Monday, March 24, 2014

Goods Fats are Critical to Weight Control

Most people don't think of guacamole as a fat-burning snack because it's very high in fat, but avocados are actually one of the healthiest, fat blasting foods around. In fact, the notion that eating fat makes you fat couldn't be more wrong, as eating fat, and lots of it, is a critical part of achieving optimal health and the body you want.

Why? Here are 8 Great Reasons:

1. When added to a meal, fat slows gastric emptying and helps to stabilize blood sugar levels in response to a meal. Here's another simple way to stabilize your blood sugar.

2. Like protein, fats keep you feeling full and satiated much longer than carbs do.

3. Due to the above fact, eating fat also helps you avoid carb cravings (which is the real contributor to increased body fat levels). Another tool to help you with your carb intake can be found here on this page.

4. Fat helps to optimize your hormone levels as fat is a major player in your endocrine (hormone) system.

5. Fat, particularly this kind, contributes to healthier skin, hair, and a more youthful appearance.

6. Fat also plays a critical role in your nervous system, giving you energy & keeping you alert. In fact, there is one particular fat that makes up 97% of all the fatty acids in your brain. If you want a healthy brain, make sure you're getting plenty of this "super fat" every day.

7. Given the same calorie intake, by introducing more fat into your diet you'll automatically reduce your carb intake. Carbs can be really troublesome when it comes to losing belly fat, which is why we recommend adding this to your program when eating carbs.

8. There are even certain types of fats, like CLA found in grass fed beef and organic dairy products, that have been shown to boost metabolism.

When it comes to LOSING fat, EATING fat is king!

If there's one fat that I feel is the absolute #1 fat that you need to be consuming each and every day, however, it's this one.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Bryan Clark Newest Trainer


Former Marine Sergeant and Austin Trainer Bryan Clark to lead new small group classes!

There’s no more room for excuses. Starting Tuesday, July 16, Clark will offer more evening small group classes, ideal for anyone interested in increasing their energy, strength and power in a fun and supportive setting. Small group sessions offer the same high intensity and energy as private programs for a fraction of the cost.


Former U.S. Marine Sergeant Bryan Clark will lead the classes. Each session will last up to 45 minutes, with minimal breaks, and include vigorous body weight and stability movements. Clark will end each class with an intense military style abdominal and core workout. Drop in for $20 a class or commit to a monthly program.

Clark brings over a decades worth of experience to each class. He's trained people of all levels from professional athletes to casual fitness enthusiasts and can work around any physical barrier including back injuries, knee problems and M.S. Plus, Clark's a riot and quick to remind you "pretty booties ain't free!"

Along with leading the new sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 6:30pm. Clark will also be taking over the 10am Saturday class. For those who live further north, Austin Simply Fit's Burnet location offers small group classes Mondays and Wednesdays at 1pm, Tuesday and Thursdays at 7pm and Saturdays at 10am.





The First Texas Female Superfight Champion

"I will NOT Accept Mediocrity" is a common phrase used and applied at our training facility.  Here is one really extreme example far from mediocrity.



We are extremely proud of our sponsored athletes.  Here is Fabiana's summary of her Superfight.


"When I was invited to do a Superfight at Gracie Grappling Cup on November 10th, I knew I was going to have to train hard, my opponent was heavier and taller than me.  So, I put my thoughts into action.

I started to ask help for the people that I trust and know are the best, from Gracie Barra Round Rock and Professor Jonatas Eliaquim from Gracie Barra San Antonio. 


I started to focus my strength and conditioning training to the fight increasing my PR’s, working on my work capacity and endurance for the fight, I trained 3 times a week, along with that I was training Jiu-jitsu everyday and working on my techniques and a strategy to win the fight.



On the fight day, I was really confident with all the hard training I had been doing and I believe it was the reason I was succeed on the fight. I warmed up with some good BJJ drills, and got on the mats. I pulled guard and submitted with an armbar in less then 30 seconds.



Fabi's Strength/Power Improvements

Squat 205 x 3>>>265 x 3 , 285 x 1

Bench 115 x 3>>>145 x 3, 160 x 1

Deadlift 235 x 3>>>275 x 3, 300 x 1


It feels great to have your reward from all the hard training you give on your preparation, all the things you have to give up as food, staying out late with friends. The winning feeling is great but better is the feel of know that you did, you gave your all in all the days before the fight."

Witness the combination of skill, technique and power all rolled(pun intended for you grapplers) into one moment

Keep your eyes peeled as Fabi is looking to improve her #12 international ranking at the Pan Am Championships in March.

