Jim Fultz

What are you doing to recover from your workouts?

Many gym goers place big attention to their workout and not a lot of focus on their recovery.

This could be hurting your progress.

When you workout you are actually causing damage to your muscle tissue, your not building it. Your recovery time is when your body builds muscle, you see when you workout your actually creating microscopic tears in the muscle tissue that needs to be repaired. This is when your muscle tissue becomes bigger and stronger!

To much exercise and not enough recovery can result in a plateau in best case, worse case an injury. Either way the outcome is not good.

One of the biggest signs your body is not recovering properly is excessive soreness. Many people use soreness as an indicator of a good workout, but there is a different between a slight soreness and being so sore every day tasks are grueling.

Being lightly sore means your muscle have zero pain (it needs to be noted here that there is a huge difference between being in discomfort and pain) with full range of motion, and your muscles are fully functioning. If you are lightly sore it means you are probably ready for your workout.

But if you are so sore that it impedes the full function of your muscles, do not have full range of motion, or you are in pain (not discomfort) this is a sign that you have not recovered enough to workout. If you decide to attempt to workout before your body is ready your chance of injury increases and it even hampers muscle growth. So why even workout!

So what are some signs of not being fully recovered?

Extreme muscle soreness
Muscle cramping
Decline in performance
Fitness goals are plateauing
Overuse injuries

So what are some common mistakes made by gym goers?

Not enough time is given to properly recover. Many people think more exercise is better and that is not always the case. Your body performs optimally up to a specific threshold, and this threshold is different from person to person.

Many people do not incorporate mobility work into their program, this is one I have been horrible with. Including mobility work with foam rollers, lacrosse balls, stretching, and even massage guns all help in recovery and helping with range of motion.

Your post workout nutrition is the number one factor in helping you recover. This is a very important key to your recovery and this is also the one and only time that a protein shake will trump a whole food source.

Like stated before working out actually stresses our muscle tissue and causes microscopic tears in the tissue, it also depletes the glycogen stores within our muscles for energy. To fully recover we not only need the microscopic tears to be repaired but we also need the glycogen stores replenished. Actually your bodies first priority is to replenish the glycogen for energy.

To accomplish both post workout goals you need to provide your body with some high quality protein that gets to the muscle quick along with some fast carbs to quickly replenish those depleted glycogen stores.

This is where I use and recommend 1st Phorm Post Workout Stack. This stack is made up of two products, Phormula-1 which is a hydrolyzed and predigested whey protein and Ignition which is a fast absorbing carbohydrate source. These two products combined have been key in not only mine but hundreds of my clients recovery.

For more in depth detail on how this post workout stack helps with recovery, or if you have any questions about fitness, nutrition, or supplements please reach out! You can email me at fultztrainingsystems@gmail.com

Are you working out to much?

Having a commitment to your fitness is great, but there is a fine line where you can do too much which can be detrimental to your goals.

It is easy to think that doing more means burning more calories which can help you lose bodyfat, but it can also mean that you could be burning lean muscle tissue and even your motivation!

So how do you know when you have done to much?

Recognizing signs early enough to combat them is key. This can help you avoid detrimental outcomes in both your health and overall fitness.

So what are these signs?

For athletes one of the biggest signs is their decrease in performance. Athletes who are suffering from overtraining syndrome (OTS) will often see a decrease in their agility, strength, and endurance! Often times these present as slower reaction times and reduced running speed.

If you are starting to perceive your workouts as more difficult than usual you might have OTS. One of the biggest signs for this is a heart rate that is higher than usual either while exercising or even throughout the day, you may also experience a longer than normal time for your heart rate to return to normal post workout.

Experiencing excessive fatigue is another early sign of overtraining, without proper rest and recovery your body is pulling non-stop from its energy stores. This can lead to feeling fatigued all the time.

Exercising can improve your mental health but to much can negatively affect your hormones, specifically cortisol and epinephrine. This can cause you to be irritable, experience mood swings, and even an inability to concentrate.

Playing off the imbalance in your hormones overtraining can lead to poor sleep. The over production of the stress hormone cortisol can interfere with your ability to wind down and relax. This can lead to insomnia, which also leads to the feeling of fatigue and moodiness.

