Fat Loss – Body Transformation – Advanced Nutrition

Hey San Antonio,

Had a few questions from ladies asking about supplement recommendations. Something many personal trainers do not understand is the different requirements that males and females have. Deficiencies in different minerals/nutrients cause quite contrasting issues for males and females – something that may not have an effect on a male can make a female not feel like getting out of bed. Also, since many females goals are seemingly different than most guys, trainers and nutritionists hesitate on certain recommendations.

Let me point out two things that are important to understand: first off, there’s no magic pill. These recommendations are made under the assumption that you are following my nutritional guidelines and making healthy choices and exercising intensely a few times per week. Also, don’t judge your needs based on the RDA. The RDA is based on what is needed to survive. If you are training and eating right, your demands are much different then someone who lives their life on a couch doing nothing.

If you’re a female looking to lose weight, add definition, recover better, rest deeper and live healthier, here are my supplement recommendations for you.

1. Branched Chain Amino Acids. Most people view this as a “get huge” supplement but that is not the case. It’s a “spare lean body mass, keep the metabolism high, force the body to turn to fat for energy, recovery” supplement. And a female adding 10-20grams of BCAAs per day will notice a marked difference in every one of those things listed in bold.

2. Probiotics. We are not what we eat, we are what we absorb, and probiotics promote the growth of the healthy bacteria in the intestines and digestive track. Digestive health is key to overall health, and probiotics are essential for optimal digestive health.

3. Iron. Many females aren’t fond of high iron foods, and iron deficiencies run high in many females. In fact, iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency. The most common side effect of too little iron is anemia.

4. Zinc. Essential for recovery, metabolic and muscle health.

5. Fish Oil. Kind of a miracle supplement for overall health, improving insulin sensitivity (and buffering insulin from higher carbohydrate feedings), eliminating free radicals, overall heart health, reducing inflammation, suppress fat storing hormones (cortisol) and many other functions. I typically recommend a supplemental amount between 6-12g per day for most females.

6. Vitamin D. Osteoporosis and arthritis affects females at a much higher rate than it does males, and Vitamin D increases the body’s ability to absorb and store calcium, improving bone strength.

7. Pre-workout drinks. Most people shy away from recommending these to females but I’m not one of them. If something gives you a little jolt, improves performance and increases focus and intensity, it is beneficial. Of course, watch out for high sugar drinks and pay attention to dosage. You should not feel nauseous and jittery. Drink just enough to give you a pep. I like Redline by VPX and NoxiPro by CTD Labs (always start with a little bit, less than recommended by the manufacturer!)

8. Protein Blend. Notice I said blend. I am not an advocate of whey protein by itself – I prefer using a blend (casien, wpi, wpc, egg, etc) for the broader spectrum of amino acids and longer sustainment of delivery to the muscles. One popular brand of protein for females is Lean Dessert by BSN, as they have many amazing flavors (cinnamon roll, banana nut, caramel turtle, vanilla milkshake, etc). A blend such as Syntha 6 is also pleasing to the palate for many females and will do the trick, although it is more commonly marketed toward men. No, it will not make you put on insane amounts of muscle, lady. I’ve covered that hundreds of times here, and it just does NOT happen that way!!!

The body is only as strong as it’s weakest link, and if you are deficient in any nutrient, mineral, vitamin or amino acid, your body will not operate optimally.

Ladies, taking supplements doesn’t mean you’re going to turn into a bodybuilder, but the right supplementation combined with the proper nutritional program and training regimen will make you lean, toned and sexy!

Boyd Myers
Personal Trainer in San Antonio
Owner, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Rd (corner of Huebner and Bitters)
210.391.1454

Hey San Antonio,

There are just a few days left in 2010 as this week comes to an end and we turn our calendars to 2011, many individuals will use the new year as motivation to embark on new fitness goals, fat loss resolutions and body transformation.

One group that I’d like to suggest to practice what you preach is the overwhelming number of chubby personal trainers in San Antonio. I know that many people are going to look at this and think “That’s just plain mean, Boyd” but I’m being dead serious here. I’d have a hard time going to a dentist with bad teeth, having my hair done by a hairdresser with a bad wig (okay, I shave my head but you get the point), so I’m damn sure not going to take fitness advice from someone who doesn’t look the part.

Thing is, it’s more prevalent than not – if we as personal trainers are the ones that are providing guidance, even looking “normal” shouldn’t be acceptable. In my opinion, fitness trainers should be held to an even higher standard and look exceptional – like someone that you see and you have no doubt that they must do something in a fitness related profession. However, many of the male personal trainers I see look as if they’re post-natal (and the last time I checked, guys weren’t having babies) and many of the female trainers at commercial gyms are so young and inexperienced that they cannot possibly understand how to work with the many different situations that a client base can present – fitness, fat loss and body transformation requires so much more than a “one size fits all” approach.

My guess is that an obese personal trainer falls into one of two categories:
1. They don’t have the discipline to follow their own advice. If this is the case, how on earth can they demand accountability and ask you to follow advice that they can’t follow themselves?

2. They don’t know what in the hell they are talking about. Considering the lack of progress that most of their clients make, I’d tend to say that this is the most common reason for out of shape personal trainers. However, rest assured that it’s definitely a combination of the two.

