Here's an interview I did with nutrition expert, Dr. Chris Mohr. Click HERE to learn more about Dr. Mohr's Meal Plans 101

CM: This month I am interviewing a very well respected strength coach, Craig

Ballantyne, who I have personally learned a lot from, and I know readers

will find it interesting. First of all, how did you get involved in

strength and conditioning?

CB:

I played a lot of sports, did a lot of bodybuilding type workouts when I was

a kid. It just grew from there, and from reading all the magazines. Decided

pretty young that I wanted to do something related to these hobbies.

CM: In addition to your real life experience in the field, you also have a

formal education in Kinesiology and a Master's Degree in Exercise

Physiology. I often get the question as to how much education is enough

when trying to work in the exercise and nutrition arenas; in your opinion,

how much has this contributed to your knowledge versus real life

experience "in the trenches" so to speak?

CB:

I am pretty big on formal education. It's been my experience that the

majority of the best strength coaches, personal trainers, and nutrition

experts have a formal education in sport sciences. When I was in school, I

researched the education of NHL strength coaches, and almost all of them had

M.S. degrees.

Getting a formal education gives you the foundations of anatomy and

physiology. When a trainer doesn't have the foundations, or neglects them,

they are more likely to follow trends and fads and get away from the basics

that give you the most results in the least time.

You shouldn't need someone to show you a system of training if you have a

foundation in the sports sciences, because then you should be able to

critically analyze the movement, the training system, the physiology

affected, etc.

I really believe that if you understand exercise physiology, you'll be able

to separate the crap from the gold pretty quick.

CM: You have several great products available for consumers; tell us about

some of your current commitments and ongoing projects.

CB:

Due to a huge demand, I've been working on a lot of bodyweight programs.

Many of the readers on my newsletter list want all the results (lose fat,

gain muscle, get lean, improve health), but are busy and often don't have

equipment. So the bodyweight programs were prepared to help these people.

In addition, a lot of lifters are flocking to them as well because they are

a great challenge, and more exciting than traditional cardio sessions for

weight loss. A lot of the athletes I work with are using them as well, to

increase their mobility and fitness for sport -- in conjunction with

traditional strength exercises of course.

Each day I spend an hour or two writing my various online newsletters, the

most important of which is www.TurbulenceTraining.com for increases in

muscle and for losing body fat.

CM: With 65% of the population overweight or obese, I'm sure you've had your

share of clients who fall into this category. How do you start off working

with someone who is in extremely poor shape--under fit and overfat?

CB:

Just be really conservative. Stuff you might take for granted is of course,

strenuous for them.

For these individuals, I believe that nutrition is going to make a much

greater impact early in the weight loss program. Therefore, there is no need

to go overboard on the exercise prescription at this time. They'll lose fat

faster by dumping the fast-food than they will by working out 6 days per

week.

We start with an assessment of course, and I like to get a detailed

background on their past exercise programs, athletic ability, etc.

Oftentimes the assessment will turn up chronic injuries that have to get

sorted out, so you should spend time on that at the start of the program.

For fitness, if they can walk without any risk of biomechanical issues, than

that is a good place to start for fat loss. Calories out. Get fancy later.

Just make sure that walking doesn't hurt them (going from the couch to

walking three times per week could injure a completely sedentary individual).

For strength training, generally a lot of floor-based bodyweight exercises

are the place to start, and the move to bodyweight squats, assisted pushups,

etc. Always be conservative and do as little as possible in the first

session.

CM: I've always heard very positive reviews of your unique ability to get

people into tip, top shape. Without giving away all your secrets, let's

start with fat loss--what are the top 5 fat loss tips for individuals?

CB:

That depends on whether you want advanced fat loss or beginner. I guess I'll

do both.

Beginners:

1) No liquid calories (with the exception of a milk beverage that is planned

into your daily nutritional plan)

2) No fast food

3) More vegetables

4) 1oz almonds per day (1/2 ounce AM, ½ ounce PM)

5) Be consistent with your workouts, and make sure they are efficient and

effective (i.e. the Turbulence Training system)

6) BONUS TIP: Go for a walk after dinner, weather permitting. Research shows

this will help you control cholesterol and triglycerides, plus its better

than sitting around watching TV and tempting yourself with snacks. You might

even have a conversation with your strolling partner.

Advanced:

1) Don't cut calories too much

2) Don't exercise too much, but it is okay to add a bodyweight circuit (up

to 20 minutes) 12 hours before or after your workout (so if you train in the

AM, do bodyweight after dinner; and vice-versa)

3) Eat 8 times per day, (bumped up from the classic recommendation of 6)

4) Eat more fibrous vegetables at each meal

5) Eat only protein and healthy fats and fiber between meals (i.e. Green

Tea, protein shake/chicken breast, almonds, fish oils, broccoli)

CM: How about for gaining lean body mass?

CB:

Bodybuilders always get a bad rap, but if you watch what they do, they

probably do this the best. Get big, then lose the fat.

And you don't have to be a rocket scientist to get big. And all you need is

a little discipline to lose fat.

Lift heavy, rest enough (no more than 4 days in the gym), and eat. If you

aren't gaining muscle, eat more.

For some guys, i.e. those claiming to be hardgainers, eating might be more

difficult than your workouts. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do in

your workouts to get around that. You just need to eat more.

CM: More and more, I've started to get the question of what advice do you

have for folks who may be trying to get into this field? What do you

recommend for people who are interested in the strength and conditioning

fields?

CB:

Get mentors. No matter what field you are in.