Another effect of the hormone imbalance is a loss of appetite.

Often times when we over train we overuse our muscles and joints which can cause pain. The magic number for having pain is two weeks, if your body is experiencing the same pain for over two weeks it should be considered an injury.

Overtraining also plays havoc on the bodies immune system making it difficult for your body to fight off viruses. People who over train often experience illnesses more than usual. One of the common ones being upper-respiratory tract infections, individuals can also experience low bone density and lower testosterone levels.

Over training also causes metabolic imbalances in both males and females. You can experience nutrient deficiencies. This deficiency can lead to a decrease in performance and health. OTS can also lead to issues with your nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular, and reproductive systems. A good example of this is women experiencing menstrual cycle issues.

So if you start to experience any of these signs of overtraining it is time to evaluate your training program. A properly periodized program will have active recovery and even complete rest in it. I know many times resting seems counter productive but it is better than the alternative.

If you have any questions about your training program feel free to shoot me a email at fultztrainingsystems@gmail.com

What does the perfect fitness plan consist of?

It might surprise many of you, BUT a random training program from the internet and diet might not be enough to achieve your dream physique.

There are five components that you have to consider when following a fitness plan.

Strength Exercises

Compound movements such as Deadlift, Bench Press, Squat and Overhead press are essential exercises that each one of you should implement in your programs IF you don’t experience any pains or discomfort when performing them.

You can progress on these movements in almost every training session, in one way or another.

They are the core of every program. Becoming stronger on these movements goes hand in hand with hypertrophy (muscle growth)

In other words, you get stronger and bigger! Isn’t that the perfect scenario?

Accessories

Other movements such as biceps curls, triceps/leg extensions, lateral raises, lat pulldowns should also be in your program, but they shouldn’t be the main focus.

If you are a natural trainee, you should implement these exercises and try to linear progress them.

Still, as we mentioned above, your primary focus should be building your strength on the compound movements.

As the name suggests, accessories are just an “accessory” to your training program.

Conditioning/Endurance

Aerobic exercises should also be part of your routine if you want to maintain good health.

From our experience, there are many trainees out there who neglect to do any form of cardio.

Now, we don’t want to be misunderstood here.

Cardio isn’t necessary if you already have enough physical activity throughout the day. (i.e. you do 10k+ steps every day)

However, during the cold months, this can be a challenge for many of you.

That’s why, to maintain and improve your heart’s health, you may want to implement some aerobic work, as well.

And we don’t mean that you have to do long boring cardio on the treadmill.

You can try jumping rope, “Tabata” training, or any other sport out there, such as swimming, tennis, or even martial art.

Sleep

You’ve probably heard this as a kid, but sleeping is of major importance for your overall health and performance at the gym.

Bad sleeping habits will affect how you look and feel. In fact, sleep deprivation will decrease your productivity throughout the day.

Getting 7-8 hours a night and going to bed around the same hour will adjust your circadian rhythms, and you will benefit from it massively.

Better recovery, better performance, feeling better overall.

Proper Nutrition

You can’t outperform a good training plan with a crappy diet!

We recommend tracking calories and macronutrients to every athlete out there at the beginning.

By doing this, you understand how nutrition works and what macros most foods consist of, as well as how much you actually need.

Now, if you don’t want to track every gram of your food, that’s alright.

Just keep in mind the following things:

● Try to consume a good source of protein such as fish, meat, eggs, whey protein on every meal.

● Stay away from processed foods, which are high in trans-fats and carbs.

● Keep alcohol consumption at a minimum (2 glasses of wine per week)

Training Volume

One of the most crucial (if not the most) factors in your training plan is the TOTAL amount of work done for a given workout.

Volume is the primary driver of adaptations on a muscular and neurological level, and when paired with intensity (exertion), it can give great results.

In your training plan, aim to have 5-15+ working sets, per muscle group, per week.

You’d be on the lower end as a beginner and on the higher end as you advance.

Split this volume into separate training sessions to maximize performance from set to set and, thus, quality volume.

Try it and you will see amazing results for yourself!

