what online coaching entails.

Now that we've gone over both personal training and online coaching, it's time to examine the pros and cons of each. In order to do this more specifically, I'll break things down into different categories. Those will be:

1. Coach/Trainer Selection
2. Cost
3. Value
4. Accountability

1. Coach/Trainer Selection

Personal Training

Pros: Quality in-person training sessions require a trainer that can communicate well, carry great conversation, and make you laugh/entertain you. After all, you're with them for an hour. How awkward would it be if no words were exchanged?
Most big box gyms that I know of do some sort of introductory/complimentary session with a trainer. This face-to-face contact is a great opportunity to see what their personality is like. 

Cons: Gyms only have so many personal trainers. There might be situations where you might have to pick the best of the worst in regards to personality match, etc. 

Online Coaching

Pros: Online coaching gives you access to any coach in the world. You can research your tail of to make sure you find the best coach for you. You can learn about their credentials, experience, testimonials, cost, services, etc. in just a few clicks.

Cons: Everyone can call themselves an online coach or personal trainer nowadays. It's really easy to see through the BS in person. It's a little more difficult to do that on the internet. Everyone can make themselves look like a different version of themselves on the world wide web. Here's some advice on that. Ask to do some sort of phone or skype/facetime consultation before moving forward that way you can ensure transparency between the both of you.

2. Cost

Personal Training

Pros: I honestly can't think of one. Personal training is pricey but there are cases in which it's well worth it. Continue reading and I'll explain.

Cons: In-person training in big box gyms can cost anywhere from $60-$100/hr. depending on the experience and demand of the trainer. Let's that means you can be paying $240-$400/mo. if you have one session per week, and as much as $720-1200/mo. if you have three sessions per week. 

Online Coaching

Pros: Online coaching is inexpensive when compared to in-person training. I'll explain more of this as we move along.

Cons: No cons here. 

3. Value

Personal Training

Pros: When comparing online coaching and in-person training in terms of value, a lot of people look down in-person training but I find there are a few really big pros. One of these pros is face-to-face contact. When the trainer is right there with you, he/she can see and should correct any thing they see in how you are performing on the gym floor. Whether that means correcting your rowing form, or reminding you to breathe properly while performing a squat, your trainer can see everything.
In-person training is great for athletes, too. There are so many intricate movements when it comes to sports performance, and an online coach simply isn't there to see that. For example, I train all of my athletes in person because the tiniest correction in their running form could mean seconds shaved off their 90-yard dash that they run for the scouts. 

Cons: The pros are great for in-person training in regards to attention to detail during performance, but that's all that in-person training offers. The fee that you pay is for the hour that you are with the trainer and nothing more. There are some cases in which the trainer may give you things to do at home, but if he/she does, it may not be as detailed and customized as a full program from an online coach. Remember, the trainer is only getting paid for the time you're with them, so they may not give as much attention to your "other" workouts. It's not because they don't care, it's because they need to put food on the table, and filling their schedule clients is how they do it. 

Online Coaching

Pros: The value of online coaching is tremendous. Unlike in-person training, there is much more included in the monthly subscription that you have with your coach. With most coaches and subscription plans, services include a fully customized training program that is tailored to fit your history, goals, current state of health, and lifestyle. Not only is the training plan fully customized, but most coaches also include nutrition coaching in their subscription along with weekly check-ins, 24/7 email access, as well as access to a support group of other clients. Online coaches can also play a big role in listening, giving advice, and allowing health and fitness to play a role in your life that consists of a ton of other priorities. Online coaches aren't life coaches by any means, but it's much more inclusive than just in-person training. 

Cons: The coach isn't there to see what you're doing in the gym in regards to your movement. Although they can offer you a ton of services to benefit your health and save you money, it's not a great option if you are new to exercise and need someone there to make sure your form is on point. 

4. Accountability

Personal Training

Pros: Since you have a commitment made with another individual, it's a lot harder to skip a training session. Your trainer is waiting for you, and that makes it way easier to show up. Not only that, but it's a lot harder to slack off when the person you've hired to get you into shape is hovering over you. 

Cons: They're only there with you for the hour that you've paid for. During the rest of their time, they're training other individuals.

Online Coaching

Pros: They key with online coaching is utilizing what you've paid for. If your membership includes weekly check-ins and email support, abuse it. You've hired them to be at your fingertips whenever you need. Have a question about fitness when you're out with your friends? Email them right then and there. That's the plus of online coaching. Although I have training sessions in-person, most of my time is spent coaching my clients online and there is a lot of time in my daily schedule dedicated to supporting them and answering their questions. If you're completely honest and transparent with what you're doing each day, the accountability can't be matched with online coaching. He/she can see your food intake from sugar consumed to the greens in your delicious kale smoothie (barf). They're also able to see what you did in the gym including weights, sets, reps, and more. 

