Final Start Fitness

This video is part of a mechanics video series that I am creating for a training program that I will be offering in the near future. Keep looking for future videos that will help learn proper movement and muscle activation when you are in the gym.

I had the privilege of talking with David Benham. David and his brother Jason Benham have been able to create extraordinary success in a lot of different areas in life including playing in the minor leagues for the St Louis Cardinals before building a massive Real Estate Empire, being hired on HGTV, Best selling authors & speaking all around the world. They have so much great insight to offer people about what true success looks like and it may not be your typical advice that you hear from all of the gurus out there.. Because they have grown up around the gym and playing sports I thought it would be awesome to talk about some of the principles that they learned during those seasons of training and how they carried those principles into other areas of their life. David goes over 3 Principles that are Key in life to move forward like more is accomplished in pain then in the comfort zone & you have to establish good roots if you want good fruit. This will be a discussion that I think will be a blessing to you as i know it was to me. I thank God for raising up men like these guys and am so thankful that David took a little time out to spend with me on this video.

On This video we had the privilege of chatting with Kayla Studt & her personal Trainer Debbie Morris at Integrity Training Systems. Kayla was able to lose about 75 pounds in just about a 7 month time frame by utilizing the integrity training system's program. On this video we asked Kayla about some of the mind set changes that she had to overcome and some of the specific things that she did to be able to get such remarkable results. This will be one of those interviews that you will not want to miss. Debbie has been in the fitness industry for decades and has an extensive knowledge on how to help people with challenging struggles in their weight loss journey. Be sure to check her out at Integritytrainingsystems.com

On this video I give you some action steps if you feel like you have done everything right nutritionally & in your fitness but still can't lose weight. If you have more questions feel free to put them in the comments below!!

This is my new intro for upcoming videos!! Make sure you stay tuned for more up coming fitness content!!

There is one simple cheap pre workout hack that you can start to utilize but it is HUGE in how effective that it works. This simple hack is to take a little tspn of sea salt before your workout. The reason for this is that it is a natural vasodilator. Vasodilation is when the arteries dilate and become wider which means you will be able to provide more blood, oxygen & energy to the working muscles. This will allow you to get a great workout in without taking a bunch of stimulants before a work out like energy drinks. You will notice the effects it has on your energy immediately!! Redmond Real Sea Salt: https://redmond.life/realsalt/

On this video I was able to sit down and talk to Danny Vega with Fat Fueled Family. We discussed the importance of high Intensity training for overall health, body composition and longevity and why doing long distance steady state exercise may be counter productive to gaining similar results. We were only able to scratch the surface and we look forward to having Danny back on to discuss this topic in more detail. So if you are the person that wants to live a healthy life and keep your metabolism cranking well into old age then this is a must watch!!

A lot of people are just not sure how to structure their meals for the day and some times it can be very complicated for people. On this video I gave a basic outline of what an average day looks like for me. If you are struggling and would like a more in depth video on this topic make sure you leave a comment below and let me know. Thanks so much for watching and God bless!

We have been told for decades that all you have to do to lose weight is count your calories and eat 6 to 8 small meals throughout the day and this will speed up your metabolism. As if eating more often magically makes your mitochondria work better and quicker. This is just not the case and on this video discuss that how you go about losing weight should be more context related and that there are different rules based on which approach that you inevitably take.

Some carbohydrates have a lower Glycemic Load then others. This means that the amount of sugar that enters the blood stream are lower in some carbs more then others. This is crucial for keeping insulin stable and being a great fat burner. Remember that insulin is the switch to turn fat burning on or off. So if you want to burn fat we need to keep it low for long enough periods of time so that you can burn fat. This is why choosing the right type of carbs can be very beneficial to having a healthy life. There are many other reasons why regulating blood sugar is important for your health and we will be discussing those on future Videos.

If I were to tell you the one thing that is probably holding you back from losing weight, It would be that you probably don't have a commitment to creating habits that you will stick with. What most people do is that they make a decision to work out and get healthy. Most of the time its a very fanatical approach that is not sustainable and you wind up quitting. The problem with this is that done over and over again causes low confidence and lack of belief that you can actually ever accomplish getting the body that you want. On this video I discuss how building regular habits that you commit to and are sustainable will help you to build belief and confidence back in yourself which in turn will create a higher commitment to your habits. Ultimately by having this mind shift change, you will have greater results in your weight loss and will not have to live with the continual war in your mind that you have with yourself. Hopefully this will help you. We love you and God bless!!

