The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Hey Cygen Bloggers & Blog Followers,


Christopher here - this posting is going to be coming at you like the Tasmanian Devil – fast, furious & in a flurry of motion, so keep up and follow along as some serious New Years knowledge is about to be dropped. Check it out; what’s the number one thing this time of year brings about for all of you fitness nuts and fitness enthusiasts out there? That’s right, RESOLUTIONS. This is the year for you to do it up bigger, better and faster – the only question on your mind right now should be – How?

The best way, in my humble opinion, to reach your fitness goals more efficiently (whether professional, intermediate or beginner) is to find a “good” coach – wait a second, I said bigger, better faster didn’t I? Correct me if I’m wrong but you don’t need “good”; you need “great”! How do you find a great coach? What’s the difference between a great coach and a great trainer? Well, that’s why I’m writing this posting boys and girls out there in cyberspace – I am hoping this message takes your training this New Year from “good” to “great”!

The “stuff” that separates “good” from “great” can be measured on such a minute scale, it really does come down to the details. The details I speak of in this particular instance are you; but before we get to you, let’s take a closer look at the difference between a great coach and a great trainer. From my vantage point the difference between being a great coach and a great trainer comes down to a simple matter of form versus function. Trainers (and I am not knocking the profession, rather the semantics of the title) can teach the form of exercises; they are often in great physical shape – billboards of perceivable health and wellness but quite often, not in all cases, a vast majority of trainers out there lack the expertise to teach the finer points of exercise performance based on the best interest of their audience.


The vast majority of exercises I see trainers use in a traditional commercial gym setting with general population fitness members serve no real purpose (blanket statement – I know). Usually it’s the newest, latest fad that is going to aid more in client retention initiatives than client results. I wouldn’t be surprised if a few shake weight group exercise classes started to emerge in the New Year – ugggh, I digress. A good coach I feel is just that because they have the expertise to increase performance (function) to higher levels. Coaches have put in countless hours to master the most minute of details and more importantly have made a craft out of “teaching” this knowledge – regardless of who their audience is.


In the MMA world it’s like having Greg Jackson in your corner. You can be a good fighter but because of Greg’s coaching he brings your game to the level of a “great” fighter. Charlie Francis (God rest his soul) was the same to the sprinting community here in Canada. Say what you want about Charlie – he was one hell of an amazing Coach and I consider myself fortunate to have been able to watch him coach on more than one occasion. To expand a bit before getting back on point (here’s the Tasmanian-Devil coming out as I digress yet again) Charlie was actually a distance runner himself; so how then did this guy rise to become one of the most sought after speed coaches in the world? I am going to argue it was his expertise that arose from a sense of pride in his job; a need to know the details and the recognition that performance (function) was based on more than physical form. Performance was actually the result of the harmonious integration and interaction of the spiritual, mental and physical self (I will talk more on this in later postings – I promise)
To the task at hand; now that we know the difference between a coach and a trainer, there are a few short hurdles to keep in mind that a competent coach should be able to jump through with relative ease and they are:


Certification: In this area you want to insure that your coach has the proper credentials and that they are constantly updating their knowledge. I believe that constant professional growth through professional development, be it a certification, a workshop or continued independent reading demonstrates a level of care and professionalism toward you the client. More importantly it demonstrates a certain sense of self-respect and pride that the coach has both in themselves and in their chosen profession. A little known “black secret” in the Canadian Fitness Industry – it’s unregulated; which means that it doesn’t matter if your Coach is Can-Fit Pro ™ Certified or not. What matters is that they are certified and demonstrate due diligence to seek certification from an organization that requires continuing education credits to maintain eligibility of accreditation.

To this end does your Coach have any specialty certifications or areas of expertise? For example Kettlebell or Speed Conditioning for Sport – with specified knowledge your performance will improve that much faster because your Coach can give you an edge over athletes that may not have exposure to the same training methodologies employed by your coach.


Education: When it comes to formal education the strongest coaches will always be the ones that have a background in Kinesiology or Health and Fitness Promotions – that’s just my opinion. The trouble with certain certifying bodies is that they do not screen their applicants for educational background; so anyone can gain accreditation through a weekend long course (3 days).
How can an individual who completes a 3 day course have anywhere near the same amount of knowledge of the human body as someone that has spent 4 years or more studying Kinesiology? Does your Coach have a particular interest in a specialized area of research? Have they completed a certificate stream concurrently with their declared major?