Cons: If you're dishonest or just don't record in any of your activity, your coach will be stripped of their ability to keep you accountable so it's important that you're as transparent and diligent as you can possibly be. 

The Takeaway

There is a lot of good in both in-person training as well as online coaching. Question is, what's right for you? Here's what I can say about that in a few sentences:

If you are a just beginning to make physical activity a part of your life, in-person training may be best. That way your trainer can show you proper form and etiquette on the gym floor. In-person training may also be best if you are an athlete seeking to improve your speed and agility which can require complex drills and extreme attention to detail.

If you have experience working out, you're comfortable in a gym, and you're confident in your form, online coaching may be a great way for you to get tailored plans to improve your heath, fitness, and nutrition without completely sacrificing your lifestyle. And remember, if you're ever unsure about your form or have questions regarding your plans, you can send in videos or questions about the movement and your coach can help you through it. The use of technology is a huge plus. 

If you're still stuck and don't know which path to take, or you know exactly what you need and want to talk to a professional about getting started, feel free to contact me via email at adam@poehlmannfitness.com or send me a message on social media.

Thanks for reading!

Much love,
Adam

 

Recomposition: The Key to Building Muscle & Burning Fat

It's only week three in your new training plan and you're a little fed up. You haven't seen any results. You continue to search the internet tirelessly for a solution. How can one build lean muscle tissue AND lose fat at the same time? One article says it's possible, the other says it isn't. Next thing you know you're five pages into your Google search, you haven't found any answer to your problem, and you find yourself getting more and more frustrated. 

Ever been in this situation? I have on countless occasions. Whatever the problem is, it seems that the internet never really gives a concrete, "yes" or "no" answer. Want to know why? It's because the internet is full of goons who just want you to click on their site, regardless if they have valuable information waiting for you or not. So here's the truth:

In most cases, when we ask "Is it possible to build muscle and burn fat at the same time?", the time we are speaking of is relatively long term. The question really being asked is: "is it possible to build muscle and burn fat over the course of X weeks?" The answer to that is YES, absolutely. On the other side of the coin, the question could be "is it possible to build muscle and burn fat simultaneously, at the same moment?", to which the answer is: I don't think so. At least I haven't found any science to prove it. 

Quick thought before we move along: If our usual mindset is to put on a certain amount of muscle or lose a certain amount of fat in a given amount of time, why the heck does it matter if muscle can be built while fat can be burned simultaneously? That's just making things more complicated than it needs to be. You'll reach your goal either way. 

Don't blow this up and turn it into something that it's not. I'm not saying that you have to get fat in order to put on muscle, and I'm not saying that you have to turn into a twig to lose fat. I'm actually writing this to introduce a new way of thinking about your health, training, and nutrition. It's called recomposition. 

Recomposing like a boss.

What is recomposition? It's nothing fancy, but it will help us build muscle and burn fat over a period of time. As you know (or at least you do now), in order to build muscle, we need to be in a caloric surplus. This is what is most commonly known in the bro community as "bulking season" which usually occurs in the winter when very little skin needs to be exposed. In order to lose body fat, we need to be in a caloric deficit. This is known as the "cutting season" which usually is procrastinated and crammed into a span of two weeks right before the big spring break trip. 

Recomposition is both of those mixed into one. While attempting to recompose your body, you are in both a caloric surplus, as well as a caloric deficit. This is called calorie cycling. There are plenty of other factors that play a role in the recomposition of the body, but calorie cycling is plays a HUGE part in keeping us lean and mean all year round. 

Question is though, how do we put ourselves in a caloric deficit AND surplus at the same time? And calorie cycling? What the heck does that involve? Let's break this down.

While on a training regimen, there are days in which we train/workout, and days in which we rest. This means that there are days in the week where we are burning more calories than others. Up until recently, a lot of people have been following only one daily goal for their calories and macronutrients. But that doesn't make any sense, right? I wouldn't want to be eating the same amount of food on rest days that I am on training days, because my body wouldn't use the excess calories which means more fat on my stomach. No bueno. 

If we want to stay lean while putting on muscle over a period of time, we need to make sure that our bodies are properly utilizing every single calorie that we take in for muscle growth and recovery. We don't want to give it anything extra to hold on to. With that being said, we need to eat differently on days we train and days we rest. 

How to Cycle Your Calories

In order to determine how many calories you need to be eating each day, you need to first determine your BMR. Your Basal Metabolic Rate tells you how many calories you are burning at rest. I use the Harris-Benedict equation to determine BMR if an individual doesn't know his/her lean mass in pounds. (*Note: this equation is only an estimation of BMR. Muscle tissue and body fat play a large role in BMR. Those who weigh the same with more muscle will burn more at rest). Here are the calculations for both men and women based on total body weight.

