Volume 1, Issue 1 

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In This Issue:
- Maki Performance Training Updates
- The Biggest Loser, Behind The Scenes
- Nutrition Tip
- Training Tip
- Class Schedule Updates

Welcome to 2008 and the first Maki Performance Training newsletter. I’d like to wish each of you the best in the year ahead, and hope that it brings new beginnings and positive change. 

I’ll be sending out this newsletter approximately once a month, and perhaps more often, as my time permits. I’m hoping you’ll find it interesting and informative.

I subscribe to a number of newsletters including one from a strength coach who specializes in rapid weight-loss, and the scientific mechanisms behind fat loss. In one issue, a former contestant from the program, “The Biggest Loser,” wrote in and commented upon a few of the things that went on during the show.

I’ve reposted the contestant’s comments below with the name initialized (to protect their identity), and I’ve posted my own comments beneath in Italics.

BL: For anyone who cares, we worked out 4 hours per day 6 days per week.  That started on day 2.  Day 1 we worked out 2.5 hours.  That is from sedentary to 2. hours.

We did 1 hour cardio in the morning and 1 in the evening by ourselves and the trainer came in every afternoon for two hours to put us through a circuit resistance based routine for an hour and sometimes her own crazy cardio routine for an hour or we did that third cardio hour on our own also. We never worked out intensely for more than 2 hours at a time.

I call this the ‘shock and awe’ technique. A lot of transformations occur where an individual goes from doing nothing to working out “excessively.” As a result of the new stimulus being placed on the body, it has no choice but to change. This is a not a realistic approach to fat loss; however, it does get the most attention on TV and in the print media,.

This method does not work for the general public who don’t understand the kind of mental mindset you would need to accomplish such a feat.

BL: Our goal was to lose 1lb per day (3500 calories).  Our particular trainer’s philosophy was that she was going to BURN it off you in the gym and if you had a poor day in the gym the VERY first question that was asked was "Did you eat".  It had to be pounded into us that we had to eat.  It seemed counter-intuitive for many of us in a weight loss contest but it proved itself out when a teammate of mine upped his workouts to 6 hours per day and shrank his food to 500 calories per day (on his own) and only lost 3 pounds in 7 days while everyone else averaged 7-10.

This is the typical rationale of many looking to lose body fat. I’ve heard this from people who’ve done this before coming to me. When I explain that they need to eat more to jump-start their metabolism, they automatically think they are going to put on weight. The body can only go so far into a caloric deficit before various processes in the body begin to slow down.

In this instance, the media is to blame for brainwashing us into believing that starving the body, while exercising the weight off, will achieve thin. It is, however, the quickest way to gain fat and mess up one’s metabolism. Once the damage is done, it can take months to reverse the effects and this can be a very frustrating process.

BL: There was a 75-25% Cardio-to-resistance training mix.  Man, what the body can do when it has the right trainer to push it.  This year’s contestants work out even more (I went back to the show and worked out with them for 3.5 hours on an off-camera day, and they still had an evening workout to go).  Of course your secluded--no phone, no newspapers, no Internet--just you and other fatties. So what else you going to do except the hated TV stuff, interviews, challenges etc.?

This show was designed for one thing and one thing only—to make the contestants lose as much weight as possible in the shortest period of time. It’s no wonder they were successful. The conditions were perfect and the environment set up to make them succeed.

BL: We typically worked out at 75-90% of our max. heart rate based on the 220 formula WITH our trainer and 65-85% of our max. when on our own.  The quality of the 'on our own' workouts usually had to do with external factors like music and fatigue from filming etc.  We physically could have done 75-90% on our own but it gets AWFULLY boring!

Maybe I’m a bit biased, but with the help of a knowledgeable and experienced trainer an individual can accomplish great things. I liken it to having a great guide on a trek up a mountain. The guide will know where to take you, what areas to avoid and will get you there the fastest way possible. The rest is up to you--you have to do the work to get up the mountain.

BL: We cooked all our own food based on the nutrition advice of the trainer (so again individual expertise varies)

Vital stats
Day 1
Resting Heart rate 89-92 bpm
Blood Pressure - 150/90
Pre-diabetic blah blah blah all the other stuff that comes along with being 51% body fat!