Having some sort of formal education demonstrates that your Coach has a passion to accrue knowledge in their chosen field – it also demonstrates that they are able to think critically and problem-solve, to me, having a post secondary education simply demonstrates that when your Coach takes on a project where they have established a certain expectation they will see it through to completion.

Experience: The final wheel on this tricycle is experience. I believe that there is no substitute for the education that life itself brings – this is the practical aspect of training; the education is the theoretical and the certification is the technical but it is experience that takes a good Coach to the level of a “great” Coach. Failing fast but recovering faster and learning from previous “mistakes” is the secret to accruing knowledge through experience. A good Coach will find a way to reach the audience; I firmly believe that there is no such thing as bad students just poor teachers (coaches in our case).


Experience carves our teeth and provides the appetite needed to instill the sense of excellence needed to illicit an increase in performance. An important component of experience is results – the proof is always in the pudding. Does your Coach have a proven track record of getting people results? Has anyone ever been injured following training protocols that were laid out by him/her?

Finally everything above boils down to what I call the “you factor”. I believe that if you do not connect with your Coach and feel confident in their capabilities then you will never really approach the training with the needed abandonment to achieve the results you’re after. Your Coach has to be able to reach you spiritually, mentally and physically and motivate you to want to do better for yourself and no one else.

At the end of the day regardless of who you chose as your Coach the onus for results falls on your shoulders – so the end game is really about finding a competent Coach that can hold you accountable to yourself and provide the steps necessary to achieve the results you desire. Certification; Education; Experience and YOU are what take a Coach from good to great! These are just my insights but I am no expert. I want to hear from you. What were some of your funniest, best or worst experiences with a Coach? The best comment will receive ONE MONTH FREE training at Empire Fitness courtesy of Cygen Labrotories.

How to Train for a Bodybuilding Competition on a Busy Schedule

If you sat down and made a list of what to do in preparation for a bodybuilding competition, what would be on the list? Train hard, and eat clean - right? Nope- keep writing. There is the weight training, cardio, mandatory and routine posing, tanning, meal preparation, dieting, and suit selection. Add in working fulltime and seeing to family commitments and you can see where things get really busy. Follow these tactics to stay on track.



Instructions

1. Make the decision to compete. How often have you heard of someone who said they were going to compete, but never did? When you ask why, they offer a variety of reasons. They were too busy with work, they couldn’t handle the dieting, or they just didn’t know how to do it. Whatever the case is, they all share one thing in common, the person failed to commit to competing. One you are positive you want to compete, you can move on to step 2.

2. You will never hit a target you can’t even see. This is why it is critical for you to define your goals. They should be Specific, Measureable, Realistic, and Time framed. For example, you may want to gain 5lbs of lean mass in 3 months, and add 1 inch to the diameter of your thighs. Now that you have set a goal, you can use this to focus your energy to attain it.

3. Periodize your training. Performing 3 sets of 10 reps not only gets boring, it also become ineffective after time. Look at a calendar, and work backwards from the day of your competition to figure out which training phases you will work through. Phases to consider include cycles of strength, hypertrophy, conditioning, and power. Within these phases you change a variety of things up to keep your body guessing. These include weight, reps, rest period, exercise choice, exercise order, and tempo. For example, you may spend your last month of training in a conditioning phase with the goal of shedding body fat.

4. Prepare your meals in advance. I can’t stress this one enough - if its mealtime you had better have your food next to you in an insulated bag- not at McDonalds. Set aside a few hours on Sunday to get ready for a successful week. This might include cutting up your veggies, baking some potatoes, or grilling some chicken. Whatever you are making, do it in BULK. I like to prepare enough food to last me through to midweek, and cook again on Wednesday night for the remainder of the week.

5. Manage your time. Again, get out the calendar and schedule the following: resistance training, cardiovascular training, meal preparation, tanning, posing, work, family commitments. Once you have it down on paper (or blackberry), you will feel like you have more time in your day. In reality, you will just be using your time more efficiently.

