Poliquin - Healthy. Lean. Strong.

 

Tony Parra is a Level 5 PICP Coach who works and trains in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He’s here at the Poliquin Strength Institute and agreed to answer some questions and give us some advice.

How did you get involved in fitness?
I was studying engineering and I realized I wanted to learn about sports science instead. I was always an athlete (Tony was on the Dominican Republic national judo team) and got a scholarship to do sports science internships from the International Olympic Committee in Barcelona  and then Hungary.

What are your favorite books?
Training: German Body Comp and Poliquin Principles
Nutrition: Living the Low Carb Life from Jonny Bowden
Pleasure: Bushido by Inazo Nitobe and The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi

What do you eat for breakfast?
For breakfast, I have meat, nuts, and berries. Or whole eggs and casaba bread. Sometimes salmon. If I am traveling, I change the meat I eat. I try to eat buffalo, ostrich, and elk, and at home I eat beef, pork, chicken, goat, or fish.
 
What is your favorite exercise?
Squats and deadlifts

What is your least favorite exercise?
Seated calf raise, which is why I don’t have big calves!

What is the most significant thing you have learned from Charles?
Do what works. You have to have an individual approach, and do what you need. There’s not a  universal answer.
 
1)    Learn From Proven Sources
I learn from proven sources that provide good, sound advice. We are in the misinformation era— I don’t read magazines, but I go to seminars and take courses from people who are renowned in the training and strength field. I have taken Biosignature five times. It is one of the most effective tools. Every time there is something new. Protocols change, things get even easier, there’s always something to lean.

2)    Perform Heavy Lifts
I lift for relative strength versus hypertrophy or metabolic focused programs. I think it’s more effective to train with heavy loads to get leaner and stronger. This way when you do train a hypertrophy focused phase, you’ll be able to lift heavier loads. You’ll also trigger higher threshold motor units.

 
3)    Lift Heavy for Greater Structural Balance
The heavier you lift and stronger you are, the more functional you’ll be on your daily life. The first priority in training is to correct any imbalances you have before you can make any strength gains. I include corrective exercises in all programs. I always focus on balancing my upper back muscles: the trap, rotator cuff, and subscap. 

4)    Individualize Diet Protocol
Not everyone thrives with the same protocol. I personally eat a 20/40/40 fat/protein/carb ratio . You have to play with the different ratios a little bit to see what works best for you and your clients. I eat no milk, gluten, or fast foods. I eat good carbs, such as veggies, some fruit, sweet potatoes, and casaba bread. For me, if I go strictly high fat and high protein and eliminate carbs, I will lose a lot of weight and a lot of muscle.

5)    Ideal Frequency of Training is Unique
Some people thrive on three or four times a week, while others do best with five—it’s very individual. I train four times a week, once a day because I work a lot. If my work is lighter, I train three times a week, twice a day. When I travel, I train more because I have more time.

6)    Identify Specific Activities to Release Stress
I use sports and physical activity to release stress. Sports improve your health mentally and physically. I do judo and jujitsu. If I am stressed, I will do martial arts, another training session, or go for a walk. Other people do yoga, breathing exercises, go in the sauna. You have to have specific de-stress activities that work for you.  

7)    Limit the Technology Around You
Try to reduce the technology around you because it makes you more sedentary and exposes you to electrical fields. Limit your use of wifi, cell phone, your car, and TV because the electrical fields  put stress on the body and result in lower testosterone.

8)    Use Soft Tissue Repair
I really like soft tissue repair such as ART (active release technique) and Trigenics to help recovery. If you have tightness and your body isn’t functioning  like it should be, you will have pain in the joints, inhibitions in training, and drops in performance. It’s not that soft tissue repair gets you stronger, but that it helps with repair and recovery.

9)    Detoxify Regularly
Try to use the right foods to detox, with the right amount of fiber, lysine, and glutamine. Use the sauna and intake a lot of water to detox. For me, I should drink more water, but I typically drink  ten to twelve 8-oz. glasses of water. It’s not quite enough because I live in a hot country and do a large amount of work.

10)    Take Supplements for The Brain
The brain is the most important part of your body so anything that can do to increase your cognitive processes is necessary.  I take L-Carnitine, Yang RLA, and Focus Response because it helps the neurotransmitter activity, and allows me to be focused on training.