Understand that the certification process to actually become a “CERTIFIED Personal Trainer” is not difficult. You simply need a little more than a pulse and lips. There are VERY few personal trainers that sustain in this business for a very long time, and few have more than a couple of years of training experience and have very little versatility for training different populations, and do not take the time to stay on the cutting edge of nutritional and training science – most do not have much more than a basic understanding of physiology and anatomy. Most certifications do not require you to have more.

I’ve said it all too many times, this career field is littered with sub-par personal trainers and over-hyped salespeople that know very little behind the science of the body. That’s a main reason why I have this blog: to educate. I very often explain why something should be done and how it works from the standpoints of my experience as a trainer (entering into my 15th year and I’ve always been self-employed) and the science to back it up.

I know it seems like common sense, but before you get into credentials and experience, simply use the “eye” test to assess your personal trainer. If he or she doesn’t look like they know what the hell they’re talking about, more than likely, they do not. If they don’t have the discipline to do what they’re asking you to do and hold themselves accountable, they’re going to let you slide all too often. That path leads to disappointment and the wasting of money. Do not settle for that road, as you’ll only spin your wheels and wish that you had put forth the effort, because you will get out of a program what you put in. If you put forth a half-assed effort, you will only get half-assed results.

Boyd Myers
Personal Trainer in San Antonio
Owner, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Rd (corner of Huebner and Bitters)
210.391.1454
boyd@the-personal-trainer.com

Hey San Antonio,

In the next week, 90% of the population will make a new year’s resolution that is based on fitness, weight loss, or nutrition. About 90% of those will fail. Now understand, this isn’t the typical article regurgitating the same old BS that you will read everywhere else. This is how to ensure that you’ll stick with it and get to where you want to be.

Have a plan. Doing “something” or just “going to the gym” isn’t enough. You need to know what the hell you’re doing. I’ve laid it out all over this blog. Train smarter and understand why it is you’re doing what you’re doing. It’s not just “go in and sweat”. You’ll waste a lot of time and see no results with a random approach.

Channel your enthusiasm. More is not better. You’re going to want to spend hours upon hours in the gym, yet, only elite athletes have the ability to recover from these types of workouts. Focus on getting in, getting down to business and getting out. You don’t need to do 2 hours of cardio and an hour of weights everyday. Your body responds to a new stimulus by adjusting. If you go from zero to 100 in 3 seconds, you’re going to suppress your body’s ability to recover and you’re going to feel like shit. Stimulate, do not destroy. If you haven’t done anything in a year, your body will respond to just about anything, initially. The body can only change so much – doing more will not mean “more progress”. Your point of diminishing results is at a much lower point than you think.

If you have been sedentary, don’t start training like a professional athlete. Progressively increase your training load and intensity. Don’t go out tomorrow and try to run 5 miles if you haven’t walked more than 50 feet in 5 years. You will be injured, and when you’re injured, you can’t make progress. Start slow and reasonable, but don’t be lazy – regular, progressive resistance is the key to continuing change.

Doing more physical activity and eating less is not the way to go. If you change WHAT foods you eat, you won’t even need to restrict intake. If you remove processed food, fast food, junk food, etc from your diet completely, you’ll drop body fat at such an insane rate everyone will think you’re doing something magic. Follow my Caveman Approach – if it doesn’t grow from the ground or eat things that grow from the ground, you don’t need to eat it (or if a Caveman didn’t have it, you don’t need it).

No magic pills. If there were, I’d be taking it and I’d know about it. NOTHING replaces effort, intensity and hard work.

If an exercise appears “really stupid”, it is. Most personal trainers try to be “cutting edge” without paying attention to form or benefit. Don’t be wowed by the latest fad – NOTHING is going to replace the basics and a solid nutritional program.

Don’t ever trust a fat personal trainer. I’m not saying a trainer has to be a competitor (or a world class powerlifter ;) but they should look the part. I’m seeing more and more trainers that are obviously ignoring their own advice and many male trainers that look pregnant (is that possible these days?). If they can’t practice discipline, they can’t expect you to. Find someone who leads by example.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help, but ask the right person. The rate at which my clients reach their goals will be infinitely higher than the average in society or those using a trainer from Spectrum or Lifetime. Why? First off, I’m selective. I will not accept every client that comes in here looking for a trainer at the first of the year. If I’m not convinced they are serious, I’ll suggest they find another personal trainer to assist them. I do this on a regular basis. If you don’t look good, I don’t look good. I’m paid on my results, not people wasting their time.

I know some gyms have 10 week challenges and promotions going on to capitalize on the new year. Here’s an offer to any of those gyms (and I know a lot of personal trainers read this blog): I’ll put $5000 of my own money for charity if another personal trainer is willing to match that bet and do a 10-12 week challenge with me – I’ll put up one of my clients against any personal trainer or gym in San Antonio and I have no doubt my client will make the most progress. So, let’s find clients with similar goals (fat loss) and see who is willing to back up what they preach. This blog is read by more than 3000 people everyday, so let’s see which other gyms are willing to back up their claims. I’m easy to find, easy to reach, and will gladly offer this challenge to anyone who is willing.

So there you go – 2011 will be here – the gyms will be packed and the best of intentions will be on display. Anyone CAN change, but if it were easy, everyone would be in great shape. Be ready to be the exception to the new year rule.

Only YOU can stop YOU!

Boyd Myers
Personal Trainer in San Antonio
Owner, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Rd (corner of Huebner and Bitters)
210.391.1454

Don’t forget that Personal Trainer Gift Certificates are available for the holidays, so give the gift of body transformation and fat loss this holiday season. All packages include complete nutritional guidance, 24/7 access to your trainer to ask any question you may have during your program and complete directions on what to do when you’re not in the gym. We have gift certificates for any of our fitness program packages, so for more information, feel free to email me at boyd@the-personal-trainer.com or give me a call at 210.391.1454.

