Edwardsville Personal Trainer Rants About the New "Kentucky Grilled Chicken"

By now, I am sure you have heard all about this new Kentucky Grilled Chicken.

And while I have no doubt that this is a better option than the fried chicken alternative, it’s still nowhere near an ideal food choice.


Congratulations! You are eating “grilled” chicken with a bunch of garbage on the side. Lord knows that mac and cheese and biscuits aren’t going help you look any better naked!

KFC says the grilled chicken has significantly fewer calories and fat, plus much less sodium, than its Original Recipe fried chicken that launched the brand more than a half-century ago.

The big thing that is damaging to our waistlines is the high calorie side dishes accompanying the chicken which are filled with refined starches and sugars, as well as unnecessary amounts of saturated fat.

It may be better, but it still stinks!!


For too long now the fast food industry has made a killing on misinforming consumers about what is and isn’t healthy.

KFC claimed that it recently did switch cooking oils to eliminate all trans fats from their products- a noble effort indeed.

But upon further review, this does not look to be the case…

Here are the ingredients directly from their website:

KFC ® Grilled Chicken

Fresh Chicken Marinated with: Salt, Sodium Phosphate, and Monosodium Glutamate Seasoned with: Maltodextrin, Salt, Bleached Wheat lour, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and Cottonseed Oil, Monosodium Glutamate, Spices, Palm Oil, Natural Flavor, Garlic Powder, Soy Sauce (Soybean, Wheat, Salt), Chicken Fat, Chicken Broth, Autolyzed Yeast, Beef Powder, Rendered Beef Fat, Extractives of Turmeric, Dehydrated Carrot, Onion Powder, and mot more than 2% Each of Calcium Silicate and Silicon Dioxide Added as Anticaking Agents. Contains Wheat and Soy

I don’t know about you, but this certainly doesn’t sound like a nutritional powerhouse. First of all, “Partially Hydrogenated Soybean and Cottonseed Oil” are not very good for you and do contain amounts of trans fats.

Trans fats are synthetic fats that are essentially foreign agents in our bodies. There is truly no room for them in a healthy diet.

Plus, a great rule of thumb is that the fewer ingredients found in the food; the better it is for you, ideally less than 5 ingredients being a good marker. Well, if you count the ingredients in this “health” food, there are well over 20!

Fast food and convenience store marketing campaigns make it very hard for me to do my job.

In general, here are some great guidelines that will help you cut through all of the BS these money-hungry SOB’s are sending our way:

Beware of “Fat-Free or Low Fat” Foods:

These food choices are often high in sugar or contain added sugar to make up for taste lost which wreak havoc on your energy levels and prevent fat loss.

Look Out for “Sugar-Free” Products:

These sugar free food choices are typically made with artificial ingredients and sweeteners. Sometimes they are higher in fat to make up for taste lost and/or often contains sugar-alcohols that tear up your digestive system.

Stay Away From “100 Calorie” Items:

These low calorie bags contain ZERO nutritional value with little to no protein and are low in fiber and natural, healthy fats. Not to mention, they do nothing to curb your appetite.

Probably the most infamous “healthy” marketing campaign is 100-CALORIE SNACK PACKS.



Which is better for you body: 100 calories of broccoli or 100 calories of mini-muffins?
GET IT?

I know personally I could easily eat 10 of these packs without getting stuffed- I guess that would be a 1,000-CALORIE SNACK PACK ;)

Unfortunately, we live in a calorie-conscious society, and marketers take advantage of anything and everything possible to make the almighty dollar.

But you don’t need to be a dope like the rest of them.

Educate yourself.

Educate your friends.

Educate your family.

Remember, the market determines the direction companies will go. If we choose not to put this garbage in our bodies anymore, they will make less of it ;)

It's go time ;-D

Jared Woolever

PS- I just know you have got something to say about this hot button issue. Please make a comment to this blog post about what pisses you off the most about this KFC Grilled Chicken, or any other fast food marketing campaign for that matter!

Edwardsville Personal Trainer Helps Show You How to Design a Strength Training Routine Designed To Burn Fat

In the past, the cornerstone of most resistance training workouts has been performing exercises in a straight set format. Essentially, this means you perform a certain number of reps for a given exercise or you perform as many reps as possible for a given exercise and then you rest anywhere from 30 seconds to five minutes. This rest period is essentially based on your training goals. For more of a fat loss and lean muscle gain emphasis shorter rest periods are ideal. Longer rest is needed for improving maximal strength and power

So, what’s the problem with this format? Well, though straight sets are extremely easy to comprehend for people new to fitness, they are also an extremely inefficient way to order your exercises. In most commercial gyms you’ll typically see someone perform three sets of 10 reps for let’s say the bench press. They pump out 10 reps, go to the water fountain, talk with some buddies, watch a couple of highlights on ESPN, and then gingerly walk back to the bench area to hit up their second set. In general, most people, guys in particular, tend to take about 3-5 minutes between sets. In the case of three sets of 10 on the bench that means it would take up to 15 minutes to complete only one movement pattern (a horizontal push). At this pace, it will take well over an hour to complete a good solid workout.

