1st Cooking Video: Coming Saturday...

So I went and splurged on a shiny new HD camera last night, so of course I would like to start getting my monies worth. I will attempt to do an exercise and a food video every Saturday. Depending on time available I may hafta only do one of them a week.

So my idea for this cooking video is nothing too fancy and pretty healthy. I am going to be showing you how to make BBQ lime and garlic marinated chicken burgers, with homemade guacamole and garlic aoili sauce.
Lemme know what you think.

Demon

Exercise of the day: The Deadlift

If there is one exercise that I feel everyone should incorporate into their current workout routine is the bad ass Deadlift. This exercise is ultimate because it essentially works the entire body, and greatly increases posterior chain strength.


The posterior chain is basically the calves, glutes, hamstrings, and lower back. A solid posterior chain is essential for squats, deadlifts, and Olympic lifts. It also leads to a better daily life because it helps get rid of low back strain, improves your posture, and improves overall core strength.


So of course the opposing group of muscles is called the anterior chain . The body is a thing of a wonder and it enjoys having balance, so you need to make sure both chains are worked equally. This helps prevent injuries and ensures that proper growth will occur. 

Now when most people hear the word deadlift, they think of the standard deadlift ( shown above).
The great thing about the deadlift though, is that there are many different variations. Including:

The Sumo Deadlift

The Romanian Deadlift

The Stiff Legged Deadlift

That's not even all of them either. Just some of the most well known ones. There is obviously many variations of each of these too depending if you use dumbells, bands, one leg at a time etc etc. 

Just in case some of you have never performed  a standard deadlift before, I shall break it down into steps for you.

1) Place your feet straight and about shoulder width apart, standing close enough to the bar that it actually touches your shins.

2)Grab the bar a little wider than shoulder width apart with your palms facing you. Make sure to wrap your hands around the bar with a hook grip --------------------------------|

3) Next sink your hips down nice and low, while keeping tension in your arms, and placing all your weight into your heels and butt.

4)Fix your gaze straight ahead and keep your back nice and straight. DO NOT ROUND BACK!

5)Slowly pull the weight up using your legs for the majority of the pulling and your upper body is basically just holding on to the bar. Don't use your traps or shoulders to lift it! They are there as assisting/stabilizing muscles, not major movers. The bar should basically be scraping against your shins and legs. 

6) Pull the bar up until it is above your knees and your an the locked out position. You may slightly lean back at the top phase of the movement, but do not roll the shoulders back or lift with the traps. You will only be asking for trouble.

7)On the way down you basically want to just reverse everything you did. So carefully lower the bar down while keeping your gaze forward and back straight. Making sure the bar is following your legs down to the starting position. If you are lifting very heavy such as 85-100% of your 1RM however, you don't need to worry so much about slowly lowering the weight. That may actually do more damage than good in reality.

I personally find that sweatpants or track pants are a good choice on Deadlift day. This helps prevent you from scraping your skin off from doing proper Deadlifts. Another thing I never goto the gym without is my big bucket of chalk. Chalk is cheap as hell and if your gym allows it, then use it. Lifting straps are also nice once you get into those serious lifts (1-3RM) and your grip strength will no longer allow you to hold on to the bar, even though your muscles can still keep going. 

So give the deadlift a try. Find the right variation for yourself , and make sure to do them PROPERLY ! If you find your form going, lower the weight until you can maintain proper form again. Sure pulling 500+ pounds feels amazing, but if you are an idiot about, you won't be feeling so amazing after.

Happy lifting,

Demon

Rant of the day: University Lectures

As I sit here outside my classroom I had this thought come to the forefront of my mind. This thought is usually suppressed deep inside my brain in order to prevent constant rage. Now since I've gone from College to University, I have noticed a few big changes that seem to bother me. 1) The increase in cost for courses and everything University entails, and 2) The pathetic amount of teaching in 50% of my classes. I would have no problem paying more money if there was an actual increase in the amount of quality teaching involved , but from what I've seen so far, it's basically "Here's your useless textbook. No I won't do notes. No I wont to do an exam review. No I don't care if you know it." Now this really makes me wonder..Why in the hell do I even need to come to your lectures?

