Dynamic Dialogue with Danny Matranga - 229: Should you try crossfit, best CEU's + more!

Episode Date: October 17, 2022

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Welcome, everybody, to another episode of the Dynamic Dialogue podcast. As always, I'm your host, Danny Matrenga, and today's episode is going to be a question and answer episode. I'll be gathering questions of yours from my Instagram. We'll go fairly rapid fire today so I can get through as many as possible. And preferably, these will encompass a variety of different fitness, health, longevity, and nutrition topics that should be highly applicable to most of you regardless of where you're at in your fitness journey. But with the goal of maintaining as much authenticity as possible, I will just be fielding these in

non-scripted fashion. So this will be a raw, unedited podcast where I give you the best answers I can off the cuff, because I think that those answers tend to be more authentic and of the highest quality when it comes to really diving deep into high quality, generally effective, quick, non-verbacious answers. So without further ado, jumping right into your questions, again, fielded from my Instagram, which is Danny Matrenga. It's just my name. If you want to follow me there, Danny Matrenga. Highly recommend doing that on all social platforms, especially TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. Okay, so question number one comes from Gabby Carballo. And the question

is, thoughts on CrossFit versus traditional weightlifting. Been thinking about trying CrossFit, but it's very expensive. So my thought process around CrossFit more generally is that it is a decent form of concurrent training that involves elements of resistance training, calisthenics or gymnastics training, and aerobic training. And I do think generally speaking, human beings who develop capabilities to perform various resistance-based exercises, various body weight and gymnastics-based exercises and the control that comes with that. And then of course, the aerobic benefit of having a robust aerobic system that allows you to train a low intensity thresholds, as well as those

higher output thresholds, all of which are featured regularly in CrossFit. It's going to be beneficial. Now we're comparing this to just going to the gym and lifting weights. And you hit on one of the biggest parts here, one of the big things here, which is CrossFit tends to be relatively expensive compared to just getting a gym membership and going and lifting. And the programming isn't necessarily perfect, which is to say that you could probably accomplish all of these adaptations separately with some relatively sound programming. Now you might need a coach to put a program together for you so that it looks and kind of features these different things, but in all likelihood, a program like that would be safer than the way many CrossFit boxes and gyms are structuring their programming. There are some

CrossFit boxes, gyms, and coaches that really do a wonderful job of featuring all of these different things and programming in a manner that is safe. But the truth is, it's less common than I'd like to think, or rather I should say it's less common than I'd like to think. Or rather, I should say, it's less common than it should be. CrossFit has a tendency when, you know, general population individuals start going and doing CrossFit to be what I would imagine a little bit more risky than conventional resistance training. Now, the primary benefit, of course, in most situations with CrossFit is that you are going to be getting some form of coaching, especially hands-on coaching with

the barbell movements, which are so heavily featured in CrossFit, which that in and of itself is really, really beneficial and really, really good to get hands-on coaching. But if you already know how to lift and you're simply looking to get more of a aerobic component, a kind of gymnastic component to your training, I would recommend incorporating some of those movements into your training at the gym before I would pay the cost to go to a CrossFit box and get what is more often than not less than perfect programming, oftentimes designed around the competitive side of CrossFit, which can in many ways lead to, I don't want to say injuries, but it can lead to a less than perfect form doing things too quickly. And a lot of times I hear people who have hypertrophy or bodybuilding goals

wondering if they should try CrossFit because so many CrossFit competitors have very, very good physiques. And again, I do believe that there are better ways to spend your time. Okay. This question comes from Donnie's Glass. And the question is, what course or certs do you recommend for somebody wanting to become a trainer? And so this is a good question. It's actually one of the more common questions that I am asked. I think it just generally has a lot to do with the fact that when people are very invested in their fitness, they're very interested in helping other people become invested in their fitness, they go out and they pursue personal training as a career. And there are so many different certifications in the personal training space that it is really,

really intimidating to settle in on which ones are the best. And so I have a kind of framework for working through this. And the first thing is for the legitimacy and safety of your practice, it is definitely in your best interest to have at least one certification that covers you as a personal trainer. And if you're going to be providing nutritional services, you should have one that provides a nutritional coaching certification as well. So that's two, a base personal training cert and a base nutrition coaching cert. I think the best two personal training certs for training the largest percentage of the clients you will probably come across, which are more than likely going to be general

population clients looking to feel better, look better, and move better. It's very unlikely that they will be bodybuilders and athletes, although that's generally who most people want to spend their time training. It's not likely that that will be the clientele that you start with. You'll probably start with normal people with normal fitness goals who need to be gently introduced to exercise, programming, technique, and lifestyle slash nutrition considerations conducive with their goals. So for fitness, I think the National Academy of Sports Medicine, NASM, and the National Strength and Conditioning Association, NSCA, are the two best certifications.

