Q&A with Fraser Quelch

Today head coach Sean Connolly asks Fraser Quelch, the director of training and development for Fitness Anywhere® and the creator of the TRX training program, about his career in health and fitness.

Fraser is an expert in functional training and endurance athletics, has presented at events worldwide and is featured in 19 fitness DVDs. Fraser holds a bachelors degree in physical education. In 2011, Fraser was awarded the international honour of being crowned the IDEA Program Director Of The Year Award.

How did you first get started in the health and fitness industry?
I have always been passionate about sport from a very young age. Training was part of it and it was natural that I pursue something in the field in my education. I began personal training at Gold’s Gym in Vancouver, Canada a long time ago right after University and my career slowly developed from there

What has travel taught you about your body as well as your health?
Sure - in short - travel messes with your body and your health.

BIG time zone changes wreak havoc on your natural rhythms and changes in routines often make it difficult to keep your training on the rails. Additionally different food from different cultures can also effect the quality of your nutrition or upset your digestive system (so to speak) In terms of training, the Suspension Trainer has been a true godsend as no matter where I am I can get a great workout. The hardest part is the psychological element of it. Here are a few tips to ease the pain of international travel:

Start trying to adjust your schedule the day before you leave. This makes the transition to a vastly different time zone a little less of a shock to the system and usually allows for better sleep while in the air.  Try to go to a grocery store either on the way to or right after checking into your hotel. This ensures that you have some control over breakfasts, lunches and snacks. 

Bring your Suspension Trainer with you and before leaving check for parks, interesting running routes or other activities that your locale will allow for. Traveling for work is often a great opportunity to try some new things that are not available where you live. Case in point, facing a long flight delay last year after FILEX I was able to sneak in a surf at Manly Beach (a real treat for me as the surfing is not so good in Banff where I live). Case #2 While in Beijing with a flight not leaving until late in the afternoon I hired a driver to take me to the Great Wall and hiked for a few hours. 

Wherever you are - the first day get up with the sun (no matter how hard that might be) and either simply sit and pull in the morning rays or practice yoga - This is a tip I learned from Paul Chek as we were commiserating over our respective travel schedules. It really works to adjust your body’s rhythms.
Try to get a light workout in as soon as you arrive at your destination. This will also help to get you adjusted to the new time. 

Relish being home - wherever you live is a blessing that most people take for granted

When I has been fortunate enough to sit and have dinner with you and many other international health and wellness experts, we often mentioned a number of those who have come before us that have left a mark on us and the industry. Who out there has had a profound affect on you in the way of your education?

It is safe to say that I continue to learn from almost everybody. There are so many amazing minds out there that if we keep ours open - the sources of knowledge are almost endless. I learn from the people in my own sessions, my colleagues, even the stuff I observe around me and reflect on. Biggest influences - Gary Gray, Chuck Wolf, Lenny Parracino, Gray Cook, John Berardi, Alwyn Cosgrove, Chris Frankel, Todd Durkin, Anthony Carey, Justin Price, Michol Dalcourt, Richard Boyd, Thomas Meyers... This list could get pretty exhaustive but that’s a good start

What are some of the things that trainers need to be aware of when training their clients?
The single biggest thing we need to be aware of is that what we provide has to be outrageously fun and map to the passions of our clients. This is a mistake that as an industry we continue to make and our results reflect it. Trust me - the stats are staggering in terms of how ineffective we actually are. We continually make the assumption that our clients are just like us... THEY ARE NOT!!! - in most cases they don’t like exercise and are there because they feel like they have to be or should be. We are all bonded by play though and if we can wrap our performance based training in a layer of play that resonates with the client then we will start to do some amazing things

Is there a particular part of the world that you enjoy the most besides the mother-land (Canada)?
The world is an awfully big place with pretty much endless corners to explore. I love New Zealand and Australia. The people are kind of like Canadians but with better tans. Very down to earth, fun loving people who have a real thirst for life. I really enjoy the old provincial feel of northern Italy (the climbing in the dolomites doesn’t hurt either) and I find Asia fascinating. Home is in the mountains though and I always love coming back to the Canadian Rockies.

What is one thing that the health and fitness industry needs to work on the most? This would refer to the fads going around as well as the quality of trainer. What are your thoughts?

I think I will have to refer back to my answer to the question above re: the integration of play. This is a massive issue and will continue to be until we collectively take our rose colored glasses off and address it. Here is the IHRSA stat that prompted me to get pretty passionate about this and develop my Changing the Game concept.