Doctor, lawyer, trainer, businessperson, priest, salesperson, student,

farmer, etc. It doesn't matter what you do, you will guarantee a faster rate

of success if you find people that have achieved what you want to achieve

and seek their mentorship. And network. The more people you know, and the

more that they like you, the better off you will be. Who you know is always

important. Of course, only run with the right crowd.

Get an education, formal or informal, and master the fundamentals of

anatomy, physiology, and biomechanics. Formal or informal, the amount of

study time will be the same. About 1000 hours. Less with a mentor. (Numbers

courtesy of Michael Masterson at www.earlytorise.com). What you know is of

course, is just as important as well.

Expect to give more than you get at the start. Pay your dues, I suppose is

an adequate phrase.

And don't be afraid to ask for help. Most of the people in the industry are

really nice people. If you ask nicely, they will probably help you.

CM: Being a leader in the field yourself, who do you turn to or make sure

you read from to further your training and nutrition knowledge?

CB:

I read a lot of science journals still for health and nutrition related

information. You get some training info in there, but less so.

For training info, I pretty much get everyone's newsletter on the Internet.

If you write one, I'm probably subscribed.

The only training site I visit is at www.elitefts.com -- without a doubt the

best sport-specific q'n'a forum on the internet.

For fat loss, Tom Venuto's newsletters are incredible. The guy is so

thorough with his q'n'a, and lives the lifestyle as well as anyone (probably

almost as well as Paul Chek -- you have to admire that guy's commitment).

And I also read the supertraining yahoo newsgroup. There are a lot of

interesting posts on those sites.

In person, I go to two guys in Toronto that are Strength Coaches with the

Maple Leafs organization.

And it all comes back to your foundations. If you have mastered exercise

physiology, it shouldn't take you long to understand new information, and

make a proper judgment on whether to incorporate or throw out the info you

are being given.

CM: Let's say a soccer mom came to you looking to lose 30 lbs.

Suggestions? Should she hit the weights, do some cardio? What's your best

advice?

CB:

First, I always go through the extensive feedback form.

By having everyone fill these out, you accomplish a couple of things.

First, is this person really committed to their goals? If someone says "Oh,

its too hard to use fitday.com". Well, here we go again, right?

Second, just by writing their exercise and diet down on paper, it should

open the client's eyes to the big problems. You can say, "hey, did you

notice you are pounding a 12 ounce thing of juice twice a day?". And if they

are at all educated about nutrition, they'll see why they need to cut that

out.

I think going over things that way is a great place to start. Rather than

just barking out the rules.

As I said before, nutrition is probably going to make the biggest impact

here. So generally I'll try and get them to make consistent small changes,

depending on how committed the client is rated. If she's been fit before

(i.e. college athlete), you can probably move at a faster pace than if she

quit gym class in Grade 9.

Same with exercise. Evaluate what she can and can't do, combined with what

she's done in the past, and then follow what I described above. Work from

the floor up, work around injuries, and get her to master control of her

muscles in bodyweight exercises.

CM: Nutrition wise--what do you tell her to shed fat?

CB:

Stop eating the kid's treats.

I get that email all the time about it being hard to eat well when there is

all the kid's treats in the house. I mean really, there's nothing I can do

about it if you have a lot of junk in the house and you eat it all the time.

Sometimes you just have to realize you're an adult, and it's up to you to

make some hard decisions about your control of the situation.

Generally, with a little discussion, she'll come to realize that most stuff

shouldn't be in her nutrition plan, let alone her children's nutrition plan.

So she realizes, hey, if it's not in the house, I won't eat it. That is a

big step.

Ideally though, I like to send most people to a nutrition expert. Yourself,

or Dr. Berardi. Unfortunately, there are very few nutrition experts I trust.

But anyway, I like to get the individual to get the nutrition info from an

expert in that field. Get them to understand the importance of planning

ahead.

Also, we start with them using fitday.com to get a better understanding of

what they eat each day. Once they see the numbers, they don't necessarily

have to use it every day. Just frequent check ups help.

CM: Do you take any supplements yourself? And, do you recommend them to

your clients?

CB:

Fish oils are one that I use every day and generally think that everyone

should take.

Other than that, I just try to eat organic as much as possible, drink lots

of Green Tea, and eat as many fruits and vegetables as possible. I think

that it is just as effective to get a wide-variety of antioxidants at low

levels found in foods as it is to take massive doses of supplemental

antioxidants.

I might have one protein shake per day, and I will frequently try new

creatine products on the market.

Post workout I admit to chocolate milk, most of the time. Sometimes protein

powder in milk.

CM: Like me, I'm sure you've seen a countless number of folks doing hour

upon hour of steady state cardiovascular exercise in hopes of losing more

and more weight. What are your thoughts on steady state aerobics vs.

intervals?

CB:

The bottom line of my argument about this is, simply, "You'll get the same

or better fat loss results by doing interval training, and you get that done

in far less time."

Plus, interval training is more applicable to every day situations. And, you

can make increases in anaerobic and aerobic fitness with intervals, but you

can't increase anaerobic fitness with steady state aerobics. That's a point

not often made, but a real big benefit to me.

The health benefits between the two methods are the same.

CM: Any last parting words of wisdom?

CB:

Keep it simple. I hate to see people that get in over their head and

obsessed with exercise and counting calories, etc.

We all know what's good for us:

• eat whole, natural foods

• avoiding stuff from a bag or a box

• exercise consistently

• avoid stress

• sleep well

The hard part is doing it, I suppose. So just go for 90% compliancy, and

don't freak out if you get off track.

And if you want to take your fitness and physique to the next level, just

remember that you can't be on "full blast" every day of the year. You can be

strict for 6,8, and even 12 weeks, but then you have to return to reality.

Again, another lesson learned from those dundering bodybuilders -- who would

have guessed they knew so much?