Mitch Bernier Pn2, FMS, USATF

24/09/2025

Fatloss & Your Training Options.

I continue to put out content that I hope helps us with the weight management that we all seek, whether for performance or lasting health. Bringing it back to the research, move more, and you might get the body of your dreams.

In the study above, cited more than 900 times, it looked at exercise interventions for an aging population. I like this study because it's really hard to get older persons to behavior change, so if there is a study that shows this in an older population, it should work well with younger (that's my two cents).

The intervention had three groups, all with nutritional guidance, 1. Aerobic training, 2. Resistance training, 3. Aerobic and resistance training.

Who do you think had the best weight loss results? You guessed it group 3.

Group 3 had the highest expenditure throughout the week and retained more lean mass as they weightlossed. Reminder that your lean mass is your furnace and that you want the biggest furnace possible as you head into the nack half of life.

So..... are you doing you Zone 2 & resistance training 2x weekly?

13/09/2025

Fat Loss & Walking >>>

Conclusions
10,000 steps·day, with approximately 3,500 steps·day performed as BOUT-MVPA (moderate-to-vigorous physical activity), is associated with enhanced weight loss in a behavioral intervention.

I like this study because it talks about walking as "a behavioral intervention." If you have never walked 10k steps per day, it is harder than you think, but the data says it may be key for long-term fat loss. The usual 150 min/week (~7k steps) isn’t enough for lasting results.

In this study People who average ~10,000 steps per day with at least 3,500 of those steps at a moderate-to-vigorous pace and in bouts of 10+ minutes lose more weight and keep it off for 18 months than those who simply hit “150 minutes a week” of activity.

Think about it, 18 month long term change just by adding walking to your current routine.

Time is key.
The first six months set the trajectory.
Build the 10k-step habit now, before the window for easy metabolic adaptation closes.

Your next walk isn’t just steps > it’s momentum that compounds for years of better weight control and metabolic health.

18/08/2025

Fat > Lipolysis, Usage.

My thesis for health and performance continues to push on the idea that being really good with mobilizing fat is key to metabolic flexibility.

Getting better with using fats in the body starts with the release of fat, called lipolysis.

The process of lipolysis is largely controlled by the endocrine system. Epinephrine stimulates lipolysis, raising circulating free fatty acid levels. At rest, epinephrine concentrations are low,
but during prolonged, lower-intensity
exercise (Zone 1-2), they steadily rise,
creating the perfect environment for fat
oxidation.

Catecholamines (like epinephrine) are the switch that triggers lipolysis. The key is the connection to intensity. If your training intensity is too high, you trigger lipolysis, but the useage of fat in the bloodstream isn't to the same extent of glucose usage.

Training at lower intensity, for longer duration, helps the "dose response" of epinephrine while minimizing glucose usage.

This supports mitochondrial signaling, supporting the development of key enzymes, like carnitine palmitoyltransferase-1 (CPT-1), which are responsible for the transport of long chain fatty acids into the mitochondria.

This doesn't happen the same way at higher intensity, short duration, and better fat mobilization and usage, which actually helps you save glucose (carbs) for when needed in performance.

12/08/2025

Posture: More Than Just Muscle.

We often see posts and speakers' talk about posture, knowing it's a buzzword (this is me doing the same thing, btw).

When most people think about posture,
they picture muscles pulling bones into
alignment - and they're not wrong. But
that's only part of the story.
What really holds you together isn't just
your muscles - it's a network of tension
and balance between primary drivers
(muscles, joints, and neuromuscular
control) and secondary support systems,
like fascia.

Fascia is more than "wrapping" - it's an
intelligent, continuous web that connects
head to toe. It can absorb, transfer, and
distribute forces when your primary
systems (muscles) are fatigued, inhibited,
or imbalanced. That's why in cases like
Upper Cross Syndrome or Lower Cross
Syndrome, we don't just see muscle
shortening and weakness - we also see
fascial lines adapting, reinforcing faulty
patterns, and making them harder to
change.

The lateral line (shown in the second
image) is a perfect example - running
from your foot to your skull, it helps to resist lateral bending and keeps you upright during movement. But if you live in a postural imbalance long enough, this
"backup system" can become overworked,
stiff, and less efficient, locking you into
that posture.

The human machine doesn't just hold
posture, it constantly interprets every
movement, every habit, every hour at the
desk as data that your body uses to decide which tissues should carry the load.

Like most things I discussed, we can train it.

29/07/2025

Fat Isn't All The Same. Some science.

Most workouts focus on burning calories,
but is it the real game-changer?
Training your body to become fat-adapted. Here's how:

1. Fat Cells Vary in Size and Location
• Smaller fat cells = more metabolically active Subcutaneous fat (under the skin) is
accessible for fuel than deep
more visceral fat
• Location matters: abdominal fat is
more active in fat oxidation than
gluteal or femoral regions

2. Fat Mobilization Takes Time.
Fat must be released (lipolysis),
transported (via albumin), and
oxidized. Larger fat cells are more
insulin-resistant, slowing the process.
Duration of mobilization depends on
blood flow, hormone signaling, and
training history. So training fat zones matters.

3. Fat as a Fuel: The Journey.
After release, free fatty acids bind to
albumin. Then,
• Transported to mitochondria for
oxidation, primarily in slow-twitch
muscle fibers. Training increases capillarization and mitochondrial density-enhancing this journey.

Training.

1. Prioritize longer-duration sessions.
Steady-state cardio (Zone 2) is your
body's best tool for developing fat
oxidation pathways. This is where
mitochondria thrive, and fat becomes
fuel.

2. Increase time-to-fat-crossover
As you become more trained, you can
push harder and stay in fat-burning
zones longer. This improves endurance
and metabolic flexibility.
Want to know your personal crossover
point? Let's test it.

3. Resistance training enhances fat
metabolism, too.
Strength training improves insulin
sensitivity and increases muscle, which
supports fat usage even at rest. The
right blend of cardio and strength is key.

27/05/2024

In the TOP 5!!! PLEASE FREE VOTE!!!

Vote for Mitchell Bernier to be featured in Muscle & Fitness Magazine and take home $20,000.

27/05/2024

In the the TOP 5!!!! PLEASE FREE VOTE

Vote for Mitchell Bernier to be featured in Muscle & Fitness Magazine and take home $20,000.

24/05/2024

In 3rd Place for Top15. Please help me win!!!

Vote for Mitchell Bernier to be featured in Muscle & Fitness Magazine and take home $20,000.