AboutBrad J Loomis Expertise I am a WNBF natural professional bodybuilder and fitness trainer who is well versed in Exercise Physiology and Kinesiology. I am equally well versed in muscle hypertrophy and fat reduction. I have coached male, female, and teenage competitors all to top 5 finishes, 2 with class wins. Competition prep and posing are other subjects I love to teach. I am very good with nutrition, but will admit that I am not a dietician. I hold a Bachelors Degree in Radiologic Science, a Personal Training Certification with the IDEA Health and Fitness Association and am a certified RKC (Russian Kettlebell Challenge) Instructor. I am most knowledgeable in Anatomy, kinesiology and Exercise Execution, especially Compound and Isolation free weight exercises. I also love to answer questions about motivation.
Experience I have won 3 overall titles with the ABA/INBA and several class wins. In August 2008 I won the Overall title for the INBF Washington State Natural Bodybuilding Championships earning my WNBF Pro Card. I have owned and operated "Healthy Bodies Fitness" in Portola, CA for 6 years. During that time I have taught literally hundreds of clients in nearly every way. You name it and I have used it as an avenue for coaching/teaching. One on one personal training, seminars, 10 week challenges, week long courses, group training, step aerobics, what ever it takes to spread the word of health and fitness and keep my business thriving in a small community. I have also authored a book "Design your own NUTRITION" which is being represented by ST Literary Agency.
Organizations Sponsored by AST Sports Science. www.ast-ss.com WNBF(World Natural Bodybuilding Federation, RKC I Certified Instructer(www.dragondoor.com)
A.R.R.T (American Registry of Radiologic Technologists)IDEA Health and Fitness Association
Publications May Issue of Natural Body Building and Fitness Magazine. March 2007 Issue of IDEA Fitness Journal (Member Spotlight)AST Sports Science Website (Interviewed by IFBB Pro Jeff Willet)Natural Bodybuilding and Fitness Magazine (www.exercisegroup.com)January Issue of Mountain Lifestye Magazine.
Local Paper "Portola Reporter"
Education/Credentials My background is in Health Care. I earned my Bachelors in Radiologic Science and have worked in Diagnostic Imaging for 13 years, thus my vast knowledge of anatomy. I am an RKC Certified Instructor and have a personal training certification with IDEA Health and Fitness Association. The rest of my knowledge comes from frequently reading the journals of The American College of Sports Medicine and American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. There are other journals out there, but those are my favorites.
Awards and Honors As I mentioned above, I am a 7x Natural Body Building Champion.
2003 Novice Overall Champion ABA/INBA Northern Nevada Natural
2004 Open Medium height division winner ABA/INBA Western USA Natural
2006 Open Overall Champion ABA/INBA Naturals Nationals
2007 Open Short class winner ABA/INBA Mr. Millenium and Mr. Reno
2008 Open Overall Champion ABA/INBA Mr. Millenium
2008 Open Middleweight winner INBF Capital City Naturals
2008 Open Overall Champion INBF Washington State Naturals(Earned WNBF Pro Status)
Past/Present Clients To many to list, but I am especially proud to have done consulting with Tony Bennett.
Question Okay, so I have a few questions and you seemed pretty qualified to answer them. First off my name is Grant, i'm 19, i'm a purple belt in jiu-jitsu, and i'm looking to get into MMA.
My two questions are more self-conscious than effecting how I perform. To be short, I have man boobs, I don't know why, but I do. I run everyday, I work out every day I am not incredibly sore, I eat pretty well (don't drink pop, very little junk food, no fast food), I just don't understand it. I did some research and I found a condition called gynecomastia, but from what I can see most of the time it seems to be related to steroids which I have never/will never use. I was wondering what I can do to get rid of them!?
Second is lower abs/love handles. I cannot get rid of about a half inch layer of fat on those. My upper two abs are there but not the lower ones, I have been doing reverse curls and leg lifts added on to my circuit training for about two months and I haven't seen results. So what could I do for that?
