AB: We have learned to fight colds through diet and
nutrition. Is it true that implementing exercise can
help speed up recovery?
BS: Exercise has been shown to have a positive effect
on immune functions. Anything that is going to improve
your body's ability to mobilize its immune system will
have a positive effect. I've seen some research that
shows that people through exercise are better equipped
to first of all, avoid getting colds and to have less effects
when they do.
AB: There are many creams and lotions on the market,
promising to get rid of unattractive cellulite. What is
the best way to get rid of this skin condition or reduce
its appearance?
BS: First of all, these creams have not been shown to
produce any tangible results. And although they're
other
techniques available such as endomology, which can provide some temporary relief, the results are simply
not lasting.
Basically, cellulite has to do with connective tissue be-
neath the upper layer of skin and a discontinuation within
the cellular matrix of connective tissue that allows fat to
poke through. You cannot reattach the connective tissue
in any way, even through surgery. Really, what you have
to do is number one, reduce body fat levels to as low as
you possibly can so, that there isn't that much fat poking
through—though there is. And number two, add muscle
(through exercise), which helps to flatten out the fatty
areas and thus produce a more uniform appearance
to the skin. The combination of these two, will tend to reduce the appearance of cellulite even though the underlined cause is still in place.
AB: When it comes to eating, most Americans are accustomed to consuming larger portions, which
plays a critical role in weight gain. Is there a way
to eat less but still satisfy hunger at the same time?
BS: Absolutely, there are several things you can do.
Number one, eat more nutrient dense foods, which are
high in fiber, vitamins and minerals and tend to be more
satisfying than non-nutrient dense foods. Avoid sugar
laden foods, especially those with simple sugars who
break down extremely rapidly in your system and then
cause you to have a rebound effect. You then become
hypoglycemic and your body craves more sugars to
get you back up, which creates the vicious cycle of
the body trying to get back to its normal blood
sugar level.
When eating nutrient dense foods, i.e your green vegetables which are high in fiber and your starches—
my general rule of thumb is to think brown. Choose
brown rice over white rice, whole wheat pasta over white pasta, multi-grain bread over white bread. Also, a diet
that's sufficient in protein, will promote satiety. Con-
suming a moderate amount of protein effects hormonal levels in the body—causing you to feel full. And you will
find that just by eating calories that are more nutritious,
and higher in protein, will help you suppress hunger,
thus losing weight while keeping a balanced diet.
AB: The word is getting around that high-intensity
training is better for reducing body fat than the
long-time believed, low-intensity training. How
is this possible?
BS: This is possible on several levels. Although low-intensity exercise burns a greater percentage of fat
during a session. If you're burning two hundred calories
and burning seventy percent from fat, that's one hundred and forty calories. But now, if you're burning four hundred calories and only burning fifty percent of the calories from
fat, that's two hundred calories from fat and even though
it's less on a percentage basis, it's more on an absolute
basis. Even more so, high-intensity exercise keeps your metabolism revved up long after the session is over
and continues to burn calories for a lot longer (than low-
intensity exercise) which is called the after-burn and
in total, you're going to see a much greater reduction in body fat. And now that studies have shown, the effective-
ness of interval training, which intersperses bouts of
high-intensity with low-intensity exercise, you can now
increase your reduction of body fat by up to nine fold.
AB: Juicing fruits and vegetables are very popular.
Is it really better to consume them this way than in
their natural form?
BS: Absolutely not, it's worse on all levels. Number
one, juicing tends to remove vitamins and minerals, and especially fiber from fruit so, it becomes less satisfying. Even more so, juice is pre-digested. Your body really doesn't have any need to digest the food so, it goes
through your system much quicker and thus does not promote satiety. People will tend to take in much more
in the way of calories from a juice based product than
a whole fruit or vegetable product. It's always much
better to eat the whole fruit itself than drink it in a
juice medium.
AB: What's next for Brad Schoenfeld?
BS: I have a new book coming out at the end of 2009 called, The Ultimate Guide to Home Workouts, which
will be published by Human Kinetics. I'm actually very excited about that. Also, I have completely revamped
my website, adding a huge amount of content to it as we
speak. The web address is www.lookgreatnaked.com.
and I'm really working on making it a database—a real
resource for people. I'm also busy with my blog, which is
www.workout911.com. and I have some audio projects
on the way. I got into a partnership through iAmplify and
I'm doing a lot of audio work now, in the way of down-loadable audio products as well as teaching my fine students at
the AAPT(The American Academy of
Personal Training).
AB: When you're not improving the world's
physiques, what do you do for fun?
BS: I have varied interests. Actually, I am a semi-professional musician, a jazz pianist. I play the key-
board. I'm a martial arts student and I study seriously.
I'm a brown belt and have been for a very long time
in martial arts…and yes, I like to read.
A. Belletty
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