I think they position trainers the best to succeed, giving them a kind of large variety of information and skills that they can apply to the largest variety of clients. I know this because when I was managing gyms and I was managing training departments for 24-hour fitness The trainers that we hired that we had the most confidence in were usually as far as those who were early in their career And recently certified were usually from nasm or nsca This isn't to say that there aren't other really good options But these are the two best as far as i'm concerned as for nutrition I think that the nutritional for nutrition, I think that

the Nutritional Coaching Institute, I think that Precision Nutrition, and NASM's certified nutrition coach specialization are all really good and should cover your bases as a fitness and macro coach. And that's probably where I would start. I think that gives you the greatest opportunity to help the most people. And then truthfully, this is as somebody with over, God, I got to have at least 20 certifications at this point. I've been to so many workshops, so many seminars, learned from so many great minds. I can tell you that you're better off learning from podcasts, books, YouTube videos, in-person courses and workshops, then you are chasing the alphabet soup of certifications after your name. I've certainly learned a lot from these certifications,

don't get me wrong, but I've also learned a lot from the many free resources out there. And it is very rare that clients ask you how many certifications you have. They generally tend to care about the emotional connection and whether or not they feel that you authentically are really interested in helping them, which you might find this to be a little bit of a surprise, but people are pretty darn good at queuing in on whether somebody is authentic or not when it comes to their kind of approach to help. So if you're really communicating that you want to help and you have the tools from those two certifications, both fitness and nutrition related, and a good amount

of knowledge from your own practice, you'll probably do really, really well. And you can add certifications in as you specialize more and as you get more clients. And you can do what I recommend doing, which is actually start getting certifications that are going to help the clients you have and help you retain the clients you have. So if you have clients that want mobility, start looking into mobility certifications. If you have clients that want more advanced nutrition strategies, nowhere to go, right? So that's how I would expand after you've done your base. Okay. So this question comes from Hatcher Sean. And the question is best workout music. Now, music, of course, and music preference are extremely subjective. However, as a gym owner, I can say for sure,

there are some generally popular forms of music when it comes to working out, and there are some generally less popular types of music. So things like classical, lo-fi, country, smooth, or kind of traditional jazz are not very good forms of workout music. But pop, hip-hop, rap, and EDM tends to be the most popular. My playlist is generally comprised of hip hop, rap, and EDM or electronic dance music slash what you might hear at a club or a festival. Things that are beat centric, that generally are upbeat, that generally have fast tempos, and that kind of

encourage the same energy that one might want to bring to a party or rave or something like that to your workout. So that is my particular preference as it pertains to what is going to be coming out of my earbuds when I'm in the gym training. That being said, I often listen to a lot of podcasts and audio books, especially when I'm training at home, because I'm in the gym training. That being said, I often listen to a lot of podcasts and audiobooks, especially when I'm training at home, because I'm at the point in my training career where music, whether I like it or not, isn't going to make a huge difference. And I don't say that because I think it doesn't matter. I simply say that because after a while, your training is going to become habitualized and you'll probably be able to train

with or without music. But if you need that motivation, I would recommend hip hop. I would recommend EDM. I would recommend a lot of times you'll find these categorized as dance. And if you use one of the primary music streaming services like Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, you can just search for workout and find some really good playlists. Now, for those of you who like things a little bit more on the grunge side, you can never go wrong with rock and metal. Personally, I don't love those genres myself, but those tend to be really, really popular as well. So those would be my selections for the best, let's call it workout playlist options. What's going on guys, Coach Danny here, taking a break from the episode to tell you about my coaching company, Core Coaching Method, and more specifically, our one-on-one

fully tailored online coaching program. My online coaching program has kind of been the flagship for core coaching method for a while. Of course, we do have PDF programming and we have app-based programming. But if you want a truly tailored one-on-one experience with a coach like myself or a member of my coaching team, someone who is certified, somebody who has multiple years of experience working with clients in person online, somebody who is licensed to provide a macro nutrition plan, somebody who is actually good at communicating with clients because they've done it for years, whether that be via phone call, email, text, right? This one-on-one coaching program is really designed

to give you all the support you need with custom training designed for you, whether you're training from home, the gym, around your limitations and your goals. Nothing cookie cutter here. As well as easy to follow macronutrition programs that are non-restrictive. You'll get customized support directly from your coach's email, or they'll text you, or they'll WhatsApp you. We'll find the communication medium that best supports your goals, as well as provides you with accountability in the expertise you need to succeed, as well as biofeedback monitoring, baked-in accountability support, and all of the stuff that you need from your coach when you check in.