17% of North Americans have a fitness membership of some description (gyms, tennis clubs etc and this is the highest percentage in the world) only 10% of those people use their membership once per week or more (this is a pretty low hurdle and bare enough to make any kind of meaningful impact).
This means that we are having a meaningful impact in the lives of less than 2% of the population!!!

Clearly something is broken and nobody is trying to fix it - mostly we just cover it up and hope that nobody notices while we continue on doing the same thing.

Is there any piece of advice you want to leave our up and coming trainers with? Famous last words perhaps?

Follow your passions and don’t be afraid to leap for your dreams - As you’re doing that though do not lose sight of the fact that it’s all about having an impact on the lives of others. If you can do this, your own stuff will follow in step and probably surpass what you could have imagined

Q&A with Eric Falstrault Part 2

Get ready for part 2 of Sean's interview with one of his mentors, Eric Falstrault from Bodhifit. Last week he spoke about discipline and finding balance, this week we look at the long-term affect of cardio and working with high profile athletes.

We see so many people using treadmills and cross-trainers and they all are still looking the same they did six months ago. We have seen some literature come out about the effects of long term use. What is your advice with using treadmills or even long term aerobic work?

I rarely use treadmills or any type of indoor boring cardio equipment. Like you mentioned previously, I hate wasting time and I have much better things to do than look at a treadmill console while walking at a pace that the treadmill dictates. You said it perfectly; everyone that uses these machines looks the same if not worse as when they started.

Maybe my reputation precedes me but I don’t get clients who are looking for boring stuff, so long cardio sessions are out of the equation. If I get the occasional cardio and heart health question, I go into details on what makes their heart work. Incorporating circuit training with most bang-for-your-buck exercises will always bring more results in the fastest times. I may use the treadmills for some intervals, if I have to or the weather does not permit, but I rather use my prowler.

On the subject of long term aerobics, I will use it on two occasions; because the client has never been active before and needs to build up his cardio vascular capacity, or I will use it for sport specific reasons such as marathons or ironman trainings.

From your blogs and other articles, we see you are dealing with some national and international athletes. What are a few important lessons that you have learnt from those athletes and how could you transfer them to the everyday normal gym goer?

1. Work hard, love what you do and repeat. Those who achieve greatness are always those who live and breathe their sports. Have you ever seen a successful athlete who does not like what he does? If you translate this into your everyday life, hating your job won’t make it easier. Either you love what you do and do extremely well at it, or you hate it and dread every single day of the rest of your life.

2. Follow your instinct. My client, who is one of the most successful NHL goalkeepers of all time with numerous records under his wings, was given a choice to either be a goalkeeper or a forward, which was the deciding career move prior to being recognized by the NHL scouts. Imagine if he would have chosen the other path...

3. A healthy and balanced lifestyle is the answer to longevity. Having a lifestyle that is reminiscent of Paris Hilton’s won’t help you achieve greatness in the sport you love. You have to be prepared to sacrifice a lot of things to achieve your goals, which will never come over night. The same goes for the regular Joe who wants to see his abs but can’t because he would rather go out with his friends 4 nights in a row to prove he’s the man! Sure you can take it easy once in a while and have fun, but getting there will just take a little bit longer.

Healthy food, heathy mind

This morning Deakin University released the results of a new study which found that people with healthy diets are less likely to have depression and anxiety – not only in Australia but around the world.

In the study, published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, researchers from Deakin University and the University of Bergen analysed data collected from over 5700 middle-aged and older adults from western Norway.

“We found that the higher the dietary quality of these men and women, the less likely they were to be depressed,” said Dr Felice Jacka from Deakin University’s Barwon Psychiatric Research Unit, who led the study.

“Increased dietary quality was also associated with less anxiety in women, while those people eating more junk and processed foods were more likely to be anxious. Even after taking into account other demographic and lifestyle factors, these findings persisted.”

Dr Jacka said that similar associations have been shown in Australian women, but not before in Norwegians. “We are starting to see a very consistent pattern here,” she said.

“We have now assessed dietary quality in a number of different ways, in different countries, with different measures of mental health. In each of these studies, the results look very similar. This lends weight to the contention that diet plays a role in depression and anxiety.”

Q&A with Eric Falstrault

Today on our blog Atlas Performance head coach Sean Connolly asks one his mentors, Eric Falstrault from Bodhifit, some pressing fitness questions.

