The 4th Quarter

I sometimes look at Dream Team as football game.  You have 4 quarters, each 4 weeks long and a halftime.  Well after the weigh in's this week, we will be heading into the 4th quarter and that means there is no time to mess around and if you are one of those people that waits till the last minute to pull off a miracle, now is the time!
This last quarter should be pretty tough on you.  You should be a little (or a lot) hungry.  You may be a bit irritable (you might not notice but your spouse might).  And you may be tired as well.  In other words, if you still have the same energy, attitude and could skip meals then it's safe to say that you may not be giving 100%.
These final 4 weeks can be a bit of a test on your character, inner strength and attitude.  There's not much more to say except eat right, train hard and be positive.
Bill

What's it all about anyway?

So 5 short weeks remaining in Dream Team and I'm seeing a lot of different things.  Some people are pushing harder than they ever have, some people are keeping the same intensity and schedule as week 1 (which could be a good or bad thing) and unfortunately some people are shutting down a bit.
At this time I think it's important to remember what Dream Team is all about.  Our goal here is to create a healthy lifestyle of exercise and proper nutrition and during the 4 months of Dream Team, we strongly urge you to step your game up a little , set some ambitious goals for yourself and see what you can do.  I mean after all, where else in your adult life do you get a chance to be in a fun contest with your peers and maybe even receive an award and get recognized for all your hard work.

This year we will be crowning our 13th Dream Team champion and although only one team gets a first place trophy, all the teams have an opportunity to push each other, sacrifice and bond to what I think makes for a great Dream Team experience.  It's up to you and your teammates to bring fun, enthusiasm and energy to the training sessions (coincidently that usually shows in results as well) and this is what makes Dream Team great...the bonding.  Trust me, I speak for every trainer when I tell you it's not all about the most points, but also witnessing the comradely and many small victories from our clients.

So the question is, with 5 weeks to go, how are you doing as a team?  How are you as a teammate?  For many of you this is crunch time. What are you going to do?

My Advice

With just a little over 6 weeks left in Dream Team, I'm reminded of some advice that I once gave our very own trainer Susan Maloney when she was preparing for a bodybuilding competition.  She said "How am I looking Bill?"  to which I replied "Well you still have 6 weeks, but you only have 6 weeks."  My point of course is 6 weeks is plenty of time to make some real major changes to your body, but at the same time, 6 weeks goes by real fast.  Plus think about it, you can do anything for 6 weeks, right?
Here is some more food for thought (maybe I used the wrong word there, are you hungry?) We will be having a blast and celebrating our accomplishments at the banquet on May 3rd (be sure to mark that date) and trust me, it's not about who wins or who gets what award.  This contest is all about you and your team working hard and pushing yourselves and each other toward a goal.  And when it's all said and done, I know you want to be proud of not just your accomplishments, but probably even more so, the effort you put in.  For myself, I know I always enjoyed the preparation for my bodybuilding shows way more than the show itself and that's because in the immortal words of Steven Tyler "Life's a Journey , not a destination."  So do everything you can to hold your head up high on May 3rd and say I gave it my best shot.
Before ending this, I should add that Susan went on to look awesome at her show.

At this point...

Well here we are ready to start the second half of Dream Team and I'd like to give all of you step by step the same advice I've been giving the teams that I train.
1.) At this point, you should, without doubt have a meal plan written down that you follow.  If not, it's not too late, but you need to do that today and remember to follow the rules from my previous blog.
2.) From this point on, you should be down in bodyfat% every single week. If not, the question I'd ask you is "What calorie cuts are you going to make this week?"  The logic is simple.  If you have a solid plan and you follow it, you should be down.  If not, you need to skim about 100 calories out of your plan. 
3.) How to cut these calories.  First, keep in mind, that if you actually follow your plan, you may not need to cut a single calorie for the duration of dream team, but if you do need to cut, here is the order in which you should do that:
a. Any "extra's you may be doing (i.e. creamers, sauces, cheese, etc. b.) cheat meals c.) Any starchy carbs outside your 3 hour window (potatoes, rice, toast) d.) dairy products (milk, yogurt)  e.) fruits (bananas, apples) f.) pre workout oats (Cut back in portion size or have core PRO instead of core MRP) g.) fats (oils, avocados, peanut butter) h.) at this point you really should be losing, but if not, start making your portions smaller (i.e.1/2 scoop of protein instead of 1 or core pro instead of MRP), .  DO NOT CUT OUT ENTIRE MEALS!
nutrition tip: do not cut out your post workout shake at all
4.) Keep in mind that if you step on the scale and you know you went off your plan somewhere, just tell the trainer and don't make that same mistake the following week, but if you didn't cheat, you need to make a small calorie cut.
5.) You can make a lot of changes in 8 weeks and who knows, this could be you