I think they need to either get rid of lectures or make them more like the trades. More practical hands on work where you can actually apply the things you learn, rather than memorizing and regurgitating information that you will most likely never use. That's not to say that there aren't teachers like this, because my Research Methodologies class is all about learning the info and then applying. In general though, there is obviously a more efficient way of doing things and i believe in order for education to move forward, then things must change.

Demon

HD Video Cam

Hello everyone. It is currently 12:06 AM and I really should be sleeping by now but I am completely engrossed in trying to figure out what brand of camcorder I should buy. Basically looking for the best bang for my buck. I have decided that I'm in need of one because I plan on starting a series of cooking videos and exercise vids for all you wonderful people. Hopefully someone with a good understanding of these damn things can help me make an informed decision. Toss me a message if you feel you can help.

Thanks,

Demon

Rant of the day: The search for the magic supplement

Well if there's one thing I get tired as hell of hearing is a question that seems to never stop. That question is "What can I take to (get bigger/stronger/lose fat) in a short amount of time?" . Well people there are many things out there that can ASSIST you in any of those things, but unfortunately they are not some magic quick fix. It does not mean you can stuff you face with fatty food and laze around like a hippo in a pond in the Savannah. You actually need to PUSH YOURSELF in the gym, eat fairly HEALTHY, and generally avoid doing BAD things to your body. You'll never reach that beach body you've always dreamed of by going to the gym 3 days awake, doing a half assed workout while you're there, then going home to drink a 6 pack of beer and chowing down on McDick's. 

"But what about steroids? You take them and turn into Schwarzenegger!" .....*face palm*..... If you knew anything about physiology of the human body and physiology of anabolic steroids, you would realize that yet again, they aren't a magical fix either. Yes they can do powerful and wonderful things to your body but it doesn't mean you don't hafta workout as hard. In reality, people who are on the juice hafta train even harder than those who aren't. Not gonna get into a whole discussion of roids, I shall save that for another article, but a very brief overview of what they do: Keep your body in an anabolic (muscle building state), decrease healing time, and increases protein synthesis. These are the big things that they do. Think of your body as being a car, and steroids being a stage 2 turbo. If you don't go fast enough the you won't be utilizing the range that the turbo is designed for. Now if you put the pedal to the floor and go fast enough, then that turbo will kick in and you'll be going much faster than if the turbo wasn't installed. If you did not understand that metaphor then TOO BAD lol. 

Now I am in no way condoning the use of anabolic steroids or any illegal performance enhancing drugs. I'm just telling you the straight up truth. I don't pussy foot around, so if you don't like my bluntness then please stop reading my blog and go back to living in the land of sunshine and lollipops. 

The point I'm getting at is whether you are an all natural athlete or you use performance enhancing substances, the commonality is HARD WORK and DEDICATION. You hafta put the time into eating healthy and planning your meals. Making sure to plan out your workouts and always push yourself. Also trying to get a good sleep every night in order to repair the body. If you want something bad enough then sometimes sacrifices need to be made, whether it be not eating pizza, laying back on the booze or outright quitting, not playing as many video games, or getting up early in the morning because it's the only time you have.

Can you feel the rage? lol

Demon

Quickie post

Society of Exercise Physiology:Online journals

If you're an exercise nerd like me and want to check out some of the current research going on in the exercise physiology field, take a look at this site. Legit peer reviewed journals and they're all free ! So go read some up and increase that knowledge, because the better understanding you have about the body, the easier it will be to achieve that desired level of fitness.

Rivalus Sports Nutrition: Legit or just another fad?

