Oxidation, free radicals and antioxidants explained...

What's oxidation?

Oxidation is a natural process that your body is always undergoing. Your body is also under constant attack both internally with what we eat and externally with the pollution and chemicals that surrounds us. Let's just call this 'bad stuff' which ADDS to the oxidation process.
The process of oxidization is when your molecules are robbed of one or more electrons. When your body is continuously exposed to 'bad stuff' the oxidization process is accelerated.
Since your body is composed of 100 million million cells and each cell has thousands of molecules, it takes awhile before oxidization can make an impact but it always does over time unless you do something about it.

What's a free radical?

Oxidation  can be accelerated by stress, smoking, alcohol, foods, pollution and chemicals. When there are disruptions in the natural oxidation process, the excess robbing of electrons from molecules creates highly unstable and potentially damaging molecules called free radicals.
These free radicals are atoms or groups of atoms that contain an odd number of electrons. Once formed, free radicals start a chain of damaging chemical reactions. The biggest danger to the human body is their potential to react with DNA or the cell membrane, causing cells to function poorly or die.
Free radicals are present in the foods you eat as well as in the air you breathe. Some even come through exposure to sunlight that can harm the skin. Free radicals can damage DNA, they can change what enters and leaves a cell.  Prolonged exposure to elements that create free radicals eventually causes disease, accelerates aging, and is even a contributor to heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

What's an antioxidant?

Antioxidants helps fight oxidation. They also balance free radicals. In very simple terms, they have an abundance of electrons that they will share with a free radical in order to stabilize them. Antioxidants are credited for being able to fight off disease, resist aging, prevent heart disease and type 2 diabetes that free radicals cause.

Antioxidants are primarily found in plant foods. The table below describes some of the highest sources of antioxidants:

  In conclusion...

You can't stop oxidation, it's a natural process. But you can slow it down and definitely fight against the accelerators of oxidation that everyone is surrounded with by controlling what you eat.  The best source of antioxidants is a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
To slow oxidation and the stress of life choose your foods wisely. Your cells need a variety of antioxidants provided by different foods to fight the damages of oxidation and free radicals.

The importance of fiber and sugar in our diets...

Why discuss fiber and sugar?

Fiber and sugar are the most misunderstood and often neglected part of any diet. When people talk about dieting or changing eating habits they center it around calories consumed, maybe break it down into macros for protein, fat and carb consumption, etc.  But one of the secrets to all of this is your fiber and sugar intake.  These two components are essential in how effective you digest what you eat and how your body burns fat.

Fiber primer, what is it and how does it work?

Fiber comes in the form of a carb. There are two basic types, soluble and insoluble although each can be broken down into sub-categories that we will not get into here.
Soluble fibers bind with fatty acids and slow digestion so blood sugars are released more slowly into the body. These fibers help lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and help regulate blood sugar (insulin) levels.  This is very important because those components is also what regulates your body from burning fat.  More on that later in the sugar section of his post.
Insoluble fibers help hydrate and move waste through the intestines and control the pH levels in the intestines. These fibers help prevent constipation and keep you regular.  Think of them as a scrub brush for your insides, cleaning out the linings of the intestinal walls. This is essential in order to increase the nutrient assimilation efficiency of the foods you eat.

What happens to fiber as it passes through you?

The stomach: Fiber is bulky so in the stomach it tends to make you feel full. However, insoluble fiber moves out of the stomach fast unless there is fat, protein, or soluble fiber to slow it down. Soluble fiber will slow down stomach emptying, especially when eaten with lots of fluid and some fat. This is why soluble fiber tends to decrease the glycemic (level of sugar) effect of a meal - the contents of the stomach more gradually enter the small intestine, and from there, the blood.

The small intestine: In the small intestine insoluble fiber tends to speed "transit time" up, and the soluble fiber slows things down.

The colon:  The colon is normally thought to be the place where water is removed from whatever is left from digesting the food, and the rest is moved along towards the toilet. In reality, the colon has ten times the bacteria of all our human cells and this 'friendly' bacteria does many things.
In the colon vitamins are constructed especially vitamin K and some B's. More minerals are absorbed, and short chain fatty acids are produced which many now believe is a contributor to keeping colon cells healthy and preventing conditions like colitis, colon cancer and regulating cholesterol.

How much fiber?

