Category: No B.S. Fitness Blog

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Body Weight vs. Body Composition

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Justin Check, NSCA-CPT, FNC

Check Total Health, LLC

239.209.7878

justin@check-yourself.com

www.check-yourself.com

One of the most frustrating concepts to grasp for many people (usually more so for woman than men) is the difference between body weight and body composition and how each differently influence your overall physique. I’ve looked great at 200 lbs. and I’ve looked great at 220 lbs. How can that be? It’s simple- body composition will ALWAYS determine how good your physique looks, not body weight. It all comes down to the type of physique that you want and how long you’re willing to work and wait to get it. One thing will always be certain though…the lower your body fat percentage is the better you’ll look, which is not necessarily true about your body weight.

Time and time again I’ve witnessed the frustrations of friends and clients who’ve put in plenty of hard work at the gym, but didn’t see quick nor big drops in the number on the scale. This is very normal and in fact the right way to lose excess weight (fat) if that’s in fact your goal. Reason being that your body is only capable of metabolizing so much fat for energy in a weeks time (1-3 pounds on average), so when you see or hear of somebody losing large amounts of weight in a weeks time you can almost be certain that a lot of it is from retained fluids (water weight) and possibly some muscle mass if they aren’t eating properly. So if you’re more worried about how good you look in a bathing suit, then I would suggest you stop stepping on the scale every day and start worrying more about your body composition as oppose to your body weight.

Your body composition is simply the ratio of your muscle to fat (body fat %). It doesn’t matter if you’re 5′ 5″ and 105 lbs. or if your 5′ 5″ and 125 lbs. The bottom line is if your body fat percentage is low then you’re going to look lean and healthy. Who do you think looks better in a bikini- a 5′ 5″, 105 lb. woman at 25% body fat or a 5′ 5″, 125 lb. woman at 13% body fat? The 125 lb. woman has about 10 pounds less of fat on her and is certainly going to look better and healthier. Main reason being is that muscle is much more dense and heavier than fat (about 5x heavier in fact), so 10 pounds of muscle is much much smaller than 10 pounds of fat and it works the same when it’s on your body!

So unless you’re trying to become a competitive body builder or make weight for a sport you’re in, stop worrying so much about your weight and start trusting the process. It takes time, but if you focus more on your body composition rather than your body weight you’ll not only see more of your true results, but keep your sanity as well! If you’re curious on how to test your body composition, please feel free to contact me for a free 9 point caliper body fat test which is the second most accurate method to testing body composition. Under-water hydro-static weighing is the most accurate method, but is very costly and is usually only done by major athletic  training facilities and human performance clinics.

Be sure to check out the NO B.S. FITNESS blog regularly on  my website or on my Facebook pages for free information and advice on fitness topics that are practiced and preached by experienced fitness professionals!

 

 

 

 

 

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Meal Planning

showpicHave you ever heard that getting in shape is 90% diet? Well it is! Don’t get me wrong…exercise is crucial to getting fit and looking good with your shirt off; however, I can tell you from my personal and professional experience that at the end of the day what you eat will absolutely make the most difference in your physique.

It’s difficult for someone to know what to eat, how much eat, and when to eat it, especially with all the fad dieting tricks and plethora of unhealthy food items available to us today. You can spend hours and hours in the gym and erase all of your hard work in just a few bites! Don’t waste your efforts by not following a meal plan! It’s a must for seeing results and reaching your fitness goals.

I make meal planning easy, sustainable, and very feasible. No fish and asparagus diets here…my meal planning is custom tailored to your taste preferences, eating habits/schedule, body type, fitness goals, and keeps the USDA’s recommendations in mind with plenty of variety and balance. The best part is meal planning can be done completely via phone and email.

Meal planning is a process that requires weekly reviewing and revisions when necessary. I give 100% nutrition coaching throughout the process with weekly check-ins to make sure we’re staying on track. My meal planning packets include a body composition analysis, macronutrient needs/breakdown for the entire day and every single meal, plenty of macro options/alternatives for every meal with your appropriate portions, cooking/prepping instructions, and weekly guidelines to follow. This is the real deal meal planning!