After reaching a huge goal of mine earlier this week, I have had a few days to reflect on it and think about how much I put into it and what it took to reach the goal.

I know how trite it sounds, but I cannot over-emphasize this: you have to see every goal as a reality before you can reach it. For me, goals become me. They consume nearly every thought and action – in my mind, the goal has already been reached. If it’s getting ready for a bodybuilding show, I see myself on the stage months before the show. If it’s reaching a certain milestone in a lift, I convince myself that I’ve already done it numerous times weeks before I even attempt the feat.

I know people see that lift and think “Yeah, but you’re gifted.” To be honest, I’m really NOT. I do not have great genetics. My bench press was not even slightly impressive until the last couple of years. Here’s the thing: I made a huge gaffe and took a pre-workout drink at 10pm the night before instead of my pre-sleep mix I use to induce deep sleep. My back was very tight from the workout the previous day. I had allergy issues, a weekend of a sinus infection and I was dead tired from NO sleep. I’d say I was 50% there physically, but after beating it in my brain for several days, I was 200% there psychologically. The body will do what the mind tells it to. Mine did. Sure, I have the physical capabilities to do so, but I was not physically ready, only mentally, and the mind won out. Trust me, that 605 is the upper end of my current ability, so anything less on the mental side and Freddie would’ve been pulling it off of me.

Regardless of what your goals are for the new year – whether they are meager or great, fat loss, muscle gain, total body transformation, to run a marathon, to compete in a figure competition, or just to walk a 5k, see it and convince yourself that it has already happened. Make it YOUR reality. No matter how far away it seems, if you see yourself accomplishing it, that’s 90% of it. You’ll be told that you’re too far away, that you can’t do it, or that you should set smaller goals. I’m all about benchmarking with smaller goals, but keep your eyes on the long term. NOTHING can limit you but you, and nothing can empower you like you either.

I hope that everyone has a great holiday and has the opportunity to spend time with those that mean the most to them. Rest, recover, recharge and get ready: you are going to reach every goal that you set – life is there for you to take. The choice is YOURS.

Boyd Myers
Personal Trainer in San Antonio
Owner, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Rd (corner of Huebner and Bitters)
210.391.1454

Don’t forget that Personal Trainer Gift Certificates are available for the holidays, so give the gift of body transformation and fat loss this holiday season. All packages include complete nutritional guidance, 24/7 access to your trainer to ask any question you may have during your program and complete directions on what to do when you’re not in the gym. We have gift certificates for any of our fitness program packages, so for more information, feel free to email me at boyd@the-personal-trainer.com or give me a call at 210.391.1454.

I have reached a goal that I never dreamed possible, and it has opened up a new realm of possibilities for what I plan to reach (the raw bench press world record). Here it is, 605lb bench press:

I’m a bit exhausted today, so for my comments on the lift, read the description of the video.

My next goal is 635lbs by mid-February. Savor this one today, but not for too long.

You create your own reality, and no goal is ever too high to achieve.

Boyd Myers
Personal Trainer in San Antonio
Owner, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Rd (corner of Huebner and Bitters)
210.391.1454

Don’t forget that Personal Trainer Gift Certificates are available for the holidays, so give the gift of body transformation and fat loss this holiday season. All packages include complete nutritional guidance, 24/7 access to your trainer to ask any question you may have during your program and complete directions on what to do when you’re not in the gym. We have gift certificates for any of our fitness program packages, so for more information, feel free to email me at boyd@the-personal-trainer.com or give me a call at 210.391.1454.

When I’m working with a client, I ask for constant feedback: I want to know their aches, pains, irregular cravings, issues with recovery, times of hunger, etc. No, I am not asking them to aimlessly whine – there’s a reason. I’m not the run of the mill personal trainer that you encounter at Spectrum or Lifetime – I base everything I do on science.

You’ve probably heard the saying “listen to your body”. Of course, many people don’t speak the same language their body is speaking. For example, if a client all of a sudden finds themselves craving salty foods, I know that this is often caused from a zinc deficiency. I know every client’s tolerance level of carbohydrates based on the skinfold measurement just inside their shoulder blade (and subsequently, if they’re eating too many processed carbs by the skinfold measurement of their abdominal region). Through experience, I’ve figured how to eliminate many aches by adding essential fatty acids, the nutrients that are required to suppress an overactive appetite (that often leads to making a bad decision), what nutrients a client may be deficient in when they’re not sleeping as deeply as they need to be and how to identify muscular imbalances based on their mechanics of simple movements or what aches after a given workout.

The key is not to ignore what the body is telling us – when it asks for something, you must know what it wants and how to deliver it: whether it’s an abundance of a specific amino acid, an increase in a certain fatty acid, or focusing on a specific body part to bring it up to par so it functions properly in a specific movement.

Most people just ignore it, press on, and then wonder why their progress is hindered. Most personal trainers have nothing more than a basic understanding of nutrition and physiology. They know how to perform a standing bicep curl, how to compute caloric demands and how many minutes of cardio you should do. In reality, that is like looking at the world through a straw, and as limited as it sounds is as limited as your progress will be in the long term. They have no idea that many nutrient deficiencies seriously inhibit fat loss and physical change. They don’t understand that there are differences between performance nutrition and existence nutrition. Just because you think you have a balanced diet doesn’t mean that your body is properly using every single nutrient you need: and most individuals know very little about their nutrient profile, their amino acid profile and whether or not their body is optimized for change.