-Breaking Records Daily

Increase Your Awesomeness


Yes, you know how awesome you are.  Now we are going to take that awesomeness to a whole new level.  Our philosophy resides within a revolving cycle of fitness and performance  which is proper exercise, proper nutrition, and proper recovery.  While one may, and sometimes will, make advances and progress with a consistency of two of those three, peak potential can only be reached with all three areas being programmed correctly.  It's like trying to race a high performance race car with only 3 wheels.  


Why even enter the race?  With your health, why would you do any less than what is best for your body and mind?  The answers are time, motivation, dedications, discipline, and lack of knowledge.  Let's take that last excuse out of play.  Listen real close, you will not want to miss hearing these knowledge bombs.
The number one way that you are going to start increasing your awesomeness is planning your recovery.  Everyone has a training program, and some of you will have multiple programs.  Many people will follow a certain diet or nutritional program.  You will even see a statement on most supplements, "when combined with exercise and diet."  How many of you, or people you know, will actually program their recovery? I bet less than 1% of the training(very loosely used term there) population.  That is why the lack of recovery programming is the missing "fourth wheel".  Does that mean that you should sleep a lot and stay out of the "gym"?  Absolutely not.  There are many modes of recovery. Here is a list of a few:

Cryotherapy
Ice Baths
Contrast Showers
Hot Tub/Epsom Salt Bath
Dry Sauna/Steamroom
Massage Therapy



The list above requires little to no effort on your part, and each of them has a unique way to expedite the body's natural healing processes.  Below are a couple of active recovery techniques that will also help improve your performance:

Sled Pushes
Sled Drags/Sled Pulls
Mobility Drills

Foam Rolling
Stretching/Yoga
Pilates/Ki-Hara Resistance Stretching

By implementing sound recovery techniques over the past couple years, I have personally reaped the benefits of increasing my totals over 250 pounds.  My training programs have always been solid.  My nutrition is solid most of the time.  The missing link to increasing my own awesomeness was to make sure that my recovery was programmed.

Here is a sample week:

Sunday-Upper Body training session, Lower body mobility work
Monday-Lower Body training Session followed by a contrast shower
Tuesday-Sled Drags and Foam Rolling
Wednesday-Cryotherapy before an upper body training session
Thursday-Ice Bath in the morning.  Sprints at Lunch
Friday-Lower Body followed by some Yoga
Saturday-Complete Rest, Foam rolling and stretching

I guarantee that, if you choose at least one of these modalities from each list per week, your performance levels and desired results will increase, as will your awesomeness.  All you have to do is program it.  Remember that the revolving cycle of fitness and performance is a proper training program, proper nutritional program, AND and proper recovery program.

-Breaking Records Daily

Eat Less Food - Gain More Fat

Yup, there it is.  I said it.  I know it's hard for you to swallow, just like all of the other calories that you have been restricting.  Does that bother you? It should.  As previously mentioned in older posts, our society is all about a fast pace and taking advantage of any marketing gimmicks that will put more $$$ in our pockets.  Have you noticed that the healthier(in Mainstream Society's perspective=MSP) you eat, the more expensive the food and the smaller the portion sizes.  With such an advanced education system, the only true progress that is being made is deceptive marketing in the food and supplement industry.

Lets Flashback about 70 years...


After and in-depth study, 68 years ago, subjects were given less than 1600 calories a day.  Read the research above to see just how detrimental it was.  Not only will the body find a way to survive, but there are also multiple other physical and mental adverse effects to crash dieting, and for some of you, just a lower calorie diet according to MSP.

If we are so advanced and educated, then why would we continue to promote silly diets, as well as eat too little to even fuel our brain, internal organs, and our daily bodily functions.  The answer:  We want to look good, and according to MSP and false marketing efforts, we buy into that Bull.  As a society we want things, yet we don't want to work for them.  So, we will look for an easy way.  Unfortunately, there are individuals out there that buy into the nonsense and will promote such things for monetary gain without caring about the health and welfare of the individual.  It sounds like a rant.  I assure you that it is not.  It's very frustrating that we are so smart yet so stupid.

My life's gift is to help educate and improve the health and lifestyle of individuals with honesty and integrity.

What should you do?

1.  Eat more
Notice in the study above, that 1600 kcals wasn't enough for individuals to be healthy, mentally or physically.  Most crash and senseless diets are well below that number.  How does it feel to know that when you exceed 1200 kcals after starving below that for a period of time that the excess calories will be more easily stored as fat than before that crash diet even started.  Check out Hardwired for Fitness, by Ivy and Portman, for years of quality research to support that statement.  It is also a great read for anyone wanting to live a balanced healthy lifestyle.

