mtb 12 week db combos program - mtb strength training … · 2019. 9. 24. · broomstick and a pair...

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MTB DB Combos

12 Week Program

Specialized Strength & Conditioning Program for MTB Riders

Created by James Wilson

© MTB Strength Training System, 2008

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The Basic MTB Workout 12 Week Program

Ever since I came out with my Ultimate MTB Workout Program in January of 2007 I have many people request that I come up with a more streamlined program that can easily be accomplished at home with minimal equipment. I understand that The Ultimate MTB Workout Program can be a bit intimidating for some people and while I make no excuses for how complete of a program it is, I realize that not everyone is ready for something that in depth. So, the MTB DB Combos 12 Week Program was born. Based on methods I have developed for myself and clients when time and equipment are lacking, this 12 week program is perfect for anyone looking to take their mountain bike riding to another level without getting involved in a full blown program. This 12 week program requires nothing but the most basic equipment –a chair, a broomstick and a pair of adjustable dumbbells. It requires a minimal time investment, with the workouts taking less than 45 minutes to complete and only 2-3 workouts per week needed to see results. It requires practically no space either, with the entire program able to be accomplished in a 5 foot by 5 foot space. In other words, all excuses are out the window – now it’s time to train. For any program to be successful it must address 3 main areas – 1) Mobility, 2) Strength and 3) Endurance/ Conditioning. This 12 week program does just that in the simplest manner possible (although simple certainly does not mean easy or ineffective). You will start each workout by following the 12 Week Program Warm Up Sequence. This will get you warmed up, loose and ready to work. It will also help to increase your mobility over the course of the 12 weeks. After you warm up you will follow the 12 Week Program Strength Cycle. This will focus on systematically increasing your strength in 2 key lifts – the single leg deadlift and the side press – and setting the table for you to increase your overall athletic potential. Finally, after the strength training portion you will finish off each workout with the 12 Week Program DB Combo Cycle. Combo drills will whip you into shape faster than anything else out there and take your endurance to levels you never dreamed possible. That’s it – nothing could be simpler. Now that you know the basic outline of your workouts for the next 12 weeks, let’s get into the meat of it….


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Table of Contents

- Warm Up Sequence pg. 4

- Strength Training Cycle pg. 8

- Combo Drills Cycle pg. 12

- Putting it All Together pg. 16

- The Truth About Nutrition pg. 17

- The Truth About Supplements pg. 24

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12 Week Program Warm Up Sequence

Unless otherwise noted do 8-10 reps per side.

1. 20 Jumping Jacks or 2-4 minutes jumping rope

2. Cat/ Camel – Get down on all fours, arch back and then scoop it out.

1) 2)

3. Yoga Twist – Lie on your back, arms out to side, cross ankles and twist at

hips to both sides. After completing prescribed number of reps cross ankles the other way and repeat.

1) 2) 3)

4. Side Twist – Lie on your side, prop your head on your hand and place your other hand on floor in front of you. Bend your knees to 90 degrees and twist at hips keeping upper body still. Make sure your top leg does not drift forward as you twist and that your knees stay pushed back (don’t bend at hips).

1a) 2a)

1b) 2b) © MTB Strength Training System, 2008

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5. Side Lying Trunk Twist – Lie on your side with your bottom leg

straight and your top leg in front of you with the knee bent at a 90 degree angle. Your knee on the top leg should be resting on the ground in front of you. Making sure that your shoulders are square, point your arms straight in front of you with the palms of your hands touching. Keeping the bottom arm on the ground, reach behind you with the top arm. Reach behind you as far as you can without your knee on the top leg coming off the ground before returning to start position.

1) 2)

6. Calf Stretch – Get down into the position shown and place one foot on back of ankle of foot still on floor. Do a calf raise, come back down to the starting position and then pull the heel back down to the ground, thinking about smashing an ant under your heel.

7. Shoulder Dislocations – Grab a broomstick out wide and while

keeping both arms straight bring it over your head and behind your back all the way to your butt before bringing it back to the start position and repeating.

1a) 1b) 2) © MTB Strength Training System, 2008

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8. Overhead Reverse Lunge – Holding a broomstick over your head

step back into a reverse lunge. As you come down make sure to keep your chest up and square and that you do not “fall” forward over the lead foot. Think about keeping the heel of your lead leg down on the ground as you descend to help with this. Keep your lead leg strong and do not let your knee move from its position over the foot. Come back up by thinking about pushing through the heel of the lead leg and squeezing your butt cheek to activate the hips. Alternate legs for the prescribed number of reps.