The great thing is that many of these issues are quickly identified when I’m working with a client. Unfortunately, as a program continues, different weaknesses and deficiencies pop up, and there’s no one size fits all approach – although there are preventive measures, many issues must be dealt with as they are encountered.

A lot of people simply believe they just need someone to help get them started, and that’s fine. It’s my goal to optimize absolutely everything you do to help you get to where you want to be in as short of time as possible.

Know the difference between an expert and a novice!

Boyd Myers
Personal Trainer in San Antonio
Owner, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Rd (corner of Huebner and Bitters)
210.391.1454

Don’t forget that Personal Trainer Gift Certificates are available for the holidays, so give the gift of body transformation and fat loss this holiday season. All packages include complete nutritional guidance, 24/7 access to your trainer to ask any question you may have during your program and complete directions on what to do when you’re not in the gym. We have gift certificates for any of our fitness program packages, so for more information, feel free to email me at boyd@the-personal-trainer.com or give me a call at 210.391.1454.

Hey San Antonio,

The more I browse Twitter, Facebook, and popular news sites such as Yahoo, AOL, and Fox, it is apparent that fitness truth will always give way to popular myth and hype. Advertisement dollars will always outweigh normal people with experience in training, nutrition and competition – and the fears of the regular person that doing certain things will make them almost instantly look a certain way will not make it any easier for common sense to prevail. Let’s look at a few of these things.

Weightlifting is infinitely superior to hours of cardio for changing the body and losing fat, yet, many people believe that they’ll become overly muscular by lifting weights. This is by far the most asinine things that I’d venture to say a majority people do not understand. First and foremost, nothing, and I mean absolutely nothing happens at a cellular standpoint quickly. Fat does not accumulate overnight and it damn sure doesn’t just incinerate itself overnight. However, as slow as the fat loss process is, the muscle gain process is MUCH slower – as a matter of fact, it is infinitely slower. Gaining muscle is a very difficult thing to do, and it’s easier to lose 5 pounds of fat then to gain one pound of muscle. Everything in the body has to be just right for muscle to be gained: hormonal balance, nutritional intake and training. It isn’t going to happen on accident. And if you do everything completely perfect? It is not going to grow out of control and you aren’t going to find yourself a hulking beast in a few weeks. It takes weeks to grow even a visibly noticeable amount of muscle. Think about this: how many guys are in the gym want to look big and muscular, but how few actually do? The slightest increase in lean body mass drastically improves the metabolism of body fat. If you can gain a little bit of muscle, your body will burn fat better while you rest, train, etc.

One more thing, the training and nutrition process to maintain the lean body mass you have is exactly the same as gaining lean body mass and keeping what you have should be your primary goal during body transformation. As a matter of fact, muscle only has two states: it grows or it goes away. There’s no firming, toning, hardening, etc. Either it is adding or subtracting. It’s a very delicate process that MOST people do not understand and in fact, completely ignore this. All they can thing of is “burning calories”. No matter how hard you work, there’s only so many calories you’re going to burn while training. The fat burn effect of having more lean body mass is much more drastic than the calories you burn during training.

Also, it’s important to understand that all calories burned aren’t burned from fat. The body will do whatever it can to preserve itself, and guess what: thanks to our ancestors going through periods of low caloric intake, ice ages, etc our bodies think that it should save body fat (which is much more dense in calories) than it does lean body mass.

With the new year coming, many gyms and fitness centers will be absolutely packed with a waiting line behind each cardio machine. Funny thing is that few of these people will change whatsoever. When you start looking at cardio as a way to strengthen the heart and not as your primary fat burning mechanism, you’ll start making real progress. Your nutritional intake is what will dictate your fat loss. If the intake is where it needs to be (and that does not mean starvation) the training and the cardio sessions will stimulate the fat loss. Again, I said stimulate - that is what training does. However, you’ll see people with their FitBugs telling everyone they burned 800 calories DURING training. That’s NOT THE ANSWER NOR THE WAY TO PROGRESS!!! The way to progress is to use training (resistance training and cardio training) to STIMULATE what it is you’re trying to achieve! The body does not change during training, but after training.

Zumba classes will be filling up. More people will be doing Body Pump and other similar cardio based classes, that, in their heart, they believe will eliminate the need to lift weights and do cardio, failing to understand that it’s one or the other: weight training is to stimulate increases in lean body mass and cardio is to train the heart and lungs – doing both simultaneously greatly diminishes the effect of each.

Oh, and if you know what you’re doing and use nutritional supplements properly (as a SUPPLEMENT to your training and nutrition), then you may want to stock up NOW. The first of the year’ers will be buying whatever they can get their hands on over the next few weeks. They may never use them, as they won’t be able to figure out why they aren’t getting the results the people in the ads are obviously getting. No matter how much you want to look, there’s not a magic pill. And supplements are not replacements: they do not replace training and proper nutritional habits.

Ask the people that have done the work and have actually transferred their bodies, they’ll tell you that it was the hardest thing they’ve ever done. But it was also the most rewarding, and taught them what it takes to maintain it and continue to make physical progress. You’ll be hard pressed to find anyone that did the shortcuts (lipo, lap band, HCG Diet) that are very happy with the way their body is looking.

