My Visit To The Chiropractor!

"My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever."

- Psalm 73:26

When Stacey returned from her one-week mission trip from Nicaragua through our church on June 29, she was dealing with tremendous leg and back pain that kept her tossing and turning most of the night (keeping me up as well!).

This was most likely a result of sleeping on a very hard and uncomfortable bed for a week (at least she had air conditioning and in-door plumbing while she was there!).

We decided to go to the chiropractor because the pain hadn't decreased and because Stacey doesn't have medical insurance (they have an affordable cash plan for those without insurance).

The chiropractor we chose was affordable and happened to be a friend of mine from high school. During Stacey's initial exam, Dr. Powell talked with her about the pain, took x-rays and examined her neck, back and feet. She began treatment the following day after seeing that she had some neck and back issues that needed adjusting in order to help relieve the pain.

I also decided to get examined since I hadn't been to a chiropractor in more than two years. I've been to another chiropractor for neck and back pain from a car accident in 1995 (I was rear-ended) and then again in 2005-2006 for shoulder and knee pain.

However, I felt it would be a good idea to keep myself healthy and avoid future shoulder and knee pain. After the initial exam and x-rays, I came back the following day for the results and first treatment.

We looked at my x-rays and my neck looked pretty good. It had a nice curve with only a small area near the base of my skull that needed some adjusting. I was joking with Stacey that my neck looked better than hers (as her neck has no curve, it's completely straight - not a good thing!).

Then, we looked at my spine. To say that I was surprised is an understatement. I couldn't believe the x-ray that showed what looked like a snake in my back. Dr. Powell immediately told me that I have scoliosis.

What I couldn't believe is that I've never known this. No one ever told me or diagnosed me with it. I don't recall my previous chiropractor ever mentioning it. And it wasn't like it was a minor case of scoliosis. I have an 18-degree curve, which is considered fairly severe.

Dr. Powell said that if he can reduce it to 12 degrees (a 5-degree difference), that would be a huge improvement and most likely the best that could be done without surgery.

If I don't address it, it could cause a lot of pain and problems in the future. I believe that the only reason I haven't had as much pain as others with scoliosis is the fact that I have been weight training for more than 15 years. Dr. Powell agreed that my physical activity has definitely helped me.

Knowing that I have scoliosis also helps clear up a few things. I have always had uneven shoulders, a common symptom (I thought it was a muscle imbalance between my traps) and slight rounding of my mid back. From the exam, I also found out that there is a 4-degree difference between my right and left hips (they should both be 0 degrees).

In the past, I have had mid- and lower back pain that would come and go. I always attributed it to working out too hard or just straining myself from heavy squats and deadlifts. Although my weight training workouts have helped me gain strength and muscle, they have not completely offset the fact that the scoliosis can cause back pain and problems.

This also explains why I can't seem to hold the bar straight when I perform back squats. For as long as I can remember, the bar is always slightly over to one side. I have tried to fix it, but it doesn't feel right and I end up going right back to my "normal" position. I believe the scoliosis is also the reason why I've had problems with heavy back squats throughout the last several years. It's one reason why I've switched to front squats for the past year.

I've also had knee issues that could be a result of the scoliosis and the fact that my hips are off balance. All of these things play a role in how everything functions in the body. Something as simple as a curve in the neck or spine can carry down through the legs, knee and feet.

I'm not going to use scoliosis as an excuse, but it does shed some light on some of the above issues I've had (and a few others I've noticed in recent years). I plan on continuing to train as hard as usual while receiving chiropractor care from Dr. Powell to hopefully help reduce the curve and keep me pain free and healthy.

I'll post more about this as things improve with treatment and see how it affects my training.

Warp Speed Fat Loss - Day 1 of 28

"But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint." - Isaiah 40:31

Stacey and I officially started the Warp Speed Fat Loss program today. We packed all our meals and snacks for the day on Sunday evening. Although the meals are fairly low carb throughout the week, Monday was our higher carb day due to the intense training in the evening.