1) 2)

9. Squat to Stand – Bend down and touch your touch your toes on the inside of your feet. Squat down while keeping your arms straight, making sure to let knees travel outside of your elbows. Stand back up to the toe touch position and repeat for prescribed number of reps.

1a) 2a) 1b) 2b)


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10. Deep Wide Out Squats – With your feet hip width apart, hop up

slightly and widen stance to shoulder width in the air. As you land squat down, popping back up with slight hop and bring your feet back to original position.

1) 2) 3a) 3b)

11. Quad & Hip Flexor Stretch - Place a foot on a chair behind you and come down onto your knee. Sucking your belly button in and keeping your shoulders above your hips, move your hips back towards your heel. After holding that position for a count of 15, move your lead leg forward slightly and then shift your hips forward. Hold that position for a count of 15 and then switch legs.

1) 2)


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12 Week Strength Training Cycle The strength training portion of the workout is very simple and revolves around 2 exercises - the single leg deadlift and the side press. Each workout will start with a “practice set” and then 2 work sets of 3-5 reps for each exercise. I use the term “practice set” instead of warm up set because you want to mentally practice the lift instead of just going through the motion to warm up. Even though you will be using a relatively light weight you should practice the exercise as if you had the heaviest weight you could handle. This will make the work sets feel lighter and decrease your risk of injury. You should start week 1 of the program with a relatively light weight for each exercise. The goal is to be able to add a few reps or a little load each week for 12 weeks and you will not be able to do that if you start week 1 with a load that is near your limits. By starting easily and building momentum into your program you will end up lifting more weight by week 12 than if you had pinned it from week 1 and just tried to hang on for the duration of the program. If you do not know where to start, I would suggest finding your 5 rep max (5RM). Your 5RM is the heaviest weight that you can lift with perfect form for 5 reps. Once you find your 5RM you can:

- Subtract 10 pounds from your single leg deadlift 5RM for your starting weight on that lift.

- Subtract 15 pounds from your side press 5RM to find your starting weight on that lift.

Start your strength training with the single leg deadlifts and then after your 2nd work set of them move on to the side press, making sure that you start with a practice set. Your 1st work set of each exercise will be the one that you try to increase reps on in a cyclical manner (more on that in a second). After resting for 90 seconds, your 2nd set of each exercise will always be 3 reps with the same weight that you used for your 1st set.


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Here is an example of how to cycle the reps ON THE 1ST SET through the 12 week program (remember that your 2nd set will always be 3 reps with the same weight): Week 1: Starting weight for 3 reps. Week 2: Same weight for 4 reps. Week 3: Same weight for 5 reps. Week 4: Increase weight and drop back down to 3 reps. Week 5: Same weight as in week 4 for 4 reps. Week 6: Same weight as in week 5 for 5 reps. Week 7: Increase weight and drop back down to 3 reps. Week 8: Same weight as in week 7 for 4 reps. Week 9: same weight as in week 8 for 5 reps. Week 10: Increase weight and drop back down to 3 reps. Week 11: Same weight as in week 10 for 4 reps. Week 12: Same weight as in week 11 for 5 reps. Just to make it all crystal clear, let me show you how your sets/ reps would work using a sample starting weight of 30 pounds: Week 1: 30 lbs – 1st set X 3 reps / 2nd set X 3 reps Week 2: 30 lbs – 1st set X 4 reps / 2nd set X 3 reps Week 3: 30 lbs – 1st set X 5 reps / 2nd set X 3 reps Week 4: 35 lbs – 1st set X 3 reps / 2nd set X 3 reps Week 5: 35 lbs – 1st set X 4 reps / 2nd set X 3 reps Week 6: 35 lbs – 1st set X 5 reps / 2nd set X 3 reps Week 7: 40 lbs – 1st set X 3 reps / 2nd set X 3 reps Week 8: 40 lbs – 1st set X 4 reps / 2nd set X 3 reps Week 9: 40 lbs – 1st set X 5 reps / 2nd set X 3 reps Week 10: 45 lbs – 1st set X 3 reps / 2nd set X 3 reps Week 11: 45 lbs – 1st set X 4 reps / 2nd set X 3 reps Week 12: 45 lbs – 1st set X 5 reps / 2nd set X 3 reps For your single leg deadlift you should be able to increase your weight 5-10 pounds every 4th week. For your side press you will probably need to stick with a simple 5 pound increase. Remember that form is paramount at all times and if you find yourself cheating in any way when you increase your weight that you should drop the weight back down and spend another week or two getting used to the that weight.


