ElementalFitnessLab

Move to Elemental Fitness Lab

2011-05-03T09:13:00.000-07:00

Notifying everyone that might see this blog that I have opened a new facility in Portland, Oregon, and have moved my blogging activities to the new website: http://www.elementalfitnesslab.com/

Please check there for all sorts of new information and multi-media content.

And thanks for reading!

Of Mice and Men

2011-03-04T13:04:00.000-08:00

As my poor clients that are forced to listen to me ramble on know all to well I am absolutely fascinated with the history of physical culture. We've all heard stories about martial arts masters of yesteryear or strongmen do incredible feats well into their later years, but how many older people do you know these days that can even physically function well in daily life?

Having personally seen many older individuals perform impressive physical feats I've always believed it to be the case that one of the main attributes that allows them to do so is they never stopped moving. Never stopped exercising.

This article in the New York Times takes a look at the effects of exercise on mice genetically engineered to age quicker. And in particular it looks at the effects on mitochondria, which power the cells of our body.

Many scientists consider the loss of healthy mitochondria to be an important underlying cause of aging in mammals. As resident mitochondria falter, the cells they fuel wither or die. Muscles shrink, brain volume drops, hair falls out or loses its pigmentation, and soon enough we are, in appearance and beneath the surface, old.

The researchers were surprised by the magnitude of the impact that exercise had on the animals’ aging process, Dr. Tarnopolsky said. He and his colleagues had expected to find that exercise would affect mitochondrial health in muscles, including the heart, since past research had shown a connection. They had not expected that it would affect every tissue and bodily system studied.

Yes we can debate if this study has any validity for homo sapiens, but there is other medical research going on regarding mitochondria. My brother has been working in sports medicine for about 30 years, and over the past 10 years has been involved with cold laser "acupuncture" in which the laser directly affects mitochondria and he has seen some remarkable affects on the speed at which people regain better function, and recover faster from damaged tissue.

But back to physical culture, It is astounding to see historical pictures of active individuals long ago and see how good their posture, physical stature, and body composition appears to be. And they didn't even have treadmills or health clubs stuffed full of high tech machines. Huh.

What they did was move, pick up weight and carry it around, swing from ropes or bars, and in general use their entire body. And I'll hazard a guess they didn't eat to much fast food or anything from a box.

This picture of a Hawaiian surfer circa 1890 is one of my favorites.

He looks more fit and stronger than just about anyone you are likely to see in a gym these days. And I bet he can out paddle, swim, or run anyone in your gym.

And if one were to go to a gymnasium in the 19th Century it's a good bet it would look something like this.

Talk about equipment that forces you to move your own bodyweight instead of plodding along on a treadmill.

While training Karate in Japan I had access to some traditional weights used in Okinawan Karate. Some of Okinawan, and some of even older Chinese origines. Needless to say it was impressive to see older guys demonstrating incredible body control and strength with these stone, wood, and concrete tools.

And finally, my good friend Peter Parsiliti and I contributed to a Men's Health article in which we write about how to use three pieces of equipment - kettlebells, TRX, and the VipR, that will make you move better.

First move better, than move often - as they say.

And the Oscar Goes to...

2011-02-25T11:41:00.000-08:00

Friday again and it's time to for the media round up. A little bit pressed for time today so you'll have to settle for this guy, who got completely snubbed by the Oscar committee for this DeNiro-esque bit of method acting.

It was a fun segment to shoot though, and it's good to see kettlebells being more accepted by the general public. With any luck KPTV will have me back on more segments talking about fat loss training and other topics.

Coincidentally an article I wrote for Men's Health UK is online too. I don't know why kettles and I are omnipresent this week, but I'll take it. This is not a bad little workout for anyone that only has 30 minutes.

Compounding your isolation
In our recent article on the top 10 muscle-building mistakes, personal trainer Chris Bathke lamented the scores of gym-goers who spend every session pounding specific muscles with ineffective movements while ignoring the bigger picture. Escape from your isolation and use his compound kettlebell exercises workout to build full body muscle fast. "After four weeks not only will your shoulders and back be more injury proof, but they'll look substantially better," says Bathke.

Programme loading…
"This type of workout will work shoulder, core, and hip stability that exercises done lying on a bench won't," says Bathke. Do it twice per week for four weeks and choose weights that are challenging but that you can complete with perfect form. Together with chin-up and squat work on another day you'll see good progress.

Sets and reps
Turkish Getups 3x3 reps each side
Renegade Row 3x5
Kettlebell clean and push press 3x10 each side
(Rest 60 seconds in between sets.)

"Each consecutive week add one rep per set until you can comfortably do an extra 4 reps per set, then increase the weight and drop the reps back to the initial level," says Bathke.

1. Kettlebell clean and push press
Begin with the bell in front of you on the floor. Perform a swing and clean the weight up into what’s called “the rack position” with the bell resting in the crook of your elbow between your shoulder and wrist. Next, drive the weight overhead ending with the elbow locked out and arm next to your ear. “Initiate the overhead portion of the lift with a slight dip and leg drive,” advises Bathke. To finish the lift, drop it back into the rack position, then down into a swing and repeat. Try to look as cool as this guy throughout.

See an example of this exercise here.

Works: This movement just about does it all. “The posterior chain is used in the clean portion, while the press hits your pushing muscles. Grip endurance, shoulder flexibility, and shoulder stability will all really be taxed,” says Bathke.

2. Kettlebell renegade row
Assume a push-up position with each hand on the handle of a kettlebell. Do a full range push-up, then while holding your torso and hips still row one KB at a time. Row each side once. This is one rep. “The goal is to not allow your hips to move, nor your body to twist while rowing,” says Bathke.

See an example of this exercise here.

Works: “The renegade row is a great movement to work both core strength and horizontal pushing and pulling muscle groups.”

3. Kettlebell Turkish get-up
Start lying on the floor. Bring the kettlebell into a locked out position straight up with your right hand. Your right shoulder should be pulled back into the floor to stabilise the joint. Your right leg will be cocked, with your right foot alongside your left knee. Pushing off your right foot, roll onto your left hip and up onto your left elbow. Push up onto your left hand. Holding yourself up on your left hand and right foot, raise your hips up off the ground, and thread your left leg back to a kneeling position. You should now be in a lunge position, right foot on the floor, and KB locked out overhead. “Make sure that your elbow is not flexed,” says Bathke. “From the lunge position brace your core and shoulder and drive through your front heel to rise up to a standing position.” To complete the movement, simply reverse the process until you are lying flat on the ground again.

See an example of this exercise here.

Works: Turkish get-ups boost shoulder stability and strength, anterior core strength, and glutes/hamstring/quadriceps. “In other words it works pretty much everything, which is why experts such as physical therapist Gray Cook utilise it with everyone from average Joes to pro athletes,” says Bathke.

Friday Fitness Info Roundup

2011-02-18T11:28:00.000-08:00

Friday is a day I usually have some time to relax with a cup of Portland's famously great coffee and catch up on reading fitness information.

1. Listen here to an hour long audio conversation between my friends Lou Schuler and Alwyn Cosgrove talking about topics relevant to trainer and fitness lay person alike. Two of the absolute smartest guys in fitness.

2. Women's Health magazine has two good articles in this month's issue (the one with Matt Damon on the cover). The first, by Adam Campbell, is about why women should lift weights, heavy weights, to lose fat. The second is on how jogging to lose weight doesn't work very well, but running (i.e. sprint intervals) does.

3. Anthony Renna, who runs the excellent Strength Coach podcast now has 4 episodes of this StrengthCoach.tv up on youtube. Check out some cool fitness facilities.