I work with people everyday that have drastically transformed their bodies or in the process of doing so, and their attitudes are so contagious – it is actually very easy for me to feed off of their progress and their excitement to keep myself constantly motivated.

Just doing “whatever” will not cut it - just aimlessly going through movements to break a sweat and get your heart rate up will quickly leave you disappointed. Make every move count, and do everything with intensity (and this does not mean the useless movements that you see those trainers in Spectrum and Lifetime walking their clients through). The strategy and program are half of it, your desire to execute it is what will turn the dream into a reality.

Don’t be misinformed. The masses will lead you to believe that the only thing you’re missing is a pill or a simple piece of a equipment. But let common sense prevail: if it were easy, wouldn’t everyone look amazing?

Boyd Myers
Personal Trainer in San Antonio
Owner, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Rd (corner of Huebner and Bitters)
210.391.1454

Don’t forget that Personal Trainer Gift Certificates are available for the holidays, so give the gift of body transformation and fat loss this holiday season. All packages include complete nutritional guidance, 24/7 access to your trainer to ask any question you may have during your program and complete directions on what to do when you’re not in the gym. We have gift certificates for any of our fitness program packages, so for more information, feel free to email me at boyd@the-personal-trainer.com or give me a call at 210.391.1454.

Hey San Antonio,

I’m extremely excited to post that on this coming Tuesday, I will attempt (and I believe I will complete) my short term bench press goal of a one rep lift of 600lbs – when I complete this lift in my next powerlifting meet, it will absolutely decimate the current world record at my bodyweight.

Funny thing is that I rarely train a client for a one rep maximum bench press increase unless it is something they just want to train for or if they’re training for an event that requires an all out exertion of force (athletes, etc). Of course, most of my clients are for body transformation and fat loss, so those goals are a bit different than my current training goals. I mention this because I watch so many personal trainers workout, and then subsequently train their clients identical to the way they trained themselves. While I do have a degree in computer engineering, I am not a rocket scientist. However, I think I can safely say that not every client that a personal trainer has shares their exact training goals; thus, they should be trained accordingly.

Anyway, I intend on recording a video of my bench press and posting it here – I cannot reiterate enough the importance of setting both short term and long term records (my long term record is to break the raw bench press record of 715lbs – at 34 years old, I am well within striking distance!). Aesthetics are important to me as well – I don’t use my strength goals as an excuse not to be disciplined and eat whatever I want. I view my body as a high performance machine, so I feed the machine accordingly. I have one of the most in-depth supplement (supplements for recovery, performance, nutrient deficiencies, digestion, improved sleep, etc), nutrition (this goes without saying) and recovery (planned sleep, active release therapy massage, chiropractic care) schemes that one could imagine, with every possible need being considered and met. These needs change, and my program, just as the programs I provide for clients, are just as dynamic. It’s important for me to always know every issue that a client has going on. More times than not, I can identify a nutrient deficiency based on certain cravings, conditions like sleeplessness and being sore longer than usual, headaches, etc.

So, while I’m planning my weekend around recovery and family time, my eyes are squarely on Tuesday, where I will bench press 600lbs at a bodyweight of roughly 234lbs (it fluctuates between 228 and 242 depending on water, glucose and mineral intake).

Let NOTHING stand between you and your goals! By the way, I’ll be posting a very humorous link to a page I’m creating in the next day or so, so stay tuned.

DOMINATE!

Boyd Myers
Personal Trainer in San Antonio
Owner, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Rd (corner of Huebner and Bitters)
210.391.1454

Don’t forget that Personal Trainer Gift Certificates are available for the holidays, so give the gift of body transformation and fat loss this holiday season. All packages include complete nutritional guidance, 24/7 access to your trainer to ask any question you may have during your program and complete directions on what to do when you’re not in the gym. We have gift certificates for any of our fitness program packages, so for more information, feel free to email me at boyd@the-personal-trainer.com or give me a call at 210.391.1454.

Hey San Antonio,

THIS one required some thought. I see a lot of training mistakes at several of the gyms I workout at and on the internet message boards I see. I’ll TRY my best to answer this one!

Heya Boyd: I’m working on becoming a certified personal trainer. My question is broad, and I’ll understand if it is too much so to answer. What is the most common training mistake you see?

Great question, Juan. I’ve written several articles about the most common mistakes, but I’ll list the most common mistakes I see:
-Failure to change the routine regularly. Most people do the same thing over and over.

-Dependency on machines – it’s a comfort thing usually, but most people put themselves at a very high risk by failing to strengthen the stabilizer muscles in many different exercises. Free weights should be the centerpiece of any body transformation/fat loss routine.

-Being busy for the sake of being busy in the gym (to “burn more calories”). Most people think they’re getting a good cardio workout during their weight training, but that’s causing more harm toward fat loss than progress. The best way to burn fat is to increase lean body mass – and weight training should focus on that, period. Typically, females are the most guilty – they think they should be continuously moving, doing lunges, abs, etc between every set. In many cases, you want to perform a set at your strongest point, not worn out by other exercises. Circuit training has a place, but the order of exercises is important, and most of the times, they’re doing the wrong exercises while alternating.

-Too much isolation work. The majority of your work should be compound movements, not isolation work. You cannot spot remove fat – ab work doesn’t flatten or tone the stomach, leg curls don’t make the legs less jiggly, and tricep pressdowns don’t reduce the “loose skin” on the back of the arm. I explain that all here in the blog, so I won’t go in-depth now, but these things are important to understand.

