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A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 2,400 times in 2011. If it were a cable car, it would take about 40 trips to carry that many people.

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As time went on she trained with Kirk, the owner of the gym, then Ryan,  the manager of the gym, then me… the “self proclaimed” best trainer in the gym.  None of us could get the job done.  It bothered me bad, and still has until today.

I view the relationship with my clients like I would if I was a basketball coach.  I will always do my best to prepare you to play, and call the right plays at the right times… BUT MY PLAYERS HAVE TO WIN THE GAME.  I do my best to get to know the person and build a relationship with the person and educate them the best I can, so they can make the best decisions possible every chance they get.  I feel as if the smarter you are, the easier it is to be healthy.  In order to do that, I really have to be able to get through to my clients on why and what we are doing is so important.  After they figure that out… life is easy.  Or so it should be.

Laurie left Wild Basin, went to another gym, used another coach, and got results.  Results I know I could have given her and should have been able to get her, but didn’t.  Laurie and I have always been brutally honest with each other and always will be because we know how to be.  Thats what makes us close.  We want the best for each other, and if your not honest, those things won’t happen.

Laurie called me today to celebrate reaching her 15lb fat loss goal and we both basked in the glory!  She talked about how great she felt, and how fun being healthy is, and how she understands things better now, etc, etc, etc.  We talked for about 30-45 minutes about our relationship and how awesome it was and how we learned from each other and actually shared some new insights on how we can continue to get better.  It really made my day!  She mentioned something about knowing that we could have done it together but she wasn’t in the right place at that time.  (She was just being nice.  It’s part of my job to get my clients to “that place”… Thanks for being sweet though Laurie

I want you guys to understand this.  I’ve written about this several times.  LOVE YOURSELF!  You have to love who you are as a person to be able to be successful in anything in life.  Love that your smart, love that your nice, love that your hard working, love that you have great morals, love that your caring, love that you are a great mom or dad, love that your healthy.  Love yourself even though you might be a few pounds over weight.  Love yourself even though you might be short.  Love yourself even though your a cluts and have no athletic ability.  All of that is okay!  If you are not comfortable being YOU… losing weight or anything of the sort is going to be hard to accomplish, because you have more important things to work on first.

Laurie finally regained her confidence.  You could say she got her “groove back!”  Then she decided I’m going to go do what I’ve been wanting to do for 3 years now… and she did it in only a few months!  I could not be more proud.  I love it when people figure it out… and then live it!

For all of you who are struggling with reaching your goals, no matter what they are… sit back and think about what you REALLY need in life first.  Dig deep into the nasty nitty gritty shit in your life and deal with that first.  Then come out swinging and reaching every goal you set!  Use Laurie as an example.  It is possible.  Love yourself first!  Then put EFFORT into being successful!

Have a great day!

Be Fit.  Be Confident.

Zach Williams: www.teamworkheadquarters.com

Ryan Roberts Official UT Jersey

I wanted to take a minute to congratulate all my college athletes on a powerful summer of training!  I was lucky enough to have trained two volleyball players, one baseball player and one football player.  Sometimes we worked out privately.  Sometimes we all worked out together.  We even had some “has been’s” join in.  Typically when it was time to run hills for 30 minutes, that’s when the “seasoned veteran’s” had to call it quits

The main reason I’m writing this blog is because I got a ton of great news all in one week about all of my players, and I wanted to let everyone on my list know how great they are doing.  Plus I want all of my young athletes to understand that no matter your size, or shape, or injury history etc…if you train hard and train smart, playing at the next level is possible!  I believe in that!

As you can see to the left, that is an authentic University of Texas Longhorns jersey with the name Roberts on the back.  That would be Cedar Park’s Ryan Roberts, one of the best DB’s the school has ever seen.  He had a great senior year and ended up getting some looks from a few Division 1 schools.  Not only is he a great athlete, he’s extremely smart too, finishing #9 in his senior class academically!  For all you athletes that are teetering on the edge between Division 1 or a lower level of  sports, having good grades makes it a lot easier for those coaches to pick you!  Remember that.

Back to Ryan… He called me up one day and said, “Hey Zach, I have an opportunity to try out for the UT Football team, so I was wanting to know if you could help get me ready for that?”  Of course I would and I said, “are you ready for that?”  We started the next day… How’s that for an answer! Our goal was to train 5-6 days a week, and we did most of the time.  I had to leave a day for him to play golf too.  He’s in love with golf.  He’s not bad at that either.  Most all of our workouts were outside running sprints, (nothing passed ten yards for speed), pushing sleds, pulling sleds (sometimes 100yards at a time for conditioning), swinging kettelbells, throwing balls, getting crazy with battling ropes, and insane hill workouts!  When we weren’t doing that, we were in the gym deadlilfting, squatting, pressing and pulling really heavy weights!  He worked his butt off this summer!  We tried to be as mentally prepared, and as mentally tough as we could be for that try out.