Have you ever wondered how some people look skinny but seem to be able to live how they want unaffected? Before you get to bummed about people who seem to be able to be unscathed by poor life style, I want you to know that these people are often very unhealth and at a much higher risk for all kinds of Chronic disease. On this video we discuss the difference between visceral fat (Fat that builds up around the organs) and subcutaneous fat (fat accumulating around the outer layers of the body) as well as how these people that have more visceral fat that seem to look skinny (also know as skinny fat) are way more susceptible to health challenges. I will put some links in the description below if you would like to learn more. Past Videos On Insulin Resistance: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8pYL1fAZD8&t=77s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB5CCrlyZb8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1xevgUZ7Sg&t=4s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ompEGXo5qfM&t=1s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6vrHaRn3Gw&t=5s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNNV2XjO0cU Research Studies: Visceral Fat & Metabolic Inflammation:https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23107257/ Benefits Of Subcutaneous Fat https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18460332/ Role In Insulin Resistance Of Human Obesity https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/164059/

On this video I was able to sit down with John & Debbie Morris, the owners of Integrity Fitness and we talked about the complexity of weight loss, all of the different variables that need to be considered to lose weight. We even got to discuss Debbie's own health struggles. It's because of these struggles and what she has learned through them that she is able to help so many people!! She References a book called the Carnivore Code by Paul Saladino: Link: https://www.ebay.com/itm/264818916223?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-213727-13078-0&mkcid=2&itemid=264818916223&targetid=4580290572086399&device=c&mktype=&googleloc=&poi=&campaignid=403204655&mkgroupid=1227055191472610&rlsatarget=pla-4580290572086399&abcId=9300377&merchantid=51291&msclkid=a9f3a2b652ea12561871c2a8eaf7086e Another Great Book On Insulin Resistance Is By Dr. Ben Bikman: Link: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Why-We-Get-Sick-The-Hidden-Epidemic-at-the-Root-of-Most-Chronic-Disease-And-Ho/363060407357?epid=21039464597&hash=item5488162c3d:g:QJUAAOSwAARgCgWw

There are many variables that make losing weight super complicated but for the sake of this video, I'm speaking to people that are relatively healthy and want to know how they should eat in a way that is not so complicated. There is never a one size fits all approach but I think there are basic physiological things as well as observations from nature that can give us a more common sense approach to look at diet and nutrition. For example we know that that there are essential amino acids(things that we can't survive without) and essential fatty acids. No where have we ever discovered essential carbs. Does this mean that carbs are bad? No not at all.. it's just that they are not essential to living. We also look at nature and the seasonality of food which basically tells us that Carbs were available seasonally in a lot of areas of the world. So I think what we can glean from these points are that fats & proteins are essential to living and should be a staple in your diet. Last point is that they should be quality sources from things like grass fed beef, free range chicken, pork & fresh water fish. Fats need to be high quality as well, staying away from damaged oxidized ones.

If there was one other hack or lever that you as a diabetic could pull outside of changing your diet it would would be to hit the weights and build muscle. The reason for this is that there are 2 places in which your body stores sugar in the form of glycogen and that is in your muscle and your liver. As you build more muscle, you essentially create a greater amount of storage capacity for access sugar and therefore allowing your body to regulate the sugar coming into our diet much more efficiently

In this video I discuss what I believe to one of the top 2 reasons for obesity, chronic disease & metabolic syndrome and that is toxic fats. These cause oxidation at the cellular level and should be avoided at all cost. The troubling thing about these fats is that they are in just about every packaged and bottled food you can imagine. I will give you some links to a few products that you should look for when considering what oils you should be using for cooking and dressings. I will also share a great link from someone that I highly respect and has a wealth of knowledge in health and biochemistry, Mr. Thomas Delauer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJxT0V6ma2U Avocado Oil Brands https://www.target.com/p/chosen-foods-100-pure-avocado-oil-25-4-fl-oz/-/A-53381591#lnk=sametab https://www.primalkitchen.com/search?type=product&q=Avocado+oil&submit=Search Olive Oil https://www.primalkitchen.com/search?type=product&q=olive+oil&submit=Search Coconut Oil https://www.target.com/p/spectrum-organic-virgin-coconut-oil-14oz/-/A-17295053#lnk=sametab

This one mindset change is the difference between the people that are genuinely healthy and the ones that seem to be on the eternal viscous wheel of dieting year after year and ending up more hopeless than you where before. If you can learn sustainable habits created over time, you will be on your way to real health and the by-product of health are all of the exterior things that people strive for!!

