Author: Larry Jusdanis

In order for fat loss to occur, the body has to be in an energy deficit. This means that we must consume less energy everyday then we burn. It’s pretty straight forward, if we burn 2500cals/day and only consume 2000, there are 500 that we burned from a source other than food. In an attempt to preserve muscle, our body turns to fat metabolism to supply energy once blood sugar and glycogen stores have been used up.

However, there is one major problem in this equation. Our Western diet revolves around multiple energy dense meals per day, meaning we are almost always burning glucose from the previous meal by the time we eat again and therefore storing excess as fat.

This is where intermittent fasting comes into play. Intermittent fasting provides a window of time designated for feeding (4-12h), and another window designated for fasting (12-24h+). The most common types used and therefore studied are 16 hour fasts with 8 hours feeding, and alternate day fast/feed.

Prolonged periods without food almost certainly guarantee that our body switches to fat metabolism, since it takes several hours after a meal for the food to be digested and absorbed and insulin levels to return to baseline. Critics of IF will argue that it is too extreme and depriving yourself of nutrients will be harmful to the body, which couldn’t be further from the truth!

Major Benefits of IF

1. Improves insulin sensitivity. The body becomes more sensitive to the effects of insulin… less insulin secretion per meal… lower blood glucose and insulin levels!
2. Promotes autophagy. Regular bodily process where damaged, old, and dysfunctional proteins are consumed by the body. Think of renovating your kitchen, you need to tear away all the old culverts before installing new ones!
3. Elevates Growth Hormone production. GH is very important hormone for body composition, because it releases stored fat and preserves muscle during fasting.
4. Reduced systemic inflammation. Inflammation occurs in the body after exposure to a variety of stimuli, including viruses, injury, certain foods, and even exercise. Chronic inflammation is a precursor to atherosclerosis, cardiovascular disease, and other harmful diseases.

Not sold on IF yet?

Stay tuned because in my next blog I will be discussing how and why training while IF can be especially effective. In the meantime, come check out our Butts & Guts bootcamp just in time for a special June promotion… free body composition assessment! (limited number of spots)
Please contact us at sst@sstcanada.com to set up your appointment at a convenient location to you!

A quick Google search will uncover a seemingly infinite number of articles that promise to increase your vertical jump. They advise everything from jumping in sand or water to using a shoe that has a platform at the ball of the foot and no heel (that may look fantastic on Victoria Beckham but we wouldn’t suggest it as a great way to train vertical jump if you value your ankle health). They will tell you to train all the smaller muscles that contribute in relatively minor ways to the vertical jump, and even some that don’t, while virtually ignoring the major contributors. The long and the short of it all is – who can you trust?

We will discuss the vertical jump and offer some training advice as to how to increase your vertical jump. This series may be of interest to volleyball and basketball players who jump as part of their sport performance as well as football and hockey players who will be asked to perform vertical jump testing at combines and training camps. Testing the vertical jump and maximizing your opportunities for performance in that test are a whole different subject. This article will examine how to train to jump as high as you possibly can.

The first thing we should do is decide what muscles are contributing to our ability to vertical jump. The posterior chain is to the vertical jump as location is to real estate. That is to say the major contributors to an athlete’s ability to get into the air are behind them. The glutes contribute 40% of the force output in a vertical jump and the hamstrings produce another 25%. (Poliquin, 2006) If this is surprising to you, what comes next will completely shock you – the quadriceps contribute a mere 5% of the force output and the calves another measly 5% (those numbers are rounded up!). The shoulder flexors, on the other hand, contribute 15% of the vertical jump force. (Poliquin, 2008) A study by Fukashiro and Komi in 2005 suggests that the rank order of the muscles firing in a vertical jump is “hip greater than knee greater than ankle”. We can hear a collective “Huh?” What this means is that the greatest contribution to the vertical jump is made by the hip extensors, followed by the knee extensors, and then the ankle extensors. Still not very clear? Let’s relate these to muscle groups. Extensors of the hip … glutes, hamstrings and spinal erectors; of the knee … quadriceps; and of the ankle … calves. So, we’ve discovered that the posterior chain (hamstrings, glutes, spinal erectors) is the “prime mover” when it comes to the vertical jump. This knowledge will help us focus our training on the muscles that matter when it comes to increasing our vertical jump and enable us to train with a “most bang for the buck” approach.

