Robertson Training Systems Newsletter 4.16
In This Issue
- Robertson Training Systems Updates
- Testimonials
- Training Tip
- Nutrition Tip
- Exclusive Interview: Cassandra Forsythe
- Upcoming Interviews
- New Articles
- Schedule
Robertson Training Systems Updates
Indy Seminar early registration closed in 2.5 weeks!
There's a little under two weeks left to get the early bird discount
on the Indy Performance Enhancement Seminar!
Don't wait any longer; follow the link below to sign up TODAY.
Indy Seminar Registration and Info
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New Audio Interview with Mike
I recently did an audio interview with the Strength Nation website,
and you can listen to it for free at the link below. This
interview discusses my thoughts on plateaus, and addresses multiple
strategies you can utilize to break through any current plateaus you're
facing. Enjoy!
Strength Nation Interview
Who do YOU want to see interviewed?
We got some great feedback last week regarding new interviewees, but we should've taken it one
step further.
Here's the "short list" of people who you all want to be interviewed.
The next question is, how do we get a hold of them? If you have
e-mail information for any of the authors and coaches below, please
forward them to
info@robertsontrainingsystems.com and we'll take care of the rest. Thanks!
Testimonials: Magnificent Mobility and the
Ultimate Off-Season Training Manual
I manage the personal training department of a large rec centre and
run my own business. I use a lot of the drills contained within M2
and I find my clients thoroughly enjoy them. My 9.30am boot camps
have grown from 16 participants to 40 since the start of the year
and I feel that your products played a big role in this growth.
Always happy to promote your products down under,
Cheers,
Dave from Melbourne, Australia
Training Tip
Cardio doesn't have to suck! (Originally from my
20 Things I'm Thinking About article featured at www.t-nation.com)
If you're still running like a gerbil on a treadmill, I feel sorry
for you. I'm a fast-twitch guy at heart. In the immortal words of
Eric Cressey, "The only thing I run for is seconds."
Cardiovascular training doesn't have to suck, though. There are two
ways I try to accomplish this:
A) Make it fun, and/or
B) Make it competitive
If you do either (or both) of these things, people will buy into
it and stick with you a lot longer. I really like Tony Gentilcore's
idea from a while back. It calls for rolling a dice at the end of
each workout, with each number associated with a different training
medium.
It could look something like this:
1) Kettlebell swings and snatches
2) Prowler pushes (pictured below)
3) Bodyweight circuits (push-ups, bodyweight
squats, lunges, etc.)
4) Sled drags (forward, backward, side-step,
carioca/crossover step, etc.)
5) Medicine ball circuits
6) Low-intensity sprints, high-intensity interval
training (HIIT), or even low-impact agility drills
By incorporating this into your or your clients' training, not
only will you achieve your goals, you may just find yourself
enjoying it!
Nutrition Tip
Passion Lemonade
By Mike Roussell
Last summer my wife and I were
at a Starbucks looking for something to cool us
down from a hot July day. We noticed they had a
Passion Lemonade. It sounded interesting so we
ordered two.
Being the nutritional nut that I
am I wanted to know what they were putting in my
drink. It was pretty simple Cold Tazo Passion
Tea and Lemonade; but it was Starbucks so they
charged me $3.50. It tasted great, but the
Lemonade added too many empty calories for an
everyday drink. I made a quick modification to
came up with a great tasting calorie free
version that will quench your thirst on a hot
day or satisfy a sugar craving.
Boil 1 quart of water in an
electric kettle. Next pour into a large glass
pitcher along with two bags of Tazo Passion Tea.
Let the tea steep (a fancy word for sit in the
water) for 7-10 minutes (or longer it you have
the time). Add packet of Lemonade Crystal Light
and mix. Now you can either just put the pitcher
in the refrigerator, let it cool, and drink it
later. Or add 2 cups of ice cubes to cool it
down immediately.
This drink not only tastes great
but it contains a nice dose of anti-oxidants
from the hibiscus and orange peels found in the
Tazo tea. Enjoy!!
If you like this tip and want to learn
more about Mike and his products, check out his Naked
Nutrition website.
Exclusive Interview: Cassandra Forsythe
MR: Cassandra, you've been interviewed here
before so just give everyone a quick refresher about yourself.
CF: Originally from Northern British
Columbia, Canada, I'm a 28 year old PhD candidate at the University of
Connecticut studying under the Low-Carb Guru, Jeff Volek, PhD, RD, and
the Father of Strength and Conditioning, William Kraemer, PhD. At UConn,
I study in the department of Exercise Science, but my main research
focus is nutrition for health and body composition alteration. My job is
to assist in exercise training studies for muscle growth and fat loss
both on the nutrition side of things and the exercise side.