We were both amazed that the meals were so filling, as they looked as though we would be starving in between meals after seeing it on paper. I'm sure some of the other days will be tougher as they will have less carbs. Also, we will need to make some adjustments this week to make sure we are following the correct meal plan according to our size and goals. We may be consuming too many calories.

Today's strength workout was definitely a bit different than what I had been doing the last few weeks, but it was good. There are three strength workouts per week combined with heavy circuits and intervals (Mon, Wed, Fri) and there are three high intensity interval training sessions combined with steady-state moderate/high aerobic training (Tues, Thurs, Sat). This is Monday's workout for the duration of the program - CLICK ME!

Starting with heavy squats definitely made some of the other exercises more painful, as our legs were feeling like Jello halfway through the first circuit. It went fairly well throughout, and we were both sweating. There is a learning curve with some of the exercises, but by the time we repeat this workout, we should be on our A-game. The good thing is that we only have to repeat this workout three more times. And now we are down to 27 days.

Tomorrow is a high intensity interval training day combined with some moderate/high intensity steady-state aerobic training to help burn up some fat. We also have a normal carb day which means less carbs than today, but it shouldn't be too bad as protein is kept high along with plenty of healthy fats.

I'll post how things progress in the next few days.

If I Could Do It All Over Again...

"So change the way you live and act. Obey the Lord your God...."

- Jeremiah 26:13

Many times, we wonder what could have been different if we had chosen a different path or method of doing something. Since I can't do that, I figure these tips may help someone who is new to training and living a healthy lifestyle. These tips could save you years of struggling or becoming frustrated with lack of progress.

If I could go back and change the way I did things concerning training, eating and overall health and fitness, here are the things I would have done differently:

1) Train with more people that were bigger and stronger than me (I did this several times when I was in the first few years of training and made great progress. But I didn't do this enough!).

2) Eat more protein with every meal and eat a lot more fruits and veggies and eat only starchy carbs from good sources and at certain times of the day (breakfast and post-workout have worked best for me).

I made the mistake of eating way too many carbs (potatoes, rice, pasta) in my quest to bulk up several times in the early days. I ended up just getting fat.

3) Focus on getting stronger on all the basic lifts (squat, bench, deadlift, overhead press, rows, chins) while using less volume and more intensity.

4) Not forgetting to include some sort of short, intense cardio a couple times per week in the form of intervals, GPP, bodyweight circuits, complexes or circuits even when trying to bulk up or get stronger.

5) Change set/reps every 4-8 weeks so my body didn't get stale.

6) Only use food supplements like protein powders and post-workout drinks along with basic stuff like fish oil caps and ZMA.

I've wasted plenty of money on things that didn't make an ounce of a difference. But food supplements have always been useful for calorie and protein needs.

7) Not bulking up - the times I tried to bulk were the times where I felt like crap and looked like crap and gained too much fat. Bulking doesn't work for most people.

8) Keep a training log. I only started doing this consistently in 2005.

9) Not trying every "fad" program that came out or promised slabs of muscle and keeping my focus on the basic stuff.

10) Taking more scheduled breaks every 8-12 weeks for rest and recovery and to keep my motivation high.

11) I would have played sports when I was younger - I only played football when I was in the 5th grade. I should have played more sports throughout school or at least joined the wrestling team, track team or weightlifting team during high school.

Since I was always small and weak, I would have been much better off competing in a certain weight class. I only joined the weightlifting team during my senior year of high school. That's when I became interested in lifting. But I did a lot of stuff wrong for a few years after that.

12) I would have started seriously lifting before I was 18. Since I didn't play sports and didn't seriously begin lifting weights until I had graduated high school and began college, I feel that I missed out on making more gains.

When the health and fitness bug hit me when I was 14, I focused on eating better and just doing some bodyweight stuff and playing neighborhood sports with other kids from 14-18. I missed out on using those years to lift seriously and make some good strength/hypertrophy gains.

