Eat Train Prosper

What We Wish We Knew Sooner | ETP#35

September 14, 2021 Aaron Straker | Bryan Boorstein
Eat Train Prosper
What We Wish We Knew Sooner | ETP#35
Show Notes Transcript Chapter Markers

Today’s episode is all about delicious fruits, Aaron narrowly avoiding an absolute meltdown because of the common house fly, peaking strategies for end of Bryan’s diet, and things that we wish we knew sooner in our training and nutrition journeys. As always, thanks for listening! ✌️

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[aaron_straker]:

Happy Tuesday, guys, welcome back to another episode of Eat Train Prosper today's Brian and myself and we are going to be covering some mistakes that we made in our training careers and things that we wish we knew sooner on both the training and nutrition fronts. But before we dive into these, Brian, what's the latest?

[bryan_boorstein]:

Um, just finish some post worko kiwi. You and I were discussing fruits off air, So so my favorite fruits are kiwi and cherries, and you said you didn't really have a favorite fruit, Which got us kind of discussing more about like different fruits that you do eat, which tend to be berries. So I thought I was interesting. I'm very curious about what the audience's favorite fruits are, so I think that people should comment below the Youtube video, or uh, in some way posted on the story, and then tag each prosper and tell us what your favorite fruits are.

[aaron_straker]:

Yeah? yeah, I think you know. what's funny is now that when when you were thinking of, I thought one that I forgot to say, pineapple. I absolutely love pineapple. Um, so I would say that pineapple and Ch, not cherry cheese strawberries are probably my two favorite here. Um, but like I wastaining Brian and I when I spent five months in Columbia a couple years ago there, like their level of fruits is a whole new ballgam, like they have

[bryan_boorstein]:

Mhm.

[aaron_straker]:

fruits I had never heard of And I would say my favorite one that I can remember from there was uh, maacuja, and that I ate a lot, Um, and it was just cool. And then you were saying, like when you spent a couple of months in Costa Rica, like the level of fruit down in like you know, Um, the Central America region, South America region. Like those those kind of jungle climates, It's just like it's a whole new ballgam, and it's super super cool.

[bryan_boorstein]:

Yeah, it's funny you mentioned pineapple, because I was just saying how the bananas were like two or three times as good down in Costa Rica as they are here. but that reminded me that the pineapple is like two thousand times better down there Like I actually can even say that I don't like pineapple when I buy it at the store here. Like the last four or five times I bought. I've kind of had like one bite and been like, eh, um, but down there I literally used to have a full pineapple almost every day because it, it was like candy.

[aaron_straker]:

Yeah, there's certain. Well, I mean, I guess that's how, with the, I mean, the current day and age we live in right, We can get any any fruit pretty much at any time of the year, Like anywhere, But you don't like. There's trade offs, you know what I mean,

[bryan_boorstein]:

Mhm.

[aaron_straker]:

and pineapple was a really good one. There be cause there's times when you get a pineapple and you can almost kind of see it in the color where it's like, like, kind of

[bryan_boorstein]:

Definitely For sure.

[aaron_straker]:

like bere barely yellow and you're

[bryan_boorstein]:

It's yeah, it's white.

[aaron_straker]:

like E. I, I don't know that I actually like this, you know, And then there's

[bryan_boorstein]:

Mhm.

[aaron_straker]:

other times when you have it and it literally tastes like candy. It tastes like a starburs

[bryan_boorstein]:

It's du, dark yellow. Yeah, yeah, yeah,

[aaron_straker]:

or something like that. Yeah, yeah, so I think that's kind of, um, a trade off of like getting fruit, you know here in

[bryan_boorstein]:

Mhm.

[aaron_straker]:

North America, where we don't normally grow these types of fruits at any point of the year type of thing be cause. they're just like shipped in. And that's kind of what happens.

[bryan_boorstein]:

Yeah, totally totally well. Um, so where I was going with that before we were talking about fruit? is that I just finished my post workout fruit and I was thinking about how just like man, I've been dieting now for like four and a half months, and today was the first day where I went into my workout and I didn't have this desire to exceed the performance of the prior week, so today was the day of my like hack press machine, where I have gone from five, eighty times, eight to six hundred times thirteen over like five or six weeks. And before even going into the gym today, I was like. This is what I was telling myself. I was saying. You know what, I think, I'm just going to do three sets of ten with six hundred causecause. Thirteen is just so hard and like I can get the same volume if I just do three sets of ten, but leave three or four. r. I, r. Um, So I, I was like going into it and I'm like, You know, I'm just going to do three sets. blah, blah. Then I was like about to do the sets and I was like, No, You know what, Maybe I can do five sets of eight like only five, r. I r. but I'll do five sets. Now you know, So in my head, I'm like already trying to figure out ways to get out of six hundred times thirteen or better. And then I start the set and I get to eight and I'm like Oh, this sucks so bad like I don't want to do four more sets of eight. Okay, I'll go to ten and then I, I'll just do two more sets of ten, right and I get to ten and I'm like that really sucks like I don't want to do two more sets of that so I'm like I'm already in this shit. I'm already so deep. I'm just gonna do eleven, twelve, thirteen and see if I can get fourteen and so I do them and thirteen was just awful like my. I'm like let hit a sticking point in the middle. Like could feel all the lactic acid and all my muscles, and I like barely locked it out and I was like fuck that like thirteen. It is. You know, then I did my normal one like back offse, And that was it. So After all that like pretraing preamble in my head of like trying to figure out ways out of it. It's like I got in it and I just was like I was in it and and I didn't have a choice. I couldn't get out. At that point. I just had to see it through and it was so much better for me to see two sets through then to do five sets of less effort. And I think that's just like a microcosm of the bigger picture of the way that I like. look at training now in general, at least at least in a dieting phase. In that, uh, the less work you can do, the the fewer sets you can do, even if they're slightly more intense. It's really the volume. that's the fatiguing thing. and if you can keep your brain focused on just moving forward on one or two sets, Um, I feel like that's at least like a better. Uh, way of approaching it for me. Uh, but it does. It does lead me to to realize that I am fatigued that I've been dieting for a long time. That, I'm very much ready for this diet to be over. and um, yeah, I'm just I'm just starting to feel fatigued. I'm fatigued of training'm, fatigued of dieting and I'm ready to kind of move on with things

[aaron_straker]:

I think it's important that you realize that, Um, because a lot of people don't or they don't put two into together. right. Um, and I think that is where a lot of like the shortcoms on and realizing that is important because then it helps can help you gauge like Hey, I need an extra recovery day. Maybe I need another pseudo delo, type of thing because my joints are starting to ache. My sleep. Is you know falling apart? Uh, type thing, Like really just happened to me like Uh, two episodes ago, So I think that is good that you at least have the like wherewithal to understand That that's what's going on? What I also find really funny Is I will do the same thing. And why is it it's just legs right? I'm never

[bryan_boorstein]:

right.

[aaron_straker]:

like. Oh my God, I don't want to do these like pull upsets, or it's like there's some times where I don't if I like okay, I have like fifteen pull upps, and I only want to do like twelve. Maybe like

[bryan_boorstein]:

yeah,

[aaron_straker]:

I will get some small, but you don't get that like impending doom, feeling of like, Oh my God, the pendulum squat, like, Um, the thing for me that I find really funny is when I come off of like a really hard set of like pendulum, squat, hack, squat, something like that. My heart rate is like through the roof, it is pounding and I get that like I'll start. like pulling sweat off my face. You know type of thing, and I was like this has been like maybe eighty seconds and all of this has just happened this quickly. Um, and it's the time from the time one set ends to the next set starts.

