Month: December 2019

I am working to get ahead of the holiday weight gain. I began another cut using the RP Diet App the day after Thanksgiving (so, the starting weight is just a bit inflated). The goal is to lose 10 pounds (i.e., get to 210 lb) by the end of Winter Break. I intend to test body composition on January 11^th. I hope this cut will take me to the 10% body fat level. I am doing this for no other reason than to demonstrate it can be done. (It is also giving some forced control over my holiday eating.) The plan is to enjoy the opportunity. I will enjoy the festivities without letting the festive behaviors creep into the rest of my days. I will enjoy food—just less of it.

So far, I have good headstart to the fat loss. Above is a screen shot of my current progress. I am officially on Winter Break, so the real challenge lies ahead. Can I be at home most days and stick to the plan? I trust I can. The RP Diet tells me when to eat and how much. (I find this so much better than constantly telling myself not to eat.) The key will be sticking to the plan 80-90% of the time. I have my Eat ‘n Park Smiley Cookies (a Pittsburgh tradition I am passing on to my kids) on order. I will allow myself one. I am forgoing the Chex Mix that usually goes along with our puzzle tradition. My mother-in-law will be visiting, so we will be making a trip to Salt & Straw for ice cream. It will be a manageable holiday break. It should be all about careful planning and wise decision making. It should not be about depriving oneself.

I am ahead on my progression. The downward trend won’t be so clean in the coming weeks. I will expect a few upward blips on the progress graph, but I understand that these will be mostly water weight and will be recoverable. The long-term trend is what I need to watch.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence.”–Vince Lombardi

We don’t have to be perfect. We should, however, pursue perfection with a healthy dose of reality.

The first reality is that perfection is merely an asymptote—an ever-shrinking target. It is not attainable, but it is the ultimate goal. (It should be the ultimate goal.)

The second reality is that “perfection” is individual. We are all blessed with different skills, attributes, and experiences that make each asymptote—call it “Purpose”—different. So, there is no room for comparison. You and I are meant to be different, and our “perfections” do not coincide. Don’t want what the others have. In gratitude, be who you are intended to be. (Believe it or not, you did choose your parents wisely.)

The third reality is that failure is essential on the path to “perfection”. Failure is a result of striving to be better tomorrow than you are today. Failure is the best teacher. Any growth—be it Spiritual, Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, or Social—requires overload (that is be stressed to a level greater than that to which we are accustomed). The more we challenge our limits, the more likely we are to fail, but the more likely we are also to see tremendous growth.

Finally, we have to realize that no one is perfect (other than Jesus, in the Christian tradition—and we are not Jesus). Not even that person who seems to have it all together. Don’t worry that you don’t compare to your neighbor. They, after all, don’t compare to you.

Grow. Challenge yourself to be better, and you will become better.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

It is that season. As the new year approaches, we are going to see more and more advertisements for “new you” challenges. Thirty days. Sixty days. Six weeks. The length varies ever so slightly—always too short for any meaningful change to occur, and too short for habit to take hold. Just long enough to tempt you and to grab your business.

I would argue that there is no need for a “new you”. There is only need for a “better you”.

Determine to pursue a plan for constant improvement (kaizen) going forward into 2020. Determine to grow Spiritually, Physically, Intellectually, Emotionally, and Social. Don’t expect a “transformation” in days or a few weeks. Rather, pursue the subtle consistent change that will persist. Don’t fall for “hacks” and “quick-fixes”. Seek only to…

be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

I just completed my eight-week maintenance on the RP Diet. (Technically, I started a second cut right after Thanksgiving, but I officially ended the maintenance yesterday.) After eight weeks, I am pleased with the results. Despite a Thanksgiving spike in weight, I had my body composition tested and I have gained 0.414 kg (0.91 lb) of total body weight, lost 1.587 kg (3.49 lb) of fat and gained 2.001 kg (4.4 lb) of lean mass. I have to say, I am pleased with the results.