This company was brought to my attention by a friend of mine and so I thought why not do a little research about them. Now from what I've seen, Rivalus is a fairly new company on the market, and their market base seems to be aimed at the athletic population. The big thing about them is that their supplements contain no substances that are banned by the IOC and WADA. 


The company is headed by Dr. Darren Burke who has a PhD. in Exercise Physiology. Basically this guy has been in over 100 published peer reviewed journals on many things such as supplements, muscle mass, weight loss, anaerobic testing, and resistance training. So long story short, Dr. Burke is a guy who apparently knows his shit and is surrounded by Olympic and Pro athletes. Obviously the smart decision for him was to use all his knowledge and resources to create a supplement brand that is on a whole new level of standards and ethics. 


Now since there is so many products by this company, I'm just gonna take a look at one of them quickly. Well the one that would probably get most of you interested would be this one called Anabolic Prescription. This "stack" combines two of their most powerful hormone supplements available: Enpulse and Helix-24. Apparently these two compounds have a synergistic affect  that lead to "incredible increases in anabolic hormone levels,gene expression and muscle growth".  Now at a price of $174.99 for a 30 day supply, this definitely isn't for your average person. This would be for someone making an athletes salary or if you just have a really good job and like throwing your money away.


Here is a link to the ingredient list  http://www.rivalus.net/products/anabolicprescription/#suppfacts


Well the ENPULSE portion of this stack contains many compounds which have been shown to boost testosterone, free bound testosterone and lower/block estrogen. I'm not gonna go in depth about all the compounds involved, there's just too many and they all have similar effects in the body anyways. The HELIX-24 portion contains things that look really fancy like 2 methylguanidino ethanoate, but in reality that is just the scientific name for creatine lol. 2-Amino-3-(3-hydroxyphenyl) is propanoic acid, also known as propane....not sure why in the hell they put a derivitive of propane in there. If someone can find research that deals with propanoic acid and human performance, please send it to me. 2-methyl-4-hydroxybutanoate is a derivitive of HMB. If you read my last article on HMB, you will know that it is a pile of shit compound.


Now as I look over the actual mg's per serving (4 capsules) I really, REALLY, begin to wonder how this shit is supposed to work at all. Most studies I have seen with the listed ingredients use Grams and not mg's. Why do they do that? Because that's how much they needed to use to actual get the ingredients to give results. So the list may look all fancy shmancy with compounds that have been SHOWN to exert certain effects on the body, but I highly doubt that dosages such as this will do anything. 


I guess what I'm trying to get at is that if the IOC and WADA say it's okay for professional and Olympic athletes to use, then it doesn't exert enough effects to be considered a performance enhancer. So why the fuck even bother with this then? You can spend that $174 on a tub of protein, a big tub of creatine, 20 bottles of caffeine pills, and monthly gym pass. If you really want to have " functional muscle gains fast, increase recovery, growth and aggression" spend that $174 on a couple bottles of testosterone. At least that has been proven to work.


That's my take on this stuff,


Demon

Supplements: Quick study on some that work and some that don't

Supplements: What works, what may and what doesn’t?

With technology advancing and an ever increasing knowledge about human physiology, it seems as though that there are more ergogenic aids out there than we know what to do with. With all the fancy packaging; use of sports professionals touting how well they work, and the overuse of elaborate scientific terminology, it’s no wonder that many people are ultimately suckered into buying nothing more than a bunch of shit. One of my most hated industry tricks is the term “proprietary blend”. There are 2 reasons that a company may use this term: 1) To hide the exact ratios of the ingredients in order to prevent other companies from copying their supplement or 2) To hide the fact that the supplement actually contains very little of the compounds it lists, and is usually full of filler compounds like corn flour. This is an easy way for them to save on production costs and maximize profits. So that $40 bottle of Super Pump that you bought most likely cost them around $5-$10 to make. Now with facts like this brought to your knowledge, you are probably asking yourself “why in the hell should I even bother anymore!?” Well fortunately for you there are compounds out there that are proven to work and some that may work. I shall outline some of the major ones that work, some of those that may work, and of course those that you shouldn’t bother with.