Please feel free to contact me, Justin Check at (239) 209-7878 or justin@check-yourself.com for more information or to request a meal planning packet to get started! It’s real simple…if you want to get in great shape, get on a meal plan and follow it!

 

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!SUMMER SPECIAL! Mobile Personal Training and Meal Planning

IMG_6738- croppedTime to shed some fat and hit the beaches people! Take advantage of my summer time special while it lasts! For a limited time I’m offering $150 off of a 10 session mobile personal training package (normally $600, now $450) plus free planning (normally $350, now FREE). I only have a few prime time training slots available, so act quickly if you’re interested! For more information on mobile personal training and meal planning, or to schedule a consultation contact Justin Check at (239) 209-7878 or justin@check-yourself.com. You can also find more information about what I do at http://check-yourself.com/ft-myers-mobile-personal-trainer/

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Free Personal Trainer Meal Plan

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Free personal trainer meal plan! Check out my current “maintenance” meal plan. Maintenance periods are important to do for giving your central nervous system, digestion system, liver, and kidneys a break from the building and leaning periods. The goal is to maintain as much muscle mass as possible without letting your body fat % get above a predetermined number (trying to keep it low). 10-12% body fat is very healthy and feasible to maintain (for men). It keeps enough fat on you for easy satiety and plenty of energy while still keeping an “athletic” look. I’ll typically do 3 month periods of each- 3 months building (high calories/macros), then 3 months leaning (lower calories/macros), and then 3 months maintaining (moderate calories/macros).

Height: 6′ 2″     Weight: 215 lbs.     Waist: 33″     Body Fat: ≈10-12%

Calories: Training days- intake ≈4,000 Kcals/ net ≈3,500 Kcals        Non-training days- net ≈3,500-3,000 Kcals

# of meals/day: 7-8, depending on training day

Macros Ratio (%carbs, %protein, %fats of total daily calories): roughly 40/40/20

My Maintenance Meal Plan

Meal 1: 70-75g carbohydrates/50-60g protein/5-10g fat

Higher+moderate  glycemic carbohydrate sources (varies): old fashioned oats or cream of white rice, mixed berries or sometimes banana

Faster digesting protein sources: egg whites and/or whey isolate protein powder

Fat sources: whole omega-3 eggs

Meal 2 (Pre/Intra/Post-workout): 100-125g carbohydrates/45-50g protein/0-5g fat

Very high glycemic carbohydrate sources: Karbolyn powder or gatorade, cereal or pop-tart/cereal bar or white rice cakes

Faster digesting protein sources: Whey isolate protein powder

No added fats

Meal 3 (1 hour after post-workout meal): 60-75g carbohydrates/45-50g protein/5-10g fat

Higher to moderate glycemic carbohydrate sources: white jasmine rice or white potato

Moderately digesting protein sources: chicken breast or turkey breast or lean beef or white fish

No added fats

Meal 4 (2-3 hours later): 50-60g carbohydrates/45-60g protein/10g fat

Moderate glycemic carbohydrate sources: long grain white rice or sweet potato and/or green vegetables

Moderately digesting protein sources: chicken breast or turkey breast or white fish

Fat sources: omega-fatty acids supplement or all-natural nut butter or unsalted almonds/peanuts

Meal 5 (2-3 hours later): 40-50g carbohydrates/45-50g protein/0-5g fat

Moderate to low glycemic carbohydrate sources: old fashioned oats or sweet potato and/or fibrous fruit (apple/berries) and/or green vegetables

Moderately digesting protein sources: chicken breast or turkey breast or white fish

No added fats

Meal 6 (2-3 hours later): 30-40g carbohydrates/45-50g protein/ <10g fat

Very low glycemic carbohydrates sources: mixed vegetables and/or mixed green salad

