Hey All!

Mattymar

Mattymar

New member
Hi everyone!

I just came across this forum today and I think it really looks great. I just want to introduce myself quickly.

I am a fitness professional (make what you will of that) who specializes in weight loss/fat loss. I have been studying for quite some time (though not as long as others as I am only 23 years old) and have been learning directly from some people whom I consider to be among the best in the world when it comes to fat loss. I study about an hour a day every day that I can and keep learning new things all the time.

Unfortunately, the things I have learned are actually quite different from what I've been hearing in the media and it disturbs me a little. That is one reason I am here.

I would just love to start passing on some of the things I have learned and help anyone who is frustrated in their weight loss attempts.

I like to think that I am honest and blunt but very understanding (hopefully that doesn't sound too cheesy). I love working with my current clients but am looking for ways to reach more people, which is what brought me to this site.

Now, I do not want to step on any toes and do not want to take anything away from anybody else. That is not why I am here. I will be very careful to obey all the rules this forum has and not overstep my boundaries. This seems like a great community and I really hope it just continues to grow everyday!

OK, there's my much too long intro. Time to go read some more posts to see what's going on with you guys.


Matt

P.S. Good luck everyone on achieving all your goals!
 
Welcome to the forum!

Always good to see some professionals hop into the community.

What are you studying? And who are these people that you consider the "best in the industry?"
 
Now, I do not want to step on any toes and do not want to take anything away from anybody else. That is not why I am here. I will be very careful to obey all the rules this forum has and not overstep my boundaries. !
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We definitely appreciate that :)

This seems like a great community and I really hope it just continues to grow everyday!
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oooh boo -- we want to shrink - not grow :D

Welcome to the forum, glad to have you here..
 
Steve said:
Welcome to the forum!

Always good to see some professionals hop into the community.

What are you studying? And who are these people that you consider the "best in the industry?"
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I'm studying anything and everything to do with fat loss. This includes constantly searching journals for the latest studies and reading books from some of the industry leaders.

Who do I consider the best in the industry? Right now I believe Alwyn Cosgrove to be the best. The guy knows his stuff and devoted a tremendous amount of time toward perfecting his methods, although he would admit that no method will ever be perfect. I've had the pleasure of speaking with Alwyn on the phone and the guy is just amazing. I've learned more in those 45 minutes than I did in months studying for my certifications.

I also love Craig Ballantyne's ideas. He and Alwyn are who I derive a lot of my own program ideas from. As far as nutrition is concerned, I've studied a lot of John Berardi. I've also studied some things by Chris Mohr and Lyle MacDonald. There are others, but these are the guys I put at the top.
 
Welcome to the forums. Its nice to have another enthusiastic voice around here. I'm sure a lot of us will love to hear what you have to say.

I've found that many, if not most, of the people on these forums are extremely skeptical of what they find in the media. And rightly so!

Are you planning on starting a journal?

And out of curiosity.... What do you think of High fructose corn syrup?

Cheers! :D

- Sunny
 
Healthyhabit said:
And out of curiosity.... What do you think of High fructose corn syrup?
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From what I've read on HFCS, there does not appear to be any substantial evidence linking it to obesity/weight gain any more so than other sugars. That being said, it would still be wise to avoid most products containing HFCS if your goal is weight loss because it is found mainly in processed foods, sodas, and fruit flavored juices. These are things you would want to avoid anyway, but it's not because of the HFCS.

Simple answer, but I hope that helps.
 
Mattymar said:
I'm studying anything and everything to do with fat loss. This includes constantly searching journals for the latest studies and reading books from some of the industry leaders.

Who do I consider the best in the industry? Right now I believe Alwyn Cosgrove to be the best. The guy knows his stuff and devoted a tremendous amount of time toward perfecting his methods, although he would admit that no method will ever be perfect. I've had the pleasure of speaking with Alwyn on the phone and the guy is just amazing. I've learned more in those 45 minutes than I did in months studying for my certifications.

I also love Craig Ballantyne's ideas. He and Alwyn are who I derive a lot of my own program ideas from. As far as nutrition is concerned, I've studied a lot of John Berardi. I've also studied some things by Chris Mohr and Lyle MacDonald. There are others, but these are the guys I put at the top.
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Oh.

I thought when you said "learning directly from the best" that you were in school learning from some stud doctors/professors or the like.

Yea, those guys certainly know their stuff. I really respect Alwyn as a coach. A little gimmicky for my liking.... but nonetheless, the guy knows his stuff.

