Vinnie Tortorich, Celebrity Fitness Trainer, Creator of #NSNG

Angriest Trainer 326: One-on-One Phil Maffetone

Dec152014

Our guest today is Phil Maffetone, originally from Brooklyn, and a track and field athlete in the 60’s. Vinnie and Anna discuss Phil’s book with him, “1:59“, and the concept of body efficiency.

Also, today, we’re going to Hollywood! The amazing Serena Scott Thomas is in Paul Thomas Anderson’s new movie, “Inherent Vice” which opened last week. Vinnie discusses the movie and what it was like going to the premiere. He also notices a strong resemble between actress Illeana Douglas who attended the premiere of “Inherent Vice” and actor/comedian Milton Berle…

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Ileana Douglas and Milton Berle

Illeana Douglas at the Inherent Vice premiere

Phil’s Book

“1:59” refers to the ability of a human being breaking the 2 hour mark running a marathon
It is considered “undoable”
The book is for everyone…cyclists, swimmers, triathletes

Body Efficiency

Our brain tries to move in the most economical way
The more efficient our body moves…the faster we perform using less energy and with less injuries
Ryan Hall had high hopes…great runner but not consistent
Phil says that he has an irregular gate, which is not efficient and slows him down

Breaking Records

In 1954 Roger Bannister broke the 4 minute mile and many people broke it soon after
Bob Beaman jumped further than any human being in the 1968 Mexico City Olympics
To achieve this, these need to be near-perfect performances
Humans are always improving..mental and physical part of us always wants to do better

How Does This Relate to Zone 2

Aerobic system is the key foundation of endurance competition
Equally important is diet
Junk food impairs aerobic ability
Get away from sugar and grains

Inherent Vice

Trailer

ANGRIEST TRAINER 325: ONE-ON-ONE WITH VANESSA MARANO

by Vinnie Tortorich

Dec102014

Today’s guest is actress, Vanessa Marano, who has been acting since she was 8 years old. She is known for her work in “Without a Trace” and “The Gilmore Girls” just to name a few. Vanessa and Vinnie talk about being a child actor, Hollywood, diet and fitness and most importantly her involvement with The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation and their current campaign, The Big Idea. The advances that have been made for people with paralysis is truly amazing.

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How Vanessa Got Started in Acting

Started classes when she was 6 at her mother’s children’s theater
Knew she wanted to be an actress but her mother was against it
Met with agents and they took her on as well as her younger sister
She’s been in the business almost 14 years

Fitness and Diet

Vanessa is 5’3” and a size 2 but is not naturally thin
At 14 she gained 10 pounds…has to work at her body
She stays away from carbs and sugar
Does yoga, hikes and walks

The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation

Christopher Reeve, who played Superman, had a horse accident and became a quadraplegic due to a spinal cord injury
Vanessa is passionately involved with The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation
The Foundation is 70% about finding a cure and 30% quality of life
They also get information to the newly injured

The Big Idea

In 2010, research began on 4 men with paralysis
They were implanted with a epidural stimulator and immediately, they got back 100% bowel control, bladder control, sexual function and temperature regulation – giving back their independence
They could move parts of their bodies that were paralyzed
By 2014 they had sustained the results…

What You Can Do

The Reeve Big Idea Campaign is looking to raise $15,000,000 to make this protocol a reality for people with paralysis
Doing another study with 36 men and women
They are asking the public to donate $36 but please donate what you can at ReeveBigIdea.org and click on donate

ANGRIEST TRAINER 324: GHEE, TRAINING AND LISTENER QUESTIONS

by Vinnie Tortorich

Dec082014

Vinnie and Annie chat about lots ‘o stuff in today’s podcast. “Is Ghee dairy free…and what is ghee? More great information about training…remember carbo-loading before a race…what were we thinking? Vinnie’s Newsletter and Listener Questions. Oh, and Anna ran 5 miles that morning!

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Ghee (Clarified Butter)

Ghee has dairy in it but it is one step beyond clarified butter
The fat found in dairy is in ghee
But unlike butter, you can leave it out on the counter
Can use for cooking and coffee

Fun Facts About Training

People say to Vinnie, “Just tell me what to do!”
Just get out and run…you don’t always need to know distance or use special gear.
Mary Lindahl, a Chi Running instructor in Colorado and one of the first women to run the Boston Marathon, came across the finish line 3 years ago in a tank top and worn-out running shoes
When you’ve had a lifetime of training and done it a lot, you get back to basics

How To Run On Hills

You need to practice on hills!
Eddy Merckx, one of the world’s greatest cyclist says “Some people buy upgrades, some people ride upgrades”
And to stay in Zone 2, sometimes you need to walk them
When Serena started, she noticed Shannon Griefer legendary runner in the endurance world…walked hills
Shannon is a real hero…she is still running against all odds…Vinnie did a podcast with her (Episode 315)
At race time, you can forget about Zone 2 and race away

Listener Questions

In Vinnie’s Newsletter, he talks about how much sugar we really need…which turns out to be 3/4 tsp for a healthy body..that you can get from healthy veggies and low-glycemic fruits
We used to carbo-load the day before a race…we know better now
If you are fat adapted, you can run thru the stored sugar and come to a hill and take in a “sugar trickle”
Don’t become carb-phobic. There is a difference between storing sugar and using sugar for instant energy
Listener Sarah who is new to the group asks if she should eat fat to offset the sugar craving
Use cream and berries, keep getting your body to fat adapt and after a while the cravings go away