Well… it paid off baby!!! Congratulations to Ryan Roberts for making the University of Texas Football Team and getting in to the School of Business!  Way to go buddy!  I’m proud of you!

Thanks for the action shot Lani... You do look cute though

Lani, from Lake Travis, plays at Clarkson University up in New York.  She came in the first day, she needed to lose some weight (like any athlete in the summer) and after several tests, was not in playing shape at all.  I told her what to eat, and she implemented it immediately.  She didn’t like it at first, but she learned to love it.  And still calls and texts me with questions and progress!  When it was all said and done at the end of the summer, she was training five days a week.  Her weight was down 21lbs!  Her mentality and her demeanor all changed.  The way she jumped and landed, and moved side to side to get to balls was so smooth!  She was up early every day and in the gym right as the sun was coming up.  (That was huge for a girl who HATED getting up early).  You could feel that she wanted to get better.  All of a sudden my workouts weren’t hard enough for her.  As a matter of fact, on the last day, I tested her again (the same test as the first day)… she almost tripled her score, and looked at me when she was done, like “whats next?”  WHOA!  Her coach gave her some extremely positive feedback, complimenting her on her vertical, and her ability to move better.  Plus her leadership skills and all around swagger on the court are the highest level they’ve been.  Last year her combined assisted blocks was 5 and this year she already has 4 in only 3 tournaments!!!Also, Lani joined the division 3 elite setters this week, tied for 49th in nation! And, I bet you after this weekend’s tournament, she’ll move up even higher.  Get em Lani!

Then you’ve got Kristen.  She’s from up in Ohio.  Comes down to Austin to visit her aunt in the summer.  You can tell she’s an athlete just by looking at her.

Zach: “What sport do you play?

Kristen: “I used to run track at Xavier.  And now I play volleyball for Otterbein University.”

Up up and away

Zach: “What position?”

Kristen: “Outside hitter.”

Zach: “Oh, that explains the slabs of muscle you don from the waist down…”

Kristen: … awkward silence…

I’m completely kidding.  I didn’t say that last part!  Hahaha!

I saw the workouts she was doing and thought I would be able to add to those workouts a little bit to help improve some overall speed and power to her athleticism.  She was being smart and lifting a lot of weights and her overall strength was good, so I thought by adding some sprints into the mix and a little Olympic lifting, we would be able to get a little more power out of her body.  Kristen was a great listener and a very quick learner.  She sent a text last week and told me that she scored her personal best in all three tests:

Bench: went from 150 to 155 (which I really don’t care about.  Unless your a lineman in football, whats the point)

Pull Ups: went from 5 to 8

Vertical Touch: went from 9’6″ to 9’7″

Woohoo!  As a strength coach I love hearing that!!  Kristen and I didn’t get to train as often as we liked due to scheduling issues, but I never ever doubted that she was in the gym on her own training to get better every single day!  Kristen is a work horse.  Last year her career best kills in a game was 12, this year so far is 16!  Way to go Kristen!

My boy Jaryd from Bastrop… yes, you heard me correctly!  BASTROP!  His house barely made it through the fire, and his mom is okay!  Thank the Lord above!

Throw'n heaters!

Jaryd plays for Mountain View College in Dallas, TX.  Jaryd drove one hour to come and see me 2 and three times a week.  One hour!  That’s at least three hours a day!  How bad do you think this guy wants to get better?!   We spent a lot of time correcting some joint issues and getting him as strong as possible.  He came to me in the same shape Lani was in… they weren’t! (Love you guys).  Jaryd threw up on the first day of testing!  We had to change his eating habits and get this guy strong and fit.  Obviously he was willing to work.  We took about 1.5 hours for every session.  Nice long and smart warm up, train hard for 45, warm down for 15 or so.  Drink a gatorade, eat some healthy food.  This guy was ready to take care of his body.  He improved tremendously!  On his last day… test day… he tripled his score also (without throwing up)!!!  I spoke to Jaryd last night and he’s got 7 different schools looking at him!!  Let’s get to the next level!  Good work Jaryd.  I’m proud of you bud!

