Kev's Advanced Personal Training

The same woman from 250 pounds to 125 pounds.
The brain is 60% fat. We need good fats to fuel our brains, but too much fat can cause cognitive decline as well as create other problems.

Knowing what to eat and what not to eat is important, but knowing when and why to eat it is important too.
Leptin and Ghrelin are hormones that control our hunger. Leptin is produced in our fat, or adipose tissue. The more fat we have, the more leptin we have. Leptin is called the satiety hormone, it tells us when we are full. Too much leptin, like in obese people, can cause Leptin resistance. Leptin resistance means that the body doesn't recognize that it needs to feel full and tells the body to keep eating. Low Leptin, which is rare, keeps the body from feeling full.
Ghrelin is called the Hunger Hormone. It is made in the stomach and when the stomach is empty it tells us to eat. It also promotes fat storage, helps regulate insulin, signals the release of growth hormone, tells the stomach to digest, and more.
To lower Ghrelin eat foods that are high in protein and healthy carbs, and stay away from processed foods, sweets, and fats. Stay hydrated, get lots of sleep, and stay away from yo-yo diets.
I recommend some healthy carbs for energy and some protein before working out, and more protein and less carbs shortly after working out. For me, high protein seems to be the key to fat loss, less hunger, and increased muscle mass. A lot still needs to be learned about Leptin and Ghrelin, but it's good to be aware of how the body works.

When resistance training, overloading the muscle to the point of microtears in the muscle tissue causes the body to repair the muscle, which increases the size and strength to prepare the muscle for more strain. Protein synthesis is how the body uses amino acids from protein that we eat to build the muscle. Vitamin D aids in protein synthesis and supports the growth of skeletal muscle. It also aids the immune system and with calcium absorption, so it helps keep bones strong. It can also help with weight, mood, balance, inflammation, even heart health. You get vitamin D from the sun and diet, but I also recommend vitamin D supplementation. It is part of my daily regimen.

Biceps have 2 muscles but there are also the brachialis. The triceps have 3 muscles, and the quadriceps have 4. Each muscle group is made up of individual muscles and your training should emphasis all of the different muscles with a group. Your shoulders should be trained for front, side, and rear deltoids for balance in strength, symmetry, and appearance. Each muscle group requires several different exercises to optimally focus in on all of its constituent parts. It is beneficial to know how to do many different exercises for each muscle. Just be careful not to over train or there is a large risk of injury. It is a bit of a balancing act.

There are different body types. Endomorphs, ectomorphs, and mesomorphs. Endomorphs hold more fat %, they find it harder to lose weight, and have a more rounded appearance. Ectomorphs hold less body fat and their metabolism is faster. They lose weight easier and have a much thinner appearance. I'm sure you know people who eat whatever they want and still stay thin. A mesomorph is more athletic with more muscle mass. They pack on muscle quicker and make the rest of us a little jealous. You can be a combination of more than one. Genetics plays such a large role in every aspect of who we are that it's no surprise that it also dictates how we build and maintain muscle mass and burn fat. There are people that just don't seem to grow much muscle. We all have genetic limitations, but almost everyone can increase muscle mass and strength to a certain degree. As we age it is more difficult and it is easier for most men than most women. Testosterone plays a huge part in muscle growth. Men and women have both Testosterone and estrogen. But in different amounts. If your levels are imbalanced there can be big problems. I lost my testosterone at 44 and have been on therapy ever since. Lack of testosterone makes you weak, can make you dizzy, reduces energy, and makes life difficult. People should get their hormones tested regularly after 40.
No 2 people are the same when it comes to building muscle. A program needs to be developed based on the individual. Two people can do the exact same workout and have completely different outcomes. We store our fat in different places. Adipose tissue, or fat, is stored in the blood as triglycerides, under the skin as subcutaneous fat, and visceral fat is deeper fat and surrounds your organs. Men and women store fat in different places. The first place it appears is usually the last place it leaves. And it's genetic. You have to burn more calories and reduce your intake of calories to get rid of fat. Eat less fat and carbs, increase protein, drink lots of water, tea, or diluted juice.
Never compare yourself to others. You only set yourself up for disappointment. There is nothing wrong with using someone as motivation or inspiration, but only compare yourself to yourself. And be kind to yourself, positivity is important in maintaining happiness and satisfaction in life. Change takes time.