1)     

Caffeine - Majority of the studies have shown that caffeine increases performance during prolonged endurance exercise and short-term intense exercise (ie. sprinting or activities lasting 4-6 seconds). Many people also find that since it’s a CNS stimulant, it also increases their mental focus and endurance. This is most likely why many pre-workout supplements have some amount of caffeine in it. Recent studies have shown that performance boosting effects of caffeine occur at modest levels of intake ( 1-3mg.kg-1 body mass, or 70-150mg caffeine). Although this is true, there also appears to be a relation between individual variability in required dosage and the response to the performance enhancement from caffeine. So basically some people are responders and some are non-responders. One thing that many of the reasearchers cannot agree on the precise mechanism in which caffeine acts as an ergogenic aid, and this means that further research needs to be conducted. Personally I feel that caffeine is a very beneficial and inexpensive supplement that should definitely be considered for supplemental use.

2)     

Creatine- If you haven’t heard of creatine before then you have been living under a rock. There are many forms out there; creatine monohydrate (CM), kre-alklyn creatine (KA), creatine citrate and creatine HCL. I’d like to focus on the most widely used ones, which are also the most highly researched: creatine monohydrate and kre-alklyn. Creatine monohydrate is the granddaddy of sport supplement market. It’s been around for so long because well, it damn well works. According to Medline, over 600 studies have been published on creatine supplementation! The majority of these studies have shown that creatine is indeed beneficial for increasing muscular strength, power, and body mass, as well as increasing the synthesis of muscle contractile proteins. Now who in their right mind wouldn’t like more of that!?! I would go out on a limb and say if you want to get bigger, faster, and stronger without the use of anabolic steroids , then this is your best legal option available. A 900gram tub of this stuff can be as cheap as $20, and last 3-4 months. Now something a little newer on the market in the last decade is kre-alklyn creatine. According to Fusion bodybuilding, one of the companies that make kre-alklyn creatine “Purple-K is the King of Creatine because it contains patented Kre-Alkalyn. Kre-Alkalyn is the only creatine that does not convert to toxic creatinine before reaching your muscle. Regular creatine degrades by 90%, leaving only 10% usable product. Purple-K prevents this by letting you use 100% of the creatine you take. This makes Purple-K 10 times more effective than regular creatine “. Personally from what I’ve seen, the majority of the studies which tout KA’s superiority over regular CM have been researched by the companies that make these supplements. There are very little studies which are performed by outside researchers. The one study that I found claims that KA was much better than regular creatine monohydrate, but conclusions about the benefits of a certain supplement cannot be based on just one single study. My point is that when research is conducted by the company that produces the supplement, the results of the research can be biased and bent to positive outcomes. If KA was truly superior to CM, then why do so many pre-workout and post-workout recovery supplements have CM? I’ve personally tried KA and I did not notice any benefits during a 3 month cycle of it. Others who I’ve spoken to swear by it, and even claim that it’s better than CM. So honestly, unless you’re someone who follows purely anecdotal evidence, just stick with CM.

3)    

  Beta-Alanine- This is another supplement which has started gaining popularity in the past decade. B-Alanine (BA) is an amino acid deritive which has been shown to increase carnosine levels in skeletal muscle. This is important because carnosine appears to have an enhancing effect on the buffering capacity during high-intensity exercise. Basically this slows down that onset of the nasty lactic acid burn, and increases the rate at which it is buffered out of the muscles. Studies have shown that when couple with creatine monohydrate, it further increases the muscles ability to withstand fatigue due to high-intensity exercise. The majority of studies I have seen shown that a dosage between 3.2-6.4 grams appears to be the most effective. For the CM and BA combination, a daily dose of 10.5 grams CM and 3.2 grams BA was used in a double blind study. I have not yet tried this combination of compounds, but due to the promising research I believe I shall be giving it a shot soon.

