3 Hole Podcast

Everyone's biggest excuse on why they can't make it to the gym is time! So we went ahead and made a podcast specifically about how to create an intense workout when you only have a little bit of time!

Density circuits should be used when you are strapped for time and want to get a quick and intense fat burning workout in! 

These density circuit can be made for beginner, intermediate, and advanced lifters and can be anywhere from 10-30 minutes depending on how much time you have!!

I am sure that there are tons of squat variations, and along with that something that each one does that makes it special. These variations can lead to increasing strength in other areas you're not used to, therefore evolving your max strength on the original back squat.   

In this podcast we're gonna go over 4 of my favorite squat variations that are guaranteed to increase your strength, lean muscle mass, get you faster, and definitely more explosive.   

1) Pause Squats- A simple, explosive movement. You get into a regular back squat and hit full depth, once you hit full depth you pause for 2-4 seconds then explode up (focusing on butt and hammys) to the starting position.  

2) Front Squats- These are one of the variations that I have a love/hate relationship with them. They work you out great and can be used to improve proper form and keep the core involved throughout the entire squat.  

3) 1.5 Squats- These just downright suck! Aimed to improve muscular endurance and strength, 1.5 squats is a variation where you do a full squat, come half way up, back down to a full squat, and then stand all the way up for 1 full rep. #burncity to say the least  

4) Box Squats- Last, but definitely not least. I love box squats, not only for its improvement of your starting strength, but also because they take stress of your joints. Also, they tend to target your glutes and hammys a lot more effectively!  

The story is always pretty similar, "I eat amazing all week, exercise to some extent every single day, and I still yet to have seen the results I want"... sound like someone you know?!  You eat really well all week, no eating out, staying on point with your calories, making every workout that week.... you're doing literally everything the "right" way!   

But then the weekend comes.....  

At this point you have ate perfect all week, deprived yourself of all your favorite and fattening foods you cut out of your diet every week, and you are going to enjoy yourself. I mean, why not, right? Treat myself for eating so well all week during the entire weekend..... unfortunately after all that binge eating you and your stomach are going to feel guilty.  Now since we already started eating bad, we indulge even more because screw it at this point, we might as well keep going if we are already eating unhealthy. Then one meal turns into a whole weekend of caloric dense, low nutritional foods. 

This of course leads to self shaming and getting upset because you worked so hard during the week and now you just ruined it all.  Let's make a mindset shift and break this vicious cycle once and for all! Nobody is perfect, so stop trying to eat perfect all week. Create very healthy eating habits where you're sticking to your diet 85-90% of the time, so that when the time comes to indulge on your favorite desert, you actually can with no regrets!

Here are the questions we go over in this episode:

1) When working out and trying to burn fat, does your heart rate zone matter? (@ 0:46)

2) Have you noticed any benefits from stretching? (@ 2:09)

3) Why is rest between sets so important? (@ 4:17)

4) Are there any extra benefits to protein, such as casein before bed (@ 6:42)

5) Can non PPTC members make guest appearances in your podcast? (@ 9:45)

6) Ideal workout duration and frequency for fat loss? (@ 11:28)

Every athlete needs to understand the importance of a pre game meal! It provides the fuel your body needs to perform and compete at the highest level during a game or match.

 Similar to filling up your car with fuel before you take off on a long trip, your body needs sufficient fuel in order to perform from the start of the game to the finish.  For our breakfast pre game we want to eat within 30 minutes of waking up. This will kick start our metabolism, energy, and gets our body and mind working. A sample breakfast meal would be scrambled eggs, berries, and red potatoes.   

Now, I mentioned breakfast, but let's not forget about lunch! So many athletes compete in their sport after school, yet most refuse to eat. 

If we decide to skip lunch, then we are missing out on one of our biggest meals in the day, and of course all the nutrients and fuel your body will be missing and craving during the game will likely hinder your performance. During lunch try to consume as many food groups as possible for fuel- whole grains, lean protein, fruit, and vegetables- make sure your body will be prepared when you hit the field!  

Now let's talk about snacks, because everyone- both athletes and gym goers alike- has trouble sticking to their diet and whole foods 100%. So we must branch out and find healthy snacks that are tasty, but still good for your body. Finding that balance of healthy snacks and quality, whole food meals will have you reaching your fitness goals in no time!  

Here are some on-the-go snack suggestions:  

1. PB&J- A peanut butter, or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich always does the job. All you have to do is watch out for bread. Preferably, pick a whole wheat or whole grain bread, make sure it is under 80 calories per slice.  

2. Hard Boiled Eggs- So easy to transport, and eggs are great for the diet.  

3. Yogurt- can mix in granola, almonds, berries, banana  

**REMEMBER**  Eat every 2.5-3 hours to keep your metabolism going strong and keep your energy levels peaked. This will also help decrease the amount of time it takes your muscles to recover. Furthermore, the whole point of a nutrition plan is to stick to healthy choices. We are not measuring every little serving because we're not robots, that routine usually doesn't last very long. Instead, work on consistently making healthy choices with snacks and meals that will fuel your system and give your body the ability to burn off all that excess fat.

If you're trying to track your progress and see where you're reaping the most benefits, then do yourself a favor and step off the scale! 

Stop worrying about how much you weigh now from this morning, or even a week ago. Weight in our bodies is constantly changing day to day... even hour to hour. So our weight cannot accurately show us our progress.  

The scale doesn't tell you exactly how much fat you've burned and how much muscle you have gained with this recent workout program.  

The scale doesn't measure how many inches you have shed off your waistline, nor can the scale hop into your clothes for you and feel how much better they fit.  

The scale can't even tell you how much you squat, deadlift, or bench.   

These are all ways to accurately asses your progress on this fitness journey, stop relying on the scale to dictate how well you're doing. 

There is A LOT more going on during this journey other than weight loss- you're breaking down your own barriers (both mentally and physically), trying new things, making sure to reinforce your healthy habits... all these things take time and are huge leaps in progress, pushing you towards a high level of fitness that is sustainable!!  So put that scale away, because the scale measures none of that ^^. 

Instead, shift your focus towards improving yourself every. single. day. Be patient, remain consistent, trust the process and you are well on your way to reaching your goals!

The key to continually improving any part of your fitness capabilities, you must learn how to progressively overload your muscles and provide new stimulus for growth!   

Our bodies are super adaptive to what we continuously do, and once it adapts, it gets used to what you're doing and will stay the same unless it's FORCED to change. If you just keep doing the same exercise for the same amount of reps, with the same amount of weight, you're going to get used to it and stay the same!  

For example, if you do 4 sets of 10 on the flat bench press with 135 lbs on a barbell, then you do that every Tuesday at about the same time for the entire year. A couple months in at the most and your body will already be adapted to this exercise. Now, after a couple months, if you decided to do 4 sets of 10 on the flat bench press with 145 lbs on both Tuesday and Friday, then congratulations!! You just created a brand new stimulus and now your muscles are firing on all cylinders, knowing they have a bigger resistance and need to make some adjustments to lift that much weight for that amount.   

This is the process of progressively overloading your muscles. Once you hit your goal and are able to complete the new stimulus without your muscles failing on you, we need to rinse and repeat. Continually apply this process with any type of physical activity and you will keep making progress!

Such a great topic! In this podcast we breakdown the difference between square meals and grazing and figure out which one is better! 

We break it down to a few categories that actually matter to determine which is better for each category:

1) Appetite Control

2) Fat Burning

3) Building Muscle 

Here are the questions we go over in this episode:

1) Is it okay to feel less strong during a calorie deficit

2) When your program has you doing 15 reps, are you still lifting heavy weights

3) Are you a fan of training fasted

4) What are your tips for self-discipline 

5) Stretching - Before or after a workout?

6) Why do cardio if it doesn't help you lose weight

Kent Hein, owner of Kentland Painting, husband, and father of 3.