One thing to keep in mind about fiber is that the amount recommended per day is not influenced by gender, height or weight. Fiber is all about your digestive system and we all pretty much have the same digestive system.
As such, the recommended daily averages I have seen range from 25-40 grams per day. Why the difference? I think primarily it's that 25 is the recommended low end minimum but there are studies that recommend more for various reasons most of which are for better cleansing of your digestive tract or to slow down insulin spikes which equates to increasing fat burning capability.
One thing to take note of is that canned fruits and vegetables have most of their fiber stripped in order to preserve shelf life. The same is true for most items frozen. They are also pumped with sugar or similar derivatives for the same purpose. So it is very hard to get fiber naturally but the best way is to buy fresh produce.
The average American diet is very low in fiber.  With most people that I train, when we add it up it is usually below 15 grams per day. This can explain many of the health problems we have in this country.
Regardless of how much fiber you consume, DRINK PLENTY OF WATER! You do not want the fiber to bind in your digestive system.

What are some fiber sources?

Below is a nice table I found on the internet that gives you the type of fiber, whether it is soluble or insoluble, what source you can get it from as well as health benefits.

Types of Fiber	Soluble or Insoluble	Sources	Health Benefits
Cellulose,some hemicellulose	Insoluble	Naturally found in nuts, whole wheat, whole grains, bran, seeds, edible brown rice, skins of produce.	"Nature's laxative": Reduces constipation, lowers risk of diverticulitis, can help with weight loss.
Inulin oligofructose	Soluble	Extracted from onions and byproducts of sugar production from beets or chicory root. Added to processed foods to increase fiber.	May increase beneficial bacteria in the gut and enhance immune function.
Lignin	Insoluble	Found naturally in flax, rye, some vegetables.	Benefits heart health and possibly immune function. Use caution if celiac or gluten intolerant.
Mucilage, beta-glucans	Soluble	Naturally found in oats, oat bran, beans, peas, barley, flaxseed, berries, soybeans, bananas, oranges, apples, carrots.	Helps lower bad LDL cholesterol, reduces risk of coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Use caution if celiac or gluten intolerant.
Pectin and gums	Soluble (some pectins can be insoluble)	Naturally found in fruits, berries, and seeds. Also extracted from citrus peel and other plants boost fiber in processed foods.	Slows the passage of food through the intestinal GI tract, helps lower blood cholesterol.
Polydextrose polyols	Soluble	Added to processed foods as a bulking agent and sugar substitute. Made from dextrose, sorbitol, and citric acid.	Adds bulk to stools, helps prevent constipation. May cause bloating or gas.
Psyllium	Soluble	Extracted from rushed seeds or husks of plantago ovata plant. Used in supplements, fiber drinks, and added to foods.	Helps lower cholesterol and prevent constipation.
Resistant starch	Soluble	Starch in plant cell walls naturally found in unripened bananas, oatmeal, and legumes. Also extracted and added to processed foods to increase fiber.	Helps weight management by increasing fullness.
Wheat dextrin	Soluble	Extracted from wheat starch, and widely used to add fiber in processed foods.	Helps lower cholesterol (LDL and total cholesterol), reduces risk of coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Avoid if celiac or gluten intolerant.

Now lets move on to sugar and how it works...

When we eat carbs its converted into blood sugar or glucose which is where we get our energy. Our blood sugar level effects how hungry and energetic we feel. It also determines whether we burn or store fat.
Insulin is a hormone created in the pancreas that transports blood sugar into our body's cells where it is used for energy. When we eat simple carbs (anything rich in sugar or its derivatives and whose fiber has been stripped away) the pancreas goes into overtime producing the insulin that is necessary so the blood sugar can be used for energy. This insulin surge tells our body that plenty of energy is readily available and that it should stop burning fat and start storing it.
However, the greater concern with the insulin surge is not that it tells our body to start storing fat. Another side effect is that the insulin surge causes too much blood sugar to be transported out of our blood and this results in blood sugar and insulin levels to drop making us feel tired and hungry. This  makes us crave to eat again, preferably something with a high sugar content. Your body gets into a constant state of storing fat.
Sugar mostly resides in simple carbs. Simple carbs include the various forms of sugar, such as sucrose (table sugar), fructose (fruit sugar), lactose (dairy sugar), and glucose (blood sugar). Watch for the "-ose" ending. Derivatives like High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) and Corn Syrup also fall in this category.
Most everything has sugar that is why I believe in keeping it to a minimum because of the insulin spikes it creates. I even frown on eating lots of fruits since those are high in sugar. Some may be critical of that but the fact is, sugar is sugar is sugar regardless of the source it has the same effects on insulin.  If you eat fruits for the fiber content, convert some of that consumption to high fiber vegetables. Overall it is better than gouging on fruits all day long.
Again, the key is lowering your sugar content. Eating a fruit before a work out is ok but don't eat it all day because of the fiber content. It makes no sense, you are ingesting unnecessary sugar when you can get your fiber content somewhere else.

Caution: Sugar, sugar everywhere...