Before we hit the gym to start our vertical jump strength training, we have to know a little bit about ourselves. I had a football coach many years ago whose favorite saying was “Athlete, know thyself!” He was a pretty smart guy and I think that saying applies just as well here. In order to put all of our power into the ground and jump as high as possible, we must start from a stable platform. You wouldn’t jump off a wobbleboard and expect to get a great result so why would you expect a great result if you have muscle or structural imbalances? The human body does a very impressive job of adapting to its environment. If we have a muscle that is weak, our bodies adapt to that weakness and work around it – our bodies will find a way to get the job done! The secret is to identify those weaknesses and correct them in order that we begin from a base of structural balance. SST’s assessment protocols are designed to identify those imbalances and help us to design a program to correct them. Book your assessment at any of SST’s locations today. There is strength in balance.

We intend to discuss more about achieving structural balance with reference to some common trends we see in testing at SST, some fantastic exercises for gaining strength in the posterior chain, as well as some excellent “bang for the buck” Olympic lifting exercises. We will delve into plyometrics and their application to the vertical jump in sport performance for volleyball and basketball players, reiterate some stretching tips for the hip flexors (and maybe even throw in some stuff that might be new to you!), and give away a few tips to increase performance in the vertical jump test on combine day!

BTW…. with this vertical jump training in mind – check out our Volleyball Camp starting shortly HERE

In part 1 CLICK HERE I discussed the top 3 ways to lower body fat in your belly and thighs.

I have implemented a new type of weight loss program with clients and the results have been outstanding.  A mother and daughter team tried it for two weeks…results- both lost 5lbs  – 2.1% and 1.5% in body fat…what you need to know about these two is that their body fats were below 15% already!

How did they do this- yes they followed my new regimen but they took a few key supplements.  My favorite one: FENUGREEK SEED…what does it do?

1. Attacks love handle fat
2. increase testosterone
3. improves digestion
4. Reduces inflammation!

If you like to come in for your complimentary NUTRITION consultation during the month of June please email me back “I want in Dawg!”

SST’s 8 Methods to Getting Bigger!

SST has worked with thousands of athletes; some needed to drop a few pounds while others would be considered “hardgainers”; those guys that say “no matter what I do I can’t gain weight.”  Here are the 8 methods we here at SST use:

1. Sleep – If you want to pack on muscle, your hormones need to be optimal. When you sleep, your body releases growth hormone.  If you are only getting 4-5 hours a night, or waking up every hour, that needs to change.  You will need to block at least 8 hours per night!  Plus take a nap every day!

 

2. Eat 6-8 times per day – If you want to get big you cannot skip meals. If you skip a meal you’ll never get it back!  Hardgainers generally have higher metabolisms and need to eat more calories.

 

3. Get enough protein – You will need to get 1.5 – 2 times your bodyweight in grams of protein daily. If you weigh 160lbs that would be 240g-320g daily.  Break that up into 6-8 meals and you should be in the range of 30-40g per meal.

 

4. Train at the same time – Studies show that if you are on a routine of getting to sleep, waking up, and training at the same time every day, then your results will be improved. Schedule your workouts like appointments!

 

5. Post workout shakes – We like to use a combination of Carbohydrates and Protein.  Timing is important, so try to have it as soon as you finish your last set.

 

6. Choose Compound movements as your base – Squats, Deadlifts, Dips, Military Press, Chin Ups and Bench Press. Do not be afraid to lift heavy weights, either.  When you are done your workout, go REST!

 

7. Working out is not a social event – When you are done a set, start your stopwatch. When it your specific rest period is over you’d better be lifting!  Do not be hanging around…..maintain your focus!

 

8. Train Hard …Then go Home – After your general warm up (approximately 10 min) your workout should be 45 minutes to 1 hour.   We like to use antagonist muscle pairings to get more work done in less time

Here is a sample program: Extended Giant Sets.

Day 1 – Upper

Order	Exercise	Sets	Reps	Tempo	Rest
A1	Supinated Chin Ups	4	4-6	4010	15s
A2	Pronated Chin Ups	4	3-5	3010	15s
A3	Horizontal Rows – feet elevated	4	8-10	2012	3m
A4	45 Incline DB Bench Press – N to P	4	4-6	4010	15s
A5	DB Bench Press – Neutral Grip	4	6-8	3010	15s
A6	Decline DB Bench Press	4	8-10	3010	3m

 

Day 2 – Legs

Order	Exercise	Sets	Reps	Tempo	Rest
A1	Back Squats	4	4-6	4010	15s
A2	Low Pulley Split Squats	4	8-10	3110	15s
A3	Backwards Sled Drag	4	40 yds	XXX	3m
A4	Lying Hamstring Curls	4	4-6	4010	15s
A5	Romanian Deadlifts	4	6-8	3010	15s
A6	Back Extensions	4	8-10	2011	3m

BTW…. Make sure to check out our Summer Football Camps HERE

Last week I introduced why the Low Man doesn’t always win the rep CLICK HERE

The equation put forth is:

Stability + Maximization of Length (without over extension) + Agility + Meeting Force with Force

= Higher Probability for Success

 I will break these down to optimize your success:

Stability – In terms of OL play this is our base, the most important aspect of any offensive lineman. If you start with a base that isn’t efficient chances are you are not going to have repeatable success. If you start wrong you’re probably going to finish wrong.

