The Average to Athletic Podcast: Recent Episodes
Graham Tuttle
Strength and performance coach Graham Tuttle breaks down the components of elite athleticism to teach you how to improve your strength, movement, and athletic skills. We answer your biggest questions about how to be more confident and capable!
Today I had the chance to talk with the one and only Daniel Strauss. Otherwise known as The Raspberry Ape.
We discuss Jiu Jitsu, Grappling, the history and art of lifting heavy rocks, grip training, and other assorted items.
In addition to a lovely accent, Dan has a wonderfully unique view of the world. He's a collector, coach, and all around strong man. You'll enjoy this.
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Get his new book here: Grip Training For Grapplers
Follow him on Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/raspberry_ape/?hl=en
Mark is a badass! He's who I want to be when I grow up. His recent venture has been into footwear with Peluva shoes. It's the toes separated, 5 finger model with a big more cushion. And I love them.
We talk about a whole bunch of stuff here. And though I'm not the best host, Mark made up for it with tons of knowledge. If you're interested in shoes, running, and being a human, you'll love this.
Follow Mark's adventures here: https://www.instagram.com/marksissonprimal/?hl=en
Get a pair of Peluvas here: https://peluva.com
If you want to hang out with me more, start that here: https://unbreakableacademy.org/
Another chat with my good friend and fellow coach Greg. We discuss the aftermath of our recent psychedelic adventures and lessons we're exploring in learning to trust the body.
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Subscribe if you like this and share if you found it valuable.
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You can find great @neverpastyourprime everywhere and neverpastyourprime.com
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And if you want to get involved with me, everything you need to know happens at unbreakableacademy.org
If you haven't heard of Brady before, you're in for a treat. This guy is a powerhouse. Mentally, emotionally, and physically. I met him when he came out to do the Power Project Podcast and started following him after.
Unfortunately/fortunately he fell and busted his wrist a few weeks later. This was right after I'd separated my shoulder AC joint. I was really impressed with the way he handled his rehab and it matched my thoughts exactly.
So, I figured the best option was to grab him for a masterclass on how to rehab any injury effectively. This conversation did not disappoint.
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You can find Brady on Instagram here (his link in bio will take you anywhere else you want to go): https://www.instagram.com/dacperformanceandhealth/reels/
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And you can grab my FREE Athletic Foundations program to get you out of pain here: https://unbreakableacademy.org/af
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Thanks for listening. Share this, subscribe, and all that fun stuff.
Back again with the wise and talented Greg Pignataro. Fellow coach and good friend. Today we discussed Greg's experience as a college soccer player, his injuries, the relationship between pain and psychology, and his experience doing a 7 day darkness retreat! As always, it's great and I learned a lot.
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Greg's Website: https://neverpastyourprime.com/
Greg's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neverpastyourprime/
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And if you want to get started working through your issues, I got free programs for you. Start here: https://unbreakableacademy.org/
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Oh, and subscribe and share and all that.
Hello! So I had a little accident with a hard fall at my BJJ competition last weekend and ended up with a separated AC joint in my shoulder. It's not fun. But luckily for me, I had a friend and fellow coach reach out to say he'd been through the same thing and recovered fully from it. So, I figured it'd be a perfect time to grab him for a podcast to talk all about shoulders.
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Hunter Wooten is a coach and former Olympic Weightlifter. He's been around the block with it comes to training. I hope you enjoy the conversation!
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Check out Hunter's Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/huntersgaragegym/
If you're in Anchorage, Alaska, you can meet up to train with him in person at his gym there. Learn more here: https://huntersgaragegym.com/
And learn more about Richard Aceves and the Moved Academy here: https://www.movedacademy.com/
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And to join my free barefoot community for pain fix programs and free weekly coaching, go here: https://unbreakableacademy.org/
Each week I write 5 blogs. They live on Substack at The Daily Sprint. But some people would rather listen than read. So I've recorded the audio version.
Each week I'll read all 5 blogs and add in my expanded thoughts or updated opinions as I see fit. This week we covered blogs #16-20.
Here are the specific links to each if you want to read more or see any associated links:
16) The Long Game - https://thedailysprint.substack.com/p/the-long-game
17) Weaponized Health - https://thedailysprint.substack.com/p/weaponized-health
18) Why Running Hurts - https://thedailysprint.substack.com/p/why-running-hurts-you
19) 15 Minute Rewinding - https://thedailysprint.substack.com/p/15-minute-re-wilding
20) Risk and Reward - https://thedailysprint.substack.com/p/risk-and-reward
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If you like this and like me, subscribe to The Daily Sprint for free here - https://thedailysprint.substack.com/
And if you want to fix your pain and move better, get my FREE 6-week Athletic Foundations course here:
https://unbreakableacademy.org/af
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Thanks for listening! If you like this, subscribe to the podcast for more. I appreciate you!
I really enjoyed this conversation with Hayden. He doesn't have much of a social media presence but he's an expert in real life.
He messaged me on Instagram with some really insightful advice on soft tissue. So, I followed up and ended up grabbing him for a deep dive talk on soft tissue, massage therapy, and a better way to understand the body!
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He's also an author. You can grab his book "Your Connective Tissue Profile" at this link on Amazon.
And you can follow him on Instagram here!
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I hope you enjoyed this! Subscribe and all that if you did. And, of course, grab my 6-Week body reset Athletic Foundation program for free here if you want to be next year's prom king or queen.
I had the immense pleasure of a fun little biopic with Chris Chamberlin. @erodingweakness on Instagram.
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He's a wonderful guy. Kind, conscientious, and incredibly smart. Oh, and he's also a total beast. Like, not an exaggeration. He does things I can't even comprehend. Watch his Instagram reels and you'll see what I mean.
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We talk about his background and how he became the man he is. Which means I just asked him a bunch of personal questions. I guess that's my style! Anyway, I enjoyed it thoroughly. And I laughed a lot which is a good sign.
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Learn more about all of the Weck Method products and their coaching resources here!
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Follow Chris on Instagram here!
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Get my free 6 week Athletic Foundation program here!
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Subscribe and share if you want!
What this episode lacks in audio quality it makes up for with person quality. DJ Is a gem. He's one of my favorite follows on social media. Even though he doesn't post much, his stories are full of the off-the-wall stuff he's learning about. He's a deep thinker, self aware, and incredibly kind human. I enjoyed this a lot, you will too.
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DJ's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/strongcamps/
DJ's Linktree with links to all his stuff: https://campsite.bio/strongcamps
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From my end, here's a free 6 week program to fix your pain and restore your movement! https://unbreakableacademy.org/af
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Subscribe follow and all that! Thanks!
Each week I write 5 blogs. They live on Substack at The Daily Sprint. But some people would rather listen than read. So I've recorded the audio version.
Each week I'll read all 5 blogs and add in my expanded thoughts or updated opinions as I see fit. This week we covered blogs #11-15.
Here are the specific links to each if you want to read more or see any associated links:
1) The Word Became Flesh - https://thedailysprint.substack.com/p/the-word-became-flesh
2) Embodied Knowledge - https://thedailysprint.substack.com/p/embodied-knowledge
3) Breakthrough Or Breakup - https://thedailysprint.substack.com/p/breakthrough-or-breakup
4) Blue Light Problems - https://thedailysprint.substack.com/p/blue-light-problems
5) Are You An NPC? - https://thedailysprint.substack.com/p/are-you-an-npc
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If you like this and like me, subscribe to The Daily Sprint for free here - https://thedailysprint.substack.com/
And if you want to get healthy and be an athlete again, get the best pain-fix program in the world for free here:
https://unbreakableacademy.org/af
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Thanks for listening! If you like this, subscribe to the podcast for more. I appreciate you!
Another chat with Greg Pignataro (@neverpastyourprime on the socials). Today we talk about studies. Some of the highlights:
- Studies can provide useful data points, but your lived experience is invaluable.
- People often appeal to studies as an excuse for intellectual laziness or to dismiss others.
- The most meaningful questions are sometimes unethical to study.
- Your life is a lifelong experiment of one. Take studies as data points, but trust your experience.
If you enjoy this, subscribe and rate it highly, duh.
Greg's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/neverpastyourprime/
Greg's Website - https://neverpastyourprime.com/
My FREE Functional Feet Program - https://unbreakable-academy.getlearnworlds.com/course/ff
Each week I write 5 blogs. They live on Substack at The Daily Sprint. But some people would rather listen than read. So I've recorded the audio version.
Each week I'll read all 5 blogs and add in my expanded thoughts or updated opinions as I see fit. This week we went back to the beginning to start with Blogs #6-10.
Here are the specific links to each if you want to read more or see any associated links:
1) A Different Look At Toiltries - https://thedailysprint.substack.com/p/a-different-look-at-toiletries
2) The Hardest Part Of Injury - https://thedailysprint.substack.com/p/the-hardest-part-of-injury
3) Roadbumps and Roadblocks - https://thedailysprint.substack.com/p/roadbumps-and-roadblocks
4) "It Rubs The Lotion On The Skin" - https://thedailysprint.substack.com/p/it-rubs-the-lotion-on-its-skin
5) The Long Middle - https://thedailysprint.substack.com/p/the-long-middle
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If you like this and like me, subscribe to The Daily Sprint for free here - https://thedailysprint.substack.com/
And if you want to get healthy and be an athlete again, get the best pain-fix program in the world for free here:
https://unbreakableacademy.org/af
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Thanks for listening! If you like this, subscribe to the podcast for more. I appreciate you!