Angriest Trainer 323: One-on-One with John Lee Dumas

by Vinnie Tortorich

Dec032014

Today’s guest is John Lee Dumas, the host of the wildly popular daily podcast, Entrepreneur on Fire. With 750 episodes and 10,000,000 downloads, Entreprenuer on Fire was awarded Best Podcast of iTunes 2013. It has been featured in Forbes, Inc and TIme Magazines. Vinnie finds out why John does his podcast 7 days each week and how he created motivation and inspiration where there was none…

How It Began

At 17, John knew he wanted to serve his country and went to school on a ROTC scholarship
He spent 13 months in Iraq as Tank Platoon Leader and was in charge of lives
After this life and death experience, it was hard going back to normal life
He found himself at a boring job sitting in a cubicle all day…he realized he put himself there and he could get himself out

What Changed

He was miserable and was trying to escape this drama
John knew he had to mobilize, find mentorship and he listened to podcasts that interviewed successful inspiring entrepreneurs.
He realized that people needed to hear these podcasts everyday so he created Entrepreneur on Fire, 365 potentially life-changing, relationship-building podcasts a year
These podcasts build connections and create relationships

Fitness and Nutrition

He started out as a “cardio guy” … on the eliptical for 60 minutes and then weights and he hurt his back
He switched over to Crossfit because 2 hours on one machine will get you injured
John is heavy into veggies and meats for all his meals
Uses frozen bags of veggies as “go to” food

What’s Next

After establishing himself as a success, has to avoid “weapons of mass distraction”…things that distract him from what works
Every Wednesday, he does a live free podcast workshop at 12 pm (pacific time) and teaches people how to create, grow and monetize their podcasts.
That opens the door to Podcaster’s Paradise which offers 200 video tutorials and monthly webinars

Angriest Trainer 322: Vegans and Plant-Based NSNG

by Vinnie Tortorich

Dec012014

Today’s guest is B.J. Tucker. He is an endurance runner, a vegan, a member of Plant Powered NSNG and an advocate of changing the food that is served in schools to more “real food” and less sugar. Join Vinnie and Anna and learn more about how B.J. is working to get schools and parents to look closely at what we feed our children. Learn more about BJ’s journey and his mission … check out his blog Living Better. Serena joins in to talk with BJ about endurance running, marathons and raising money for a special foundation…

How Do We Change Our Schools

Take baby steps
Starting with something as simple as chocolate milk
The nutrition guidelines are more concerned with the milk than they are with the sugar and additives
Stop kids and parents from bringing in outside sugar-laden snacks
Work with athletic department…don’t need sugary sports drinks…just water
It’s an opportunity to educate others

There’s Not One Perfect Way To Eat

It’s about eating real food – food that grows out of the ground
Vinnie’s new book has addresses Vegans and NSNG
Meat is only a part of NSNG
The brain needs some carbs…not bread and pasta…but fruits and vegetables

How Do People React to BJ Being a Vegan

BJ tries to turn questions into a conversation
Besides meat, he focuses on the other 80% of our diet
He doesn’t preach, but leads by example
At the end of the day, eat a variety of real food

Serena and BJ Talk Shop

They are both endurance runners
BJ has run the Back to Back on New Year’s Eve, a 50K and a 223 mile race from Austin to Corpus Christi
Serena is training for The Avalon 50 on Catalina Island on January 10, 2015
She is raising money for “In Situ” an organization that trains dogs to sniff out cancer through blood and breath for early detection.

Angriest Trainer 321: One-on-One with Sean Stellato

by Vinnie Tortorich

Nov272014

Sean Stellato played college and pro career in football along with four years in Division 1 basketball. Originally from Boston, Sean went to Salem High School in the early 90‘s. He is the author of the book, “No Backing Down” which tells the true and compelling story of Sean’s life. He was told he was too short and too small to play sports and how he discovered that with a good work ethic, no one can ever “outwork” you. It is about doing the right thing and never giving up.

Where It Began

In his sophmore year at Salem High School, Sean was a kicker on his team.
His team had just lost the championship, and Sean walked into legendary Coach Ken Perron’s office and said to him “If you give me the football and let me be starting quarterback next year, I will lead our team to the Super Bowl”
Sean Stellato was 5’6” and 130 lbs soaking wet
Sean got the nod as co-starter and over the next year grew 2” and put on 20 pounds of muscle

What Happened

During Sean’s junior year his team was 6 games into the season and undefeated, when the teacher’s strike at his high school, Salem, started…the weekend they were getting ready to play Swampscott HS
Coach Perron knew if he crossed the picket line, he could lose his job.
The players had to break into the school to get their equipment…these were kids with personal tragedies and football was their escape
The police and news stations showed up…Coach Perron was handed a “Cease and Desist”
He looked at it and said, “Boy’s, let’s play ball”

Modern Witch Hunt Began

The school superintendent went on the local news that night and accused the coach of starting a football cult
The team had a police escort into the Swampscott game
On national television with 12,000 attendees
Salem wins in the final seconds in a dramatic fashion

Life After High School

Sean played football for Marist College
He played pro-ball for Arena Football for 2 years
He knew he wanted to get married and have children and decided to be a sports agent
Today he has his own company, Stellato Enhanced Sports (SES)