Find out what is required for your body to function daily and add nutrition to support your activities.  When you are below your baseline caloric intake for long periods of time, our bodies will hang on to fat tissue and prepare for starvation.  Eating more and more often will help speed the metabolic process and your body will start trusting you enough to let go of some fat.

Example: 1800 is a good number for ladies as a base.  Just remember that is a 110-120lb lady who doesn't leave the bed all day long.

2. Eat Better
No that doesn't mean Paleo.  How long did those people live?  Did they have coffee(number #1 reason I could never claim to go Paleo)?  However, a paleo-like diet isn't too bad.  To put it in non-pretentious modern terms, eat leaner proteins, lots of fruits and vegetable, and limit the amount of condiments as well as the amount of foods that come in packages.  There is a time and place for all food.  Consult a dietitian or other nutrition professional for real in-depth eating plans.

3.  Be Active Daily
From exercising to "Simply" taking the stairs instead of the elevator when available can make a huge difference.

4.  Post Workout Nutrition is the most important meal of the day
It's true.  Breakfast is the second most, according the the world's leading research scientist in performance nutrition.  Don't waste a training session by not fueling your body properly and taking advantage of what you have just done.

5.  Steer Clear of "Easy" Dieting
Visalus, Medifast, SlimFast, Atkins, etc(there are literally thousands)

Eat real food.  While these diets will produce the instant gratification that MSP really looks for;  most of the weight is a good ole colon cleansing with lots of water weight being dropped from a restriction of carbohydrates.  If I remember correctly, 1lb of restricted carbs will drop 3 more pounds of water.  That's a four pound scale swing.  Once you put some real food back in your mouth, you're right back up there.



Train Hard, Eat Enough and Clean, and Recover Well.

With that combination, you will perform better, feel better, and Look better.

-Breaking Records Daily

The Giants are STILL Sleeping

No matter what event, game, or competition that you may be watching, one certainty is that you definitely will cheer and be biased for anyone/anything(including yourself) that you have participating the event.  One clear example that comes to mind is when the referee makes the right call, yet it isn't in favor of your team.  A judge may red-light the depth of a squat that you feel that you bottomed-out on.  The umpire clearly didn't let the tie go to the runner.  This happens every day.

As a professional and seasoned individual, one thing that I pride myself on is being realistic, promoting realistic results, and accepting and telling the facts regardless of who the horse is in the race.

Drink Your OWN Kool Aid





There, I said it, and I believe it.  There are millions of people in this world, and fortunately, none of us have the exact same genes, body types, or goals.  What is apparent in our American society is the increase in obesity.  On the flip side of that is the increase of businesses that are trying to "make it big" by presenting false get-fit-quick schemes, training programs, and/or supplements *cough*Visalus*cough*.  Within the competition of those fitness and supplement companies are individuals that will do anything and everything to make their competitors look bad.  Is it making the competition look bad if it's the truth?  What is the truth?

As Jack Nicholson said in a Few Good Men, "you can't handle the truth."



He was correct then, and it is the exact mentality that lots of Americans have.  I won't throw statistics in here because 53% of all statistics are made up.

53 Percent Of Statistics Are Made Up

The truth is that there are no get-fit-quick schemes, and if you are drinking the kool-aid that someone else is mixing, make sure you have done your own research on the ingredients.  Here are 5 proven truths below(of course there are more.  we can't give all the secrets away at once).

1.  For optimal results, the trifecta of proper individualized training, proper individualized nutrition, and proper individualized rest/recovery must coexist.

2. Notice the use of the word training in the place of workout or exercise.  There is a difference.  If you don't know the difference, you may need to consult with a professional who does.

3.  You go to the gym to build muscle.  Fat is burned from the metabolic processes and proper nutrition and proper recovery following your training.

4. Resistance training will always produce better metabolic results over any "cardio" activity.

5. Resistance training is the foundation for improved performance, whether it's at home playing with your children or grandchildren, at work, on the dance floor, on the field, or in the arena of choice.  I'm sure there is one area of your life that you want to make sure you perform at your best.

