Fat Loss – Body Transformation – Advanced Nutrition

This weekend is the unofficial start to Summer (although we’ve already had several days go over the 100 degree threshold here in San Antonio, TX).

While most people have absolutely no desire to step on a stage for a bodybuilding, figure, bikini or other fitness related competition, it is now SHOWTIME! Most individuals simply live their show every single day: they work hard and have no problem showing off the fruits of their labor.

Of course, now is the time to wear a little less than we have been over the last few months, and that may mean at a pool party, the beach, the lake or maybe one of our many rivers.

When others may not get “WHY” you do it (and the reasons are plentiful), they’ll totally get it when you’re looking your absolute best in “shorts and t-shirt” weather.

For those that have been doing the work – congratulations! For the others? It’s a long summer and it is never too late, but there is no time for excuses!

Make the decision now!

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

I have a confession to make: I could probably eat frozen yogurt everyday and not have an ounce of guilt. To be more specific, I could eat coconut and pineapple yogurt mixed with pineapples and coconuts every single meal and be totally content.

But I don’t: my physical goals are important enough to me to veto any silly craving I may have for my guilty pleasure.

After my workout yesterday, I decided to stop by and indulge and have a cup of yogurt. Still in my workout attire, a gentleman approached me and started talking to me about training and nutrition. He finished the discussion off with “It must be nice to have the metabolism and genetics to eat whatever you want…”

While it was not his intention, I was completely insulted by this comment. “It must be nice?” Is it nice that 99% of the time, I’m eating barely seasoned lean meat, grains, veggies and rarely giving into cravings? Sure: I crave cheeseburgers, fries and ice cream throughout the day, but the reason why I look a certain way is because I don’t give into those cravings…

And what I do to myself physically in the gym is anything but “Nice”.

Ultimately, the things we achieve are determined by the decisions we make. We can choose to sit around and pretend that others have things we don’t because they are lucky and blessed, or we can accept the fact that if we want certain things in our lives, we must be willing to put forth the effort to get there, and make sacrifices.

I assure you, if I wasn’t satisfied with where I am, there’s no damn way in the world I’d even think about enjoying that yogurt – and I know I’ve earned absolutely every bite.

It isn’t luck or good fortune: it is the result of a lot of effort and discipline.

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

Obviously, this is outside the realm of why many people come to my Fitness and Fat Loss Blog. I totally get that. However, many people know that I’m an avid sports fan and love most anything that is based on competition, and after another teammate spilled the beans on Lance, I received several messages via Facebook, Twitter, email, text and other means asking me what I think about the accusations and if I believe them.

First and foremost, I was inspired by the Lance Armstrong story. Guy was an “ok” cyclist, beat cancer, and then became one of the most dominant American athletes in history. With that being said, it would be foolish to believe that he did that in a sport that was overwhelmingly “dirty” and he remained the only “clean” athlete.

Of course, the media over-sensationalizes the entire steroid and performance enhancing drug phenomenon. I personally could give a rat’s ass what he or Barry Bonds or anyone else took (while I am entertained that many of the same people who crucify Bonds in the media are the same talking heads on ESPN that are defending Lance to the death). In today’s culture, with the money paid to athletes who dominate, I am more shocked if an athlete is clean.

Many of the people coming out against Lance are doing so before they write a book, so they have motive. But understand, Armstrong has shown that he will sue for slander, and that isn’t stopping these guys.

One of the most ridiculous defenses I heard today was that he didn’t bulk up like a steroid user. It’s not quite that easy: steroids do not make you magically gain insane amounts of muscle. Muscle growth is a product of proper training and nutrition: anabolic steroids obviously aid in that, but if the subject isn’t training in that threshold (and in Armstrong’s case, biking 200 miles per day isn’t the type of training to put mass on), you’re not going to turn into a hulking giant. Also, there is much more to performance enhancing drugs than anabolic steroids: oxygen shuttling/delivery agents, enhanced recovery, super-compensation of glycogen (fuel for muscle contractions), improved/deeper sleep etc – much more than muscle growth.

Please do not throw up the fact that he has been the most tested athlete in history or that he has never failed a drug test: the cheaters are far ahead of the testers. These tests aren’t binary (cheated/didn’t cheat): the exact molecule or a metabolite of that molecule must be located. If it isn’t even known to be used, they cannot test for it, period. And as the BALCO situation proved, there’s big money in being ahead of the game for those looking for an edge.

Sure, Barry Bonds is an arrogant jerk. He’s easy to hate. And Lance has raised millions for cancer research and many other charities. Bonds is smug and Lance is just an All-American boy from Austin. But don’t bury your head in the sand: if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck – it’s a duck.

I don’t think I’m convincing people that felt one way or another to see my point, but thought I’d at least comment on a popular topic!