It is very hard to keep sugar consumption to low levels since it is everywhere and in foods that most people do not consider as a sugar source. For example:

• Milk; regardless of type, skim, whole, 1% or 2%, almond, soy, organic, etc, etc, loaded with sugar
• Breakfast cereals; almost all of them are loaded with sugar
• Soft drinks; probably the worse of all in terms of sugar content
• Canned or Frozen food; pumped with sugar and its derivatives in order to preserve shelf life which minimizes spoilage at the store before someone purchases it
• Low to No Fat Products; usually compensated by adding sugar for taste. I prefer 'low' versus 'no fat' products. I will trade fat grams over sugar grams any day of the week
• BBQ sauces; most all are high to super high in sugar. I prefer to use rubs on my fish, chicken and meat. I trade in sodium content over sugar any day of the week
• Ketchup and Salad dressings; read the labels, get the ones with the lowest sugar content. I strive for something under 3 grams of sugar per serving. This has a nice trade off and balance with fat grams

Conclusion...

When setting up your Protein, Carb and Fat macros, you should further break down your carb intake to simple and complex carbs which equates to controlling your sugar intake and maximizing your fiber intake.
Even if you do not do anything else in your diet plan except to decrease sugar consumption and increase fiber intake, you will see results in terms of weight loss.  I have seen that in every client I have ever trained.

Please feel free to leave me comments....

Fit

My first power rack, a father and son story

It seemed like a great idea...

as I got stronger and stronger under the tutelage of my Dad, it was decided that we needed a power rack in order to have more variety in training.  There are many types of power racks, the one we opted for looked something like this:

They are used to do squats, push jerks, heavy pulls and a bunch of other muscle busting exercises to improve your Olympic lifts. Personally I think they are remnants of medieval times where people were tortured, thus the name 'rack'....
The one we bought did not have the upper cross bar support, they were two separate free standing frames.
Since I worked out in my backyard patio, we had to figure out how to properly secure it to the floor and the overhead ceiling which was made out of a weak aluminum.



My Dad was a Civil Engineer and had his P.E.  He was meticulous to detail.  He came up with a design where we drilled holes into the concrete floor in order to place rebars, then we would build a wooden frame around it where concrete would be poured, 300 pounds worth for each block.
Then the frames would be bolted into the concrete blocks then secured overhead to the patio I beams.  This was genius! The monstrous, pyramid like cement blocks would take all the weight and pounding that the power rack would endure and the overhead patio roof would just serve the purpose of keeping them upright.
How hard can this really be?

The drilling begins...

Men love power tools especially BIG power tools. This was going to be a bonding experience between Dad and I.  We had to drill big holes, I mean BIG holes into four inches of concrete.  So we rented a power drill that weighed as much as I did. I was 14 and weighed about 130 pounds soaking wet (yes, I was the weakling you always read about in school). With the bit inserted, that thing had to be almost three feet long.
My Dad marked the floor where the holes had to be drilled. He was going to do the drilling, since according to him, I was too small to handle such a drill. You guessed it, those were fighting words and somehow I was going to prove him wrong!
After about an hour of drilling, Dad had finished four holes. We were half way done but he was going to take a break and get something to eat. His parting words were 'Do not touch that drill' which translated into teenage logic meant 'as long as I don't see you, do what you want'!
I could barely hold the drill upright.
Thank God I was able to stick the drill bit into the next hole he had already started. Imitating my Dad, I held on to each handle of the drill and wedged the motor against my stomach. The only difference is that there is not much to wedge when you weigh 130 pounds compared to my Dad's 200 pound frame and a nicely developed beer belly which took years to evolve!
Initially all was going well. The bit was spinning although no noticeable progress could be seen,

then it happened...

I inadvertently tilted the drill too much to one side and the drill bit 'caught' the hole and froze. Like a cowboy riding a bull, the drill itself continued spinning, picking me up and twirling me like a baton. It kept spinning until the electrical cord wrapped itself around the drill to the point that the plug came out of the wall. This was immediately preceded by throwing me a good three feet into the cement floor. At that moment I knew that Rodeo Bull Rider was not going to be a good career choice!
When my Dad came back, needless to say, he was not impressed but my black and blue marks was enough punishment.....for the time being!

How hard can building blocks be?

With the holes now drilled it was time to build the frames that would hold the concrete we would pour to create the blocks.  There were two frames to be built, one for each block so my Dad showed me how to build them. He emphasized to pre-drill the holes before using wood screws to hold the frame together. So he built the first one and left me to do the second one.

Who needs to pre-drill anyways?

