Fat Loss – Body Transformation – Advanced Nutrition

Hey everyone,

Hope this week is treating you well.

I realize that many of my readers are new to my blog and don’t know a lot about me other than the introduction and maybe they’ve watched a few of my videos and read a few of my articles. If I had to drive myself, I’d say I was very motivated and driven, to say the least.

Many of my long time readers realize that I have been chasing the raw bench press world record for the last year plus. I’m not far – within striking distance, and I am now beginning my final push to at least tie the record (715lbs) by my birthday (March 16).

But this week, I have also started another chase: I want to run a sub five minute mile.

Now, I know this isn’t world record pace or anything close, but let me give you a little background:

-I personally HATE running with a passion.

-I used to be an avid runner (I ran 10 miles every Saturday at a sub 6 minute per mile pace).

-That was 10 years ago, and my physique has drastically changed – I was in the 180lb range then, now, after several years of focusing on bodybuilding and power lifting based goals, my bodyweight stays much closer to the 240-245lb range.

-While I do mix high intensity training along with sprinting into my current regimen, my typical longer endurance cardio is on a machine (elliptical, bike, etc). I have NOT ran much over the last decade.

With that being said, I will be running 3 times per week with my one mile assessment being every other Friday to chart my progress. I am a person of metrics and love to measure to see where I am at to stay on track and to make sure I am doing what needs to be done.

Understand, I am not running as a weight loss tool. When I shed weight, I do so with manipulation of food intake and by changing up my macro-nutrient intake. This is a pure “Me Versus The Clock” scenario.

I’ll keep a training log here on the blog for those who are interested, along with my time progress, recovery and more. If you’ve read my training blogs in the past on message boards (and here on this blog when I competed in my last bodybuilding show) you’ll know that I cover nearly every aspect of what I am doing.

Oh, and of course, I will continue my power lifting training (which includes very heavy squatting, dead lifting and benching). Working my runs in to allow for optimal recovery will be tricky, but I have a great strategy where I shouldn’t suffer too much.

Help me out by cheering me on! If you have a goal you are working on, post it in the comment section!

Let’s CRUSH our goals!

Boyd Myers
Master Fitness Trainer – San Antonio
Owner, Personal Fitness Revolution
San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio

Hey San Antonio and you other Fitness Fanatics elsewhere!

Had quite a few questions to tend to from the holidays, so I thought I’d do them here!

Hey Boyd,

I am a local high school senior and have committed to play Division 1 football next fall at a prestigious university. Do you work with high school athletes?

Absolutely. I work with athletes of all ages amateur and professional. The transition from high school football (even Texas high school football) to college football is drastic. It is imperative to go into conditioning program a step ahead of the competition. Quite simply, I help athletes become faster, stronger and more cardio conditioned. We focus on regular power moves to develop base strength (bench press, dead lift and squat) as well as explosive movements that transfer into the sport of choice (plyometrics, Olympic movements, etc).

Not only do I focus on the training, but on the nutrition as well to get the most out of your training and to fuel your training and recovery – unfortunately, nutrition is the weakest link in most amateur athletes repetoire. I develop an optimal nutrition and supplement regiment for every athlete.

Ok Boyd, I have tried it all – lots of cardio, less eating, etc. I thought I was doing it right until I read one of your articles from a few months back about becoming skinny fat and how doing what I am doing is only going to make me a smaller version of myself. Not so much a question but a “Dammit I should’ve listened to your advice”!

It’s never too late! Starving and excess cardio may help you look better dressed, but gaining lean body mass and proper training help you look better naked!

Boyd: Which is better? Low reps (3-6) or higher reps (12+)?

Better in what way? Kind of a general question but let me try to help you: no matter your goals, there are reasons to use absolutely every rep range. I honestly use as few as one rep (on a regular basis) and as many as 100 reps in some exercises.

It’s like having a tool box and trying to figure out which is better: a screwdriver or a hammer. You have them both, so why not use them?

Any tips for coming off of a spell with the flu?