Control what YOU can control!

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

Good morning Texas!

I hope everyone is having a great start to their week.

I had no fewer than 20 messages this morning asking my thoughts on Lance. Each time a former teammate comes out, it seems I get a lot of questions about him.

I will take the time to go in-depth later (hard to type on my phone) but I’ll preface my stance with this: if you believe that everyone else in cycling was dirty during a period (as most have come to light) except the guy who was the most dominant ever, then I am guessing you also believe in the Easter Bunny and the tooth fairy.

I will get to more later, but feel free to comment!

Today starts the next round as I go after the bench press record. Time to get the central nervous system ready! I will cover the different stages of training this week as well.

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

Great recipe for grilling season, which is obviously now on top of us!

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Napa Cabbage Sesame Slaw
Ingredients:
Pork Tenderloins
Olive oil (not extra virgin)
Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper

Method:

1. Preheat grill med/high or preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Rub tenderloins with olive oil, salt and pepper liberally all over the outside on all sides.

3. Grill or Roast for about 18-20 minutes. It takes about 12-15 minutes per pound and most tenderloins weigh a little over a pound, so they don’t take long to cook.

4. Let the tenderloins REST without touching them for at least 10-15 minutes after cooking. This will insure that they stay juicy and continue to cook for a few minutes after pulling them off the grill or out of the oven.

Per ounce of pork tenderloin:

Calories 48
Fat 2 g
Carbohydrates 0g
Protein 8 g

Napa Cabbage Sesame Slaw

Makes 8 portions

Ingredients:

1 head Napa (Chinese) cabbage
1 yellow pepper
1 red pepper
1 red onion
1 bunch cilantro
Juice and zest of 1 lime or lemon
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Method:

1. Cut cabbage in half length wise. Cut out core. Slice into small strips cross ways.

Place in large bowl.

2. Cut out stem and seeds from peppers and cut into strips.

3. Cut onion into strips.

4. Make dressing in separate bowl or small food processor by squeezing lime or lemon, salt and pepper and zest, and slowly adding oils to the juice.

5. Chop cilantro lightly and add to vegetables.

6. Leave the veggies separate from the dressing in a zip lock container in the fridge (they will stay nice for up to a week). Right before eating (or 1/2 hour before eating) toss the veggies with a little bit of the dressing to keep them crispy and fresh. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Per portion:

Calories 107
Fat 7g
Protein 2g
Carbohydrates 11g
Dietary Fiber 3.5g

To Serve:

Allow the tenderloins to rest while you toss the slaw with the dressing.

Place a large scoop of the Napa slaw on the plate, then top with a few slices of the pork tenderloin. Garnish with fresh cilantro and a slice of lime if desired.

YOUR BODY and YOUR LIFE are under your control, so don’t ever settle!!! Make the best you that you can make and if there’s something you know you want, go after it… For now on, you control 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

I had a good friend (who DOES know better ;) ask me last night about a supplement that she had heard would get her “ripped fast”. She does eat cleanly and works out hard, and is honestly just looking for a little push.

She didn’t realize that this particular supplement is a pro-hormone that happens to have some pretty brutal side effects. And while she knows there’s no such thing as a magic pill, like many, she simply got caught up in the hype of a quick solution.

A drastic change does not happen overnight. The body, at the cellular level, is a very slow changing organism, and even slight changes do take time and effort. You see, I’m being very candid in telling you this, because most trainers, gyms and supplement companies are completely full of shit and will tell you that you can drastically change in 2 weeks. I’m an expert at what I do, and my reputation is more important to me than trying to please the masses with a quick fix. Those who are serious understand that, and the people who are serious about changing their bodies are the people that my business caters toward. I’m successful enough at what I do to not chase every dollar (and I’ll probably tell you to try Lifetime or Gold’s out if you fall into the “overnight change with little work” category).

There is no way you could completely master, let’s say, Medical School in a couple of weeks. The body is very similar to this concept: it takes time and the body must learn just as the mind would in a difficult academic course. On the bright side, it doesn’t take years to make a change, but it does take an extended effort to build an advanced physique (ie you aren’t going to go from 42% body fat to fitness competitor in 3 months).

In a way, it’s also like building wealth. Any successful business person will tell you that it takes a lot of hard work and patience and sacrifice to build a sizable amount of wealth. You have to have a plan and execute it. Of course, we live in a “pay me now” society, and people are stretched very thin. They aren’t in very good financial shape, and often times, people live that way with their physical fitness as well. I suppose you could win the lottery, but that’s like having an expensive surgery done: most people that win the lottery end up flat broke in a matter of a few years. Most people that have an expensive surgery (lipo, lapband, etc) end up fat again in a shorter amount of time. Why? Because they didn’t learn the way to manage themselves.