AFTER 14 DAYS (equivalent of 2 months in the real world)!!

Resting heart rate 62 bpm
Blood pressure 102/60
Blood sugar normal.

(PS Today 2 years later - it is around the same)

These changes are simply amazing and represent where the right mental mindset can take you.

BL: For reference - While a TV episode is 7 days in length that is not the case behind the scenes. So some 'weeks' the numbers are larger because some weeks we had 14 days between weigh-ins.  My season, if you lasted until the final day, you would be on the ranch 101 days (I got voted off on episode 7 and lost 83 pounds in 62 days)  This season is it like 121 days start to finish.  And all that gets condensed into a 12-14 weeks show airing schedule.

This is somewhat deceptive for the viewers since it leaves the impression that these changes took place over a 7-day period when, in fact, it was much longer. This is typical of the media and it is no wonder people often set unrealistic goals and have high expectations when it comes to changing their body. They’re being told it’s possible when, in fact, it is not true.

BL: Today - I take in approx. 2500 calories per day and when I am on-point I eat more proteins and fats then carbs.  When I 'fall off the wagon' I still stay within my calorie range but I will have more carbs and salt and carbs require 2.7 grams of water for every 1 gram of carbs and salt makes you retain water blah blah blah.  People are still amazed that I can drop 10 pounds in a week (I call it 'fake' weight loss) and they don't understand that it comes by simply cutting out the extra carbs and salt while drinking a gallon of water per day and that sheds all the extra water in your body.  But I realize that I HAVE to track what I eat or eat the same thing every day which is boring. 

This is what boxers, MMA fighters and wrestlers will do during the week leading up to an event—sometimes, even the night before.  It’s quite amazing how much water your body can shed over a short period of time. The last time I tried cutting out my carbohydrates I dropped 17 pounds in two weeks. This  included a 2-day carb-up on the weekends.

Nutrition Tip:

Portion Control

Now that the holidays are over, portion sizes are back to normal and the goodies have disappeared until next year. Pounds need to be dropped and inches lost.
For decades, fat has been given a bad rep. In actual fact the amount of carbohydrates and the types you consume are largely responsible for the excess calories that are consumed on a daily basis.

Below is a great chart to help you decipher just how much you should be eating when it comes to your carbohydrates consumption.   


Training Tip:

Poor Posture

Want to know the quickest way to alleviate your body from those nagging aches and pains? Fix your damned posture! Most of us suffer from muscular imbalances, some more than others. Being in good physical condition will not mask the pain you may be suffering. Work on your posture and I guarantee you will be a new person. 



Maki PerformanceTraining: A Testimonial

Maki is the first trainer I have been with that has taught me how to work outside of my comfort zone. This has changed the way I approach fitness entirely. No longer is it about reaching a goal and walking away. The amazing thing is it has spilled over into other areas of my life making daunting tasks achievable. I take so much with me from this relationship!!   - Vivian Butler, Pacifica Sales Rep

Powerful Quote

"Knowing how to read and not reading is almost the same as not knowing how to read."

Robin Sharma

I’m a big proponent of continuing education. It really doesn’t matter what kind of schooling you’ve gone through. There’s always room for more knowledge. I believe that reading books is one of the simplest ways to inspire and dazzle the mind with new ideas and shape the way we think and act. To me books are priceless.


Business and Class Updates

Some of you may already know that I am no longer conducting one-on-one training out of the Thompson Community Centre. I have moved to a new location at 420-3771 Jacombs Rd. I also train out of a new gym in the Steveston area, Fitness Vacation.

I will continue to work at Thompson as a weight room attendant a couple times a week, and to run boot camp and various classes from the facility.

My future plans are to open my own studio in the Richmond area where I can teach various classes and serve the needs of all my clients.

Here are some of the dates for upcoming classes:

February 2nd 2008 – Maki Fit

February 12th 2008 – Fitness Boot Camp

March   2008 – Awesome Abs class (dates to be announced)

Coming Soon – Kettle Bell Conditioning class


Until next time,

Maki Riddington
http://www.dynamicconditioning.ca