4. Dan John in his typical fashion has a witty and informative article on the benefits of kettlebell swings in terms of fat loss and movement quality. I'm convinced it is not possible for Dan to open his mouth or type something that doesn't contain a golden nugget of knowledge.

5. Physical Therapist Gray Cook now has a series of short audio interviews with Laree Draper on his site where he answers common questions about improving how we move. If you are anything like me each episode will require a couple of listens to fully grasp the wisdom of Gray's words.

Alright, time for some more coffee...

Because 11 is Louder than 10

2011-02-01T14:33:00.000-08:00

If you haven't guessed by the title of this post my latest article on the Men's Health UK site is inspired by the greatest music documentary ever made.

The one and only Spinal Tap.

MH asked me to write an article around 3 challenging movements for 2011, and I thought these three fit the bill. In fact, 3 sets of 5-8 reps of these might make for a nice little workout on it's own.

Because 11 is louder than 10

We all like a challenge. Too much, sometimes. As we hit February, the impatience of the resolution-toting masses means the gym soundscape of treadmill-pounding feet and whirring weights will be more frequently punctuated with yelps of pain than usual. Taking on dangerously taxing exercises is a temptation many can’t resist, and injury is the inevitable result. Truth is, though, you absolutely should be aspiring to nail some hardcore moves this year. But you need to prepare for them the right way. PT Chris Bathke introduces some challenging exercises to integrate into your workout.

Hard: Kettlebell Turkish get-ups
Graduation Side planks and overhead reverse lunges.

If you can side plank for two sets of 30 seconds each side and perform two sets of eight overhead reverse lunges with each arm you’re ready to attempt some Turkish get-ups. (Perform the overhead lunges with a dumb-bell in one hand rather than a bar-bell in both.)

Execution Start lying on the floor. Bring the kettlebell to a locked-out position straight up with your right hand. Your right shoulder should be pulled back into the floor to stabilise the joint. Your right leg will be cocked, with your right foot alongside your left knee. Pushing off your right foot, roll onto your left hip and up onto your left elbow. Push up onto your left hand. Holding yourself up on your left hand and right foot, raise your hips up off the ground, and thread your left leg back to a kneeling position. You should now be in a lunge position, right foot on the floor, and kettlebell locked out overhead. “Make sure that your elbow is not flexed,” says Bathke. “From the lunge position brace your core and shoulder and drive through your front heel to rise up to a standing position.” To complete the movement, simply reverse the process until you are lying flat on the ground again. Here’s a step-by-step run through.

Progression
When you are comfortable with the movement, start off with two sets of three reps on each side. “Gradually increase the reps until you can do five each side, then increase weight,” advises Bathke. “Kudos if you eventually can do one rep with half your bodyweight overhead.”
Harder: Feet-suspended pike press-ups

Graduation Press-ups and feet-suspended pike ups (same movement as detailed below without the press-up).
Don’t attempt the following move until you can execute 20 perfect press-ups and 10 feet suspended pike ups.

Execution
Begin by putting your toes into the straps of a TRX or another suspension tool, then flip over and get into a press-up position. Pull your hips towards the ceiling while keeping your torso straight and avoid bending your back. “It should look like you are coming up into a handstand, so have someone check your form,” says Bathke. Bring your hips back down into the pushup position and complete a press-up, chest to floor. You should find the press-up harder than normal; your feet hanging in the air means your core must work harder to stabilise your lower body.

Progression
Mastered the form? Start off with three sets of five and see how vertical you can get your body while maintaining a straight spine. “To challenge yourself further increase your reps, change your hand position on the floor, or wear a weight vest,” says Bathke.

Hardest: Pole vaulter pull-ups
Graduation Pull-ups and hanging straight-leg raises.
Before attempting pole vaulter pull-ups ensure you can perform 10 pull-ups and 10 hanging straight-leg raises.

Execution
A favourite of competitive pole-vaulters, this advanced pull-up variation simultaneously taxes your pulling muscles and core strength. Raise your body upwards as in a standard pull-up. When your collar bone reaches the bar, raise your legs in front of you and continue until you are effectively upside down with your legs over the bar. “Your finishing position should ideally resemble a pole vaulter just as they are about ton go over the bar,” says Bathke. From here, lower your body and legs under control back to the start position. This is not an explosive movement. Aim to raise over two seconds and descend over two seconds. And obviously, make sure there’s enough clearance above the bar before you start.

Progression
At first if all you can manage is one rep then that’s still an impressive feat. Do two or three sets of one rep and the following week attempt two good reps. “Aim to work your way up to doing 10 consecutive reps,” says Bathke. Your newly stacked back, biceps and core should make up for all the wry glances your acrobatic grunting attracts.

Do These Shoes Make Me Weak?

2011-01-18T15:39:00.000-08:00

In no way do I consider myself an expert on foot biomechanics, or any biomechanics for that matter. Whenever I do read some technical study or text on the subject my eyes glaze over in about a minute. However, one of the most often asked questions I get concerns shoes and the use of orthotics.

I can't tell you how many injured recreational and competitive runners I see that wear orthotics, but who are 1. Weak 2. Have significant joint restrictions in the hips and ankles 3. Possess some tissue/muscle tightness or restrictions, and want to know how they can get rid of nagging pain or tightness and get back to running.

Hint: All of those issues are related.

What I do know about the subject from working with practitioners such as Lenny Parracino, Gray Cook, Bill Hartman, and reading work by Gary Gray, Thomas Myers and others is that what happens at the foot when we move affects much of the rest of our body, which is why this article in today's New York Times really struck a note.

Some key quotes:

Then what, Dr. Nigg asked in series of studies, do orthotics actually do?

They turn out to have little effect on kinematics — the actual movement of the skeleton during a run. But they can have large effects on muscles and joints, often making muscles work as much as 50 percent harder for the same movement and increasing stress on joints by a similar amount.

As for “corrective” orthotics, he says, they do not correct so much as lead to a reduction in muscle strength.

In fact, he adds, there is no need to “correct” a flat foot. All Jason needs to do is strengthen his foot and ankle muscles and then try running without orthotics.

Dr. Nigg says he always wondered what was wrong with having flat feet. Arches, he explains, are an evolutionary remnant, needed by primates that gripped trees with their feet.

“Since we don’t do that anymore, we don’t really need an arch,” he wrote in an e-mail. “Why would we? For landing — no need. For the stance phase — no need. For the takeoff phase — no need. Thus a flat foot is not something that is bad per se.”

Whoah - more stress on the joints and it makes you weaker. Sign me up huh?

There is a lot to digest there, but I'll preface that by saying according to very smart osteopaths, PTs, and podiatrists I have heard speak on the matter there is a time and place for orthotics.

However, those same practitioners seem to agree that if there is not an acute injury, defect, or some outstanding reason then as the quotes above state orthotics may do more harm than good.

I have fairly high arches, which would lead "experts" at a running store to prescribe supportive shoes, and probably inserts. However I wear nothing but minimalist footwear such as Nike Frees and have recently been test wearing some free/five finger-like prototypes from Adidas, and can say for certain my feet, knees, and back are stronger and feel better when I train or walk around in these shoes and worse when I wear crosstraining shoes with more arch support.

In addition, I have had thorough assessments and treatment done by Dr. Parracino, who specializes in mechanics and builds orthotics. Despite doing a comprehensive gait and movement analysis while barefoot he didn't see any foot related problem but traced my back issue back to a hip capsule matter.

That along with the aforementioned work by Gray Cook etc... leads me to believe some of what that article addresses may apply to our shoes.

And what are the typical crosstraining shoe if not a low grade orthotic? It provides artificial support to the arch, and will affect how the foot moves and thus alters how the joints, bones, muscles, and tissue in the ankles, legs, and hips receive and produce force.