I am taking no credit for any of their success.  I’ll be the first to tell you that the athlete makes the coach.  If someone were to look at my programing, they could probably tear it apart with red marks all over the place, and make me look like a fool.  What I want most of you to know is that I didn’t get “sport specific” with their training until the last two weeks of the summer.  I trained all of them as “athletes,” not sport specific athletes.  We all sprinted, and trained with ropes and kettlebells, dynamax balls and agility ladders, sleds and etc.  Those pieces of equipment aren’t just for football players, they’re for all athletes.  All I know is, I tried my hardest to put them in a position to be successful.  I felt as if I could program the right things on the right days… the rest is up to them.  And they took it upon themselves to get better.  With all my younger athletes included… this was hands down the best summer of training I have ever had.  If you put the time in (10,000 hours), train with the right intensity, and train smart, you can play at the next level.

Thanks guys and girls for a great summer.  I’m proud of each of you.  Our future together only gets better.

Be Fit.  Be Confident.

Zach Williams: www.teamworkheadquarters.com

As coaches, we are in a position of leadership.  Each of you come to Ashley or I for advice on what to eat and how to train in order to feel and look better, along with many other goals you would like to reach.  Often times we use ourselves as examples in order to teach or try and help you be successful.  By no means do we tell you these things and expect you to be like us or live like us or etc.

We use ourselves as examples because we continue to learn and implement those elements into our lifestyle.  We try our hardest to PRACTICE WHAT WE TEACH.   We have found a system that works great for us.  We want you guys to find what works great for you. (We also continue to look for better ideas… to become better at what we do.  Never settle!)

If there is something we do that works for you, then by all means do it.  If there is something better, then do what’s better.  The reason we give the advice we give is because we listen, we learn, and we implement.  We are taking bits and pieces of our education and all of our crazy lives and giving you the best information we can give you at the time in order for you to be successful.

Now, YOU have to implement these tid bits of genius and YOU have to EARN YOUR SUCCESS!

LIBBY’S LEAN MUSCLE PANCAKES

Nutritional Information: Makes 6 pancakes – 2 pancakes/serving 283 calories

10.5g fat; 24g carbs; 21g protein

6 egg whites, beaten until fluffy

1/2 c. low-fat cottage cheese

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

1/2 c. oatmeal, uncooked

1/4 c. wheat germ (Bob’s Red Mill Wheat Germ)

1/4 c. flax seed (Bob’s Red Mill Whole Grain Flaxseed Mill)

1 tsp. baking powder

1 T. canola oil

1/2 t. cinnamon

1. Place all ingredients except beaten egg whites in a food processor and pulse or blend until mixture is uniform.

2. Pour blended ingredients into a bowl and add the egg whites. Fold until just blended.

3. Prepare a griddle with cooking spray. Ladle pancake mixture onto griddle and cook until both sides are browned.

4. Skip the syrup and top with fresh fruit, a bit of unsweetened apple sauce, or fruit syrup (1/2 c. berries + 1 T. water – mash berries, mix in a medium saucepan & bring to a boil. When fruit is uniformly hot and begins to get syrupy, remove from heat).

Teamwork Headquarters Sample Grocery Shopping List

6 x Peaches

1 x Strawberry Box

3 x Raspberry Boxes

2 x Blueberry Boxes

3 x Blackberry Boxes

1 x Large Spinach Box

2 x Avocado

1 x Litehouse Balsamic Dressing

1 x Grape Tomato Box

5 x Green Apples

1 x Red Onion

2 x Sweet Potatoes

A lot x Whole Green Beans  (sometimes canned green beans)

A lot x Whole Broccoli

1-2 x Asparagus Bunches

1 x Mushroom Bag

2 x Cucumbers

2 x Squash

2 x Red Peppers

2 x Green Peppers

10 x Bananas

1 x Frozen Bag of Tilapia

4 x Potato Crusted Cod  (sometimes: Tuna Steak, Salmon, Trout, or Halibut)

2 x 1lb Ground Turkey 99% Lean

2-4lb Chicken Breast

3 x 1 ½ Dozen Extra Large Eggs

~1.5lb of Steel Cut Oats from the Bulk Section

~1lb of Quinoa from the Bulk Section

~1lb of Couscous from the Bulk Section

~1lb of Trail Mix from the Bulk Section

2 x Edamame Bags from freezer section

1 x Olive Oil Spray

(That is pretty much what our list looks like every week.  Other things we might purchase are: Sun Vista canned Black Beans, Sun Vista canned Pinto Beans, Natural Peanut Butter, celery, raisins, popcorn, various nuts, organic natural butter, whole grain bread from the freezer section, canned tuna in water, lean ground beef, oatmeal from the bulk section, honey… and I’m sure a few other things I’ve left out)

We hope this helps.  There are a lot of fun things you can make with healthy food.  Go search for new ideas.  Create a list before you go to the store.  Try and plan your week the best you can, before you create your list.  Then try your hardest to fulfill your plan for the week.  REALLY TRY YOUR HARDEST.

Be Fit.  Be Confident.