Richard is BACK! Though it's only been a few episodes since his last appearance, a lot has transpired. Richard came out to do a seminar that I participated in and I spent 5 days studying the man. I asked a million questions and learned a lot.
SO, I figured we should do a second round to have a more pointed discussion. And that's what we did! Breathing, more effective weight lifting, Swami, and psychology. This is great. You'll love it.
This is the Power Project podcast that Mark and Nsima did with Richard. It's a great episode to learn more: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5JyDeMXIHQ5IZbMmOFYish?si=80b1da8cd1124f0a
If you haven't already, follow Richard on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/rarebarracuda/?hl=en
And check out his work with Moved Academy here: https://linktr.ee/movedacademy
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And if you want to fix your feet, I have a free course for you here: https://unbreakable-academy.getlearnworlds.com.course/ff
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Thanks for listening. Subscribe and tell me how much you loved it!
Brendan is an ER doctor that's transitioning to focus specifically on inflammation. And unlike me who just plays one on the internet, he's the real deal. We talk about the immune system, inflammation, and whether he'd rather be stabbed or shot. Some key highlights:
- Chronic inflammation is an underlying issue behind many chronic illnesses that often goes undiagnosed.
- Innate immune system dysfunction can lead to exaggerated immune responses and chronic inflammation.
- New diagnostic tests like genie testing allow doctors to see which genes are activated and causing inflammation.
- Treatments like cholesterol medications, MSH, and plasma-aging precursors show promise for reducing inflammation and reversing symptoms.
- Doctors need more education on diagnosing and treating innate immune dysfunction and chronic inflammation.
This was great. I learned a ton and really enjoyed the chance to learn from someone on the front lines. If you're interested in working with Brandon or learning more about his new operation, you can find out more here.
As always, thanks for listening. Subscribe and tell me how great I am... Please. And Thanks.
Trying a new thing here - recording the audio for the blogs. Each week I write 5 blogs. They live on Substack at The Daily Sprint. But some people would rather listen than read. So I've recorded the audio version.
Each week I'll read all 5 blogs and add in my expanded thoughts or updated opinions as I see fit. This week we went back to the beginning to start with Blogs #1-5.
Here are the specific links to each if you want to read more or see any associated links:
1) We're Using The Gym Wrong - https://thedailysprint.substack.com/p/were-using-the-gym-wrong
2) Back To The Ground - https://thedailysprint.substack.com/p/back-to-the-ground
3) I Got A DEXA Scan Yesterday - https://thedailysprint.substack.com/p/i-got-a-dexa-scan-yesterday
4) Should You Get Scanned? -
https://thedailysprint.substack.com/p/should-i-get-scanned
5) Tan Lines Aren't Cool -
https://thedailysprint.substack.com/p/tan-lines-arent-cool
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If you like this and like me, subscribe to The Daily Sprint for free here - https://thedailysprint.substack.com/
And if you want to get healthy and be an athlete again, get the best foot-fix program in the world for free here:
https://unbreakable-academy.getlearnworlds.com/
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Thanks for listening! If you like this, subscribe to the podcast for more. I appreciate you!
On this episode I converse with my friend and fellow coach Greg Pignataro. He's a deep thinker and I enjoy his perspective. We talk about if you can be healthy AND elite at a sport or physical ability. And I think we came to a good conclusion.
If you like this, I think we'll do more and make this a weekly or biweekly thing. Regardless, I've got plans to make the podcast more consistent. I need outlets for my brain!
You can find Greg at neverpastyourprime.com and @neverpastyourprime on Instagram.
And if you want the best foot program in the world for free, go to https://unbreakable-academy.getlearnworlds.com
I had the lovely opportunity to talk to Richard Aceves to learn about his approach to addressing the emotional and physical pains that ail us. Not only does this guy bear a striking resemblance to Clark Kent, he's also a brilliant mind.
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We talked about how the muscles and psychology work together, how your training in the gym mirrors your life outside the gym, and how to make your workouts meaningful.
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Also - we're doing a full day seminar on December 2nd in Sacramento, California. If you like this, you'll LOVE the real life thing. (It's Richard's show, I'll just be there taking notes!) Use this link to learn more:https://www.richardaceves.com/event-details-registration/emotions-and-our-muscles
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Anywho, hope you enjoy. Subscribe and all that if you want to.
This is the audio recording of a lovely conversation I had with August Horstmann, owner and first generation rancher of Horstmann Cattle Company. I first was introduced to August through the meat he produces and wanted to learn more after hearing his story. So, I asked all my dumb questions.
What I particularly liked was his concept of first having a relationship to the soil. He uses cattle as a means to heal the ground. He sees himself as a scientist experimenting with animals to renew the land he owns. It's a beautiful thing.
If you're close to Missouri, go check him out and get his product. It's unbelievably good. If you're not, check out jakessteaks.com to see about delivery. Jake is the guy we talk about in the episode - the crazy man who's running around the nation delivering beef.
This is a great episode and I learned a lot. I think you will too.
Julien is a world renown strength coach who's done it all. From competitive athlete to intellectual savant, he's a paradigm breaker for physical training to say the least. We talked over an Instagram Live on everything from the human-prediction system, nervous system function and regulation, lactate, sense of self, Q-1 training, changing the physiology of individuals with ASD, the prediction/observation spectrum, and so much more. This man is your new intellectual muse.
It's not the cleanest audio, but don't forget that we're on two different continents and still making this happen! Technology is amazing. Plus, he's French, so that complicates things too. Regardless, for those who will dig, there is abundant gold. I increased the loudness to help make it more audible, but you'll be OK.
To learn more about Julien's offerings, get plugged in here: https://linktr.ee/strongfit1
On this episode of the podcast I had the pleasure of interviewing my friend and long time coach Jack May. He's a wealth of information and a beautiful soul!! If you're ready to level up your life and grow past your current comfort zone, don't hesitate to reach out to him - he'll change your world!
His Website - https://www.wildmanwellness.com.au/coaching
His Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wildman_wellness/
Thanks for listening, as always! Make sure to subscribe!
Breathing? That's the thing you've been doing since day 1, right? So if there is anything you're a pro at by now, it's breathing, right? Not so fast... Amazingly, most people breathe poorly and suffer a wide range of health issues because of it.
And that's what Coach Jordan Potts (Or Pottsy, as I affectionately call him) is here to set the record straight on. As an avid meditator, Wim Hof practitioner, and cold exposure junkie, Pottsy has learned the ins and outs of this ancient art.
I was blessed with an hour of his time to ask all my silly but pertinent questions. This is a great episode, especially if you breathe more than 3 times on any given day.
You can find more about working with Jordan via his gym's website - https://www.exalto.com.au
His instagram is @jordanpotts_ OR @exalto_holistichub
Go enjoy this episode, and breathe better! You're welcome!
Got a real treat for you today! Anya from @anyasreviews joined me for an IGLive interview that we stripped the audio from for the podcast.
This woman lives and breathes barefoot shoes. I thought I knew some stuff about shoes before this, but after checking out her website, doing the foot size quiz, and talking with her, I realize that she’s the GOAT.
We talk about feet, shoes, socks, kids, and living barefoot in this great episode. You’re going to love it.
Please, please, please check out her incredible site at anyasreviews.com to get her free (and incredibly thorough) barefoot shoe guide. You’re welcome in advance.
As always, share, subscribe, an enjoy! Oh, and pretty please leave me a little 5 star rating too. Makes a little boy happy somewhere!
Also, shameless plus - If you want to learn how to run again, get out of foot pain, and become a natural mover again, Ready To Run is your program. Check it out here - grahamtuttle.com/r2r
In this episode we talk all things feet and footwear... How your feet were meant to function, what criteria make for a good shoe, and why the modern day running shoe actually makes it harder to have good running form. Not all shoes are created equally! Before you go out and purchase the first pair you come across, it’s important to understand how the shoes you wear impact your foot.
Unfortunately, most stores you go to will have a very limited selection of shoes that are based on the newest marketing trend. Maybe you’ll even get an “expert” that sizes you up into an overpriced cast that will actually lead to more pain and bad running form. No-one ever asks what the sales clerk’s qualifications are when they perform this service, do they?
The problem is that we’ve got the whole industry backwards. We’re trying to squeeze our feet into shoes made to look a certain way instead of buying shoes that are made for our feet. If you don’t care about how well your feet can function, not having knee pain, or being able to run well, then skip this article. But if you’re interested in providing your body with the best tools to succeed, you’re in the right place.
P.S. - If you’re in foot pain, check this out - https://grahamtuttle.com/faf_landing
In this episode I chat with my good friend and fellow coach Patrick Searson, all the way from down under in Australia! He's a long time rugby player turned elite rugby coach that specializes in making strong, dominant players - specifically youth athletes who want to get bigger and better.
(And no, he's not Hugh Jackman, even if he does look like it!)
We talk on training tactics, mindsets, nutrition, and how to create an environment that guarantees success in this hour long conversation. These lessons are hugely valuable for you if you play rugby, football, or any physical sport and want to level up your skills and athleticism!
Learn more about working with him through the Rugby Development Coach Membership at https://www.therugbydc.com
Follow him on Instagram for great content at https://www.instagram.com/rugbydevelopmentcoach/?hl=en
As always, thanks for tuning in, make sure to subscribe, share, and review the podcast!