I also am the co-author of the new book, "The New
Rules of Lifting for Women" with Lou Schuler and Alwyn Cosgrove, and the
sole author of another book, "Women's Health Perfect Body Diet"; both
books were released in January of this year.
When I'm not working in the research lab, or
consulting with clients in person and over the internet, you'll find me
on my mountain bike in the woods, in the gym lifting heavy weights or
spinning, and playing with my three dogs outside.
MR: What's new with you lately? How's school
going?
CF: The most exciting things that are new in
my life are my upcoming wedding this August 2, in Huntington VT. My
fiancé and I are having a mountain bike-themed wedding which includes us
riding our bikes down the aisle (outside of course) after we say "I do".
Prepping for a wedding is a lot of fun, but a lot of work; I can't
believe I'm doing that while still working on my PhD dissertation!
Yikes!
Speaking of my PhD, I've completed the most tedious
part of my dissertation, the project, and am now working on the
analytical assays and written presentation. For my project, I looked at
the difference between a low carbohydrate ketogenic diet high in
saturated fat with one high in omega-3 polyunsaturated fat in healthy
men in the absence of weight loss. For 12 weeks, I cooked all the food
that these men ate to ensure that I knew EXACTLY what they put in their
mouths and so they kept their body weight stable. My primary outcome
markers were fatty acid composition of the blood, insulin sensitivity,
blood lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides), oxidative stress and
inflammation.
The results of this study will help people
following a low carbohydrate diet to understand whether or not they
should avoid high amounts of saturated fat in order to reduce their risk
of disease.
MR: Damn, that sounds like a lot of cooking!
I also got a copy of your new book recently "The New Rules of Lifting
for Women" with Lou Schuler and Alwyn Cosgrove. Could you tell everyone
about it?
CF: NROL4W is the truly the brain child of Lou
Schuler. He asked me to come on board with this book during it's birth
in early 2006. I was responsible for helping Lou come up with the latest
and most accurate research regarding women and strength training,
designing the dietary protocol and bringing forth special issues
surrounding women and exercise of which Lou was not aware.
The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess
The overall message of this amazing best-selling book is that women need
to step away from the treadmill and into the weight room to achieve the
body they've always dreamed of. After reading this book women will
finally understand the following key points:
1) That lifting weights will make them look better
then they've ever looked before
2) That it's impossible to look like the next
female pro bodybuilder by lifting weights
3) That they must lift heavy, lift hard and lift
with a purpose to achieve their goals
4) That they need to eat more, not less, to lose
body fat and gain beautiful muscle
5) That protein and fat are the essential missing
macronutrients in their diets
Women who have read this book love that it's easy
to read, and that the information is FUN and USEFUL rather than boring
and impractical. Lou did a great job turning this into a book that women
all over the world can benefit from. I highly encourage every woman to
pick it up.
MR: That's awesome Cass! We need more
solid books out there like this one for the lay public to digest.
What about your other book, "Perfect Body Diet"? Tell us about that.
CF: PBD was something I created when Women's
Health magazine asked me to write their very first diet book. In this
book women learn that they can ALL have a perfect body, but it's most
likely NOT going to be the body they see on the cover of most women's
magazines. This body will be unique to their height, history and bone
structure and will be easy to achieve once the correct diet and exercise
routine is selected.
Women learn that they're all not meant to follow
the same diet; some women's bodies respond better with a lower carb,
higher protein and fat intake, while others respond better with a bit
more carbs and an even amount of protein and fats. They also will
discover that their body shape dictates how they should exercise. For
example, if you're a woman with more weight and size in her hips and
thighs (what I call a Pear shape), you'd want to spend more time
building muscle in your upper body so that you balance out your shape
and look more like a stream-lined Banana. Finally, the secret-weapon,
glucomannan, a natural-source soluble fiber, is revealed which will help
women stick to their dietary plan by keeping their bodies satisfied and
their blood sugar levels stable.
MR: That sounds really great. Now, I
always like asking strength coaches about their "philosophies"; why they
do the things they do. If you could sum up your nutritional philosophy
in a few key points, what would it consist of?
CF: One of my current philosophies is that our
bodies are always in a dynamic state of change - especially for women.
Because of this, we need to stay on top of nutrition to meet our new
needs and goals. For example, one year you might be very sedentary
because of work or life commitments. In this year, your nutrition will
be different than a year that you were training consistently and were
much less seated. Another year (for women), you may become pregnant, and
then your diet will be even more specialized than they ever were before.
Overall, we're always evolving and what worked for
us one year to meet our body composition and health goals, may be
completely different another year. A person needs to keep learning
about nutrition and good eating to meet these changing needs. And, if
you can't figure it out yourself, don't be afraid to ask the help of
someone more experienced.