[bryan_boorstein]:

mhm, mhm, Mhm,

[aaron_straker]:

I hate that like purgatory face, 'cause then it. it's never like a me like immediately. Generally, Kind of, when you get off of a set right, they'll like fatigue in your legs. Fit, it fills in, and like you can start feeling like that uncomfortable pump and the blood pooling, but over like the next like minute and a half, it only gets worse and then you have to go into that next set and you're like heart rate's already elevated. You already have the weird face sweat, and then like you have that feeling in your legs. So I I agree. I agree a hundred percent. It's such a weird kind of phenomenon where you like make these deals with myself. Like Okay, I'll just do eight. I'll just do eight raps, but I'll do like a couple more just to like. I don't know. it's a. It's like you're trying to justify it for yourself. But then, same thing when I'm in the middle of it when I'm at that rep. eight. I'm like I. I just want to get a done. I going to

[bryan_boorstein]:

y.

[aaron_straker]:

keep pushing. You know, Um, deal with it now, type of thing, so it is funny. I do find myself doing the exact same thing.

[bryan_boorstein]:

Yeah, I'm sure we all do. Everyone can probably relate to that story in

[aaron_straker]:

Yeah, yeah,

[bryan_boorstein]:

some way, but uh oh man, so where was going to go with that? I had something else to add to that and and I lost my train of thought as we were talking, so it'll come back around at some point. I'm sure,

[aaron_straker]:

okay, I, I can take over with kind of my stuff.

[bryan_boorstein]:

y. yep.

[aaron_straker]:

Um, so nothing new, the nutrition front right? I just still slowly. Uh, increasing food training. It's going pretty well. but one thing I did want to say, Uh is I had realized and this is something that goes kinda kinda lead us into our conversation today. I decided when I ran this kind of bridge program right is going to be short like six weeks. that I wasn't going to be like super diligent with writing all of my weights and reps down. That I just wanted to kind of like show up. Check out mentally, and like lift some weights. and now that I'm like you know, four weeks into it, I realize that I really do not like this approach because I, what I've found in realized about myself is I don't like the uncertainty of not knowing, and for example, one of the exercises is like, Um, like a slight incline bench, a Dumbell bench press, And I can't remember last week. I feel I did like the the eighties or sorry, if I did the nineties or the eighty fives, And then as I'm going into this week, I'm like Well, fuck, I don't. Which which one do I pick? I don't want to go too heavy and then I come up super short on the reps and then I don't want to go too light And then like I hit them all and I'm like I don't think I got that much stronger in this week. You know, I, d did I do the nineties last week and I really really do not like that uncertainty. because like let's say, I did the nineties last week right and I do nineties for like two sets to twelve or whatever. And then this week it's like again we're repeating sets of twelve, but I only do the eighty fives. That is like. I don't want to consider it like a wasted session, but I definitely did not improve because I'm doing less weight for an equal load under like scenarios. Type of. so it's kind of. I kind of checked myself in what I thought would be a nice reprieve. Is actually be it kind of created a little bit more like mental anguish around the uncertainty of knowing what to select. Um. So

[bryan_boorstein]:

Mhm.

[aaron_straker]:

that was been interesting for me and then yesterday and this is kind of a a funny. Uh, maybe it's not funny at all, so I have realized like I absolutely despise the Common house fly like it drives me absolutely fucking bonkers. And then last night at the gym I was the only one there. Um, I don't only because it was the holiday or something. I'm not really sure. but the all the doors and stuff were close and the flies in there were like out of control. They were landing on me on my face on my arms, legs like every literally two and a half seconds, and it was driving me absolutely fucking insane like I was like it was back. It was. it was a pool session so I'd be doing like rows, and they' be ond my like ankles, and I'd like kicking my ankles and stuff. And then if they like tit, if they like, landed on my face, I'd have to put the weight down like I tried to just like push through it. but when it's like crawling, but down between your like I couldn't fuck into it and at one point I stopped and I was like I, I think I have to leave like I think I have to go home. I can't do this. Um, but I persevered through, but I have to admit it was probably one of the poorest sessions I've had in a really long time, because I just it was driving me bonkers. Um, so it's something in the house, too, like when they're flying around the house like I can't take it. So it's one of those things that I, I just kind find funny and I'm wondering like am I just kind of nuts, or if other people would relate to that and be very bothered with the flies, like in the gym and on them and stuff when they're trying to lift or just around them in their life. To be completely honest,

[bryan_boorstein]:

I would say that I fall on like six and a half out of time. like if you're a ten out a ten, bothered by the flies, I like a six and a half like. I don't think that I would stop a set because there is a fly cry crawling on my face, but it really does bother me when they are like in the house, and I'm like trying to work and there' like a fly, my elbow and I'm like grand. Then you know, judting to the right and then it lands on my head and I'm like smacking my head and like whatever, like like, Yeah, we've all been there and done that, but I think I could persevere through the middle of a set still of a quality set.

[aaron_straker]:

I tried and I couldnt. I couldn't do it. It was. It was probably one of the worst experiences I've had in recent.

[bryan_boorstein]:

It's really funny.

[aaron_straker]:

Yeah,

[bryan_boorstein]:

Um. Well, I want to address as well the uh, what you brought up about kind of the diagnostics of the program that you're following or lack of diagnostics. Um, because I think that there's two sides to it, and like the side of you know, wanting to know that you're getting stronger and that you're progressing and being obsessed with data like I get that, because you and I are obviously the same way in that way, but I think like looking at it from like up in the sky down perspective. We know that hypertrophy is like a super forgiving adaptation and you're a veteran trainee, so I think that in the grand scheme of things like, as long as you're pushing things to, you know your normal targeted r i R. And even if the rep range is eight to twelve and you end up at six or fifteen, Um, I think that you just kind of you mentally, you take the break of like Okay, I'm not go to care for right now, and you just trust that the effort level and the stimulus that you're being able to elicit out of each setin rep is sufficient to simulate M p, s, and move you forward. And um, you know, even looking at like the way R P does things where they basically have one week at the end before deloaded, where there's like the kind of amrap week or whatever, that doesn't give you an assessment every single week, which is something that you and I love. but it does give you an assessment eventually, so like, at some point you know, a month or two from now when that program is over, you're going to do those movements and you'll have information. And who knows maybe you, you get stronger and you didn't ever track data And you're like Wow, That was pretty cool. like I just you know, hit a p. r on inclined du Beell bench, but didn't see that one coming. Or maybe you got weaker. Then you're like fuck. Okay. I need the accountability of actually like tracking data.

[aaron_straker]:

yeah, that that is something really to bring up, and like always hitting that r. R, always pushing yourself to that a similar threshold, right of proximity. A failure is arguably more important than than the aspect.

[bryan_boorstein]:

Yeah, yeah, so anyway, I think I think that there's definitely two sides to it, and uh, in the grand scheme of things, like if you enjoy data, then training where, in a way that provides you data is probably a good thing for you,

[aaron_straker]:

Yeah, it's what's really interesting is. I don't necessarily know that I would say I enjoy data, but I would feel very um, hypocritical saying that it hasn't really become like a cornerstone of my existence,

[bryan_boorstein]:

right right right right,

[aaron_straker]:

So it's uh, it's kind of one of those things like I would say, I enjoy it, but the the lack of it creates like anxiety or something like that of

[bryan_boorstein]:

Mhm,

[aaron_straker]:

the in Like the indecision, anxiety or uncertainty, anxietylyly.

[bryan_boorstein]:

Yeah, the unknown, he, a forh. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I always say there's a lot of anxiety. The unknown. We see that in like everyday life, too, like when you're between two things like. Oh, I'm about to break up with somebody. but I'm not sure if we're going to break up then're little. That's like the worst.

[aaron_straker]:

that's awful

[bryan_boorstein]:

You're just like. Let's just break up. you know.