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And if we don't, we'll put you on a waiting list, but we'll be sure to give you the best shot at the best coaching in the industry. So head over to corecoachingmethod.com and apply for one-on-one coaching with me and my team today. Taking a little break from the action here to tell you about our amazing partner,

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looking to take your gut health to the next level, you can go to Seed.com. Subscribe for their daily symbiotic. You can take one or two a day. You can share it with a partner. Sometimes you can do that, but it goes a long way. It's the best probiotic supplement on the market. I absolutely love it. And you can use the code Danny15 to save. Back to the show. What's going on, guys? Taking a break from the show to tell you about our amazing partners over at Elemental Labs. Elemental Labs makes a flagship electrolyte product known as LMNT Recharge. Recharge is amazing. It's got bioavailable forms of sodium, potassium, and magnesium, which can really help you train, contract your tissues, and get hydrated. I love having it in the morning before my fasted training because oftentimes I wake up without an appetite,

but I want something in my stomach so I'm not flat, I can get a pump, and I can get hydrated in the gym and still perform my best. I also love to sip on my recharge when I'm on the golf course or especially when I'm in the sauna. The more you sweat, the more likely it is that you will need to replace valuable electrolytes like sodium, magnesium, and potassium. And while if you have high blood pressure, you might not necessarily be a candidate for electrolyte supplementation, many athletes and active adults need more salt and more electrolytes in their diet than they currently get, especially if they sweat, live in warm climates, or humid climates. I found a bunch of different ways to use my recharge, but like I said, I love using it before

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completely for free. Just pay shipping. Back to the show. So this question comes from Kelly P. Tillman. And the question is, does taking a pre-workout, caffeine-free or caffeinated, make a big difference or not? I think it makes a very big difference, particularly if the pre-workout has a clinically effective dose of a few different ingredients. Main ones that I like to look for are betaine anhydrous, beta alanine, L-citrulline. And if I want that caffeine kick, I like a caffeine dosage of under 200 milligrams per scoop because I can choose to have one scoop, which is going to put me, let's say, at 150 milligrams, two scoops, which will put me at a really high dosage of 300 milligrams. That would be my maximum

single serving personally. Some people could handle more, although I wouldn't recommend working up to that tolerance because of some of the kind of negative implications that can come with high levels of chronic caffeine consumption. However, if you get betaine and beta alanine to help with buffering fatigue and to help with, you know, dealing with the metabolites and byproducts of exercise, if you get something like a nitric oxide enhancer or vasodilator like L-citrulline and caffeine to help with buffering fatigue and providing energy, you can definitely notice a difference, especially if you are new to these products. Now, I tend to lean more into the ergogenic aids like L-citrulline, betaine, and beta-alanine because I don't need a ton of caffeine. So a lot of times I'll do stimulant

free or caffeine free, and I'll just enjoy a nice shot or double shot of espresso black about 90 minutes after I wake up. And if I'm training early in the morning, I will oftentimes have a caffeinated version. But if I'm training at home in the afternoon or at the gym in the mid morning, I will have one scoop of stimulant free pre-workout. Sometimes I'll add a caffeinated scoop to get to two. Oftentimes I'll just have two scoops of stim free. And if you've listened to the podcast enough, you know that my go-to pre-workout is Legion's Pulse, which of course is a sponsor of the show, but they do have clinically effective dosages of all the ingredients I mentioned, which to me is really important. I will say this. If you're not actively in the habit of taking pre-workout, I don't think

you need to. I don't think you need it at all, but I do think it can make a big difference. Okay. So this question comes from erwin.70. And the question is, where in the States are you from? And so I am from California. I was born and raised here. I grew up in a small mountain town, a rural community known as Sonora, a small town, small population. And I moved to Sonoma County for school where I went to university. And I've stayed here ever since because I love it here. I think it's absolutely gorgeous. I own a home here. There's nowhere I think I'd rather live. I certainly enjoy traveling. I like Mexico. I like Hawaii. I like various states. But California is where I call home. And you will hear a lot of people bashing on California because we have high

taxes. We have a lot of quote unquote homeless people. We have a lot of quote unquote crime. But we also have the largest population by a pretty substantial amount and some of the highest incomes in the country. So if it wasn't for California's high incomes and the contribution we make to the general federal tax budget for the entire country, certain states like Mississippi and Alabama would literally just cease to exist because they kind of feast off the federal contributions of us Californians. So don't listen to a lot of the haters out there that like to hit