Maximization of Length – Being long is important for offensive lineman we want to keep the defender away from our frame as long as possible because this allows more time for him to make a mistake and for us to take advantage of this mistake. This needs to be done in good context, playing too long or getting over extended can create a whole host of problems. Arm length is where very key this is why at the combine they take this measurement to see if an OL can strike a target that is father away. Length is important but being “too long” can become very problematic.

Agility – Personally to me this is the more important piece of the equation. Can you simply stay in front of your man? Offensive Line play is played in a rectangle 4 yards in width and 7 years in depth. Do you have the agility to stay in front of the defensive lineman? If you cannot stay in front of any given DL nothing else really matters this is why College/University recruiters and NFL scouts look at agility tests closely.

Meeting Force with Force – If we look at Newton’s Third Law he argues that when every any two objects react they are applying force to each other. If we apply this law to a 1on1 pass block situation and an offensive lineman is able to stay in front of the defensive line man and then he turns it into a “bull rush” the OL needs to bleed the force out through the ground, this happen because the OL is applying force back and transferring it through the ground.

Pass blocking is a very unnatural task, we are asked to stop a force without knowing where its destination is. So saying the low man always wins doesn’t make any sense. This idea would make sense if we absolutely knew where the DL destination point would be, we have a pretty good idea where the QB is but that can change is a hurry. If the DL was just going to run in a straight line to a stationary QB then I would say sure get as low as you can and take on the impact, but this is not the case.

The bio mechanics of any given offensive lineman are different. Some players might be better if they are lower than the defender, given the body that they are working with. Others may play better if they are higher and longer. This really all depends on what you are working with physically. Getting low playing offensive line has its place, but you should be at your lowest point throughout the entire rep because this doesn’t fit into the OL equation for winning. Getting low should be a defense mechanism against the bull rush. So in my personal opinion the LOW MAN DOES NOT ALWAYS WIN!!!

If you like to learn more about my upcoming OL CAMP please email or call me at 905 632 3558 and I will register you up!

Jamie “THE BIG CHILL” LaLonde

SST OL/ DL coach

BTW… Also check out SST’s “Speed & Skills” Camp for 2017 – HERE

PLUS – it is a bit early but HIGH PERFORMANCE Camps – HERE

One of the most common questions I receive is “How do I get rid of unwanted fat around my butt and thighs?”

Here is my top 3 list of foods/ advice to trim up these high estrogen sites.

3. Reduce alcohol intake – there is no point reducing estrogen if you don’t increase testosterone first
4. Cruciferous veggies – broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussel sprouts and kale just to name a few
5. Watercress – one of the oldest leaf vegetables consumed by humans; this is the gold standard for estrogen modulators!

Next week I will explain the top 3 supplements to trim thighs!

Larry “The Big Dawg”

If you like what you read and would like to try a demo Butts and Guts class at any of our facilities please feel free to email me sst@sstcanada.com

SST is very excited to announce the addition of Chris “Chico” Anderi to our team.

WELCOME Chico!

Chico will be overseeing the nutrition of the athletes and members at SST, in addition to serving as a S & C coach. His primary area of interest is optimal feeding to enhance performance, recovery, and body composition.

Here’s a little more info from Chico’s Bio:

Education

Bachelor of Kinesiology, Brock University

Post Graduate certificate, Exercise Science for Health & Performance, Niagara College

(Current): MSc Kinesiology concentration in Physiology and Nutrition, University of Waterloo

Certifications

Certified personal trainer

Certified Exercise Physiologist (CSEP-CEP)

Athletic Career

Brock University baseball 2010-2014, 2 OUA championships

CoSIDA Capital One Academic All American, Second team (1 of 22 players in Canada and US)

Summer ball: Niagara Metros (senior AAA)

Relevant Experience

S&C with Brock baseball & swim teams

Various Bootcamps for individuals of all fitness levels

Personal Trainer at Brock U and University of Waterloo gyms

Trained Jessica Lewis for 2 years – Bermudan Paralympic Athlete – Wheelchair sprint (Gold medalist, 100m wheelchair sprint, 2015 Para Panam Games)

Be sure to look out for the great INFORMATION and BLOGS Chico will be sending out in the coming weeks and months.