There is no magic pill and there are no short-cuts. I have a thousand testimonials of amazing results: an inch per week for 2-3 months, fat lost/muscle gain numbers, etc but the fact of the matter is that those testimonials cannot explain the amount of sacrifice and effort those people had to endure during their body transformation.

If you’re serious, I can gladly help you. If you even look up when an infomercial comes on touting the latest “fat loss breakthrough”, keep searching, and let me know when you find the miracle.

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

Great recipe sent it this weekend from a reader (and a personal favorite of mine).

Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted fat free butter (margarine), softened
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
extra virgin olive oil, for brushing
2 (8 ounce) tuna steaks, about 1 inch thick
salt

1. In a small bowl, mash together the butter, lemon zest, lemon juice, the 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and the garlic powder. Set aside (or chill if not using immediately).
2. Prepare the grill for medium-high direct heat and lightly oil the grate (or preheat a broiler). Brush oil on both sides of tuna steaks. Season the tuno on both sides with salt and additional pepper. Grill or broil for 3 to 4 minutes per side for medium rare, turning once.
3. Transfer tuna steaks to a serving platter; top with the butter mixture and ENJOY!

Send in your recipes and I’ll gladly share!

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

Doing what I do for a living leads to a lot of fitness and nutrition related discussions no matter what I’m doing or where I am at. Anytime someone asks me “What do you do for a living?” the discussion ensues.

The irony is that while people do often asks me what they should do, they rarely are interested in taking my advice, hence, which is why I don’t put forth a lot of effort in answering that question.

You see, as quickly as the question is asked, 99.9% of the time that person is going to tell me what they’re already doing and see if I will validate what they say. Almost just as often, people tell me what I should try out and tell me how well it will work.

I’ve studied the body from absolutely every aspect from a fitness standpoint – I have a pretty good grasp on the body’s response to training and nutrition, and the main piece of advice that I can offer is that there is no one size fits all training and nutrition program for every goal (no matter what the CrossFit cult wants you to believe…)

The body will do EXACTLY what it is told to do based on how you exercise, what you eat and when you eat it, but the key is that you tell your body the right thing.

There is the problem: most people aren’t telling their body the right thing. They THINK they are, but the body will respond to what it is told – you just have to learn how to tell your body exactly what to do.

Every aspect of training has a purpose: every rep scheme, amount of rest (or lack there of) between sets, every exercise, number of exercises, etc. Same with nutrition. Every bite of food plays the same role, and the body’s response depends on many factors (condition, genetics).

The great thing is? If you tell someone something they like to hear (such as “this is the best way or the easiest way”), they’ll listen to you, period. Unfortunately, they’ll listen no matter where the advice comes from. I’ve seen many cases where some pretty out of shape people have written exercise programs for individuals and the person will swear by it.

Think logically: pay attention to where the advice you get comes from. You wouldn’t let a dentist with bad teeth work on your mouth! There are a lot of so-called experts out there, but make sure they’re able to prove their track record and back up what they’re saying (remember, more than 80% of personal trainers out there have done the job for less than one year).

Don’t be anyone’s “practice” – get the truth!

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 and far beyond (especially those guys that write in serving in Afghanistan and Iraq – thanks!!!)

Sorry for reduced posting, but I am working on a huge project that I am putting the finishing touches on. I will share more later, just wanted to wish everyone an amazing day!

Whatever it takes!

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.

Thank you to reader Carolyn in San Antonio for the recipe!

This is an easy dish to make any night of the week, but it’s also nice enough to serve on a special occasion. Pork tenderloin is about as lean as skinless chicken breast, so it makes a nice alternative to the usual ‘white meat.’ Serve with your favorite vegetables.
Ingredients:

1 pound pork tenderloin
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium shallot, finely chopped
8 ounce pack sliced mushrooms
1 tbsp flour
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
3/4 cup fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
Preparation:

Trim pork tenderloin of fat and remove silver skin with a sharp knife.
Slice tenderloin into 8 rounds

Heat oil in large skillet on medium high heat.

Flatten each pork medallion before adding to the skillet. Season with a pinch of Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper as desired.

Cook 3 minutes, then turn over and cook 2 minutes the other side.

Remove from skillet and place on a plate. Add shallots and mushrooms to the skillet and cook on medium-low for 4-5 minutes, until mushrooms begin to soften.

Add white wine and stir mushrooms and shallots to deglaze the skillet.

Once the wine has all but evaporated, add the mustard and broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer until sauce is reduced by about half.

Return pork medallions to the pan, and cook for 3-4 minutes, spooning sauce over meat.

Serve two medallions with sauce.