[aaron_straker]:

awful. Yeah, yeah, it's really funny and very true

[bryan_boorstein]:

Yeah, um, so real quick before we get into the topic for the day. Um, My diet is the date I put on. It was nine twenty six, officially that I mentioned last week. I now have scheduled my photo shoot for nine twenty, and I'm going to go see Albero Nuyz and Brian Minor on the twenty second. I'm going to drive up to Uh, Fort Collins, so uh, between those two days, I think that's pretty much going to be the uh, the end of my diet. and uh, then I will eat some food and start getting myself healthy and we'll move into the strength phase and all that stuff too, which is super pertinent, since we have the day to driven guys coming on. Yep,

[aaron_straker]:

question about that. So how are you going to treat like the final week? going into

[bryan_boorstein]:

Mhm,

[aaron_straker]:

that is like a peak week and do some loading, or you going to like die through those dates?

[bryan_boorstein]:

I think it's going to depend on where I'm at. So in a perfect world, what I would love is to be like five days out and then slowly add carbs each day, So maybe it's like fifty one day, then a hundred the next day, like on top of normal, So each day I'm adding like fifty carbs until the last day and then it's just whatever it is at, So maybe it's like five hundred or something by then, so I'd love to do that five days out, but I, um, I want to be. I want to be ready if I'm going to do that, so the other option is I just continue dieting until the last day and then I do the Cliff Wilson like rapid back load, so he has cats doing like six hundred to a thousand grams of carbs, Um. after no carbs for four straight days,

[aaron_straker]:

Have you ever done that before?

[bryan_boorstein]:

So you go. Never done it before And that's why I'm a little. I have trepidation going into it.

[aaron_straker]:

I would not recommend just never trying it then, going

[bryan_boorstein]:

Yeah,

[aaron_straker]:

into a photo shoot and showing up to Brie minor, not bur. I. I've experimented with that before, and my digestion

[bryan_boorstein]:

Mm,

[aaron_straker]:

horribly diarrhea, superuing, Bl, and stuff. horribly diarrhea, superuing, Bl, and stuff.

[bryan_boorstein]:

okay, you gotta test it. Yeah,

[aaron_straker]:

You got to test it. Yeah, yeah,

[bryan_boorstein]:

yeah, well, I don't have time for that, so I think what I'm going to end up doing is is hoping I'm gonna probably dig this next week and try and get that scale to hit one eighty two point something, so that I can say at least like

[aaron_straker]:

point

[bryan_boorstein]:

I hit my goal.

[aaron_straker]:

point nine

[bryan_boorstein]:

What? One eighty two point nine. Yeah, I'm in the one eighty two, baby. Um, so, uh, so I'll try and get it to the one eighty two, and then once I get there. If I'm there with, you know five days to go, then I really do want to try that. I think it's called progressive linear loading or something like that, where you basically just up the carbs. You know, thirty to fifty or whatever it is per day until the last day where you're at a pretty solid carb amount and you would probably have gained some weight by then too, just via. Like you know, cell

[aaron_straker]:

every day

[bryan_boorstein]:

volumization glycogen, and yeah, each day you'll gain a little bit of weight, so maybe my low is one eighty two, But maybe at the point that I'm assessed, it's like one eighty five or something like that. Uh, which would be pretty cool because I think I'd look better than when I took the photos Last time I hit one eighty five and I was like photoim. so I was like as depleted as possible. I didn't load anything. Um, and I think it kind of showed them the photos too. so

[aaron_straker]:

it does. That's why that's what I was asking. Like if you diet straight through into something, especially at your level of lean, like if you're at like fifteen, thirty thirteen percent or something like not

[bryan_boorstein]:

yeah,

[aaron_straker]:

as much. but you can. I don't know if I want to use the word dramatically, but I would say considerably change like the quality and look and presentation because you'reed

[bryan_boorstein]:

yeah, for sure. So that's my goal. Someone I just diged for a week. Um, Since our last episode I did have one or two days of waigh ins where I was one eighty three point six, which is the lowest Um. But since then it's gone up to one eighty four point eight, and then back down to one eighty four point two. so I'm hovering right around like one eighty four inch. Um, which gives me two or one point one pounds, depending on how you look at it, One point one pounds left to get to one eighty two point nine. So um, so yeah, I'm close. It's it's a matter of digging for a week or whatever, and like if I really wanted to manipulate the scale, I could just not eat carbs one day and I'd probably lose like two pounds. so um,

[aaron_straker]:

Yeah, I mean, if you wanted to dig on your on your non training days, just go

[bryan_boorstein]:

yeah,

[aaron_straker]:

protein protein veggies,

[bryan_boorstein]:

yeah,

[aaron_straker]:

you know, andcover your fat baselines that would be viable

[bryan_boorstein]:

so that's something I'm considering as well. So a few options to play with in the last. I guess now it's thirteen days. Yeah,

[aaron_straker]:

are ready to get into these mistakes that we used to make and things we wish we knew sooner.

[bryan_boorstein]:

yeah, man, totally. I like this topic too.

[aaron_straker]:

okay, yeah, perfect. So we're going to start with training. We're going to go through all of our training ones and then we will shift over to our nutrition mistakes. Um. So the first one that's coming from me always training as heavy as I possibly could. Um, and then now on the back end, knowing that that would not also always necessarily produce the best Um results. so especially in my earlier years, like I really rarely went over the like ten repetition ten reps type thing, Um, and I would train in that like very hard, heavy, six to eight. Um. It worked, but also I accumulated a lot of Um, joint injuries and just knowing that, now that, like Brian briefly mentioned earlier in this episode, Hy, pertrophy is a forgiving adaptation and there isn't like a hard and fast rule book on like reps and stuff, for I perch fuino in the lower rep ranges. What do you remember Offhand How low that report says? It's like six, or is it four on the lowlander? Is it six or eight?

[bryan_boorstein]:

You're talking about the high perjury

[aaron_straker]:

Yeah,

[bryan_boorstein]:

range. It's usually considered six to thirty,

[aaron_straker]:

okay,

[bryan_boorstein]:

so I've heard five to thirty as well. I mean, I think some of that must depend on rep tempo, because that's essentally. you' talking time under tension when you're talking reps. So I think that if you're doing really slow raps, you could probably do a set of four and and still be in the hypery range. But I think six to thirty is probably like a pretty safe number.

[aaron_straker]:

okay, perfect. So kind of uh, going back to where I said when I was training really heavy, I rerap rep tempo, and and and time undertention was not a consideration of mine right, it was mo. move the weight. Um. that's what we were doing. We were doing. you know, dumbbell inclines with like the one fifteens doing half range of motion and like thinking we were hot shit type of deal. Um, but I got accumulated a lot of joint injuries and stuff like that, and just now, knowing that I don't always have to train like as humanly heavy as I possibly can to achieve the adaptation of hypertrophy, which is what I'm after anything from you On this one, Brian.

[bryan_boorstein]:

Yeah, I mean, I think that you know the whole, The idea of a stronger muscle not being a bigger muscle is like a good concept to keep in mind, like it does trend that way. Like as you get stronger, your muscles do get bigger and big people tend to be strong and strong people tend to be big, but they don't. They don't happen linearly so like there are many many stories of people that are now lifting less weight than they were before and they have more muscle mass than they did then. So, yeah, I think it's just important to separate those two things, and then kind of everything that comes out of that like the whole idea of moving weight from point eight to point B versus moving weight with intent, focusing on execution for A for specificscle, et cetera, et Ctera, So it's hard to do that when the we's really heavy.