The good news is this is just part one of the Q&A so make sure you like our Facebook page so you see when new instalments appear on this blog. In this first instalment Eric talks about discipline, healthy breakfasts and how to find a healthy balance.

Many of your blog posts follow a stream of being disciplined and smart in your training. You don't hold a lot of room for 'fluff'. Who gave you that advice and why was it so profound? 

I don’t get too many regular Joe’s that come to see me, as most of my clients are business professionals. Getting the job done fast and being able to get out of the gym with more energy than they came in with is what’s important for them. If they give me 45 minutes to train them, I use it as best I can with the most bang-for-your-buck exercises. Being efficient is always a priority for me and that is what I teach all of my clients; not only with their training and nutrition protocols but also how to incorporate it all into their everyday lives as well.

I’ve always believed that what we are is all a matter of balance. Too much of one thing suppresses another. Weight lifting is good for the body, but too much will deplete your energy. Seeking homeostasis should be our main goal, and then everything will fall into place, hopefully. However, complete balance is almost unachievable year round due to uncontrollable external stressors; this is where I come in. I came across those principles while doing an internship with Charles Poliquin in Arizona. He talked about his theory of the five elements and how we can relate to it with our training and nutrition. It was a big eye opener for me at that time and I am still using it today.

I like your comment about homeostasis. A lot of people are not centred, balanced or have some middle point that seems to keep them in check. What one of the biggest tell tale signs that someone is out of balance or homeostasis Eric and what can they do about it? 

There are a lot of signs and symptoms but the most common ones such as the inability to finish workouts or a big drop in strength from one set to the next, disturbed sleep patterns and reduced immunity. When under a lot of stress, the body will turn on its emergency system and put all of its focus on the vitals preserving as much energy as possible, therefore putting less effort into digestion and regeneration which are very important if you want to see progress. The problem nowadays is that stress response is exaggerated and is spread over long periods of time. Adrenals have no time to rebuild and most of us will run on empty which leads to reduced immune response. If some sickness is looming around the corner, you can be sure that you will run right into it.

You can’t obviously can’t tell someone to stay off of work or to reduce their stress levels just like that. Some of them don’t even know that they are putting their system into emergency mode since their stress has accumulated over years and years of repeated pounding and/or unbalanced lifestyle. Lifestyle management, whether they like it or not, is the only solution and this is where balance gets the job done. No matter how good results you can get by training four times a week, some people just can’t take it. Changing habits gradually will make those habits last, especially with stressed individuals.

In order of importance, I would make sure that they eat meat and nuts first thing in the morning, and then I would suggest supplements like fish oils and lastly, maybe try to fit in 2 or 3 workouts in a week. Most of them don’t eat in the morning, so starting with a great breakfast will bring up their energy and fish oil will take care of their serotonin levels (the feel good hormone). Once this is taken care of, including 2 or 3 workouts a week seems more logical to them since their energy level has increased. Improve how they feel and everything is possible.

Why Interval Training is Good for You

The other week we wrote about why traditional cardio is bad for you. Now we're here to tell you why interval training is good for you! As the name states interval training is purely workouts composed of high intensity intervals, followed by lower intensity intervals. 

A good treadmill interval training session is as follows:

• Walk on a pace of 6km/hr for 5mins to warm up 
• Jog at a pace of 9km/hr for 2mins 
• Jog at a pace of 11km/hr for 2mins 
• Walk at a pace of 6km/hr for 2mins 

Repeat this cycle three times for a high intensity interval session. (Working phase of the session equates to only 18 minutes, excluding warm up and cool down!!).

The interval combinations you could create are endless and don’t need to be any longer than 20 minutes. Twenty minutes is the maximum time recommended to be spent on any piece of cardio equipment. Any longer and the exercise is then categorised as endurance and will consequently throw the body into a catabolic state.

Have you ever looked at the physique of a marathon runners versus a sprinter? This graphically demonstrates the effects of interval training and steady state training on the body. Sprinters, who predominately train in intervals, are lean, muscular and powerful, whereas marathon runners, who predominately train in a steady state, look gaunt, thin and have limited muscle mass.

Other benefits of high intensity include:

• Improved cardiovascular fitness 
• Elevated VO2 max and lactate threshold 
• Reduced risk of overuse injury and joint wear and tear 
• Reduced muscle wasting 
• Increased calories burn 
• Increased working capabilities of the heart 

So what are you waiting for? The results speak for themselves….make the switch, save precious time and reap the rewards with interval training today!