In 2009 Univ. of Texas Basketball strength coach Todd Wright gave an interesting talk at the Perform Better Summit on foot biomechanics and told us about a top NBA prospect he was training that was having some severe back pain that was preventing him from playing. Todd had exhausted his ability to fix this kid, so had him assessed in person by Gary Gray, who after watching this player move promptly traced the problem back to one of his feet. Something in his foot/sub talar was altering his gait, which then increased the stress up the kinetic chain, causing compensation in his back to the point of dysfunction.

Instead of prescribing orthotics Dr. Gray had Todd train this kid barefoot in the gym and do a battery of corrective work designed to fix the faulty movement pattern. Todd said the kid's back was quickly back to normal and he went on to sign a fat NBA contract.

Todd now has most all of his basketball players train barefoot in the gym. Other smart coaches and trainers, such as Jon Hinds, also advocate minimalist footwear or going barefoot.

We should be cautious however in saying everyone should train a certain type of shoe or barefoot if there is reason to suspect a foot issue. However, it seems we are just seeing the tip of the iceberg when it comes to research on movement quality and shoes.

For more resources I highly recommend Gary Cook's book Movement and Thomas Meyer's Anatomy Trains.

For more detailed information on the foot and how it relates to joints up the chain check out this excerpt on the joint by joint approach by Gray Cook.

Feedback To Keep On Track

2011-01-04T16:52:00.000-08:00

No matter the vocation feedback is an important aspect of competency. We are constantly receiving feedback from our bodies, and should be training to improve the quality and perception of that feedback loop so that we move better.

When training another person I may ask for feedback to supplement what I see in how the person moves so that I can more effectively improve their performance and thus the results.

But once in awhile it's the clients that provide feedback on my performance, and more often than not it makes me feel pretty damn good about what I do. Over the first few days of this year I've gotten a couple of gems worth sharing.

The first is a person that had to go in for some intestinal surgery. This person's nurses were impressed that after only a couple of days she could sit up and roll over without pain, which the nurses attributed to the function and development of core musculature.

The surgeon further complimented her on a lack of visceral fat, which we all know to be the more dangerous sort, and which probably complicates the surgeon's job when digging around in there.

Made me feel pretty good about the real world benefits of the training we have been doing in the gym.

Another client is two weeks out from her due date for her first child, but you would never know it by how she is still kicking ass in the gym. Another person much earlier in her pregnancy that just joined our pre-natal small group training program couldn't keep up with her in Tuesday's training session.

I have expected her and the other women now in their third trimesters to start coming in complaining about back, shoulder, and neck pain, but that hasn't happened. I haven't seen any of their strength levels drop off either, which seems to help in making their pregnancies easier to get through.

Just goes to show the benefits of showing up and being consistant.

Another person had joined the Movement Program in order to address pain he was having while training for a marathon. All the typical symptoms - knee pain, IT tightness, hip/lumbar discomfort. We spent a couple of months improving his movement quality through getting his hips, ankles, and thoracic spine more mobile while improving glute function, core strength, and scapular function.

Funny thing. About the time he could do a respectable squat without compromising his lumbar spine, and when his scapula were properly moving his shoulder in a good range of motion he noticed that the pains had disappeared and he no longer became as fatigued on his runs.

That's not to say there isn't much room for improvement in our training at Edge, but I hope to be fortunate enough to receive more feedback like that in 2011. I know that I'll put in the many hours of continuing education to help make that happen.

As you move into the new year take a few minutes to review your progress over the past year, and consider what that tells you about what to change or improve concerning strategies to hit your goals.

One more shameless plug. We will be holding a workshop on smart goal setting and developing strategies to reach those goals on Saturday, Jan. 22nd, from 11am-1pm. See the Edge site for more information.

New Rules of Lifting for Abs

2010-12-20T14:47:00.000-08:00

Lou Schuler & Alwyn Cosgrove are soon releasing the third book in their New Rules series, and since Lou was kind enough to provide me a copy I gladly read it and think it worthy of review.

But first Lou would like to explain the inclusion of 'abs" in the title on this Fitcast podcast.

For your benefit listen to the entire podcast. Some nuggets of knowledge are within.

Right away I loved this book that for no other reason it proclaims no more situps or crunches. Seriously though, Lou pulled in some great research from luminaries such as Dr. Stuart McGill regarding core and back health.

For the lay person that does not dig into research from the Journal of Strength & Conditioning and other such sources (even I find some of it quite boring) much of the material regarding what the "core" is, it's many roles, and how it functions will be quite eye opening.

I read this kind of material all the time and yet got a lot out of the informational chapters. Lou has a knack for connecting the dots and entertaining us along the way.

One part I would quibble with is spinal flexion for fighters. Yes, fighters do need ab armor and do alot of spinal flexion in sport specific training, but according to Dr. McGill that doesn't mean fighters should use flexion movements in the gym. Rather he says they should save those lumbar bends for competition. But I doubt any of you are pro-MMA fighters anyway so lets carry on.

The title of Part 3 "All Training Is Core Training" says it all.

Everything we do affects our core, and so it makes sense to be aware and utilize that fact in every movement we do. Within this framework Lou & Alwyn put together a great library of static, dynamic, and integrated core stabilization exercises, then set them in the context of three phases of strength training programs.

For most people it would take many months to get through these programs, and they should see a good bit of progress along the way. Even for the experienced lifter there are some serious challenges.

The programs are organized so that one can go back and repeat them with heavier loads or other changes such as doing ladder sets, density circuits, or other methods of causing adaptation so that progress will continue.

And as any experienced trainer knows the basics never go out of style.

My favorite part of the book is the last third which deals with lifestyle issues, nutrition, and strategies for developing a healthier lifestyle.

We all know that without adopting better lifestyle and nutritional habits change will not happen, and Lou presents some interesting studies showing how hours spent in front of the computer (yes you may stop reading now and go outside), TV, video games, and other sedentary forms of entertainment kill your abs.

Yep. They shoot them dead.

I tell my clients this everyday but sometimes it takes reading it in print to accept it, which is why I've already been using some of Lou's material to help my own clients. And it works.

So if you are a trainer don't hesitate to recommend this book to clients, as it will help you help them. And if you are a person working out on your own, then you have an excellent guide at your side.

The book is now available for pre-sale on Amazon for $16, and ships out Dec. 30th. Check it out.

Kettlebell Resources

2010-12-07T09:57:00.000-08:00

The following is meant to be an admittedly incomplete resource for supplemental information on kettlebell lifts taught at this past weekend's Kettlebell Fundamentals workshop at Edge Performance Fitness.

Warm ups, mobility, and flexibility are going to be of utmost importance for most of us, and what most of us that sit most of the day (as I type this) need most.

Here is a good routine from Steve Cotter. Search around for others of his as well.

Russian champion Igor Morozov display the kind of joint mobility that can be attained through years of training.

Now on to the lifting, first up is Steve Cotter breaking down the basic swing technique, including discussion of the importance of the hip hinge, breathing, and developing awareness, relaxation, and efficiency.

Next Ivan Denisov demonstrating clean and jerk (long cycle) technique during a world record setting competition. Might as well learn from the best!

The clean and jerk contains 3 movement we went over: swing, clean, jerk. Although we did push press and not jerk, the two lifts are close in nature.

Denis Kanygin breaks down the clean and jerk technique

This should be enough to chew on for awhile.

The Origins of Weightlifting

2010-11-22T17:34:00.000-08:00

My friend Mike Mahler forwarded this fascinating video on the history of weightlifting.

Great drawings and photos of early gyms and weightlifting competitions! Gyms filled with barbells, climbing ropes, indian clubs, and kettlebells galore. The more things change....

