The Intelligent Workout

Guaranteed to spruce up your energy and recovery these beverages are all intelligent additions to imbibe daily. Having less liquid calories is usually solid advice but these drinks and teas are nutritional powerhouses. Besides, conventional fitness wisdom is for Quakers anyway. Matcha |Antioxidants Galore| - A tea that is unique to Japan, one cup of matcha is said to have nearly ten cups worth of the nutrition from regular green tea. Earthy, robust, and old school. This is what the ancient Japanese monks used to drink. They would scoff at today’s fruit infused hybrids. It’s how green tea is meant to be done.

Matcha contains L-theanine, an amino acid known to relax the mind, and has about half of the caffeine in a cup of coffee. It is also packed with EGCG, a catechin with strong cancer fighting properties - equivalent to the amount in a whopping 137 cups of normal green tea. It is frequently found in powdered form which can be mixed very easily - green tea kefir or ice cream anyone? It is even recommended to add a dash to your toothpaste or shampoo. It is so healthy and versatile you can literally shower in this stuff.

Yerba Mate |Mental Focus| - This tea comes from a small tree grown in the sub-tropical rainforests of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. In several sections of South America it beats out coffee as the national drink of choice. It is enjoyed so intensely some consider it to be the ‘Drink of the Gods’ but it actually translates to ‘cup herb’ since it is shared by a group from a gourd when served in a traditional setting. Yerba Mate has more antioxidants than regular green tea along with potassium and B vitamins. Yerba mate also contains theophylline, theobromine, and a third of the caffeine found in a cup of coffee. This unique blend is what creates what many mate drinkers describe as a focused energy that puts them in a zone of mental clarity.

Cherry Juice |Recovery Pro| - Enjoyed since prehistoric times, several studies have shown the nutritional benefits of tart cherries. The main source of their nutritive strength comes from anthocyanins. These guys are the reason for their red coloring and also their beneficial anti-inflammatory properties. Studies using rats supplementing with these compounds also showed less increase of body fat on a high fat diet as well as lower levels of cholesterol and triglycerides. Tart cherries also contain natural melatonin so benefits of deeper sleep may occur. The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of George Washington’s cherry tree would beat the snot out of blueberries, pomegranates, and even those countless acai berry products that are popping up everywhere. They are little red miracle workers when it comes to the recovery process.

Whey Protein |Superb Supplement| - You can read my full post right here on why I’m infatuated with whey protein. In a nutshell it’s an incredible value & convenience, fast acting & nutritious, and has the highest biological value / usability of any food.

Coconut Oil |Packed With MCTs| - This section comes from fellow fitness buff and blogger Skyler Tanner, very intelligent worker-outer, check out his clever insights at SkylerTanner.com

“So what in the hey are MCTs? MCT stands for medium chain triglycerides, though in the scared-of-all-things-cholesterol-related media you’ll sometimes see it put as medium chain fatty acids, which make up an MCT. Great. So why is it special? MCTs are taken into the liver without any modification (long chain and very long chain fatty acids require modifications for digestion and energy use). They don’t require any bile salts to digest. They are burned preferentially in the mitochondria over LCFAs. There is evidence suggesting that fat loss is accelerated in the short term using MCTs because of the increased thermic effect of food.

How I like to go about using MCTs is by using coconut oil for any cooking application. It has a wonderful smell and adds a great flavor to popcorn. Because of the bile salt component I mentioned above, one could use MCTs when starting a lower carbohydrate diet, as I’ve experienced subjectively improved energy and I know I’m not alone in this regard.”

Other potential benefits include boosting the immune system and normalizing thyroid function. A tablespoon of coconut oil in a protein shake or going through the trouble of getting the lime in the coconut would be well worth the health benefits.

Even More Intelligent Beverage Blends -

Club Soda & Casein Protein -Casein protein found in cottage cheese is essentially the opposite of whey as it is slowly released over a period of seven hours. Casein protein powder usually doesn’t taste too pleasant but when I mixed a banana flavor with some orange club soda I created my own little sparkling stale dreamsicle. It was still way better than mixing it with plain water. You could also try mixing other supplements with club soda or try carbonated water to give your hydration levels a fresh boost.

Low Sodium V8 & Instant Coffee - I had to hit the weights posthaste and wanted to sneak a few quick milligrams of caffeine to bolster my workout. I grabbed some old instant coffee, saw the low sodium V8, and then stirred. Not half bad… The veggies covered up most of the flavor, it went down easy, and I had a great workout. Try anytime you’re looking for a no hassle pick-me-up.

Whey Protein with Cherry Juice - Combining two intelligent beverages together? Brilliant! I drink this mix about 30-45 minutes before hitting the weight room and experience an obvious increase in strength and recovery when having this ChocoCherry preworkout shooter.

Yerba Mate with Matcha - The daily benefit of having a matcha mate would be remarkable - This Matcha Powder found on Amazon lasts for months and mixes well with everything.

Other great brands to start with are Guayaki’s Yerba Mate, CherryPharm’s Cherry Juice, Nutiva’s Coconut Oil, and Optimum Nutrition’s Whey Protein - their new platinum powder is superb.