[aaron_straker]:

Yup, I agreed. Um, going into my second point in what I, which is really Callol, Brian briefly mentioned something about this as well, so the notion that like your general strength or g, P. P. general preparedness, Um, practice training and hypertphry no longer pursue the same goal. Um, which is a kind of the goal of getting jacked increasing muscle mass past a certain point of training age. So in the beginning anything's really going to work because your margins for making gains are so large. Um, you can really do anything, and then I shouldn't say like anything, but you can really do a lot of things. And then as your training age you know increases, you move past those like kind of newy gains, or somewhere of of your intermediate gains things that certain training programs like, Uh, not to bash on like the the strong lifts like five by five, but I will have. Uh, especially like garage, Gm. clients, like guys that come to me, they work out in the garage. Their goals are perchuredly right. They just want to look at this point and' like, Oh, I'm doing like a A weler, five, three, one variation or strong lifts. And I'm like where that's they're not bad programs or fantastic programs for the goal of like g, P. P and strength for the goal of like hypertrophy. And what you really want to do. There are much better avenues we can be going to, and I kind of found myself in that position as well, and I think this is something we were going to talk about when you know and I both kind shifted fromfting really squatting, really heavy, to squatting with intent for the

[bryan_boorstein]:

Mhm,

[aaron_straker]:

purpose of quaderparatert. So that was one that really kind of hung me up for like a solid decade. Honestly, if not a little bit more,

[bryan_boorstein]:

Yeah, principal specificity, Um, becomes more relevant with a higher training age. So, um, the five by five is an interesting one because it really is trying to marry the like. Let's get strong, but let's also get jacked kind of thing, and it's kind of missing the boat on both because it's a just slightly below the rep range that you would want for like a real true hperchphy stimulus. Like it's not quite in the like six to thirty, and it's not quite focusing on the neural side of strength training. Not that you can't accomplish the narrowal side of strength training with fives, but like when you're trying to do it for hypertrophy, it generally also comes along with this idea of like working close to failure, and with the fact that strength is such a neural adaptation and a learned skill, the idea of taking sets to the house all the time, which is generally what happens with these five by five type programs. Um, it just doesn't work in accordance super wellalth. Um, so yeah, it's a good one and then uh, I have a couple, but I have four of them for training. Um, the first one is program hopping. This is something that I did a lot of in my first five, ten years of training Like I think my first year second year. I was just. I just found the three times week full body and that was like my thing, and I just did that, But then I started like realizing that the Internet was big and expansive and there were all these different like training methodologies out there and I started wanting to try like the the Arthur Jones hit style, which is basically like one set to failure of like ten different exercises in a row. You have like a minute rest between each station, but you just take every set to the house, and then that's like your session, and you do that like two or three times a week. So it was like super low volume and miserable and just awful. So I would do that for like a couple of months and then'd be like. What am I doing? This is so hard and I'd go back to like three times a week, full body like compound lift type stuff. Um, and then like four years in, I wanted to try the Bro split thing because that's what everyone was doing. So I wanted to have a chests day in a back day and blah blah. And then I did maxo T, which is also a bro split, but it's kind of like what you were talking about. the Tra. The training too heavy thing in the beginning, because Maxo T is is like a bodybuilding program, but all the sets are between four and six reps for compounds, and between six and eight for isolations, so you're literally doing like curls and isolations, Um. for like six a reps, which is crazy, and uh,

[aaron_straker]:

that scares me.

[bryan_boorstein]:

so everything was super heavy. Um, and that also is kind of like the five by five and then it misses the boat on trying to accomplish maybe two things at the same time. so I did a lot of that and then I went into cross fit, which is just constantly varied. Um, so I would say that I did a decent job of sticking with programs for a number of months, maybe one, two, maybe three months. but I think I would have been benefited much more in my earlier stages of training by sticking with something for six months or eight months or a year. Um, instead of trying to do something for four to twelve weeks and then try something new,

[aaron_straker]:

Yeah,

[bryan_boorstein]:

it?

[aaron_straker]:

I, I really agree thatcause in, I mean twelve weeks. I wouldn't really consider short. Four weeks can be pretty short, right and that's where

[bryan_boorstein]:

Yeah,

[aaron_straker]:

I kind of was saying. Like those bridge programs where you're just like Hey, I need a break from something. I'm going to do this and then go back to like a long. you know, six, eight year plus type deal.

[bryan_boorstein]:

yeah, well, it also wasn't like periodized with any intention, right, so it's not like I was like. You know, I'm going to do this Arthur Jones hit program and then my plan, which I I didn't write out right at seventeen years old, is going to be to do this program because that will prepare me for this program, which will prepare me for that one right. It was just like Oh, That shiny new object looks cool. I bet that would be fun when in reality maybe it's a good program, but maybe it would fit better if it was structured into like a perioddzed plan of some sort. instead of just being the shiny new object that I wanted to jump on. So uh, next one for me was using misss or hit, so Miss is middle intensity, steady state and Hit would be behind intensity interval training. so using a miss or hit cardio for fat loss. Uh, where now? I use primarily lists. Um, like walking or casually biking around town and things like that. So uh, yeah, in the past we've talked about this a lot. We probably don't need it to beat this horse too much. but um, I would do like twenty to thirty minute runs. I would do sprints and interval training and it just had a lot of negative effects. Um, kind of downstream on leg strength on recovery on

[aaron_straker]:

fatigueumul.

[bryan_boorstein]:

cordicol production fatigue accumulation, right right, all that stuff. So

[aaron_straker]:

Yeah,

[bryan_boorstein]:

um and

[aaron_straker]:

I mean, I agree, I mean ninety nine percent of my fat lossing. One thing, I will say, my coach did have me do this most recent f. Los phases. In the very end stages. we would have. Uh, I believe the maximum we ever had was two per week hit sessions, but they were very short. I'm talking

[bryan_boorstein]:

Mm,

[aaron_straker]:

four minutes long

[bryan_boorstein]:

like tabadah? almost? Yeah,

[aaron_straker]:

tabata exactly, but not even it would be like. I want twenty seconds all out like the like, the ex, like the spin bike, You know where you can crank the crank. the resistance up and then

[bryan_boorstein]:

yep.

[aaron_straker]:

forty seconds very

[bryan_boorstein]:

M.

[aaron_straker]:

low. Just

[bryan_boorstein]:

so it's like fourss of that.

[aaron_straker]:

four sets of that. Yeah,

[bryan_boorstein]:

Yeah, yeah,

[aaron_straker]:

twice per week, So you know, Um, so it is Th. it was there, but very very manageable. And what I did like about it is because it was a manageable volume. I actually would do it. You know what I

[bryan_boorstein]:

Mhm,

[aaron_straker]:

mean. so like if I was big, Okay, Brian, here we go twenty rounds of hit right the f. Like you're going to go hard that first one and then round

[bryan_boorstein]:

right.

[aaron_straker]:

two through like nineteen. You're going to half ass it like let's

[bryan_boorstein]:

yeah,

[aaron_straker]:

be clear, and then you're going to try maybe real hard on the end of the fin shop. But because it was only like four rounds, I could push really really hard and I'd beghast and then I'm like sick. you know four minutes later, I'm fucking going on type of thing. Um,

[bryan_boorstein]:

right. Right,

[aaron_straker]:

but, other than that everything else was just going on walks, and and really just moving more throughout the day

[bryan_boorstein]:

what do you think of the? I know, There's like science on this and I'm semi aware of it. but the whole notion of epoch like Is that why you do something like that on that bike Is for the, for the idea that you' like providing a metabolism spike that's going to produce cooric burn throughout the day higher than normal, or

[aaron_straker]:

on, I believe that is what the research supports in practicality. I don't really know how far that moves to needle. I do remember. um, lyle Mcdonald, uh, citing something I wish I could remember a little bit better around doing like hit first and then when you would do Um. some of the like Um lists. You know, low intensity or

[bryan_boorstein]:

Mhm.