Why “Traditional Cardio” Is Bad For You!

Have you ever stopped to look at the members of your local gym using only the cardio room? I challenge you to take notice of the poor souls, repeatedly using only cardio equipment for a week, two weeks, even three weeks and tell me what you notice. I can safely say that your answer will be … not much! This is simply due to the fact that “Traditional Cardio” also known as “Steady State Cardio” will never, I mean NEVER, generate that slim, toned sexy body you are dreaming of.

“Steady State Cardio” (or maybe we should call it slow boring cardio) only seems to do one thing …. burn time! And its time, our most precious asset, that we just can’t find enough of so why spend it on a treadmill?

Yes, steady state cardio increases heart rate, circulation, burns some calories and makes you feel good because you sweat and release endorphins, but when you’re doing the same routine everyday without altering length or intensity your body simply adapts to the workout and therefore the effects of fat loss through calorie burn disappear. The simple saying “doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity” rings very true in this instance.

Quite simply, the repetitive action of steady state cardio will only lead to overuse injuries and hormonal imbalance. Creating a stressed body, increasing cortisol levels and therefore putting the body into a catabolic state that uses lean muscle tissue for energy and will not burn fat effectively, if at all.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not a hater of cardio! The right type of cardio holds a very definitive place in the health and fitness world, but only the right type... High Intensity Interval Training! By simply replacing Steady State Cardio with high intensity interval training the benefits are endless.

Keep your eye out for part two, introduction to interval training – coming soon!

Childhood obesity link to back pain

Being overweight as a child and adolescent can lead to poor postures linked to back pain, according to new research by Curtin University’s School of Physiotherapy, the Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute and the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research.

The research team compared the Body Mass Index (BMI) of 1,373 children from the long-term Raine Study over a period of 12 years (from the age of three to 14) with specific standing postures measured at age 14.

Results showed there was a clear relationship between BMI and posture. Four main posture groups were defined – neutral, flat, sway and hyperlordotic. These were categorised by angular measurements of the pelvis and spine of the teenagers photographed from side on.

 Dr Anne Smith, Senior Lecturer at the School of Physiotherapy says: “We found that teenagers with higher BMI were more likely to stand with non-neutral postures, placing more strain on the spine and increasing the risk of back pain.

“This relationship between BMI and spinal posture is concerning, as it suggests increasing load on the spine over the growth period may change the structure of the spine.”

The findings also indicated that BMI tracks fairly steadily from early life through to adolescence. “We found that in terms of BMI for most teenagers where you are at three is where you are at 14,” Dr Smith said. “There was just one group out of the six that had a pattern of increasing BMI. 

"This is an important study, because it highlights obesity as an important factor for bone and joint health and development, in addition to being a risk factor for many other well known health problems. Our findings emphasise the importance of preventing obesity as early in life as possible.”

Atlas Performance Shopping List

Hey Guys and Girls,


Sean here. Just in a very good mood and thought I would share one of our little tools our clients use to keep there nutrition in check.


A Shopping List!


This little gem is priceless as well as simple. Make sure you can't bugger it up, its easy to manage and it is cost effective. Our Shopping List is all of the above and now you get to take a little bit of Atlas Performance home with you.


If you save, download or use it, could you please leave a comment and tell me how well it worked for you. Would love to hear your success stories.

Committed To Your Success,

Sean Connolly - MS (ExSc)

Director

Chief Performance Officer

BioSignature Practitioner 

Captivating Speaker on Human Performance

Overweight Kids Can't Jump

Overweight children believe they have poorer movement skills, such as throwing, catching, running, jumping and hopping, compared to their leaner counterparts, a new study has shown. And their parents agree.

The study featuring in the November 2010 issue of The Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport (JSAMS), published by Sports Medicine Australia, examined whether children’s actual and perceived physical ability and their parent’s perceptions differed by weight status.

Results showed parents of overweight children perceived them to be less able than non-overweight children. Overweight children had the same perception. Despite these perceptions being accurate, such beliefs influence motivation to participate in physical activity.

It is therefore important for parents of overweight children to tell their children that they are quite able to participate in physical activity, to help in increasing their levels of activity.

Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport Editor, Professor Gregory Kolt says: “This study has shown that overweight boys and their parents perceive them as being less competent at sports, less proficient in outdoor games and prefer watching sports than actively participating compared with their leaner friends. Similar trends were identified in girls."

