Author: Justin Check

As a personal trainer, my main job is to design and implement exercise programs for my clients that are both effective and appropriate for their fitness goals. Unfortunately, not everyone is able to have the luxury of personal fitness training and if you’re new to exercise it can be very confusing knowing what to do, how much of it to do, and when to do it. So for those looking to start a weekly exercise routine on their own, you must not only understand all the key elements to a well-balanced exercise program, but also consider these 3 things:

1. Your health history– You have to consider any chronic ailments/conditions that are going to affect your ability to exercise; primarily orthopedic issues, but also any hormonal or CNS issues. In your workout routine, you not only need to cautiously work around these chronic issues to not exacerbate them, but you should also focus on exercises that will help to prevent and reduce future episodes/issues (at least at first). The key is to strengthen without irritating, which takes caution, time and consistency. Understand your limitations first and then carefully improve by increasing slowly.
2. Your exercise history/current condition– Your starting point is going to be largely determined by your exercise history and type/amount of exercise (if any) you’ve been doing consistently over the past 3-6 months. As a simple example, someone who has not been doing any regular exercise over the past 6 months should probably start off by doing 1-2 days/week of basic hypertrophy strength training utilizing machines and 1-2 days/week of moderate cardiovascular training. This would be as opposed to jumping right into a cross-training/boot-camp type workout where you’re combining those two elements…it’s always best to start slow and gradually increase the intensity level. Doing to much to quickly can lead to injury and discouragement. Now if you have a history of working out or played sports competitively in your past, then you may have a better foundation of muscle memory that will allow you to jump into a routine more quickly.
3. Your fitness/physique goals– Everyone’s fitness/physique goals are different and you should design your weekly workout routines to be as conducive as possible to your fitness/physique goals. Another simple example, if you’re interested in doing iron-man or triathlon competitions then you wouldn’t want to make hypertrophy strength training the focus of your weekly exercise regimen. Rather, you would focus on cardiovascular training and calisthenics to increase your aerobic capacity and relative strength. On the opposite side, if you’re a smaller framed person looking to build size and strength then you would want to make hypertrophy strength training and power movements the focus of your workout regimen, not cardiovascular training or calisthenics. These are simple examples to the extreme, but regardless of what your fitness goals are it’s important to incorporate all the key elements and types of training into a workout routine that’s conducive to your fitness goals…they all have unique benefits and are all needed for optimal performance.

Once you’ve considered these 3 things it’s time to start experimenting with different combinations of each of the key exercise elements in order to eventually reach your fitness goals…after lots of time, consistency and hard work! Having said that, here are the key elements to a well-balanced exercise program:

1. Aerobic/Cardiovascular Training- Cardiovascular exercise increases your aerobic capacity by training your heart to become more efficient at pumping oxygen-rich blood and nutrients to the rest of your body and muscles. The greater your aerobic capacity is, the easier it will be to exercise and perform demanding tasks without becoming fatigued. Even the bodybuilder should maintain a certain level of cardiovascular health in order to excel at weight training. There are lots of options for cardiovascular training…however you choose to do it, the ultimate goal is to sustain an elevated heart rate for an extended period of time.
2. Resistance/Strength Training- Strength/resistance training is not just for bodybuilders and people who want to look muscular. Strength training has numerous benefits for overall health including increasing bone density, lean muscle, basal metabolism, and reducing body fat…just to name some. Try to strength train at least twice a week and make sure you cover every muscle group of the body at least once per week. Free weights, machines, cables, resistance bands, and body weight exercises are all effective at increasing muscular strength. If you are unsure about how to start strength training, be sure to consult a certified personal trainer at your local fitness center.
3. Flexibility/Range of Motion Exercises- Flexibility is a crucial part of an exercise program and is a necessity for optimal physical fitness and performance. Stretching exercises help improve flexibility and range of motion in the joints throughout the body. People who stretch regularly or practice yoga and Pilates have also been shown to have much lower levels of stress. Just remember, stretching is a type of exercise and you should always warm up by doing at least 5-10 minutes of moderate aerobic activity before engaging in any type of exercise, even stretching. There are studies that show benefits to stretching before and after your workout.
4. Balance & Core Training- Balancing and core exercises are important to do regularly because they help protect you from injury during strenuous activities. Your core is composed of several sets/layers of muscles ranging from your inner and outer abdominals to the postural muscles of the low back and hips. Your core is the foundation for the rest of your body and is the main cluster of muscles that are used the most for balance, which makes them increasingly more important to train as you age.

Your history and fitness goals are what largely determine how and where you can start in an exercise program. Once you “test the waters” and feel comfortable getting into a planned weekly routine, make sure to incorporate all the key exercise elements into a well rounded exercise program and then adjust the frequency/intensity of each element until you find the right combination that’s right for your abilities, body type, and is conducive to your ultimate fitness/physique goals.