Teenage logic, still in full gear, takes over and looks for short cuts. Why in the world would you want to pre-drill holes for the wood screws when screwing them in right from the get go works just fine? So on I went making the second frame breaking carpentry speed records if they ever measure such a thing. I could hear the wood cracking as I drilled but heck that's normal right?

The pouring begins...

With both frames complete, and rebars inserted in the holes, it was time to mix the concrete and start pouring.  First was my Dad's frame.  As we poured I could hear the pressure of the weight that the concrete was exerting on the frame, but it was holding. Once done we stepped back and it looked marvelous. I knew at that point that my Dad in a previous life had obviously been involved in the building of the pyramids in Egypt. It was majestic!
Now it was time to pour the concrete into my frame, you know, the one I took some liberties on in building. As the pouring began, I could hear the wood frame strain under the weight and pressure of the concrete. A quarter of the way done, all is good...half way done, still good to go....three quarters of the way THEN IT HAPPENED!

WTF did you do???

With the pouring almost complete, the frame could no longer take the pressure....the wooden frame broke open as the screws I had used without the pre-drilling had created cracks in the wood and it could no longer hold. One side had breached and the concrete slowly started slumping out from that side.
The first words out of my Dad was 'you didn't pre-drill did you?'.  Actually the language he used was a bit more colorful than that but this is a PG rated blog....
Quickly we got some rope to wrap around the frame to salvage the block. There we were, my Dad and I laying on the ground pulling on the rope as hard as we could to stop the frame from busting wide open and letting the rest of the concrete pour out....somehow, miraculously, we salvaged the frame but not without some consequences...
There stood the two blocks. My Dad's, a symbol of a Civil Engineering degree and PE license. Perfection, rectangular, without one noticeable defect.  Then there was mine, lopsided, deformed, also a symbol, but of how a teenager could be smarter than Dad.
I think this was one of the few moments I had seen my Dad lose his temper...he was fit to be tied.  After salvaging the frame, he held a large steel rod used in the power rack in his hand. I still remember him holding that rod tightly in one hand and slamming it into the palm of his other hand repeating 'I can't believe you didn't pre-drill after I told you...'.
Later on in years, we always had a good laugh about this.  When friends and relatives would come over he would always take them into the patio to show off the power rack.
The show and tell always started with the same question, 'Can you tell which block was built by me and which one was built by my son?'.....the differences were so noticeable that everyone would just start laughing uncontrollably!
Although at the time this was something that I wanted to forget immediately, it is now one of those cherished moments between father and son that will stay with me forever.
I miss my Dad tremendously but those memories keeps him alive in my heart forever...

Fit

Why I started juicing once a week...

First there was fiber...

A few years ago I read a book by Dr. Scott Connelly called Body Rx and who also invented MetRx.

This changed my entire nutritional outlook on life. I highly recommend everyone read it.  He is a bodybuilder and medical doctor that worked in an emergency room setting for years. He was amazed at how terminally ill patients being fed thousands of calories through tubes could still be losing weight. Those studies led to this book and if you are into nutrition, it is fascinating.
One of the biggest premises in the book is to convert your body into a fat burning machine 24/7, not just when you work out.  Two of the biggest factors that help contribute to this goal is sugar (less of) and fiber (more of).
Without getting into the details of the book, I changed my eating habits completely. I ate well already but obviously was lacking in several things, fiber being one of them.  It is a key ingredient into cleansing out your digestive tract of all the toxins and wastes that sits there rotting and lining the intestinal walls with junk that doesn't allow nutrients to be absorbed efficiently.
Increasing my fiber intake had amazing results both in regular bowel movements (yes I had to go there!) as well as fat burning ability.  I was able to tell the difference within two weeks.

Along comes juicing...

About three years of this put me in the best shape of my life but I always love to further educate myself.  I was fascinated with juicing. Not the type that extracts the pulp out of vegetables and fruits and gives you a clear liquid, but rather the type that pulverizes everything into a liquid form.  Two excellent blenders for this are the Ninja NJ600 Pro Blender and Nutri Bullet NBR-12 12-Piece Hi-Speed Blender/Mixer System .  I use the latter but both are just as effective.
At the same time, I was reading up on anti-oxidants and free radicals and how that impacts inner and outer health (more on this in a future post).
I started incorporating daily juicing as a replacement or addition to one or two meals in a day. Seeing that I eat six times a day this was easy and made food prep more convenient.
One key difference between my juicing and others is that I incorporate protein powder (whey) into my shakes.

The ingredients...

I have read mixed reviews on juicing, especially when done for one to two weeks and longer and the impact on muscle atrophy. To err on the side of caution, I supplement my shakes with whey protein powder since I attempt to take in one gram of protein per pound of bodyweight daily. It is very hard to do without some form of supplementation. I could not see going down to almost zero protein grams even though it would only be over a 24 hour period.
So when I juice all day, always on a workout rest day, I incorporate protein, anti-oxidants and fiber.
The program below is what I use. I prefer to use fruits but you can also incorporate dark green veggies as well.

