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.

Fixing Your Meal Plan

So here we are 5 weeks into Dream Team.  Some of you are doing fantastic, some are struggling and some are stuck somewhere there in the middle.  Here's the good news; it's not too late.  In fact it's not even close to too late.  There is still plenty of time to fix what's not working, but you've got to start soon.  In fact, next week on Saturday Feb. 15th we (the trainers) are inviting any struggling people to come work with us in person.  but here are the next steps you should be taking.
1.) Make sure you are following a plan.  I always say even a bad plan is better than no plan at all.  Each of your days should practically be mirror images of the day before.  Now you may have a rest day meal plan, a weight training day meal plan and so on, but the point is you should know exactly what you are eating tomorrow as well as what you had yesterday.  Yes, the actual vegetables or protein source may be different, but well, you get the point.
2.) be sure you are not snacking on things and not counting them.  in other words, only eat what is on your plan and watch those hidden calories in coffee's, drinks, dressings, etc.
3.) Make sure you are eating enough.  If you are not eating enough, you r body will not want to let go of the fat.  You've got to feed the muscle and starve the fat!  A good guideline is a minimum of 8 calories per pound (this may not hold true for the very obese, that may require a bit less).  I strongly suggest you do the math and make sure you are getting at least that much food.  It should be broken down into 6-7 meals (counting your post training shake).  It is so important that you get your body functioning properly first and that requires enough of the right nutrients, heavy weights and hard cardio.
4.) "I'm doing all this and still not losing?"  If this is you, follow closely to this advice.  First make sure you are really doing all of the above.  Next don't do anything stupid.  Finally, come see me.
We have food logs available by the supplement order box.  Take advantage of them.
 Pictured is a perfectly filled out food log.