Per serving: Calories 191, Calories from Fat 67, Total Fat 7.5g (sat 1.8g), Cholesterol 72mg, Sodium 72mg, Carbohydrate 5.2g, Fiber 1g, Protein 25.7g

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 everyone,

If you’re interested in receiving regular fitness and nutrition tips via text message, please text FITNESSTRAINER to 90210 – that is MY service and I’m never going to advertise, spam or let anyone else ever have your number. I’m thinking about sending 1-2 messages per week, and I’ll do my best to keep it short and sweet!

Still working on updating this blog – I have the new format together, but am struggling with the transfer. I’m going to lose a little bit of information and will have to put a day or so work into it, and as soon as I have time, the update will be made.

Right now is obviously a huge time for people to get serious – it’s summer time and the warm days are here: pool weather, lake trips, beach vacations, etc. You do NOT want to wish you would’ve done more in the “off-season”.

In fact, get rid of those OFF SEASONS! Make it a lifestyle and always be ready to wear very little.

An active mind cannot survive in an inactive body…

Take control!

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

Happy Mother’s Day to all of those mothers out there. You are THE REASON for all successes that we experience.

My mother instilled many of the values that I attribute to my personal success, including work ethic. While today would be a great day to say “time for a day off” and to celebrate my mother, I look at it the other day. I decided to sit down, right my blog, catch up on emails, and then work on my other business. Why? Because one valuable lesson my mother taught me that no one will never give you anything: if you want something, it is on you to work your butt off to get it.

Same with changing the body. I hear a lot of people tell me that they want to look a certain way and they’ll attempt to make me believe that they’re willing to do anything in the world to get there. Except give up partying on Saturday night. Or make sure that they never miss a workout. Or do whatever possible to rest and recover adequately.

People will tell you that it isn’t worth it. Ask yourself this question: are those people living the life that YOU want to live? Do they have the body that you want to have?

How am I celebrating the values that my mother instilled in me? By pushing that much harder. I have a certain level of success that I am working toward and a lifestyle that I want to achieve for me and my son and the time is now. From a training standpoint, I have the goal of being the best bench presser on the planet and today was no different: I went to the gym and busted my ass to get to that point. But it’s Mother’s Day! Exactly.

Never surrender: WHO are you playing for? There are no excuses. If you don’t do what you need at a pace like there’s no tomorrow, you’ll never get to where you want to be.

Crush it.

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,

No, she isn’t my mother, but she is a 38 year old mother of three.

I took this video to help her make some slight corrections in her form (keep her behind down a bit longer and not roll her back), but understand she is still very new to dead lifting, and the fact that she’s doing it with 225lbs is amazing.

For the ladies that still believe that you get big and bulky lifting weights, does she look big and bulky? She has a complete six pack:

And she’s not wasting her time doing hours of cardio every week – she follows my guidelines and keeps it brief and very intense.

Here’s the vid!

For mobile fitness tips, text FITNESSTRAINER to 90210 – I won’t spam you, but I will send you helpful tidbits on training and nutrition!

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

Great recipe sent in from a reader. Shrimp is one of my favorite lean foods and one that I can eat with nearly any combo of other foods.

24 raw shrimp (I prefer to buy mine de-shelled and deveined)
2 cloves garlic, chopped into small pieces
2 T. olive oil
1 T. fresh parsley
a sprinkle of black pepper
cayenne pepper to taste

Heat up the olive oil in a skillet or wok.
Add the garlic, shrimp, black pepper, and cayenne.
Stir regularly over low heat until shrimp turn pink on both sides, about 3-4 minutes. By keeping the heat low, it will ensure the garlic doesn’t turn brown.
When the shrimp are just about done, add the parsley and mix well.

Serve alone or on a bed of lettuce, rice, or pasta. You can also add broccoli or other vegetables during cooking for a great shrimp veggie stir-fry.

Serves 2-3 people.

Please feel free to share your favorite recipes!

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

I’ve been terribly busy over the last few days and haven’t really had the time to sit down and get online and type a blog (or for that matter, even assemble a thought), but today deserves to be recognized.

Last night, a group of 24 Navy SEALs hunted and killed the man that was responsible for more than 3000 deaths on September 11, 2001. While it has been almost 10 years since that terrible day, it still rings fresh in the minds and hearts of so many people.

In the subsequent years, numerous military lives have been given in the aftermath of September 11.

Of course, I know that most of us realize that there is still a lot of danger to our country and to others in the world, but at least the man that was primarily responsible has been disposed of.

I know, this is a personal training and a fitness blog, and I try to keep it that way as much as possible, but I feel this is a big day in the world.

My life should be returning back to a state of normalcy quickly, but I wanted to make sure to acknowledge this occasion.

God Bless – Enjoy your lives, one day at a time!

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