The Facts Of Life

2010-11-10T16:18:00.000-08:00

"It's better to burn out than grow old"

I wonder how if Neil Young feels differently now?

Age, obesity, and attitude are inextricably linked in America, and in most of our minds. Having grown up being fascinated with stories of old martial artists performing incredible feats of strength I never bought into it. It's my opinion that most people take the easy route and give up instead of finding out what they are capable of.

Having grown up in a small town in the midwest it was all too common for people to kick back once they hit 30 and have a big gut and the accompanying back pain by the time they are 40. Thankfully my family and friends provided better examples.

One of my brothers is in his 50's and still kicks my butt cycling!

And when I moved to other areas of the country and world I encountered more examples of healthy people kicking ass into their 60's and beyond. My calligraphy teacher in Japan was arond 80 at the time and liked nothing better to challenge me to arm wrestling - he was pretty damn strong too. He rode his bike for miles a day, and had dumbbells lying around the house he would use. But most of all he had an attitude that one should never stop learning and progressing.

In fact, one of the traditional sayings he had me practice and write on a scroll was "manabu mono ga yama noboru" (The higher you climb the more you realize there is to learn).

I still have that scroll hanging on my wall.

However, working with many clients over 50 in recent years I've noticed a connection between attitude and results when it comes to training. Those who hit 50, or even 40(!) and consistently remark about how they can't do what they used to and so on usually progress just as quickly as anyone else.

The secret? I train them essentially the same way I would a 25 year old. Maybe with a bit more attention to recovery, mobility, and flexibility, but the exercises are just as challenging.

That brings us to some interesting research out of the Laboratory of Kinesiology at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil (J. of Strength and Conditioning 24(11/2010)).

Researchers took two groups of women, 17 women who's average age is 29, and 16 women who's average age is 64. Both groups were relatively untrained. They put both groups through 13 weeks of training consisting of cardio, weightlifting, and stretching.

The purpose was to determine if age affects strength gains.

Both groups performed an inital assessment and 1RM strength tests for a variety of upper and lower body movements (1RM= maximum weight that can be lifted 1 time).

Intensity was slowly increased over the 13 weeks, from 60% of 1RM to 75%, using 8-12 reps.

Note - They used relatively heavy weights with the both populations with NO injury occurring. More proof that in lifting with greater intensity is not only safe, but is the only way to increase strength. Light weights/high reps doesn't do it.

The results?

Strength increases were between 16% and 36%, depending on the movement, for BOTH groups. In fact the older women made better strength gains than the younger group on bench press, leg press, leg curl, and the triceps.

So there you have it. More proof that not only is strength training safe for older populations, but at least as effective in improving strength.

There are now officially no excuses for you all to not progress and get stronger.

Recovery - You Need It

2010-10-27T09:18:00.000-07:00

Have you heard the one about the attorney that represents himself? Turns out he has an idiot for a client.

Sound familiar? Well I resemble that joke more often then not but sometimes I take my own advice. This week for example I am taking a few days off from hard exercise and doing nothing but joint mobility and flexibility work.

Whaddaya know, it makes me feel like a million bucks...

The past two weekends I've been doing cyclocross racing, which is not only hard on the energy systems, but quite hard on joints too. My low back was really feeling the brunt of 40 minutes of max effort pedaling, running, and jumping while in a kyphotic posture. Who knew? ;)

It has also given me a good excuse to revisit some exercise DVDs in my library. In particular Bill Hartman/Cressey/Robertson's Assess and Correct. I can watch the DVDs a hundred times and still pick up gems of information immediately applicable to my clients and myself. It's also wonderful to put it on and go through each mobility drill as it is shown. 30 minutes later and you'll feel like a new person.

Needless to say every trainer should have this on the shelf and refer to it often.

Another one I've been enjoying is Collision Course, a mega-workshop put together by my friend Mike Mahler in 2009. Jon Hinds and Tom Furman both have great presentations on that DVD set on movement quality and mobility.

Today I'm planning on revisiting Steve Cotter and Ken Blackburns mobility sections on the Age of Quarrel DVD set. Mahler was kind enough to invite me to the workshop and am in the video, which makes it kind of weird - doing the exercises along with myself on screen. Although it's cool to see how poorly I do them compared to that freak of nature Cotter and Ken.

I posted a review of the workshop back in 2009 here.

Continuing along the lines of movement quality I'm excited about the Natural Movement Seminar we are hosting at Edge next weekend. We have some very smart podiatrists, physical therapists, soft tissue therapists, and writers coming in to educate us all on minimalist/barefoot training.

I have been wearing and training in Frees, Five Fingers, barefoot for 4 or 5 years now and feel the difference. And now I'm testing a super-secret Adidas minimalist shoe that may hit the market next year - so far so good. I like it more than the Frees.

Our Speakers:
Dr. Daniel Howell Author of The Barefoot Book http://www.drdanielhowell.com

Michael Sandler and Jessica Lee Co‐authors of Barefoot Running
http://www.runbare.com

Dr. Ray McClanahan, Podiatrist, NW Foot & Ankle and Correct Toes
http://www.nwfootankle.com

Dr. Suzanne Lady, Chiropractic Physician http://www.bwellchiro.com

Chris Bathke, MA, CSCS, Director of Personal Training, Edge Fitness http://www.elementalfitnesslab.blogspot.com

Leif Rustvold, MA, MS, Physical Anthropologist & Barefoot Ultrarunner
http://www.distanceminimally.com

Kim Cottrell, MS, Feldenkrais Practitioner http://www.kimcottrell.com

Aaron Gustafson, LMT, CAMT
http://www.TranscendBodywork.com

If you are in the Pacific Northwest come check it out.

For now I'll leave you with some images of the Cross Race this past weekend. Now that I'm put back together I can't wait to do it again.

Becoming Unstable

2010-10-18T16:43:00.000-07:00

Catching up on research here while I have a few minutes to dig into the latest Journal of Strength and Conditioning. Among those that caught my eye was a piece of research out of the Univeristy of Valencia, Spain.

The purpose of the study was to see if "core" muscles were better stimulated by placing someone on an unstable surface, or on the ground.

Before getting into this the disclaimers are that there are studies showing unstable training does show positive results, and studies showing it does not. Surprise.

Obviously there is a time and place for every tool, and the bosu etc... are good tools for the appropriate goal, but if we are talking increased activation of the core musculature then this study says sorry, standing on a bosu or T-Bow (sort of wobble board) while deadlifting will not.

A previous study by McBride (22) showed a 45% reduction in force when squatting on unstable surfaces compared to flat ground, so how about deadlifting.

The researchers attached electromyography electrodes to 31 subjects and had them perform a barbell deadlift on flat ground, on a T-Bow, and on a bosu.

The data shows a 8.8% decrease when standing on a T-Bow, and a whopping 34% decrease when standing on a bosu. Seeing as the bosu is more unstable than a T-Bow the lesson we can draw here is that the more unstable a surface the less force muscles will be able to produce.

Referencing work by Gray Cook, Dr. McGill, Eric Cressey, and others the reason is that when on an unstable surfaces the body's top priority is to remain upright. In order to do that muscles that might normally act as prime movers may be called upon to function as stabilizers.

Therefore those muscles will not be able to produce as much force - in other words if the goal is to get stronger and improve force production in core muscles, then unstable surface training may not be ideal.

So while a person may find it more "challenging" to perform an exercise on unstable surfaces the reason may not be because of weak stabilizers, but due to the joints and associated muscles having to prevent the person from losing balance.

To put another nail in the coffin Dr. Stuart McGill has noted that sitting on a swiss ball increases compression on the spine - not what the majority of people need that typically sit in a chair for many hours a day.

