Category: General

A lot of people hear about all the different diets and try them for a few weeks, few days, or few months. People feel overwhelmed by all the different dieting strategies. Sometimes they don’t see results fast enough or the diet is just not sustainable after they do see results.

To many of my personal training clients I never tell them not do to a diet (within reason). But I always stress to them to try it for a few weeks and stay very consistent. During that time make sure you take down notes of what worked, didn’t work, felt hard, felt easy, and when did you start to crave food or have a binge eating night/weekend. If it doesn’t work or it is not a diet strategy you can maintain for your new normal. Try another diet and continue with the same note taking method.

Yes, this is going to take time and will be a longer process. You will have successful weeks and hard weeks. But after months of doing this process you will be able to now combine different parts of different diets. Or at least commit to the diet you tried and worked 80% of the week/month.

I have clients who have been successful after doing this method and piecing together fasting, carb cycling, keto, point systems, ect.

For all of the clients at Jeremy Paprocki Personal Training and Rehabilitation this is the foundation of all workouts and programs. No matter what their fitness, exercise, or performance goals are we always focus on injury prevention and durability for the long term.

This does start with different forms of mobility, balance, reactions, stamina, and joint strength. Then for all clients we progress to building muscle and building strength.

Of course, this looks different for every personal training client but the benefits to building strength for athletes is no different than aging individuals who want to stay active.

As a personal trainer I get asked the same 4 questions about protein all the time. These questions come from personal training clients, students, or people at the local gyms in Little Rock.

What kind of protein should I get? How much protein should I eat? When should I eat protein? How often or how much should I have with each meal?

The kind and daily amount (daily average 0.75-1.0g per pound) are VERY important and are things everyone should focus on when being active and resistance training.

But when it comes to when, how often, or how much with each meal those should be things you do not prioritize. Unless you are looking for a longer to do list or training for the Olympics and trying to win a race by 0.01 seconds. These factors of when you consume protein, how often during the day, or how much with each meal MIGHT impact your results by less than 1% (made up number, but research shows it is not a significant difference).

I have many successful personal training clients who eat 4 meals/2 snacks, 3 meals/3 snacks, 2 meals/2 snacks, etc. The timing of when they consume their protein doesn’t matter and there is no true window post workouts. The amount they eat with each meal doesn’t matter because their body will just take longer to digest the more protein you consume and your body will use what is needed. There is a slight benefit to consuming protein throughout your day and not 100g in one sitting, but again that should come way after thinking about what is easier for your schedule, what type of protein you can consume, and what your preference is for your meals/snacks that day.

Bottom line make sure to eat quality protein, 0.75-1.0g per pound daily, and get it in whatever way works best for you!

1 – Semaglutides help you lose weight by being in a calorie deficit. Being physically active in a calorie deficit will feel different compared to when you’re in a calorie surplus or maintenance phase. Training while in a calorie deficit should look different as well.

2 – Protein intake is even more important. While losing weight and being physically active we want to maintain as much lean muscle mass as possible, so keeping your protein intake high is important. Also, this will aid in recovery from the physical activity.

3 – Metabolism and digestion slow down. This means if you typically eat snacks 1 hour before being active/training or a meal 2-3 hours before, you may need to make adjustments. Since your digestion is slowing down you may need to consume food more like 2-4 hours before.

4 – Mood is impacted as well. This may lead to changes in how you feel before, during, and after physical activity compared to what it previously felt like.

While on a semaglutide you NEED to be physically active or maintain your activity level. This also means you may need to start a little slower or take a few steps back in your training to make some adjustments. Your body may feel different and recover differently, so have patience and make the proper adjustments to your training days.

As a personal trainer in Little Rock I meet with many clients who have goals of wanting to lose 10, 20, 30, 50+ pounds or gain muscle mass or increase their strength. These are great to have and absolutely something they can accomplish.

But when many find out that it may take 6-8 weeks before they start seeing progress they get discouraged and always ask if I know of a faster way or anything we can do to speed up the process.

Here is my strategy…3 weeks after your assessment your stamina improves, 1 week after that your balance will improve, 1 week after that your strength will improve, 1 week after that your weight will change, and 2 weeks after that your body composition will change.

These successes as we go build confidence and consistency while making the 6-8 weeks towards progress seem much faster.

I always suggest making your short term goals have higher success rates, which in turn will lead to a better success rate in your more challenging long term goals.

Clients who train with me always are making 2-3 short terms goals and 1-2 long term goals and updating these regularly.

Many clients I have worked with over the years that have been training alone or with a personal trainer and seeing very limited results have missed a key connection with training, nutrition, and their goals.

Your training style should match your goals. 

Your eating should match your goals. 

Your training style should match your nutritional intake. And vice versa. 

Now there are many many ways to adjust these to all align. But think of these examples. 

If your goal is weight loss. Nutritionally you need to be in a calorie deficit. Training sessions should be created to assist in creating the best/biggest calorie deficit (within reason). 

If your goal is changing body composition. Nutritionally you need to prioritize protein, carbs, and fats correctly. Training sessions should be created to make the most adaptations to the muscular system. 

If your goal is to be stronger and faster. Nutritionally you need to be in a protein surplus, calorie surplus (possibly), and balancing macronutrients. Training sessions should be created focusing on central nervous system training and increasing neuromuscular signaling. 

If your goal is to be stronger. But nutritionally you are in a calorie deficit and limiting fats and proteins. Then your training sessions focus on creating a calorie deficit. These are not aligned and those strength gains will be painfully slow. 

When trying to achieve these goals make sure you know the differences or find someone that can explain them to you. 

As a personal trainer I see people struggle with this all the time. They get excited about a new goal and a new challenge. Then…

Something in their life has boosted their motivation and they are excited and ready to get started or achieve a new goal. But eventually that motivation will fade or some days that motivation won’t be there. Now what?

They really want to lose some weight and have a great nutrition plan to follow. But eventually something in their life changes or stressful work days add up and they struggle with a very restrictive diet. Now what?

They really want to gain strength and lean muscle mass so they have a great workout plan to follow. But eventually they get a little extra sore, travel, or have a minor injury. Now what?

If you are truly making life long changes these are inevitable. This is when consistency, discipline, and professionals with experience can progress you through those down moments. Fitness professionals should be able to not only help you during those inevitable road blocks but also teach you different ways that work best for you and your life.