I Don't Want Thunder Thighs, or a Big Ass

I saw the craziest thing the other day, and if I would have had my phone with me I might have been tempted to take a photo.


I saw a lady at the grocery store her upper body was ripped, shredded, whatever you want to call it.


She had awesome definition in her arms and shoulders, a very angular clean jaw line, in top shape, fitness competitor type shape.


You could not help but notice that this gal had put in some serious work on her physique.

Then I walked around the corner of the vegetable platform, and much to my surprise the lady had the 'bottom half' of someone who weight 2x as much as her upper body would indicate.

My first though was how sad, and frustrating it must be for this lady, to be in such great shape up top but have a bottom 1/2 severely lagging.

Sad but there is answer and it's not what you think.


I will get to the solution to this lady's problem in a moment; but first let's address the real problem.

More women than I care to count have come to me carrying the myth of the title of this blog.

‘I Don't Want Thunder Thighs, or a Big Ass’

Generally my reply to this myth is, 'Neither do I'.

I am not sure exactly where this myth started, but boy is so deeply embedded in the female mindset that I am sure that it won't be absolved anytime soon.

Unfortunately, one of the ancillary results has been that, this myth has generated a terrible untruth that many women now believe or even worse have turned into a full blown phobia.

1. They are deathly afraid of doing any type of strength training with their legs; and they are convinced that any amount of strength training will result in them having a leg circumference equal to that of professional male body builder, who is eating 10,000 calories per day, taking in 2,000-4,000 mg of steroids per week, and on specific mass building routine.

I promise strength training your legs won’t make your legs look like this


I have found that giving examples is the quickest way to help people understand things.

I will give you an example of one of my female client's recent experiences of lifting heavy in reference to thigh and hip measurement.

This particular client has been deadlifting during the last 3 weeks of her training cycle:

The numbers:

Her deadlift training numbers have increased by a little approximately 20lbs.

Going from 135lbs to around 155lbs. (this a weight that many women would find 'heavy')

During that same 3 week period she has:

Reduced her thigh circumference by 2" each thigh

And reduced her hip/butt measurement by: 1 3/4"

The Truth:

If you read or speak with any of the cutting edge physique coaches, one of their primary cornerstones of any fat loss program is going to be:

lower repetition and high load resistance training exercise.

The plain and simple reason for this is that it forces the body to keep muscle, a very good thing since muscle = metabolism.

The proper methodology would be something to similar to the below. Which is the protocol for my, Big Iron Burn (BIB) Method


Big Iron
1-2 core multi-joint movements performed with heavier weight less reps

Burn
2-4 - Supportive movement performed in a rapid succession burn circuit for multiple cycles.

Paired with Smoke Session-Interval training

This is a rough outline of the programming protocol that I use 100% of my fat loss clients.



What light weight and high repetition lifting will ultimately result in:

The alternative is low weight high repetition training which will usually result in muscle wasting, decreased metabolism, and you walking around looking like you you have a bag full of chewed bubble gum on your legs.

We never wanted to look like this right?

Because all your muscle will be gone, and you be left with fat and skin, where muscle one used to be.

So hopefully this helps you see the picture a little more clearly and will allow you to accept and embrace that strength training your lower body is actually a very good thing.

No let's get out there and do some squats, deadlifts, and heavy lunges and cure that phobia.

So you can have legs that look like this

Enjoy!!

Troy M Anderson

Tempe Outdoor Fitness Boot Camp

I Promise it Won't Make You Fat:

Just when you start to sit back and think that all the old archaic myths, are startin’ to die off, they seem to spring back to life and surprise you.

This is one that I heard from a client the other day, as was told to her by a family member and a by a friend, all on the same day.

It goes something like this:

"Protein has too many calories"

or

"I don't want to bulk up"


or, lastly

"Protein powder will make me fat"


These three myths are generally used as objections to the guideline of consuming 1gram protein / 1 lb bodyweight

First let's took a look the calorie issue, a scoop of protein powder generally has between 80-120 calories per scoop.

Here are some food items that someone may likely be already eating that this could equate to calorically:

-1/2 of a banana
-1 slice of bread
-1 of those little 100 caloric snack packs
-1/2 of a 20 ounce bottle of regular soda

As you can see the bang for the buck as far as quality nutrients are concerned is by far and away on the side of that 1 little scoop of protein.

(While we are on the topic protein a preferable, the source of protein powder is one of the many versions of whey or casseinate protein powders available. They are simply of higher quality, generally taste better, and are more usable by the body than the soy versions)

On last 'food for thought' moment with this first statement, carbohydrate and protein carry the exact same calorie amount per gram.

