Hi there: Hope you had a great weekeend. Three points to cover in this email. The first is a question on post-workout nutrition. The second is a reminder of the 1 Month of Training 3 d/wk for $1 deadline this Wednesday. Lastly, I will talk about some goofy things we see in the gym and why they just don't make sense.

1. Post-workout nutrittion - Thanks to SK for submitting the following:

"So a good many of us know that it's important to eat after a workout. My question is, how soon before it's too late to replenish and receive benefit from our training session? Also, does this differ from men to women, say a 105 lbs person compared to someone 200 lbs? And does fitness level play into this at all, an elite athlete vs someone who trains occasionally?"

You are right to eat as soon after your workout as possible. It's hard to say at what point there are no benefits to eating after working out. This can tie in to something called EPOC where the benefits can last for a while. As a rule make sure to eat within an hour. In terms of differences between men and women the difference is one of mass. We were advising one gram of protein for every 10 bs of body weight. So a 150 lbs person would consume 15 grams of protein post-workout and the corresponding carbohydrate intake would be four times as much, or 60 grams of carbs. Whey protein would be an optimal protein choice for both sexes but I wouldn't advise men to use a soy based protein supplement. Lastly, yes it does make a difference if you are someone training for esthetics or performance. We would manipulate the carbs and protein depending on what the goal is and the training cycle of the individual.

2. 1 Month of Training 3 d/wk for $1

This Wednesday is the cut-off for this promotion after which time the regular rate applies and the bonus seminar is not included. Make sure to send your cheque post-marked by Wednesday November 26, 2008 to the address below to ensure your spot. Total for the 3 months of training and the seminar is $601 plus GST. Payments may be split evenly over December 1, January 1 and February 1.

3. Goofy things I see in the gym

Every now and again I'll see something at the gym that has me shaking my head. Most recently it was while I was away at a conference in the states and stopped in for a workout of my own. There was someone wearing a weighted vest. These have become increasing popular lately and are a great way of overloading the body for activities where the body has to move. Think lunges, squats, sprints, chin-ups or anything where the whole body has to move. This device is especially beneficial for power development as opposed to hypertrophy or strength training but I'll explain that more in a future email.

Anyways, this individual is wearing the vest like a proud SWAT team member but is doing no bodyweight based exercises. He's doing bench presses, flies and biceps curls all on machines where his bodyweight is supported and there is no core stabilization required! This makes no sense. It would be like wearing this 40 lbs vest to bed at night and expecting to burn extra calories by doing so. You need to move your body, change your center of mass, overcome inertia and control momentum to reap the benefits this cool training device can offer.

I could brush my teeth with a screw driver but I would prefer to use a toothbrush. Don't lose sight of the best way to train a particular for a particular aspect of fitness or what the best use of a tool may be.

Your friend in fitness.

Chris

PO Box 20129
RPO Towne Centre
Kelowna, BC V1Y 9H2

www.okanaganpeakperformance.com
250.212.2972
facebook group - Okanagan Peak Performance