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You will use the same weight for each workout you do that week, concentrating on your form, focus and execution. You must have the master’s mindset – don’t just do the movement, look to perfect the movement. Simply going through the motions will not result in significant long term gains. Even if a weight feels light you must look to maintain maximum tension in every area of your body, just like you would when lifting your 5RM. By making your lightest weights “feel” heavy you ingrain the form and focus you need to make your heaviest weights “feel” light. You will also most likely find that one side is weaker than the other on one or both lifts. This is natural and can be easily addressed by following the weak side rule. This rule simply says that when you have an imbalance you let the weaker side dictate the weight and reps. In other words, do your weaker side first and then do that same weight and reps on the stronger side. This way you won’t reinforce the imbalance but will instead fix it. On a related note, it will also help if you rest 15 seconds between sides. This will ensure that you have enough neural energy to give each side a good mental effort on each set. Lastly, make good use of your 90 second rest period. 90 seconds will seem like a long time for most people who are used to turning their strength training into conditioning by using minimal rest periods. You want to be recovered for your 2nd set so that you can dominate it, so don’t cut your rest periods short no matter how much you want to. During your rest period you should think about how your first set went and what you can do better on your second set. Visualize your upcoming set, feeling yourself dominating it and making any corrections you determined need to be made. There are always things to work on and by thinking about what those things are you’ll get far more out of your workouts.


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Strength Training Exercises “Cheat Sheet”

- Single Leg Deadlift – Make sure that you keep your back straight, your chest “puffed out” and you weight back on your heel during the entire rep. Also make sure that you do not come straight down but instead sit back into the movement and get your hips back. Make sure that you push through your heel and squeeze your butt cheek as you come back up in order to properly engage the hips.

1) 2) - Side Press – Make sure that start with your legs slightly wider than shoulder width. As you press the weight up over your head bend over by shifting your hips towards the working side. Be sure and not twist as your hips slide over. After locking the weight out, keep your arm up and bring your torso back to center before lowering the weight and repeating.

1) 2)


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12 Week DB Combo Drills Cycle

DB Combo Drill A:

• Bent Row

• DB Deadlift

• Shoulder Press

• DB Front Squat Pick a weight that allows you to get through all of your combo drills without hitting failure on any of your exercises. You should be able to get through at least 3 rotations during the first couple of intervals. If you can not then you should drop down weight. Once you can do 4 rotations for all of your intervals you can move up weight. DB Combo Drill B:

• Bent Row

• DB Deadlift

• Push Up

• Reverse Lunge Pick a weight that allows you to get through all of your combo drills without hitting failure on any of your exercises. You should be able to get through at least 3 rotations during the first couple of intervals. If you can not then you should drop down weight. Once you can do 3 ½ rotations for all of your intervals you can move up weight.

- 2 Day Workout Plan:

Day 1: Combo Drill A Day 2: Combo Drill B

- 3 Day Workout Plan:

Day 1/ Week 1: Combo Drill A Day 2/ Week 1: Combo Drill B Day 3/ Week 1: Combo Drill A Day 1/ Week 2: Combo Drill B Day 2/ Week 2: Combo Drill A Day 3/ Week 2: Combo Drill B Start the pattern over for week 3 and run through this pattern for the remaining weeks of the program.


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- Interval Work and Rest Times:

For each combo drill do 5 reps of each exercise before moving to the next one in the rotation. Keep running through the rotation for:

• Week 1 – 2 minutes on/ 2 minutes seconds rest = 1 round. Do 3 rounds.

• Week 2 – 2 minutes on/ 1:30 minutes rest = 1 round. Do 3 rounds.

• Week 3 – 2 minutes on/ 1:15 minutes rest = 1 round. Do 3 rounds.

• Week 4 – 2 minutes on/ 1 minute rest = 1 round. Do 3 rounds.

• Week 5 – 2:15 minutes on/ 2 minutes rest = 1 round. Do 3 rounds.

• Week 6 – 2:15 minutes on/ 1:30 minutes rest = 1 round. Do 3 rounds.


• Week 8 – 2:15 minutes on/ 1 minute rest = 1 round. Do 3 rounds.

• Week 9 – 2:30 minutes on/ 2 minutes rest = 1 round. Do 3 rounds.

• Week 10- 2:30 minutes on/ 1:30 minutes rest = 1 round. Do 3 rounds.


• Week 12 – 2:30 minutes on/ 1 minute rest = 1 round. Do 3 rounds.