Salt is necessary in low quantities for certain bodily functions. The RDA is 500 mg minimum and around 2300 mg max. That's like one teaspoon. Most Americans eat too much salt. It is an electrolyte so you'll get it in Gatorade and other sports drinks. You lose salt through sweat and urine, but not to a large degree. Salt is Sodium chloride. The body uses the sodium and chloride ions to regulate blood pressure, maintaining water levels, and for transmitting nerve impulses. Too much salt causes high blood pressure and water retention. Do not salt your food! Use Mrs. Dash non-salt seasoning and pepper. Other spices also work well. Pepper helps with hardening of the arteries and plaque buildup, Atherosclerosis. Plaque buildup is the leading cause of death worldwide. Ginger and Turmeric are great spices. Ginger reduces triglycerides, cholesterol, blood pressure, nausea, inflammation, arthritis, bloating, and it aids in digestion. It's been used for thousands of years. Turmeric helps prevent free radicals and cell damage. Ginseng comes in many varieties, like Koean and Ashwaghanda helps reduce cortisol levels, (stress hormone), there are many claims to what Ginseng can do, but it needs much more study. It's supposed to aid in weight reduction and energy levels.
The main takeaway is that salt should be eaten sparingly. Edema, or swelling of extremities, is caused by water retention like from too much salt. You can increase magnesium, D, and B6. No alcohol, stay hydrated, and exercise.

There are several different ways to work out. Some people are looking for strength which requires low repetitions, like 3 to 8, and heavy weights. The emphasis is on lifting as heavy as you can, safely. Progressive overload is systematically raising the weight as your muscles become stronger. You can lift for muscle growth which is higher repetitions, like 8 to 20, with slightly lighter weights. "Reps in Reserve" are the amount of Reps you could still do, but don't. I recommend very few Reps in Reserve. There's lifting for specific sports and lifting for power, which is fast and explosive movements with maximum effort. These are all considered anaerobic exercise. That means they aren't using oxygen. The muscles are using ATP and Glucose. The exercise is a short duration and involves fast twitch muscle fibers. You fatigue quickly as lactic acid builds up. Aerobic exercise uses oxygen and slow twitch muscle fibers and it has a long duration. Running, swimming, biking, and rowing are all aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise is good for the cardiovascular system and for burning fat. In order to burn more fat you need to increase your heart rate to your target zone. Your maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age. 65% to 85% of your maximum is your target zone. If you're 20 years old your target is 200 × .65 = 130 low and 200 × .85 = 170 high. You should do aerobic activities 30 minutes every other day at a minimum if you want to lose fat. Walking 20 minutes a day is great exercise but it doesn't raise your heart rate to the proper fat burning zone. There are weight training techniques that raise your heart rate to the proper zone and have the added benefit of continuing to burn fat long after the workout. One is called HIIT training. That's High Intensity Interval Training. It's pretty brutal and not for everybody. It's lifting weights hard and fast for a short amount of time and then resting for a short amount of time. There are many variations regarding the amount of rest and the kind of exercises, but it's the fact that your heart rate is up and your Intensity is high that really matters. The danger is that it can cause injury and it causes fatigue very quickly. It cuts a workout time in half but it probably isn't a good idea long term. It stresses the joints. Using a sequence of different exercises that work opposing muscles or double work a single muscle increases the intensity and can cut the exercise time in half. These are called supersets. Supersets take a lot of energy, like HIIT training, and it increases the heart rate. They aren't specifically designed for maximum strength or size, but when combined with high intensity, slow deliberate movements, and accentuating the negative part of the movement, they are a very effective alternative approach to lifting that can give you great gains in a short amount of time. I wouldn't recommend it for a beginner, though. Another technique I incorporate is "negatives" the part of the movement that shortens the muscle is the concentric. The part that lengthens the muscle is eccentric. Negatives focus on the slow elongation of the muscle only. They tax the muscle to a high degree but should be used sparingly as they also stress the joints. When used properly they are a great way to quickly increase muscle mass and overcome training plateaus. The idea is to hit each muscle in different ways to stimulate as many motor units as possible.

Fat and muscle are not the same thing. Your muscle is under your subcutaneous fat layer. You need a certain amount of fat for certain bodily functions and the body uses fat for energy and to store energy. The idea of dieting is to get the body to burn fat stores but not burn muscle. Muscle requires protein, so any diet should be high in protein, in my opinion. You can not reduce one part of your body by exercising that part alone. You can build the specific muscle, but fat gets burned from all over. A lot of fat is in our blood as triglycerides. High LDL cholesterol and triglycerides can cause problems with the cardiovascular system, like clogged arteries, or plaque build up. Men and women store fat in different areas, we store more fat as we age, and genetics plays a huge role in how and where we store fat. There is something called Ketosis where the body burns primarily fat. It is a low carb diet, the Keto diet. The theory is that your body turns carbs into glucose for energy. If you deplete the body of carbs it starts to burn fat for energy instead. But the Keto diet is a high fat diet. I believe Ketosis works great, but I think carbs should be cut to a minimum and fat should be cut as well. A high protein diet will help the muscles during exercise and the low carbs will cause the body to burn fat. Some problems with any diet is lack of variety and having to count calories and read labels. Labels can be deceiving, especially when trying to convert fat grams to fat percentage of daily intake. The same goes for carbs and protein. The more simple a diet is, the more effective it will be. You can't go wrong with 50 different ways to prepare skinless chicken and turkey breast. Don't deep fry. Chicken breast is the world's most perfect food, in my opinion. High in protein, low carb, low fat. Just don't salt it and you can't go wrong. Eggs, mushrooms, and veggies are the next most perfect foods, in my opinion. Just don't deep fry them. Don't drink your calories, black coffee is fine, green tea is better, kombucha is best. But don't forget your water.
Portion size is important. There are fasting diets where you don't eat for long periods of time. I prefer to eat little meals 5 times a day.
When exercising you burn calories. Walking is great. 1 mile equals around 100 calories. If you jog or exercise with your heart rate elevated to a certain level, you promote fat burning for energy. If your rate is too high you can burn muscle. Everybody has a target zone for their heart rate while exercising. It varies by s*x and age. If you keep your heart rate in that zone for 30 minutes a day, you will increase the amount of fat that you burn. There's no magic pill to get rid of fat, you have to burn more calories than you eat and exercise properly.