[aaron_straker]:

or walking like a post, Um that the hit would basically liberate the free fatty acids and then the like list. you know, low intensity, walking after would actually like oxidize it. Um, uh again, I don't know how much research there is on that I. I, there might, there may be there, may not. I'm just really not not that, Um. well versed in it,

[bryan_boorstein]:

Yeah,

[aaron_straker]:

Um, the whole, It's not an area that I give a lot of my time into reading and stuff, because I think it's one of those things that moves the needle very little in terms of your time and an effort in from an investment standpoint. You know, I just know on the nutrition side of things you are moving the needle so much further.

[bryan_boorstein]:

yeah, yeah, yeah. It's really interesting that you mentioned the hit before listing, because I believe it was the same logic that was used back when I like the first five years I was training and people would say do your cardio after your weight training, because you would essentially have used all of your glycogen during weights. And so now you wouldd have all these like fatty acids to burn, Doing the list cardio after weight training. Um, So I thought that that that's it seems like an interesting comparison. I wonder if it came from the same data pool.

[aaron_straker]:

Yeah, it may have. I'm not sure.

[bryan_boorstein]:

Yeah, cool. um, The next one was something else we've talked a lot about in the past. Given uh, the idea of you don't have to squat for your quads. That maybe you're not built to squat for quads and just general exercise execution. Overall, I think is is probably one topic in itself. Um, so I, we've talked about this the way that that we feel in that You know. It wasn't until we stopped squatting a post cross fit as our primary quad building movement that we really started to actually see tangible development in our quads. And and we know now from a number of different studies that the recus phoris, which is the one that crosses the hip and the knee, Um, doesn't actually really get worked in a squat pattern movement. Uh, the Veemmo and the Vasses Laalis kind of end up ta the A doctors, kind of end up taking over that job. So we need something like isolated knee extension or sissy squats, or reverse Nordics or something like that to fully lengthen and train the quad muscle Um. So, with that in mind, I think that like moving it into exercise execution, and how we've talked in depth about the idea of getting the knees over the toes as much as possible, and uh, from a physic standpoint, this is essentially the lower limb which is going to be the the shin muscle or the shinpone, is going to Uh, is going to try to get as horizontal to the ground as possible, because that's the pendulum that the that the quad is acting off of right, so the more that you can get that shin uh to. Be horizontal to the ground instead of vertical to the ground. The more you're going to activate the quad on the other side of that pendulum. Um. so things like that, like knowledge of, like, even small biomechanic, Uh, matters like getting the shin parallels to the ground as much as possible. Are things that I just never thought about before, and the same thing of execution goes across the the one arm lap movements and Um staying in active ranges of motion and things like that. So just a whole lot of knowledge that has come along the way in that realm.

[aaron_straker]:

Yeah, I mean, there's not much I can really add to that. There is so much more I think will all try someone up. But there's so much more than just simply moving the weight from point a to point being.

[bryan_boorstein]:

Yep, for sure, Um, and then my last one was exercise selection and the idea that there's no lifts that you have to do, And this is kind of an expansion on the the last point about the squats and the quads. Um. But I really, I really, do think it's important to have it as its own topic, because in the pursuit of muscle mass or hypertrophy, a weight is just a way for this dumb piece of meat which is your muscle to contract and stretch right. these are the two goals of any exercise. So if we pick an exercise that allows us to use resistance that allows the muscle to move in that way to stretch and contract for us as an individual with our own anthrometric make ups, If we can find a machine or a free weight, or maneuver our body in a the way around a machine or a free weight to create that optimal, then that will be the best tool for the job, So it's not that we have to barble bent over road to get a big back, there could be better ways, and it really just. Depends on what the best lift is for you to achieve that objective.

[aaron_straker]:

I mean, you really hit the nail in the head. There, There one thing that I, I actually put this on in Toram last week, especially when we're talking in terms of like machines and stuff right, we come in so many different shapes and sizes and the machines are built with some. I won't say customizations, but like movement in them, but you may not fit in that machine correctly based on how it was intended design. Because of your limblangths, mobility different things, and just knowing that, and then seeing like hey, maybe the program has like perfect example like Presc in it. But the leg press in your gym is just kind of a shiddy design, and your heels come off off of the platform and it's more like gluke dominant, and it's supposed to be a quad type exercise. That may not be a good exercise for you, so there may be some ways you can modify it right from my um. inm post. I was putting like a foam map under my back and hips to kind of get me in a better angle. Maybe an olympic lifting shoe to give yourself a little bit more ankle doorflection to make up for the angle of the the platform on the on the light press. There are some kind of things that you can do to maybe try and shift the tide of those angles and mechanics in your favor, But there's also times where it's just maybe not going to work out and you need to P. Use a different Um exercise for to elicit the effect, the desired stimulus for the movement in the program And that's really important to understand.

[bryan_boorstein]:

Yeah, for sure, I think if you're unsure whether you fit well in a machine and know Ba bells tend to be really restrictive, you can usually find a way to manoeuver a dumbbell, either with like hand position, arm position or body position to hit, kind of what you're looking to hit. So I think Downlls are obviously a hugely available, widely available tool, but potentially under ulizeed. Still

[aaron_straker]:

agreed.

[bryan_boorstein]:

we have some nutrition. ones. You have three. I have four. You want to get

[aaron_straker]:

Yeah, let's get into it. So uh, what's really nice about this one is Brian. I

[bryan_boorstein]:

started,

[aaron_straker]:

actually talked about a A A scenario, Earli. in the episode that's going to apply. So what I have here is that the leaner you get, the more applicable advanced tactics can be, for example, intual workout carbohydrate. If I have a client who is at like twenty five percent body fatt, speaking in terms of mail, I'm generally not going to be suggesting this person be taking into work outut carbohydrate in the form of dextrose, a highly branched cyclicdction or something like that. I think maybe around the fifteen to seventeen percent. Something like that on the higher end now is this kind of a blanketed statement. Let's say I have some athlete whose training for something training multiple times per day and they need recovery type stuff. Yes, but in terms of like your general person who just wants to look good training, you know once per day for hypertury type of thing. Um, and then this also kind of ties into the leaner you are, the more you can get away with things to have a lesser impact. So using the example Brian was speaking of with as he goes into this photohooot and loading a enormous amounts of carbohydrate to go into this. If Brian was at sixteen percent body fat and he's going into a photohooot, we're not going to be talking about him having a thousand grams of carbohydrate the day before going into it, he's objectively going to look worse if that were the case. Uh, but because he's been in this depleted state, he has a lot of basically empty storage right in his body where he can fill and seat these carbohydrates. that will change his appearance for the better if those carbohydrate, you know, slots or storage areas were already. Oh, it's not going to be the same case. So generally the leaner you are, the more you can get away with these kind of seemingly kind of in know, wild approaches and tactics because you're in it. the context is different. Um, So the thing I did want to tie to is when you're leaner you can get away with more type of you know, I would. I don't want to call them unhealthy, but like uncommon type of practices, because you're leaner and you're in the change isn't going to be as large. that being said, I think it is a slippery slope. So another example is like, let's say Brian right tomorrow just has a super stressful day. Some of the bad happenits and he just like kind of binges and puts away like a shit ton of carbs and crappy foods. The the objective standpoint is in the morning, he'll probably look better to be completely honest. However, it can be kind of like a psychological. Hm. A, a game against your own psychology because it can reinforce bad patterns and eventually you will kind of run out of uses of that type of thing because eventually through these body Fa will increase like little by little and then you'll kind of get up into there, but it is something like I personally try not to you know use because I know it of it's like psychological impact, but basically what I'm just getting up trying to get around. It is like the leaner you are, the more you can kind of get away with in bad practices without them really affecting your goal, unless your goal is to get leaner. But if you're

[bryan_boorstein]:

Mhm.

[aaron_straker]:

at like fifteen percent, twenty percent body fat and you want to get a little bit leaner, having these a big blowout days will impact your kind of progress on that goal, Anything from you on that one

[bryan_boorstein]:

Yeah, I don't really have much ad. but um no, I think you crush that and I. I think the I. There is definitely a difference between binging or overeating on foods that are a mix of fat and carb, versus keeping it to just strictly carbs and the appearance the next day and beyond.