Men: BMR = 66 + (6.2 x weight in lbs) + (12.7 x height in inches) - (6.76 x age in years)

Women: BMR = 655.1 + (4.35 x weight in lbs) + (4.7 x height in inches) - (4.7 x age in years)

For a little more accurate formula, you'll need to know your lean body mass. To find your lean mass, you need to know your total scale weight as well as your body fat percentage.

Fat percentage x total scale weight = fat mass. Scale weight - fat mass = lean body mass.

Using the Sterling-Pasmore equation, you can find your BMR by completing the following:

BMR = lean body mass in lbs x 13.8

Once you have determined your BMR, you now need to calculate your TDEE or total daily energy expenditure. The following list will help:

Little to no exercise: Calories needed = BMR x 1.2
Light exercise (1-3 days/week): Calories needed = BMR x 1.375
Moderate exercise (3-5 days/week): Calories needed = BMR x 1.55
Heavy exercise (6-7 days/week): Calories needed = BMR x 1.725
Very heavy exercise (2x/day): Calories needed = BMR 1.9

After determining your TDEE, you now have your calorie intake in order to maintain your lean mass!

Looking through all of these calculations seems daunting, I know. Luckily we have this thing called the internet which is full of calculators that will do the work for you.

Nobody. 

I figured you'd appreciate knowing how to make the calculations yourself, so I threw them in. Knowing things is fun.

From here, you need to know how to cycle your calorie intake based on your goal. Now remember, reaching your goal is going to take longer because your body is recomposing. If you're cutting, you're going to try to preserve as much muscle as possible. If you're bulking, you're trying to put on as little fat as possible. It's a process, but trust me, it's worth it. 

Let's say that your maintenance caloric intake based on BMR and TDEE is 2500 cal. Here's what a calorie cycling plan may look like for muscle gain.

Monday: Training day
Maint: 2500 cal.   Intake: 3000 cal.   Surplus: 500 cal.
Tuesday: Training day
Maint: 2500 cal.   Intake: 3000 cal.   Surplus: 500 cal.
Wednesday: Rest day
Maint: 2500 cal.   Intake: 2200 cal.   Deficit: 300 cal.
Thursday: Training Day
Maint: 2500 cal.   Intake: 3000 cal.   Surplus: 500 cal.
Friday: Training Day
Maint: 2500 cal.   Intake: 3000 cal.   Surplus: 500 cal.
Saturday: Rest day
Maint: 2500 cal.   Intake: 2200 cal.   Deficit: 300 cal.
Sunday: Rest day
Maint: 2500 cal.   Intake: 2200 cal.   Deficit: 300 cal.

As you can see, the training day surplus is greater than the rest day deficits because the goal is to gain muscle. Sure, you may put on a little bit of body fat in the process, but it will be minimal and it's much better than getting fat in ten weeks just for a few pounds of muscle.

For a fat loss plan, you'd switch the surplus on training days to be slightly smaller, and the deficit on rest days to be even larger. For example:

Training Day
Maint: 2500 cal.   Intake: 2700 cal.   Surplus: 200 cal.
Rest Day
Maint: 2500 cal.   Intake: 2000 cal.   Deficit: 500 cal.

Throughout this process, make sure you're monitoring your weight. If you're losing weight extremely fast, you may want to bump the calories up in order to preserve your hard-earned muscle. Vice versa if you're gaining too fast during a mass gain program. I always encourage my clients to stay between .5 and 2lbs of weight lost per week. Those of you just beginning a workout regimen will be on the higher end, while those who have been training for a while will be near the .5 lb mark. 

The Takeaway

Building muscle and burning fat is definitely possible, but only over a period of time. Again, who cares if it can happen at the same exact moment in time? 

It is possible to be lean all year round while slowly putting on mass. It's just going to take you longer than someone that's new to working out or taking drugs.

If you want to maintain a lean physique all year-round, calorie cycling is essential. You can't give your body extra stuff to hold onto. 

They key here is finding a plan that works for you, your schedule, and your goals. Also, YOU HAVE TO STAY WITH IT. You're never going to know if it works or not if you constantly give up at week four. These things take time, and fully understanding/accepting that is a big step in the right direction. Stay tuned for more to come on staying lean all year round. From meal timing, to carb cycling, information is coming your way that will help you reach that body you've always dreamed of.

If you would, share this with some friends and let them know what you think of this article! It's free, and made to help everyone who reads it. Why wouldn't you pass it along? Also, follow me by clicking any one of the links below to get more free fitness info! 

Thanks for reading and take care!