John – Page 2 – Team Robertson

Real World Muscle Gain

March 8, 2018

For those that know my fitness journey, I have been doing some form of endurance sports for 20 years now. My first triathlon was in 1998 at age 24, which led to 4 years later competing as an elite racing Ironman and Half-Ironman triathlons until 2007. Prior to age 24, most of my exercise consisted of lifting weights and surfing. Often I would lift weights 6x a week and my weight hovered around 170 lbs (I am 5' 11.) Triathlon competing and training changed my body (and fitness of course!) My racing weight was 155 lbs and my off-season weight was 160 with my body fat ranging from 5-10%. The last several years I have remained very active, but train about 75% less than I...

Triathlon Body Composition

December 11, 2017

Education, Fitness, Nutrition

Several years ago I had a good friend of mine come watch an Ironman triathlon. He was really into general fitness and healthy eating. As athlete's were setting up their morning race routine he commented "why are there so many overweight triathlete's?" I mentioned to him that competing in this long endeavor was not a recipe for being the most lean you can be, as well as being the most healthy. You would think this would not be the case with most competitors training up to 2 hours a day. I will never forget how shocked he was with his observation on the body composition of the masses participating. So it had me thinking why is this so? I remember a quote I read several years...

Budget Healthy Eating

November 28, 2017

Education, Nutrition

Everyone assumes that eating healthy is expensive, but in reality there are certain strategies that you can use that won't break your wallet! Here are my favorite tips to avoid spending a lot on food that is good for you. Plan your meals- This is my favorite on the list! Proper planning prevents poor performance, so make sure you have a plan for each week and do whatever you need to stick to this "plan." I batch cook every Sunday evening so that I am prepped with good food choices for my busy week. Buy frozen veggies or fruits- My wife uses this approach for herself. Frozen veggies and fruits will stay fresh much longer than refrigerator options, will cost half as much, and there...

Heart Health 101

July 24, 2017

Education, Nutrition

When it comes to mortality rates, heart disease is the leader in this category. Statistics show that 1 in 4 deaths is attributed to heart disease and almost 1 million people die annually from it. Some of your more common kinds of heart disease are coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, cardiac arrest, heart attack, arrhythmia, heart defects, and heart failure. Why do people get heart disease? Are they preventable? These are your most common questions people ask about the different kinds of heart disease one can get. Current statistic shows that 80% of this disease is preventable, and the remaining 20% is genetic. So what exactly causes heart disease? Leading the way are what I call the big 5- diet, stress, chronic fatigue, regular...

Fat for Fuel

July 10, 2017

Education, Nutrition

There is a lot of talk today in the fitness community and medical world of utilizing fat as fuel. If you do a quick google search you will come up with tons of research on this topic. Obviously the number one thing to include in this approach is individuality. It is paramount you consider everyone's unique needs and genetic makeup, but there are several concepts that apply to all of us. I have chosen 5 of my favorite's that you can use in your daily life that will not only make you feel better, but will also lead to a healthier life longterm. Having a high percentage of body fat is a risk factor for almost every disease, so maintaining a healthy percent is optimal. ...

Periodization

June 28, 2017

Education, Fitness

When it comes to endurance sports you have to take into account each athletes individual needs. I would rank this as the number 1 thing when you are designing a race strategy. Number 2 in this plan is periodization and this article will explain just what that is, as well as how to lay out this concept. Periodization is defined as a systemic plan for an athlete to reach their best performance possible in their biggest event of the year. A long story short it basically means "peaking" at the right time and doing all the necessary things to reach that peak.There are three different cycles in periodization- macro, meso and micro. Macro would be your calendar year, meso would be a certain number of weeks, and micro would be your...

Top 10 Triathlon Training Mistakes

March 9, 2017

Education

Most triathletes live busy live's outside of training for races. Family, kids, work, life stress, etc. No matter how you want to categorize them all, to succeed in triathlon you have to find a balance with your personal life and the most efficient training you can do to have a great race. After many years in the sport, I see the same mistakes being made and want to share with the masses the top training mistakes I see most frequently being executed. Not resting enough on recovery weeks- If your schedule calls for a rest week, then the goal for that week is...

MyPlate Pyramid and Individuality

November 8, 2016

Education, Nutrition

MyPlate is a nutrition guide provided by the USDA that replaced the MyPyramid in 2013. It is a basic guide on what percentage of your diet should come from carbohydrates and protein. Many of us can remember the food guide pyramid that started in 1992 that was very misguiding in its later years. The MyPlate is a more current, up to date guide that is based on current research, and provides an easier understanding of how to eat healthy, but overlooks the importance of fat in one's diet. MyPlate is divided into sections of 30 percent grains, 40 percent vegetables, 10 percent fruits and 20 percent protein, accompanied by a smaller group that includes dairy. The old Food Guide Pyramid from years ago consisted of a diet...

Eating Disorder vs. Disordered Eating

October 16, 2016

Education, Nutrition

Most of us have heard the terms disordered eating and eating disorder. Are they related? What do they mean? Are they preventable? This blog tackles both of these topics and how to keep yourself on track for healthy eating habits. First, let's start with disordered eating. Disordered eating is just what it sounds like. If you are guilty of this, these are some of the categories you might fit into- emotional eaters (stress/boredom/fatigue), depressed about food, social anxiety about food, yo-yo dieting, guilt from eating bad, guilt from lack of exercise, orthorexia (obsession with eating healthy), low self-esteem, weight fluctuations. Some of you are probably thinking "I have all of these!" but before you become a hypochondriac, l can assure you we all have had...

Leadville 100 Run

August 24, 2016

Education, Fitness

This past Saturday, I accompanied my good friend David over the pass from Aspen, Colorado to the town of Leadville for the Leadville 100 trail running race. David did this race 2 years ago, and I was there that year to help crew for him between aid stations. This year my goal was to help pace him the last 24 miles to the finish. In 2013, he finished in 23 hours and he was hoping to beat his time this year. Unfortunately David hurt his knee early on and had to DNF, but this blog will focus on the race itself and how he trains for it. Anyone that runs trail races knows about the Leadville running race. I have participated in numerous endurance events...

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Author: John