Zach Williams: www.teamworkheadquarters.com

Be Fit. Be Confident.  Zach Williams

What They NEVER Told You About Eggs

By Cassandra Forsythe-Pribanic, PhD, RD
The Egg: this three letter word invokes almost as much fear into the hearts of Americans as our other favorite “deadly” three-letter word: F-A-T.

However, it’s finally time to crack the misconception that eggs are bad for our health, because they’re absolutely not.
It’s unfortunate, but many people still think that you cannot eat more than one egg per day, or even more than 3 eggs per week because if you do, you’ll develop high blood cholesterol levels and fatty arteries. But, this could not be farther from the truth.

So, why do we think this way?

In the 1960’s consumers were first “warned” about eggs as being a major player in the development of heart disease… without any conclusive evidence to back up this claim. News articles overwhelmingly focused on the egg- cholesterol – heart disease link when there was no real proof for this message.

Eggs were so demonized that egg substitute products became all the rage for cooking and baking, but they were no better, and sometimes far worse, than the whole egg itself.

Today, consumers need to understand that eggs are not evil, but in fact are healthy and important components of our diets.

High Protein Quality

First and foremost, eggs an inexpensive source of high quality protein that almost everyone can enjoy in various ways – from scrambled eggs to deviled eggs to green eggs and ham, eggs are a versatile way to quickly and easily get more protein in your diet. And, they’re not just for breakfast, but for lunch and dinner too!

In terms of protein quality, most foods rich in protein are measured in terms of the availability of that protein to effectively promote growth (cell growth), and this term is known as biological value.

Based on the amino acids contained in an egg and its ability to stimulate growth, egg protein is only second to mother’s milk for human nutrition.

On a scale, with 100 representing top efficiency, these are the biological values of proteins in several foods:

Biological Value of Protein Foods

Nutrition Powerhouses

Secondly, eggs are powerhouses of nutrition:

•    Eggs are among the few sources of naturally occurring vitamin D and K, which are known for cancer protection and longevity.

•    Eggs contain the highest source of dietary choline (125mg/egg), which is a nutrient necessary for proper nervous system development and structural integrity of cell membranes; particularly, choline is necessary for brain development in infants to impart lifelong enhancement of memory and attention.

•    They supply 6.3grams of high quality protein, 5 grams of fat primarily consisting of an even balance of saturates and monounsaturates, with less polyunsaturates, and barely no carbohydrates at all; they’re the perfect low carbohydrate food.

•    Some designer eggs contain up to 200 mg of DHA, the essential omega-3 fatty acid needed by all humans for normal development and functioning, and prevention of depression and memory loss.

•    The whole egg contains 166 mcg of lutein and zeaxanthin, two super antioxidants that contribute to eye health and prevent common causes of age-related blindness; research shows that the bioavailability of these nutrients from eggs is higher than other foods with higher contents.

Eggs Do NOT Cause Heart Disease

In November 2010, a paper was published by Canadian medical researchers entitled, “Dietary cholesterol and egg yolks: not for patients at risk of vascular disease”.

The authors stated that: “Patients at risk of cardiovascular disease should limit their intake of cholesterol. Stopping the consumption of egg yolks after a stroke or myocardial infarction would be like quitting smoking after a diagnosis of lung cancer: a necessary action, but late.”

However, prior to this paper, over the past 10 years, numerous studies, both clinical and observational, were published with the findings that there is no connection between egg consumption and heart disease risk, especially in healthy individuals.

For example, Dr Maria-Luz Fernandez and colleagues have been investigating egg nutritional health for more than a decade and have published findings such as:

•    “Revisiting Dietary Cholesterol Recommendations: Does the Evidence Support a Limit of 300 mg/d?”. Overall, no study has yet shown an association between egg intake and risk for heart disease and there is no compelling epidemiological or clinical trial results that show compelling evidence for limiting cholesterol intake to 300 mg/day or restricting egg consumption.

•    “Dietary Cholesterol from Eggs Increases Plasma HDL Cholesterol in Overweight Men Consuming a Carbohydrate-Restricted Diet”. Raising HDL cholesterol is often called impossible, but is necessary to protect against plaque build-up in your arteries (HDL carries it away). This study shows that it can be easily increased in overweight men (a population very susceptible to heart disease) by reducing carb intake and using eggs in the diet regularly.

•    ‘Pre-menopausal women, classified as hypo- or hyper-responders, do not alter their LDL/HDL ratio following a high dietary cholesterol challenge”. When 50 pre-menopausal women (another very susceptible heart disease population) were given either an egg a day plus cholesterol from other foods, or a cholesterol-free egg substitute for 30 days, did not experience the development of an ‘atherogenic lipoprotein profile” regardless if they were hyper or hypo-responders to dietary cholesterol.