In this episode we wrap up this long, detailed exploration into nutrition. I break down what you should eat and avoid by giving you tactical lists on the best proteins, fats, carbs, and superfoods, and tell you exactly what to NOT eat! Then I discuss the most commonly asked questions like, "Won't eating meat give me cancer?", "Isn't eating meat bad for the environment?" "Don't you need fiber?" and more! Lots of good information in this episode, and if you've made it this far in the series, how could you not finish?!?
As always, reach out to me with any questions or feedback at contact@grahamtuttle.com and please, please, please share, subscribe, and leave a review! It makes my heart happy. Thank you again for listening!
On this episode I break down the three criteria you want to factor in when choosing food for your diet. Then I discuss what's actually happening to your body when you eat bad food and make the bold claim that eating plants isn't always in your best interest. It sounds crazy but fiber isn't always your friend. This is a value packed episode that took dozens of hours of research, prep, and writing to pull together so I hope you enjoy it! As always, share, subscribe, and review! Check out grahamtuttle.com to learn more about how to work with me or for more information on this topic!
In this episode I dive deep into cholesterol, cardiovascular disease, and the real risk factors you should be aware of! Super information packed and dense at times (my apologies), but highly worthwhile if you’re interested in understanding the root causes of disease. Dozens of hours of research went into this with 10+ hours of writing and editing to get a value rich script. You won’t be disappointed! As always, show notes with a detailed script is available at grahamtuttle.com/podcast. Please review this podcast with any feedback, share this with fellow nerds and truth seekers, and hit that 5 star rating! Also, go follow me on IG, TikTok, and YouTube to make a little boy’s dream of being an influencer come true! I appreciate you!
Are carbs making you fat? Should you eat a low carb diet? What causes Type 2 Diabetes? Why is your blood glucose and insulin off?!? The answers are in this episode (and so much more!) I know I said this last episode, but this one is my most value packed episode yet! My most researched and studied podcast to date, also, episode 50!! I truly hope you enjoy and get a ton of value. As always, If you need a written walk through, the detailed show notes are at grahamtuttle.com/podcast. Please share, rate (5 stars, duh!), and subscribe! Maybe one day, with your support, I’ll make it big!
If I may say so, this is my favorite episode yet. A ton of research and effort went into this, so I hope you get some valuable information from it! This is part 3 of the series! As always, show notes can be found at grahamtuttle.com/podcast. And give me 5 stars and a subscribe, if you please!
This is part two of my 7 part nutrition series. In this episode we dive into the logistics of eating and how to build our your diet effectively. I cover the basics on macronutrients, micronutrients, and calories. It’s long but packed with value! Show notes can be found at grahamtuttle.com/articles and as always, subscribe, review, and share so that I can be famous! If you’re interested in working with my to optimize your health and performance, email me at contact@grahamtuttle.com.
Welcome to my nutrition crash course series. This is a 7 part series that will cover everything you need to know to optimize your health, performance, and beach body. In this episode I cover the first stage - the Big 3. I discuss why these are all linked to emotions and subconscious drivers that screw up the best of your efforts and intentions. Show notes can be found at Grahamtuttle.con/articles! If you want help on your diet and nutrition then email me at contact@grahamtuttle.com. As always, subscribe, review, and share!
In this episode I discuss the value of actually paying attention to yourself, the power of sobriety (and just not from drugs), and how to avoid the effort trap. A lot of juice in this one - don’t miss it. For more show notes hit up grahamtuttle.com/podcast
On this episode I help you embrace difficulty and negative emotions. I talk about the mental trick I use to get through overwhelming situations! Show notes can be found at Grahamtuttle.com/podcasts
In this episode I talk about the psychology behind change, why it’s difficult to do, and how to finally break through it to create meaningful growth.
In this episode I cover the 3 steps you can follow to create a sustainable, effective, and simple eating plan that actually gets you the body you want. For full show notes visit https://grahamtuttle.com/podcast
Are you actually taking care of your body or just hiding behind a mask? Show notes and more at grahamtuttle.com/podcast
I was fortunate enough to hop on an Instagram Live with Ben Patrick this past weekend! He is an incredible mind and the founder of the Athletic Truth Group as well as pioneering a new (old school) way of training not only to get out of knee pain, but to build knee function like you’ve never had before. You can find him on Instagram @kneesovertoesguy. Go follow him, it’s well worth it.
I talk about how the words we use play a role in how successful we are, specifically based around the idea of “trying”
Instead of avoiding failure, embrace it as a means to growth and learning! Show notes can be found at grahamtuttle.com/podcasts
This week we cover the latest fitness craze of HIIT Training and cover how it should fit into your training! Show Notes are at https://grahamtuttle.com/podcast
This week we discuss how to navigate some of the most difficult times of life successfully by creating meaning from the madness.
Stressful times don’t have to call for stressful reactions. I pick apart 3 main cognitive faults people fall into when anxiety hits! For complete show notes head to www.grahamtuttle.com/podcast
In today’s world we are rewarded and encouraged to do more, be more, achieve more. Downtime and leisure are regarded as luxuries with an undertone of laziness and lack of drive. If you want to be successful, you can’t waste time doing nothing.
Show notes and more can be found at https://grahamtuttle.com/podcast
Podcast #29 – Don’t hire a personal trainer
People that try to outsource their own health and wellness never quite see the return they want.
You can’t treat your body like a car that you take to the mechanic or call AAA when you have a problem. Noone will ever know your body as well as you do.
Trainers can not fix you, get you in better shape, or change your mindset. They can only help you make that change yourself.
Working out hard for 60 minutes a day but sitting for 12 still makes you a sedentary individual.
The sweet spot for working with a coach is 1-2x/week. Going 3-4 times a week gets expensive and can be used as an excuse for outsourcing all your exercise and physical movement into those slots. But that just isn’t enough to really make change.
Trainers are good for:
Accountability
Structure
Motivation
Information
Trainers are not good for:
Doing things for you.
Reading your mind
Being your only source of motivation and desire.
You can’t coach desire, so before you hire a coach or trainer, you need to actually want the outcome yourself.
It’s not about how hard you are willing to work, it’s about how much you are willing to sacrifice.
It’s not about getting rid of the problem, it’s about choosing the problems you want to have.
Every “solution” has it’s associated pain, are you willing to accept that pain?
There are no quick fixes in life. You either become the person that is fit, strong, healthy, and athletic, or you don’t. And no one can do that for you. If you’re not willing to accept the sacrifice and pain that comes with an outcome, you’re not going to have the outcome.
People are obsessed with this notion of winning the lottery because it symbolizes the ultimate fantasy of getting something with no risk or input. But the problem shows up when those people are nowhere near ready to handle the pain that comes with having a ton of money. They get harassed, spend it on stupid stuff, go in debt, and end up worse off than before.
You see professional athletes do the same thing.
So if you want to be healthier, leaner, stronger, more muscular, more athletic, or feel better, don’t go to a personal trainer, unless you are ready and willing to do the work.
And if you do make that decision, choose a trainer who will help you build a program and structure for your entire life, not just the hour or so you see them in the gym. Work with someone who empowers you to actually grow and change, not just spend money.
Podcast #28 – How Your Body Actually Uses Those Calories
Basal Metabolic Rate – Basic functioning, breathing, body temperature, organ function, brain, cell processing, muscle building, fat storage, muscle breakdown, muscle contraction.. This is what keeps you alive. 60-75% percent of your calories are spent here
Thermic Effect of Food – This is how many calories are burned in the digestion of food. This equates for about 5-10% of your daily caloric expenditure. The energy required to digest each macronutrient (its TEF) can be expressed as a percentage of the energy provided by this macronutrient:[4]
· Fat provides 9 food calories per gram, and its TEF is 0–3%.
· Carbohydrate provides 4 food calories per gram, and its TEF is 5–10%.
· Protein provides 4 food calories per gram, and its TEF is 20–30%.
Non-Exercise Active Thermogenesis – NEAT. This is the amount of energy you use with daily movement and activity. Yard work, moving, fidgeting, walking, typing… literally anything that isn’t exercise. This is 15-20% of total expenditure
Exercise Active Thermogenesis – Only 5-10% of total calories. Walking/Jogging a mile only burns about 100 calories.
Three big takeaways:
1) You cannot out work a bad diet. The math isn’t there. When you work out hard you’re more likely to be hungrier and eat that back. You’re more likely to feel tired and sore and cut down on your NEAT. Your will shut you down before you can work yourself to death - you can only loose so much body weight naturally in a day.
2) NEAT is the biggest swing factor. As you get older, metabolism does go down slightly, but the bigger factor Is your NEAT. You tend to move less, do less, fidget less as your get older and have a much smaller rate of calories loss because of it.
3) If you want to lose weight or gain weight, exercise plays a part, but it’s only a small part. People that struggle to lose weight almost always move less than they think they do and eat more than they think they do. People that struggle to gain weight almost always move more than they think they do and eat less than they think they do.
The first thing that is important to understand is the context for track and cross country. These are their own sports, NOT just supplemental training. Unless the energy system and timing of the event is similar, training to get better at these sports will likely have no cross over to any other sport.