MR: Let's say you get a new client in, and
they've tried every diet under the sun, but are still failing to see
consistent weight loss. What things are you going to look at or address?
CF: First, I'd wonder just how compliant this
person really is. How long do they try these diets for and when do they
switch? After just two weeks? After a full month of complete dedication?
Is their dedication to these diets really good or not?
Then, I'd see what kinds of diet they've tried? Are
they all ultra-low calorie and so restrictive that they can't stick to
it? Are they all low-fat or low-carb? One of those types is completely
wrong for some people; even though they might be in the latest rage,
they might not be right for this person.
Next, I'd wonder if this person really needs to
lose weight at all. Maybe their body IS at a healthy weight and they
just don't see their own achievements in the mirror.
Also, there may be too many barriers to their
success right now blocking their road to achievement - things like a
stressful job full of travel and long days and nights; having a new
baby; or chronic injuries due to body imbalances. Some of these things
can be managed, but it may take awhile to figure out the best way.
Further, there may be some hormonal issue going on
that can not be solved by diet alone. Perhaps a woman has Polycystic
Ovary Syndrome (PCOS), or is hypothyroid, or has ovulatory failure. In
all these cases, hormone therapy is needed (which I can't prescribe, but
can work with doctors who can). Or, for men, perhaps they've reached
early andropause and need testosterone therapy.
Finally, maybe the person is just over-dieted and
needs a break. They would then need to step away from the scale, stop
weighing and measuring their food and take a mental break from it all.
They need to reset their metabolisms and get healthy again, and not try
to attack their bodies any further.
MR: Along those same lines, how big of a role do
you feel psychology plays on people's nutritional habits?
CF: A very large role, definitely. With my clients,
I know that building internal motivation and confidence is essential to
attaining their goals. Many people don't understand the power of our own
thoughts; what they think can greatly influence if they succeed. If
they're depressed, and feel that they can never lose weight, they most
likely never will. Or, on the other end of the spectrum, if a woman
always thinks she's fat and that eating is bad for her body, she's
continue to support the eating disorder mentality that has made her sick
and underweight.
When I work with my clients I explore their
feelings toward foods, their weight and their lives. Some people need to
be reminded of all the good things in their lives instead of focusing on
the things they can not attain at the moment. For example, I ask certain
people to list 10 things that they're grateful for, and look on these
things in times of sadness or discouragement.
Since psychology plays a huge role in nutritional
habits, any counselor must keep up on their counseling tactics. I'm
taking classes in counseling in order to best address new issues with my
clients, but I know that it takes time to become great at managing each
person's psychological issues. So, for me, if I ever feel I'm in over my
head, I refer my clients to someone with more counseling experience to
solve issues that are too complex for me to manage (i.e. like severe
eating disorders).
MR: Last-question - what's a small nutritional
tip that most of us on this list could use to see positive changes in
their physiques?
CF: Always pack your own food with you to work or
when traveling so you're not forced to eat something that you definitely
know is not conducive to your physique goals (and this is coming from
someone who's currently stuck for 7 hours in an airport, but thankfully
has a bag full of good food at her side). This saves money and time too!
MR: That's awesome Cassandra - thanks
again for being with us here today! (Especially with how busy your
last week has been!) Where can my readers find out more about you?
CF: Thanks for every thing Mike! To the
readers: you can contact me with any questions or comments at
cassandraforsythe@gmail.com
Websites:
www.cassandraforsythe.com
www.yourperfectmannan.com
Upcoming Interviews
April 21st - Eric Cressey,
owner of Cressey Performance; author, speaker and competitive powerlifter
(www.ericcressey.com)
April 28th - Bill Hartman, president of PR
Performance, physical therapist and strength coach (www.billhartman.net)
May 5th - Mike Yuhaniak, strength coach and
personal trainer (www.mikeyuhaniak.com)
May 12th - Dave Doan, bench press specialist and
IPF Masters Gold Medal winner
If you would like to submit a question for
one of our upcoming interviewees:
1) Please send an e-mail to info@robertsontrainingsystems.com
2) In the subject heading, please list the person your question is directed
towards (i.e. Mike Boyle)
3) In the body of the text, list one or two questions you'd like to have
answered.
We can't promise that our interviewees can
answer all questions, but we'll do our best to get a nice mix of questions.
Thanks for your support!
Latest Articles
Here are Mike's most recent articles:
20 Things I'm Thinking About
10
Reasons You're Still Jacked Up
The
Mobility-Stability Continuum
Stay Strong
MR
www.RobertsonTrainingSystems.com
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