Overall, dietary cholesterol from eggs does NOT cause heart disease, rather a lifestyle and a diet high in foods that elicit increased inflammation, hyperglycemia and oxidative stress induces increased atherosclerotic build-up and increased risk for heart attack or stroke (among other diseases).

As such, it is wise to follow a diet low in sugar, void of processed foods, artificial chemicals (flavors and colors), preservatives and pesticides and avoid smoking and excessive alcohol consumption, and replace it with a whole foods, natural, plant-rich diet balanced in protein, carbohydrates and fat to minimize heart disease risk.

Avoiding eggs is not the answer – in fact, including eggs in your wholesome diet will actually benefit you more . Two eggs provide 13 grams of protein, ~10 grams of fat, and plenty of nutrients you barely find in any other foods. This will keep you satisfied, healthy and energized for hours after any meal and will help you choose other healthy foods at the right times.

However, If you choose not to live a healthy lifestyle with whole foods, adequate sleep, plenty of exercise and minimal toxins, and/or you already have heart disease, you may be advised to limit your intake of egg yolks because it may acerbate your current situation.

Eric showed up on Thursday, showing me that he read my blog... ready to workout

Man, how cool is that picture! I loved to see that!  Just goes to show the strong relationships we’ve built and how much fun we have together.

Here is an email I received from our friend Libby, who trains with Ashley at Gold’s Gym:  ”I loved this, Zach!! Such true, honest information. Now if only I could get my 2 year old to eat the healthy things on his plate, we’d be golden! Thanks for sharing!! Libby “

Here is another email I received from our friend Melinda at Wild Basin:  You crack me up!!!!!  How do you really feel????  I will take you up on the offer of grocery shopping with me for healthier options.  We do eat healthy but I know I probably let the kids splurge more than I should.  Seriously, thanks for keeping us motivated and giving us your input.  I DO listen and try to implement the best I can!!!  Melinda “

I received several more emails just like this, I received 3 phone calls, and spurred about 2 to 3 hours of conversation at the gym.  Like I said, the feed back was great!  Melinda and I are going to plan a trip to the grocery store together.  Kristen and I will be going to the grocery store together also, and I am going to put as much information in front of you as I can to help all parents keep their kids healthy.  I learned so much.  Thank you for your feed back.

On Saturday, I talked to my buddy Mike Smeeds at the gym about choosing healthy options for his kids.  (If y’all don’t know Mike and Kirsten Smeeds yet, you need to meet them.  They are who Ashley and I try to be like and want to be like for the rest of our lives.  They are super fun, and super fit.)  He told me that it drives him crazy.  Mike and Kirsten are extremely fit and love being healthy and fit, so obviously they try to pass that down to their children.  They constantly eat healthy and lead by example, and even then, it’s like pulling teeth sometimes to get their kids to eat healthy.  Libby’s son literally picks anything “green” in his food out, and won’t eat it; and he’s only 2!  Melinda’s kids are sick of eating eggs for breakfast.  David’s son likes to sleep in past breakfast.  Hell!  All of us adults and parents act and feel that same way.  I get it.  KIDS WILL BE KIDS!  And I want kids to be kids.  I just want them to be super fit and super healthy kids who are confident and energetic and reaching their goals!

We will do what we can to help you guys come up with some varieties on breakfast foods and dinners for your kids.  In the mean time, the only advice I can give you (which many of you have hear me repeat thousands of times) is to KEEP LEADING BY EXAMPLE.  Your kids might not want to eat chicken and spinach when they’re 13 years old, but they probably will when they’re 17, or when they’re in college going to the grocery store, or out on a date making healthy decisions.  They would never know what to eat, or what options to choose, or etc., if you didn’t put those ideas and examples in front of them at home.  It’s going to be hard.  Nothing in life is easy.  But hard work pays off.  We all know that.  Stick to your guns.  I believe in you.

Until I come up with a genius idea, I have some AWESOME friends, who are increadibley fun and smart when it comes to food.  Please go check out my friend Melanie Flinn (mother of 3) at http://www.nutritiouseats.com/.  I worked with her for 2 years.  She is so understanding and has great ideas for families.  You will love building a relationship with her and love learning from her.

If you live in Austin TX (preferably Cedar Park to Lakeway) and need food right now for your family, contact Kelly Bruneman.  She makes eating healthy fun and she’s does all the work for you.  She’s got an incredible recipe book also.  You can’t go wrong eating Kelly’s meals.  Contact her at kelly0412@hotmail.com.