Cross country is long, steady distance training. This stands in contrast to the context of almost every other team sport that focuses on high intensity, short duration effort. You can train to be aerobically fit with a high aerobic threshold and a majority of type 1 muscle fibers OR you can train to be explosive, powerful, and quick with a majority of type 2 muscle fibers. It’s not that simple, of course, but the main focus needs to be on the fact that “doing cross country” is not going to keep you in shape for tennis or make you a better tennis player. In fact, it’s likely to have the opposite effect.
With that said, if you want to make running your primary sport, then by all means, go for it! I ran track and cross country for years as a scholastic athlete and was much better for it. All I am concerned with is the transparency and understanding that these sports are not inherently beneficial when it comes to athletic development!
If you are an athlete with aspirations outside of running sports, my recommendation is to pursue track with a focus on short to mid distance running (100-800 meters). This is because there is a much higher emphasis placed on correct form and running mechanics for these athletes than there is with the long-distance runners. The more power, speed, and performance you demand from your body, the less room for error you can have.
Running is a skill. It requires strength, control, balance, coordination, and a high pain tolerance. Anyone can go out for a run, all you need is a pair of shoes and a bit of space. That’s why running is considered as a ubiquitous mark of health and fitness because it is accessible by everyone. Unfortunately, this also creates a problem. Just because you can go run, doesn’t mean you have the ability to run well. Without a focus and practice of proper technique, a solid foundation of strength, and a base of movement specific conditioning, many people run themselves straight into injury. Pun intended.
As bipedal mammals (moving on two feet instead of four) there are two different types of movement patterns available to us: walking and running. The difference is the introduction of flight phase, or time spent in the air. When we walk, we always have one foot on the ground. As you step from side to side you are just shifting your weight from one foot to the other. This is an amazing achievement for a mammal. Most animals have 4 legs and cannot stand upright for long periods of time as a result. Since we can move on two limbs, we are able to use our arms to work with tools and hold things! And you can thank your heels for this. The ability to heel strike and maintain a balance as we step walk with a long ground contact time allows us to cover long periods of distance steadily. We sacrifice a great deal of speed and running velocity by being bipedal movers, just go race a horse or dog and tell me how it goes.
But the moment we transition into a jog, no matter how slow, we introduce flight into our stride. This means we are jumping from one foot to the other. This new move requires a new movement pattern – the fore foot strike. To help you visualize this, imagine you are jumping rope, with no shoes. You’re jumping on the front of your foot, right? Now shift to jumping on your heels. Not as easy and pretty painful... Our ankles, calves, and Achilles’ heel are designed to work as shock absorbers for our strides. This allows us to land softly, absorb force, and reproduce is effectively hundreds and thousands of times in a row without injury.
First world problems are things you complain about when you perceive an absence of the more pressing concerns in life. First world problems are really existential problems. First world problems are invented problems that come from not having something more important to focus on.
The things you get mad about show your ceiling. If you had something more important to care about, then you would. But you obviously don’t because you’re too busy obsessing over pennies.
It’s like you’re running on a big hamster wheel, and every adversity is an opportunity to get off the struggle and nitpick over some insignificant thing. But even though it feels good to have a mini excuse, or a fake purpose to take your mind off the difficulty of the struggle, that ultimately becomes a trap that keeps you from moving onward in life and caring about something bigger.
So every time you have the opportunity to get off the ladder and have an emotion or feeling about something, ask yourself: “Is this where I want to put my tent up? Is this worthy of my time and energy? Is this what I want to be known for?”
It is ok to feel bad - Striving to remove all negative removes all growth stimulus
Four Basic emotions – happy, sad, afraid, and mad
3/4th of the basic emotions are not “positive” ones. So trying to remove those emotions is like trying to remove 75% of your life.. And these negative emotions are the exact emotions that enable happiness. Taking anti depressants is a good example – they may remove the anxiety and sadness, but they also remove the happiness. You’re not living anymore, you’re just existing.
Good/bad, happy/sad, light/dark, hot/cold – you can’t have one without the other. So instead of trying to remove the problems and pain, accept them and reframe them.
Wanting something positive is a negative experience
Accepting of a negative is a positive experience
Reframe your problems- Success is created through difficulty and problems. Difficult situations are always an opportunity to growth. Pressure is a privilege - It means you have the chance to step up
Gratitude is always in reach – Are you alive? Are you able bodied? Are your loved ones still alive? Did you have food yesterday? Did you have a place to sleep? Are you safe from physical harm??
You will be happier with less -
The best investment I made all last year was therapy because it showed me that I was causing my own problems. Not buying more stuff, not wanting things to be better all the time, not always feeling this engine running to do more, be more, and work harder. When I stepped back and realized that I have so much to be grateful for I was able to focus on creating and doing what I actually love.
The big difference was that I stopped wanting to be wealthy, healthy, and have a great marriage. I started doing it. I realized that none of those things would bring me a deep sense of joy, contentment, and fulfillment if I didn’t decide to already be joyful, content, and fulfilled.
Thoughts shape your decisions which shape your reality which shapes your future
You define success for yourself. It’s up to you to choose daily or not. At the end of the day, we all die. The hamster wheel goes nowhere, but the only way to live fulfilled is to stay on it. We all care about something, finding that something and running toward it is the struggle worth living, and that energy contributes to the rest of humanity by adding good into the world
Podcast #25 – So I Went To A Big Box Gym…
Divorcing the muscle from movement defeats the Point
· All these machines supposedly help you build muscle, but they take away all of the intrinsic benefits of the movement – stability, balance, control, and all of the small muscles and movements in between.
· There are no little consequences for improper movement, only big ones, which is a bad thing. Sure it’s nice to be able to lift and push lots of weight, but if you aren’t prepared for it then you’re more likely to get injured when those safe guards are taken away. It’s like learning to bowl with the bumpers up. It doesn’t teach you how to bowl.
· So much money and space goes into these machines that mimic what you would be doing with free weights or bodyweight..
· The point of going to the gym is NOT to put on muscle, get “in shape”, or lose weight. The point should be to maximize your health and ability. Don’t agree? Look at any number of meatheads who grind their joints into the ground doing the same machines with bad form, or the body dysmorphic people who never leave the stair climber. The gym is a place to supplement a healthy lifestyle, not become the central focus it.
The path to being big and muscular has little to do with being an athlete or being athletic
· I saw lots of jacked dudes walking around with the gym bag and blender bottles doing poor form on a machine. But they looked the part. The problem is that looking the part doesn’t mean anything about being able to live the part.
· Training to be coordinated, mobile, capable, and athletic does not happen on a circuit rotation of 10 different sectorized machines.
· Would you rather be athletic or look athletic? At the end of the day what is the point of having a muscle car that won’t drive anywhere…
Going to the gym will not save you.
· Doing one hour of exercise a day and 8 hours of sitting still makes you sedentary.
· You cannot outwork a bad diet.
· It’s not about how much you’re willing to work, it’s about how much you’re willing to sacrifice.
Don’t go to the gym to just walk on the treadmill.
Exercising/working out from an emotionally reactive place of “I feel fat” or I need to get jacked will not help you create long term success
· Going to the gym without a plan is like going to the grocery store or mall without a shopping list
· Use the gym as a supplement for what you can’t do on your own.
· Yes, it’s a big step to get to the gym, but the bigger step is creating a plan and setting up accountability to see it through.
Incredibly lonely
· I found the whole experience incredibly lonely. Noone talked to anyone else, no one made eye contact. Most people were listening to music or looking at their phone.
· A place where you heal your body and mind is best when you feel known and appreciated. Being so “independent” all the time isn’t healthy. Find a place where people know your name.
· A gym should be more than just a building with equipment.
Sugar – I used to think it was benign and empty calories but now I realize that it is pretty inflammatory
Therapy/Permission/Stories – Therapy gives you a chance to verbalize unconscious thoughts and stories and hear them back objectively. You get to choose what you do with them. Therapy isn’t magic but being in a place to actually hear yourself and setting up accountability to change can be incredibly powerful.
Weight Loss – More about Mental/behavior change than foods. Slapping a meal plan on bad habits may mask them for a short period of time but will not fix them. I spend more time asking about the emotional reasons for WHY than I do about the actual logistics of what people eat. I believe that if you change the motivation you will change the behavior. How you treat yourself is a reflection of how you feel about yourself than anything else.
Mental Recovery/Processing – You can’t “GO GO GO” all the time and not build in time for deloading mentally. The big change here is understanding the point of structured deloading time, not just mindless activities like TV or social media. Meditation, silence, journaling are all great options.
Drugs – Psychedelic drugs and the power to change. Incredible work being done with anxiety, depression, PTSD, hospice patients. These drugs force you to reconcile your hidden stories and trauma instead of masking it all. They are incredibly anti addictive and can help you reframe your life your thoughts and your internal narrative.
Drugs – Caffeine covers up bad life choices, poor sleep, and being out of shape. Alcohol numbs the brain and lowers inhibition – alcohol covers up being out of touch with your thoughts and self.
Feet – Dysfunctional feet really mess up how your body moves with the world. Poor balance, stiff ankles, knee pain, bad running, tight calves, hip tightness…
We have to take care of our feet, put them in shoes that support natural movement, and strengthen them to do what we want in life.
Movement – Daily movement is an essential part of life. Non exercise movement is how our joints and muscles stay healthy and useful. Without movement we will die.
Intermittent Fasting – IF is a great tool for systems for eating. It takes some time to get used to, but I can’t see going back to 3-4 meals a day. IF maximizes simplicity, health benefits, and behavior change.