6. Choose quality supplements. Training for a bodybuilding competition can really take its toll on your body. The increased training volume, combined with a calorie restricted diet can wreak havoc on your joints and muscles, so it’s important to use quality supplements to help get you through it. Glutamine will help reduce muscle soreness, fish oil will reduce joint inflammation, improve cardiovascular health and assist with brain function, and a greens supplement is a great way to get important plant nutrients your body may be lacking.

Use these strategies the next time you want to compete. You will find yourself to be more driven, better organized, less stressed, and look ready to look your best on competition day.

Ryan Lyn, BSc., CSCS
Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist
Certified Personal Trainer
Ryan's Website

Meet Christopher Reed

It used to be that professional athletes relied on natural ability and practice to perform at a high level. The pros ate and drank like normal people and all the exercise they needed usually came in the form of participating in their given sport. But as the years past, more and more professional athletes began turning to weight training as a means of extending their careers and gaining an edge on the competition. Now, not only do professional and elite level collegiate athletes dedicate much of their time to the weight room, but the term “sport specific training” has become common place amongst high school and minor athletes everywhere.

Christopher Reed is the founder of Empire Fitness in Toronto (Mimico / Lakeshore) - a sport specific training facility dedicated to helping Canadian high school athletes, regardless of sport achieve their dream of competing at the colligate level in either the CIS or NCAA. Christopher, possessing an extensive background in football and the martial arts was exposed to sport specific training while in high school and never looked back. Christopher is the first (and currently only) Certified Kettlebell Trainer in Canada under Steve Cotter and Ken Blackburn of the IKFF (International Kettlebell and Fitness Federation), as well as a Certified Underground Strength Coach under Zach Even-Esh. He is also a Level 3 National Football Coach and Part-Time Faculty Member within the Department of Criminal Justice and Community and Social Services at Humber College where he teaches Defensive Tactics to students in the aforementioned program as well as students enrolled in the Police Foundations Program.



In the coming months Christopher will share his expertise with the community here at Cygen Labs. Be sure to visit often as he’ll be posting articles on training, mental preparation and many other topics related to sport specific training. Maybe, if you ask REEEEEALLY nice we can convince him to answer a few questions for our followers along the way.

If you want to learn more about Empire Fitness or Christopher, check out the Empire Fitness website.

This Winter, Get the Best of Both Worlds: Get Big and Stay Lean.

As a highly qualified personal trainer and nutritional consultant, Ryan Lyn brings a fresh perspective to Team Cygen as well as a wealth of experience as a Natural Competitive Bodybuilder. The below is the first in a series of articles on training and nutrition written by Ryan. So sit back, and benefit from Ryan's expertise as he discusses the finer points of adding muscle, while staying photoshoot ready this fall.