California below the belt. It's a beautiful place to live. And like most states, it has its shortcomings. But this is where I call home. And I really, really like it. Okay. This question comes from modest underscore bean, and it is productive recovery slash rest day activities and routine. What should nutrition be like? So let's talk first about what you can do on non-training days to remain active and productive. I think you can use those days to work on mobility, to work on low-level aerobic output like walking, light runs, hiking. I would certainly recommend getting in nature, getting outside if it's weather permitting. I would absolutely recommend getting additional sleep, especially if you're a morning trainee

who wakes up early to train. That can be a really wonderful way to use some of the time you're getting back from not training. I think that meal prepping or preparing food in advance to help you better recover for the days that you are, again, training is going to be a really valuable way to do that. As far as routines go, I don't think you need any specific rest day routines. Again, just focusing on some of these small habits that can enhance recovery, these small behaviors

that can enhance recovery, really sticking to the rest day too and not making an excuse to go to the gym, oh, just to hit arms or just to hit abs. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that. But again, I think many people need that day, that opportunity to step away from the gym, to reignite that fire and to avoid and hopefully minimize the prevalence of burnout over the course of a long training career, because many of you want to train for a long time. As for your nutrition, if you are in a calorie deficit and your goal is body fat loss, not training is often a great opportunity to reduce your intake of carbohydrate and thus your intake of calories because you're not doing the glycolytic

work you'd be doing in the gym. So for a lot of the clients we work with at Core Coaching Method, my coaching company, we're going to be adjusting their macros and their calorie intake to reflect lower output on non-training days, and we will probably have them eating less carbohydrate. That can be a large amount. It can also be a really small amount depending on the size of the individual. I do tend to keep protein pretty standard though. I keep protein pretty high on the days that people don't train because I think a high protein intake is just a generally good idea for people who have an athletic goal or have a physique focused goal in mind, meaning they care quite a bit about how they look. Okay. Last question comes from Miss C to one.

And the question is, what can I do to get stronger hamstrings at home when my quads are definitely dominant? So let's talk a little bit about what the hamstring does. The first and most important function is probably going to be knee flexion, which is what you see when you're doing a lying hamstring curl. If you're sitting in the car right now, if you pulled your hip or if you pulled your knee back towards your hip, your foot towards your hip and bent your knee, you can't do this if you're in a car, the opposite of extending your leg and straightening it, that's knee flexion. So lying hamstring curls, that's what knee flexion looks like. Pulling your heel towards your bum. That's the primary function of the hamstring.

I say primary because it's definitely a hip extensor, but it works in concert with the glute to perform hip extension. So knee flexion based exercises at home can be a little tricky. You have things like Nordic hamstring curls and sliding hamstring curls. Those are probably your two best bets. It's very important to train the knee flexion component of the hamstring to build resiliency of the posterior chain, sure, and to help develop the hamstring. And we really train it in its shortened position doing those exercises, especially at the gym when we're doing those lying hamstring curls. Now, the seated hamstring curl, this is a machine. This is probably something

you won't have at the gym, puts the hamstring into a more lengthened position because the hips are flexed. And remember, we said that the hamstrings act as a hip extensor, meaning when we flex our hips, brings our knees closer to our chest we're lengthening the hamstring right you've probably all done the lying hamstring stretch where you extend your knee and pull your foot into your chest or towards your chest or flex the hip so again extending the knee flexing the hip those are the two antithetical movements of the hamstrings the exact function of the muscle the rectus femoris the largest quad muscle so one of the hamstrings, the exact function of the muscle, the rectus femoris, the largest quad muscle. So one of the best ways to know, hey, how do I stretch a muscle?

Just shorten whatever the opposite muscle is. Now to train hip extension at home, the secondary function of the hamstring, exercises like bridges, which predominantly use the glute, aren't going to be very effective. So we need to think about hinges. We've got Romanian deadlifts and kettlebell swings. So what I would recommend is grabbing a heavy kettlebell, adding it to your home training arsenal, learning how to swing it, learning how to hinge it, learning how to do RDLs with it, and even things like B stance RDLs where we have an offset stance where we can really bias one side or the other with minimal weight and minimal equipment. Okay, guys, that does it for this quick rapid fire fitness Q&A. I hope you enjoyed it and consider subscribing to the podcast in the future. I look

very forward to having you for future episodes, but this podcast is not possible without subscribers like you continuing to like it, share it, subscribe, and most importantly, leave reviews. continuing to like it, share it, subscribe, and most importantly, leave reviews. So if you haven't left a review yet on iTunes, or I guess it's Apple Podcasts now, or Spotify, that would make a really big difference. I want to thank you all so much for listening, and I will catch you on the next one.