Sleep – I’ve always known that sleep is important, but this year I truly realized how important. I tried the getting up early thing for a while but realize that sacrificing sleep for more waking hours is always a loss. I need 7.5+ or I’m not at my best. It has to be a priority if you want to perform.
Working Out is a short term thing. It is an event. Working out is great for burning some calories, getting rid of stress, or getting out and being active.
The problem is that this isn’t fulfilling or meaningful enough to motivate most people.
Training is working toward a goal – Strength, Speed, Power, Competition, Sports..
Training for something means that every individual event is part of a bigger whole, working toward that end. Each practice or session is important as part of the bigger picture.
Skipping sessions and practices is like taking bricks out of a wall of a house. Sure you can miss a few, but over time the missing pieces will add up to a bigger problem of instability.
The other half of this conversation is the fact that success is build on consistency. It does not matter what you are trying to do, you need to be able to maintain a commitment over time.
If you workout consistently for a long period of time you will accomplish something. The question is, what is that something? This is where goal setting comes into play.
Being healthy can be a goal, but that may mean that some forms of exercise are unnecessary
Being well balanced physically can be a goal, which means that you need to have a variety of methods
Being Strong, muscular, lean, explosive, athletic, fast, or in great endurance shape are all goals, but they each have their own requirements for training to optimize the result.
Take a few minutes to think about what you actually want. And just because you pick a goal does not mean your life’s mission is set. Training goals should last at least 4-6 weeks to start to see results from your efforts and they can last a lifetime if you find a passion.
But if you’re struggling to stick to a routine, set a goal and then work backwards from that place to create a schedule and daily routine that works for you! Doing short terms challenges with a trainer or coach, or friend can be a great help too to build in accountability.
Big point here is that exercise doesn’t have to be miserable because it should be based around building to an outcome that YOU want. If you don’t set goals and end up doing one-off workouts with this underlying guilt about “needing to go to a gym” then you’ll inevitably end up frustrated and in the same place you started.
So begin with the end in mind!
Plan ahead for the days you want to eat big or drink. Just like studying for a test you can’t cram the night before, the hay is either in the barn or it isn’t, you can’t make up for lost time.
· Week 1 – Aggressive diet (500 calorie deficit)
· Week 2 – Same deal, and yes, this means you may not crush it at Christmas parties. You get to Drink OR Eat dessert.
· Week 3 – Christmas! Enjoy! 23-25th are days off. You’ve prepared and have some space to work. Back on track the 26th.
· Week 4 – Strict diet until new years eve where you can go big, enjoy parties and do what you’d like. Jan 2, back to normal life of maintenance.
Just like saving for a bigger purchase, take the calories you either don’t eat or work out to gain and “save” them for the holidays.
· Plan ahead, mentally save space each day
· This builds anticipation, which is the most fun part
· Build in reserve so that you can 100% enjoy the actual holidays
Writing things off, like “it’s just the holidays” is a negative and self fulfilling prophecy. If you don’t try, or actively stop doing the things that are moving you in the right direction then you will inevitable fail.
· Slippery slope fallacy is a fallacy.
· Don’t write off personal responsibility to some excuse.
· Doing your best to swim against the stream will put you so much farther ahead of where you would have if you have just gone with the easy choice. Even if you don’t move further up, you definitively won’t move back.
Learn how to say NO. You don’t have to drink at every party. You don’t have to eat dessert. You don’t have to try everything at the buffet. You don’t have to take the cookies home with you.
· Example at the party about drinking.
· Avoid pressure from group think, ultimately people that are “bothered” by your decisions are too self interested to really care. And people that care about you won’t pressure you.
· Understand the pressures ahead of time and make your decision BEFORE you get to it.
Enjoy the HOLIDAY. But remember that the holiday is 1-2 days over the span of a month. Maximize the experience by creating anticipation and enjoying things around the event like family, decorating, and time off from work. If you decide to take Thanksgiving-New Years off from your eating, exercise, and self discipline, don’t be surprised that it’s hard to “get back on the wagon”
· Cheat meals and off days need to be distinctly different from normal days
· 1-5 days off, no matter how “bad” you ate or drank, do not have a huge effect in the grand scheme. 45 consecutive days of “average” will sink you with slow and subtle efficiency.
· Start your “new year’s resolutions” TODAY and you’ll have a much easier time actually doing it this year.
Cheat meals and Holidays are like vacations
You work, save money, and live below your means for 50 weeks out of the year so that 1-2 weeks of the year you can not work, not save money, and live above your means.
This is great and gives a reprieve from the constant grind of life, stress, and work.
BUT it doesn’t work if you:
1) Don’t save money, live below your means, and work the majority of the year
OR 2) Stress and struggle to relax the whole time because you’re worried about spending too much money, or missing something at work, or gaining weight, or not working out on your routine, or missing your weekly TV shows, or not cutting the grass, or trying to make relatives or family happy…
This is the point: The entire reason you life sustainably, diet, and focus on creating a healthy and financial reserve for yourself is to allow space in your life to relax that and not worry.
When you go back to normal life, the money, the weight, the muscle will all settle back to normal, so enjoy it and shut your brain off!
Sure you can never take a vacation and work 24/7 and save money so you can retire comfortably one day, but you’ll be old then and the future isn’t guaranteed. Sprinkle in mini-retirements and vacations along the way to enjoy the journey! Same with cheat meals and planned off periods of your diet.
Stressing about eating releases cortisol, prevents gluconeogenesis/elevates blood glucose.
Stress causes cortisol release.
Cortisol release causes the body to not build muscle, hold onto fat, and keep glucose in the blood.
Elevated cortisol prevents you from sleeping and keeps you sympathetically activated.
Eating less healthy food happens. Whether or not you choose to enjoy it and not freak out about it is your choice. But understand that many times the thing that impacts your health and weight the most is your emotional stress reaction to what you ate!
Understanding that the value comes from the experience, not the quantity or logistics
Eat what you enjoy and what you want – nothing more.
When you buy a dessert, what do you buy? The experience, the taste, the enjoyment and happiness of that moment. But it is a diminishing return that often gives less value after each bite.
If you’re full, don’t want any more, or simply satisfied with what you’ve received, then stop!
By stuffing more food into you out of some “obligation” to not waste food, you’re not getting the value from what you wanted, you’re actually doing the opposite.
Here’s the point: If you don’t really enjoy it, or have reached your desired result, then stop! Simply doing what actually makes you happy and having the self knowledge and control to stop compulsively acting will solve many problems in your life.
I had an excellent opportunity today to speak in front of about 65 young soccer players at a college showcase. One of the big areas I focused on was about helping them prioritize their training. Everyone wants to put their time, energy, and money into sport specific training and special tactics to get an edge without realizing that they are missing the most important principles for success:
What is performance Training – Speed, agility, quickness, power, strength, conditioning
But, more importantly – coordination, control, balance, mobility, stability, and confidence
Spectrum of movement and physical development (0-100%)
3 Layers of Athletic Development:
General Physical, Mental, and Emotional Health
Physical Capacity and Ability
Sport Specific Skill
The Activity Specific Skill is built on top of the previous two layers. And Each layer is limited by the size of the layer below. You can only get as good as your physical strength and capacity allows. And you can only develop your body and strength as much as your health allows.
So this brings me to my point – If you focus on maximizing the thing you like the most at the expense of a more foundational and important element, you will end up limiting your potential.
This is true across all disciplines – work, sports, technical skills, even music.
The most important thing you can do to prepare for success is to build your priorities around principles. Focus on the underlying elements that build systems for long term consistency and success. Looking for the next tactic may give you short term gain but at the ultimate expense of your health or ability.
Here’s the thing, tactics are sexy. They promise quick return and untouched opportunity in the form of hidden secrets. But principles aren’t sexy. They’re boring, available to everyone, and require commitment.
Story about Mom asking me about nutrition help for the kid after talk, and kid asking about eating guidance.
Whether you want to succeed in work, relationships, sports, and life, you have to understand the basic principles that govern any discipline
Weight loss – Don’t snack. Don’t drink your calories, Cut out added Sugar. Boom.
Weight gain – Add 500 extra calories to your normal eating, Don’t skip meals.
Health – Sleep well and consistently, drink enough water, Exercise and move regularly.
Life – Be nice to people, don’t lie, Do what you say you’ll do, treat others how you want to be treated
Find the principles, prioritize those, and be patient. Once you master those, then look at tactics
https://youtu.be/Tgh6MfxTGeY - FOOT/ANKLE EXERCISE ROUTINE!
How shoes impact your ankles/knees/hips/back
-Feet are first point of contact with the ground – Will shift you forward (Leaning tower)
-Raised heel shoes on flat ground mean we rarely get natural dorsiflexion – stiff ankles
-Pronation is a natural thing, when we mess with that we alter the calf, ankle, foot, knee, hip movement. Pronation “Control” alters the foot strike
-Thick cushioned shoes allow you to heel strike when running and actually make it harder to run correctly. This engrains very poor movement patterns.