[aaron_straker]:

correct? Yeah,

[bryan_boorstein]:

Yeah, the Fas just got of mess everything up, especially when they' with the car, but they interact poorly, it seems.

[aaron_straker]:

take two gas pedals, You can only have one gas better, you can't have two gasps.

[bryan_boorstein]:

next one.

[aaron_straker]:

Yup, so this one? I mean, I think this is something that everyone will say, but this, just this, the the sheer overwhelming importance of your diet on your body composition. It's hard to put a percentage or a number on this, But one thing that's really really wild to me and it is. I mean, I have been there in the past. I was just talking with my girlfriend, Jenny, who is there in the past? If you're training seven days per week, or you're training multiple times per day, Um, which is not recommended by the way. But you're not tracking your food. You're effectively wasting those efforts. Um. You can move the needle so much further at such a more fast rate by spending those efforts on understanding your macro nurances, understanding tracking your food, and what exactly you need, as opposed to training seventies per week, training multiple times per day. Doing. you know, if you, if you're doing like cardio sessions on top on top of your training, but you're not tracking your food or anything like that, you're you're stepping over dollars to pick up pennies Type of deal. Um, that is a. That is a really good quote. to use for for that scenario,

[bryan_boorstein]:

Yeah, for sure, I mean, you have to know at least how many calories and grams of protein are going into your body and a minimum. Yeah, you to make sure you' fueled supporting what your objective are, especially when full times a day.

[aaron_straker]:

exactly so moving on from that one, this one is something that I do not think as many people still um understand the importance of, And that's the importance of your digestion. So if you are a bloated farty freaking mess right every day from your protein shake, or maybe some supplement or some food that you just habitually eat, you need to identify which one it is and stop habitually in taking that at least to the point where you can reduce the inflammation and the gas and stuff symptoms that come along with that, and then maybe reintroduce it at a later period down the line, Not saying you necessarily need to remove it forever, but it is going to be very beneficial for your body composition for nutrient assimilation. All sorts of things for getting this digestion under control. Um. a little bit more of a, uh. some tangible information for your eyes, A lot of times when I find this with clients it is from a low quality way. concentrate protein powder. Reason being, there is still a lot of lactose in the way. Concentrate if you step up to a weight isolate, a lot of that lactose is filtered out. Um, so for people who may have an unknown lactose intolerance or a unknown Um. Intolerance to ingredients that are in these way concentrates by going up to the wayight isolate, you may be able to sidestep some of this. This is something that I found true for myself. I find it true for many many clients. Um. but circling back your digestion is very important, Um, especially when you are putting a lot of effort into changing that body composition through a gaining phase, a phtosophies, et cetera, even a recomp. So, Um, just treating your diet, giving your digestion the kind of um time it deserves. Um will produce much better results for you in the long term.

[bryan_boorstein]:

That's really interesting about the way concentrate. I didn't know thatcause as are listeners. Now I consume a lot of of wayight protein. Um, but since I've upgraded you know in the last year to that dimattize Io one hundred, and it's all isol icelet, Ah, and I don't have any issues, so Um. That would suck like I. I would hate to be like a blowdy farty freaking mess all the time. That sounds awful.

[aaron_straker]:

I don't think Kim would be too happy either.

[bryan_boorstein]:

No. no, um, so yeah, that's cool. Yeah, you should probably take care of your digestion if you have that issue and maybe getting away isolate would be a good idea. Um, cool. Well, I have four. Uh, my first one is using intermit fasting. Uh, for so long. maybe not the major issue, but maybe for the wrong reasons is the better way of saying that. and like the wrong reasons are essentially just like being able to eat more calories at night. And I think that there's actually kind of like two ways of looking at that like you could look at it as just a lifestyle decision. And like this is what I'm goingnna do is I'm going to eat two meals a day and I'm still going to have like two balanced meals. It's go to be like twelve hundred calories and twelve hundred calories or whatever it is, and I'm going to get all my Mic nutrients. And like, if you're just your decision is like, Hey, I just you know, for whatever reason convenience, I prefer to eat two meals a day and you can stay accountable to like the quality of your food eating that way. That's great. Um, but I think for many of the years that I was using I F. is, I was using it as a way to allow myself to kind of do some of those like semi bingji type behaviors later in the day, so I would be like, Oh, I've only eaten eight hundred calories today, So like my first meal, you know would be at two p, M. and I'd have chicken rice and veggies or whatever, And then it'd be like seven p M. and I'm like sweet. I still have twenty four hundred calories to go. Let's do this, you know, And it's like pizza, and then whatever else I decided to do after that or cheese, steaks and fries or something like that, so I think that it can be a really slippery slope for that and I wish that I hadn't spent all the years doing that because I think it wasn't. It wasn't great for my my mind like um, but it also wasn't great for my body, so it was kind of like a negative on both sides of it, and uh, and I'm glad that I have kind of a better grasp on on the things that are going into my body and not implementing those bingy behaviors at the expense of some other micro macro nutrients.

[aaron_straker]:

Yeah, I agree with everything you said. I generally try to steer clients away from I f. for a lot of those same reasons. I mean there are people who do it well right, but like

[bryan_boorstein]:

Mhm,

[aaron_straker]:

you said, it's a much smaller percentage and most people want to do it just to binge lower quality foods and large

[bryan_boorstein]:

Yp,

[aaron_straker]:

quantities late at night, and I think it's a basically an acceptable path to do that. The one positive I do want to say is the time that I will sometimes encourage people, or, or or offer it as a solution is deeper into dieting phases, and the whole reason I would say that is because it's easier to be hungry in the morning as it is to be hungry at night before bed

[bryan_boorstein]:

Mhm,

[aaron_straker]:

because you can have some black coffee, or you know something that helps with a little bit of appetite suppressing in the morning, and then you can still have know a larger meal towards the evening, Um, which allows you to sleep. Now, whether I can say if that is objectively better or worse because of how you will partition those calories in terms of Cw and nutrition with insolent sensitivity, morning versus evening is hard to say. I can't you know confidently say in either either manner, but it can be an in effective solution for the simple reason of it's easier to be hungry in the morning.

[bryan_boorstein]:

what about uh? using a protein sparing modifiedst thing in the

[aaron_straker]:

even better

[bryan_boorstein]:

the afterno,

[aaron_straker]:

even better.

[bryan_boorstein]:

Yeah, that's what I was thinking Is like. if you you could have like you know, six ounces of meat basically in the morning And that's like a feeding that at least gives you an Mp response. And then you know that, Almost a. it's like you. still. it's only hundred and fifty calories or two hundred cors or whatever it

[aaron_straker]:

Yeah,

[bryan_boorstein]:

is, So Um, anything else on that one?

[aaron_straker]:

I was going to say Yeah, I mean, that would be in an even better you know, hybrid of the two approaches if you want

[bryan_boorstein]:

Yeah,

[aaron_straker]:

to do two protein feedings Because let's face it, let's say you are doing I. f. and you have two hundred pounds reading two hundred pounds of protein or two hundred crans of protein. Having you know a hundred grams and a hundred grams, you're not going to be effectively

[bryan_boorstein]:

right,

[aaron_straker]:

maxim, stimulating that Mp. S response.

[bryan_boorstein]:

yep, cool. So this next one is actually pretty recent for me, and I'm almost like semi embarrassed that it's so recent. Um, it's the importance of electrolyes and sodium specifically. So this actually started at the beginning of my diet. At the beginning of my diet. Erarin told me I should get blood work done, which was a great idea, and kind of see like what my baseline markers are, and then at the end of my diet, which now is you know, thirteen days away or whatever, I should go back and get more blood work and compare the two, and

[aaron_straker]:

You know things aren't going to be great at the end of the di.