Fermented foods are good for your microbiome, or "Gut Bugs". Gut Bugs are good bacteria that live in our stomach and aid in digestion, absorption of vitamins and minerals, helps our immune system, and a lot more. When they are imbalanced, a whole host of problems can arise. What we eat directly impacts almost every aspect of our existence.
Some foods are considered Probiotic or Prebiotic.
Probiotics have live bacteria and are great for gut health. Like: Greek yogurt, kombucha, sour cream, cottage cheese, Swiss and provolone. Not all cheese is created equal. I'm not a huge fan of dairy, but whey protein is something I eat every day in protein powder form. They have chocolate peanut butter, cheesecake, and even fruity pebble flavors. It's my one daily indulgence.
Some good prebiotic foods are: garlic, onion, bananas, and avocado.
Prebiotics improve digestion, improve calcium absorption, regulate blood sugar, and lower inflammation in the body.
Inflammation is caused by several things. It's a factor in obesity, metabolic syndrome, prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and arthritis, as well as others. Stay away from red meat, processed meat, baked goods, breads, pasta, deep fried foods including French fries, high sugar like sugary drinks, and transfat. Transfats are in a lot of foods so look at the labels. Keep transfat to no more than 2 grams per day.
By the way, I don't know if you like mushrooms, I'm not a big fan of the flavor, but they are so good for you that I eat some everyday in my omelets. They are a super food, and I believe them to be indispensable.

Here's my bird diet, if you're interested. I've been doing it over a year and my cholesterol keeps dropping. But I still recommend getting it checked every 6 months. There's a lot of cholesterol in eggs but it effects both good and bad. I remove some yolks but the yolks are where most of the nutrition is.
I eat a 3 egg omelet every day, usually 2. 1 yolk removed. With onion, peppers, mushrooms, some cheese, and some ham. It's about 400 calories, high protein, low fat, lower carb. Some days I have 2 pieces of French toast, 3 eggs, 1 yolk removed, 0 sugar syrup, no butter, lots of cinnamon. About 350 calories. Skinless chicken breast and cauliflower rice with veggies, 350 calories, high protein, low fat. Occasional ham and cheese quesadillas, 300 calories. Ocean Spray Diet 5 cranmango juice, diluted 50% 64 ounces a day, 20 calories. Less than 1500 calories per day, lots of spices, low salt, but high protein, low fat, lower carb. I can guarantee you will lose weight even with a cheat day. You just have to stick with it. What's great about this diet is that it's scalable and it keeps you full. I switched to smaller eggs for a while but a two egg omelet and 1 piece of french toast brings it down to around 1000 calories.

My 26 year old daughter after 2 years. It sounds like a long time, but it goes fast. Individual results vary and you get out what you put in. I am really proud of her!

There are hundreds of different ways to work out all the muscles in the body. If you're going to work one you may as well work them all. There are also many variations to individual exercises. Minimal equipment is needed to get a decent workout for 95% of people. Clubs are nice for their huge variety, but not necessary. I recommend a sturdy adjustable bench, some adjustable dumbells, a floor mat, some resistance bands, and maybe a pull-up bar/dip station. Muscles should be hit from different angles and routines should be changed over time, but there are some tried and true exercises that should be done with consistency, in my opinion. Your upper legs alone have 4 major muscles in front and 3 in back. Your upper arms have 2 major muscles in front and 3 in back. But there are other related muscles as well. Your back has several muscles as do your shoulders. There are certain muscles that should be worked together, and some in transition. You want to create overall strength and individual muscle growth. Plus, increasing balance and flexibility are good ideas. You can choose a few exercises that you like and that you find effective, or you can get very scientific in your approach and try to stimulate the most fibers in an effective way for specific purposes. It is all up to the individual.