It’s all about utilizing your time wisely in order to get the most out of each workout. With this design, you’ll perform one exercise, rest for a predetermined, short period of time, then perform another non-competing exercise, rest for a short period of time, and so forth. Alternating sets allow you to work different areas of your body when you would otherwise be resting with the straight set format. Plus, by working another area of your body with a non-competing exercise you allow your body to recover from the previous exercise(s). Essentially, we are improving the density of each workout to ensure the time spent working out is productive and helping us achieve our goals. There are several ways to perform alternating sets outlined below:

• Supersets: Alternate between two different non-competing exercises (e.g. upper body and lower body such as push-ups and lunges)

• Trisets: Alternate between three different exercises (e.g. push, pull, and lower body such as push-ups, rows, and lunges)

• Complexes: Usually five to six exercises performed without ever putting the weight down (e.g. upright rows, reverse curls, front press, Overhead reverse lunge, goodmornings, and bent rows)

• Circuit Training: A series of four or more exercises performed with minimal rest

Though supersets and trisets are excellent alternating set options, I believe circuit training is by the far the best option time and time again. To demonstrate why, let’s examine my favorite circuit training template using timed set intervals:


The 50-10 Five Exercise Circuit: You will alternate between 50 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest for all five exercises in the following 5-minute circuit:

Exercise#1- Kettlebell Swings

Exercise#2- Squats/ Squat Jumps

Exercise#3- Single-Leg Hip Extensions

Exercise#4- Push-UP’s

Exercise#5- Stability Ball Rollouts

Perform this circuit up to four times for a 20-minute total body fat burning workout.

Basically, in the same 15 minutes that it took to get in three sets on the bench you could have gotten in three sets of five different exercise for a staggering total of 15 work sets! Plus, the intensity on each exercise will be just as high as in the straight set format because in this five exercise circuit you will have full recovery with over four minutes before you return to any given exercise (just as you did with the straight set format described earlier).

To recap, the key to creating the optimal hormonal environment for fat loss is to perform each exercise with maximal intensity while separated by brief rest periods in order to accumulate a high volume of total body work in the shortest amount of time possible. Circuit training provides for the best of both worlds and is thus simply unmatched for simultaneously maximizing fat loss and lean muscle gain.

It’s go time, Jared ;-D

Preventing the Infamous “Freshman 15”

May is finally here. So…

That means seniors in high school are already knees-deep in the senior slump and have a serious case of “senioritis.”

But, what they (and their parents) should be most concerned about is fighting the scary trend of gaining 15+ lbs their freshman year in college.

Seriously, they might soon start calling it the FRESHMAN 50 if someone doesn’t step in right NOW and educate our youngsters about proper training and sound nutrition.

Before I share my top 10 tips to fight this trend, let’s first identify why this is important, beyond the obvious health benefits:

1.) Perception is Reality: Studies show that leaner, more attractive people are more employable and earn higher wages- it’s a fact! If you want a fighting chance of getting and keeping a job, in addition to climbing the corporate ladder, you simply cannot overlook your personal appearance and presentation.

2.) Build a Recession-Proof Body: Whenever the economy is struggling and companies are forced to tighten up their budgets, they’ll “trim the fat” from their employee base (both literally and figuratively). If it comes down to two people with equal skills, the leaner, healthier employee will always win!

• So enough with the politics already, let’s get to the meat and potatoes. Here you go:

10 Tips to Fight the Freshman 15

TIP#1- Invest in a Whole Body Workout

Perform a five-exercise circuit employing body weight-based exercises that’s designed to work your upper body, lower body, and core within the same workout at least three times per week with a day of rest between workouts

-Alternate between 50 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest for each a double-leg (e.g. squat), push (e.g. push-up), single-leg (e.g. lunge), pull (e.g. row), and core (e.g. plank/bridge) exercise.

-Perform up to 4 rounds without rest for a killer 20-minute total body workout that you can do anywhere

TIP#2- Harness the Power of Intervals

-Interval training has been scientifically proven to burn 9x more body fat than traditional exercise, and it will elevate metabolism for up to 24-48 hours following your workout.

-Perform cardio intervals on non-strength training days three times per week. Select your cardio method of choice. My favorite is 15 seconds of flat out, make you wanna die sprint on a bike (stationary or outdoor) followed by a 45 second recovery by lightly riding to let the heart rate slowly drop. Repeat until you have done about 20 min. worth of exercise.

TIP#3- Eat AND Hydrate Early and Often

-Eat immediately upon waking and then every two to four hours to starve fat and feed muscle.

-By continuously fueling your furnace, and eating some animal protein (meat, eggs, cheese, etc.) at every feeding, you'll also keep your metabolism revved up throughout the day and prevent overeating.

-Drink 2-4 cups of water immediately upon waking and then 1-2 cups of water every 2 hours, in addition to drinking 1-2 cups of water for every 15 minutes of activity. Basically, you should be consuming 1/2 of your body weight each day. So if you weigh 150 lbs., you need to be drinking at least 75 oz. of water daily.