-Timing Your Combo Drills

I just want to touch on the importance of a good timer for your combo drills. You have to be relatively precise with your work and rest intervals and the best way to do that is with a timer that allows you to set a work interval and a rest interval separately. That way you aren’t fumbling with watches or trying to keep an eye on a clock on the wall. After searching everywhere for a good timer I found the GymBoss. It is only $20 and fills the need for an interval timer better than anything else out there at any price. I highly recommend that you check their website out and invest in one. You can find out more and order one by clicking on this link: http://tinyurl.com/al9pul


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Combo Drill A “Cheat Sheet”

- Bent Row

1) 2) - DB Deadlift

1) 2) - Shoulder Press

1) 2) - DB Front Squat

1) 2) © MTB Strength Training System, 2008

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Combo Drill B “Cheat Sheet”

- Bent Row

1) 2) - DB Deadlift

1) 2) - Push Up

1) 2)

- Reverse Lunge (alternate legs)

1) 2)


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Putting it All Together

Just to make sure that we are all on the same page, here is an outline of what each workout will look like:

1. Warm Up Sequence 2. Practice set for single leg deadlift

3. 1st work set for single leg deadlift (weak side first, rest 15 seconds, other side)

4. Rest 90 seconds

5. 2nd work set for single leg deadlift (weak side first, rest 15 seconds, other side)

6. Practice set for side press

7. 1st work set for side press (weak side first, rest 15 seconds, other side)

8. Rest 90 seconds

9. 2nd work set for side press (weak side first, rest 15 seconds, other side)

10. Combo Drill Cycle

11. Post Workout Drink


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Special Bonus Sections

The Truth About Nutrition

Nutrition is the proverbial red headed step child of the strength and conditioning world. We know that we need to pay attention to it but we are rarely able to muster more than a passing interest in. However, I think that a lot of the trouble in getting the nutrition side of the equation dialed in stems from the sheer amount of information overload that seems to accompany nutritional programs. There are countless diets out there, all of them touting a different approach. From simpler approaches like manipulating calories and macronutrient ratios to more complex approaches like allowing or avoiding certain food types, avoiding the mixing of certain food types or eating only organic foods there is no shortage of exact advice. Most of these diets also come with various “celebrity endorsements” and marketing hype attached to them, making it even harder for the average athlete to distinguish which of these approaches to follow. Renowned nutritional expert John Berardi, Ph. D. has done the best job I have seen in cutting through the marketing and hype associated with each diet and finding the common elements present in successful diet programs. He argues that it is these common threads present in each diet that are responsible for it’s success, not the small differences that are often concentrated on by the media. This means that it is not necessary to count calories, weigh foods and aim to achieve a specific ratio of fats/ proteins/ carbs. Instead, all that you really need to do is follow what he has dubbed “The 7 Habits of the Highly Effective Diet”:


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7 Habits of the Highly Effective Diet

1. Eat every 2-3 hours, no matter what. You should eat between 5-8 meals per day. This takes planning on your part but once you get into the habit you will find it easy to accomplish.

2. Eat complete (containing all the essential amino acids), lean

protein with each meal. This includes beef, eggs, chicken, fish and milk products. It also includes protein supplements such as whey and casein. As you can see, finding an adequate protein source should never be a problem or excuse.

3. Eat fruits and/or vegetables with each food meal. Vegetables in particular will help stabilize blood sugar levels due to their high fiber content.

4. Ensure that your carbohydrate intake comes from fruits and

vegetables. This one is probably the most important for those of you looking to control your body fat percentage. If you simply cut out the refined carbs (bread, pasta and pastries for example) and replaced them with fruits and vegetables you would make a huge impact on your body fat levels. Our bodies have simply not yet adapted to handling large amounts of refined cabs and they wreak havoc on our metabolism and blood sugar levels. Exception: workout and post-workout drinks and meals (more on this later).

A very simple way to tell if something is a refined carbohydrate is to learn how to distinguish paleo-carbs from neo-carbs. Paleo-carbs refer to carbohydrate sources that our hunter-gatherer ancestors had access to, such as fruits and vegetables. Neo-carbs refer to carbohydrate sources available to modern man such as breads, pastas, tortillas and the like. Simply ask yourself this question – did the cavemen have access to this food source? If the answer is no then odds are it is not the best carbohydrate choice for your performance and weight management goals. © MTB Strength Training System, 2008

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5. Ensure that 25-35% of your energy intake comes from fat, with your fat intake split equally between saturates (e.g. animal fat), monounsaturates (e.g., olive oil), and polyunsaturates (e.g. flax oil, salmon oil). Fish oil in particular is extremely beneficial and has been shown many times over by science to have a positive effect on just about every performance goal and help every ailment known to man. The importance of fish oils in the diet can not be overstated – if you do not eat cold water fish such as salmon on a regular basis then you must supplement with it.

6. Drink only non-calorie containing beverages, the best choices being water and green tea. This one is self explanatory. You know that the sodas, sugar laden coffee and energy drinks are not going to help your diet out any. If you must have some sort of flavor in your drinks try Crystal Light as it provides a good flavor to water without adding a lot of unnecessary calories and sugar. Green tea is recommended for those of you who need your caffeine as it will provide it as well as giving you some other health benefits unique to this beverage.