It’s that time again, winter is on its way and you are looking to put on some size during your ‘off season’. But, do you have a plan? No, I don’t mean rushing to the closest All-You-Can-Eat Buffet and stuffing yourself into a state of fatness and regret. I mean, do you have a plan that includes 1) How much you will be eating per day 2) When you will be eating, and 3) How much protein, carbohydrates, and fats each meal will contain? If you don’t then read on to learn how you can make your own offseason plan to gain weight, but stay lean.
To create your nutrition plan we first need to calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)- this is the amount of calories your body needs just to survive, this doesn’t take in to account any physical activity. One way we can do this is to use the following equation:
Men’s BMR = Bodyweight (in Kg) x 24
Women’s BMR = Bodyweight (in Kg) x 21.6
EXAMPLE:
If you are a 220 lb male, you divide your weight by 2.2 to convert to kilograms:
BMR= [220/2.2] = 100kg
100kg x 24 = 2400 calories
Because this calculation only relies on weight as a factor, it is really just a rough estimate. A more accurate method (assuming you are able to measure your body fat percentage) is to use the following formula by McArdle and Katch:
BMR (Male or Female) = 370 + 21.6 (Lean mass in Kg)
EXAMPLE:
If you are a 220 lb male with 15% body fat, your fat mass is: 100 kg x 0.15 = 15 Kg. Your lean mass is just your total mass, minus your fat mass:
Lean Mass = Total mass (100 Kg) – Fat mass (15 Kg) = 85 kg
Now we plug lean mass into the equation:
BMR = 370 + 21.6 (85kg) =2206 Calories
But we have to remember this is the MINIMUM number of calories that you would need just to survive while resting all day. This number does not take into account the calories burned during activity and exercise. To account for these additional calories , we multiply the BMR by the appropriate Activity Multipliers.
Activity Multipliers
Sedentary = BMR X 1.2 (little or no exercise, desk job)
Lightly active = BMR X 1.375 (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/wk)
Mod. active = BMR X 1.55 (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/wk)
Very active = BMR X 1.725 (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days/wk)
Extr. active = BMR X 1.9 (hard daily exercise/sports & physical job or 2X day training, i.e marathon, contest etc.)
Lets continue with our example of a 220lb individual who has 15% body fat. If this person also trains with weights 3 times/week, and plays sports 2 times/ week, they would be moderately active and we would multiply their BMR by 1.55.
Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) = BMR x Activity Multiplier
TDEE = 2206 Cal x 1.55 = 3309 Calories
The TDEE is the number of calories required to MAINTAIN your current weight. To gain weight you will need to consume more than this – How much more? Anywhere between 250-500 additional calories daily. Fat loss expert Tom Venuto suggests you find this number by multiplying your weight by 2 and consuming this amount of calories on top of your TDEE.
So your optimal number of Calories for lean weight gain is:
TDEE + Weight in Lbs x 2
3309 Cal + 220lbs x2
3309 + 440 = 3749 Calories.
Now that you know how many calories to consume, you will also need to know where these calories are coming from and in what amounts- otherwise known as the macronutrient ratio. Ideally you will want to eat you carbs, protein, and fats in a 55-30-15 ratio. Your carbs should consist primarily of unprocessed sources such as brown rice, quinoa, sweet potatoes, and oatmeal. Your protein can come from a wide variety of sources, but try to find a source that is hormone free and pesticide free. Great, lean sources of protein include: white fish, ‘loin meats’ – like pork tenderloin or beef strip loin, egg whites, poultry, shrimp, and of course whey protein supplements such as Cygen Labs Nutriwhey or ISO-90. As for fat, use a small amount in your cooking from a poly/monounsaturated source that won’t break down at high temperatures- peanut, coconut, and avocado oil are all great sources. I also recommend that nearly every athlete supplement with a quality fish oil with a high EPA:DHA ratio such as Cygen’s High Potency Fish Oil.
Remember, as with all nutrition plans, it is important that you log your food and calorie intake. This way if you end up with a little extra belly flab, you are able to look back, see how many calories you have been eating, and make appropriate adjustments.

Ryan Lyn, B.Sc., CSCS

Cygen Labs is Proud to Announce Bodybuilder Ryan Lyn as the Newest Member of Team Cygen

As the newest member of Team Cygen, Ryan brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the table as both a bodybuilder and personal trainer. Competing in organizations such as the UFE and FAME, Ryan always brings a ripped physique, outstanding posing routine and great presence to the stage, but perhaps his greatest accomplishment as a bodybuilder is that he competes as a 100% drug-free athlete. He attributes his success as a natural athlete to training with intensity, setting goals, and a specific nutrition and supplement regimen. As a personal trainer, Ryan obtained his CSCS from the NSCA, and trains a wide variety of clientele from working parents and student athletes, to fitness competitors. His methods are always unique, cutting edge, and produce results; much like the Cygen Labs products he uses and recommends. Stay tuned, as every month we will feature an article on training, nutrition, and bodybuilding written by Ryan himself and posted on the Cygen Labs blog. For more information on Ryan, check out his profile on the Cygen Website.

Cygen Labs - Tested by the Highest Authority

For those of you who don't follow the world of Canadian Amateur bodybuilding religiously, the name Luka Treska may be new to you. Judging from his near 1600 YouTube subscribers though, he is far from what I would call "an unknown" in the sport. Luka is a very successful personal trainer, and competitive bodybuilder who's next goal is to step on stage next at the Canadian Nationals in 2011. Luka is incredibly particular about which supplements he puts in his body, and because he believes that Cygen Labs puts out top of the line products, using only top quality ingredients he has been gracious enough to offer his feedback on several of our products. Below is Luka's first video blog about Cygen:

Luka Treska - Cygen Laboratories

Stay tuned as we post more of Luka's video blogs to see for yourself what one of Canada's top amateur bodybuilders has to say about Cygen Labs as he prepares himself to compete for his IFBB Pro status.

