Since I’ve started getting into sprint distance triathlon training I’ve been playing this balancing act between various training methods as I don’t want to sell my soul to aerobic exercise and carb overload as is typical of many in the sport! We all know that carbicide is often the reason for the failure of most fat loss plans but I want to know whether regular intense cardio based workouts can be optimised without huge daily doses of carbs.

More on this soon!

In the meantime I’ve been hunting down those who have a lot of knowledge and experience with raw foods and alternative supplementation to the world of bodybuilding supplements.

This journey recently led me to Dane Miller of Garage Strength. As an ex-athlete Dane has been through it all in terms of strength training and nutrition and his travels have taught him much which I’d like to pass on to you today. 

He also has something to tell you about the best protein supplement.

Remember as always, research everything further and test it on yourself.

Can you give us a bit about your background and what you do right now?

By my senior year of high school, I had excelled at both shot putting and American football.  During my years at University, I competed in the shot
put and discus for the Pennsylvania State University.  The highlights of my collegiate track career included a trip to the National Championship meet
and numerous placings at the Big Ten Conference championships.  Upon graduation, I decided to train with Dylan Armstrong (4th place shot put 2008
Olympics) and the great Dr. Anatoly Bondarchuk in Kamloops, British Columbia.  I trained under Dr. B for a year and then moved home to start my
own business.  I opened Garage Strength as a way to further my training ideologies and better my surrounding community, both athletically and in regards to fitness and food.  Recently, I became certified by Charles Poliquin and am now the only person in the world who has worked with both Dr. Bondarchuk and Charles Poliquin.

Why did you decide you needed to travel to develop yourself?

I traveled throughout Canada in 2006 and loved it.  When the opportunity arose for me to train with Dylan and Dr. Bondarchuk came about, I knew it was a no
brainer.  I love being home in Pennsylvania but I knew for me to get the best training experience I could, I had to go train with Dr. B.  I knew his
achievements, I knew who he worked with and I knew he was the greatest throws coach on the planet.  It would have been a big mistake to not go
train with Dr. B!!!

Did you have a plan or just go where the river took you?!

I had a slight plan.  It wasn’t set in stone but the bare bones were laid down.  I went up there with a set amount of money I saved and the notion that I would have to
train hard and work a job to pay the bills.  When I arrived in Kamloops, I had my car, my little dog and money.  I didn’t have a place to sleep, no
job, no friends, nothing.  It took me a little while to settle down, find a place, get a job and get used to training but otherwise it was a relatively
smooth transition.  When I came back from Canada, I had no money and I had to start making it quick.  I opened my business at my house and got a day
job.  It took me 6-7 months to actually get a decent schedule of clients.  I just have a plan on paper and try to fill in the holes as I progress with my
business!

I’m looking to do something similar. Where should I start as it’s a big old world out there and I don’t like wasting my time!?

Start right away.  Do want you want to do.  If you want to open a business make sure you save a ton of money.  I knew I would have to spend a lot of money to make money but I was not prepared for overall costs.  Fortunately, I kept my day job as long as possible.  I went about 8 months working 16-17 hours a day and that can really run someone into the ground.  Once I realized I could work at the Garage full time, I quit my day job.  Now I live week to week, month to month striving to build a better client base and a better foundation of my knowledge.

What’s your overall philosophy on nutrition?  

As for nutrition….Keep it simple!  Eat whole, real foods.  No processed foods!  The only “processed” foods I consume are fermented food products.  I eat whole meat products, whole dairy products, fermented dairy, fermented vegetables and a lot of leafy green vegetables.  I keep my fruit intake down throughout the year,
except during the fall when the fruits are in season.  I eat what is in season and what is available from the best, most nutritious farms!

How much different is grass-fed beef to your average supermarket steak and what are the advantages of switching in terms of hormones, muscle-building, toxicity etc?  

Much different!!!  You can see it in the color; the grass fed animal is closer to “wild.”  It has more omega 3’s, a little more protein, less omega 6 fats and no hormones.  The grass fed animal also eases the impact on the environment.  On top of that, the animal is MUCH healthier because the animal is outside and consuming its natural diet.  It is quite plausible that the hormones and antibiotics injected into the animals can be found in their meat.  This can have a very negative impact on humans,especially nursing mothers.

Changing to a grass-fed meat only diet is often see as too expensive and difficult to get hold of. Where should we start looking and how can we keep the costs down?  