7. Eat mostly whole foods (except workout and post-workout

drinks). This simply means that you can not get away with consuming the majority of your meals in the form of a shake, smoothie or bar. Your body needs whole foods to function best, plain and simple.

There you have it - as long as each meal that you eat follows these rules then everything else will usually work itself out. This is the ultimate diet plan as it is infinitely customizable to your food choices and schedule. The best way to get the ball rolling on this process is to sit down and write down 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches, 2 dinners and 2 snacks that adhere to the above 7 rules. This will get


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you thinking about your meals along the lines of the 7 Habits and give you a starting point. One last thing to keep in mind regarding nutrition is The Rule of 90%. This rule says that the results that you will get from 100% adherence to your diet will not be significantly greater than the results that you will get from 90% adherence. This essentially means that if you are eating 6 times per day you will be eating 42 meals per week, which means that roughly 4 meals per week can fall outside of the 7 habits listed above. These can be planned “cheat” meals (eating out with family/ friends, weekend party, etc.) or you can use them as “aces in hole” for emergency situations brought on by work or family schedules. The goal is to reverse the junk food diet supplemented with some good foods that most people follow into a good food diet supplement with some junk foods. This means that you can still have your favorite “cheat foods”, you just have to keep them in check compared to your overall diet. Now that you have been introduced to the 7 Habits and the Rule of 90%, it is time to tell you about the one exception to these guidelines. Your body deals with nutrients in a much different fashion during a workout and for 2-3 hours directly afterwards. Consuming a high carbohydrate liquid supplement during a workout has been shown to aid in sustaining high quality, intense work and aid in recovery. Consuming a similar supplement directly after a workout has also been shown to greatly aid in recovery.


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Lastly, because your body metabolizes carbs much more efficiently following a workout, the 2-3 hour window after a workout is a great time to eat a meal high in refined carbs as they will help to quickly replenish spent muscle sugar (glycogen) and aid in recovery. This means that you can slip in some “cheat” meals during this time and it will not affect your overall diet picture. However, you still have to use some common sense – pizza and cheeseburgers are still not the best choices as your body will respond best to “clean” foods in its efforts to replenish and rebuild following a tough workout.


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The Diet Tracking Grid

The diet tracking grid is a simple yet extremely powerful tool that will help you keep an overview of how your diet is really going. It is extremely easy to think that you are following a good diet that adheres to the 7 Habits for 90% of your meals yet most of the time you are simply lying to yourself. Just like your training program, if you do not track your progress then you really have no idea how you are really doing.

The Diet Tracking Grid works like this – you will notice that each grid is broken down into the seven days of the week and under each day is a space for the number of meals that you should be eating each day. Make a copy of the Diet Tracking Grid for you log and under each day simply put a Y if you ate a meal that adheres to the 7 Habits. Put an N if you ate a meal that failed to adhere to the 7 Habits. Finally, leave it blank if you missed the meal altogether.

Now, at the end of each week add up the number of Y’s, N’s and blank spots. If the Y’s add up to at least 38 out of the possible 42 meals then you are on track. If the number of N’s and blank spots add up to more than 4 then you are not truly meeting the 90% goal and you need to reassess why that is.

If you are skipping a lot of meals then you need to plan ahead better, making sure that you have access to food when you need it. If you are eating a lot of meals that fall outside of the 7 Habits then you may need to plan ahead better (maybe you are seeing a pattern here regarding planning ahead). You may need to start bringing foods that fit the 7 Habits with you to work or as you run errands so that when you get hungry you have better options than the fast food restaurant down the street.


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Week 1

Meal # Sun. Mon. Tues. Wed. Thurs. Fri. Sat.