Any more secret fitness concoctions out there? Will Pickle and Prune Juice be the next liquid fitness craze? I’d steer clear of any P & PJ cleanse ads for now.

Nicknamed the Godfather of fitness, Jack LaLanne is one of the most influential fitness experts of the last century. It all started in 1930 after listening to a speech by nutritionist Paul Bragg. He went from being a sugar fiend of a teenager to eliminating all foods containing white flour and sugar from his diet. Decades ahead of his time he opened a health food bakery at the age of 18 and his own gym at 21.

While initially thought of as an eccentric for advocating weight training he stifled critics with his amazing feats of fitness. At age 42 he set a world record of 1,033 push-ups in 23 minutes on the television show You Asked For It. At age 60 he swam for the second time from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman’s Wharf while handcuffed and he upped the ante by towing a 1,000-pound boat across the distance. He is still going strong at age 95 and advocating the same fitness knowledge that he presented on his television show from the early fifties. Jack LaLanne is a living fitness legend. Don’t miss his incredible bodyweight mastery and priceless fitness wisdom in the videos below.

Einstein defined insanity as doing the exact same thing over and over and expecting a different result yet redundant resolutions are practically a proverb. This decade is different, forget the resolutions, add a touch of common sense and self discipline, stir occasionally, & bingo. It’s all about the meat and potatoes. A great place to uncover common sense is to see what was going on 100 years ago. Common sense isn’t changing with time or technology. Check out

Eugen Sandow born in 1867. No heart rate monitors, protein powders, weight machines, or cardio equipment.

Modern Man Is Conditioned To Expect Instant Gratification But Any Success Or Triumph Realized Quickly, With Only Marginal Effort Is Necessarily Shallow. Meaningful Achievement Takes Time, Hard Work, Persistence, Patience, Proper Intent And Constant Self-Awareness … Hard, Intelligent Work Speeds Us Along The Path. Neurotic Obsession And Compulsion May Steepen The Trajectory But Usually Lead To Illness And Injury. In The End, The Process Takes As Long As It Takes — You Can’t Push The River. We Are In It For The Long Haul. - Mark Twight

#7 - Song 2 By Blur

WOO-HOO. It’s hard to top tempo changes of Song 2. With a cadence of 15 seconds off - 15 on - 15 off - 25 on - 15 off - 30 on, it is setup for some increasingly brutal intervals. Great for cardio intervals, timing a 90 rest period, & kicking your own butt cheeks in general.

#8 - Lateralus By Tool

When I’m in the weight room it is one of the few times I get that zen-like concentration of being in the zone and having only one task in mind. Pick-up the bar - Put it back down. Lateralus helps me get to that state of mind as soon as I walk into the gym. I press play as soon as I start my warm-up and then at seven minutes it finishes with two minutes of pure energy. Hard to find a better way to ignite.

First Semester is here & that means finding a way not to burn 52,500 calories in order to fit in with the rest of the incoming freshman. When investing in your education, the most important thing to consider is financing foodstuffs. These are the cliff notes for expediently packing on seven kilos because in college the sooner you fall behind the more time you’ll have to catch up.

DO Stick with the Classic College Carbs - Devour easy mac, granola bars, and top ramen in bulk. Avoid filling proteins that are easy to make such as eggs, tuna, protein powder, or trail mix. Begin your courtship with Lil’ Debbie, fight your hunger with Hostess.

DON’T Walk Anywhere if Possible. Ride the bus, drive your car, take the elevator, buy a hoveround, search for moving walkways. Hook a Radio Flyer to unsuspecting sophmores.

There are plenty of weeks left until the official end of summer but Labor Day is slowly creeping closer. Even Thanksgiving Dinner will be here before you know it. It’s hard to find a great piece of advice that doesn’t contradict itself. Nevertheless, here are 42 fitness tips that will give you a headstart on your health goals this season.

#1 - 15% of your one rep max is the best weight to use when performing power movements such as squat jumps. Keep it light and explosive.

#2 - The German candy maker Haribo makes their Gummy Bears with dextrose creating an excellent recovery treat for replenishing your glycogen tank.

#3 - Have some salad the meal before you workout. The phytonutrients will boost your workout and promote blood flow.

#4 - Don’t do something that is considered essential if it throws off your workout mojo. If an exercise, supplement, or food timing doesn’t agree with you then forget it. Don’t skip things just because they are tough though.

#5 - Use peppermint to add an all natural boost to your workout. Ideally dab a little peppermint oil under your nostrils or chew some peppermint gum. A quick brushing with peppermint toothpaste would even do the trick.

#6 - Avoid Soy and Tea Tree Oil. Both these can have negative effects on testosterone levels. Soy Protein is supposed to be fine in amounts up to 25 grams per day but why mess with it?

#7 -If you’re going to eat fast food stick with Subway and make it either a 6-inch club or sweet onion chicken teriyaki on wheat. Roughly 350 calories, 25 grams of protein, with healthy amounts of fat and fiber.