So I am extremely excited to introduce you to a whole new view of training and a paradigm shift when it comes to being fit. I know some of you reading this will have heard of Scott Sonnon, but I bet you haven't read too many interviews with the guy. The reason for this is that he is one of the premier special forces trainers in the world right now. He is in serious demand right now, training counter-terrorism unit, Navy SEALS, police forces, SWAT teams, etc. He spent 6 years traveling all around Russia and masterminded with former USSR Olympic Coaches and trainers of Russian Special Forces. He took this cutting-edge research and improved upon it during those 6 years and has been introducing it to the U.S. These days, everyone wants to pick his brain when it comes to fitness and conditioning. He doesn't have a whole heck of a lot of time to do interviews, but luckily I nailed a quick Q&A with him. The following is one of the best interviews I've had on this site so far.
[Ever heard of terms like "Stored Elastic Energy" or "Sequential "Summation of Forces"? When you learn conditioning from Scott, prepare add about 10-20 new terms to your vocabulary!]
How I Landed The Interview With Scott Sonnon
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In my opinion your summer workout should be brief and not interfere at all with having a blast outside. When you are young it is easy to forget that your summers are limited in number. Believe me, at some point you will realize that this is not the case. For instance, I have 25 more summers until I am a senior citizen. I am not sure how that happened, but one thing is for certain…I don't plan on spending most of my summer in a gym. If your workouts are cutting into your time in the sun, then maybe this post will help.
[I am going on a 2 week road trip this year and a large part of it will be exploring Highway 1 and Highway 101 on the California Coast. Some of the coolest spots are located in between major destinations, which is why road trips (just about anywhere) are a blast. This picture was taken off Highway 1 in the central California Coastline.]
Would Love to Hear Readers Tips as Well
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Back in January I launched a Beta release (just to my newsletter) of a muscle building course I created called "Visual Impact". I did my best to keep it low key and didn't post it on my blog or anything like that. My goal was to expose this course to a small group and get their feedback and then make an improved version and then create the final product. I sent out a survey a couple of months after this Beta release and to my delight, almost everyone who bought it was still following the program and getting solid results. This is practically unheard of when it comes to fitness information products. Most people start a program and 2-3 weeks later move on to the "next greatest thing". I am proud to say that wasn't the case with my program.
[A big focus of this program is adding muscle quickly, but not too much muscle. If you gain too much muscle it is hard to fit well into stylish clothes. Looking stylin' is just as important as adding muscle. Who wants to live in sweat pants or workout gear?]
A Three Phase 6 Month Muscle Building Course
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People don't talk enough about height and how it relates to body composition, calories burned, muscle gains, etc. I'm a tall guy at just a hair over 6'3", but I'm envious of shorter people at times. I figured why not get the discussion going about height. Using my mad graphic skillz (not really), I came up with this masterpiece.
[Everyone knows Chewbacca, but only the true geeks like me know what's happening on the right. A young Gary Coleman posing with "Twiki" from Buck Rogers. Twiki carried a computer around his neck named "Dr. Theopolis". Buck Rogers is worth watching if you get the chance...for the cheesy disco music and bad special effects. Hilarious!]
Height and Plays a Large Role in Lean Mass
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I have just spent the past hour jumping around to some of my favorite fitness blogs. A few guys touch on the idea of gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time. A common practice in some circles is to "bulk up and cut down". I'm not a fan of that approach, because it just doesn't make sense to me to put fat on your body on purpose. What I want to do in this post is point out a few fitness experts who have similar beliefs. I also want to hear feedback from other people who have successfully or unsuccessfully gained muscle while getting lean.
[One of my favorite activities is dock diving in the summer and then laying in the sun to dry off. Honestly, if I crafted a "perfect day", this activity would be included...even better in the Caribbean where this picture was taken (not by me). Look at the color of that water...Wow!]
Gaining Muscle While Losing Body Fat. I Used to Be a Skeptic.
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I enjoy brief workouts, especially during the summer when I am active. I think this emerging trend of quick workouts is great, but how brief can you go before you aren't exercising enough? Can a few 30 minute workouts per week really give you the same results as 4-5 one-hour workouts per week? In my opinion, there is a time element involved to getting in peak condition. Even if you train hard, you can't expect to reach a high-level of conditioning just putting in a few 30 minute sessions per week. Perhaps the reason you haven't been able to lose those last 5 pounds or don't have defined abs is simply that you aren't devoting enough time to exercise.
[One thing in limited supply for all of us is time. This picture is a reminder of that. Life is too short to live in a gym, but recent studies suggest that 4 or more hours per week of exercise may be extremely beneficial to longevity. I'll talk about this "4 hour minimum" rule later in this post.]
My Experiments With Workout Frequency
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Up until recently, the last time I did a back bridge was in a junior high PE class. This winter I am doing a routine that incorporates a mild version of the back bridge, called the hip bridge. As soon as I added in hip bridges, I knew this is the exact exercise that my body was looking for. My back has been injured for 20 years and my lower spine has a tendency to lose the healthy natural curve and flex forward a bit. Things like sitting at a desk for a lot of the day just add to the problem. This past week I have been researching back bridges and possibly incorporating this exercise into my routine permanently. But they are kind of controversial.
[This picture doesn't have a lot to do with this post, but people keep telling me that Rain from Ninja Assassins got in great condition for this movie. Yeah, the guy looks pretty darn ripped.]