1

2

3

4

5

6

Week 2


1

2

3

4

5

6

Week 3


1

2

3

4

5

6

Week 4


1

2

3

4

5

6


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The Truth About Supplements While supplements can not make up for a bad diet, they certainly will help to significantly enhance results and fill in some dietary gaps. For example, making sure that you get enough vitamins/ minerals, fruits/ vegetables and essential fatty acids can be very hard for most people and I feel that these, along with a few other supplements, can help immensely. Unfortunately, though, the supplement industry is one of the driving forces behind the fitness and strength training fields. Supplement company advertising keeps the presses running for every fitness magazine out there and, unbeknownst to the readers, most fitness magazines also have a supplement line associated with them. Needless to say, favorable press for supplements is important in order to keep the advertising dollars and supplement sales coming in so that these magazines can stay in business. And, as I have pointed out before, these same magazines serve as one of the main sources of strength training information for millions of people around the world. This less than critical approach to supplements in the magazines has helped perpetuate most of the misinformation circulating out there. In addition, a few years ago one supplement company started a new trend in this area as well – the “ad-icle”. Dubbed this by industry insiders, the ad-icle is a dubious combination of an ad and article rolled into one. By purchasing several full pages of advertising space (which is largely unregulated by the magazines) supplement companies are now able to write their own “articles” promoting their products and have them printed exactly as they want them to be read by the consumer. This has lead to unprecedented levels of confusion and misinformation as most magazine readers either miss or don’t fully understand the small “Special Advertising Section” printed at the bottom of the pages.


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One last thing to point out – several enterprising supplement companies have struck deals with supplement stores in which they offer incentives to the store and/ or employees for sales of their products. This encourages these stores and salespeople to promote which ever supplement company is offering the best incentive program rather than the best quality supplement. It also encourages the promotion of worthless supplements that do nothing but line the pockets of the supplement industry. Now that you have a much better idea of the inner-workings of this mostly unscrupulous industry let me give you some hints on how to keep from falling victim to the hype machine:

1. Don’t buy the cheapest thing that you can find. Quality and lowest price on the market rarely mix. That 5 pound bucket of protein that you can buy for $25 has so many fillers and such poor quality protein that the amount of usable protein is quite small and not worth the savings over a slightly more expensive option.

2. Don’t buy the most expensive thing that you can find. While this may seem to contradict my first tip, it really doesn’t. Just like bike parts, you can overpay simply for the name on the side or some “technological innovation” that is ultimately undetectable in the real world. There are only a few mass producers of the raw materials supplement companies use to make their products and odds are the mid-range and high priced companies got their raw materials from the same source. What is added to the product to differentiate them from the competition and how this product is marketed is ultimately what you are paying for when buying the most expensive thing on the shelves.


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3. Don’t fall for the advertising hype. Countless supplements make outrageous promises (add 10 pounds of muscle and/ or lose 10 pounds of fat in 2 weeks). If it sounds too good to be true it probably is.

4. Beware of “scientific proof”. While science can definitely

help shed some light as to the efficacy of a supplement a lot of it can be perverted for the supplement companies advertising needs. You would be shocked at how many of these “University Studies” were either funded by the supplement company promoting the product or were conducted on animals (mainly rats).

One of my personal favorites was when a company was promoting a certain type of amino acid as a testosterone booster for hard training athletes. Turns out the studies being quoted in the ads were conducted on rats and consisted of dunking the rats in cold water and measuring their hormonal response. The rats that were supplemented with intravenous solutions of this amino acid showed less of a testosterone drop in response to the stress of being dunked in the cold water. This lead supplement companies to conclude that a hard training athlete would experience less of a testosterone drop in response to the stress of working out, hence the “scientific evidence” behind this “testosterone booster”. Needless to say, this conclusion was a stretch and this supplement is no longer on the market as it never delivered any results.


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5. Give new supplements a chance to pan out. The list of supplements that were supposed to be the next big thing is much longer than the list of supplements that have withstood the test of time. When a new supplement hits the market, give it a few months or more to see if it delivers the results it is supposed to and sticks around on the shelves.

Being a smarter consumer pays off, both monetarily and in the results delivered by your investment. Don’t let slick advertising or an undereducated supplement store employee separate you from your hard earned money and undermine the results you deserve. With all of that being said, here are my top recommended supplements in the order of importance:

1. Multi Vitamin/ Mineral – It is extremely hard for most of us to get enough of these in our diets, making supplementation a must. Without these basic building blocks many of our body’s functions just don’t operate as well. While we may be able to get away without them and not notice any ill effect, we will never be able to achieve optimum performance without them.

2. Essential Fatty Acids – If you eat a lot of fresh fish,

especially cold water fish like salmon, you may not need this but most of us do not get adequate essential fatty acids on a regular basis. Our brains need these fatty acids in order to function optimally, our skin and hair need them to stay healthy, our joints need them for optimal repair and function and our bodies use them as the building blocks for many hormones such as testosterone. This is just a partial list of everything that our bodies use essential fatty acids and it should underscore the fact that we need them for optimal function.


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3. Pre/ Post Workout Drink – Besides breakfast, these are by far the most important meals that you will consume during the day. Making sure that you have enough fuel to power through your workouts and the right nutrients to help you recover from those workouts is imperative to your long term results.

