Hello Matt,

 

I was reading my Bodybuilding forum, and I came accross your videos, I have watched a few of them now and must say I am greatly Impressed. I Myself am an Athlete, Football, Baseball, Basketball, Mixed Martial Arts, Hockey, Snowboarding and Most Recently a Cadet in the Highway Patrol Academy. Now I do understand you recieve a ton of emails with questions and comments. I have read your blogs and you seem like you know how to do the "balance of life". I Right now work a fulltime job, have a child, have every day activities that you stated. I Also understand you are a busy Person.

 

I just have a quick few questions that I have found with all of the coaches, strength conditioning coaches in my area fail to understand. I can't afford a personal trainer that cost a ton of money per hour, As I only have maybe a total of 2 hours of lifting, cardio, training in general time per day sometimes Less. They fail to realize the balance of a regular everyday Joe. I have been doing these sports for years, have not been able to find ballance with strength and cardio and athleticism- as from your videos you have them ALL! and I do wish that I was able to travel to your shop to get a personal overview of how your training goes. As for now I can only ask if you have any insight on things from a everyday person point of view. I try to eat as clean as possible and try to keep as much muscle mass as possible and loose the body fat but retain muscle and size (which is hard). I currently way at 242lbs at 6'0 tall and 15.2%bf. I must be below 205lbs and less than 11%bf. If you feel that you can help me out please email me back. If you need any information from me, such as current workouts, current diet, cardio schedule. or Current goals.

 

Respectfully Rick.

Let's see if I can help.  First, you live in Columbus, I believe that is the home of Louie Simmons West Side Barbell, Rogue Fitness and probably more bad ass gyms.  But, since you asked me... One thing I like to do is take one or two movements and crush the shit out of them for 5-10 minutes at a time.  Thats it.  Most of us do not have an hour here and there to train, plus travel to and from the gym, etc.  let alone spend lots of money on training.  but, almost every one of us can find 5-15 minutes a few times a day.  No one said you need to train only once a day.  Gettin jacked up 2-4 times a day would do magic to accelerate your fat loss goals.  A perfect example would be do try to get as many muscle ups as you can in 5-10 minutes.  Or you can mash up rows and push ups, or pull ups and hand stand pushups.  Lately Ive been doing tons of tire flips and handstandpushups.  Having a pair of kettlebells or dumbbells at your disposal is awesome to get in super quick hard charged sessions.  You could do:

double clean x5

double press x 5

front squat x5

30 sec rest, repeat 5-10 times or more

mixing in more challenging gymnastic movements presents a bit more of a challenge.  But one thing you must remember, if you cannot do a particular movement, such as a backflip, you certainly can do one of the precursor progressions to that particular movement. ITS ALL ABOUT THE PROGRESSIONS.   Sometimes I would much rather see an athlete perform ten 5 minute practice sessions a day over one 50 minute session. 

you must find time to go heavy, period.  I don't have all the answers.  I don't know exactly your lifestyle, but I know what it is like to be busy.  Sometimes you must reevaluate your priorities, and find a way to get it done.  Never say "there is no time", instead say, "how can I make time for this...". Make a plan, and execute it.  

As far as bodyfat goes, I would put the majority of that focus on nutrition as opposed to training.  Eat as close to a paleo type diet as possible.  It takes some planning, but it is effective. And, you will not need to count calories any longer.  when you put your focus into real whole foods with quality nutrition, your body will make drastic changes.  No more sugar.  No more processed foods. Just clean eating.  Lean beef, poultry, fish.  Tons of vegetables and fruits.  raw nuts and seeds.  Very little starches.  They say variety is the spice of life. So I tell my athletes to try to eat 17 colors a day.  Sounds difficult, but don't take it literally, just as an idea.  Every color represents a vitamin or mineral.  The more vitamins and minerals you ingest, the healthier you can be.  And that can do wonders for your strength and conditioning.  Eliminate "white" foods from your diet, with just a few exceptions like chicken, pork and cauliflower and possibly raw milk.  I might miss a few, but the idea is to eliminate sugar, artificial sweeteners, flour, bread, pasta, etc.   If you want to gain weight and add muscle, then the addition of potatoes and rice could help.  

Something that should be engraved into the wall in front of every gyms squat rack..." there are some that do, some that don't, those that will and those that won't."

I have realized that in this life there are people who have the will and the want, they find the way to get it done.  Then there are the people who lack the want, they find an excuse.  Don't make excuses, find a way to get it done.  

If you are here seeking answers, you have the want, now take the next logical step. That step will vary from person to person.  Maybe one day make a weekend road trip to The Strength Shop. We'd love to have you.

Best, 

Matt Wichlinski