Core Performance & Diet

Core Performance is both a healthy eating plan and a fitness routine.

Created by Mark Verstegen and Pete Williams, the Core Performance is a diet and workout program that is designed to help you transform both your body and your life. It is not a quick fad diet but instead teaches lifelong healthy eating and fitness habits.

Premise

According to Verstegen, who is an Olympic trainer, at the core of everyone is a lean, strong, flexible and powerful athlete. By following his diet, Verstegen states that he can help turn back the clock, speed up your metabolism and help you trim your waistline, build lean muscle mass and gain energy. The Core Performance last for 12 weeks and focuses on fitness, recovery and eating the right foods.

Fitness

The fitness portion of Core Performance combines a variety of workout routines, which include strength training, flexibility, endurance and power. Verstegen states that his plan is designed to avoid overtraining any one body part. Individuals on Core Performance will train three to six days a week for 30 to 60 minutes a day. The program consists of six separate strength programs and a cardio program. These Core workouts include an active warm-up, a stretching section, a series of exercises to stretch the hip, core and shoulders, a section that focuses on elasticity, a strength section, an interval cardio section and a section of low-intensity activities. Each day, individuals will complete three to four of these programs.

Recovery

According to Verstegen, recovering is as important as working out itself. By properly allowing your body to recover, you are allowing for it to get leaner and stronger instead of exhausted. Furthermore, the body needs constant stimulation, otherwise it will hit a plateau or you will get bored. By recovering for three days a week by doing low-intensity activities, you will be able to avoid overtraining.

Meal Plan

Core Performance is designed to help people lose fat, maximize energy and gain lean muscle mass. Verstegen recommends that individuals eat five to six small meals a day. Individuals are told to eat every 2½ to three hours. By eating often, individuals are able to maintain a healthy metabolism and avoid overeating. Verstegen focuses on eating good carbohydrates, healthy fat and lean proteins. Healthy fats are polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats such as nuts, fish oils and seeds. He recommends that a person daily consume between 0.6 and 0.8 g of protein per pound of body weight.

Glycemic Index

Verstegen stresses the importance of the glycemic index when following Core Performance. Not all carbohydrates are created equal, and because of this, there are good and bad carbohydrates. Bad carbohydrates, or carbohydrates with a high glycemic-index number, are quickly broken down and cause your blood sugar levels to rise rapidly. Verstegen recommends that individuals focus on eating carbohydrates that have a low glycemic index, such as broccoli, to avoid a blood sugar spike.

References

• "Core Performance"; Mark Verstegen and Pete Williams; 2004