Typical Shake:

• 30 grams of whey protein (you may use whey isolate if you can't handle milk products)
• One or two of the following fruits: banana, rasp/black/blue/straw berries. These are very high in anti-oxidants
• A small scoop of each of the following; chia, sesame and flax seed (very high in Omega 3's, anti-oxidants, minerals and fiber). You may also incorporate hemp seeds
• A small scoop of uncooked oatmeal (again, high in fiber)
• You must pulverize the seeds and oatmeal in the blender before mixing it with the fruits and protein. The reason is to remove the outer shell covering of the seed for easier digestion
• Once the seeds are pulverized into powder form, mix in the fruits above, protein and water for an amazingly tasty shake. I like to add chipped ice to give it a frosty feel and I also use alkaline water (see my post on that in my blog)
• You can replace water with other liquids but I caution to look at the sugar content. You just can't go wrong with water

What to expect...

As I already stated, I already have 'juice meals' once or twice a day and have found that it cleans out my digestive tract pretty good. The less toxins you carry in your body 24/7, the healthier you are going to be and your body will process foods in a more efficient manner.
When you juice for a full 24 hours, make sure you also drink lots and lots of water! You want to flush your body as much as possible.
Initially the first couple of shakes will be ok, nice and filling. Once you start hitting the afternoon you will start craving for some solids, especially carbs. When that happens, have another shake! The same craving will come back in a few hours and you repeat with another shake. The amount of shake that you drink will depend on how hungry you are. Play it by ear, everyone is different.
If you have also been drinking lots and lots of water, you should start some very intense bowel movements (yes, yes, I went there again!) later that afternoon or early that night. If this does not happen, it may not take place until the next day.
By the following day you will spend the first part of your morning definitely flushing out your system especially if you didn't the night before.  Eat a small breakfast to ease your body back into solids then the rest of the day you should be able to go back to your normal eating habits.
I normally lose 3-4 pounds over that 24 hour period. I don't feel tired since I fed my body well but the weight loss is from all the waste that was sitting in my intestines.  There is no way that you could lose 3-4 pounds in 24 hours from fat, muscle or water loss especially when you were hydrating yourself so well.
The best way to determine how much junk you got rid of is to weigh yourself first thing in the morning after going to the bathroom and before you begin juicing, then weigh yourself again the next day after you went to the bathroom.

You should always check with your doctor before going on a juicing program for an extended period of time.  Adding it to your regular meals should be ok but if you have metabolic or digestive issues and want to go on one for 24 hours or more, it is advised to see your doctor.

I do not recommend this program for periods of more than 24 hours.  Since I have never tried that, I cannot tell you what to expect and what the results will be.

Training is like wine, it gets better with age...

I have been training for 42 years spanning five decades; from my teens through my 20's, 30's, 40's and now 50's.  Over those years my training has changed dramatically (as has nutrition) due to a different focus, objectives, body maturity and just plain being smarter.

In the beginning....

and for about the first decade, it was purely to compete in Olympic Lifting, Snatch and Clean & Jerk.  Something that Crossfit has actually made popular but has been in the Olympics from the very beginning thus its name.


David Rigert C&J

David Rigert Snatch

This was my favorite Olympic Lifter, David Rigert from Russia. Note the similarity to Moe of the Three Stooges but don't tell him that, he would kick your ass!

The purpose of Olympic Lifting, after learning the technique, was to get strong then stronger.  Then when you accomplished that, you guessed it, you got stronger again. A pretty Neanderthal training method. I always did love simplicity!
Workouts were intense. Once I reached national level I would compete just three times a year, usually the State championships, a Regional championship, then the Nationals. Occasionally you would throw in another meet as a Guest Lifter in order to maintain your competitive groove.
At that level your training cycles were about 12 weeks long and those were even broken down further, i.e. Prep, Pre-Contest and Contest phase. Within each phase there was a certain amount of tonnage you lifted calculated as something called a K factor to stay on course with your goals at the meet. I will stop getting more technical here for the sake of keeping my readers awake! And many of you thought us weightlifters were dumb, ha!
This type of training was harsh on the body and I am putting that mildly.  You pushed your body, joints, tendons and muscles to its outer limits. That was the only way to get stronger.
After many injuries, the last one being a partially torn patellar tendon, it was time to hang up my weightlifting belt and work out to stay in shape.  At the time I knew nothing about fitness, all I knew was how to get stronger! This was a total mindset shift....
But I always love a challenge.