-Too much cardio. Cardio is not the holy grail of fat loss. However, most people think that doing an hour a day is necessary for fat loss when it simply is overkill and is reducing lean body mass – leading to a HIGHER body fat percentage.

-Too much ab work. The abs are worked best in maximal, compound lifts (deads, squats, etc). Do too much? You’re asking for a muscular imbalance that’ll lead to injury. Ab work DOES NOT CREATE A 6 PACK – THAT IS SOLELY FROM THE REDUCTION OF FAT!

-Avoiding things that you aren’t good at. This cannot be overstated: you MUST strengthen weaknesses. To do so, you must be able to identify weaknesses, because as you become stronger, weaknesses change. Do things you are not good at!

-Not understanding the importance of dieting and recovery. Never understood how people can kill themselves in the gym and eat like shit all of the time. If you’re going to put in the work, look like it. Eat properly, recover properly.

-Training everyday. The body changes at rest, during recovery, not while you’re in the gym.

-Failure to force progression. The body responds to a new stimulus. If you aren’t progressing (becoming stronger), you’re not giving your body reason to change. Trust me, no matter how much you “feel the burn” – once your body is accustomed to the stimulus, it will not change.

-Hiring a commercial gym personal trainer. This sounds funny, but most of these trainers are mouth breathers that don’t have a clue. They’re lack of knowledge is scary and dangerous, and they are ripping people off, making the gym money without getting results. They are their to entertain you, not change you.

-Getting too cute with exercises. I see new stuff everyday, 99.95% of it is absolutely worthless. May be fun, but so is Disc Golf – but that isn’t getting anyone in shape.

-Failure to learn proper gym etiquette. Not a training mistake, but damn, use common sense – keep the whole experience enjoyable for everyone!

That’s a short list that comes to mind right off the bat. Search “training mistakes” on the site and you’ll see a few different articles that I’ve written on the topic!

Thanks for the questions! Love having an automatic idea to write about when I check my email!

Boyd Myers
Personal Trainer in San Antonio
Owner, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Rd (corner of Huebner and Bitters)
210.391.1454

Don’t forget that Personal Trainer Gift Certificates are available for the holidays, so give the gift of body transformation and fat loss this holiday season. All packages include complete nutritional guidance, 24/7 access to your trainer to ask any question you may have during your program and complete directions on what to do when you’re not in the gym. We have gift certificates for any of our fitness program packages, so for more information, feel free to email me at boyd@the-personal-trainer.com or give me a call at 210.391.1454.

Hey San Antonio,

Here I sit, days from breaking a personal best record that just a few months ago I never thought was humanly possible for me: a one rep bench press of 600lbs (at a bodyweight under 240lbs).

My focus of training has not been simply bench press centered. I give equal attention to full body and overall strength development. In a word, my training sessions have been absolutely brutal. If your goals are more fat loss and body transformation, don’t stop reading – a great night’s sleep is everything and will improve your progress drastically. Hey, just because I want to be the best bench presser on the planet doesn’t mean I am going to do so all fat – being lean is still a top priority to me as well!

A few things that I regularly preach here on the Personal Trainer in San Antonio blog: 1) there are no magic pills and 2) recovery is as important, if not more so, than training and nutrition. Those two things considered, when I’m not training, I am focusing on recovery. Every bite of food and every activity is focused on helping my body be ready to train optimally during my next workout session. I view my body as a Ferrari, you wouldn’t pull up to Valero and put the cheapest gas into a Ferrari, so I’m not putting a bunch of trash into my body!

In the past, I’ve talked a lot of supplements that naturally enhance sleep, but I’ve never come across any as Noxitropin by CTD Labs. It is marketed as a “revolutionary sleep aid that supports fat metabolism and HGH levels.” How? Simply, when we get into deep sleep, that is the part of the sleep cycle where growth hormone is produced. Higher growth hormone levels drastically increase fat metabolism. Tip: NEVER discount stress and lack of sleep when talking about burning fat – it isn’t always diet and training – cortisol (stress hormone) plays a drastic role in fat metabolization. Much of my fat burning strategy is based on the natural manipulation (via training, recovery and nutrition) of several hormones, including cortisol, hgh (through improved sleep), insulin, testosterone, Leptin, etc. Improved sleep is where it all starts.

I often train clients until very late in the evening, and sometimes, I find difficulty in winding down. I’m not big on meds: even sick, I rarely take anything that induces sleep (Tylenol PM, NyQuil, etc), so sometimes, it’s hard for me to relax. Dosage is simple: it’s a rather tasty drink that is consumed roughly 30 minutes before bed. Noxitropin has several natural ingredients that not only improve relaxation (GABA, Tyrosine, macuna pruries extract), but also further induce the deep sleep cycles (4-amino-3phenylbutric acid) , help you stay in a deeper sleep longer, while increasing gh production (arginine).

I’m a natural skeptic and I view 99.9% of supplements out there as garbage, but I was absolutely hooked on Noxitropin after the first use, as I woke up feeling completely refreshed and ready to take on my day. I only woke up once in the night (to use the restroom) and was able to quickly get back to sleep, sleeping until my alarm went off to get ready for work at 5:15am. I immediately awoke, feeling as if I had slept perfectly – for someone who is not a great sleeper (hey, I’m honest about it), it’s hard to explain. I just felt like I would think someone should feel after a goodnight sleep!