4)   

   L-Leucine- This is a branched chain amino acid (BCAA) along with isoleucine and valine which act as signalling molecules to control muscle growth. Now if the words “signal muscle growth” don’t get you excited, then you are missing out. Research has revealed that 80% of the protein synthesis that occurs after feeding is the responsibility of amino acids. The same research also shows that out of all the BCAA’s, only Leucine is able to stimulate protein synthesis by itself. This powerhouse of an amino acid also has several other functions including; controlling protein breakdown rates, regulating insulin levels, stabilizing blood glucose levels, as well as bunch of other functions. Although this is true, amino acids like to work together so supplementing with Leucine alone is not suggested. Consuming a BCAA supplement or eating a high quality protein source along with an L-Leucine supplement would be the optimal way of doing this. An average daily intake I have found appears to be around 20-30 grams a day. Since 10% of a whole protein source is Leucine, you could most likely achieve those 20-30 grams through diet alone if eating 40-50 grams of protein spread out through 6 meals. Of course these daily requirements will vary depending on your muscle mass. So what’s my opinion on the matter? I guess I’m kind of on the fence about this one. Yes research has proven that L-Leucine and BCAA’s are beneficial when coupled with a diet that’s high in quality proteins, but is it really worth the extra money every month? So I shall leave this one up to you to decide.

5)      

HMB- This supplement is actually a metabolite of the amino acid leucine. It is touted to increase strength and lean muscle mass but there is equally as many studies that contradict these claims. In the one study which I used as a large basis for my research, it actually proved that neither supplementation with HMB or HMB and creatine monohydrate improved muscular strength, leg power, endurance or anthropometry of professional rugby players undergoing a resistance training program. This was one of the only studies I found that examined professional athletes. The majority of the past research on HMB used untrained individuals as their test subjects. This leads me to believe that the strength increases and body composition changes were due to “beginner gains” rather than the purported ergogenic effects from the HMB. So my verdict on this one is to just stay away and spend your money on some creatine and caffeine.

6)      

Whey protein- Well if you don’t know what whey protein is then you should probably re-think your life in the gym haha. If you only have the money for one supplement then whey protein would have to be my number one choice. Protein is important for growth and repair of your muscles, bones, skin, tendons, ligaments, hair, eyes and other tissues. There are wayyyy too many benefits to list, so I shall spare you for now. The big reason why protein is important to anyone who is trying to build or spare muscle is the effect that protein has on the nitrogen levels in your body. Negative nitrogen levels lead to catabolism (breakdown) whereas positive nitrogen levels lead to anabolism (growth). So if you make sure to consume some form of protein every 2-3hrs then you can maintain an anabolic state and ensure muscle growth, or spare your muscle if on a lower calorie diet. Now that you’ve got a brief lesson on why protein is important, you most likely want to know why whey protein is important. Well after a workout your body is essentially in a catabolic environment from the body utilizing metabolic fuels at an accelerated rate. These fuels include stored fatty acids, glucose and amino acids. So in order to combat this catabolic state, those metabolic fuels must be replenished. Whey protein is the best choice for replenishing amino acids due to its rapid absorption and complete/quality amino acid profile.   Net amino acid uptake is greatly increased post workout (up to 1hr) due to the loss of all these metabolic fuels so having a post workout shake is one of the most important things you can do. So if you don’t already have some sitting on your shelf go out and get some now! This is the most important supplement you can invest your hard earned dollars in.