Move Better, Feel Better, Look Better

2010-10-05T16:26:00.000-07:00

It's been a very busy few weeks at Edge Performance Fitness getting ready for a series of small group training programs to launch. Tonight is the first session of our Movement program.

It's been years in the making, by which I mean I've been going to lectures and workshops of Gray Cook, Lenny Parracino, Dr. Lee Burton, Bill Hartman, Dr. Greg Rose, and other individuals much more educated and knowledgable than I for years now. And although I've still much to learn, at least I'm going to jump in and help some people move better in a focused program not concerned with body fat, building muscle etc...

Needless to say Gray describes the why's better than I can:

Why Can't I Lose Weight?

2010-09-15T21:07:00.000-07:00

My friend Lou Schuler, author of The New Rules of Lifting series just wrote a little article intended to answer unanswerable questions for a forum we both contribute to. And out of the kindness in his heart he agreed to allow me to reprint it for you here.

By the way, Lou and Alwyn Cosgrove have a new book in the series, "The New Rules of Lifting for Abs" coming out in January 2011, and after having read an advance copy I can say without hesitation that it is one of the best written, clearly presented, and well researched books on fitness for the general public. In fact I've already stolen some ideas and research out of there for use with my clients. Just don't tell Lou.

So here's Lou:

"Why can't I lose weight?"

Homeostasis is a bitch.

Unless your current weight is an aberration, you’re walking around in an organism that has remodeled itself to be exactly the size you are now. You have muscles and bones that are just the right size to support the load you carry around. You have an appetite that probably isn’t satisfied unless you give it enough food to maintain your weight. If you eat more or less, your metabolism probably adjusts accordingly: it speeds up when you eat more than you need, and slows down when you don’t.

Experts like to say that diets don’t work, but that’s wrong. Eating less always works for as long as you can bear it. Which, admittedly, probably isn’t a very long time. That’s why the best approach includes a combination of three interventions: exercise, diet, and lifestyle modification.

1. Exercise

Of course this is obvious: burn more calories than you take in, and you lose weight. But exercise by itself rarely induces significant weight loss. Why not? Mainly because you aren’t burning nearly as many calories as you think.

Let’s say you read in a magazine that someone your size will burn 400 calories with an hour of walking at a brisk pace. You do the math: Since a pound of fat contains 3,500 calories of energy, you figure that you’re just 9 workouts away from losing that pound.

It sounds good, until someone explains the fine print. You might burn 200 calories just going about your normal routine for that hour. So exercising at that pace means a net deficit of 200 calories – half what the magazine promised. Then you consider that you might be less active the rest of the day, simply because you’re tired from the workout. That might cost you another 100 calories.

You can try exercising more, or exercising harder, and those are both good ideas. You’ll improve your health and probably speed up your metabolism a bit. If you’re a complete beginner, you might add some muscle to your lower body, and shed some fat. But you aren’t likely to lose a lot of weight, and the idea that you must always “do more” is both self-limiting and demotivating.

2. Diet

All the magazines will tell you this: Cut 500 calories a day, and you’ll lose a pound of fat a week. They’ll even tell you which “empty” calories to cut. You start with the liquid calories (everything except milk) and snack foods. The women’s magazines in particular will show you an infinite number of ways to modify recipes so you can eat fewer calories at every meal, including dessert. (They love to show you elaborate desserts constructed entirely of fruit and air.)

So you try it. And you’re hungry all the freakin’ time. Why? Because your body isn’t stupid. The calories it’s accustomed to receiving from your meals aren’t “empty.” They provide a combination of energy and building materials. The magazine says you don’t need any of the 240 calories in that 20-ounce bottle of Coke. But if your body is used to having them, it’s going to notice their absence.

One solution would be to replace low-nutrient foods, like Coke or potato chips, with high-nutrient foods like lean protein, fruits, and vegetables. And that’s a legitimate strategy. The protein and fiber will help you feel fuller longer between meals. Protein takes more calories to digest, and will help you add new muscle tissue. And, of course, the micronutrients in fruits and vegetables (and to a lesser extent in protein-rich foods) will benefit your long-term health.

Now the net change in calories isn’t as dramatic, but it’s more sustainable, and it makes more sense to your body. The addition of protein and fiber helps mitigate the hunger you’d feel if you’d slashed calories indiscriminately.

On the downside, this slight but sustainable calorie reduction isn’t causing the pounds to melt away. Even when you combine your new diet with your old exercise program, the needle on the scale still swings past your target weight, even if it stops short of your original weight.

3. Lifestyle modification

Nobody wakes up one morning and decides to follow a completely different routine. Well, no, that’s not right. Lots of people think they can flip a switch and go from being a soft, sedentary office worker to a rock-hard gym rat. But it rarely works that way.

Look at that hour before work that you think you’ll spend in the gym: Are you really prepared to get up and moving an hour earlier than you ever have before? Are you prepared to go to bed at least an hour earlier every night, even though it means missing The Daily Show and whatever art-house fare Cinemax is featuring?

That’s just exercise. Modifying your life to accommodate a clean, low-junk, high-nutrient diet is a lot harder than it looks. Most of us don’t eat or drink in isolation. Certain foods are associated with particular events. You associate that 20-ounce Coke with your mid-afternoon break with your favorite coworkers. Most of the chips and dip you consume are on weekends, watching football games with your buddies. And that 700-calorie “coffee” drink you have every morning – that’s your best opportunity to chat one-on-one with the boss, to get a read on her priorities and how she thinks you and your colleagues are performing.

If you’re going to make serious changes that involve regular exercise and a sustainable diet that’s lower in calories, you have to figure out a way to navigate all of this, and more.

4. The combo special

Your time, energy, patience, and motivation aren’t infinite, so the best way to ensure success in a weight-loss program is to start with your limitations in mind. Here’s what I mean:

Exercise: Over time, you’ll burn more calories in a program with built-in progressions, ensuring that you get some variety while doing more total work in the same amount of time. If your progression plan assumes that you’ll be able to expand your workout time, it probably won’t work. You might start with just 2 hours a week devoted to training, and build up to 3 or 4. That’s realistic. Starting a program with the idea that you’ll have the energy and motivation to train 5 to 6 hours a week isn’t. It might work out that way, but I wouldn’t count on it right out of the gate.

Diet: Whatever modifications you make must fit into the parameters of your life. If you’re a skip-breakfast, grab-lunch-on-the-run, eat-everything-in-sight-for-dinner type, you can’t assume that an inversion of that plan is realistic. Aim for the possible: eating something at breakfast instead of nothing; eating real food for lunch, even if you don’t have the time to linger over it; having a mid-afternoon snack to take the edge off your usual late-day hunger; and then having a substantial but not unlimited dinner. Make sure you’re sated by the end of your dinner, and clear your house of the things you tend to eat by the bucket if you aren’t sated.

But let’s say you’re doing all that and you still aren’t losing weight, or not losing as much as you’d like. That’s when you start looking at the more advanced strategies discussed on our Nutrition and Fat Loss forums: manipulating macronutrients (fewer carbs, more protein), cycling carbohydrates, etc. Most people with a lot of weight to lose will probably need those strategies eventually. And most people who’ve lost weight and kept it off will probably tell you that they work best when you have the three major elements – exercise, diet, lifestyle – under control.