Training through your 20's and 30's...

so on I went, working out without a purpose. I still trained hard and still trained heavy even well into my 30's. I just didn't compete because my joints couldn't stand the punishment of the Olympic movements. Since I also didn't have contests to train for, there was no training cycle as before. I kept training with no real purpose other than I just loved the adrenaline rush of the gym. Something I inherited from my father...
My muscle head mentality still existed from my competition days however, where I still went as heavy and hard as I could in certain body parts, especially legs.  Squatting work outs were so intense I developed a herniated disc.  At the time I was still a No Pain, No Gain worshipper. So much so that I kept on lifting with a herniated disc until one day it ruptured and I had to have emergency back surgery the next day. 
I was in my early 30's at the time. I still remember the surgeon telling me 'you know it's not a good thing to be having back surgery at 30'! That's when I knew I had to change my training objectives otherwise I would never see my 40's without being a cripple!

Education and Experimentation...

During this era I started reading a lot about diet and nutrition. I was not interested in bodybuilding only because in those times and probably now as well, in order to do well in a contest, you had to start juicing or what they call now, taking Performance Enhancing Drugs (PED's). It made no sense to me that to be healthy you had to take drugs. That was just an oxymoron!
Although I did a mix of bodybuilding and powerlifting movements, my main concentration was on form and range of motion.  I wanted to build symmetry and an athletic look, I was no longer interested in strength or size.
I found the best way to achieve this was using perfect form and extending the range of motion that the muscle stretches and contracts through each rep of a given exercise. It makes no sense to cut a rep short just so you can lift more.
Like I tell everyone weight is irrelevant when exercising. Too many people worry about that.
During this time I was still training 4-5 days a week, each body part twice a week and no cardio since I never did it when I competed.

Hitting the 40's...

Now I am hitting my 40's, feeling very good in how I feel especially when I get together with high school friends and find how many of them are on medication and can't do things that are too physical. I always had a guilt feeling about staying in shape mostly because people would criticize it. It wasn't till I hit my 40's that I just didn't give a crap what others thought, I knew I was on the correct life long path.
All these years of training has paid off since I have almost no similarities (in physical activities) between my friends and I except for those that also competed with me.
My metabolism had slowed somewhat, I could tell by how difficult it was for me to maintain a desired weight.
So this was the decade that I decided to incorporate some aerobic activity. I started only because I knew I needed to improve my cardiovascular system, something that I had always neglected and also because I was starting to get into hiking, snorkeling, kayaking and cycling.
Due to my metabolic change I started to pay more attention to what I ate. I started reducing sugar content, increasing fiber intake and having a consistent low fat calorie diet. This is something that I will elaborate on in a future post.
I could still train hard but one thing had definitely changed in my mid 40's. I could no longer train a body part twice a week and it be effective. I would basically have one good work out then one crappy work out on that body part during the week.  I hate hate hate crappy workouts. It's still the competitive side of me.

Training a body part once a week...

The logic was that it would eliminate that one crappy workout during the week and it allowed me to absolutely blast to exhaustion the one body part I was training. It also reduced the amount of training time which meant more time spent on cardio.
My training now went as follows:

Day 1 Chest
Day 2 Back
Day 3 Legs
Day 4 Shoulders
Day 5 Arms

Interesting enough, although I am working a body part once a week I am still working out ancillary muscles at the same time. For example, when working out chest you are also hitting the triceps indirectly. With back you are also training the biceps in the same way, etc.  I have legs in the middle of the week in order to give the upper body parts a rest between sessions.
I found this routine to work great, so much so that I still use it today and have converted many people in the gym to train this way as well.

Passing through the 50's...