More than tips, I have sympathy, because for more than a week, I was battling the nasty flu as well. First and foremost, get yourself some pro-biotics and replenish the good bacteria in your system (especially if you were on antibiotics). My choice is Endo-mune. Second, take a week to “get back into the groove. Your body is still probably recovering, so the worst thing you can do is decimate yourself and make your body relapse into sickness. Increase antioxidant intake (permanently). A great way to not have to recover from sickness is to not get sick. Rest more. Yeah, sounds simple, but most of us aren’t even close on the amount of rest we need. Sleep deprivation has hormonal effects on fat storage and opens us up for a multitude of sicknesses. Sleep more, get sick less, period.

I have a very long email that I am responding to about fat loss/muscle gain, and I will be posting my answer here when it is ready – I think most people will benefit from it, so check back later on.

Make today great!

Boyd Myers
Master Fitness Trainer – San Antonio
Owner, Personal Fitness Revolution
San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio

Hey Everyone,

Sorry for my lack of posting of late. Last Monday, I thought I was coming down with a sinus infection. Since taking a step back and resting is something I have trouble doing, it became worse, and what I thought was just a little head cold ended up being the flu!

I am now resting with my family and my pig Izzy for the holidays, excited about the rest of the year and what 2012 has to bring.

A lot of people ask me what they can do to minimize the effects of the holidays. It’s pretty simple: remember that Thanksgiving is Thursday, not tonight through next Tuesday. Enjoy yourself tomorrow: make it about family, stay hydrated all day, and if you are so motivated, do a few minutes of cardio (or at least go for a walk tomorrow morning). The hydrated part pertains to water: drinking water makes you feel saturated. Have your dinner, have your sides, enjoy a small dessert and then quit. Don’t unbuckle your pants and go back for seconds and thirds and induce a food coma.

The goal is to get back into gear quickly – there’s nothing wrong with having a kick ass session in the gym on Friday or Saturday after Thanksgiving, but DEFINITELY hit it full blast on Monday and kick butt for the rest of the year!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read the things I write. I get a lot of email from people that read often, and one person willing to read makes it worth it for me to keep it up.

Have a very happy Thanksgiving – for more info and tips on fitness, text FITNESSTRAINER to 90210!

Boyd Myers
Master Fitness Trainer – San Antonio
Owner, Personal Fitness Revolution
San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
210.391.1454

There’s a very common acronym used: KISS (Keep It Simple, Sweetie). Ok, sweetie is often replaced by STUPID, but I want to stay positive here.

This weekend I was having a conversation with someone about body transformation and they made a comment that when they want to change their body, they simply eat less and do more.

Sure, that may help with temporary weight loss, and that is the way that most dieticians and doctors see things, but the truth of the matter is that most people take a stab at this, make little to no changes, and then give up.

It isn’t quite that simple – if it were, wouldn’t everyone with an ounce of motivation look phenomenal?

Anyone with a pulse can lose weight with little or no effort. However, weight loss means absolutely nothing in reference to changing the body. Losing BODY FAT is what matters, and adding a little bit of lean body mass is important to actually improve one’s aesthetics.

Unfortunately, to lose body fat and to gain lean body mass simultaneously is easier said than done – there is a very delicate balance that few people thoroughly understand. Sure, you can go beat the hell out of yourself in the gym, bouncing around like a crack addict and work up a sweat and try to eat as little (healthy) food as possible. You’ll burn muscle, induce the starvation reflex, and crash and burn after a few weeks due to over-training (and under recovering). Or you can do tons of cardio to negate bad eating, lift heavy for a couple hours of day, and try to gain muscle. You’ll overtrain quickly (besides: there’s a lot more to losing fat than doing cardio).

You have to have the proper ratios of each of these factors:
Training Intensity
Training Duration
Timing of Training
Micro & Macronutrient Consumption
Nutritional Timing
Recovery (and Recovery, and Recovery)
Cardio Intensity (and Duration)

Are you training too much or too little? Intense enough or overdoing it? Are you eating the right things in the right amount at the right times? Are you recovering enough between training sessions or are you waiting too long to train in a certain way again? Are you doing too much cardio? The wrong time of cardio? Inappropriately mixing in cardio and weights and completely negating your progress?