Reality Intervenes

2010-09-09T14:53:00.000-07:00

A colleague forwarded this to me on Facebook so thought I would share. The title alone aludes to the seriousness of the issue of perception and illusions about our own condition:

Many Americans Don't Even Know They Are Fat

This quote says a lot concerning how effective the diet/fat loss industry has been:

Thirty percent of those in the "overweight" class believed they were actually normal size, while 70 percent of those classified as obese felt they were simply overweight. Among the heaviest group, the morbidly obese, almost 60 percent pegged themselves as obese, while another 39 percent considered themselves merely overweight.
These findings may help to explain why overweight and obesity rates in the United States continue to go up, experts say.
"While there are some people who have body images in line with their actual BMI, for many people they are not, and this may be where part of the problem lies," said Regina Corso, vice president of Harris Poll Solutions. "If they do not recognize the problem or don't recognize the severity of the problem, they are less likely to do something about it."

I see people in the gym all the time that may be unaware of issues they should be working on and how weight loss actually works. And these are the few that are motivated and aware enough to get off their asses and do something!

Ab Fixes

2010-08-25T11:26:00.000-07:00

A short article I wrote for Men's Health UK regarding correcting perceived abdominal imbalance is now online. For your convenience here it is:

When three should be six
Every body is different and, even if you’re following an intense training plan and flawless dietary regime, six abs popping out from your midriff with West End-worthy choreography isn’t guaranteed. A little variation in the size of your six (or, if you’ve really been gunning your core, eight) is nothing to worry about, of course. But if you find your rectus abdominis developing in a noticeably lopsided way there may be other issues afoot. Personal trainer Chris Bathke explains how to deal with abdominal imbalance.
A question of posture
“Perceived imbalances in the abdominals are complicated, and there may not be one magic movement to fix a three-pack,” explains Bathke. “Your six-pack is made up of one muscle separated by tendons, so it’s doubtful what you see as a deviation has anything to do with the size of the rectus abdominis.” (And you can’t isolate half a muscle, anyway, so don’t go trying acrobatic sit-up variations in the hope of shoring up your symmetry.)
If the problem is with your abs, often the underlying cause will be postural. “It might be an issue in your hips that is causing your torso to compensate with a slight twist, or it might be tightness in one side of your back resulting in a similar postural misalignment – but you’ll need to consult a physical therapist to be certain,” says Bathke.
Not so bleak
If, on the other hand, your imbalance is down to your obliques, there are practical training steps you can take to fix it. “If you feel one side of your stomach is more muscular than the other then first measure how long you can hold a side plank on each side,” says Bathke. “If one side is noticeably weaker then add woodchops into your program and do a 2:1 ratio of reps from the weaker to the stronger side.”
How to do the side plank
Lie on your side with your forearm on the floor under your shoulder. Push your hip up off the floor and hold for as long as you can. People often stick their bum out to take some of the load off the obliques. Don’t. “Your body should form a straight line from your feet through the hips to your head,” says Bathke.
How to do woodchops
For our purposes you will want to do anti-rotation woodchops so that the hips are not working, only the core. To do this grab a cable as in a regular woodchop but resist the twisting of your torso as you bring your arms across your body and back.

In other ab-related news yesterday I received an advance copy of The New Rules of Lifting for Abs from my friend Lou Schuler. This is Lou and Alwyn Cosgrove's third book in the phenomenally successful New Rules series. If you haven't read the other two I highly suggest buying them. As a trainer I still refer back to those books for useful bits of information, and the programs are great for everyone from newbies to people that have been training for years.

I won't reveal too many details about the new book yet other than to say Lou does a fantastic job at presenting core training in a way consistent with the most current and advanced research on the matter. In other words no crunches, sit-ups, or leg lifts, but lots of full body movements that remind us that the core is not just the abdominals, but is really all the muscles that attach to your his, pelvis, and lower back.

So yes, your "core" training should include exercises that work the glutes, adductors, hip flexors, and lats in addition to the usual abdominal muscles.

Perform Better 3 Day Function Training Summit in Long Beach

2010-08-11T08:24:00.001-07:00

Review of the Perform Better 3 Day Functional Training Summit Long Beach

August 6-8, 2010

I just got back from Perform Better's annual festival of brain overload, otherwise known as the Functional Training Summit, and know that I had better start digesting what was dished out over the weekend before it fades into just a collage of extremely smart people. There is no way to try and review each session I attended, as that require a separate hard drive, but there were some themes that connected many of the talks.

The first day started out at the acceptable hour of 9am. Everyone knows trainers hate getting up early more than anyone. Upon walking in we ran into the regulars in the lobby: Robert Dos Remedios, Bill Hartman, Dewey Nielson of Impact Jiujitsu, Craig Rasmussen of Results Fitness, Rachel Cosgrove among others. Free coffee draws them like flies.

While still signing in Steve Cotter, kettlebell coach and all around athletic freak, came by so we after the obligatory bro-hug I asked if he might need some assistance in his 9am hands-on session. I knew the place was going to be packed so I had worn my IKFF coach shirt, and Steve was gracious enough to let me help out. There were about 300 people in the room swinging iron balls the entire hour, which caused me to be quite cautious when attempting to navigate my way around.

Steve is a master teacher, and it really shows in his ability to command and effectively instruct such a huge group. Judging by the smiles afterward, and the line of people waiting to talk to Steve he was successful in conveying some key concepts in classical kettlebell lifting. His presentation focused on the sport lifts of the jerk, clean and jerk, and snatch. Along with that he broke down the form of each and why proper form is key to development, progression, and staying injury free. In other words Steve focused on movements that work the entire body, and stress developing a high degree of movement quality, joint mobility, joint stability, and structural integrity.

Before getting into further specifics, many of the very best minds in the fitness and physical therapy, and athletic training world touched upon the same theme: Movement quality.

If you don't have it, then above all you need to address it.

Move On

Since most in attendance are trainers, coaches, physical therapists, chiropractors, the issue is how to express this to clients that may just want to drop a few pounds or look good naked. They may not give a damn at first that they move like crap, so how do we as health professionals get them to care and show why this matters?

I have to admit this is a skill I am still working on developing, as it can be quite challenging in a culture where ideas of fitness are often based on phony digitally altered photos of fitness models and celebrities, and chemically enhanced athletes and bodybuilders.

Gray Cook, father of the functional movement screen,. Dr. Stuart McGill, one of the world's most respected researchers on spine mechanics, Dr. Sue Falsone, director of physical therapy at Athlete's Performance, Bill Hartman, the smartest man in fitness, Dr. Greg Rose, head honcho at the Titleist Performance Institute, Michol Dalcourt, Dr. Lee Burton, Chuck Wolf, Vern Gambetta. The list of presenters goes on but they all addressed the issue of movement quality and why without it not only will individuals not achieve truly good health, but will increase the likelihood of future injury and inhibit physical potential.

Both Gray and Michol Dalcourt used the term “authentic movement” in their talks, which refers to developmental physiology and the study of how humans learn to move in infancy. In terms of fitness what this means is that as adults if we don't practice good movement in exercise we lose it – sitting in chairs or on the sofa for most of the day with little squatting, rolling on the floor, crawling, or other similar movements.

Sue Falsone even had us get into fetal position for certain thoracic spine mobilization exercises, and also mentioned that reclaiming our original mobility is critical to staying out of her physical therapy office. And she had some funny stories about having LA Dodger players hide in the corners to do these exercises so other players wouldn't see them.

Dr. Greg Rose spoke about training rotational athletes (golfers, tennis, baseball etc...), and focused on where golfers break down (the low back and shoulders/elbows). But why they break down is most often because adults lose hip mobility and so are limited in pelvic rotation, which causes gross compensation up or down the kinetic chain, and leads to pain and injury.

In other words everyone that has to move their hips in life, whether it's swinging a club or getting in and out of your car better know where they are in regards to good hip function or else. The same goes for the ankle, and of course the thoracic spine. In other words no matter your activity if the body is not moving properly then problems arise.