If your at the gym, stop and bother Mike and Kirsten and listen to them for a minute.  Don’t mess up their training session that day, bc that’s against the rules.  Wait until they are done, grab a few good ideas, thank them, and let ‘em go.  Then go try to be healthy like they are.

And SHE’S PROBABLY GOING TO KILL ME FOR FOR PUTTING THIS ON THE WEB, BUT… email one of our best friends Meredith at greene01@gmail.com.  She’ll have great ideas for you that she uses on her kids and husband.  She’s a working mother of 2 beautiful twin girls.  She also became certified to be a trainer last year and does that on the side after working 40 hours a week, not because she needs to, but because she loves fitness.  She’ll tell you that its not easy, but she tries her hardest to provide healthy meals to her family and teach them about healthy options.  You can see her and her family on our website at teamworkheadquarters.com

Be Fit.  Be Confident.

Zach Williams www.teamworkheadquarters.com

Now-a-day’s, I here all my parents friends and people a lot younger than they are talking about how much they want to be like my parents and what a good example they set all the time.  Both of my parents are 60 years old, they look like they are 45 and as active as they were when they were in their 30′s!  Being healthy pays off!

Now, to the topic of my discussion.  I learned at a young age what eating healthy did for my performance in the weight room and on the court.  I now try to pass those things along to my young athletes and also the adults I train.  Right now I  have 7 middle school athletes, 5 high school athletes, 4 college athletes, and 1 professional athlete.  Only one of those athletes does exactly what I ask at all times… you guessed it, my professional athlete.  I know that all you parents want your kids to play college sports, because you tell me so.  I know you at least see that they have the potential.  I do too!  A lot of them have the talent, but lack the genetics.  How can we combat the lack of genetics by being un healthy?

Here’s the problem.  I am expected to work miracles in 10 weeks (approx. 20 training sessions) during the summer.  I am supposed to make these kids bigger, faster, stronger, quicker, more powerful, more agile, improve their verticle, improve the conditioning level, maybe have them lose a little weight, etc., etc., etc.  I am always up for the challenge and believe that I can do all those things.  The hard part, is that I have to do that with kids that are under rested, poorly hydrated, and  mal-nourished.

I tell these kids every time I see them what to eat, what not to eat, and to drink plenty of water and get tons of rest.  I’ve got parents telling me they want their son to get huge muscles, and their daughters to be lightning fast.  Then when I ask the kids what they ate for breakfast that day before workout and they tell me they had some sort of kids cereal (which is sugar overload, and causes bloating etc), because thats all they had time for because they stayed up until 3am playing with their friends and wanted to get some extra rest before our training session, what am I to do with that?!  Your kid is on sugar overload, has had absolutely no rest, and now will not be able to perform to their best ability that day because of these things.

Parents!  I know how smart you are.  I know that you stay up on your health and fitness information (especially if you read our blog).  When was the last time you read a nutrition performance article and it mentioned cereal, or pop tarts, or ice cream or soda or hot dogs and burgers? When was the last time you read an article on how to get “buff” and it mentioned any of those things?  When was the last time you read an article and it said that you can get skinny eating those things?  Please go back and read our articles over the last two years.  If you want to be healthy, you need to get tons of rest, drink tons of water, and eat lean meat, fruits and veggies with a limited amount of grains.

This what I need  help with.  BACK ME UP!  If you want your kids to get bigger, faster, stronger, quicker etc., then quit buying them kids cereal, and pop tarts and high fat processed foods.  Don’t let them stay up until 3 in the morning.  Help make them a healthy breakfast in the morning and a healthy dinner at night.  Make sure they get rest and drink plenty of water.  I cannot do this alone.  We need constant support and encouragement.  If they don’t like the healthy change… so be it… they will learn to like it.  Like I have said before in a previous “parent” article… LEAD BY EXAMPLE!!!!

Ashley and I try very hard to lead by example for all of you and your children, please continue that effort in your home.  Let’s get results together.  The healthier your kids are, the better results they are going to get.

A note to all my athletes: being the best in your sport is extremely fun, but FAR FROM EASY!  If you are trying to get to the next level, being the best on your team should be the easiest thing you do.  That’s a no brainer.  Being one of the best in the state should be your goal.  That takes an extremely discipline work ethic.  Some have said you have to put 10 thousand hours of work in to get to the next level (college, professional etc.)  That work starts with you in your home, sleeping and eating the right foods, then translates to the weight room, training sessions out doors, and then to your respective sport.  Make your life and your performance better, by being as healthy as you can be at all times.  I will do my best all times, to put you in the position to be successful, it’s up to you to make that happen.  LET’S DO THIS!

Be Fit.  Be Confident.