Need help designing an exercise program? Feel free to contact me with any questions or to talk about an exercise regimen that’s right for you.

Justin Check, NSCA-CPT, NESTA-FNC
239.209.7878
justin@check-yourself.com

Are you working hard at the gym, but not seeing results? Getting those muscles to show that you spend so much time sculpting is going to greatly depend on what you eat, how much of it you eat, and when you eat it. That can be a difficult thing to figure out yourself with all the misinformation out there on proper nutrition; especially when researching on the internet and listening to your self proclaimed nutrition expert friends at the gym.  Do you really think though that a diet you read about on the internet or a meal plan that your friend follows is going to be a proper meal plan for your body type, exercise/training program, and fitness goals? Probably not! The only way to truly reach your fitness goals and ideal physique is by getting on a meal plan that is custom designed for you and regularly monitored and adjusted by a Ft. Myers nutrition coach with experience.

I offer custom meal planning that is tailored to your body type, fitness goals, training regimen, and taste preferences. There’s no cookie-cutter approach to meal planning that works…only consistency and revisions when necessary!

If you’re ready to start a meal plan and attain your best physique possible…then contact Justin Check, Ft. Myers nutrition coach, to request a meal plan packet and get started on attaining your ideal physique.

Please feel free to visit my website below for more information and for free fitness articles on proper exercise and nutrition techniques that pro’s in the industry follow! You can post any fitness questions you have on my blog or email them to me at the address below.

Your brain and body craves them, but your health driven conscience tells you NO! Well I’m telling you to say YES to fats! You need those deliciously satisfying fats! Dietary (added) fats are the key to a sustainable, healthy eating plan that is well-balanced…and a well balanced meal plan is the key to success! I’ve tried many many different types of meal plans with various macro ratios and I’ve had the most success as far as sustainability and reaching my fitness goals by keeping my added dietary fats around 20% of my total calories; however, healthy ranges can go up to the 30-35% range of your total calories depending on your body type, current condition, activity level, and fitness goals.

When I say “added” fats I’m referring to utilizing natural plant/nut/seed/fish sources (unsaturated fats) in your meal plan to keep the feeling of satiety and to keep your sanity! You know what happens when you go a substantial period of time without fat…you feel like you’re starving regardless of how much protein and carbs you eat…trust me I know! The key is to “add” or plan healthy fats into your daily meals to keep your brain and body satisfied so that you don’t binge later!

What I’ve often come across are people who are “dieting” and trying to lose weight think that they need to stay completely away from fats, but then binge on them over the weekend or late at night which is what leads to that unwanted weight gain or lack of weight loss. Fats have over double the amount of calories per gram than carbohydrates and protein (fat has 9Kcals/g whereas carbohydrates and protein have only 4Kcals/g). Your body only requires so many calories and macros at any given time, so when you binge on a high fat meal (especially saturated/trans fats) you can be certain that most of those calories are going to go right to fat cells. As they always say, eat smaller meals throughout the day instead of 2-3 large meals/day because your body can only digest and utilize so many calories in one sitting…

So to avoid those fat cravings/binges you just need to plan and incorporate some healthy fats into your daily diet. As far as how much fat and when to have the added fats depends on the person, but I can certainly give you some pointers to get you in the right direction.

1. Choosing good sources of dietary “added” fats: All-natural nut butters (peanut, almond, etc..), raw/unsalted nuts/seeds, avocados, vegetable oils (in moderation and not to cook with), whole omega-3 eggs, salmon/fatty fish, coconut oil (in moderation), and oats (yes- believe it or not oats have a good amount of fat in them). Stay away from saturated fats which are found predominantly in animal products (beef, butter, lard, full-fat dairy products, etc…).

2. Quantity and timing of your added fats: In most of the above mentioned fats (nut butters, oils) a single serving size is 1 tbsp. or 1 oz. for nuts/seeds. Your appropriate serving size will vary, but I’ll use my meal plan as an example: I eat 3,800-4,300 Kcals/day depending on the day. Of which 20% is from fats. For argument sake lets use 4,000 Kcals. 20% of 4,000 Kcals is 800 Kcals. There’s 9 Kcals/g of fat, so I try to consume around 90g fat/day. Now that I know how much fat to eat I need to space that out appropriately so that I don’t eat to many calories in one sitting, but also eat enough to feel satisfied throughout the day. There’s roughly 10-15g of fat in the above mentioned serving sizes and I eat 7-8 meals/day, so I usually have 10-15g fat w/breakfast, then 10-15g fat at 4 other meals excluding my post-workout meal (I’ll also skip added fats in a meal if I’m having salmon or beef that day). My “added” fats are a little low because fat occurs naturally in proteins (even lean proteins). This ensures I hit my target numbers and that I’m not eating to many calories at any single meal.