Now comes the real challenge—Winter Break. After final exams next week, I am off until classes resume on January 6^th. The question I had to ask myself was whether to continue on the maintenance plan or start another cut. I have decided to do the “impossible” and lose weight over the holidays. With the help of the RP Diet App, I have determined to drop to 95.5 kg (210 lb) by January 10. Five weeks. Approximately 10 lb. I don’t wish to miss out on the festivities.

It can be done. The key will be to maintain my exercise habits (maybe ratchet it up a bit, since I will have more available time) and managing potential disruptions. A goal is to maintain adherence at 80% or better—meaning I can’t get off track more than a couple meals a week (that’s no more than nine meals that are off track on macros per week), and snacking has to be kept to an almost-nonexistent minimum. But, I am going to enjoy the special meals. It will be about choices and considering the “opportunity costs”.

Follow along as I track the progress.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow.

Carpe momento!

There is research to suggest that specializing in youth sports before the age of 12 years is not beneficial and may actually be detrimental to the child’s athletic development. With the increasing pressure on kids to participate in year-around club sports activities (particularly in sports like volleyball, soccer, baseball, basketball, and soccer—sports in which club teams are big business) and the blind hope of a college scholarship, many parents succumb and allow the child to self-select (or worse, elect for the child) a single sport focus at a much too early age. Beyond the athletic development that can come from playing multiple sports, there are certainly also benefits to the athlete’s wellness—what I like to refer to as “well-centered fitness”.

Spiritual. Team participation teaches youth that there is something greater than self. Some sports do this better than others—some much better than others—so, it is beneficial for young athletes to be a part of a team. It is also beneficial for the athlete to be a part of several types of teams—hence, multiple sports are recommended. The dynamics of team sports (e.g., football, basketball, etc.) are much different than of individual sports (e.g., wrestling). I would suggest that young athletes be exposed (for better or worse) to both. Team sports can be supportive or cut-throat, depending on the players, coaches, and, often, parents. Ideally, the youth are being coached (and parented) to be supportive and team- rather than self-promoting. Though many individual sports are also team sports, there can be a greater desire to elevate the intra-squad competition—e.g., “I get better because you get better”. I love the sport of wrestling for this. (I have learned many Spiritual lessons from the sport.) Individual sports are also most often driven by an element of self-determination. In other words, you make the varsity because you have out-performed your teammate to win you spot. There is little element of favoritism. This drives performance both individually and collectively.

Physical. Athleticism is not sport-specific. There is much carryover from one sport to another. Participating in a variety of sports also reduces the rate of injury—particularly overuse injury—from sports participation. (Look at the statistics for the rate of Tommy John surgery in high school baseball players.) Variety, particularly in the early years, allows for the more optimal physical and neuromotor development of adolescent athletes.

Intellectual. Sports aren’t known for intellectual development, of course, but variety in physical performance can facilitate a greater overall sports I.Q. It also better completes the “software” programming of the brain relative to movement patterns and long-term participation in physical activity.

Emotional. Youth sports should be fun. Convincing a child that he or she has to commit to one sport robs them of countless opportunities and experiences. Putting pressure on them to win and to make travel teams is unnecessarily stressful—and may diminish their passion for the sport. Let them enjoy the pleasures that sports have to offer. Teach them that sports are about growth, doing one’s best, and having fun.

Social. Some of my longest lasting friendships have come though sports. Fair play, graciousness in victory and defeat, a sense of fellowship with competitors, as well as teammates, are just a few of the social benefits of sports participation that will carry forward into all aspects of one’s life. These are learned in a variety of ways through participation in a variety of sports.

Participation in a variety of sports throughout one’s youth allows the athlete to be multi-dimensional and to grow more broadly. Specialization tends to emphasize the self—making of varsity over others, making club/travel teams, getting a scholarship. The numbers of athletes who go on to play in college (let alone get full-ride scholarships that even begin to pay for all the club fees, travel, and special coaches that parents pay out) are very small. Fewer athletes go on to play professionally or become Olympians. Focus on being an athlete and developing the whole person, and the opportunities will come. Talented athletes will find a team whether they play year-around or whether they play for the best club team. It is all about the athlete and what he/she does with his/her talents.