Antagonists Don't Exist

Expanding on the movement quality topic for a moment, another interesting idea presented by more than one speaker is the fact that muscles/fascia are task specific, not anatomy specific. In other words if we think of workouts as training this or that muscle instead of particular movements then we are ignoring how the body truly works.

This is in part why bodybuilding style body part splits can and do worsen movement quality and why so many people end up with dysfunctions while doing them.

We often think of muscles working in opposition, such as the bicep and tricep. However the way they function depends on the movement, not an anatomy map. For example Michol Dalcourt gave the example of the anterior and posterior tibialis. We normally think one functions to cause dorsiflexion in the foot while the other muscle caused plantar flexion. Which is true, but only in one plane of motion (sagittal).

But what if you are moving laterally, then what? Well in that case since both of those muscles run to the inside of the leg down near the ankle, then when moving in the frontal plane both anterior and posterior fire together to produce movement. In other words they are synergists, not antagonists. Therefore training that only takes into account plantar and dorsiflexion are missing the boat.

Gray Cook gives the example of when standing from a sitting position the rectus femoris (one of the quads) and three hamstrings fire together to produce movement. Further, neither change length from sitting to standing. Instead of functioning as big movers, in this common movement these large muscles all function as joint stabilizers. This is called Lombard's Paradox.

So while we normally think and train these muscles as antagonists, one of the most common human movements we do many times each day proves that training them solely in that manner is a mistake. There goes your leg extensions and leg curls huh?

Welcome to a brave new world.

Dr. Stuart McGill was one of the most popular speakers of the weekend, and arriving late to his talks meant sitting on the floor. His popularity is deserved as a who's who of superstar athletes and their trainers go to his lab to be trained by him.

In two of his four talks Dr. McGill addressed back pain and methods he uses to assess and address it. The take home is that our spines, particularly our lumbar area, only as so many bends until it fatigues and breaks down, so doing any exercise that involves spinal flexion (crunches of any sort, leg press) are inherently inadvisable. Developing core strength endurance is where most people need to look, so plank variations, chops, farmer carries, and so on are preferred choices in Dr. McGill's toolbox.

To back this up he showed video clips of various MMA stars, World's Strongest Man competitors, Olympic track and field athletes etc... using these movements in their strength and conditioning work, as well as back pain patients using similar movements.

In addition to video evidence one only had to look around the room and see else was listening with rapt attention. Jon Chaimberg, UFC champ Georges St. Pierre's trainer, Dan John, world class strength coach, Gray Cook, Alwyn Cosgrove's staff, and so on.

One other tidbit of information Dr. McGill stressed was that he thinks there is way too much focus on squatting with a barbell, and that this puts unwelcome stress on the spine, and that over time this will take a heavy toll. He recommended that people should do more sled pulling and pushing, less squatting.

Some of Dr. McGill said is sure to be controversial to some people, but it was great in how he does not shy away from it, but simply backs it up with years of research in the lab, in gyms, and training thousands of people from back pain patients to world class athletes. In a question and answer session one guy got up and said he was a bit confused about some of the information as his pilates background taught him the body functioned in certain ways and pilates curl ups and other movements attempting to isolate the spine or core in flexion were THE way to go.

Dr. McGill simply replied that in the fitness world there have been too many gurus espousing this or that way with no real science to back it up, so if you want to destroy your spine go ahead and keep doing such movements.

Brutally honest. I Love it.

Old or New School?

Vern Gambetta, who has been in training athletes for 40+ years talked about how nothing is really new, and that what athletes did 100 years ago is just as valid. He showed pictures of baseball players in the 1930's doing planks and trunk stability work, of multi-joint cable movements in 1910, and his first “facility” which produced world class water polo and baseball players that consisted of climbing ropes, a hill to run up, monkey bars, and free weights.

In other words whole body movements that utilized authentic movement. Machines and bodybuilding is where we screwed up. Vern spoke about athletes in the the 19^th century that had nothing but simple kettlebells, ropes, and barbells that could put 300lbs over their head. But I love ethnographies of physical culture so call me biased.

Departing from the topic of movement quality for a moment, Bill Hartman, physical therapist and “smartest man in fitness” talked about training field athletes. In particular he spoke about how in his work he found football players and others often are too developed when it comes to strength and need more oxidative capacity in order to maximize their potential.

In other words these athletes, including MMA fighters, often focus too much on high intensity intervals (Tabatas) that use the phophagen and glycolytic systems but ignore the oxidative system. If you've ever seen a fighter gas after 5 minutes, or a football player slowing down in the 3^rd quarter then you know what Bill is talking about.

What he isn't talking about here is “cardio”, but specific methods of keeping the athlete working at an intensity level at which they won't tap into the glycolytic system, but where they will progressively improve the oxidative capacity of slow twitch muscle fibers so that over time more ATP can be produced and utilized by the muscles.

What this means is that the athlete will improve their ability to perform a certain task over and over at a higher intensity. Short intervals only in training won't get the job done.

Now whether or not most people will want to endure the type of block periodization programs Bill uses is another matter, as it looks like pure torture. But it works, and his athletes, some of whom were in attendance, have proven it in competition.

In summary I came away with a host of information that is going to be put to use in my client's training post haste, and that everyone reading this interested in the concept of movement quality should immediately go buy Gray Cook's new book “Movement”, along with Stuart McGill's books.

Now excuse me but I have to go move.

No more Cap'n Crunch

2010-07-29T09:57:00.000-07:00

Gratuitous self-promoting time here on EFL. Have a look at my latest mini-article on Men's Health UK site. But I have to admit it was the MH editor that came up with the Cap'n crunch line. Why are those damn guys always so much better at writing than me...

This article was informed partly from a Dr. Stuart McGill article aimed at personal trainers that I wrote about previously. The subject of core training, while important, is ridiculously hyped (What? Say it ain't so!). McGill often points out that what should seek to achieve in training is "super stiffness" in the core. And while most people haven't a clue what that really means, nor do most care, at least about stiffness there, I'll break it down a little.

Dr. Lenny Parracino, a much smarter person than I could hope to be, said in a talk that the structure of our core serves to not only stabilize the spine, which is crucial for survival, but in order to act as a mechanism to transfer energy between the lower and upper body.

In other words, when you throw a punch or run you are transferring energy between your lower and upper body. If some of that force is lost through it's journey through the core due to lack of tension the your punch will be weaker or you'll run slower.

Or if you are in the gym deadlifting and your core is able to maintain a stiff, stable back then not only will you not be able to lift as much as your legs or upper back might allow, but the lack of stability puts excess stress on other structures such as your lumbar vertebrae, resulting in injury. Same thing for runners or cyclists, although it may take more time for dysfunction to develop.

So without further ado:

Don't do crunches, do Swiss ball planks
Avoid because... "The rectus abdominis – commonly known as your six pack – does not function primarily to bend the torso, but rather to brace the spine and transfer power from the hips to the upper torso," explains personal trainer Chris Bathke. What's more, he adds, a recent article by one of the foremost researchers on core and back health, Dr Stuart McGill, outlined how our lumbar discs can only take so many repetitions of flexion (such as a crunch) before injury and pain occur. Cap'n Crunch is a breakfast cereal. Not an aspirational nickname.

Do instead... Swiss ball planks

Why? They work the core the way nature intended – with little to no strain on your back. And they work it hard.

Form Assume a plank position with your elbows on a Swiss ball and feet on the ground. Tighten your glutes and brace your core as if about to get punched. Now push your elbows against the Swiss ball while maintaining a stable torso. Three sets of 30 seconds should suffice.

Progression Take the same position on the ball but this time move your elbows in a circular pattern (likethis chap). Again, make sure there is as little movement in your torso as possible. Do 15 seconds one way then switch directions for two or three sets.