Warp Speed Fat Loss!

"You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth?" - Galatians 5:7

I've mentioned Alwyn Cosgrove (strength coach and fat loss expert) in previous blogs, but I have not mentioned Mike Roussell (a nutrition expert). Recently, Alwyn and Mike came together to offer information on how to accelerate fat loss through proper nutrition and training with their Warp Speed Fat Loss program.

I highly recommend that you spend 25 minutes listening to the audio and watching the slide presentation to get you started. You can see the presentation here: Click Me!

You will notice that many of the things I have said in my previous blogs regarding fat loss are mentioned here. This presentation may help you understand things in a new way so that it makes more sense.

I also recommend signing up for the free fat loss secrets membership and referring two friends to get the special report that shows several very short, but intense fat loss workouts that you can do at home with virtually no equipment.

If you follow these tips, you will accelerate your fat loss in no time!

Working Girls!

*UPDATE* - I was training two 25-year-old women. Unfortunately, they have both dropped out for various reasons. I've edited the info in the blog below.


They were training with me twice a week using full-body exercises for strength, explosive strength and metabolic conditioning.

On the days they were not training with me, I asked them to perform some sort of activity that they enjoyed for about 20-30 minutes to help facilitate recovery from our full-body sessions and to also help burn some extra calories and get some additional cardiovascular benefits. This included jogging, biking, fast walking, basketball or any other sport or activity they enjoyed at a moderate pace.

The schedule looked like this:

Monday - Full-body Session with Nate focusing on strength, explosive strength and metabolic conditioning
Tuesday - Active rest (bike, jog, swim, etc. for 20-30 minutes)
Wednesday - Active rest (or if our schedules allow - Metabolic Conditioning)
Thursday - Full-body Session with Nate focusing on strength, explosive strength and metabolic conditioning
Friday - Active rest (bike, jog, swim, etc. for 20-30 minutes)
Saturday - Active rest (or if our schedules allow - Metabolic Conditioning)
Sunday - OFF

Although they had limited weightlifting experience (and Lola had never used free weights - only machines), they progressed very quickly. They only had 5-6 sessions with me. This means, that in only 4-5 sessions over three weeks, they improved their strength, balance, coordination, form and fluidness of movement.

I told them from the very beginning that the workouts would be simple, but hard. I let them know that we focused on athletic movements and full-body, compound, multi-joint exercises such as front squats, bench presses, barbell rows, Romanian deadlifts, dumbbell overhead presses and assisted chin-ups. In addition, we trained explosive strength and metabolic conditioning through the use of box jumps, squat jumps, burpees, medicine ball woodchoppers and a few other exercises. We also used bodyweight exercises for metabolic conditioning, strength endurance and strength.

I was amazed at how quickly they progressed in just 5-6 workouts. Everything seemed to click. As their bodies adapted to the exercises, they were able to add weight or increase their reps each workout. They also reinforced proper form with each rep and learned how to move quickly and efficiently from one exercise to the next while pushing themselves when their legs began to burn.

I expected Becky and Lola to make fantastic progress during the next several weeks. Unforunately, they both dropped out and will tackle their training and nutrition on their own and hopefully by continuing to follow this blog.

Focus on Movement Patterns in Your Training

"He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love."

- Ephesians 4:16

The muscles of the body work together to perform various movements. Whether you bend down to pick something up or reach up to grab something or put something over your head, many muscles throughout the body are working to make those activities possible.

At no point is one muscle isolated to perform any of those activities. When training the body, it's almost impossible to truly isolate each muscle (although many bodybuilders will tell you otherwise).

For example, when bench pressing, the muscles involved include the chest, triceps, shoulders, lats, abdominals and even the legs (to support the body). The same is true when squatting or performing any other exercise such as a biceps curl.

