Here is this week's list of recommended reading:
Final Phase Fat Loss - As a quick follow-up to our interview with John Romaniello earlier this week, just a reminder that today is the last day to get the low "Grand Opening" price on this great fat loss resource. It's among the best I've seen.
I've known John Romaniello for almost a decade now, and he's a guy who delivers great content and plenty of humor and entertainment. Oh, and he also happens to be in pretty good shape.
EC: You were really active as a writer at T-Nation a few years back, and then took a little hiatus before returning with a vengeance - and some great content - recently. Where the heck did you go?
JR: Ha! I guess I did kind of fall off the radar there. I didn't mean to intentionally withdraw; I wasn't looking to make a statement. In fact, I guess in retrospect my abscence was specifically because I didn't have much to say. I never wanted to be the type of trainer or writer who rehashed other people's ideas; rather, I wanted to just gather as much information as I could from as many sources, and formulate my own ideas and theories based on that. So in my early articles, you'll see that.
Then...I wouldn't say I ran out of ideas...it was more that I knew that the only way I could really develop my own theories was to dive in. And that's really what I've been doing. I've been developing and redeveloping my own strategies and methods of over half a decade, while watching what was going on in the industry from a modest distance and not really making any attempt to re-enter "the scene."
At the same time, I was of course working on other stuff. I did some fitness and underwear modeling for a while, and that took some focus; plus, of course, there is my actual training, which takes up most of my time.
EC: You built up a pretty big clientele in that time period, didn't you?
JR: You could say that. For about the past six years, I've built a hugely successful personal training company that works with a lot of athletes, actors, models, etc.
The great thing about working in (and more specifically, right outside of) New York City is the access you have to so many different types of clients. Add to that the fact that I had been doing the modeling, and I made a lot of good contacts in the industry and was able to work with a lot of clients with very exacting goals.
So, while I haven't gotten away from my muscle-head roots, I seem to have become a bit of a fat loss specialist--which makes sense, because that is what so many people are after. I obviously work with a lot of people looking to drop a lot of weight, but in large part, my in person clients are very often those looking for polish their physiques and take it to the next level.
EC: Along those same lines, let's talk about your new program, Final Phase Fat Loss. I've read it and I like it a lot, but tell our readers about some of the details of it. How is it different from some of the other stuff out there?
JR:Ah, I'm very excited to talk about this.
Final Phase Fat Loss (FPFL) really represents all the work I've put into my evolving theories over the past few years. It draws from a good number of pre-existing ideas and methods, as well as much of my own original stuff, and blends it in synergistic way that makes the entire program work in an incredibly effective way.
There are a lot of great fat loss programs out there, but none of them really do what FPFL does.
The thing that makes it different from pretty much any program out there is the built in variety. Now, as you know I'm not generally a fan of anything for its own sake, especially variety; but here, the variety makes everything exponentially more effective.
You see, one of the main facets of my fat loss programs is to include multiple training styles into the programming, usually within the context of a given training week. Not to use muscle-mag clichés like "keep the body guessing," but the fact of the matter is that by constantly varying the training stimulus, you just increase the amount of metabolic disturbance and force you body to adapt more quickly. It's as simple as that.
And, of course, every fat loss trainer will tell you that.
So, variety is one of the main things that makes Final Phase different.
EC: You're a big believer in metabolic resistance training (MRT), too, which certainly sits in agreement with some of the more modern fat loss approaches out there. For those that aren't familiar, can you fill them in a bit more?
JR: Here are just a few reasons why MRT is better than general cardio:
1) Higher caloric expenditure when compared minute to minute
2) Increased stimulation of muscle, helping to hold onto LBM when dieting
So, MRT is really just fast paced lifting, right? Kinda. The best way to do metabolic resistance training is to use non-competing circuits—that is, set up a circuit of exercises during which you alternate opposing muscle groups.
Examples would include doing a chest exercise followed by a back exercise, or alternating an upper body exercise with a lower body one, you allow the opposing muscle group to rest. By setting your workouts up like this, you can move faster, rest less frequently, and get a great total result.
The great thing about MRT is that it’s more of a concept than a protocol. That is, it’s adjustable to nearly any type of training. You can get a great MRT workout with so many different pieces of equipment and styles of working out.
Kettlebells are a great tool for metabolic resistance training, and it’s easy to see how they’re great for fat loss. Another great way to start using MRT is with dumbbell or barbell complexes, which are exercises circuits using minimum space and equipment. With a complex, you transition smoothly from one exercise to another, never letting the barbell or dumbbells leave your hands. It’s fast-paced, effective, and brutal. You can even do metabolic resistance training fat loss using just your bodyweight, as the circuit below shows.