The Dumbbell Incline Bench Press is an exercise that is a compound movement that primarily focuses on the recruitment of the Clavicular Head (Upper) of the Pectoral Muscles. The set up for this exercise is very important. Make sure that your feet are slightly pulled in towards your body and firmly planted on the ground. Create a slight arch in the lumbar of your spine by pushing your chest forward, while keeping your shoulders locked in a neutral position the entire range of the set. It's also important to note that the angle of the bench should be no more then 15 to 20 degrees. Any higher then this, you will bias more of the tension to the front Delts. On the eccentric (downward) portion of the rep the humerus needs to stop the movement when level with your shoulder. Past this range of motion, the pecs are no longer the primary mover of the weight which takes away the amount of tension being placed on the intended muscles. As you descend into the bottom of the rep make sure that your fore arm and elbows stay directly underneath the dumbbells. You don't want the elbows to move backwards or forwards causing pronation or flexion of the shoulders. This will shift the tension toward other muscles that are not the primary focus of this exercise (Traps, Serratus Interior, front delts and sternal region of your pecs) Next when moving the weight back up on the concentric (upward) portion, you want this to be an explosive movement. You should be thinking about extending your elbows all the way while maintaining the shoulders in a fixed position. Since you are inclined, the angle of your arms should extend in a straight line with the top of your chest. Now the speed of the rep is dictated by the control you have over the Dumbbells. The lighter the weight the more control and the faster the speed of your rep will be. The heavier the weight the less control you will have which means... you got it!! The slower the speed of the rep will be!! If you lose control, either the weight is to heavy or you need to slow down the the speed of the Dumbbells. All of these cues are important for maximizing the amount of tension that you place on the muscle. The more tension that you place on it the more muscle fibers are being used. The more muscle fibers.. you got it again!! The better your muscle growth will be.

Your circadian rhythm plays such a huge role in your metabolism and most people do not even know what it is or even heard of it. On this video we go over the basics of what the circadian rhythm, how it effects your metabolism and some practical things you can do to get back on track. If you would like to take a deeper dive into this subject, I highly recommend you watch the link below where researchers by the names of Dr Rhonda Patrick & Dr Dan Pardi nerd out on the topic. I promise you won't be disappointed. YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhMjrWlWhLU&t=539s Finalstartfitness.com

On this video we describe how many people when they eat certain foods they have an intolerance to certain foods not allowing them to enjoy enjoy them. Sometimes this happens with people who eat protein and they end up completely eliminating it out of their diet. Most of the time if you can fix the digestive system most people can put these foods back into there diet and one of the best ways to start the process is adding Apple Cider Vinegar about 10 minutes before each meal. Website: Finalstartfitness.com FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/Finalstartfitness Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/finalstartfitness/

Do You find that you are starving every few hrs. and feeling like you are a slave to food? On this video we discuss why that is and how you can fix this by just changing up your macros.

Have you ever considered that the macros you start with could impact fat loss an how your body handles the food coming in to your body? On this video we discuss how starting each meal with eating protein and fats can help slow the digestion of carbohydrates down and therefore releasing sugar into the blood stream at a much slower rate. If insulin is stable and you prevent from large spikes in blood sugar, this will help you to become better at fat burning.

On this video we discuss why it's not a great Idea to eat a heavy meal before an intense workout. 1. Blood moves from the your organs to the muscles to deliver nutrients and oxygen to the muscle cells. When this happens fluid and water in the digestive tract are also needed. This prevents food from being digested properly which means you will not be able to absorb the nutrients that you need. Long term the liver becomes burdened with undigested particles and will not function properly. We can create a whole another video describing the health effects of poor liver function. 2. Next digestion is very energy demanding. If you are going into the gym to have a great workout, you want as much energy as possible to go towards that time. Unfortunately when your body is trying to utilize energy for digestion, this will leave you with little energy to provide for a robust workout and your training will suffer for it.