Now in no way is this a complete list of all the possible ergogenic aids available on the market. If I was to attempt to do that, I would have to be writing and researching 24/7, and by the time I publish it, there would probably be 100’s of more supplements and at least a 100 more research studies.  I just thought that these ergogenic aids would be a good choice due to the amount of research done on them, and the purported benefits. Many of these ergogenic compounds are found in some of the most popular workout supplements on the market today. So does that mean that those workout supplements are the best way to go? Personally I would say no. The reason I say this is because of that nasty word “proprietary blend”. Those supplements may contain these compounds I mentioned, but there may not be enough of the actual compound to obtain the potential benefits that were shown in research studies. What I personally do is buy the compounds in bulk powder form. That way you can make your own pre-workout supplement with the proper dosages, less cost in the long wrong, and no useless fillers or other harsh compounds.

On a side note, you may have noticed that although this is more like a research paper than a blog article, I haven’t used proper APA form. I don’t take any credit for any of the data that I have put before you so don’t try and call me out for stealing. If you want more in depth information on anything I have discussed, then do like I did and read peer-reviewed journals. I find this is one of the best ways to gain a better understanding on anything of interest. So if you enjoyed reading this article, then throw me some other ideas of interest in this wonderful field of health and fitness. I’d be glad to give it another go.

References

Affouras.,A.,Vodenicharova.,K.,Shishmanova.,D.,Goranov.,K.,Stroychev.,K (2006) Clinical Trial comparing Kre-Alkalyn to Creatine Monohydrate. Greenberg Medical Center, Sofia, Bulgaria.

Candow.,D.,G.,Burke.,N.,C.,Palmer.,T.,S & Burke.,D.,G.,( 2006). Effect of Whey and Soy Protein Supplementation Combined With Resistance Training in Young Adults. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 16, 233-244

Glasiter.,M.,Lockey.,R.,A.,Corinne.,S.,A.,Staerck.,A.,Goodwin.,J.,E., & McInnes.,G., (2006). Creatine supplementation and multiple sprint running performance. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 20(2), 273-277.

Hoffman.,J.,Ratamess.,N.,Kang.,J.,Mangine.,G.,Faigenbaum.,A., & Stout.,J., (2006). Effect of Creatine and ß-Alanine Supplementation on Performance and Endocrine Responses in Strength/Power Athletes.  International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 16, 430-446.

O’Conner.,D.,M., Crowe., M.,J., (2007) Effects of six weeks of p-hydroxy-p-methylbutyrate (hmb) andhmb/creatine\supplementation on strength, power, and anthropometry of highly trained athletes. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 21(2), 419-423.

Shimomura.,Y.,Inaguma.,A.,Watanabe.,S.,Yamamoto.,Y.,Muramatsu.,Y.,Bajotto.,G.,Sato.,J.,Shimomura.,N.,Kobayashi.,H., & Mawatari.,K.,(2010) Branched-Chain Amino Acid Supplementation Before Squat Exercise and Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness

http://www.rippedcanadians.com/product/fusion-bodybuilding-purple-k-100cap

Wilson,J., (2006) Leucine’s Effects on Muscle Growth and Body Composition – Questions / Answers and Practical Applications. Journal of hyperplasia research 4 (1).

A little bit about who I am

Well I can’t say I’m a big fan of talking about myself but you need to know who I am and what I’m about, so here I go. I suppose it all started back when I was 15 and my testosterone levels really started picking up pace. I realized that if I wanted to get the girls and gain respect of the guys, I needed to build some muscles. So I picked up “Arnold Schwazeneggers Encylopedia of Modern Bodybuilding” and read that thing from front to back. As I gained this knowledge, I utilized it in the gym and started building the body I wanted. Slowly a passion started burning inside of me and bodybuilding became a large part of my life. This increased even more once I started taking the after school weight training program at J.L Crowe. I was the first one to get into the gym, and usually the last one to leave. Even my weight training teacher Mr. Reid would leave before me and make me lock everything up. Now since this was my teenage years, I wasn’t exactly a little angel. I was a chronic pot smoker, cigarette smoker and alcoholic. As the months and years passed, I started missing more of my weight training classes because I began getting involved in more serious drugs, and became a very heavy user. I eventually was down to 120lbs of skin and bones, and weight training was a rare occasion. It wasn’t until I saw one of my buddy’s life crumble around him that I realized I didn’t want that to happen to me, and I got off some of the heavy drugs. I still dabbled here and there until age 19, but I was becoming much more focussed in the gym. It wasn’t until I almost had a near death incident with alcohol that I decided I needed to stop using all substances. So I quit the liquor, stopped smoking weed, and stopped smoking cigarettes. Then before I knew it, it was time for me to begin the next phase of my life; college! I attended College of the Rockies in Cranbrook B.C, and completed the human kinetics program in April of 2010. I managed to get my CSEP-CPT while I was there, and had a few clients to train. Now I am out at the University of Lethbridge Alberta in the 2yr Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Kinesiology.