Rest Week

As most of you know, Dream Team is 17 week challenge.  8 weeks on, 1 week rest and then a final 8 weeks.    The rest week is an important component of Dream Team and out in place for a many reasons.
First and most importantly is that if you have been training hard for the past 8 weeks and doing all the things your trainer asks you to do, the you should be ready both mentally and physically for a one week break.  If not, you should evaluate how hard you really worked the first 8 weeks and come back the second half with more intensity.
Secondly, we are trying to teach you how to live healthy and in "real life" you are sometimes going to be away and unable to go to a gym for a week.  This does not mean your whole life should fall apart.  You should still get up around the same time and eat right (more on that later).
Finally, 4 months without a break is simply too much and seems overwhelming.  I want you to look at this as if we are at halftime right now.  Maybe you didn't have the best first half?  That's no reason to give up.  Think of it like this; there are quite a few people doing amazing right now and anything that someone else did in the first half, you can do in the second half!  If you had a great fist half, this is no time to let up. 
I'll tell you right now that the second half seems to go a bit slower, especially if you don't rest this week and you will be tested mentally, especially when that darn Easter bunny comes around.  So take this week off to set some new ambitious goals for the second half and start thinking about what you are going to wear to the banquet on May 3rd.
So what should you do on the week off?
The gym will be open from 5-7 am and 4-6 pm M-F for cardio only (bike and rowers)!  There will be boot camp this weekend (march 1-2), but not on the 8th and 9th.  Feel free to do your max-ot a few times this week, but nothing else.  As for your diet, you want to keep that on point.  It is a week off from training, not a week off from proper eating. Basically you should still be eating your 6 meals of high quality protein, goods fat and vegetables each meal. 
Stay positive.  Bill

Understanding your Meals

I know nutrition can become confusing.  But hey, don't worry I'm here to safely guide you through the maze.  I want you to start thinking of your meals in 4 categories: Pre Training (CF, Weights, BC, Cardio), Immediate Post Training, Recovery Meal, and all other meals.  Now let's break this down.

Pre-Training Meal - This meal should be eaten about 1-1.5 hours before training.  It should contain a slow burning carb such as oatmeal or sweet potato (did you know the carb source in CORE MRP is oats?), Protein (Lean Meat or Powder) and preferably a source of "good" fat (Flaxseeds, Fish oil, MCT's found in CORE PRO).  So an example of a good meal would be Oatmeal, Protein powder and Flaxseeds.

Post Training Shake (immediate post training!)  - This meal should be in liquid form and taken The second you're done training.  It should contain a whey Protein isolate (Like VP2 or CORE PWO), and simple sugars (like DGC or CORE PWO). This meal is essential for muscle recovery and glycogen storage.  In other words, skipping this meal will make your next workouts worse.

Recovery Meal - The point of this meal to keep the recovery process going.  This meal should be eaten about 40-60 minutes post training and should contain a lean protein ( egg whites, chicken) and a higher glycemic starchy carb (White potato, rice).

All other Meals - All of your other meals throughout the day should be a combination of protein (lean meats, egg whites, protein powders), Fibrous carbs (Vegetables, some fruits like an apple), and "good" fats (fat in your fish, EVOO, Flaxseeds).  My exception here is before bed.  Just a protein with healthy fats is fine there.

I know that some of you say you get bored with the plan, but keep these recommendations in mind, learn to cook (different spices make a world of difference) and keep in simple.

Over Training, Under Eating, Cheat Meals and Staying Positive

My blogs are inspired by what I see going on at the gym.  I had a whole bunch of topics on my mind and I figured I'd throw them all out there.
Over Training
Some people, out of a desire to do so well are starting or thinking about starting to do too much.   Remember how I've gone on and on about having a plan of attack?  Well, this plan is not limited to nutrition but your training as well.  Your training should be the same each week.  In other words, I don't want you just throwing in an extra cardio because you have time or skipping cardio because your busy.  The plan should be simple with you training once a day 5-6 days per week.  Anymore than that is too much, especially at this point.
Under Eating
You've got to make sure you are eating enough to support your training.  In other words, if you skimp your calories too much for too long your body will want to go into a starvation mode and try to hold onto fat.  Remember my last blog about the minimum 8 calories per pound?  Also, be sure not to skip your post workout VP2/ DGC or CORE PWO shake.  Yes, there are carbs in these but they are very important for recovery so use the whole scoop and don't skip it.  Ever!
Cheat Meals
This could probably be a topic on it's own, but a few important things here. One, if you are snacking, grabbing things, overall not following the plan you don't need a cheat meal.  A cheat meal has two purposes.  The first is to give you a mental break from eating clean. In other words, you are not going 17 weeks without ice cream, you are going 6 days.  The other purpose is to give your body a spike in calories.  Your body can get use to the same low amount and start to slow down.  A cheat meal or higher calorie day(s) can stop this.  Come see me to learn more.
Staying Positive
This is the hardest part of Dream Team.  You will definitely go through many emotions during these 17 weeks and your commitment will be put to the test.  It's crucial to stay positive and seek out help.  We have an amazing family of teammates and trainers here.  Use them.