-Also, thick bottom cushion shoes increase the likelihood of lateral ankle rolling
-Tight shoes prevent the toes from moving well which atrophies muscle and dexterity
Choosing shoes based on Comfort/Functionality/Visual appeal - 3 Types of Shoes:
Aesthetic – Value based on visual appeal
Performance – Value based on improving abilities through technological features
Training/Everyday – Value based on maximizing foot/ankle movement (Functionality)
3 Elements of a good Everyday/training shoe
1) Flat
2) Flexible
3) Wide in the Toe Box
But what about arch support? Shoes and Casts/Crutches. Insoles and Corsets
Should we be barefoot? Talk about transition to more minimal shoes
Importance of training foot and ankle strength
Hand/Glove analogy.
Be barefoot more often
Tip Toe walks, Barefoot jogging after practice, Individual toe movements
Give yourself months to get used to less restrictive shoes and build movement over time
Don’t I need different types of shoes for activity?
Running shoes? And basketball shoes? And lifting shoes, and hiking shoes, and trail running shoes, and tennis shoes…??
-If shoe technology were really improving you should see a subsequent drop in injury
-Marketing pushes you to think about the shoes, not your feet
-Just because a shoe is made by an athletic brand does not make it an athletic shoe
Consistency between different types of shoes
Flip Flops and sandals
Boots – High ankles, stiff midsoles
High heeled shoes – work and dress up
Podcast #17 – How to set up for every lift - 4 Basic Principles you Need to know
Transitioning to free weights can be intimidating. You don’t have the built in restraints of machines and you have the added risk of weights. Plus there is the emotional factor of not wanting to look bad in front of all the “seasoned” gym rats. This is your simple check list to make sure that you are moving correctly and limiting risk.
Divide the body up into 4 levels: Feet, pelvic floor, Diaphragm, and Neck/Shoulders
Keep the knees over the midfoot in any position – Not caving in or pulled too far out
Keep the pelvic floor and hips in neutral – Not Extended or flexed
Keep the Diaphragm and rib cage locked down – Not extended or hunched over
Keep the Neck packed and shoulders neutral – Don’t jut the chin out and protract shoulders
Common Problem with feet – Collapsed arches, knees crashing in.
Fix – Err toward external rotation, abduction – Pushing Knees out
Don’t over correct by abducting so far that toes and knuckles lift off
Keep the entire foot in contact with the ground, that’s the point of your feet.
Common Problem with the hips – Too Extended
Fix – Err toward a more flexed position, bringing the front of the ribs and hips together
Don’t over correct and actually round your spine
Keep your pelvic floor engaged – Gird your loins, hold you pee, Cremaster muscle
Common Problem with Rib Cage – Too Extended
Fix – Err toward locking the rib cage down, exhaling firmly to brace core using diaphragm
Don’t over correct and lose a braced cylinder for the core by rounding the spine
Keep the Core braced with a firm exhale to set the rib cage before starting the movement
Common Problem with Neck/Scapula – Jutted forward head, internally rotated, protracted shoulder
Fix – Pack your neck, retract shoulders, think about pulling back
Don’t over correct by looking up and extending the upper spine artificially
Keep the shoulder blades engaged with the mid and lower traps, when you’re standing hands should be by your side with your thumbs pointing forward.
First thing on Google when you look up sugar is “How bad is sugar for you?”
Why does it get so much blame?
Overindulgence, cavities, disease, weight gain, energy highs, energy lows, addiction….
So if it’s such a villain in the food world, why do we still eat it, crave it, glorify it, and hoard it?
Well, it tastes good!
See the rest of the show notes at https://grahamtuttle.com/podcast
Everything cost something – time, money, energy, emotion, effort, other opportunities. But when you write off taking action on something that you know you need to do based off of any of those excuses, you aren’t looking at the full cost of something.
Letter in mail about insurance benefits – Joseph’s type 2 diabetes cost example
Doctor’s visits, medications, equipment, special arrangements, loss of energy, feeling bad, not being able to do the things you want to do.. These are all very real costs that have very real consequences.
People are twice as likely to move away from Pain as they are towards benefit or pleasure.
You’re more likely to change your diet because of GI problems, health concerns, or allergy than you are to change for more energy, better physique, or better performance.
You’re more likely to go see a doctor to fix an illness, solve a pain, or seek a way out of a health crisis than you are to work with a doctor on preventative measures, work with a trainer to improve your body, or seek out help to improve your diet to feel better, look better, and live better.
So what does it come down to? People will obviously spend the money when problems become “real” but it’s so obvious from the outside that it never needed to get that bad..
How do you make something important to you that just isn’t important to you?
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Actually write out the cost of something in terms of dollars, time, energy, and missed opportunity
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Seek out reminders of things that happened to people around you that could happen to you – preventable illnesses (diabetes, cancer from smoking, hearing loss, brain damage..)
Health loss – Loss of strength, loss of mobility leading to injury (little overuse problems, joint replacements, wheel chair bound, dependent on medication, pacemakers, pain pills…)
Physical size – being obese/overweight, needed extra accommodations for travel, needed extra help in the nursing home, needed wheelchairs to move around…
Work with a professional to reframe these situations and make a system that works for YOU. Far too often we talk down about that which we don’t understand. It’s scary and unknown so we choose to remain ignorant. FIND SOMEONE TO EXPLAIN THINGS TO YOU IN A WAY THAT YOU UNDERSTAND.
Just because investing money, saving for retirement, or budgeting your expenses may seem confusing doesn’t mean that it doesn’t exist or isn’t important.
Same with nutrition,
Same with technology…
Next time you find yourself ignoring a problem, putting something off, or downplaying the effect of something negative in your life, stop yourself and take a moment to really consider what the actual cost of inaction is. It’s far more than you think
I do intermittent fasting – I shifted from 4 meals a day to 1 or 2. BUT, the questions is, should you?
Basic Mechanism – Fire burning off of newspaper vs a big log.
Carbs function like newspaper – quick energy which can lead to quick crash
Fats function like a log – long steady energy, but not easy to access.
When you eat, the food is broken down and either immediately used as glycogen in the muscle or is stored as replacement fuel in the muscles or excess as fat (lipogenesis)
After a period of not eating, the body works through the available glucose/glycogen and then switches to a fat based fuel source. In the absence of carbs this will turn into a ketogenic state after a period that varies from individual to individual. You can eat in a way that maintains this state by sticking to a high fat diet, OR you can come out of this state by introducing carbs or high protein amounts.
IF for anti-aging and maximizing health
- Nothing but water outside of eating window to maximize benefits
- Basically you are giving your GI tract a rest, which has the same benefits as giving your muscles a rest after a hard workout. This is the main process behind the “reduction of inflammation” claim
- This gives your body a chance to filter out damaged, unnecessary, or old cells – this is called Autophagy
IF for weight loss
- Small/Minimal Calories allowed outside window – coffee/tea etc.
- IF can help you lose weight, but it is not magical
- Head to head with other diets it has the same effectiveness – It comes down to calorie consumption. 1 HUGE meal with 4000 cals is no different than 4 small meals with 1000 cals each.
- IF helps most with habit change and setting boundaries – it changes your relationship to food which is the real problem
- If you simply make the adjustment to not snacking, eating at planned times, and not drinking your calories you will see a huge improvement in your weight.
Problems with IF
- Not being patient with the transition period
- Don’t go crazy and jump to 1 meal a day right off the bat. You’ll be ok for a few days, maybe even feeling great, but you’ll be miserable before long if you don’t learn how to adjust.
- Take your time to learn the difference between the gastric emptying feeling of “let’s look for food” and actually needing to eat
- Also, understand that shifting from carbs/glycogen source to fat source will have a period of lethargy and fatigue to it.
- Thinking you’ve “Banked” calories and going crazy – there is no magic to IF, so don’t think you have free license to whatever you can fit in your mouth!
- Not getting your required nutrition by eating less total food or a higher proportion of junk food.
- You have to make the effort to get the required nutrition with a smaller selection to choose from – Sodium, magnesium, potassium, HYDRATION, vitamins/minerals.
- Trying to force your body to do it! Explosive athletes, leaner women, and those trying to gain weight will probably not benefit from this style of eating.14
Most online workout instructors, health models, and fitness gurus look more like they are selling soft core porn than actual trying to deliver valuable information.
I’m not trying to say that there isn’t a place for idealized, beautiful people, but in a marketplace with generally confused consumers there is a lot more being sold than meets the eye.
Physical Health and mental health are intertwined and equally important for overall health and happiness. You need equally healthy halves to have a healthy whole.
If you don’t take care of your body you will suffer with less energy, focus, and probably be less fulfilled. BUT you can’t use the body to do what the brain needs to do - if you punish yourself and beat your body into submission without addressing the deeper questions of who you are and what matters to you, you’ll lack an ability to actually enjoy having “a great body”
When people diet down to minimal body fat and model or compete on stage, they’re generally in a very unhealthy state and it is definitely unsustainable. Everyone wants to look like that 24/7 without understanding that it’s not desirable or attainable.
As corny as it sounds, the journey of improving your health and fitness is truly more about learning to appreciate and love yourself. Because the sad spoiler alert is that if you don’t address that before hand or along the way, you will feel empty and exhausted when you get there.
People use exercise as an excuse to avoid that ALL the time. Some people jump in 110% to stay so busy that they can avoid the difficult work, other people avoid exercise with excuses and procrastination and live a sad story in their head about being too busy or just blaming other people. Unfortunately, your body is the one that takes the hit for all of this stuff.
So you have to ask yourself – “WHY” - Why do I want this? Why is this important for ME? Why now?
Do you really care about looking like that Instagram model you follow or would you really be happy with losing 10 pounds of fat? Do you really want to bench 400 pounds or would you be happy with a strong upper body that doesn’t hurt.