First, remember that you actually get fitter as you recover from your training. This makes it vitally important to switch your body from the catabolic environment caused by training to the anabolic environment needed to recover as quickly as possible. In recent years a lot of research has been done on the nutritional profile needed to best do this and today we have a very good idea of what you require immediately after training.

The research has shown that a precise combination of fast acting carbs and proteins will make a big impact on your recovery and overall results. In fact, some leading nutritional experts say that if you do not consume some sort of post workout drink then you may be greatly reducing your potential benefits. So, with that being said, the importance of the post workout drink is pretty significant. In addition, I have recently found that using these same formulas as a pre workout drink is even better. If you are not able to eat in the couple of hours before a workout then you are going in with your fuel tank on empty, hardly a good way to start a workout. As your body starts the workout you quickly use up what little blood sugar and aminos you had in your system and then start the process of breaking down glucose and muscle tissue.


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This does two undesirable things. First, because you had to start breaking down your energy stores you now have even more “damage” to repair. This draws out your recovery period even more. Second, you start to run out of fuel towards the end of the workout. Anyone who has gotten that nauseas feeling as their blood sugar level hits rock bottom knows what I am talking about. There is no way that you can finish off a workout strong while feeling weak and queasy. This makes topping off your tanks before a workout vital to produce the consistently intense efforts you need to get everything you can out of your workouts. The best way to get your post workout drink is through a supplement with a formulation based on the current research. In truth, few of these supplements are out there and one of the best that I have found is ProGrade Varsity, which you can learn more about through this URL under the Athletic Performance tab: https://dominateyoursport.getprograde.com This is one of the closest things to a “must use” supplement that I recommend. I can not impress upon you enough how important this aspect of your nutrition/ supplement regimen is to your long term results. If you do nothing else after reading this section, try this out and see if you don’t notice an immediate difference in your workout intensity and results.


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4. Fruit and Vegetable Powder – If you do not eat your recommended serving of fruits and vegetables each day or if you tend to eat the same types repeatedly then one of these supplements makes a lot of sense. Fruits and vegetables contain substances that have been shown to reduce the risk of cancer and many other chronic diseases so the importance of them can not be overstated.

5. Protein – Just like the above to recommendations, protein is

one of those things that you can theoretically get enough of from food alone but most of us rarely do in practice. Without enough protein it is hard for your body to support its lean muscles mass, making it’s inclusion a must if the diet is deficient.

A quick note on protein supplements - not all protein supplements are created equal. While whey protein is the most popular type of protein supplement, there has been a disturbing trend in the whey protein market. While the costs of the raw materials for producing whey protein have been raised over the last several years, the price of many whey protein supplements has actually dropped significantly. Whey protein used to cost $25 for a 2 pound canister just a few years ago, yet a 5 pound tub of whey protein can now be found for $20 - $25 at many grocery and drug stores. Obviously this can only be achieved by cutting so many corners that the amount of bio-available protein in a serving of the new “tub o’ protein” is much less than what you think you are getting.


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In addition, recent research and anecdotal evidence shows that a blend of whey and casein is superior to plain whey. The reason lies in the absorption rate of both protein sources. Whey is absorbed rather quickly and casein (milk protein) is absorbed at a much slower rate; combining these proteins and their unique characteristics makes for a more consistent supply of amino acids for your body to use in support your training and riding.

The take home message here is twofold – 1) Don’t buy the cheapest protein you can find and 2) Don’t rely on whey protein alone. One way to achieve this is to use a pure whey protein isolate (an extremely high quality variety of whey protein) and mix it in milk or with cottage cheese. Cottage cheese can either be added to a protein smoothie with a negligible effect on the taste or simply mixed with certain flavors of whey protein. Protein supplements can definitely help you reach your training goals. The cheapest and most popular routes are rarely the best to go, though. Investing in quality and using a well thought out strategy ensures that you are getting the absolute most out of this supplement.


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6. Creatine – This is one of the most researched supplements in the world. While most think of it as a muscle builder, it actually does nothing to directly build muscle itself. Instead, it helps to replenish your muscles short term energy source. This means that it helps sustain high intensity work and if that work is directed towards bodybuilding style workouts then it can indirectly help add muscle mass.

However, if that work is directed towards strength and power workouts then it will help build these qualities. It will also act as a recovery agent in that it helps your body replenish a valuable spent fuel source. The quicker the body’s fuel sources are replenished the faster you are ready to work out again.

Quick note on creatine usage – the traditional “loading phase” in which you take 30+ grams per day for 5-7 days and then cut back to a “maintenance phase” of 5 grams per day is not needed. Instead, simply use 5 grams per day in order to garner the benefits of this supplement without the potential of an upset stomach.