Moderately digesting protein sources: chicken breast or turkey breast or lean beef

No added fats

Pre-Bed Meal (30-45 minutes before bed): <10g carbohydrates/45-50g protein/10-15g fat

Very low glycemic carbohydrate sources: fiber powder supplement

Slow digesting protein sources: Casein protein powder

Fat sources: All-natural nut butter

Not an appropriate “maintenance” meal plan for every guy out there, but now you know how I eat for a good chunk of the year! Check back for when I begin another meal plan period to see how my body and corresponding meal plan changes! Feel free to post any questions/comments you have on the NO B.S. FITNESS BLOG or my Facebook business page.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Cape Coral Personal Trainer

Cropped head shotHello! My name is Justin Check, owner/operator of Check Total Health and NSCA certified Cape Coral personal trainer and nutrition coach with over 8 years of experience. Check Total Health is the premier mobile Cape Coral personal trainer and nutrition coaching service where I bring the workouts right to you with plenty of variety!

I design custom workouts around your personal needs, health issues, schedule, and fitness goals and make them as convenient for you as possible! At your home, at the park, or even at your job! I also offer custom meal plans, as well as give free nutrition coaching to anyone committed to a discounted personal training package to make sure you’re making the most of your workouts and getting results.

If you’re ready to start an exercise program, but don’t want to deal with the hassles that come with going to a gym and getting a “cookie-cutter” workout, then contact Justin Check at Check Total Health for a free consultation. I look forward to hearing from you!

Phone: 239.209.7878           Email: justin@check-yourself.com           Web: www.check-yourself.com

 

 

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Check Out My Exercise Program

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I get asked all the time…how much I exercise?…how many days/week?… How long?… What type of workouts I do?… Etc. So I’ve decided to share with you the basic structure of my current exercise program.  Please keep in mind that my exercise program is not necessarily appropriate for you, your current condition, your fitness goals, or your body type. Also keep in mind that this is an exercise program that I’m currently following for my CURRENT GOALS, which change periodically throughout the year.

My Exercise Program (in a nut-shell)

5 days/week of resistance training that focuses on 1 to a maximum of 2 muscle groups (back, chest, bi’s, tri’s, legs, shoulders, abs) for 60-75 minutes. I’ll typically do 6-8 different isolation exercises per workout, depending on what muscle(s) I’m focusing on. I always isolate larger muscle groups alone for a single workout (legs, back), but will alternate week to week pairing two different smaller muscle groups (bi’s & tri’s or shoulder’s & abs or chest & bi’s or shoulder’s & tri’s) together in 1 or 2 different workouts. I change up training techniques every 2-3 weeks for each muscle group as well. Some weeks I may perform lots of slow eccentric movements or “negatives” and other weeks I switch to incorporating more power/explosive movements…among others. I also try to constantly switch up what exercises I start and end with for each muscle group as you tend to go heavier in the beginning and lighter towards the end of a workout and it’s good to go heavy and light for different exercises. I do not have designated days for a particular muscle group. I go by how my body feels and what muscle group feels fully recovered and fresh to destroy!

1 day/week of cross training (CrossFit) where I focus on a lot of multi-joint/ full-body movements, as well as calisthenics. The idea is to keep my heart rate very elevated while performing resistance training to increase muscle V02 capacity and  muscle glycogen capacity (endurance). I’ll typically do a circuit of 6-8 different exercises for 45-60 minutes in duration with minimal breaks (4-5) 30-60 second breaks.

2 days/week of moderate cardiovascular training  done separately only on days where I’ve worked a smaller muscle group (arms, abs, etc..), but never on cross training days or on large muscle group days (legs, back). This is a workout focused on burning fat and sweating as much as possible, so I’ll do walk/jog intervals outside in the middle of the day for 30-45 minutes. I keep it at a very moderate intensity level as to not burn to many carbohydrates and I always do my cardio training several hours after resistance training to make sure I’m not depriving my muscles!