Or, if you've got some equipment at your fingertips:
Now, I won’t go so far as to say we should stop doing all other types of cardio in favor of metabolic resistance training—not by a long shot. I don’t care for (or make) such absolute statements, speaking generally.
Speaking more specifically about metabolic resistance training, I’ll say that while MRT seems to be the most effective single option, I strongly believe that everything has benefit and you can enhance your results even further by doing a combination on of MRT, High Intensity Intervals, and even a slow walk on the treadmill (as recovery after workout that taxes your lower body pretty heavily).
EC: Got it. What else makes this resource unique?
JR: The other thing that makes is that it unique is that it was designed to address a lot of the hormonal reasons for fat storage. As an example, we know that if you're insulin resistant, you're going to store fat in your love handles. So, given that insulin resistance (and therefore love handle fat) is extremely common, FPFL was designed with that in mind--the workouts (some more than others) are drawn from training styles that elicit certain hormonal responses--or increased production of certain hormone--and helps to combat difficulties like insulin resistance - and in part some of the problems that causes, like chronic love handular fattitude.
Pretty awesome.
The great thing about it is that it's really intended for a few very specific purposes--it's called "Final Phase Fat Loss" and that obviously carries certain implications. We all know someone struggling to lose the last 5-10 pounds; whether it's a mom trying to get into some pre-baby jeans, a 30-year-old guy looking to see his abs for the first time, or an athlete trying to drop a weight class (in actual fat, not water manipulation). FPFL addresses those things.
No other fat loss program available specifically addresses the needs of people who are trying to get past that barrier between good and great. Those programs simply don't have the components organized the way I do, and aren't ideal for losing the last bit of fat.
Final Phase fills that gap, and it's going to help a lot of people do what my models and actors need to do all the time--get into lean, hard, photo-ready shape.
Of course, it's also a great general fat loss program, and it's proven itself to be exceptionally valuable for those who are just trying to bust through a fat loss plateau--so there's that, as well.
EC: Intriguing stuff - and it's backed by an excellent product that I've had a chance to review. The training sessions are absolutely brutal, and anyone who is up for a challenge (on top of the benefits you already outlined) ought to check it out: Final Phase Fat Loss.
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Just wanted to give you a quick heads-up on a free report John Romaniello just made available as a "prelude" to the launch of his new product Final Phase Fat Loss. It's called "Why You've Stopped Losing Body Fat" and there are a few points in there that will interest even the most experienced folks in the crowd (and there's also some Romaniello humor, which I've come to appreciate as absolutely classic).
I've also had a chance to review the final product that will be launched very soon, and I'd strongly encourage you to check it out when it becomes available. John's a guy who walks the walk (as his picture below shows) and has helped a ton of people lean out over the years; he's got some great nutritional strategies and unique training ideas to share.
You've got nothing to lose; this report's free. So, check it out: Why You've Stopped Losing Body Fat.
Programs aimed at rapid fat loss are quite the rave nowadays. There are some excellent programs out there (most notably Warpspeed Fat Loss, which we've discussed here quite a bit) that deliver some quick reductions in body fat over the course of a few weeks of absolutely hellish training and strict nutritional modifications. There's no doubt that it's a effective way to drop body fat quickly.
That said, the question is whether that degree of specialization - incinerating body fat at all costs - is what's right for an individual. For some people - particularly woman (who aren't generally as concerned with carrying appreciable levels of muscle mass and strength), these programs are just fine; any accompanying losses in strength and muscle mass won't be as disconcerting because they aren't perceived as being as important. Obviously, it's also true for those who are morbidly obese, but they generally aren't candidates for complete overhauls right away, as they have to get their feet wet first with the basics of regular training and better nutrition.
Most specific to this piece, though, rapid fat loss programs are most enticing to the more experienced trainee who carries a lot of muscle mass, but needs to shed some blubber quickly to get ready for a vacation, photo shoot, or scandalous make-out scene on live TV.
However, for every one of these folks (the experienced trainees - not the horny, drunk, bearded dudes with Confederate flag hats), there is another individual who is male, with limited training experience, subpar strength, and not enough muscle mass on him to really even demonstrate that he regularly trains. He might be 6-1, 180 pounds at 20% body fat. For those of you keeping track at home, that's 144 pounds of fat free mass, and 36 pounds of fat mass.
Well, here's a question: if this hypothetical guy dropped 10 pounds of body fat right now and somehow managed to maintain all his muscle mass (and recovered any water weight reductions he got from lower carb dieting), would he be happy with how he'd look? That'd still put him at 144 pounds of fat free mass, but lower his body weight to 170 with 26 pounds of fat mass (15.3% body fat). Sorry, but while respectable, 15.3% body fat isn't super lean. And, 170 pounds at 6-1 will only earn him points with insurance companies who calculate premiums based on body mass index.