Have you ever struggled with stubborn BELLY FAT? This video is for you!! For a lot of people, this word could sum up the whole year of 2020!! I Think a lot of us know that stress is harmful to our health but some times I'm not sure people really know just how harmful stress is!! Stress impacts every metabolic pathway in the body and can age you faster then anything on the planet. And here is the kicker, you're body does not know the difference between real physiological stress and perceived stress. Your metabolic pathways all respond the same weather it's real or not. I want to set the stage because we will be talking about how stress effects insulin and blood sugar but I wanted you to know first that there are many types of stressors that people deal with on a daily basis. These could be things like emotional stress that you have with work, relational stress that you may be having with family or friends or Physical stress that demands a lot of you physically. It could also be toxic stressors from chemicals that are in your food, hair, skin products, soaps, shampoos, tooth paste, deodorants, plastics and a ton more that I won't bore you with. YOU GET THE POINT!! And then you add 2020 into the mix!! Does it seem like I'm over exaggerating at all? Welcome to the average person in todays culture!! No wonder we have so much chronic disease and obesity. Here is the thing stress alters your physiology in so many ways. Everything from your hormones, brain function, your digestive and gut health and ultimately driving a ton of inflammation in the body!! We could spend countless hrs. talking about how stress effects each one of these pathways but I would like to focus on how stress and blood sugar are related. Some of you may have heard of the stress hormone called Cortisol. And if you are one of those people that have access stubborn belly fat hanging around that you just can't get rid of, most likely it's do to this hormone. So to get rid of that belly fat your main focus should be how to eliminate stress in your life. To understand all of this, it's important to understand how Cortisol is effecting Insulin and blood sugar. Here's how it works. When you are stressed Cortisol is responsible for signaling the release of stored sugar from your Liver & Muscle tissue. If you remember on the last video we discussed that your liver and muscle store energy in the form glycogen for when you need access to energy fast through what's called the glycolytic pathway. This energy ultimately is a survival mechanism that allows you to tap into so that you can be alert, have focus, be able to sprint an run away form danger. Imagine you were getting chased by a bear, you would need that energy immediately, your eyes would be become dilated, your blood vessels would constrict to force more blood & oxygen to the muscle, your brain goes on high alert and so on. Your Stress hormones cortisol Adrenaline are Responsible for these physiological changes when under stress. Now here is the interesting part!! Remember that I said Cortisol signals for the release of sugar from the liver & muscle tissue. Well here is the thing!! In the case of you running from a bear, you would be more likely to utilize and burn that energy for fuel because of the physical energy demands of running. Now picture this same response happening to you all day long while you are sitting in a chair because of emotional stress that you are dealing with. What would happen is that you would have high cortisol all through the day, releasing sugar into the blood stream. Now since you are insulin resistant and without physical activity, that sugar gets turned back into triglycerides which is your stored form of fat!! So essentially this is why you it becomes hard to lose weight It becomes a vicious cycle because stress causes you to became insulin resistant, while driving more sugar into the blood stream, Causing you to store fat. You then crave and eat the wrong types of food at the wrong times, which then effects your sleep in a negative way which then puts more stress on the body, ultimately leaving you feel tired and sluggish so that you don't feel like working out. Ok so at this point I may be sounding like a broken record but in order to this problem, we have to begin to start reversing the cycle. To do this you have to make your health a priority. I believe that there are 2 types of emotional stress, things that are out of your control and things that are in your control Finalstartfitness.com https://www.facebook.com/Finalstartfitness https://www.instagram.com/finalstartfitness/

On this video we will be continuing our series on Insulin, specifically how sleep positively impacts Insulin and blood sugar in the body. Ok so on this series we have already covered a lot of ground so if you are just now joining us, I recommend that you go back to the first video right here and catch back up so that way you don't get confused... On the other videos we laid some ground work about how insulin works and will help you make a lot of sense as we continue on this topic. Sleep is one of the things that people dramatically under value. In fact I have often ran into people that brag about how little of sleep that they can run on. Like it's some badge of honor. If these people new the implications and strain they were putting on there health they may reconsider being so proud of there ability to go without sleep. Let me put it another way and this may seem like a bold statement but if you could bottle a sell every health benefit that sleep offers, we would be billionaires ten times over. You see sleep is where your body does all of it's repairing and restorative work. I look at it this way but if you are only running on 3 to 5 hrs. sleep a night, essentially you are stealing time and quality of life from your future self. Let that sink in for a moment and ask yourself.. are you willing to sacrifice long term health and the amount of time that you have for a little short gratification that you get from staying up a couple extra hrs. each night? Just something to think about. So how does sleep effect Insulin. recent research shows that just depriving your sleep 2 nights in a row can have a increase insulin resistance dramatically in other wise healthy individuals. Now as we talked about before insulin resistance also is correlated with inflammation. Imagine if you have been sleep deprived for years or decades what kind of impact you may be having on your health. CRAZY to think about huh? Here is a few other things to think about when you are sleep deprived. Not only are you insulin resistant, but with that comes higher levels of Cortisol (stress hormone) thyroid levels decrease, sex hormones like testosterone, Growth Hormone & DHEA all decrease. In simple terms all of your fat burning hormones decrease while fat storing hormones increase. Wow what a whammy!! but that's not all research is also showing how satiety hormones are impacted as well. this is like the icing on the cake because what this means is that hormones like Ghrelin that make you want to eat more and increase cravings at the wrong times often before bed increase. While leptin a hormone that signals that you are full decreases. All of this puts you in a position where it makes it almost impossible to lose weight despite your best efforts to eat less and work out more. Side note that is a recipe for disaster, especially when you already have a ton of stress goin on. These are some reasons from a hormonal perspective as to why making sleep should be a priority, but sleep has so many more physiological implications like the health of your brain neurotransmitters, DNA Repair, Cardio vascular health & so much more. Finalstartfitness.com https://www.facebook.com/Finalstartfitness https://www.instagram.com/finalstartfitness/ Magnesium For better sleep Checkout Code: FSF https://myoxcience.com/products/optimized-magnesium-glycinate-caps?_pos=1&_sid=30d2c5951&_ss=r Vitamin D https://myoxcience.com/products/essential-fatty-nutrients-vitamin-d-vitamin-k2?_pos=2&_sid=03938f41e&_ss=r https://youtu.be/X5HAerCfO8w