1 day/week of complete rest!

That’s my current exercise program for my current goals. If you have questions about what you should be doing in your exercise program for your fitness goals, please feel free to contact me for some guidance!

Be sure to check back soon to my blog or on my Facebook business page for my next blog on my current meal plan and nutritional intake. Feel free to post any questions/comments you have on my Facebook business page wall. NO B.S. FITNESS blog!

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Ft. Myers Mobile Personal Trainer

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Hello! My name is Justin Check, owner/operator of Check Total Health and NSCA certified personal trainer & nutrition coach with over 8 years of experience. Check Total Health is the premier Ft. Myers mobile personal trainer service in SWFL. What separates me from others? Passion, professionalism, and experience!

Look no further- busy moms, workaholics, and sufferers of “gymtimidation!” My Ft. Myers mobile personal trainer and nutrition coaching service makes getting your workouts done easy and extremely convenient. At home, at the park, or even at your job! You can get or stay fit without the hassles that come with going to a gym. I bring it all to you with plenty of variety. Customized workouts designed around your health needs, schedule, and fitness goals. I also give free nutrition coaching and offer meal planning to make sure you get the results you’re looking for! For more information or to learn more about me, visit www.check-yourself.com, or feel free to contact me directly at justin@check-yourself.com. I look forward to hearing from you!

 

 

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Carbohydrates!

Probably the trickiest macronutrient in my opinion to get a hold on for conditioning. Too many carbohydrates in your daily diet can easily contribute to fat cells, but too little carbohydrates in your diet will make you feel like ripping someone’s head off and limit your muscle building capability! I know people who have to eat less than 150g carbs/day to not put on fat and then there’s people like me who can eat up to 500g carbs/day without contributing to fat cells. It all comes down to your current conditioning, body type, and how much daily physical activity you get.

Carbohydrates are your fuel. Your body is genetically programmed to recognize carbohydrates as its main source of energy. Carbs are stored throughout the body, primarily in your liver, blood, and skeletal muscle. During exercise, we burn stored carbs in our muscle tissue which are then replaced by either stored carbs in your liver or “free” carbs floating in the blood.

Here’s where it gets tricky. If your blood sugar (carb) levels get too high and your muscle and liver carb capacities are fulfilled, where do you think those blood sugars get sent? Right to fat cells! So your carbohydrate needs will depend on your carbohydrate capacity (amount your body can store in the liver and skeletal muscle) and how much daily physical activity you do. There’s 2 ways to increase your carb needs and they both go hand and hand:

1. Increase your total capacity– one of the major benefits and adaptations that takes place from regularly engaging in resistance training is your body naturally increases it’s macronutrient capacities, primarily carbohydrates. The more you workout, the more your body will adapt to better handle that stress which means increasing it’s fuel (carbs) capacity.

2. Increase your total workload– Most of the time during exercise our bodies will tap into various fuel sources. You’ve probably heard that working out at a lower intensity will allow your body to use stored calories (fat) for fuel and working out at a higher intensity will burn more carbohydrates for fuel….and there is some truth to that; however, your body is never just burning carbohydrates or just burning fat for fuel. Rather, it’s more complex than that and usually a combination of the two depending on the intensity and type of exercise you’re doing. The bottom line is the best way to increase your carb capacity and workload is to do a combination of higher intensity training (such as cross training or vigorous cardio) and lower intensity training (such as resistance training or low/slow cardio). Both have their benefits for increasing your carb capacity and should be done regularly, but the combo will depend on your fitness goals. It’s pretty simple…the more you workout, the more carbohydrates you can eat.

The next tricky part with carbs is the amount, timing, and type. I could spend days writing about these topics, so I’m going to try to keep it simple.

Amount– we discussed above how your carb capacity is determined and how to increase it. In general, I suggest an active person to make at least 40% of their total calories carbohydrates (the USDA recommends 45-65%) . Carbohydrates have 4 calories/gram, so if you’re on a 2,000 calorie diet then you would start off eating roughly 200g carbs/day and then adjust up or down according to your weight goals/fluctuations, energy levels, and activity level.