3. Review and adjust your dietary fat intake accordingly to how you feel: I stay pretty satisfied with 75-90g of fat per day, but everyone is different and you have to go with how you feel. I also know that if I’ve had a “cheat” meal or a high fat meal the prior day that my fat pools are probably pretty full still and less added fats are needed the next day or two. Other days when I’ve eaten very clean with a lower intake of added fats (closer to 75g/day) that I’m going to start to feel hungry at some point, so I add in a little more healthy fats to give the feeling of satiety.

Fats will always have a bad wrap, but they’re an essential nutrient for optimal health and for a sustainable meal plan. Don’t avoid eating fats, just make sure you pick the right sources and have them in the right amounts at the right times so you don’t binge or over eat at other times.

Please feel free to post your questions/comments on the NO B.S. FITNESS BLOG at www.check-yourself.com or on my FB business page wall, Check Total Health.

One of the most popular health supplements sold on the market today are protein powders…and boy are there a lot of them. I recommend protein supplementation, such as a powder, to clients all the time for numerous reasons. They’re convenient, easily digested, and offer very high quality protein (most of them) for muscle repair and growth. They also make it much easier to hit your daily target grams of protein, especially for vegetarians (lacto-) and people who are “on the go” a lot. So what’s the best one? Well, that’s not an easily answered question and it’s one that I get all the time.

To find your right protein powder, you have to consider a few different things to narrow it down. Many times people require a couple of different types of protein powders to meet their various needs, so I’m going to go over the major considerations and some possible answers to help you choose the powder(s) that’s right for you. I’m also going to tell you my favorite picks of protein powders for my various uses/times.

Consideration 1. What are you going to use the protein powder for? (e.g. post-workout shake, meal replacement shake, pre-bed shake, are you cooking with it?, etc…)

– For post-workout shakes I would recommend a high quality hydrolized whey (milk) or egg isolate powder because they’re absorbed very quickly and easily; however, most isolates have zero to minimal carbohydrates in them and carbohydrates are extremely important post-workout so you’ll have to add them in.

– For meal replacement shakes it’s really going to depend on your meal plan and macro needs. For example, other than my breakfast, post-workout, and dinner meals I have about 50-60g carbs, 45-50g protein, and <10g fat in my (4) day meals. So I either use an isolate (protein only) and then have 50g carbohydrates from food, or I’ll find a whey protein blend that has close to the same ration of protein and carbohydrates (1:1) in it with minimal fat. Your macro ratios might be different, so find a powder that has a macro ratio close to your plan. Some people are on a carb restricted diet, so you’d want to find a protein blend that’s lower in carbohydrates.

– For pre-bed (last meal) I always recommend a casein protein powder for a couple of reasons. Casein is a slow digesting protein powder, which is ideal for when you’re inactive and it’s high in glutamine which is great for recovery. Just be careful as some casein powders have quite a bit of carbohydrates in them which for most people is not “ideal” before bed.

– For cooking I recommend using only a good old fashioned whey concentrate. Whey isolates are more hydrolized than other blends meaning they breakdown very easily and can be destroyed by direct heat. Casein powders turn into cement when you cook them, so a plain whey concentrate powder is the way to go for cooking/baking.

Consideration 2. Do you have any intolerance’s or diet restrictions? (e.g. intolerance of: lactose, soy, gluten, or a vegetarian/vegan, etc…)

– A lot of people don’t realize that most protein powders are “whey” based meaning they’re made from milk, so if you have a lactose intolerance you may want to avoid whey protein to avoid any GI discomfort/issues. Luckily, you can now get protein powders that are derived from eggs, beef, soy, and even nut/seed/grain/vegetable blends. In my opinion whey protein powders are the highest quality for muscle repair and growth; however, I know plenty of people who are either vegetarian or have a lactose intolerance who can sustain plenty of quality muscle mass on non-whey protein powders.

My Top Protein Powder Picks

1. Dymatize ISO-100 Hydrolized Whey Isolate– For post-workout and sometimes added to my oatmeal in my first meal of the day.

2. Ensure High Protein Shake– For mid-day meals (in emergencies only when I can’t ave solid food) because it has a great ratio of carbs to protein and is low in fat which fits my macros and they taste great!

3. Dymatize Elite Casein– For my pre-bed meal…slow digesting and packed with glutamine for recovery and muscle hydration. It also mixes and tastes much better than any other casein I’ve tried.

Those are my top 3 picks for protein powders and what I use them for. I only recommend you utilize protein powders for either post-workout, emergency meal replacement, or to hit your target grams of protein for the day as a supplement to food intake; however, I would try to not “rely” on protein shakes. Protein powders are a “supplement” meaning they should supplement a well-balanced diet. And remember…like most things in life you usually get what you pay for. The same goes for protein powders, so don’t buy the cheapest one you can find!

Check out all my latest NO B.S. FITNESS blog articles on my website and feel free to post any questions/comments you have.