The most noticeable difference between 40's and 50's training is that you are more prone to injury. The muscles are as strong as ever, its just those pesky tendons and ligaments. I feel they are like rubber bands, there is only so many stretches left in them...
Stretching is more important now and also not doing stupid stuff like handling a weight that you know is just too heavy. I think they call this being older and wiser.
You are more intelligent in your training because the goal is health and fitness and you accomplish this by avoiding injury instead of minimizing injury.  There is a difference. When you train to avoid injury you still train hard but not crazy whereas training to minimize injury you still take risks.
For example, I never do any bent over back exercises without the support of a bench against the chest. Way too much pressure is placed on the lower spine.
I don't do squats from the squat racks, I use the Smith Machine. I have found that they are just as effective yet safer on the joints and back. I train for longevity.
Whenever I am going for a record set it is because I know I handled the previous set relatively easy and I also do not bite more than I can chew in weight selection and reps desired.
Another noticeable difference is metabolism. While it slows down in your 40's, it seems to come to a screeching halt in your 50's. Diet and cardio now becomes more important than lifting!
In my 20's and 30's I ate fast food every day and in the evening's maybe fast food again or something not too healthy.
In my 40's I started tightening my diet up.
In my 50's I am meticulous about it. I still maintain a low fat calorie diet but I also carefully watch consumption of fiber, anti-oxidants, reduction of sugar to almost a zero level and more fish and chicken and less steak although I love it (sorry Paleoists's!).
Another trick to counter a slower metabolism is cardio training. I am now religious about it. It is a major key to maintaining target weight.
I have recently incorporated HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) cardio. HIIT involves performing any form of cardio (stairmaster, treadmill, elliptical, etc) for a set time period, usually 20 minutes, and incorporating several cycles of very high intensity speed for short bursts, normally 20 seconds.
So, for example, a 20 minute session on the elliptical would start off with a three minute warm-up, followed by a burst of speed for 20 seconds, slow it down to warm-up pace again until minute five then another 20 second burst. Each burst should be anywhere between 50%-100% increase in speed depending on your endurance level.  You go as fast as you can with nothing left in the tank after those 20 seconds.
You continue this cycle of two minute slow pace, 20 second burst until you reach the 20 minutes. The speed you maintain between your bursts does not matter. It's the burst that's important.
The theory behind HIIT is that your body adapts to any steady target heart rate pace where it no longer is fat burning effective. With 20 second bursts every two minutes it confuses the body and the fat burning continues throughout the session. It does not allow the body to adapt.
I have been on it this year entirely and I am hooked. I decreased the amount of cardio I was doing because I was burning too much bodyweight. It's a beautiful thing!

In conclusion...

As you age from decade to decade, you must adapt your training in order to maintain the highest level of fitness. This is not to be confused with slowing it down.
Initially, I just threw caution to the wind and went all out because nothing hurt.  The joints can only take so much high level abuse.  So I throttled my training back and eliminated the exercises destroying the joints. I still trained recklessly though and more injuries caused me to retool my training again.
In fact my current training is more intense than when I was in my 20's. My rest intervals between sets are much less, my exercise movements are much more controlled and deliberate and when you add cardio but the weights I use are substantially lower. Don't get me wrong, from my original foundation I can still out lift most everyone in the gym and definitely those in my age range but it is because I graduated to that level over many years.  I now feel I am in the best shape of my life.
Initial training was for competition, for others it may be to play a sport. But as you get older you realize that training is to make your life enjoyable forever. To stay active rather than inactive.  Once you stop anything, whether physical or mental, you start to atrophy. Activity is the best anti-aging formula in the world.
Fitness is not measured on how much you can lift or how big you are. Fitness is being able to maintain the same level of activity as you did when you were younger.
One final and important benefit to staying fit and healthy is that it is contagious. What a beautiful thing to pass on to your children. It's a lifetime benefit. I thank my Dad for starting me on this road four decades ago.
Age truly is a number and the best part is that you control what direction you want your body to take...

Train hard, smart and healthy......... Fit

Alkaline water, why or why not?

What is alkaline water and why or why isn't it important?
First a tutorial on what defines alkalinity.
All liquids have what is known as a pH level. pH is defined as the measure of acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Water is neutral, meaning it is neither basic or acidic, it sits at the midpoint or a pH of 7.
So when one mentions alkaline water, they are talking about water with pH levels higher than 7.
Proponents of alkaline water say that it can neutralize acid in your bloodstream, boost your metabolism and help your body absorb nutrients more effectively. Some even say that alkaline water can help prevent disease and slow the aging process. Hydrating at a higher pH level nourishes your skin making you look more youthful. While there are many proponents of these beliefs, opponents say that these claims have not been proven.
The reason for these positive claims is that your bloodstream operates at about a 7.35-7.5 pH level. Your cerebral fluids function at 7.5 and pancreas at a whopping 8.1. Since the body is 53% water, and most of its vital functions operate at pH levels higher than 7, belief is that hydrating the body with higher pH levels is beneficial to those claims.
So how does one make water more alkaline?
Well there are plenty of water alkaline systems out there. Now do not get these systems confused with ionizers or filtered water. They are two separate things although all the alkaline systems I have seen filter the water and have ionizing capability. The better ones do not come cheap running upwards of well over a thousand dollars.
So how does it work?
By running tap water through a water alkaliser, the water is:

• Filtered of organics and chlorine
• Separated into twin separate streams; acid and alkaline.
• Negatively charged with hydrogen ions
• Oxygen supporting
• Reformatted at a molecular level into 'wetter' 'smaller' water
• Delivered in a form that becomes a source of abundant antioxidants