Timing- there’s two times of the day when carbohydrates are crucial, even if you’re on a low-carb diet. Your first meal after you’ve slept and fasted for hopefully 6-8 hours and then immediately post-workout. Everyone should consume carbohydrates during these times as your carb stores are depleted during these times. As your physical activity decreases, so should your carbohydrate intake. I workout in the morning, so I have a first meal of complex and simple carbohydrates and then a meal with simple carbs right after my workout. Then for the rest of the day I start reducing and switching to more complex carbohydrates until dinner where I have very little (mainly vegetable sources of carbs).

Type- as to keep it simple we’ll just say there’s primarily two types of carbohydrates- simple and complex, even though with all the food items available today most are a combo of the two. Simple carbs (such as sugary beverages, cereals, breads, white rice, white potatos, etc…) will digest and absorb into your blood stream more quickly as opposed to complex carbs (fibrous carbs, brown rice, whole oats, sweet potatoes, etc…) which will digest and release into the blood stream more slowly. So, if you’re in a fasted or depleted state (like right when you wake up or right after vigorous exercise) it would make more sense to ingest simple carbs during that time to get your stores back up quickly and spare your muscle tissue from potential atrophy. Complex carbs should be utilized to keep a steady digestion of carbs into the blood stream to minimize insulin spikes when your liver and muscle capacities are already high.

Everyone’s needs and body is different, so trial and error is the only way to figure out your carbohydrate needs; however, I always recommend starting off with 40% carbohydrates of your total calories/day and adjusting accordingly. Keep the simple carbs for only post-workout and some at breakfast and then stick with more complex carbohydrates as you become less active.

Feel free to post any questions/comments on my website or FB business page for a discussion. NO B.S. FITNESS!

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Keep the Supplements Simple

showpicThe supplement industry is a multi-billion dollar industry. There number one target…naive, overweight Americans looking for quick fix solutions to getting to a healthy weight. Well I’m here to tell you that 90% of the supplements on the market today are for the most part a waste of money. Take a look at my physique competition picture.  I’m going to tell you exactly what supplements I was taking throughout my 5 1/2 month prep period to get to that conditioning.

1. Isolate Whey Protein Powder– Utilized primarily as my post-workout protein source (45g-50g). Isolate whey protein is simply whey (milk) protein where everything has been removed except the amino acids (proteins). No carbohydrates and no fats, just pure protein. Most isolate protein powders are hydrolized, which makes them extremely easy to digest and absorbed very quickly…which is good after a hard workout of resistance training.

2. BCAA’s– Utilized primarily intra-workout or post-workout depending on if I was having a slower digesting protein source after my workout like a lean meat. BCAA’s are found in all complete protein sources, so if you’re eating plenty of protein most of the time they’re not even necessary. When your macronutrient capacities and demands are very high they can be beneficial during or immediately after a long, hard bout of exercise.

3. Digestive Enzymes– When you’re eating as many calories as I was you want to maximize macronutrient breakdown and digestion. Digestive enzymes help to do this if you take them consistently. I would take 1-2 capsules every other meal. I will caution you that I’ve heard they can cause some people gas, but I did not experience this.

4. Omega Fatty Acids- Omega fatty acids are crucial for numerous reasons (muscle growth, joint health, hormone production, protein transports…among others). When you’re eating extremely clean and controlling every gram of fat you intake, you have to supplement in some healthy fats to your diet. I use an omega supplement that has a variety of different omega-3 and 6 fatty acids.

5. Creatine Monohydrate- This one I have mixed feeling about whether it’s necessary for physique conditioning purposes. Creatine is a form of energy stored in muscle tissue that’s used primarily during quick, power type movements when oxygen supplies are limited and glycogen breakdown takes to long to yield energy for the movement. Unless you’re a power lifter or someone doing very high-intensity type movements frequently for your workouts I wouldn’t suggest creatine to clients. It also tends to make you feel bloated and hold more water.