Imagine taking about the ideal NFL cornerback, and then stripping 25 pounds of muscle off him and adding back 15 pounds of body fat. Be sure to kill off all the athleticism in the process, too. Not a very impressive picture.
In other words, a program that might have been perfect for a guy who was 30 pounds heavier with the same body fat percentage - but two more years of training experience - just isn't a good fit for a guy who can become "skinny-fat" really quickly.
I have just seen a lot of guys go on crazy fat loss programs only to get to a lower weight and realize that they look skinny because they aren't carrying enough muscle mass in the first place. And, along the way, they lose a lot of strength - so it's harder to build up muscle mass quickly thereafter to right the ship.
For this reason, it's been a long time since I resorted to a rapid fat loss program in my own training; I just am not willing to sacrifice the strength gains I've made just to see the scale weight go down quickly. Rather, I'd prefer to do it gradually and retain the gains.
This has also been a strategy we've employed with excellent success with athletes who come our way who need to lean out. Often, body weight - and not body composition - are what predicts their success. Pitchers are a perfect example; I've seen many who have just indiscriminately lost body weight, only to see their velocity drop considerably. This may come from the actual loss of body mass, the increased training volume that caused it, the type of training (extra aerobic activity?), or - most likely - a combination of all these factors. One thing is for sure, though; I would be my 2010 salary on the fact that if CC Sabathia "trimmed down" to 210, he wouldn't be nearly as dominant as he is.
Would some gradual weight loss and an emphasis on improving body composition help him? Absolutely. Would taking 80 pounds off him be a smart or specific off-season goal? In my opinion, no. The research has demonstrated that body mass is one factor that predicts velocity.
Baseball relevance aside, this is why I rarely go "exclusively fat loss" or "exclusively bulking" with a lot of general fitness clients who don't have more than two years of strength training under their belt. They absolutely, positively can add muscle mass and drop body fat simultaneously if they accumulate enough of the right kind of activity and eat the right stuff. It just takes some individualization, adherence, consistency, and effort. We've seen it hundreds of times already with the Show and Go program alone, and that doesn't even take things to the level of individualized programming.
To reiterate, I'm not saying that rapid fat loss programs don't have merit; I've seen a lot of people get tremendous results when the program was the right fit for them. However, I also know that handing a NFL running back's training program to a 12-year-old Pop Warner running back isn't appropriate in light of his experience. The same can be said for novice trainees who try to drop body fat too quickly; they are skipping steps and missing out on crucial adaptations - including strength and muscle mass gains - that could bode more favorably for long-term progress.
As always, you have to fit the program to the individual, and not the individual to the program.
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We're back on track with our next list of recommended reading. Here are some things worth checking out:
13 Tips for Fitness Blogging Success - I know a lot of you have blogs of your own, and I'd encourage all of you to check out this great collection of advice from Mike Robertson. A lot of it parallels exactly what I've tried to do with EricCressey.com.
Never Eat Alone - This is one of the better business books I've ever read, as it focuses a ton on how to build and maintain a network in the business world. I came across the title in some reading I was doing the other day, and it reminded me of just how much it has helped me since I read it in March of 2007.
Vanilla Pumpkin Pie: Best Smoothie Yet? - Another great shake recipe from Brian St. Pierre.
Dude does a face plate into a bunch of iron after a one-rep max deadlift attempt - Okay, I gave this one away. It was too good to not repost.
Sorry, dude. That's what you get for celebrating like a weenie.
This week, I've already featured our top articles, product reviews, and videos of 2009. I was also really lucky to have some bright minds as guest contributors this year, and today I'll feature a few of their submissions.
The Rocker Inferior Capsule Stretch - This excellent submission from physical therapist Tim DiFrancesco shows a shoulder mobility exercises we've used with some of our guys with excellent results. It includes some great videos like this:
So What Does a Pitching Coach Do, Anyway? - I love this guest blog from Matt Blake, a great pitching guy with whom I get to work daily. It just goes to show you that there is a lot more to understand than mechanics when it comes to developing elite pitchers.
Real Activation: Modifying a Classic Core Movement - Jim Smith is perhaps best known for being a true innovator when it comes to exercise selection, and this post was an excellent one for that very reason.
I'm a bit tied up with holiday preparation stuff on top of the regular CP goings-on, so I thought I'd use today to throw out some recommended reading for the week:
Cardio Strength Training - I just got my copy of Robert dos Remedios' new book in the mail. I was honored to have contributed to it, and it's an awesome resource with a ton of protocols and exercises that you can implement to make conditioning a lot more interesting. For those of you looking to drop some fat in the new year, this is a must-have.
Only One Body - This is an excellent post from Mike Boyle that really helps to put things in perspective. Quick read; check it out!