When the water is separated into two streams, you use the one that is alkaline. In some systems you can select what level of pH you want. It is suggested to drink at pH levels of between 8-9.5 and cook at pH levels of greater than 11.
Now what do I think of these systems? Well for starters, I am skeptical of everything but at the same time I am willing to try it when the explanation makes sense.
I have been using a nice water alkaliser for about a month now. First I want to say there is a noticeable difference in taste although water is supposedly odorless and tasteless. I guess it is because of the filtered process up front as well as the negatively charged hydrogen ions.
I have also been cooking with it as well. I have not noticed a difference in the taste of food however.
At this point I can't say I am new and improved but I can say I do feel better. I do not know if this is a mental thing telling me I must feel good because I am drinking alkaline water or because it is really working. Time will tell such as in sickness, injuries, etc. Although I did get asked the other day what I used for my skin since it looks so well hydrated........hmmm, maybe there is something to this alkaline water thing.
In conclusion, the way I look at it is this. I filter my water anyways just because it is something I have always done. While filtering it, why not alkalize it? It surely can't hurt and although there are opinions on both sides of the fence on this, I have not seen anything that says it is bad for you. All the debate centers around it being better or how much better than normal tap water.
Seeing you only live once, you only have one body, erring on the side of what may be good for you, is good enough for me.
Since I will be asked which water system I am using, here is a link that will help you look at it. I found it to be well priced for what its purpose is and compared to other models that provide the same functions at a much higher price.
Would love to hear what your experience is from drinking alkaline water!

Why Old Fart???

Just in case I offend anyone, let me explain the name of my blog, Old Fart Training...
First and foremost, I inherited my Dad's sense of humor. In good times and especially in bad times, he always applied humor to everything.  I loved how he could put a smile on my face in a bad situation.
My Mom on the other hand, hated that sense of humor! She would always say he just didn't take things seriously enough.
The reality is that Dad always took care of business. He just did it in a positive way. There was never an 'oh poor me' attitude. He solved problems but added comedy while he was at it.  Throughout this blog I will sprinkle some of his humor since I will carry those memories with me until it is my time to join him in that big gym in the sky!
But I have digressed....back to the Old Fart explanation...
As a kid starting to train and compete we used to work out in 'hole in the wall' gyms. You know, the ones that would take your money one day then close the next day. We were vagabond weightlifters never knowing where our next workout would be. It was the 1970's and my partners and I were in our teens...
Every week while training for a contest we would always have some old guy (in his 40's and up, gasp!) come up to us and give us 'hints' on how to lift. We would laugh at them behind their backs.  After all, what can a 40 year old guy who has been lifting for 20 years teach teenagers like us that had an entire 18 months of training under their belts!?
So we started calling them Old Farts and their Old Farts Training methods!
As I got older and older, and had injuries upon injuries, I started realizing that I was becoming an Old Fart myself.  Taking my Dad's humor where he always made as much fun of himself as he did of others, I started calling my tips to 'teenagers' my 'Old Fart Training Tip'.  The kids now get a good laugh out of it and seem to listen although I am quite intrigued as to what they call me behind my back!
One thing is for sure though, just as the Old Farts that gave me advice as a teen knew, I too would eventually see their way.  So I am quite satisfied to know that the kids I give advice to will eventually be enlightened with Father Time and think of that Old Fart (me) that tried to give them advice!
Thus is the reason for Old Fart Training. I poke fun at myself but also realize there is something I can give back from over 40 years of abusing my body...

Fit

In the beginning...

Well, I guess this is as good a way to start any blog correct?
I have been training for most of my life, first as a competitive Olympic lifter then after a series of injuries, training to stay in shape and enjoy life.
Don't get me wrong, I still train as hard as ever but in a softer, gentler way!
I have found that as you get older, while your muscles maintain most of their strength, your tendons and ligaments are like rubber bands that eventually get old after too many stretches and eventually just snap.
In this blog I hope to transfer some of my knowledge to those that have been training awhile or for those that started later in life and are wondering if they are going down the correct path.
I see so many things done and taught wrong in major gyms by 'certified' personal trainers, it makes me cringe!
By the way, yes I am certified but I don't believe in the paper I have just like I don't believe in the 'paper' most personal trainers have.
No certification can replace over 40 years of living the life, training balls to the wall 5-6 days a week, competing, and reading anything I can get my hands on regarding health and fitness.
I am just starting out with this blog so please be patient as I learn this blogging business.
Leave me comments, I love to answer questions and give opinions and advice.
Some of the posts may seem boring and mundane but it's the little things that you do that lets you accomplish what you are trying to achieve.
Enjoy and get out there and get active. You only live once. You only have one body. You need to take care of it if you want to get the most out of this one chance!

Fit