Be your best today; be better tomorrow!

Carpe momento!

A lot of us struggle to build muscle mass. In fact, most of us do. Very rarely (almost never) can a person be found who can pack on a lot of muscle in a short period of time. Most might be lucky to gain a pound or two a month with focused effort. So why we not building muscle?

I saw an article recently that detailed “7 Reasons Why You Can’t Build Muscle”.¹ The author actually did a pretty good job. (The reasons presented were: “impatience”, “no mind-muscle connection” (not visualizing what you want to look like), “a lacking diet”, “ego” (not asking for help), “going too fast” (training too much and not recovering), “not sticking to your guns” (switching diet and exercise plans too often), and “indiscipline” (lacking grit and discipline). Personally, I might go a bit further:

You didn’t pick your parents wisely. A large component of any physiological capacity is genetics. Most of us simply don’t have the right genes to grow muscle. We (most of us) can grow some muscle, but we don’t have the genetics to be bodybuilders, physique competitors, or even to have an athletic build. Slow-twitch muscle (endurance athletes and most average people) does not hypertrophy to the same degree as fast-twitch muscle. Myostatin (AKA: growth differentiation factor 8, GDF-8) inhibits myogenesis or muscle growth and differentiation factor. It limits muscle growth (for good reason: muscle requires a lot on energy to maintain; it is a survival mechanism, so to speak). We are not bully whippets or Belgian Blues. Very few have a mutation of the MSTN gene that promote greater overall muscle mass. In addition, there are numerous genetic factors that are required to be most successful in building massive muscle. Most of us should be happy to make our limited gains.

You don’t want to put in the effort. Gaining muscle mass takes work—a lot of hard work. You can’t go to the gym two or three times a week and expect big gains. It can take years to build muscle—or longer. For most, the gains will be nominal, but, nevertheless, worth it. (If you are one who says, “I don’t want to lift weights because I don’t want big bulky muscles”, don’t worry. You don’t want to put in the effort.

You can’t commit to the necessary diet. Gaining muscle mass requires a careful hypercaloric diet and emphasis on proper macro balance and timing. You can’t eat junk food or be on a calorie restrictive diet and gain a significant amount of muscle. (You also don’t want to eat excessively, if you are a hard-gainer—unless you are willing to pack on fat with the muscle.) You need protein (roughly 1 g per pound of body weight), but you don’t have to go to extremes. You will also need to eat carbohydrates. Focus on vegetables, fruits, and healthy grains/starches. Keto or high-fat/low-carbs is not going to fuel muscle hypertrophy or high-volume training. You don’t have to eat a lot of carbs, if you are worried it’ll “make you fat”. For most, roughly 1 g per pound of body weight on training days (less on non-training days) will be a good start.

Your training sucks. It isn’t too complicated. Keep it simple. Lift heavy (at least 70% of your maximum and do so regularly. If you aren’t making some gains, try something different, e.g., a different volume scheme (number of sets x number of repetitions). Master the technique for the basic 5 (squat, deadlift, bench press, overhead press, and row) and apply progressive overload. If you are doing a bunch of light weight moves on a Bosu ball or really high repetitions with light weight, you are going to gain a lot of muscle. High volume training will promote sarcoplasmic hypertrophy (increased muscle volume) only if the load is sufficient (i.e., weight x repetitions x sets is sufficient—weight is the critical parameter). Myofibrillar hypertrophy (increased size of the muscle contractile proteins) requires heavy loads and is best accomplished with fewer than 12 repetitions per set. There is no perfect program, but what works for you is what is best for you. Specificity and progressive overload are essential.

Gains will come, if you do the work and are patient. Do the work!

Be your best today; be better tomorrow!

Carpe momento!

¹https://generationiron.com/reasons-why-you-cant-build-muscle/?fbclid=IwAR3JgBIQcY8nX8No4JHHcwiGNcJpe8EsKwb6cBqIek8vqQEdXiqiGjaY0p4