Many trainers and bodybuilders will tell you that a biceps curl works the biceps. However, the supporting muscles of the shoulders, lats and abdominals are also involved to a certain degree. So although a biceps curl works the biceps, it's impossible to isolate that one muscle.

Since the body works together to perform various tasks, activities and exercises, it should be trained in a similar way. By focusing on movement patterns, you help strengthen the muscles in the body that will help you accomplish the various activities mentioned above.

Below is a list of the most common movement patterns typically used (these are terms popularized by Ian King, an Australian strength coach):

1) Horizontal Pushing (various forms of bench pressing exercises, pushups, etc.)
2) Horizontal Pulling (various forms of rowing exercises, face pulls, etc.)
3) Vertical Pushing (various forms of overhead pressing exercises, handstand pushups, etc.)
4) Vertical Pulling (various forms of chins/pull-ups and lat pulldown exercises)
5) Quad-dominant (various forms of squatting exercises, step-ups, lunges, etc.)
6) Hip-dominant (various forms of deadlifting exercises, goodmornings, etc.)

Although the above terms were popularized by Ian King, these basic movements were defined several decades ago. According to Motor Learning and Performance, 3rd Edition, Richard A. Schmidt defined the six basic human movements as: squat, bend (deadlift), lunge, push, pull and twist. A seventh could be added as running (according to Alwyn Cosgrove in The New Rules of Lifting). Again, the basic premise is that these are basic movement patterns that the body performs and is the reason why these movement patterns should be followed in training.

Traditionally, bodybuilders train muscles not movements. They typically divide their weekly training sessions into "body part splits" such as chest and triceps, back and biceps or legs and abs or one of many other types of body part combinations. For a bodybuilder, this makes sense. Their goal is to develop as much muscle mass as possible in each area of the body. Athletic ability and daily functionality are not very important to the bodybuilder. In essence, they are "athletic mannequins" and only interested in being aesthetically pleasing regardless of function.

Bodybuilders also use a very high volume of training and have the time to train up to 6-7 times per week and even multiple times per day (not to mention that many are using anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs). This means that the training methods of bodybuilders doesn't apply to the average person with a full-time job, family obligations, other commitments, etc.

Unfortunately, this type of training is what most of the general population follows. This is a result of the various bodybuilding and fitness magazines and their misinformation in promoting "body part" training. This type of training has become very popular and most people think they must follow this type of routine in order to get results.

However, more people would get better results in their training if they stopped thinking about exercising certain muscles and instead focused on movement patterns. Ideally, you would have an equal amount of pulling exercises as pushing exercises and an equal amount of quad-dominant exercises as hip-dominant exercises. This will help to keep the body balanced and help with muscle and strength gains over time while helping to prevent injuries due to muscular imbalances.

For example, many people experience shoulder pain from bench pressing. Not only could it be the result of poor technique, but most often, it is a result of performing many more horizontal pushing movements than pulling movements.

We've all been to the gym on Monday evening. If you look around, it appears to be the universal day to train the chest. Almost every bench is occupied and people are pressing for many sets. Yet, you hardly see anyone give that much attention to rowing exercises and even chin-ups and pull-ups!

By focusing on movement patterns, you will also help keep your muscles functioning the way they are meant to be used. Most athletes focus on movement patterns not muscles. At the same time, many athletes develop fantastic physiques as a result of their training. They focus on athletic movements while developing strength, speed, conditioning, endurance and more.

As Dan John (a strength coach in Utah) has said many times: "The Body is One Piece!"

At Christian Athlete Fitness Training, we utilize training programs that use movement patterns and full-body or upper/lower body splits each training session. This gives the most bang for the buck and carries over to the athletic field and life's daily functions better. This doesn't mean we don't perform "isolation" movements such as biceps curls. We will use some of those movements in our training, but they do not make up a large percentage of what we do. The majority of the exercises we use are focused on compound, multi-joint movements such as squats, bench presses, rows, deadlifts, overhead presses, chin-ups, dips, power cleans and more.