Lyle McDonald (not MacDonald) is amazingly ahead of his time.

And while all these guys are great at doing what they do.... I think too many "trainers" limit their sight by turning only to the "famous" trainers that have turned their knowledge into an online business.

For every big name you'll find on these forums and websites, you'll find 100 down and dirty coaches at various universities, powerlifting teams, and the like who know just as much, if not more.

It's all about experience.

I wish you luck in your pursuit of knowledge.
 
I might add, if you *really* want to learn about programming/periodization and the adaptive responses strength training elicits from our bodies, I suggest getting away from the prepackaged *programs* and reading stuff along the likes of Supertraining written by Dr. Mel Siff.
 
Hello Mattymar, good to meet you!
I've read Ballantyne over there on Bodybuilding.com
Isn't that 'Turbulence' stuff just periodization and HIIT?
Ballanytyne also says you can lose fat and build muscle simultaneously.
???
I figure you are either bulking or cutting, not both.
Naturally if you are losing fat and doing some resistance training
you are going to reveal the muscles underneath.
Ta Da..you got muscle!
(I need to find mine!)

Barardi and Cosgrove are pretty awesome
Just read Barardi's article "The 7 Habits of Highly
Effective Nutritional Programs" recently

Unfortunately Dr Siff is gone now
but you can still read him over at Bodybuilding.com
I keep meaning to find that book you mentioned Steve!

I want Cosgroves's New Rules of Lifting too!
There's also one for women.
But right now Sona can't lift squat,
er can't even squat.
So will stick with the old rules!

out of the loop
Sona
 
I prefer Lyle over Berardi, actually. I know many people (a lot of the professionals here even) love Berardi. And for good reason... they guy knows his stuff.

I just like Lyle's emphasis on sound research and his breakdown of it.

Also, I wouldn't recommend Supertraining unless you have a hardcore interest in this stuff or you are a professional. It's some heavy reading.
 
Mattymar said:
From what I've read on HFCS, there does not appear to be any substantial evidence linking it to obesity/weight gain any more so than other sugars. That being said, it would still be wise to avoid most products containing HFCS if your goal is weight loss because it is found mainly in processed foods, sodas, and fruit flavored juices. These are things you would want to avoid anyway, but it's not because of the HFCS.
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Works for me. I wouldn't touch that stuff with a 10 foot pole, honestly.
I've talked to a couple fitness professionals in the past, with regards to healthy eating, and they said HFCS didn't matter. Its amazing what the "professional help" will have people do sometimes.

- Sunny
 
Anyone can deem themselves as "professional."

It's on you to do your homework.
 
Sorry guys, was away for a day and couldn't post my 2 cents on this thread.

What I like best about Alwyn, Craig, and John Berardi is that they focus on the big picture. They focus on burning the most calories over the course of a 24-hour day and not just a 1-hour training session. That's where I've seen the most people make mistakes. Too many people put too much stock into how many calories they burn while working out. What's important is how many calories you can burn throughout the entire day. That's when you get into metabolism and EPOC and all that good stuff. Alwyn did a great job of explaining his ideas on this in our phone conversation.

I don't mind that Alwyn and Craig have very successful businesses. The bottom line is their programs work in the real world and now they are reaching thousands of people. Yes, I have read stuff from Mel Siff. I have read stuff from Paul Chek. I've spent hours and hours reading through journals and Medline and all that myself. Anything that can help me, I'll read it. I'm not just drawn to the big names, but I happen to agree with these guys' methods.


Matt
 
Sona said:
Hello Mattymar, good to meet you!
I've read Ballantyne over there on Bodybuilding.com
Isn't that 'Turbulence' stuff just periodization and HIIT?
Ballanytyne also says you can lose fat and build muscle simultaneously.
???
I figure you are either bulking or cutting, not both.
Naturally if you are losing fat and doing some resistance training
you are going to reveal the muscles underneath.
Ta Da..you got muscle!
(I need to find mine!)
Click to expand...

There's no doubt in my mind that you can lose fat and build muscle simultaneously. In fact, there is quite a bit of evidence to back this up. If you are looking primarilly to lose bodyfat then you should be looking to build some muscle. Muscle will increase your metabolism and help you burn more calories throughout the day. Bulking and cutting is a bodybuilding approach and should not really be a concern to those outside the bodybuilding world. This topic probably deserves a little more attention but that's my quick response.

Hope it helped.


Matt
 
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