Next, let's take a look at the myth of protein causing one to become bulky. Let’s look at if from a couple different angles.

First let's define 'bulk' I think we can safely define bulk as taking up more space or becoming 'larger' by volume.

It is also accurate to say that fat takes up a lot more space than lean muscle tissue.

Thus the fastest way to gain 'bulk' would be to stop/reduce exercising and increase/or even maintain nutritional intake. If you take a look around you'll see that most Americans have a pretty good handle on the 'bulking' aspect, we're not so good at the lean muscle part.

There is no relevancy of protein to 'bulking'

While it is true the protein is critical for maintain and building lean muscle; which is exactly what we hope will happen, because muscle is metabolism.

If your thought process is that you will through the simple act of consuming protein gain mounds and mounds of muscle miraculously, you have sorely misled.

Either that or I need to find some of that 'miracle protein powder', I wouldn't mind not having to do any work and have muscle appear on my body through the simple act of drink protein powder.

If you are a woman who is 30, 40, or even 50 yrs old, you have nothing to worry about.

Packing on the muscle, and turning in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s twin sister is not likely to happen, if it was there would be plenty of 25yr old testosterone soaked males that would be loving life as an Arnold look-alike.

The short story is: if putting on heaps of muscle were that easy a lot more males would have some.

The real hang up most individuals have with all this is that they are being asked to significantly change one of their most closely held, highly engrained habits of being emotionally and physically attached to carbohydrate.

They are being asked to perform a caloric swap between carbohydrate and protein in order to get their protein intake up to appropriate levels, many people especially women may need to up their protein intake 50%-200% depending on their current status.

What does this look like by the numbers - take a 160lb women (which just happens to be about the weight of the average American women.)

She is likely only taking in 40-80 grams of protein per day not good.

She needs to be in the 160 gram range.

What does this look like, well let me give you a couple instances of what this might look like in the real world.
(these are only example to show you what this might look like a daily scale.)

It could be 8 scoops of protein powder containing 20grams of protein per scoop.

Or

It could be 4- 4 ounce chicken breast (about the size of your out stretched hand per day.
Or a variety of other animal source lean proteins.)

The goal of this article was to crush one of the long held myths in fitness and to shed some light on how truly valuable protein is in the quest for leanness.

If you work on breaking some of your old habits and work on getting your protein content right. A new leaner body will thank you.

Enjoy

Troy M Anderson

Tempe Fitness Boot Camp

Snake Oil vs Fish Oil

I like cowboy movies, and one of my all time favorite cowboy movies, is The Outlaw Josey Wales.

In the movie Josey is trying escape from his pursuers when he all the sudden finds himself being harangued by a classic snake oil salesman.

What was Josey's solution, spit a big wad of tobacco juice right on the lapel of the shiny white suit of that no good son of a gun.

Well sometimes I wish I could use the same kind of solution that Josey did when I am confronted with the modern day snake oil salesman.

The modern day snake oil salesman that I run into most is involved in the health and fitness supplement industry.

Saling everything from cure all cleanses to 'magic' juices, and all things in between.

Unfortunately, many people purchase these products expecting it to be some sort of miracle cure that will end all their ills.

Unfortunately, most of these products fall well short of the claim. Due to one simple fact they are not a high quality product.

On the other hand the 1 and only supplement that I consistently recommend to 99.9% of my clients, is a far cry from snake oil, and that is fish oil.

This is a product that you almost can’t take too much of; and while it is always best consume the best quality products possible, when it comes to fish oil I take the stance of any type is better than none.

If you choose to go for low price you can almost be assured that you will get what you pay for.

Many times meaning that you will end having to deal with a fishy after taste for a few hours.

Benefits the laundry list of benefits is endless but just in case you are feeling skeptical let me list off a few of the high lights:

Ø Improved cardiovascular health
Ø Improved circulatory function
Ø Improved immune function
Ø Enhanced nerve and brain function
Ø Joint health
Ø Increased glucose metabolism and insulin action
Ø Reduce soreness from physical stress
Ø Proper hormone function
Ø Lower triglycerides and LDL (bad cholesterol)
Ø Reduce bodyfat
Ø Improve physical and sporting performance

Personally I take 8-12 capsules per day.

However I better and more impactful story than that: After 8 months of trying I finally convinced my dad to take some fish oil, he has a chronic back issue, and is far from a picture of health.