TIP#4- When It Comes to Carbs, Think FIber

-Eat an unlimited amount of fibrous, cruciferous green veggies to fill your belly both during and between meals (limiting corn, peas, carrots, beets, and potatoes)

-For optimal fat-burning, try to limit fruit and other carbohydrate consumption to within one to three hours post-workout. That's the time when your body best tolerates starches and sugars.

-The Carb Reduction Blueprint:

Step#1- Replace all white carbs with 100% whole grain carbs and all refined sugars with natural sugars

Step#2- Limit all whole grain starch and natural sugar consumption to within 1-2 hours post-workout or immediately upon waking for breakfast

Step#3- Replace all starches and sugars with fruits and veggies

Step#4- Replace all fruits with green veggies

TIP#5- Focus on Stabilization Exercise for Flat Abs

-Integrated total body training and sound nutrition is the key to burning the fat covering your abdominal muscles so you can “see” them- spot reduction doesn’t work!

-Core stabilization, both static and dynamic, is the key to developing rock hard abs, preventing injuries, and improving posture- STOP with the endless amounts of crunches and sit-ups! All your doing is reinforcing poor posture.

-The pillar collectively consists of your shoulders, hips, and core. It is your body’s powerhouse, foundational to all movement.

-For maximum benefits, you must seek to maintain a tight pillar position during all movements by actively pulling your navel to your spine, engaging your glutes, and maintaining a straight line from the heels through the shoulders.

TIP#6- Be a Flexible Eater

-Allot yourself 1 or 2 “reward meals” per week where you can enjoy the indulgences of college life in MODERATION as needed!

-Be sure to plan your reward meals in advance based on your weekly schedule and be sure to earn them with compliance at all other times!

TIP#7- Take These 2 daily Supplements for Life

-Daily Multi-Vitamin for Your Gender

-Daily EFA/Fish Oil Supplement

TIP#8- If you Booze, you WON’T Lose!

-How much damage? A 12-ounce beer contains about 0.6 ounces of alcohol. If you consumed 5 of these, your body would be inhibited from fat burning for up to 6 hours. This is aside from the fact that your body will actually be storing fat during these 6 hours! The more you drink, the longer your body is inhibited from burning fat in addition to a greater fat build up from excess acetyl CoA. As you can see, one day of binge drinking can set you back days if not a full week when it comes to fat loss!

-What’s the worst-case scenario? Mixing alcohol with sugary beverages promotes even further fat gain due to the resulting insulin surge that triggers fat storage (e.g. regular beer or cocktails mixed with regular soda and/or fruit juice)

If you must drink:

a.) Choose wine or hard liquor and “light” beer

b.) Limit alcohol consumption to 1-2 days per week with a 1-2 drink per day max

TIP#9- Sleep, Stretch, and Self-Massage

-Sleep: Get at least 6-7 hours (ideally 7-8) of restful sleep per night and take 1-2 hour naps to fill in the gaps. Establish a pre-bed routine and avoid caffeine after 2 pm.

-Stretch: Ideally perform Dynamic Stretching to preferentially mobilize joints BEFORE exercise and perform Static Stretching to preferentially lengthen muscles AFTER exercise

-Self-Massage: Spend at least 30-60 seconds massaging sore and tight areas of the body before and after you exercise to regenerate your muscle and connective tissue in order to prevent nagging aches and pains in the joints

TIP#10- Learn the basics of how to design your very own workout

To keep It simple, you should look at movements as opposed to body parts. Don't look at the program as a chest exercise, leg exercise, or arm exercises. You should be looking for movements such as an upper body horizontal push (push up), upper body vertical push (military press), upper body horizontal pull (seated rows), upper body vertical pull (pull up's), knee dominant (squats/deadlifts), and hip dominant (Romanian Deadlifts). Just start to think about movement as opposed to specific body parts. If you stick to these movements, you'll hit every muscle in the body.

It's Go Time ;-D

Jared Woolever

Video of the Week

Are you looking for some new and exciting way to spice up your warm-up routine? These two different types of squats are great for improving hip mobility, as well as targeting some of those hard to reach areas at the same time. Try adding some of these squats into your routine. Beginners may use these body weight variations as a strength exercise. Moderate to Advanced lifters should use these as a warm up primarily for hip mobility as opposed to strength.

Crossover Squats

Do your best to keep the hips, knees and toes facing forward. You want to look like a speed skater while doing these. If done properly, you should feel a good stretch in the glutes on the lead leg and the quadriceps on the trail leg firing. Maintain good posture throughout the entire movement. Do 10 on each side.

Frog Squats

Start with feet hip width apart, toes pointing at a 45 degree angle. Squat as deep as you can ensuring proper posture. Open the hips up and try to get a good stretch in the groin. You can sit at the bottom and get a good stretch by using the elbows to pull the knees apart. Weight should be back in your heels as you squat, letting you knees follow your toes as you descend. Do 10 of these or 5 of the variation below (Frog Squat w/ Reach).

Try to incorperate these drills into you warm-up. These are also great to do on your off days from strength training. I will be showing you some more of these drills that can easily and safely be used to spice up your routine and improve functionality at the same time.

It's go time ;-D

Jared Woolever CSCS, CPT
Owner- Edwardsville Better Body Boot Camps