[bryan_boorstein]:

we'll see how goes. Well, you know what you know? what's funny due? Does I actually feel like I don't feel worse. I don't and my sleep is fine. Labo's fine. I. I. I. Everything's the exact same. I don't notice anything different, aside from I just like, want to eat more food and and enjoy food more. Um.

[aaron_straker]:

I think, knowing that and going into it that's probably fine. But then what I would probably recommend is then do another follow up in like three months or four months. Once you

[bryan_boorstein]:

Mhm.

[aaron_straker]:

are back at like a maintenance type

[bryan_boorstein]:

yeah, yeah. well, that's a good idea. Yeah.

[aaron_straker]:

of deal and can, then those would be really good. Comparisonsly.

[bryan_boorstein]:

yeah, for sure. I, I mean, I want to do as much blood work Now that now that I realize how simple it is to go to life extension and then go to Laborre and do that, it's just no reason not to. Um, But so it, when I had I first had my blood work done, Aarin was nice enough to give me like this seventeen minute video. Where he broke down all of the blood work and like what it means and what it could represent, and all the stuff, and he said that there was something weird about my kidneys that they weren't like functioning at the highest level. And I believe you said that sodium was the solution to eat. Have more sodium. And I think what we decided was that I'm drinking so much water because I, I probably have two gallons of water a day, but I wasn't having extra sodium aside from what's naturally on my food when I salt it. I was never never never having sodium. Uh, And I was working out obviously and it was summerime and I was sweating and all these things. So uh, I started first just putting sodium in my Perry workout shake, and then I started actually really enjoying. I felt like I. I, I subjectively felt like it actually helped like within minutes I could almost feel that it was like running through my body And so I started doing it before I'd go for like l, bike rides or long walks or anything like that, too, And I started being more cognizant of salting my foods and I started feeling better and then like literally two weeks ago I start. I tried element for the first time, Never had it before in my life decided on a whim to just order it, and that's been phenomenal because I, it. I, it's truly enjoyable. first

[aaron_straker]:

he.

[bryan_boorstein]:

off and and second like, I never paid attention to potassium. Like Yeah, I eat potatoes, you know a couple of times a week and I'll have a banana here and there, but I don't like. Pay attention to how much potassium I'm getting in or anything, and I take a multiple. So I was like Okay, I guess like I'm fine, but like that and and then I know people tend to be low in magnesium, so I was already some supplementing with magnesium. Um, but either way like I actually feel better drinking that drink too. like when I'm in the middle of of a workout and and I have that and I sip on it and I just like it. It helps like I don't really know how to describe it Like I go for a walk and I'm sipping on it, And there's like this light air about me as I like you know, bounce along in the middle of the she. Just this two hundred pound dude, just like bouncing along like a it. No, but it does make me feel you know phenomenal, so I don't really know what that's all about. but I'm really happy that I found it and that now I have electro lights that I need in my body.

[aaron_straker]:

Yeah, that's a. That's another one too. I think it it gets there has gotten like, S. stigmatized, I believe is a correct word to use around blood pressure. right. Oh, well, salt increases your blood pressure, so you don't want high blood pressure. You don't want to ever have salt. It only increases your blood pressure and people that pe already have high blood pressure from their lifestyle and habits. Type of deal. Um, and then you know, I think a lot of this stuff especially for you and I stems from like when our time in in the Cross fit space and avoid, like completely rebelling against, like all kind of mainstream type foods. Uh, you know information type stuff, so it's like you never have any sodium. Don't use salt. and how people like you and I cook an overwhelming majority of all of our food at home. So you're really not getting it from from places. and then when you're sweating a lot, you're very active you can become. I don't necessarily think the term deficient would be appropriate because your body will basically rob and steal to keep things at a decent space, but you are not um. abundant in it in at a point where it can be objectively beneficial for training for recovery for hydration status. All these things, so yeah, I mean, if you're out there listening and you are have healthy blood pressure, you can easily go get a checked Um. and you are cooking the majority of your food. You eat a very, you know clean healthy diet using airquates there, adding things. something like the element, um, tabs, which I would say are the my favorite of the electroic packs I have tried in terms of flavor, Um, especially if you like a kind of a salty flavor, The citrus and lime ones. They're very very good. Um can be a great decision.

[bryan_boorstein]:

Yeah, I decided that Orange was my favorite. The Cits one. It really really does taste like lemon lime gaate Raid like it's almost identical. and for whatever reason, I just like much for me like it's It's too eerie and too close to gater aid, so I like. I like the orange one the best, the raspberry the second, and then the citrus third, but I haven't tried any of the specialty flavors like watermelon or chocolate chocolate. I heard from a number of people was awful. And then someone said that you should put it in your coffee and I was like that. Sounds amazing. Of course I should do that.

[aaron_straker]:

Yeah, I have the. I bought one of the watermelon like big packs like the forty five one or whatever. it's it. It's good. I don't think it's as good as the orange or the lemon lime. I did buy the fiest pack as well, which had the chocolate. It's just kind of a weird like chocolate water type thing. I. I had no idea about the coffee. though that is that is a cool one. Then the other one was like mango chili, and then like Leban, Homad, lemon, hobanero, Um, I did like those. but

[bryan_boorstein]:

Mm. yeah,

[aaron_straker]:

however you can't. I made the mistake of like taking them hiking,

[bryan_boorstein]:

mm,

[aaron_straker]:

and the spicy water when you're like out, hiking is just an awful choice. So if you' just say hanging out and yeah, if you're just hanging out ins like drinking it, I do

[bryan_boorstein]:

I would hate spicy water.

[aaron_straker]:

like the spicy flavors as

[bryan_boorstein]:

Okay,

[aaron_straker]:

well, but if you're like doing a sport type thing, you do not want spicy well, but if you're like doing a sport type thing, you do not want spicy water. water.

[bryan_boorstein]:

no, that sounds so awful to me. in any circumstance. To be honest, just awful. Um, okay, cool, so I'm really amped on that. I appreciate that suggestion and I feel like, Uh, I'm curious to see what my blood work says. Regarding uh, whatever gave you that idea about my kidneys and and kind of being able to to see how that has potentially changed over time. Okay, So the next one was for me is high fat dieting and we've kind of beaten this horse too. Like if you followed along, you know that this entire four and a half month diet I've done has basically been a higher carblow or fat diet. Um, I've been maintaining at this point. I'm still basically at three hundred grams of carbs, Um, about sixty fiveish sixty grams of fat. Something like that and then plus her, mine is two hundred grams of protein most days, so right around like twenty five hundred calories is kind of my average right now. Um, and I just feel so much better like when I, when I used to high fat diet, Like to be fair. I guess I was doing more glylytic work Uh, during that time, so it was more of like, Kind of the cross fit is, uh. So so I don't know how that would have been. Um, if I, I don't know how it necessarily, maybe maybe would be better higher fat dieting without doing cross fiit. but I just feel so much better right now. Um, like just the fact that I can be the leanest that I've been in six years, and not really feel like too many symptoms of of being in a diet. aside from just not wanting to be in a diet anymore. Um, I think that that that that's a huge testament for me. at least that that high carb dieting is better, and I think that you know it's definitely very individual, but, um, but it's cool that I've found that and that's something that I, I do intend to use you know. Going forward,

[aaron_straker]:

Yeah, I mean, that's the exact approach I take. and what I will quickly follow up with is a high fat dieting does work.

[bryan_boorstein]:

Yeah,

[aaron_straker]:

and I think when a lot of times when you are reading about things, people are speaking in absolute high fat dieting can work. high fat carbohydrate die can also work. I think if you, if you have a person like Brier myself who is insulin sensitive, doesn't have large digestive issues with carbohydrate type stuff, it will work better simply for the fact is your volume of food you can eat is more. Andtiety has much more to do with than just calories and calories. out volume Has a volume is a large proponent of Saety, and on a higher carbohydrate diet you can eat a disproportionately larger volume of food.