If you’re training with serious intensity and yet, feel as if you aren’t getting everything you should out of your sleep at night, I would not hesitate to suggest Noxitropin.

Hard work and discipline are what will put me over the 600lb threshold in the bench press in the coming days, but a great night’s rest certainly will not hurt my endeavor.

Boyd Myers
Personal Trainer in San Antonio
Owner, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Rd (corner of Huebner and Bitters)
210.391.1454

Don’t forget that Personal Trainer Gift Certificates are available for the holidays, so give the gift of body transformation and fat loss this holiday season. All packages include complete nutritional guidance, 24/7 access to your trainer to ask any question you may have during your program and complete directions on what to do when you’re not in the gym. We have gift certificates for any of our fitness program packages, so for more information, feel free to email me at boyd@the-personal-trainer.com or give me a call at 210.391.1454.

Most people associate drastic measures with drastic results. Unfortunately, that’s not how the body works. The body strives for balance – deprive it of calories, it will induce the starvation reflex and hold on to whatever you eat. Think you can just triple the amount of cardio and burn 3 times the amount of fat? No, that isn’t how it goes either – your body will sacrifice lean body mass instead of fat, dropping the metabolism. Oh, I know – lift weights every single day! Unfortunately, the body doesn’t rapidly change at the cellular level. In fact, the body changes while at rest, not while training. Training is the stimulus.

I’m an expert at expediting progress. I get people the quickest results that are possible. For many clients, my goal is for them to lose 3 inches off of their abdominal circumference in the first three weeks. In some rare cases, they exceed 4-5″, but honestly, that is reserved for those that have more to lose. Clients that begin training in a leaner state obviously don’t have as much to lose. The bottom line is simple: there is only so much progress you can make over a certain amount of time. You aren’t going to be ready to be featured in Playboy in 6 weeks if you are 25% body fat right now.

Drastic and crash training/diet programs are just that: you’ll crash and burn, put yourself in a mode of overtraining and under-recovered, and worst of all, rebound to a condition that is worse than where you start. Think lifestyle and long term. There’s nothing wrong with using the first few weeks of your training program to get you started, but don’t think you can undo years worth of being sedentary and bad eating habits in a few weeks.

I believe in the “teach a man to fish” approach – you will make progress while learning what you need to do to continue to make progress.

Don’t guess if what you’re doing is right. Don’t wonder if you’re going to see results. My track record is incomparable – I train magazine cover models, Playboy centerfolds, professional figure competitors and people from all walks of life that want to get in their best shape possible: I have the experience!

Make 2011 the year of YOUR best body!

Boyd Myers
Personal Trainer in San Antonio
Owner, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Rd (corner of Huebner and Bitters)
210.391.1454

Don’t forget that Personal Trainer Gift Certificates are available for the holidays, so give the gift of body transformation and fat loss this holiday season. All packages include complete nutritional guidance, 24/7 access to your trainer to ask any question you may have during your program and complete directions on what to do when you’re not in the gym. We have gift certificates for any of our fitness program packages, so for more information, feel free to email me at boyd@the-personal-trainer.com or give me a call at 210.391.1454.

Hey San Antonio,

Hectic time before the holidays, as many clients are getting a head start on their new year’s resolutions. I have a few articles in the works, including a supplement review of a product that I USED to LOVE, until the manufacturer completely downgraded it. I’m also going to discuss different types of training for different goals, how to stimulate different muscle fibers in different body parts (you cannot continue to train the entire body with the same rep schemes, exercises, etc).

I’ll also be posting a few more vids of my clients training and me as I train toward a world record in the bench press for my bodyweight. The mental aspect is becoming as challenging as the physical aspect, but I will not be deterred.

Stay focused – use the holidays as a chance to recharge, not regress.

Boyd Myers
Personal Trainer in San Antonio
Owner, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Rd (corner of Huebner and Bitters)
210.391.1454

Don’t forget that Personal Trainer Gift Certificates are available for the holidays, so give the gift of body transformation and fat loss this holiday season. All packages include complete nutritional guidance, 24/7 access to your trainer to ask any question you may have during your program and complete directions on what to do when you’re not in the gym. We have gift certificates for any of our fitness program packages, so for more information, feel free to email me at boyd@the-personal-trainer.com or give me a call at 210.391.1454.

Question from a reader that is actually asked quite often about tuna sandwiches at delis/restaurants.

Hey Boyd:
Simple question – are tuna sandwiches at Subway, Jason’s Deli, Quiznos, etc a healthy choice?

I actually discussed this with a client yesterday. MOST fast food delis or restaurants pre-make their tuna salad. Typically, it is very high in mayonnaise (which, of course, is the ultimate unhealthy fat). With this being said, I would recommend you avoid the tuna sandwiches that are pre-made. Of course, some places will make their sandwiches to order, and will make them without the pre-mixed mayo. If that is the case, I don’t mind tuna at all as it is a good choice as a very lean protein. Of course, pay attention to bread type, and such as well. Don’t forget – in fat loss and body transformation, cheese is the enemy. Always, “no cheese, please”.

Obviously, with the pre-drained packets of tuna, tuna is a very popular choice as an “on-the-go” snack. Many people dislike it for mercury content, but I’ll leave that decision up to you.