Takeaway message

Focus on building your strength by progressing on the compound movements every session.

Implement aerobic exercises in your plan to maintain good cardiovascular health.

Get enough sleep per night to maximize your performance in and outside the gym.

Follow a “proper diet.”

Last but not least, ENJOY what you are doing.

Any questions? Shoot me a email at fultztrainingsystems@gmail.com

Reasons why you are not losing weight

Let’s imagine this hypothetical scenario.

You’ve just started a diet, but after two weeks, you no longer see any results… You have even started going to the gym.

You’ve started wondering what it might be that you are doing wrong.

You’ve been limiting yourself from certain foods and want to see some progress.

Now you feel desperate and want to quit.

Before that, you want to make a final check on the internet and find an answer to your “failure.”

Lucky you, we might have it for you.

Let’s take a look at some of the most common mistakes that you might be making that prevent you from losing weight:

Overeating

The most common reason for the scale to stay at the same place or even go up might be that you are overeating.

“But I’ve been on a diet the last two weeks; that’s impossible.”

This is a common trap that new beginners fall for.

Even though you started eating “healthier,” it doesn’t mean that you will lose weight.

The primary condition to lose weight is for you to be in a calorie deficit.

What this means is that you have to burn MORE calories than you consume.

Sure, you may have started making healthier food choices, but are you sure you are eating the right amount?

If the answer is no, you might be consuming more calories than you burn, which means you are NOT GOING TO LOSE WEIGHT.

Drinking too much Alcohol

Alcohol is not only famous for its delicate taste and scent. Alcohol actually has hidden calories… Which are quite a lot, and EMPTY!

You’ve read that right. One gram of ethanol has seven calories.

Now, if you do the equation, if you drink two beers for the night, that’s around 450 calories extra for the day.

450 calories, out of which ZERO go towards constructive processes like the calories you get from other foods.

Need we say more?

High Stress

Being overburdened by work, chores, meeting deadlines has a price.

When your cortisol levels rise, you might experience difficulties in doing specific tasks such as focusing.

What do you think happens with your body when it’s being put into an enormous amount of stress?

Even if you are training and following a proper diet, your performance will suffer if you have a high amount of stress.

You won’t lose any weight, and you may experience other problems such as headaches, tiredness, lack of concentration, muscle cramps.

Most importantly, high levels of stress may lead to emotional eating which gets you even further from your weight loss goals.

Fix your mind before you take care of your body!

Decreased Physical Activity

Not enough physical activity can slow down the process of losing weight.

In fact, it might even stop the whole process.

Even if you are already hitting the gym a couple of times a week, your physical activity might still not be sufficient for your goals.

If you are the type of person that goes by car to the office, then to the gym, and comes back home, then guess what, you lack physical activity!

When was the last time you checked how many steps have you made during the day?

If you are not even close to 8-10k, then you have something to work on!

Some valuable tips for making more steps:

● Park as far from the supermarket as possible

● Use the stairs instead of the elevator

● Take a quick 10-minute walk after a meal

● Walk to the office if possible

● Implement some cardio in your program

Not Giving Your Program Enough Time

Sometimes, getting obsessed with the scale might have the opposite effect.

It’s an excellent thing to scale yourself every day; however, some people feel bad if they see the scale has gone up.

Most of the time, that’s water retention. So, for example, that can happen if you’ve consumed more salt or carbs on the previous day.

However, after seeing that, you may panic, and the chance you start binging on food because “everything is lost” is high.

Give yourself enough time and strictly follow the plan that your coach has created for you.

You will only see the benefit if you are dedicated enough.

Don’t give up that easily, and don’t let a scale scare you from achieving your goals.

Takeaway message

The most important factor for losing weight is for you to be in a calories deficit.

Being put under pressure raises our stress levels, which may slow down the process of losing weight.

Being physically active is vital for maintaining overall health and losing weight.

Be patient, find something sustainable that feels seamless, and the results won’t be late!

Don’t create mental resistance on your way to better body composition.

How to keep your immune system strong!

The best way for us to stay healthy is to have a strong healthy immune system, a strong healthy immune system will help our bodies fight off disease. When a virus enters the body, the innate immune system is the first thing it will encounter, this system is meant to prevent the spread of harmful pathogens when they enter the body. The innate immune system is composed of three barriers.