Zach Williams, www.teamworkheadquarters.com

My first hand experiences, coupled with all the reading and research I’ve done on sugar the last couple of years has me really down on it’s consumption by anyone at any time.

I honestly believe that it’s not really fit for human consumption.  That is, of course, if optimal health and maximal performance are something that interests you.

It’s been said that one teaspoon of sugar lowers your immune system response for four hours.

Hell, just about anything physical ailment you can think of is made worse by sugar.

Do you have any of the following?

•    A cold
•    Joint pain
•    Adrenal fatigue
•    ADD,
•    Cancer
•    Kidney or liver problems
•    Osteoporosis
•    Chronic fatigue
•    Fungus or parasites (as over 90% of all people do)

Sugar will only increase your suffering and make it harder to get better, no matter what it is you are dealing with. Literally every single organ in the body is negatively affected by sugar.

Like just about every other manmade food, sugar is unhealthy. Now, I know some people think sugar is natural, but it isn’t. Four hundred years ago sugar wasn’t even available. There was no such thing. We ate nothing but wholesome, nutritious foods that came from the earth naturally. The only food that came close was real, raw honey (which looks nothing like the stuff you get in most grocery stores).

One hundred years ago, the average person used to eat four pounds of sugar per year. Today, the average person consumes over 150 pounds of sugar per year, on average, with some people going as high as 295 pounds per year!

No wonder people are fat and sick.

For all of these reasons and countless others, I can no longer, in good conscience, recommend the consumption of sugar anymore. It’s too dangerous and causes far too many health problems.

That means no more pre, during or post workout shakes containing any sort of sugar like dextrose, waxy maize, maltodextrin, etc. People may think and even argue that these aren’t the same as table sugar. But once they get inside the body the adverse health reactions they cause will be the same.

You could still have a high quality, organic protein shake from grass fed whey or brown rice. But skip the sugar. If a guy looking to gain weight needs to add carbs to a protein shake throw a mashed sweet potato or some oats in there.

About a year ago I took the majority of my coaching clients off sugar. I also recommend that most members of theRenegade Inner Circle do the same.

What we have been doing is what everyone from Arthur Saxon to Vince Gironda to Arnold did post workout; simply eating some carbs like rice or potatoes. That’s a far healthier and better option than slugging a big glass of man made sugar.

You could go with something like sushi or some chicken and a sweet potato. Sure, the white rice in the sushi is technically a “faster” carb but I don’t think it will really make any difference in the end. As long as you refill your glycogen stores between the end of your last workout and the start of your next one you’ll be fine. All the crazy hype about the fastest acting carbs and all that is wildly exaggerated.

Truth be told, from what we have learned about the body, pre workout carbs really won’t hit the blood stream for a few hours anyway, so that whole practice is counterproductive and useless. It’s all just marketing hype to sell workout drinks.

I actually have all my coaching clients go into a workout on little to no carbs and then consume the majority of their carbs later in the day after training. There’s literally zero difference in performance. The added benefit is increased GH secretion and improved fat loss over the course of time.

The one situation where I still recommend a simple sugar is in the rare case of the painfully skinny ripped guy who just needs more easily consumed calories. For a few months, just to get the first 15-20 pounds on him, I’d let him do a post workout shake with some Swedish oat starch, then eat a meal with rice or potatoes an hour later. The skinny fat guy (aka a TRUE hardgainer) doesn’t get the same treatment simply because sugar will only make him fatter. Yes, even if it is post workout. Sugar is sugar.

How to Satisfy a Sweet Tooth
I love me some sweets. I can’t lie. So of course I need to find some way to get my fix. That’s why my favorite carbs are organic Garnett yams. When picking them make sure you get the reddest ones you can find. The redder the better. If they’re too yellow they will taste like carrots.

Wrap them tightly in tinfoil and bake in the oven on 450 for 90-120 minutes. When they’re done they should be like baby food and taste like sweet potato pie. I just scoop them out and mash them up with cinnamon. It’s like a dessert.

If you really wanted to get crazy you could mash them up and put them in a bowl in the freezer for a while. Then whip up some raw cream and top them with that for even more of a dessert.

Organic, raw honey is really the only healthy sugar alternative. It has prebiotic, immune and health supporting qualities to it. It can’t be cooked with since it’s unstable in heat. But you can make some delicious raw desserts with it. Something simple like mixing raw honey, raw cream and cocoa powder makes an incredible chocolate mousse.

Organic maple syrup is okay for occasional use in a dessert (like some of the delicious ones we have in the Renegade Recipe Guide) or on pancakes. Agave is not.