The study highlights that understanding these differences is important because physical activity levels are significantly lower among overweight children and children’s motivation to participate in physical activity is influenced by their perceived and actual competence.

Need help learning how to motivate your kids to exercise? Post your comments below and our experienced trainers will offer some suggestions to help. 

Easy Dinner Idea

Are you stuck for dinner plans tonight? Here's a really simple meal you can make that is healthy and tastes great.

Start with around 180g per person of a fish like salmon or trout. Place the fish on a piece of foil big enough to wrap the fish completely, spraying a little big of olive oil onto the foil first.

Add some flavour to the fish with some fresh thin slices of tomato or fresh herbs like coriander, parsley, garlic or grated ginger. Add some pepper to taste. Bake the fish in a hot oven until the fish is white and flaky. Serve with brown rice or steamed pumpkin and green beans.

What's your favourite healthy recipe? Hit comment below to share your fave recipe with other Atlas fans.

Why you Shouldn't Skip Breakfast

You remember the other day when we said you shouldn't skip breakfast? If the fitness and nutritional benefits weren't enough to convince you, take a look at this.

A world first study conducted by Menzies Research Institute Tasmania has shown that skipping breakfast over a long period of time may increase your risk of heart disease and diabetes.

This new study was recently published online in the international journal American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Skipping breakfast is a fairly common practice with 23 per cent of adults and 10 per cent of children reporting they did not regularly eat breakfast in the 1995 National Nutrition Survey (Australia) and there is evidence that skipping breakfast is becoming more common.

Previous studies have shown eating breakfast is good for weight management.

First author and chief investigator of the paper, Menzies’ PhD student Kylie Smith says results from our new study show that not only is breakfast good for weight management, but it is also good for reducing other risk factors for heart disease and diabetes such as blood insulin and cholesterol levels, independently of weight.

“People who reported skipping breakfast both during childhood and adulthood had more risk factors for diabetes and heart disease than their peers who ate breakfast at both times in the study,” she said.

The investigation was part of the national Childhood Determinants of Adult Health (CDAH) study. Over 2,000 participants were involved with the breakfast skipping study. “We used data from a large nation-wide study with a 20 year follow-up from childhood to early adulthood," Kylie said. “Compared to those who ate breakfast both as a child and an adult, those who skipped breakfast on both occasions had a larger waist circumference, and had higher fasting insulin, total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol), which are all risk factors for heart disease and diabetes."

Healthy Weight, Heart Foundation national director Susan Anderson added: “We’ve always known that eating breakfast helps with concentration, weight control and good nutrition, but this study provides further evidence that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. If parents wanted to do just one thing to help ensure the good health of their children now and into the future, it could be to make sure that no-one leaves the house in the mornings without breakfast."

Vitamin Water: Friend or Foe?

We've been long frustrated that many people believe they can substitute a healthy nutritional diet for vitamin-enriched water. Now CHOICE, the independent community interest watchdog, is advising consumers not to buy into the hype saying vitamin-enriched waters are "essentially expensive lolly waters with hyperventilated health claims."

According to a release issued by CHOICE, some of the drinks, which go by names such as 'Nutrient Water', 'Smart Water' and 'Vitamin Water' and retail for between $2.50 and $4.00, contain enough sugar in one 500ml bottle to provide the average woman with a third of her recommended daily intake.

CHOICE spokesperson Ingrid Just says it's time to get tough on potentially misleading promotions and labelling such as 'nature approved ingredients' and 'natural flavours' which mean nothing.

"This type of labelling creates the impression that the drinks can be used as a safety net for a poor lifestyle when grabbing an apple and a glass of water will provide you with far more nutrients for a fraction of the cost," Ingrid says.

When CHOICE complained to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) in 2008 that Coca Cola Amatil's Glaceau Vitamin Water made a mockery of food labeling laws, the complaint was rejected. Since that time the market has been flooded with similar products.

"It's time to take another look at the way vitamin enhanced waters are being marketed; these drinks are leading consumers up an imaginary garden path to health and vitality," Ingrid says. "Treat them like any other sugary or artificial drink; enjoy occasionally, not as a means to any kind of wellbeing whatever the label or pretty pictures might suggest.”

Our advice? Steer clear of packaged drinks and get your water from the tap. Make sure you always take a bottle of water out with you, but use a BPA-free bottle!