Now my last two are more performance oriented. I have a very weak jaw and that isn't a good thing for a fighter. I was wondering if there is anything I can do to strengthen it? When I spar with my usual partners they know my issues and when we were helmets I try to have the aim for my jaw more often in order to get it used to being hit more but it's horrible. The other day I was knocked down with my helmet on because of a jaw punch.
And lastly, joints and tendons. What can I do to improve those? Ideally I would like to do very heavy workouts 5 times a week, but I cannot because of my joints and tendons. My muscles recover relatively quick but I have sore joints everytime I will lift heavy.
Well... Thank you, I know I asked a million questions but it would help a lot to know! Thanks again.
-Grant
Answer Thanks for being patient with me Grant. You asked a mouth full
Q. To be short, I have man boobs, I don't know why, but I do. I was wondering what I can do to get rid of them!?
A. I very seriously doubt that you have gyno. You probably just have a little excess adipose in the areas of your pectorals and low abs. We all carry our fat in different areas according to how God made us. While on of my clients might look ripped in the upper body, another might be the same weight and no look so ripped. Without knowing more information about you, hiegth, weight, body fat and distribution, it is hard for me to say. In any case I have been as much as 20% body at and had the upper four abs, not exactly ideal body fat for an athlete. I would say you need to diet down a little to get the look you want. Be smart about it though. Count your macros carefully and log them every day. That is the best way to make sure you are loosing fat and not hard earned muscle.
To gain muscle, the best pectoral builder is the good old fashioned bench press. Dumbbell or barbell, it does not matter which. In my opinion, and I have no proof for this, I think the dumbbell make the pec pull harder as the angle is better with the up and in action. This as opposed to the barbell which is simply up.
Q. Second is lower abs/love handles. I cannot get rid of about a half inch layer of fat on those. So what could I do for that?
A. To diet properly you need to know how much food you are eating to maintain what you have. Log your food for a couple of days and add up the amount of protein, carbs and fats. I usually always make my initial cuts of nutrition when I start dieting from carbs. So if you are taking in say 400g of carbs every day cut that down by 50g or 200 calories. Say your protein is 250g and fat 60g then leave those alone. Only lower one or the other once your body weight stops dropping. If you are taking in more than 65g of fat in a day, that is probably one of the problems, cut it down. In order to cut the fat on your chest, love handles, and low abs, you are probably going to have to be very lean.
Q. I have a very weak jaw and that isn't a good thing for a fighter. I was wondering if there is anything I can do to strengthen it?
A. I got no idea on this one bud. You strengthen the muscles and bones In the body by placing them under progressively increasing strain and tension. The overload then leads to stronger muscles and bones because they have to adapt, or rip/break. And they don’t want to do that, so they get stronger. So I guess you would do the same with your jaw. Whack it once every 2 or 3 days and make it stronger. No garuatees on that one though. I’m pretty much talking out of my butt, or….. I mean……hypothesizing.
Q. Lastly, joints and tendons. What can I do to improve those?
A. Joints and tendons are just like the other tissues in the body, they increase in strength under overload. However they are tricky because if you go to heavy to fast, they start to get inflamed from all the movement. Also add to it that if you are not flexing the supportive muscles while they are under that load, the joints will slightly walk out of joint and then you feel the strain and stretch on the connective tissue. Keep doing what you are doing, but go slow. If a joint pains you to the point of hindering your performance, than stop and rest it. When you train, give your joints time to adapt to the loads. You may have to use the same weight for a month or so before increasing load to allow your joints to adapt. Lastly make sure you flex those surrounding supportive muscles to keep the joints from “walking” and locked into the joint. For shoulders, flex the heck out of your lats as if you are pulling your shoulders in toward your heart as you press. For squats and deadlifts, arch the back, keep the lats tight, and “grab” the floor with your feet. There should be tension through your whole body on big compounds like that.
Kettlebell training is great for joint strength and flexibility. In my opinion, all MMA fighters should do kettlebell training exclusively with the exception of squats and deadlifts. The functional part of training you get with kettlebells is far superior to traditional training for athletes in MMA, Football, Boxing, grappling and other contact sports.