Medicine Ball Madness - This old newsletter talks a bit about how we attack medicine ball training with our baseball guys. In 2010, I'll be presenting on this concept in a lot more detail at my Perform Better appearances.
Q: I recently purchased Show and Go and noticed that you include barbell rollouts in the weight training program. I did this exercise at the end of an aerobics class and was told by the fitness instructor not to do it, as it was a dangerous exercise. Given it's in your book, I gather you deem it a safe exercise. What is your opinion on this exercise? Do you know why some people say it's a dangerous exercise?
A: As with just about everything, the devil is in the details. For many individuals, this is a fantastic exercise. For others, it may be too advanced. And, for another group of folks, it just isn't good because it gets absolutely butchered technique-wise. Let's attack this piece by piece with a rationale for its inclusion/exclusion, and then some training options and coaching cues:
(yes, I know I said "A" and then "2." Gotta love live TV!)
You can progress this exercise a bit more by either elevating the knees slightly or going to a band-resisted ab wheel rollout. Just a heads-up: in this video, the athlete should have stopped a bit shorter in the top position to avoid the subtle lumbar rounding that took place; it's a good demonstration of technique that's good, but not quite perfect:
To learn more comparable exercises and see how they fit into a comprehensive weight training program, check out Show and Go: High Performance Training to Look, Feel, and Move Better.
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In my strength and conditioning writing, I throw the term "efficient" around quite a bit; in fact, it's even in the title of our Building the Efficient Athlete DVD set. I'm sure that some people have taken this to mean that we're always looking for efficiency in our movement. And, certainly, when it comes to getting from point A to point B in the context of sporting challenges, the most efficient way is generally the best.
And, just think about strength training programs where lifters simply squat, bench press, and deadlift to improve powerlifting performance. The goal is to get as efficient in those three movements as possible.
And, you can look at NFL combine preparation programs as another example. Guys will spend months practicing picture-perfect technique for the 40-yard dash. They might not even get faster in the context of applicable game speed, but they get super efficient at the test.
However, the most "efficient" way is not always the right way.
In everyday life, efficiency for someone with poor posture means picking up a heavy box with a rounded back, as it's the pattern to which they're accustomed, and therefore less "energy expensive." This would simply prove to be an efficient way to get injured! I'd rather lift things safely and inefficiently.
And, take those who run long distances in hopes of losing fat as another example. The research has actually shown that runners burn fewer calories for the same given distance after years of running improves their efficiency. While this improvement is relatively small, it absolutely stands to reason that folks would be smart to get as inefficient as possible in their training to achieve faster fat loss. In other words, change modalities, intensities, durations, and other acute programming variables.
Training exclusively for efficiency on a few lifts might make you better at those lifts, but it's also going to markedly increase your risk of overuse injuries. I can say without wavering that we'd see a lot fewer knee and lower back injuries in powerlifters if more of them would just mix in some inefficient single-leg training into their strength training programs. And, shoulders would get a lot healthier if these specialists would include more inefficient rowing variations and rotator cuff strength exercises.
In the world of training for athletic performance, it's important to remember that many (but not all) athletes perform in unpredictable environments - so simply training them to be efficient on a few lifts fails to fully prepare them for what they're actually face in competition. A strength and conditioning program complete with exercise variety and different ranges-of-motion, speeds of motion, and magnitudes of loading provides athletes with a richer proprioceptive environment.
In other words, inefficiency in strength and conditioning programs can actually facilitate better performance and a reduced risk of injury.
Taken all together, it's safe to say that we want inefficiency in our training, but efficiency in our performance - provided that this efficiency doesn't involve potentially injurous movement patterns.
Related PostsWhy I Don't Like 5x5 Strength Training ProgramsWeight Training Programs: The Basics, but with VarietySign-up Today for our FREE Newsletter and receive a four-part video series on how to deadlift!
I know as a New Englander, I never need an excuse to go someplace warm during the cold winter months. Still, it was pretty cool when Joel Marion invited me to become a speaker at his big event, Transformation Domination, on January 16-18, 2010. Joel's brought 15 presenters of all different backgrounds together for event geared toward helping people changes their bodies and their lives with fitness and proper nutrition.
I'll be very up-front and say that this isn't for the fitness professionals and "geekiest" of readers in my regular audience, but for the beginner and intermediate folks out there who are really looking for a resource to help them get motivated and learn legitimate strategies to make the changes they want, this is it. If you struggle with being consistent with exercise in nutrition, or walk into a gym and legitimately feel confused about where to start, and how to sort through all the different opinions in the fitness world, this event is for you.
Joel's running an early-bird special where you can sign up with a friend, and in the process, get the second registration at half-price by signing up together. He's also worked out a great hotel discount at an AWESOME place to get away, if these pictures are any indication:
