3 Hole Podcast

In this podcast we go over the Keto diet in depth. Both the good and the bad. Tune in if you want more info on keto and if you're wondering if Keto is for you or not!

I keep trying to tackle these fitness myths one-by-one! In this video I go over a very specific topic- sprinting. 

The myth is- will adding muscle mass make you slower? 

 The answer to this is absolutely NOT! 

I mean have you seen the types of athletes that are deemed the speed demons in any sport?! Almost all of them have jacked legs, not little skinny legs. The reason being is that we need this muscle mass!   In order to push  our limits and reach our real top speed is for our force production to be at its all-time highest level. 

This is the exact reason why we have all of our athletes here at PPTC go through a progressive strength and conditioning program along with their sports performance.   

Of course there is a fine line that we need to draw with sheer size! If we are an athlete that needs to move we don't want to get too massive. We are not bodybuilding or powerlifting- which, of course, is where diet comes in. Watching our nutrition, keeping the correct amount of calories for your bodyweight as well as sufficient protein to allow your muscles to grow and recover..... but not too much more than that.  

 Instead of seeing how big you can get and making that your big goal, shift your focus on building the muscles/foundation to produce the force required to reach your optimal top speed.

A lot of my clients will come to me before they go on vacation or out of town to see the family, and they always hate missing coming into the facility. So instead of going  without for a couple days/weeks, they ask me what they can do for a workout while they have to be away from their normal routine.  

I give everybody a simple 4 step breakdown on how they can setup their workout to stay on top of the gains they have been seeing.  

STEP 1: Do a dynamic warm-up  - 5-15 minutes long - Focusing on stretching, moving, and activating the muscles you’re about to workout  

STEP 2: Strength Movement  - Pick 1 or 2 exercises - Want at least 1 of these exercises to be a compound exercises - Deadlifts, squats, bench press, pull-ups, hang clean  

STEP 3: Accessory Work  - Focused on targeting all the muscles we couldn't focus directly on during the compound exercise - Pick 3-5 exercises (pick the exercise group based off of your initial compound exercise) - Pick a muscle group (legs, shoulders, back, chest, arms)  

STEP 4: Activate the core - Super important, so I advise to do these every time you are at the gym if possible - pick 2-4 ab exercises  I know this isn't a clear cut, extremely detailed workout plan... but we don't need one.... especially if we are on vacation or going to see the family! Use this system to make some quality workouts for yourself!

Eating out and being healthy doesn't really go hand in hand, unfortunately. 

That doesn't mean we can't go out to eat though! I've put together a little simple cheat sheet that you can follow that will guide you throughout the day and even through your dinner to keep you in check and make sure you can fully enjoy your meal without feeling guilty!  

1) Before you go out:      

- Don't Stress!! (one meal can't kill all of your gains)      

- keep calories low (stick to veggies, fruits, and lean protein)      

- stay hydrated- drink plenty zero calorie drinks, or just stick to water      

- Check menu online- before going to that restaurant, check out the menu online and see what the calories / nutritional info looks like  

2) At Restaurant:      

- Drink 1 full glass of water before you even order!      

- Order what you want, enjoy every bite      

- Don't feel obligated to have dessert or eat every bite if you get full (on the other hand order that dessert if you're craving it.... remember no regrets!)  

3) When You Leave:       

- Get right back on track with your diet, the very next time you 

eat, make it healthy!       

- Don't feel guilty, remember how hard you've been working, you deserve 1 meal out  

** Don't let your health and fitness goals deprive you of some of the other things you enjoy in life. When we go out to eat, its usually with family and friends, and with everybody having a great time who doesn't enjoy that?! Just be sure to take these simple steps throughout your day to ensure you can actually enjoy your night out eating!

Hypertension, or more commonly known as High Blood Pressure, is a problematic factor for millions of people in the U.S.. About 77.9 million adults (1 out of 3) have high blood pressure. Another shocking statistic is that out of all those adults that have hypertension, only about 54% of them have it under control.   I felt the need to put out this video to stress to everyone that hypertension is scary and needs to be put in its place! Yes, most cases of hypertension are genetic, but we can still keep the blood pressure  under control!  

I know, I know, everyone is thinking well if it's genetic, what can I do?! Well let's start by changing some of our lifestyle choices: start becoming correct with your nutrition (what your are consuming and the amount), lose weight, engage in physical exercise, and maybe even start a designed workout program with a trainer (of course do your research first!!).  

If you're unsure where your blood pressure is at, go check it yourself. I know plenty of grocery stores in my area have a little kiosk near the pharmacy or customer service desk that has a arm holder for reading blood pressure, sit down, slip your arm in and follow the basic instructions on the pad.  

A healthy adult's average blood pressure should read between these ranges:  Systolic: 100-130 Diastolic: 60-80  

Adults that have hypertension (High Blood Pressure) will be in this avg range:  systolic- 140+ diastolic- 90+  

** If you do happen to see that your blood pressure is way over the ranges shown here, don't worry! Just call your doctor, tell them what is going on and schedule the next appointment to make sure there is nothing else going on. Then..... onto the healthy lifestyle changes you need to make in order to keep healthy and stay away from the doctor!

I get this question so many times!!.... "What should I supplement with to start seeing my abs". My reply to this is always an automatic what are you doing outside the gym, eating habits, how much water do you drink, are you taking enough protein into the diet, and on and on. 

There are so many factors involving fitness that supplements should be the last thing on the list.  In fact, in this video I list 5 categories that you need to have tuned in before you even start to think about starting any type of supplementation!  

1. Food Intake / Nutrition- Keeping our diet healthy and sticking to whole foods is the BEST way to start cutting body fat and keeping it off to show the abs you want. In the diet needs to be lean meat, fish (if you like it), nuts, seeds, some fruit mixed with protein to cut out the sugar, and tons of vegetables (veggies with every meal if possible! Also, have we cut out all the refined sugars and carbs that do nothing for our body but sit there as extra calories.  

2. Hydration- Drinking water is huge if you want optimal results! Our body lives and breathes off of water so make sure you're drinking enough! To be sure you are, you should be drinking half of your body weight, in ounces!  

3. Protein- We need protein in our diet! Protein is the building block of the muscles, therefore in order to grow muscle and keep cutting body fat we must incorporate it into the diet. Ratio for how much protein you should take is usually 1:1 (1 gram : 1 lbs of body weight). Make sure you're taking enough!  

4. Frequency- Are we staying on point with our nutrition throughout the day, constantly filling our bodies up?! Remember,  we need to eat every 2-3 hours- breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner... and of course they need to be healthy snacks if you want peak performance from your body!  

5. Awareness- Be aware of how you feel, how your body feels and reacts! For example, if you know your stomach reacts poorly to blueberries and every time you eat them, it only takes about 10 minutes before you have to run to the bathroom then maybe we should think about not eating the blueberries even though they are healthy for us.  

**Supplements are not the end all be all, they only supplement the great fitness foundation we put in place!

Everybody starts somewhere with their dieting when they enter the fitness world. Many fall into a FAD diet, following a plan that is "supposed to get you lean.  

You cut calories as low as you can, while still remaining functional. All day you battle hunger pains, have to say no to severe cravings of your favorite junk food, and yet after all that hard work you still fail to see the results you're dieting for in the first place.  

You feel like you failed yourself, that you must be doing something wrong, but STOP right there. It is not your fault! Low calorie diets DON'T work and will actually make you gain weight in the long run....  

Click play on the podcast so you can get educated on why these low-calorie diets will do the opposite of what they claim and actually make you gain weight in the long run.

In our fitness Q&A podcast, we will go over most frequently asked questions that we have had most recently.

Yes, you heard it, not all protein is created equal. 

So are you sure if you're consuming enough protein on a daily basis, or even eating the correct protein? Ya, I have been there too.... we all have been at some point! 

In this podcast, I attempt to refresh your perspective about the protein you're getting in your diet to build muscle. 

Most of the time, the average gym rat focuses on the amount of protein they are consuming and less about where its coming from, which is a huge mistake because if you don't fully understand you could limit the amount of muscle you're able to build.   In order to build lean muscle, there is no question we need to incorporate protein into the diet. 

Protein comes from two primary sources: animal and vegetables.   

Animal: beef, poultry, fish, yogurt, eggs,   

Vegetables: legumes, nuts, seeds, nut butters, grains, beans  

But as we said before, not all proteins are created equal. What happens is we tend to eat the same type of proteins over and over, leading to deficiencies in some essential amino acids, and if you're not consuming complete protein, it will be much harder for your muscles to grow.  

I'm hoping this podcast gives everybody a good perspective on how to mix up their quality proteins to gain the most from their efforts!

Growing up in a family of athletes, more specifically baseball players, Shawn French was immediately drawn into being the best baseball player he could possibly be. 

Going through high school and college, continually trying to take his game to the next level.  

After injuries plagued his thoughts of becoming a future MLB player for a career, Shawn jumped straight into life!   

We go through his life, the ups & downs, and the struggles he had to push through to make him into the tough person he is today!  

Now having a hand in multiple businesses, including a motivational platform and community called The Determined Society, Shawn takes us through the mindset he adapted to pull himself from the lowest of lows and be the man he is today!