Take the time to think about what you actually want in life – not what someone else wants or thinks is important. Most choices happen in this order – Feel better if you’re in pain or sick. Look better to stop carrying around baggage and unnecessary weight, then perform and live better to do what you actually want to do.
Find someone to help you get out of your own way, someone who you trust and who has your best interest in mind. Just a heads up, Social media following doesn’t always correlate to coaching ability.
“Dude, wait until you’re my age..” Yeah but wait until YOU’RE 20 years older…
As we age we do have changes in our hormone levels. BUT the biggest changes happen with our daily activity choices, the loss of play, the loss of sports, the loss of challenges.
We figure out what we “like” to do so we stop doing everything else since no one is making us do anything. But as a consequence we also lose the skill acquisition, the diverse movement profile, and the different strains on our body.
People that like to run, run. Same with Yoga, or video games, or lifting. We get boxed into this movement paradigm and don’t realize that we are slowly losing the resiliency to adapt and stay healthy.
Adding plyometrics in to your training can help slow this loss. But first we need to reframe what plyometrics are.
Plyometrics simply mean any movement done that incorporates elasticity and with the intent of speed and quickness. This can be scaled up or down depending on what 3 things: ability level, experience, and health/injury/pain.
It may not be full effort sprinting. It may not be box jumps. It may not be broad jumps. It may not be max effort agility drills.
But it can definitely start out with Med ball throws, Prowler/sled pushes, skipping patterns, mini hops, speed ladder drills, quick feet step ups, shuffling, backpedalling, and directional change drills.
2 biggest indicators of fall risk – Foot Speed and Leg Strength
Old age doesn’t kill you or put you in a retirement home, that sudden fall one day in the garage does - Story about my grandmother
Falling in slow motion – Inability to catch yourself
Why is this important to you now though? You’re not 80! But as we age the hormone profile changes, which means that it becomes harder and harder to put on muscle, learn new skills, and recover quickly.
Remember the three starting indicators? The earlier you start doing this stuff, the easier it is to retain the neuromuscular information, the muscle mass is greater, and the joints/bones are more prepared for the type of training meaning that you can get more reps in and recover better.
If you want to age well, have quality over quantity, not have unnecessary pain, not have to deal with being a burden, then invest in your body NOW.
And if you need help getting started but don’t feel confident doing it alone, find a trainer that will walk at YOUR pace without letting their ego get in the way
What does it mean to be too busy? If you got in a life threatening accident and needed to go to the hospital, would you say you’re too busy?
Time is the most important resource in your life. More than money, energy, and things. You can get make more of all of that or get it back, but you can’t make more time. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.
The problem is that many people are stingier with all of those things than they are with time.
If you’ve ever not solved a problem costing you time and pain because of money…
If you’ve ever taken the easy route that delays an outcome because it takes too much energy..
If you’ve ever held on to old junk or old equipment that no longer serves for sentimental value or being a hoarder…
It’s different for everyone, but the point is that you’ve probably never thought of time as something you need to budget and use wisely.
Two Hard realities
1) You will never “find” time in life to do anything - you have to “Make” time.
2) The reality is that we make time for what is important to us.
The real question you need to ask yourself is WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO ME?
Happiness? Purpose? Community? Safety? Connection?
Finding joy and meaningful goals in life will help you more than anything else.
Striving for these big end goals is great. Without having something to work toward we often struggle to find motivation.
Story about me starting online coaching helping reframe what I wanted to do with my time
“Being Happy” “Feeling Safe” “Having a loving community/family/ friends” are huge end goals and can be overwhelming.
Instead of feeling overwhelmed, start with the simplest and most effective part of the process, building skills that develop into the habits that create the outcome.
If you are not proactive in your time allotment you will be Reactive - always be behind. Putting out fires, dealing with “obligations”, just barely meeting deadlines.
In the same way you would budget for retirement or big purchases, or lay out a diet or nutritional plan, take time to plan out where you want to spend your time.
Take a look at your week or day, and MAKE time for the most important things first.
REMEMBER, if it’s not actually important to YOU, you won’t follow through with it.
Make time for things brings you closer to what’s important to you by cutting out the stuff that isn’t.
Unfortunately there is a lot of mis information on the internet about how to effectively train your core and a lot of people still think that doing sit-ups for a minute for max reps is the best test. However, your core is designed to resist movement and protect the spine. Plain and simple. So anything that works the repetitive motion of the spine, like crunches and sit ups, is basically just loading the spine over and over until the point of injury. But the spine is still designed to move, hence the vertebral segments. The difference here is that we want to encourage and reinforce the controlled aspect.
I've included a link to a progression of my favorite core exercises, the ones that challenge breathing, posture, and movement most effectively. Start with the beginner levels and once you can complete the reps smoothly, move on up! The point here is not to "pass a test", rather we are looking at developing a high quality of movement skill. Breath while you do these!
The Exercises - https://youtu.be/HvNHl5Ua1dQ
Last note here, don't work your core to failure. That's just a bad idea. Focus on quality! Once you can hold a static position, like a plank, for more than a minute, you've got it down. Move on and make it more difficult with single leg or single arm variations. Also. keep the neck moving as part of the torso, don't crank it around or put stress on it. Your neck is part of your spine, not your core, so don't try to change that. And please, please, stop doing crunches!
What is the core?
Mid thigh to diaphragm
What is the purpose of the core?
Protect the spine
Anti Flexion/Extension, Anti rotation, Anti Lateral Flexion/extension
How do you train it?
Static vs Dynamic
Braced vs exhale for dynamic
Why breathing is important for core training
Explain the dynamics of air in vs air out
Toothpaste analogy
Without breathing core is not braced
5 Best movements
Hollow hold, Side Plank top leg elevated , Ice Pickers (Anti rotational), Pot Stirs/Rollouts, Straight leg Pike Lifts
5 Worst Movements
Crunches, Sit Ups, Cable/Machine Crunches, Long Planks, Back Extensions
Weight loss is simple, but not easy.
You don’t need some super specialized program.
You don’t need to start doing the keto diet
You don’t need to go to the gym
You don’t need to start exercising
You don’t need to hire a personal trainer and spend thousands of dollars
You don’t need to have a surgery
You don’t need to take supplements
You don’t need to change your life entirely
You do need these three things however
1) A reason to lose weight that is significant enough to motivate you
- This means more than just wantingto lose weight, there has to be a cost
- Health scares, not being able to play with kids, not being able to do the activates you want, Not feeling attractive enough or confident enough in your body to date
- If it’s not significant enough, it won’t happen. If you’ve tried to lose weight before and failed, this is generally why.
- It has to be YOUR reason though. Not because your spouse wants it, not because your doctor wants it, not because your friends or trainer wants it. YOU have to own it.
- Be HONEST with yourself – what is actually important for you.
2) A system
- Any diet works, any system works. Remember, weight loss is simple.
- Logistics are only 20% of the equation, the rest is mindset.
- The best system is the one you can do consistently, the one that you WILL do consistently. It needs to fit with your personality and eating preferences.
- Obviously you will need to change certain things, but it doesn’t mean you have to give up an entire food group to accomplish that.
- Small changes allow you to grow and change alongside them.
- The next phase of changes make have seemed impossible at the outset but will seem small once you are ready for them.
3) Accountability
- This can come from any source, but simply means that you have a something that overrides your tendency to struggle with some area.
- Friends, family, a coach, an online group, a wager. These all work, just recognize which will actually be objective and set things up in a failsafe way.
- Be honest and set up accountability that will remove your normal quitting point. Remember, I never said it would be easy!
Movement is like nutrition
- Ideal diet we get everything – micro and macronutrients
- We are shaped by our environment
- Much of our environment is designed to make life easier
- This has a negative effect over time by making our bodies softer, weaker, and more susceptible to injury.
Exercise vs. movement
- Exercise is intense movement – causes adaptation.
- Working vs. Working out – (Gym is “fake work” basically)
3 reasons to go to the gym
If you need access to equipment and space to supplement for the movements your not getting.
- Picking up clothes off the floor doesn’t have the same effect as deadlifts
- Working out is like a supplement pill for the movements we don’t normally do
- Manual labor would check off much of this but most people don’t do that anymore.
- Posterior chain is tough to develop without overloading via lifting
- Pulling exercises can be limited
Education – Learning how to move from a professional
- Injuries, pain, and surgery change the way we communicate with our body.
- We lose the movement skill over time – learning it correctly can save a lot of wasted time and pain
- Running is a skill, most people don’t know how to do it. AND many people underestimate the amount of strength and body prep you need to be able to run well.
Accountability, social contact, enjoyment
- Many people respond positively to social pressure. They move more, lift more, try harder, when people are watching
- The simple act of getting out of your house can make you more likely to follow through with a workout.
- Boundaries help with habit change. And always having “access” to a gym means that you may be more likely to write it off for “later”
- Setting smaller goals can help with bigger habits. Instead of saying “I’m going to workout” say I’m going to go to the gym. Once you’ve gotten to the gym, you’re more likely to workout.
- Example of flossing 1 tooth.