My Experience With Hip Bridges
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Mark Sisson, over at one of my favorite sites, recently wrote a post called Grok Tag. It is so well written because his description of recess is "spot on". I lived for recess back in Elementary School! It was a blast. I remember basically doing all activities full throttle and having fun no matter what we were doing. This article is not a tip or anything like that. I just wanted to back Mark's message from his recent post.
[I will never be too old to enjoy a great rope swing! I need to find a great one this summer...and a good place for cliff diving. This stuff never gets old!]
I Have a Love-Hate Relationship With Technology!
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If you have watched any TV or logged into a computer the past couple of weeks, you have probably seen or heard of Taylor Lautner. This past Friday, I took my girlfriend, her 14 year old daughter and 14 year old niece to see New Moon (opening night). I realize that this movie isn't aimed at my demographic, but actually enjoyed the movie. Taylor Lautner, the guy who plays Jacob Black, got in outstanding condition for this role. What really struck me was the reaction of many of the teenage guys and girls in the theater. Every time there was a shirtless scene with Taylor Lautner you could hear a bit of whispering back and forth. Then it struck me: This could possibly be the first time this generation has had a blockbuster movie written for them, with an incredibly fit actor they can relate to.
[New Moon was shot just a few hours from where I live in various parts of the rain forest near the Washington and Oregon coast. Yes it rains like crazy, so as a bonus, they probably didn't need to bring in any props to generate fake rain.]
I Predict Taylor Lautner Will Create A HUGE Impact in Fitness
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I actually don't believe in the term fitness expert. I don't consider myself an expert. I am a student of fitness. I consider the other bloggers, readers, people who comment, and product owners as one big mastermind. I soak up knowledge, look at and consider the newest philosophies and fine-tune my approach over time. What I recommend today is slightly different than what I would have recommended 2 years ago. Two years from now, it will be slightly different than today.
[I can easily understand how someone could be completely thrown off by all the conflicting advice online. With the Internet, this becomes even more confusing. There has never been so much information available at the click of a button.]
Almost an Unlimited Amount of Approaches Will Work
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Instead of doing a post analyzing a scientific study, I wanted to make a list of random fitness tips that came to my head when thinking about staying in shape and eating well, etc. These are just some observations I've made over the past 39 years. I don't turn 40 for another 3 months, but close enough. I am hoping to start this little brainstorming list and have people reading this, add to the list in the comment section.
[I like to think of posting an article on the Internet as sending a message in a bottle. It is crazy where the info winds up. I send out from my apartment in Seattle and within days it is found in many remote areas throughout the world. I really love the whole concept.]
So This is Just a Random List of Fitness Tips & Observations
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A little over a month ago I was doing a bit of research online on improving posture. This research wasn't for a blog post, it was because I was trying to insure that my own posture didn't get worse due to sitting at a desk all day. While searching for a good routine to improve posture I stumbled across a series of great blog posts on the subject. The site I found is called JCD Fitness and I am quickly becoming a fan. The author (JC) does a great job at explaining technical subjects in an easy-to-understand, easily digestible format. In this day of information overload, I seek out sites like this.
[Probably the most common type of bad posture is due to sitting for long periods of time. Many of us sit all day at our jobs as well as during our free time. This post will explore how to correct common problems in posture caused by sitting.]
"Hey JC, It's Rusty. Can You Do Me a BIG Favor?"
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Increasing natural Human Growth Hormone (HGH) levels in your body is a major key in staying lean year round. It is also a plays a big role in preserving muscle mass when losing those last few pounds of body fat. I'm convinced that anyone can lose weight up to a certain point, but it is that last little bit of fat that takes skill. In my opinion the two biggest fat loss skills to master are to eat in a way that produces a calorie deficit over time & workout in a way that boosts up your levels of HGH and increases that calorie deficit. Another great skill to master is to keep your insulin levels stable, but that is a topic for another post.
[Here is a picture from 1959 of a group of surfers. Surfers are almost always lean because many of them fast all day out in the surf. Their sport also mixes in short bursts of activity followed by slower steady activity. Does any of this sound familiar? It should because this interval-exercise-and-fasting-combo is a potent way to release HGH! It has been exactly 50 years since this photo was taken and most of these people are in better shape than 90% of gym go'ers today. Has the fitness industry gone backwards?]
You Asked for Scientific Studies and I Found Them
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Time to talk about your body's potent fat burning hormone: HGH. I wanted to let you guys know up front that this post isn't a grand scheme to sell some sort of HGH supplement. There are some pills and supplements that can make a little difference, but this article will be dedicated to increasing your Human Growth Hormone (HGH) with just a solid diet and exercise routine. I've talked in passing about HGH in the past, but felt the need for a post that goes a bit more in depth.
[The science behind HGH is as simple or as complex as you want to make it. I will touch on how HGH works in your body, but mainly focus on actions you can take to increase this natural fat burning hormone in your body. Oh yeah, this picture is suppose to be a mad scientist.]
The Basics: What is HGH (Human Growth Hormone)?
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I am naturally a pretty positive and upbeat person, but don't buy into the whole positive thinking movement. The way I look at achieving goals like getting in great shape or building a successful business is that it is positive actions that matter most. Simply do the actions necessary to reaching your goals, and forget how you feel. What I found is that the proper actions always lead me to feeling better anyway. My advice about getting in shape is that sometimes you will feel like exercising and sometimes you won't. Make sure and exercise either way!
[Thinking about getting fit and doing what it takes to get fit are two very different things. It is great to learn and to discuss fitness, but make sure you become a person of action as well. You need to take consistent action to get great results.]
I Like to Keep it Simple – Do the Actions it Takes to Succeed
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