Now back to the kool-aid and the soap box that I'm about to get on.  After over 15 years of training experiences with a variety of goals and atmospheres, I place my core value in the correct programming and execution of the powerlifts(squat, bench press, deadlift).  Does that mean that all else is crap?  Absolutely not.  I can reach  my performance and fitness goals and help others reach their goals with this solid foundation.  All types of athletes and individuals have seen and will continue to see performance progress with our training methods.  Is this for you?  Who knows? It's up to you to find what ingredients(trainer, training styles, etc) belong in your kool-aid.   


Every Program Works, But Nothing Works Forever

Proper individual programming and  relevant programming variations will allow an individual to continue to make progress for years to come.  I will not say that someone elses program will not work, although I may have thoughts that it is longevity proof, or not optimal.  However, I just said above that everything works, but nothing works forever.  In this society, I applaud any and every individual that takes a step to improving their health.  It is our job as fitness professionals to educate and provide that lifestyle change.  Whether it's crossfit, Lifetime Fitness, golds gym, or one of the many other personal trainers in the country, there is a step in the right direction(note planet fitness will be omitted due to their policy against hard training).  We would like a more fit and less obese America. Unfortunately, it took us years to get that title of the most obese nation, and Im afraid that it may take years to challenge and remove that label.

" The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step."-Lao Tzu 

Once the step is taken, then it's easy to dominate life with consistent proper training, proper nutrition, and proper recovery.



Have and promote core values.  List all of your ingredients on the label before pushing others to drink-up.

Our ingredients are consistent and practical programming with a huge dose of education, experience, effectiveness, and efficiency.

Instead of belittling other programs, we will celebrate an individuals journey to fitness, and help others mix their own koolaid. We are fortunate to be able to expand and open another location. This was made possble through clients that are committed to making a lifestyle change.  Instead of celebrating the grand opening of another fast food restaurant, we will celebrate another step towards America getting fit.  It's a great feeling driving into work and seeing 6 gym/personal training studios within 4 blocks.


"Breaking Records Daily"

Why Are We so Fat?

Are we uneducated or flooded with mass deception of marketers? Are the marketers actually deceiving us, or are they just not telling the whole story? The answer is all of the above.

We make sure that each client is educated and that they understand the difference in realistic results and those results on magazine covers. We do not advocate the "get fit quick" schemes that are present and popular throughout mainstream society. We promote healthy lifestyle changes that are consistent and meaningful.

Personally, I have been to the dark side and attempted some yo-yo diets. As a 300+lb individual, I obviously wanted to do whatever it took(whatever they said it took) to lose weight and not be obese. I have been as small as 217. It has taken years of experience and proper education to understand and accept the reality of what fitness looks like and how to reach and maintain it.

After reading through a plethora of relevant research by Dr. Robert Portman and Dr. John Ivy, some of which is included in their book, "Hardwired For Fitness", it is no surprise that 20/20 aired their recent segment


To save you a little time, here is a brief connection of the two. Yo-yo dieting will produce more fat gain than fat loss in the long run. Notice I said fat gain, not weight gain. When we restrict(below RMR-Resting Metabolic Rate) from our diet, we will actually store excess calories as fat more efficiently because we have slowed our RMR down. One thing that we do take from our Paleo ancestors is the genetic coding. We are designed to adapt and grow to "weather" the circumstances. If we are designed to adapt and grow, why are we trying to wither away and shrink? Mainstream society says that it is popular and accepted to be thin. On the other hand, it is also very popular to perform at high levels(ex: professional athletes).

The easy scapegoat for obesity and childhood obesity is fast food. I'm going to step outside of that box and throw a curve ball. I believe that it actually has very little to do with fast food and everything to do with the pace and advancements in technology in our society. Fast paced society equals more stress, more time spent behind the desk, more work, less daily activity, higher cortisol levels, and less sleep. Kids and adults alike are not moving daily. Yes, we live in the most exercised, bodybuilding, powerlifting, Pilate's, yoga, and cross fitting nation.So, why are we so obese? We don't move daily. We exercise 1-4 days a week, yet there are seven days a week. Our lifestyles aren't as active. We sit in offices, in vehicles, on planes, in meetings, or at home. Do we not need rest days? Of course you do. From training, not life. Therefore, with all of this random exercising and dieting, we are losing only to gain it back if we do not adapt to an active lifestyle. Does that mean that exercise is contradicting? Absolutely not. It means that you should get off of your rear-end and do more throughout the day everyday so that exercise can be super beneficial. Once that takes place, your healthy eating decisions and exercise routines will present the most optimal results.

Therefore, we are a fat nation because we have inactive lifestyles. When you add processed, fast foods and a manipulative food and supplement industry, the results are exactly what you see; Realistically Unreal.

-Forward in Fitness