- It can be very boring to workout alone. If you don’t have a buddy then even seeing the same faces at the gym can help you feel more engaged with the process
Why dogs stretch into downward dog and upward dog after waking up
What a warm up Should Do
- Elevated body temperature
- Increase heart rate and blood flow
- Increase blood flow to specific muscles and joints
- Activate Sympathetic Nervous System
- Prepare you specifically for the activity you are about to do
3 Parts you need to include:
Activation– Easing into the workout
· Moving in multiple planes of motion – Rotation and lateral planes
· Improving mobility – Active form of stretching
· Coordination – unilateral, balance, multidirectional
Ground Work – Posterior Chain and Core Activation
· Engage movements and muscles you don’t use but wouldn’t otherwise activate because of gravity (Hip Bridges)
· Improve neuromuscular activation patterns (i.e. Glute/Ham/Low back)
· Strengthen weaker muscles you need more activity (hip flexor)
Dynamic – Neuromuscular control/specific to activity
· Practice pattern components – skipping for running.
· Improves skills – speed, frequency, muscle engagement
· More exposure to activity in a different setting.
Do’s and Don’ts
- Do – Breathing must be a priority
- Don’t – Static Stretching – decreases elasticity, power and strength
- Do – Make it a priority – treat it like part of the session
- Don’t – Skip it because you’re short on time – be efficient, don’t waste time
- Do – Spend time on soft tissue work it you need it
- Don’t – Waste time on soft tissue work - 20s or less
Why training like an athlete is important
· Training in multiple planes of motion, movements you wouldn’t typically hit with traditional lifting
· Keeps power and strength applicable to actual life
· Improves muscle elasticity and tensile strength – prevents injury from joint laxity and strains
· Foot Speed and leg strength are two biggest indicators of fall risk
· Use it or lose it!
Throwing stuff – Reflexive strength, rotational power, aggression and force production, and very small load on body
Introducing Plyometrics – anything that produces stretch shortening cycle from muscles, improves elasticity, and requires a quick muscle response.
o Start off small – skips, marching patterns, Ropes,
o Progress as you get comfortable (mental confidence and joint stability!) to bounding, throwing, small hurdle jumping, hill sprints
o More advanced level drills include – box jumping, unilateral hurdle jumps, drills in lateral and rotational planes of movement including pivoting
o Depending on desire, health, and history – Full speed sprints, depth drops..
Foot Speed Drills– speed Ladders, quick steps, jump ropes, high knees, butt kicks
Things to consider –
Be honest about your starting point! 30+ lbs overweight? Past injury? Arthritis/chronic pain? Athletic experience?
Doesn’t mean to not train this way, just changes where you start
Be patient with the process – changes take time, don’t rush but be consistent. Allow a at least 6 weeks before moving up to the next level
2-3 times a week tops for this stuff. It does present a different and substantial load for body to get used to.
If you’re not confident, find a coach for form/reference/feedback, guidance!!Graham covers why you should train like an athlete, the three ways you can easily implement this style into your training immediately, and how to know when you’re ready to progress.
I swim through the pool of diet misinformation and miracle juice cleanses so that you don’t have to.
Brief Description of popular diets – Macro adjustment, elimination, calorie focus
· Low Carb (50-100g/day)
o Good to improve insulin sensitivity, reduce energy crashes,
· Adkins – Similar to keto but higher protein allowed
o 4 part diet that slowly reintroduces healthy carbs.
· Ketogenic (~20g/day)
o Use bodyfat and ketones as energy source
o Mistakes – too much carbs, too much protein, not enough sodium, not enough fat, not being patient enough, not taking it seriously
· Zone Diet – Even macro allotment ~30% of each, but Only Low GI carbs allowed
o ** Talk about difference between GI and GL
· Low Fat diets (10% or less) – High carb focus, low protein
o Fat has the most calories per gram – cutting it out helps weight loss
o May be beneficial for some auto immunes
o Long term health consequences from lack of fat.
· -Talk about benefits of FAT in the human body. Brain, nerves, cell membrane
· Shifting tide from high carb no fat focus of 80’ and 90’s. People cut fat out and still the heart disease is skyrocketing.
· Saturated fat is not linked to heart disease in recent studies. It does increase LDL (Bad) but also HDL (Good)
· Ration of total cholesterol to HDL is what matters in blood work, different cholesterol densities
· ALSO – Everyone has a different NORM for cholesterol and blood levels
· IIFYM – Find Macros (Activity + BMR + weight goals + rough estimate ranges for macros) Anything goes as long as it fits your macros!
· Reverse Dieting
o Slowly reintroducing calories after long period of deficit
o Improves NEAT, raises metabolism, normalized hormone levels, allows you to eat more
o Mistakes – contingent on your activity increasing as well, only focused on calories, hard to do since most weight loss is more about habit change and adding food back in can be a trigger
· Paleo – Only foods available to ancestors, NO grains, dairy, legumes, and processed foods
· No Animals
o Vegetarian – No Meat
o Pescetarian – No meat except for fish
o Vegan – No meat or animal products
o Mistakes – Not taking it seriously to replace the nutrients you would be getting from eliminated foods. Vegan DOES NOT mean Healthy (Brownie)
· Carnivore Diet – Only meat. No plant fiber or carbs (Super elimination diet)
· Intermittent Fasting – Limiting your time window for eating AT LEAST 12 hours
o Changes habits of eating, not as focused on what you’re eating
o 14:10, 16:8, 18:6…. Skip Meals basically
o Lowers Inflammation, improves blood markers, Improve cholesterol numbers, increases HGH profile, increases insulin sensitivity, and cell repair (autophagy)
o Women tend not to respond as well as men – body likes to have extra fat.
o Mistakes - Don’t go crazy when you do eat, it’s not a get out of jail free, also, you’re eating less food so make sure you get what you need when you do eat.
A diet is a sustainable long term eating plan. The ok diet you follow is better than the perfect diet you don’t. If it sounds too good to be true – it is. Don’t believe any hype about juice cleanses, or macro elimination diets. Watch out for BLUE ZONE myths.
Diets that claim to be miracle cures almost always involve some processed food reduction. Shitty food affects everyone differently, but food sensitivities are a real thing – It’s not the diet fixing you, it’s the fact that you stopped punching yourself in the face
This week I go through a complete discussion about the shoulders, scapula, and how to avoid the lovely grandma vulture neck hump as you get older. You know what I’m talking about.
In this episode I cover the 10 biggest things you need to do to lose the unwanted fat.
1) Know your numbers - How many calories do you eat on a typical day? You have to know where you're starting from to know where you're going.
2) Set your expectations for how you much weight you should lose each week - 1-2% BW loss per week, starting with a 500 cal deficit each day.
3) Don’t drink your calories – Calories from drinks are mostly empty calories. You'll get more nutritional benefit and SATIETY from real food.
4) Cut out sugar/empty calories – Think about the nutritional value of what you're eating. Weight loss means eating on a budget which means you have little room for unaccounted for splurges.
5) Stop Snacking – Calories add up quickly and you're rarely eating quality nutrition in snacks. Remember that real food is hard to package long term. Stick to meals for your main source of food
6) Build in fasts – Setting boundaries about when you eat can make it MUCH easier to stay out of trouble. This also is great practice to help you deal with breaking the bored eating habit. Eating bigger meals will keep you fuller longer. AND you will get better at using your own body fat as a fuel source.
7) Sleep More – Sleep is your body's way to naturally deal with stress and cortisol. When you sleep more you have more energy, you'll eat less because of this. Also, when you sleep enough your body will hold on to muscle and let go of body fat easier.
8) Move after eating – Blood diverting glucose to the muscles will keep that from going to fat. A little movement mitigates a big insulin rush and energy crash.
9) PLAN a cheat meal once a week – Once a week, having a caloric surplus keeps your metabolism from dropping to compensate for long periods of caloric deficit and gives you a mental break!
10) Understand the plateau/body readjustment process. You need to spend about 4-6 months at a new set point before your body will readjust to that weight. So don't be upset when you plateau after a significant weight loss - it's part of the process!
AND LASTLY, REMEMBER - It's not about how hard you work, it's about how much your willing to sacrifice!!!
PLEASE, Please, Rate and review!! Thank you so much! Also, share this will someone who needs to hear it. Love you all, take care.
In this episode Graham talks about how mismanaged stress is killing your training, how to assess, improve, and strengthen your wrists and grip, and why people do upper body plyometric exercises wrong more often than not!
Stress - https://www.instagram.com/p/B0PZsfxHVMg/
Wrist Assessment - https://www.instagram.com/p/B0R1oMrH-C5/
Wrist Mobility - https://www.instagram.com/p/B0UShabnatT/
Wrist and Grip Strengthening - https://www.instagram.com/p/B0V6ictnFSQ/
Upper Body Plyos - https://www.instagram.com/p/B0ZcEBandlC/
Email any questions or feedback to admin@grahamtuttle.com! I always appreciate the feedback. AND PLEASE, if you like this, leave a 5 star rating and review, I would really appreciate it.
In the first episode of the Athlete’s Advantage podcast I talk about how to set up your diet, breathing well, exercising on one leg, and jumping on one leg! Plus, I talk about how to keep your mind right for a long transition or process!
Different types of breathing - https://www.instagram.com/p/Bz_-RB5nwWJ/
Core Bracing Exercise - https://www.instagram.com/p/B0Cd3mUHjM6/
Single Leg Hurdle Exercise Ideas - https://www.instagram.com/p/B0HK1oQnAeJ/
Breathing Exercises - https://www.instagram.com/p/B0KGzXenk1Z/