That being said within two days of starting to take 4 capsules per, day he noticed that his back felt significantly better. To the degree that he has become a raving fan of the fish oil.

Just wait till I get him up to proper dosage, I can only hope that he keeps taking this small action of health.

I know I am going to do my part and keep sending him product.

So beware of the snake oil

And

Instead opt for some high quality fish oil. I think that you will be pleasantly surprised.

To Watch Learn more about fish oil and 19 other critical factors necessary for improving your health and fitness: Sign up for my 1 Step at a Time Fitness Success course at:

http://www.atscoaching.com/

Enjoy

Troy M Anderson

Tempe Fitness Boot Camp

What's Your Comfort Food

Have you ever had that feeling?

You know the one where it feels like someone/something
just ripped out your stomach and heart.

Spit on them and then proceeded to tap dance them to a pulp.

Yeah, that feeling usually reserved for love struck teenagers.

Well I had it happen to me yesterday. I won't bore you with the details so I will give you a quick run down.

A project that I had put in a good bit of work on got absolutely gutted,from toe to top, and then some.

Some of this 'gutting' was absolutely deserved on my part.

However that did little to squell the shaking, loss of appetite and inability to focus that I was under going,as I was sat there listening real time.


Honestly, for a couple moments I began to seriously question my worth as a professional.


I would have to rate yesterday in top 3 for absolute worst days I have had as professional.


As numerous thoughts began to flash through my head at warp speed.

- Should I go buy some sort chocolate chip cookie and sooth myself.

NO

-Should I go by a nice cold green tea, and kick my adrenline levels even higher then watch/feel them divebomb back to sub-earth.

NO

There was really one thing I could do

-Go Train

Funny thing is I really didn't want to train.

When I got to back to the facility I really felt like
just lying on the floor and staring at the ceiling.

Which I did for a couple minutes

but...

Then I dragged my sorry ass up off the floor
started and warming-up and got into my session.

By the time the session was done 90 minute later
I had worked up a good sweat, had had an above average lift,
mentally I was still a little bit of a mess(still am today actually),
and something else started to take hold.


I call it the: Go 'F' Yourself Attitude, this is the attitude just a little beyond the, Can Do Attitude.


You know the one when people tell you, your stuff sucks or that you'll never be able to do something.

Yeah that attitude.

The one focused in on destroying the hurt.

The one that rings in your ears and gets you out of bed everyday.

That one.

I can still hear it 24 hours later, and if I ever forget it
I can go pull it up off the internet.


There are two morales that I hope you picked out already, just in case you didn't here you go:

1. Food or drink are NOT making it any better. Comfort food is BS and it sucks. Get your butt in the gym instead and don't let your stressor hold you back.

2. The go 'F Yourself Attitude' is very powerful if you channel it and if you let it work for you.


Thanks for the gutting


Let's not end the day on a bad note check out the inspirational video. Best Youtube video I have watched in a long time.







Troy M Anderson

Tempe Fitness Boot Camp

Is It OK to be Competitive??

'I am not competitive'

I hear this so much it makes me want to puke.

For the most part I don't hold the people verbalizing this too blame they are merely reacting to what has been drummed into them over and over again by various societal forces.

The part of this that I find so irritating is that is basically cutting the legs out from under anyone who is really shooting for success.

Because that ‘little voice’ is always there in the in the back of their mind saying:

‘you aren't competitive’

‘ you don't want to be competitive that's not what good boys/girls do’


This really sucks, no matter how hard someone may try, that little voice is always there sabotaging them.

Being competitive has far greater implications than fat loss and physical training.

Let me illustrate by telling a personal story, I grew up on a farm and on farms there are trees, and some times trees have branches that fall to the ground.

It just so happens when you grow up on 1500 acre farm there are lot of damn tress and hence a lot damn dead branches on the ground.

Well my dad used to think it was a good idea that me and my sister go out and pile up these branches that have fallen to the ground, and boy did I hate this task.

Even at 9 or 10 years old I was fully aware that this was an absolutely asinine and never ending job.

Kinda like digging a hole in the sand, it's just impossible to get ahead.

However, there is a take home lesson so pay attention.

I remember on multiple occasions usually after we had just completed a shoddy job of 'picking up sticks' my dad would come out to inspect and usually commence to give his 'talk' about trying to be the best and the fastest at whatever you do.

Well this sounds stupid to a 10 yr old being told to pick up sticks in what seemed to be a never ending sea of sticks.

But 20 some years later those lessons of trying to be the very best at whatever I have on my plate, have served me very well.