I wish I could say I’ve trained hundreds of clients, taught group programs and trained sports teams, but I have done none of that. I guess I imagined that the clients would just magically appear out of nowhere and I would be rolling in the money haha. I’m also a bit of a perfectionist and still carry some insecurity from when I was a drug addict. I’m the type of person that second guesses himself all the time. Even if someone tells me I did great or my program is amazing, I will still put myself down and feel it’s not good enough. I feel like over the years of college and such, I have lost some of my passion. Like when I get told I HAVE to write a paper on this and that, compared to me researching something out of pure passion and interest. I’m hoping that putting a blog out, as well as writing research articles will re-spark that intense passion and grab the right person’s attention.

In case you haven’t gathered yet, I am a very open person. I feel like there’s no point in holding anything back from people because then you aren’t showing your true self. This way either people will like me or not. I’d rather someone dislike me because of who I am, rather than dislike me because they find out I’m pretending to be a certain way. I’m a pretty simple guy when it comes down to it. Good food, good friends, a good woman by my side, and the gym. If I have those things then I’m completely satisfied.

To keep myself in shape I lift weights, and may occasionally do some cardio. I have slowly begun to get away from pure hypertrophy training (bodybuilding) because I want my muscles to have function in sports settings and to be as strong as they look. I currently have myself on a hybrid strength/hypertrophy program. This way I can look good and be strong as hell too. There’s nothing more satisfying than pulling a deadlift that is 3x my bodyweight. I don’t play in any specific sports but have dabbled in MMA training and Judo. My idea of playing sports would be getting a bunch of friends together to play a game of flag football. I’m more into solo sports like snowboarding, bodybuilding or track and field. My speciality as a personal trainer would be bodybuilding and powerlifting. So I can get you big, strong, and make sure you look good as well. 

If you have noticed, I haven’t mentioned my love for cardio, and that is because I HATE cardio. I know cardio is very important and I’m a personal trainer so I should do it, but I just don’t like it. My idea of cardio would be doing a 5x5 powerlifting program or strongman training. I just find running around a track or on a treadmill for 30mins or more to be SUPER BORING! Now that’s not to say that I don’t know how to design a cardio routine or train someone, it’s just not my passion. 

As for my eating style, I eat fairly clean the majority of the time, but after training for a bodybuilding competition I have learned to go easier on myself. You should still be able to enjoy the foods you love and not be in fear of straying from the scheduled eating plan. I’m not saying to go out every day and eat cheeseburgers, pizza, and pop, but I am saying that you need to treat yourself to one of those bad foods at least once a week. I love cooking and I’m damn good at it, so that is another reason why I’m not so strict on my eating habits either.

Well that is essentially me in a so many words. I most likely have revealed more of myself than is needed, but I’ve got past that point of caring anymore haha. If you wanna pick my brain apart about my views on anything, then feel free to do so. I’m always down for an in depth conversation about health and fitness, even if our views clash. I believe listening to other people’s views can give you a better understanding about things. If you’re ever in the Lethbridge area and need some personal training, or just wanna go crush some weights, lemme know!

When life gets you down, deadlift it back up – Brett Andrews (A.K.A Demon)