[bryan_boorstein]:

yeah, yeah, and the carbohydrates give you fuel for your workouts. I think that that's the way I feel it the most. like maybe the hunger thing, too, although I don't remember being like extremely hungry, higher fat dieting either. Maybe I'm just kind of lucky that way and I don't feel like really extreme hunger. Uh, at least to get as lean as I am now. Um, but uh, but yeah, being able to fuel the workouts is a huge one for me, like you know, having these weh and gator aid shakes and having fruit like being able to eat two kiwi's. Uh post workout. Like if I was higher fat dieting, I wouldn't be able to fuel my workouts with the glycogen and stuff like that the same way, or there would be some like really complicated conversions where my body would be trying to steal protein to convert it to glycogen right. So um, so I just think that it's It's just better this way for for many reasons,

[aaron_straker]:

I agree, for

[bryan_boorstein]:

cool.

[aaron_straker]:

a large amount of contacts, there are some

[bryan_boorstein]:

Yeah,

[aaron_straker]:

words. The complete opposite is True

[bryan_boorstein]:

okay, um, so my last one for nutrition is rate of weight gain during a surplus, and I actually don't think I did this wrong as much as that this is a result of of being older and having a higher training age. so I think that the idea of having the rapid weight gain thing actually is probably a decent idea, or at least a pretty fail safee idea for somebody that wants to gain muscle in their earlier years of training, like Eraron and I both went on dirty bulks. I think that in what

[aaron_straker]:

dream. Her books, I lived on a dreamer book for like five years

[bryan_boorstein]:

dreamer book, Yeah, Exactly So I, the thing with doing that is that if you were in a choloric surplus and you're able to do it like more clean than dirty, you would probably have better results Like if you went like higher protein and you know, cleaner carbs with more Nic, micro nuuttrients instead of like bowls and bowls of lucky charms or something like that, like you would probably have more muscle gained and slightly less fat gained. Um. However, I think just being in a choric surplus for a long period of time in your novice stage is a critical component and not doing the cyclical, you know, up down up down, dieting, gaining diet and gaining thing. Just commit to it. Just be like I'm going to get a little large for a few years, and you know then I'll take it all off and see what's underneath now at the stage that we're at now like we can't do that and and I don't really want to do that. It's like, kind of like you know, we've worked so hard to to get this physique a certain way, and to go bury it for like the possibility of two more pounds of muscle or something like that.

[aaron_straker]:

small possibility.

[bryan_boorstein]:

To feel awful while you're doing it. It's just not worth it. right.

[aaron_straker]:

No way he.

[bryan_boorstein]:

Yeah, so I think that for us like, I've talked a lot about my kind of idea of gaining, Uh, one point three, three, three pounds per month, which is a third of a pound per week, more or less, and that rate of weight gain is good for me. Um, I would love to be able to sustain that again for another like eight months or whatever it is. Um, until I go on my next diet and just kind of gradually work that up slowly and and let my body kind of settle to to being healthy in in a good stadium.

[aaron_straker]:

That's what you kind of landed on at the end Is what's really important for me now is healthy and being in a good state. I think now, don't get me wrong. I think some of that comes with our age, and just realizing that we're not twenty two and being jacked isn't like the ban of our existence anymore. right, um, but yeah, I, I'm that ship has sailed where I will sacrifice my health for maybe an extra two pounds of muscle or something like that with like rates and stuff. It's It's a, maybe you know, and I think that's what it is. We go through these huge long cycles now where we're gaining weight for eight months, then we're dieing for five months. To like, maybe have an extra pound or two, you know

[bryan_boorstein]:

Yeah,

[aaron_straker]:

at at nine percent body fat again or something like that. Maybe I'm still

[bryan_boorstein]:

right,

[aaron_straker]:

really not overly overly convinced that I have

[bryan_boorstein]:

I know,

[aaron_straker]:

actually improved from the last time. So it's uh, I think it's that that is the curse of the veteran natural. you know, hobbyist bodybuilder type thing.

[bryan_boorstein]:

yp.

[aaron_straker]:

Um, but I don't know, even though I mean that being said I still enjoyed. That's the whole reason we do it right, because we obviously still enjoy it, but

[bryan_boorstein]:

Yeah, I mean, if someone were to tell me that I at ninety nine point nine percent of my genetic potential and that I'll never see any tangible evidence of improvement again, I would still go to the gym for seventy five to ninety minutes three times a week. That's just. it's just the process, man like I don't. I don't know what else what else to do. So that's yeah, that is what it is. you know.

[aaron_straker]:

yeah, I think there was a um. Oh man, it was a quote. from this like um Finnance book I read and it was on someone who had like a a a grip of money right, a really solid amount of money. And their investments were like, very, very conservative and they were like You have all this like money. Like Why are your investments so conservative and their response is like I already won the game, Mi, and

[bryan_boorstein]:

yep,

[aaron_straker]:

all I have to do now is not lose the game.

[bryan_boorstein]:

yp. Yep.

[aaron_straker]:

Like, why would I risk all this for an extra twenty percent where I, when I already have like exorbitantly more than I need.

[bryan_boorstein]:

right. like I can buy a plane and fly anywhere I want Like with. So

[aaron_straker]:

Yeah, and that's kind of what I wanted to do is and there's always there's so many parallels between Like your finances and food, and this one is

[bryan_boorstein]:

yeah,

[aaron_straker]:

another kind of parallel. But like you've already won the game, Brian, right, you can still. You're like Okay, I'm at ninety nine point nine, nine percent of what I'll ever do, and now my my goal is to just not lose the game. right? I keep training a couple of times

[bryan_boorstein]:

Mhm,

[aaron_straker]:

per week. I still enjoy it and then I just hold on to what took me twenty plus years to build. If I can hold on to this for another

[bryan_boorstein]:

Yp,

[aaron_straker]:

fifteen to twenty years. That's an other whole other, winning in the game of itself.

[bryan_boorstein]:

for sure, now for sure. And it's the process, man. It's just like

[aaron_straker]:

It's who you are now. Mhm.

[bryan_boorstein]:

we enjoy the process. Yeah, exactly so, anyways, I think that was awesome Was a good episode.

[aaron_straker]:

Yeah, I agree, as always, guys. Thanks for tuning in and Brian and I will talk to you next week.

[bryan_boorstein]:

we're still recording.

[aaron_straker]:

Yeah?

Favorite fruits
Being obsessed with data
Potential approaches for Bryan’s end of diet photoshoot
Training Mistake #1: Only training as heavy as I absolutely possibly could.
Training Mistake #2: General strength/GPP training and hypertrophy no longer pursue the same goal (getting jacked) past a certain point of training age.
Training Mistake #3: Program hopping
Training Mistake #4: MISS or HITT cardio for fat loss.
Training Mistake #5: You don’t HAVE to Barbell Back Squat for quad growth, and overall exercise execution.
Training Mistake #6: Exercise selection, there are no lifts that you absolutely must perform.
Nutrition Mistake #1: The leaner you get, the more applicable advanced tactics can be.
Nutrition Mistake #2: The sheer overwhelming importance of diet on your body composition.
Nutrition Mistake #3: The importance of your digestion. If you’re a bloated/farty mess every day from your protein shakes/supplements you need to stop taking them, and find out what in it is causing this.
Nutrition Mistake #4: Using Intermittent Fasting for the wrong reasons.
Nutrition Mistake #5: Importance of electrolytes and sodium specifically.
Nutrition Mistake #6: High fat dieting.
Nutrition Mistake #7: Rate of weight Gain during surplus.