While there are some other supplements that offer some benefits, this is a short list of the supplements that I recommend everyone consider in the order of importance. You may be able to get everything that you need from your diet but the reality is family, jobs and other aspects of our daily lives make it hard to do so on a consistent basis. Solidifying your diet with some of these supplements will go a long way to helping you maximize your training efforts.


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Specific Supplement Recommendations

Why Choose ProGrade?

I want to come clean with you right up front. I am a ProGrade dealer and do make money off the sale of them. However, I could have picked any supplement line on the market to carry and most of them would allow me to make more money than ProGrade does. I chose ProGrade for my facility because I like the ProGrade philosophy of a small, streamlined product line that is made with high quality ingredients. The truth is that most supplement companies have a “me too” mentality in that whatever new supplement comes out they jump on and try to make money on. This leads to a huge product lineup, most of which are worthless and just serves to confuse everyone. In addition, most supplements are made with cheap ingredients in order to pad the profit margins of the supplement companies. From cheap Chinese creatine to adding in fillers to proteins, the level some people will stoop to make money on supplements is pretty low. However, ProGrade does not play these games, a refreshing change in one of the most unscrupulous industries in the world. For example, they own their own 2000 acre organic farm in Florida. They use that organic produce to make their multi- vitamin/ mineral/ whole food supplement VGF-25. That means that the vitamins and minerals were taken from actual food products, not produced chemically in a lab like you find in most other vitamin supplements.


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The essential fatty acid supplement, Icon, is made with krill oil instead of fish oil. Krill oil has more anti-oxidant power and better bio-availability than regular fish oil. Yes, it costs more to make than regular fish oil but in trying to supply the best supplements available ProGrade does it anyways. ProGrade Workout, their pre/ post workout drink, is made from high quality ingredients and priced very reasonably. Again, they could add in some worthless substance (arganine to increase your nitric oxide levels anyone?) and then charge more and make more but they don’t. Add in the 100% money back guarantee on all of their products and you have what I consider to be the best supplement company around. All of this has led me to embrace ProGrade as my supplement line of choice. They are what I use, what I sell at my facility and what I recommend to those that are looking to add an edge to their overall program.


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ProGrade Supplements

In order to get the best results possible from your training routine

you should add these supplements right away.

• ProGrade Workout – a post workout supplement is a must in order to maximize recovery and results. Without this important addition to your overall strategy you will not be able to realize the full potential of your strength and conditioning program. Based on the latest research on nutritional needs after training, Workout is the best post workout supplement that we have come across.

• ProGrade VGF 25+ - using both a men’s and women’s specific formula, this revolutionary supplement makes getting your vitamins and minerals plus your fruit and vegetable phytonutrients easy and convenient. Before we found this supplement you needed to take a vitamin/ mineral formula AND a fruit/ vegetable formula, adding up to 6 or more pills per day. This formula allows you to get the same nutrients with only 3 pills. In addition, since it is manufactured using fruits and vegetables grown on an organic farm, the nutrients in it are the highest quality available.

• ProGrade Icon EFAs – Essential Fatty Acids provide the building blocks for hormones, food for the brain, important structural components of hair and skin and have been shown to help prevent and/ or combat practically every disease known to man. In short, if you do not eat a lot of cold water fish then you need to be supplementing with EFAs. Icon is derived from krill oil, providing superior antioxidant protection compared to fish oils without the danger of heavy metals contamination, making it a superior choice.

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Ordering Instructions

1. Go to www.dominateyoursport.getprograde.com

2. Click on the on the “Athletic Performance” tab at the top.

3. Click on the item on the right hand side that you would like to learn

more about.

4. Follow the instructions to select your products and check out. Remember that all Prograde supplements come with a 30 day money

back guarantee.

How to Save Money on Your Order Since most people end up selecting 2 or more supplements to meet their needs we strongly recommend that you consider one of the convenient and money saving Combo Packs. These Combo Packs package 2 or 3 supplements together, saving you money over buying each separately. For example, ordering Varsity and VGF 25+ separately would cost you $80 + shipping, while ordering them as a combo pack will only cost $60 with free shipping. If you do decide that you only need 1 supplement you can still save money by signing up for the Fit Club auto ship program. You will save money on the supplement of your choice and get free shipping. In addition, you will get the convenience of receiving a new shipment every 30 days without having to bother with reordering. You can cancel your auto-ship supplements at any time via e-mail or phone and there is no minimum number of shipments needed to sign up for the program. (Please note that Combo Packs are also set up with the convenient auto ship program.) If you have any problems or questions with ordering your products please feel free to contact me at [email protected] and I will be happy to help clear anything up.

mtb 12 week db combos program - mtb strength training … · 2019. 9. 24. · broomstick and a pair...

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