These are all questions that must be considered, and unfortunately the answers vary significantly between individuals based on several different factors.

I know, the information for most people is overwhelming and yes: doing anything is better than doing nothing. But investing the energy to understand each of these factors and how much is required for a) your current condition and b) your goals will result in an infinitely more productive training cycle, and get you the most progress for your investment of time and energy.

Boyd Myers
Master Fitness Trainer – San Antonio
Owner, Personal Fitness Revolution
San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
210.391.1454

Hey San Antonio,

Couple of quick things on this rainy Monday (no, really – it has rained in San Antonio):

1. I received a big box in the mail this weekend – my two inch thick, 30 feet long battle ropes. As if I didn’t have enough ways to make you breathe hard, sweat, get sore and kick ass in the gym, I have added another weapon to my arsenal! These things are intense, and I’ll be posting a video later this week!

2. Remember, I do not typically wear a mustache, but it is Mo-vember, and for prostate cancer awareness, I have dedicated my face to growing a mustache to raise money to defeat prostate cancer! For more information and to donate (any little bit helps), and to see my crazy mustache, check out: Boyd’s Mo-Space – Defeat Prostate Cancer

3. The holidays are almost here! Don’t let them ruin your progress, and don’t use that as an excuse to wait: you can make incredible progress this time of year! While others are getting fat and lazy, get into the best shape of your life! Call us today (210.391.1454)

Let’s have a great week!

Boyd Myers
Master Fitness Trainer – San Antonio
Owner, Personal Fitness Revolution
San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
210.391.1454

Hey all,

As I stated earlier, during the month of November I am growing a mustache to support the Livestrong Foundation’s Prostate Awareness month. For more information, or to donate (a $1 or more), please check out:

Boyd’s Personal Movember Page

1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer over the next year, and it is the second most common cancer, behind only skin cancer. Let’s find a cure!!!

Thank you for any support you give to this great cause! Oh, and I will post a pic of this RIDICULOUS mustache I am growing by the end of the week!

Boyd Myers
Master Fitness Trainer – San Antonio
Owner, Personal Fitness Revolution
San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
210.391.1454

Hey all,

Just a few quick things to cover:

-It is boot camp time again. I’ll have more info later, but we are going to be starting another San Antonio Boot Camp here at Personal Fitness Revolution. Again, I’ll post an update later this week, so keep an eye out!

-November is MOVEMBER! To bring awareness to prostate cancer (1 in 6 men will be diagnosed this year), guys are encouraged to grow a mustache (“Mo” is an Aussie term for mustache). Yes, as terrible as it is, I am growing an awesome Burt Reynolds style stache this month!!!

-We are less than three weeks away from Thanksgiving. DO NOT USE THE HOLIDAYS AS A REASON TO FALL OFF THE FITNESS AND NUTRITION BANDWAGON! You CAN make tremendous progress between now and the new year. With that being said, you can also ruin an entire year worth of work by slacking now!

I have some great articles in the work for this week, so check backsoon!!!

Boyd Myers
Master Fitness Trainer – San Antonio
Owner, Personal Fitness Revolution
San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
210.391.1454

Hey San Antonio,

November is Prostate Cancer Awareness month, and through the Livestrong Foundation, they are celebrating “Mo-Vember” by growing MUSTACHES (no, really), and I am partaking!

For more information and the rules on the mustace growing month, check out here:

LiveStrong – Movember to Rember – Grow a Mustache to Fight Cancer!

If you would like to help the cause by either joining our team or donating, drop me an email at boyd@the-personal-trainer.com for details!

Boyd Myers
Master Fitness Trainer – San Antonio
Owner, Personal Fitness Revolution
San Antonio’s Top Personal Training Studio
210.391.1454