Boyd Myers
Personal Trainer in San Antonio
Owner, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Rd (corner of Huebner and Bitters)
210.391.1454

Don’t forget that Personal Trainer Gift Certificates are available for the holidays, so give the gift of body transformation and fat loss this holiday season. All packages include complete nutritional guidance, 24/7 access to your trainer to ask any question you may have during your program and complete directions on what to do when you’re not in the gym. We have gift certificates for any of our fitness program packages, so for more information, feel free to email me at boyd@the-personal-trainer.com or give me a call at 210.391.1454.

Hey everyone,

Here’s a video of me bench pressing 225lbs for 36 reps. This is the benchmark used in the NFL combine and 36 reps is considered world class. For me, however, I feel that it is a failure. In this training session, I went up to 545lbs and did single reps with that weight before attempting this lift. Check out scores from the NFL Combine.

My immediate goal is to bench press 600lbs and I’m getting oh so close. But I was extremely curious as to how many times I could bench press 225lbs.

I’m disappointed, and I’m posting this for motivation. Right now, I need 15 more pounds to get to 600 and I want to be there by the end of the year. And then? I’m going to do this 50 times. I think I could do it fresh, but there are no excuses. I will post my successes and my failures.

Be unstoppable!!!

Boyd Myers
Personal Trainer in San Antonio
Owner, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Rd (corner of Huebner and Bitters)
210.391.1454

Don’t forget that Personal Trainer Gift Certificates are available for the holidays, so give the gift of body transformation and fat loss this holiday season. All packages include complete nutritional guidance, 24/7 access to your trainer to ask any question you may have during your program and complete directions on what to do when you’re not in the gym. We have gift certificates for any of our fitness program packages, so for more information, feel free to email me at boyd@the-personal-trainer.com or give me a call at 210.391.1454.

Hey San Antonio,

The radio ads, the gym specials, the Groupon deals on CrossFit and Personal Trainers are about to start enmasse. Here’s some simple advice to help you when you begin planning your fitness regimen for the New Year:

-Cheaper isn’t better. All personal trainers are not created equal, and you get what you pay for. If a personal trainer is charging $10-30 per session, that’s probably what they’re worth, and it’s going to leave you disappointed. Be wary of those trainers – I’d be more worried about my personal safety and health if I put my body in their hands.

-If someone promises you that it’s easy, they’re ripping you off. It’s called working out, and if getting in shape was easy, 65% of San Antonio wouldn’t be morbidly obese.

-Nutrition should be custom, from scratch, for the client. Most health club personal trainers know about as much about performance nutrition as my 6 year old (who would live on mac and cheese if I would allow it).

-There are no magic pills. The word “supplement” means “in addition to a whole part” – the first part of your fat loss program should not be a trip to the supplement store.

-Group classes are a waste of time and money. There. I said it – look at the people in them, they typically aren’t in shape. Resistance training is the key, and intensity (meaning resistance, not how many reps you do in an hour) is what is going to change your body, not sweating and being yelled at.

-95% of new year’s resolutions don’t see the second week of January. I’m saying this because a) if you are reading this blog, you’re probably hardcore and serious and b) just about the time you’re ready to go postal because crazy people are overtaking your gym, they’ll start to thin out sometime around Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Day.

-There’s no quick fix. If you aren’t thinking “Lifestyle Overhaul” then forget it – you’re better off drinking, eating and partying all the way to the Spring, a time of which it will be too late for you to get in swimsuit shape.

-Why wait 3 more weeks? If you’re really serious, start NOW. Holidays or not, you can get a huge head start – 3-4 days cannot undue progress, and it only takes 3 weeks for something to become habit.

-The choice has to come from within. You can’t get in shape for your husband, because your friend did it, etc: it has to be the decision you’ve made for you.

ANYONE CAN GET IN SHAPE – but so few people actually do. It is not easy and can be absolutely frustrating for everyone, but it happens. Not overnight – not in a week or a month. But it happens. Just make sure that every step you take is a step forward and that you win all of those little battles throughout the day (the decisions about what to eat, should you workout, should you go to the bar, etc – winning those battles will lead to you winning your war!)

If you’re interested in our Personal Trainer Gift Certificates, act quickly because our time slots are quickly filling up. We do control the number of people that are in our studio, so availability is limited. Give the gift of body transformation and fat loss this holiday season. All packages include complete nutritional guidance, 24/7 access to your trainer to ask any question you may have during your program and complete directions on what to do when you’re not in the gym. We have gift certificates for any of our fitness program packages, so for more information, feel free to email me at boyd@the-personal-trainer.com or give me a call at 210.391.1454.

I hope everyone is off to a great weekend here in San Antonio and beyond. I cannot believe this weather. Here’s a quick video of a dead lift I performed yesterday at a weight of 635lbs:

I’m wanting to make an attempt at something different tomorrow. My current personal best at dead lift is 720 (I think I can do 735 or so but I’ll have to attempt it fresh) and my next dead lift max out is December 30. My current max on bench is 570lbs, and I’m getting really antsy as I approach the 600lb mark – few people on the planet are able to bench press 600lbs (raw) and I plan to do it at a bodyweight lighter than it has ever been done by anyone. Anyway, I may see how many times I can bench press 225 tomorrow and compare it to some of the NFL Combine numbers. I’m wondering if I can do it 50 times – I’ll post the video as soon as it’s ready!

Enjoy your weekend and don’t forget to WORKOUT! That lean body is in there, you just have to break it out!

Boyd Myers
Personal Trainer in San Antonio
Owner, San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
16613 Huebner Rd (corner of Huebner and Bitters)
210.391.1454