6. Pre-Workout Drinks- Pre-workout drinks aren’t for everybody, but I definitely get better pumps and more energy when I drink them before I workout. Most pre-workout drinks are combinations of stimulants, vaso-dilators, nitric oxide boosters, and creatine. The more efficiently your heart can pump fresh oxygenated blood to your hard working muscles, the less fatigued you’ll get and the harder/longer you can workout. All the above mentioned ingredients help with this.

That’s it! KISS-keep it simple stupid! Keep the supplements limited. If you’re eating a well balanced diet and exercising regularly you don’t need a bunch of costly supplements. And please don’t waste your money on “fat burners.” All fat burners are just stimulants and/or thermogenics that increase your heart rate and body temperature which slightly increases your metabolism. Exercising and eating properly portioned meals every 2-3 hours will keep your metabolism rocking!

 

Please feel free to post any questions or comments on my website or FB business page wall for a discussion! NO B.S. FITNESS!

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My Top 5 Tips for Weight Management

Justin Check, Fitness Expert

It can be very confusing for someone to manage their weight with all the fad diets, weight loss gimmicks, and nutrition misinformation out there. So I’m going to tell you my top 5 recommendations that you should always follow that will make weight management easier. No tricks or miracle supplements here…just lifestyle habits that yield permanent results!

 

 

“I want to lose weight by eating nothing but moon pies, which have significantly less gravity than earthier foods such as fruits and vegetables.” – Jarod Kintz, I Want

Tip #1

Portion Control– Our bodies require only so many calories and macronutrients at any given time. Everything from gender, activity level, exercise history, muscle mass, and genetic predispositions (just to name a few) dictate one’s daily caloric needs. The easiest way to properly portion your meals is to divide your total needed daily calories evenly across all your meals.

For example, if you need to consume less than 1,500 calories/day to lose weight and you eat 5 meals per day then each of your meals should be no more than 300 calories each. This will not only ensure that you stay under your target calories for the day, but also that your body is burning each meal for fuel and not sending excess calories to fat cells.

Tip # 2

Use MyFitness Pal- The bottom line for losing weight is burning more calories than you consume each day. In order to do this you must keep a food log to track how many calories you’re consuming. There’s a great weight loss tool that I recommend to all my clients called MyFitnessPal. Not only does it roughly calculate your daily calorie needs for you, but it also has an electronic food database with over 2,000,000 food items that you can search and log in your daily diary. By recording everything you eat and drink, you can make sure you stay under your allotted calories for the day and start losing the weight!

Tip #3

Follow the MyPlate Guide-MyPlate was designed by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) to help average Americans manage their weight. The MyPlate nutritional guide helps you to properly balance your calories, make better food choices and develop healthier eating habits. It’s very easy to follow and ensures that you eat a well-balanced diet that satisfies the USDA’s recommendations.

Tip #4

Drink Plenty of Water- The quickest way to add unwanted calories to your daily intake is by drinking sugary, carbonated beverages. Ditch the sodas and all other flavored beverages and replace them with plain water. A general rule of thumb is to drink at least 8 large glasses of water per day, but I recommend at least 1 gallon per day.

Tip #5

Get Plenty of Physical Activity- Exercise not only burns immediate calories, but increases your overall metabolism and caloric needs for the rest of the day. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control & Prevention) recommends that American adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity every week and 2 or more days of strength training every week. My recommendation is to workout more days/week than not, so a minimum of 4 days/week for at least 60 minutes each.

Forget the fads and one trick fixes. The only way to truly manage your weight is to religiously practice healthy lifestyle habits like the ones mentioned above. You’ll see permanent results, feel good, and know that you’ve earned it!

Feel free to post any questions or comments you have on my Facebook business page: www.facebook.com/checkfitness and be sure to check back frequently for my latest blog articles on NO B.S. FITNESS.