October 19, 2011

Retox the freak in me.

Retox the freak in me.

Retox the freak in me.

Retox the freak in me.

Fat Boy Slim (Taken from the song Retox)

Sometimes we get emotionally knackered. Sometimes friends or relatives have been visiting and as a result of all the catching up and great conversations we end up eating the most rubbish a human being can eat. We usually combine this with drinking the most a human being can drink. Sometimes we ate loads over the festive season and need to create a ying from the yang. Sometimes our sleep levels have floundered, we’ve been running around in a zombie state and our diets and energy levels have gone way off. Guess what? It’s time for  a retox.

Not a detox. A TLA retox.

The difference between a retox and a detox is huge. A detox uses weird combinations which make no sense, limits calories to ridiculous levels, lasts too long, often relies on a single nutritional source (Can you eat grapefruit for that many days in a row, I mean really) and puts you in a bad mood.

Continue reading The TLA Retox.

Some clever geek hacked the TLA Facebook page. The hacker sent clients dietary recommendations on how to lose body fat in “two weeks or less.” The recommendations were presented in such a way that it came across as being from the TLA. Luckily, clients who know me know I would never recommend supplements.

Rightly or wrongly I don’t even take a Tylenol when I have a headache. Therefore, there is no chance in recommending pills for fat loss.

I am a food guy. Always have been. Only when clients get the food bit right do we start contemplating supplements. However,food is always first. The reason I stand by this philosophy is because it’s worked pretty good so far.

As mentioned in a previous post I was watching a video of a trainer demonstrate the supplement protocol he recommends athletes take during a workout. You would think he was training junkies. At least 40 pills every workout. Each to their own! However, it just ain’t my thing.

Instead, I believe we need to keep it real. This includes balancing protein with carbohydrates, eating the right amount of calories that matches our expenditure, and not being afraid of things like bread, fruit, and the occasional sweet.

I am going to show you what a trainer eats. I will also show what a typical day cycle looks like, so one matches the other.

Continue reading What a trainer eats

The TLA is currently enjoying a renaissance of woman clients.

We believe this is a positive trend.

The shift took place last year as our TLA brand moved toward results integrated athletic program design matched with an atmosphere conducive with exercising.

We find women have one goal: they want to look damn good.

Looking damn good demands that many key components need to be in synch.

Continue reading Training women

May 30, 2011

Just finished watching a video of the supplement protocol some elite athletes follow in preparation of a workout.

In the video the athletes swallowed capsules to reduce release of cortisol, tablets to increase neural drive, BCAA & Beta Alanine capsules, electrolyte powder for mineral loss, etc. etc. Approximately forty capsules for one workout.

Last week’s episode of sixty minutes we had Tour de France rider Tyler Hamilton discuss his supplement program which included testosterone eye drops, EPO, & blood doping.

Rather than stimulating I find this information depressing.

Is this what it takes to become elite?

Are regular visits to the local pharmaceutical company with the goal of frequent pill popping a pre-requisite to achieving a high quality result.

Continue reading Nae pills

Sometimes I feel sorry for a client.

A few days ago was one of those instances.

It was the end of week 2 and I asked a client how things were going.

Nonchalantly he said to me “keeping fit is like a full time job.”

He was right.

When clients take part in the TLA Challenge we are often dealing with a list of symptoms including excess lard, high blood pressure, low energy levels, poor self motivation combined with far from optimum eating and sleeping habits, low awareness on recovery, nagging injuries and aches, and an “old school mentality” towards what is effective.

Continue reading A full time job

Self motivation & discipline do not come naturally to most people.

In exercise, this is especially true.

We know exercise is good for us. We are fully aware of the plethora of health & esthetic benefits it provides including making us look better, feel better, increasing energy & focus, reducing stress,blah, blah, blah.

Despite these pretty amazing benefits having the motivation to “just do it” more often than not becomes a colossal endeavor.

Not enough time. Too busy. Boring. Too hard. Too much trouble. Not enough knowledge. The excuses are endless.

Perhaps this is why we feel disdain for the individual who seems to exercise with ease.

Individuals who always eat right & are motivated to forever go.

One thing is for sure. I am not that guy.

Continue reading Self motivation

Wee story.

Individual sees a physio for an injury.

After the assessment client asks the physio how long it will be before the injury is healed.

The physio says “it depends on whose the boss!”

The physio continues ” If I’m the boss it will take six weeks. If I’m the boss for some of the time and you are the boss for some of the time it will take twelve weeks. If you decide to be the boss for the whole time it may never heal.”

The TLA Challenge is very much like the physio story.

Continue reading Who’s the boss?


It’s not often I envy the work of researchers.

However, in this recent particular research project a team of British researchers may well have pulled off the best job in the world in pursuit of the perfect female bum.

To achieve the perfect bum according to Dr.David Holmes a psychology lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University this is what one needs. The perfect female derriere has firmness to the touch and a resilience that prevents undue wobble or bounce, yet looks soft with flawless skin,”

While it may look complicated, getting to the bottom of the formula is easy, Holmes insists.

First, a woman assesses her assets on a scale from 1 to 20 (1 being worst and 20 best) in the following categories:

Continue reading The best gluteus maximus/medius

First we noticed Kim in those big round shoes that look like the bottom of a weeble wobble.

Then it was Scarlett running with gloves on her feet.

Both trying to lose lard way too hard.

As they try to lose their stubborn fat the TLA noticed that both body conscious celebrities had something in common.

This something could very well be the key in keeping their lard a continuous issue.

Girls! It ain’t your diet that’s making you fat, it’s your crazy shoes.

A wee recommendation: train like an athlete & keep it real.

A debate had started with a client. The client said, ” I need to lose weight. I have to do more cardio.”

I asked, “To lose weight, why do you have to do more slow, low intensive, longer duration activity that burns at best 600 calories/hour, is easy to plateau on and will comprimise strength?”

He said, “Because it makes me lose the fastest.”

Does it really? Not in my experience.

My job is to get results. Time period to achieve this: usually one to three months. Therefore, using what’s optimum is essential. This usually means progressive overload, recovery, positive nutritional changes & coaching.

On the other end of the spectrum most exercise programs have a different goal. They just want exercisers to exercise. So they entertain, amuse, keep clients busy, utilize programs that are idiotic in their overall design and create the illusion a work out is exhausting the client. This leads to a whole bunch of weird exercise myths which pursue. One is cardio will make you lose fat.

Continue reading Going out of business