Josh Leo Interview - New Star; Bright Future

On July 17, 2010 the IDFA International Championships were held in Toronto, ON to a packed house of enthusiastic fans at the Jane Mallet Theatre. First time competitor Josh Leo stepped on stage and quickly impressed the judges with his top notch conditioning and muscle development. Being a Natural bodybuilder, Josh depends a great deal on utilizng the right supplements to give him the edge he needs over his competition. At Cygen Labs, we were so pleased that Josh chose to use our products for his show prep that we asked him to do an interview for us, telling him about his first experience stepping on stage. The transcript is below:

Cygen Labs: Welcome Josh and congratulations on placing so high in your first contest!
Thank you for joining the Cygen Labs team to talk about your first experience stepping on stage at the IDFA International Championships.

Let’s start off with a brief background – How to get you get started?

Josh: I first got involved in weight lifting and training when I was in my second year of university studying for an undergraduate degree in Kinesiology and Physical Education. From there, I began to do some of my own research on muscle hypertrophy training, and with the help of my educational background, I started to piece together a successful outlook on how to build muscle size, growth, and strength.

Cygen Labs: Tell us more about your contest prep – how do you feel this went for your first attempt?

Josh: My contest prep was challenging yet fantastic at the same time. I had major support from my family, friends, and of course from my two coaches: Hans Lauro and Luka Treska, two of the best in the business.

My diet was on point from the get go at 14 weeks out and I never took it for granted. I feel I could not have come into the contest any better: my diet was not just precise, but perfect moving closer and closer to show date. I also had the support from Cygen Labs, using the Toragen product: a wicked muscle receptor activator that got me super lean yet stronger at the same time pre contest.

As far as my training, it was filled with non-stop intensity that had several changes along the way: both in terms of Cardio and Resistance Training. The closer I got to the date of the contest, the more my resistance training went from lifting for hypertrophy to muscular endurance and conditioning.

Cygen Labs: What did you find most difficult about the experience?

Josh: One of the most challenging aspects of training for my contest was watching my social life being sacrificed. When you have fantastic friends like mine who wanted me to come out with them on a regular basis, there was nothing harder then turning down some good nights out because you have early morning cardio the next day. Fortunately, I had great friends who supported me 100% and knew what I had to do was crucial. Additionally, people think that fighting off cravings is one of the most challenging elements of contest prep, but I would disagree and say that the mental fatigue is much more difficult. You really have to have a strong mind that pushes you to train hard every single scheduled work-out. If you don't have self-motivation and discipline on a constant basis, you can forget about being successful.

Cygen Labs: So you’ve got a degree in Kinesiology from Wilfrid Laurier University and you also worked at the retail level selling sport nutrition supplements – what ultimately made you reach out and choose Cygen Labs?

Josh: Definitely the uniqueness of the line! Like I stated earlier, The Torgen played a fundamental role in keeping me both lean and strong on a calorie restricted diet. I was getting learner but stronger! The trigonella foenum-graecum extract Torobolic is the real deal and surpassed any of my expectations. Coming from a science background it was the Science behind the line. The Cygen team made this evident to me when I emailed them asking about the studied conducted by Dr. Colin Wilborn, PhD, CSCS at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor. That put confidence in my hands, especially when competing in a natural show such as the IDFA!

Cygen Labs: What are you currently using from there line up and why?

Josh: Currently I am using Cygen Toragen, Exotest, Multi-Pack and Fish Oil - which is working out perfect for me right now as I started my two month rebound to improve on my weak points before transitioning into off-season.

Year round I use the ISO-90 as my main source of powder protein – The taste and mixability is bang on!

Cygen Labs: So what’s next for you Josh?

Josh: I have always had a passion for the sport of bodybuilding and the features that come with it - whether it is supplements, diet or knowledge of training, I like to familiarize and educate myself as much as possible. It’s the only way to get better. I plan on having a strong offseason and competing again next spring where the goal in mind is one thing - to win and climb to the next level.

Josh, Thanks again for taking the time to site down and share your experience with us. All of us at Cygen Labs would like to congratulate you on placing so well in your first show, and we'd all like to wish you the best of luck in your upcoming shows. We're confident that you have a long and successful career ahead of you in the world of natural bodybuilding. Keep up the great work!