In the United States, I use  www.eatwild.com .  I also use the www.WestonAPrice.org website and my local farmer’s markets.  The
key is to form relationships with your local farmers.  When I moved home, I got to know everyone that sold me food.  Then I started buying food in bulk
and splitting it with my friends and family.  I eat the highest quality food and it is cheaper than going to the grocery store because I save time, gas
and buy in bulk!

You’re a big bloke and previously competed in the shot put which always requires a lot of strength and power. Does this mean you’re a supplement guzzler?  

NO!  I took supplements while at Penn State but once I fully committed to eating well, I got away from supplements.  The way I supplement my diet now is by using some herbs depending on the time of year and taking fermented Cod Liver Oil.

What’s this talk on your website about the best supplement ever in kefir? What is it, why is so good and where can we get it?

Kefir is incredible.  It has countless amounts of healthy bacteria.  It helps keep your digestive tract healthy and the protein is predigested upon consumption.  Kefir is
also loaded with B vitamins.  I like it right after training because it is easy for my body to absorb the readily available protein and is great for quick recovery from training.  It is an Eastern European food that also has some roots in the likes of Genghis Khan.  Khan conquered countless tribe while consuming kumis, a fermented mare (horse) milk product.

What’s your stance on carbs given that you train like a beast with tyres, sledgehammer, sleds, power bags etc? How do you structure your carb intake for optimal performance, muscle growth and recovery without inhaling carbs at every opportunity?

I am not a huge consumer of carbs.  Luckily, I dislike pasta and most Italian foods (except pizza) so I never ate too many carbs to begin with.  Carbs raise our blood sugar and then we release large amounts of insulin to regulate blood sugar.  I believe this leads to obesity and large amounts of inflammation.  With that being said, the only time I eat carbs is when I finish a workout and when I drink raw milk.  Occasionally, I eat quinoa following a training session or some homemade sourdough bread. Otherwise, my entire carbohydrate intake comes from raw milk.

I believe in training EVERYONE like athletes in that the principles remain the same even though the actual program has to be tailored to the individual. How can we get Joe Public into that mindframe so that they can see their ability to get extraordinary results?

This is right on point with my philosophy.  I believe that athletes have to train in the most efficient manner to become the absolute best athlete and that goes hand in hand with being the most efficient human being.  This has a direct correlation to the average person.  If Joe Public is eating well, moving in biomechanically efficient patterns, sleeping well, etc…he will be healthier in general.  This doesn’t mean squatting 600 pounds or benching 400 pounds, it simply means learning how to use their body efficiently and effectively.

That is the key to being a healthy human being.

What are the five most prominent principles behind your training, and how would you structure a typical session?

Five most prominent…that is a tough one.  Optimal motor unit recruitment, proper positions, maximize force production/absorption, proper nutrition and optimal mental capacity.  The mind is the most underdeveloped aspect in training and the first thing I check in people is their mental capabilities.  As soon as someone enters my gym, the first exercise we do has a significant impact on brain development and control.  Then we utilize an intense training session where rest is brain based with active recovery.  We finish with an extreme situation for training.

The people reading this are largely like ourselves and love a good hiding in training. You’re in the middle of nowhere and you have one medium weight kettlebell, one heavy weight kettlebell, a rope, a tree and a 100m long hill. Give me your best shot with a killer 20 minute training session to smash the entire body.

Well, I absolutely love rope climbing.  Let’s hook the rope around the tree and get to work climbing.  I would go as far as saying climb the rope 15 times as fast a possible!  Get the medium kettlebell and do a set of 15 swings on each arm, sprint backwards up the hill, lunge backward down the hill and then hit 6 snatches with the heavy kettlebell on each side.  So it will go something like this….Climb the rope, swing the medium kettlebell 15 times each, sprint backwards up the hills, lunge backwards down the hill as active rest, snatch the heavy bell for 6 times on each arm.

Can you point us to some good resources (including your blog) to learn more about the methods you use, in particular the nutritional components?

My website is Garage Strength and I have plenty of good articles and videos containing solid nutrition advice with some unique training videos.  I did an interview with Gary Taubes, author of “Good Calories, Bad Calories” that is extremely informative and well worth the $20.  Nutritionally, I recommend reading Taubes’ book and Weston A. Price’s book, “Nutrition and Physical Degeneration.”  In regards to training, I really enjoy R. A. Roman’s book on Olympic weightlifting as well as “Transfer of Training” from my coach, Dr. Anatoly Bondarchuk.

Thanks to Dane for answering my questions – more on all these topics soon as I continue to test various methods!

Stay tuned!