Funny thing is I am not sure if Dad intended for it to turn out this way or not.

None the less it worked.

So Thanks dad.

Hopefully that little illustration has set the stage for how being competitive serves us in our attempts for MAJOR accomplishments in health and fitness.

I have two clients that swear that 'they are not competitive' interestingly enough they are both women, in which case I do believe that their perspective has been shaped by the society we live in.

Funny thing is, one of them gives me direct feedback that she is direct competition with younger people at her job who are trying to beat her out for a desirable position.

Sure sounds like being competitive to me.

The other lady is would appear seemingly non-competitive, except for the fact she talks trash when she gets into competitive environment.

It is very intriguing to hear one type of verbal statement and then to see or hear activity that is directly counter to that statement.

I have to believe that many people have or had someone else place a glass ceiling over their head when it comes to being competitive in an activity of a physical nature.

All you really need to know is that it is OK to take out a 15lb sledge hammer and absolutely annihilate that glass ceiling.

If you don't the only thing that is will be stalled is your PROGRESS.

My final lessons in this long winded blog is:

In order to be the BEST at ANYTHING you have to be competitive, brutally competitive in fact.

and...

There is nothing wrong with being the BEST.

GO FOR IT!!



Enjoy!



Troy M Anderson



Tempe Fitness Boot Camp

Home Gyms - What Why When

A couple weeks ago I had one of my client's sons come out and do some work at my house.

Part of the work for that day entailed tidying up my garage which also happens to double as my home gym.

Yeah the whole thing my wife, she kind of has this gym equipment fetish.

Anyway, we got the place cleaned up and I didn’t think anything of it.

The young man evidently did.

Since he proceeded to tell his mother and the rest of his family about this home gym, so much so that they eventually had to tell him to, shut up.

I hadn't really thought a whole lot about it but I really do have a pretty sweet set up, and all of it was purchased on the cheap.

To go along with her equipment fetish my wife is a bargain shopper too.

So check out the video below to get a sneak peak of what my home gym looks like.




By the way probably the most important factor of any home gym is:

YOU HAVE USE IT!!

Enjoy

Troy M Anderson

Tempe Women's Fitness Boot Camp

How I Saved a Little Girl's Life

I thought I would share a little story with you today about how simple it is to change one's perspective on an activity in a very short period of time.

This is a story about how one little girl's perspective of fitness changed in a matter of minutes.

A few weeks back my dragged my wife out to the local high school track early one sunday morning to shoot some video for a project that I am working on.

Generally the track is pretty quite but we had gotten off to a late start so it was a little busier than usual at the track.

In particular there was a young family mom and dad probably in their mid-30's with to young girls probably 7 and 10.

It was obivous that mom was really trying to get a workout in and dad was just trying to do a little something while keeping a close eye on the kids.

It wasn't too long before the youngest girl started carrying on how she was bored and she didn't 'want' to run.

As they faded away from us on another lap around the track I could tell that this was only going to get worse.

Sure enough as they came back around the track, there were tears and a near full on temper tantrum.

My wife taking pity on the poor parents and wanting to lend them a hand, had noticed the girls eye balling her pink kettlebell and was going to take it over and let them play with, but I told that might not be so wise and a little heavy for them.

So I reached in my bag and pulled out a reaction ball that I had with me and my wife approached the young girls and started to play with them.

With a look of relief mom and dad both continued on there workout.

This little play session last another 10 minutes or so with the young girls squealing with joy.

I finished my workout and it was time to go home and my wife was wrapping up her 'play' session when the young girl proclaimed 'let's go run' to which the old sister replied with an astonished tone 'she wants to go run' and off they went.

But not before I told my wife to give them the $3 reaction ball.

I figured if I could have any a small impact like that at an early age it might just be worth.

As we packed up our gear and headed toward the truck we could hear the little girls running up to their parent telling them

'Look, they gave it to us'.

Kind of makes you feel good and hopeful.

That little girl turned from anti-fitness to wanting to go run in a matter of 10 minutes.

Why?

Because she started having fun, she was exposed to a new challenge and it inspired her to do more.

All of that is a snapshot of exactly what happens to most adults they, paint themselves into a corner with boring old mundane exercise, get on the treadmill, go through the machine circuit, how freaking boring.

There are a lot of different ways to exercise out there don't paint yourself in corner.

Changing up your routine, it's one of the quickest ways to insure that you:

Get off the couch

and

Back to making progress towards your goals

Troy M Anderson

Tempe Fitness Boot Camp