Physical barriers such as our skin and eyelashes.

Chemical barriers such as our tears, mucous, and stomach acid.

Cellular defenses like macrophages, neutrophils, basophils, and eosinophils.

Our bodies have a secondary immune system that is commonly called the acquired immune system, this is a defense system that develops over time that is long-lasting, specific to the invader, and is sustained for a long period of time. When a virus enters the body for the first time your primary immune system will respond while your acquired immune system clones T and B lymphocytes that are specific to the virus in order to destroy them. When this happens there are also memory cells that are created by the B cells, these memory cells last for a long period of time, if the same virus gets into the body again the immune system will be able to respond quicker and stronger due to these memory cells.

So how do you set your immune system up for success?

A strong and healthy immune system is achieved through regular exercise and a healthy nutrient-rich diet and supplementing your diet with vitamins. Here is a list of vitamins and minerals to build a strong immune system:

Vitamin C:

Vitamin C is an essential vitamin that is water-soluble. This means that the body cannot produce it on its own and is unable to store it. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that has been shown to increase white blood cells which fight off viruses and bacteria. Foods that are rich in vitamin C include red bell peppers, broccoli, spinach, grapefruit, oranges, lemons, and limes.

Vitamin E:

Vitamin E is a fat-soluble vitamin that is another strong antioxidant to help fight off infections. Some foods that are rich in vitamin E include sunflower seed, almonds, peanuts and peanut butter, hazelnuts, sunflower oil, and safflower oil.

Vitamin A:

Vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin that not only helps your immune system but your vision, reproduction, and cellular communications. Vitamin A comes in two forms preformed or retinol which is found in animal sources, and provitamin which comes from pigments in plants. Typically, foods that are colorful are great sources of vitamin A. Some of these include beef liver, sweet potato, pumpkin, carrots, spinach, herring, cantaloupe, and green tea.

Vitamin D:

Vitamin D is one of the most powerful and needed vitamins for the immune system, about 42% of Americans are deficient in vitamin D. Vitamin D can be absorbed by the sun but with the typical American day many people do not spend enough time outside to benefit from this. Here are some of the common foods to get your vitamin D from cod liver oil, trout, salmon, white mushrooms, sardines, green tea, and vitamin D fortified foods such as cereal and milk.

Folate and folic acid:

These are different forms of vitamin B9, folate being natural occurring form that is essential as the body is unable to produce it on its own, folic acid is a synthetic form that is found in supplements and added to foods such as flour and cereal. Thing to keep in mind is folic acid is not always converted into active B9 in the body so opt for the natural folate. Foods that are a great source of folate are legumes, asparagus, avocado, spinach, broccoli, citrus fruits, nuts, and seeds.

Iron:

Iron is found in every cell in the body and is responsible for hemoglobin and myoglobin which are the oxygen-carrying proteins. Foods such as red meats, chicken, turkey, tuna, and oysters are a great source of iron.

Selenium:

Selenium is a powerful antioxidant which can be found in tuna, cod, meat, liver, poultry, and cottage cheese.

Zinc:

Zinc plays many roles within the body ranging from helping with immune function to wound healing. Foods that are great source of zinc are shellfish, poultry, red meats, salmon and other fatty fishes, cashews, green tea.

While I always suggest my clients to get the majority of their nutrients and vitamins from whole foods the fact remains there are many variables that can suppress your immune system. Things such as a lack of sleep, stress, certain medications, and a high-fat diet just to name a few. This is where supplementing with a quality multi-vitamin comes in handy. I personally supplement my diet with 1st-Phorms Micro-Factor, you not only get a multi-vitamin but you also get an antioxidant to help support a healthy immune system, a probiotic for a healthy gut, CoQ-10 for healthy cardiovascular function, a essential fatty acid for joint, brain, and heart health, and a fruit and veggie capsule to help fight free radicals and help maintain a healthy digestive and immune system all in one easy to take package.

While there is no sure-fire way to prevent a sickness eating a healthy diet will help you in building a strong immune system that will help fight off sickness.