The Reality
Listen, I know that not everyone reading this is going to banish sugar from their diets instantly and never touch it again. We’re all going to slip up once in a while at a holiday gathering or a party. Knowing that, I think it’s doubly important to eliminate the regular consumption of workout drinks and other forms of fake sugar. Save it for the special occasions when you want to have a slice of organic pumpkin pie or chocolate cake. That makes a lot more sense. Ideally you’d never even want to do that but that’s probably asking a bit too much. I know I won’t be able to never have another slice of pie from now ‘til eternity.

Just remember, that it’s not remotely healthy and some forward thinking doctors have even classified sugar as a poison.

Let that sink in for a minute and go dump out your bottle of dextrose in the meantime.

Be Fit.  Be Confident.

Zach Williams, www.teamworkheadquarters.com

I then opened up the computer to read and send emails and check out the weather and came across a really neat article on Daily Finance, called “Lessons From Super Rich Dad’s.”  The article was written after interviewing the sons and daughters of people like Donald Trump, Warren Buffet, Peter Lynch and Charles Schwab.   There were several things that stuck out to me while reading this article and I’ll name a few shortly, but if you’d like to stop reading what I’m  writing about and read that article, go look at AOL Finance.  I hope you enjoy.  Come back to read what I have to say about my father.

I’ve learned a lot from my father over the years.  Admittedly I probably didn’t start asking for his advice until I was around 21 years old.  Bad mistake there.  Having grown up in a family full of construction workers who all owned their own business, you can bet your butt I was out in the field digging ditches and shoveling concrete around every free chance I had.  They made sure of that.  If I wasn’t doing that I was mowing lawns all around the neighborhood.  By 8th grade I had begun giving private basketball lessons to kids in 3rd, 4th and 5th grade for $50 per session.  That eventually led to me running my own private basketball camps in the summers during college.

Throughout all those years, my dad taught me to “go do it.”  If I want to do it; if I want it bad enough, then I’d have to rely on myself to get the job done.  Don’t wait on someone else or rely on someone else to help you out, go do it yourself.  The job will always be done exactly how you want it to be done when you do it yourself.  He also taught me that I’m capable of accomplishing anything I want, but that it would never be easy.  As long as I worked hard enough and smart enough,  it would be very rewarding in the end.

He also taught me to out work everyone else, no matter what.  That basically came from my basketball career.  Being an undersized player, I had to outwork everybody else on the court during practice, and during the game.  I had to be the toughest player out there.  Having spent several summers from the age of 13 pouring concrete with my dad, my brother and my cousin, I really felt like that gave me the upper hand on the court.  Having spent all those years getting up at 2am in the morning to go dig ditches and shovel concrete until 3 o clock in the afternoon, I felt like anything else I went through would be a piece of cake.  There wasn’t and still isn’t a coach (or boss) alive that could cuss me out and run me into the ground and make me quit or feel bad for that fact… because nothing those guys do or say is worse than what happens out in the field.  You grow up really quick out there.  It’s tough, but a great way to EARN your manhood.

My dad taught me many things over the years, not just to be an entrepreneur, what being tough really means or hard work ethics.  He taught me to be humble (something I had trouble with when I was younger); he taught me to be passionate; be thankful for everything we have and do and to understand why we are in the position we are in and to be grateful for that as well.

There are two things that stick out the most…

1. BE HONEST: which these days is extremely hard when living in such an UN-HONEST society.  It’s easy to be a hypocrite these days.  That’s not something we stand for.  Your relationships, your business, your all around life will always be better when your honest.  Life is more fun to live when your living an honest life.

2. LOVE: I know for a fact how much my dad loves me, my brother and my mom.  He shows it.  He says it.  He believes it.  He lives it.  I truly believe that love is the ONE key for everyone to be happy and successful.  I would not be at the level I am today or overcome what I have overcome if it were not for my fathers love.

Thanks for everything dad. I love you.

Here are a few quotes that stuck out to me from the article:

“Do your research, know what you own, interact with it, then make a decision” Peter Lynch’s advice to his daughter Annie

“You don’t have to swing at every pitch in life… money is the goal for many people.  My dad’s goal was being right.” Warren Buffet’s advice to his son Peter.

“I watched someone transfer values to me, not wealth” Peter Buffet speaking about his father.

“Every summer I was growing up I was either mowing lawns at our properties or laying tile with the stone masons, or some other job.  We also love our jobs and are often working 7 days a week.  We knew our family had a reputation to uphold.  The family name is very important to us and we’d never let that get disgraced.” Lessons learned by Eric Trump from his father Donald Trump.

“What I learned from him is that you should have passion for whatever it is you do, and that you should do whatever is right for people.” Advice from Charles Schwab to his daughter Carrie.

Stay tuned for mothers day…

Be Fit.  Be Confident.

Zach Williams  www.teamworkheadquarters.com