Research Review: Energy Cost of Running

2010-07-27T10:53:00.000-07:00

Back to reviewing some research literature here. The study I chose is a joint project between the University of Montreal and University of Poitiers, France, and concerns the effect of plyometric vs. weight training on the energy cost of running.

Source: Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 24 (7) 1818-1825, 2010.

The energy cost of running refers to the effort needed to achieve a particular running performance. Or in other words is a measure of the effort and relative intensity needed to run a certain pace for a determined distance. The less effort it takes one to keep a pace the longer the runner can hold that pace, and so the better their performance will be.

In the introduction the authors cite various studies that looked at how runners improved their performance through plyometric training (explosive work such as depth jumps and rebound work. The present study took 35 trained endurance runners and divided them into plyo groups and a group that did strength training.

The strength training group did ONE session per week of from 3-6 sets of 8 repetitions of lower body squats in a smith machine (poor choice in my opinion) at a relatively high intensity in order to maximize peak force output. The other group did reactive rebound jumps from a 20-60cm box in order to improve power output. Both are fairly low volume, high intensity protocols.

Another group did no strength or power work, only endurance running.

Results: Both strength and power training groups improved the efficiency of the energy expenditure, with the depth jump group showing slightly better improvements. Results were better for the lower level runners than more experienced runners, which the authors hypothesize is because stronger, higher level runners need higher intensity and greater volume to affect their performance - which makes sense.

The bottom line is that doing some form of strength and power training, even only once a week, which is far from optimal according to other research out there on athletic training, does produce results. So if you are an endurance athlete looking to improve your performance then you should get on a strength & conditioning program designed according to your condition and needs.

Endless Summer

2010-07-19T10:05:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again. Pool parties and summer BBQs are in full swing, and now it's time to show off your hard work. But what if you aren't yet in the kind of shape you want to be? Well you still have a bit of time, but there is no time to lose. And be honest, it would pretty cool to show up at the summer party and display some enhanced athleticism in smoking all-comers in volleyball game. Or maybe an impromptu cage fight is more your speed. Either way it's better to be all go -n- show. Whether or not it's smart to hit the kind of parties that involve elbow strikes is another matter.

In Santa Monica where I used to live, summer means hanging out at the old Muscle Beach climbing ropes and using the rings and gymnastic bars. If you've ever been there you've seen people with impressive physiques and real functional strength. In fact recently old school UFC fighter Oleg Taktarov was there climbing the rope next to my client. Now there's a guy that could tear up your backyard fight club picnic.

I've also seen plenty of meathead looking guys walk up and try to show off to their girl only to quickly find out real quick they don't have the strength to make it up a rope. I'm not saying you have to forget curls forever, but you could do worse than incorporating some athletic aspects into your training. The following program may have some exercises and protocols that you might not have tried before, but nothing works better to break out of a rut than a program you've never done. If you are like me or my clients than undertaking a challenge itself is a good motivator, and makes time in the gym more enjoyable. And be honest, when was the last time you walked out of the gym thinking 'Damn! That was fun'?

Strengthen Your Base

Everybody knows that strength and muscle mass are interrelated factors important in performance and aesthetics. But rather than try to reinvent the wheel I suggest that those looking to get ready for beach season not drop what we know works. I've had clients do very well with 3 sets of 5-8 reps or similar variations like Dan John suggests with the 2-3-5 rep protocol.

Two to four days per week of some basic lifts done with either of those rep/loading schemes will work for a lot of people, depending on your current training status of course. If you just looking get big or up your numbers in the big three then do what's appropriate for that. But for the rest of us just make sure you are getting in a lower body hip dominant movement, a knee dominant movement such as the front squat, and upper body vertical/horizontal push and pulling movements. So if you plan to do strength work twice a week it could be as simple as a deadlift variation and a horizontal pushing movement one day, a squat and upper body pulling the other. If you are doing three days per week then you can obviously add a vertical push and pull and some unilateral lower body work. I usually stick with no more than two exercises per day using the strength protocols listed above, then move on to the metabolic strength work. Any more and it can eventually be a bit much for some to recover from.

I would also apply normal guidelines when dealing with imbalances or tweaks, so if your posterior chain is stronger than the anterior then emphasize front squats for a cycle of 4-6 weeks or vice versa. If your shoulders are internally rotated, as with most guys I see in my work place, or if your shoulders act up then work more upper body pulling pulling to help remedy the situation.

Incorporating metabolic strength work

If your gym is anything like mine it's less crowded now than it was in January, so we can be a bit more creative in setting up some fun metabolic circuits. But even if it is crowded these are designed to use minimal space and equipment to avoid possible headaches in dealing with crowds. You won't need much more than a few dumbbells, cable station, or squat rack. If you have access to kettlebells, rings etc... then all the better.

The idea here is to incorporate challenging movements into a full body protocol that can still produce hypertrophy, but also engage multiple energy systems (oxidative, glycolytic, phosphogen) and thus improve body composition. But the intensity and volume are such that your central nervous system will not get hit so hard as to impede recovery. That said I would advise a deload or back off week every four weeks.

My philosophy on working muscle groups with this type of work is best summed up by Dan John's quote that “The body is one piece.” Further, noted physical therapist Gary Gray says we essentially have one muscle because every muscle is connected to every other through kinetic chains and fascial lines, so for the sake of our experiment here forget futile attempts at isolation and instead enjoy introducing your shoulder to your core to your hips. You may even notice you move better and your joints are less achy after a month of this work. Though you might not notice it now all those dumb things we do to our shoulders and backs come back to eventually bite you in the ass.

Concerning how we'll implement the metabolic strength work, depending how you like to work timed sets, such as a timed density circuit such as in my last article, or ladder sets are excellent protocols. Either way you'll probably end up doing a similar amount of volume and total work. If you prefer doing a set number of reps then ladders might be up your alley. And if you work with a training partner than all the better. You can compete against each other to see who can finish the circuit first, or work against the clock. If done right the following ladder sets should push you nearly to the point of getting light headed. In other words if at some point you aren't wondering why you put yourself through this then you aren't going hard enough.

Ladder Sets

The rep scheme is a descending pattern of 10/8/6/4/2 reps of each exercise. So for the first round do 10 reps of each movement, then 8 and so on down to 2. Rest is self regulating, but in general rest a little more during the first round of ten reps as you'll be using a load close to your 10 rep max. Start at 60 seconds rest after the first round, then reduce it by 20 seconds after each subsequent round so that by the last two rounds of 4 and 2 reps respectively, you go straight through with no rest between exercises. You might also notice that the total volume is equivalent to doing the ol' 3x10, so don't be surprised if by loading these exercises up you get some hypertrophy. I suggest starting out with a 12 rep max weight.

10/8/6/4/2

2a. One arm inverted row (10 each arm, or 5 each if you need to)

2b. Bulgarian split squats. Start with ten each leg.

2c. Single leg Romanian deadlift (5 each side on the first round, 4 the next etc...)

If the circuit above is too easy with your estimated 12rm weight then go a bit heavier. Or you can reduce the rest, depending if you want to emphasize hypertrophy or conditioning. If you are more concerned about building as much muscle as possible then load up the weight on the Bulgarians and deadlifts. But if your goal is to drop some fat then simply try and reduce the rest as much as possible, similar to the way a density circuit works. You can even time this circuit from start to finish, then try to beat it the next time you do it. I do this with certain clients and it tends to work well as a motivator.

After doing the ladder circuit it's time to wind it up with an anaerobic finisher. The purpose here is to put your body into oxygen debt while challenging you with some athletic movements.

The first finisher is as follows. Do as many reps of each exercise with a full range of motion and perfect form as possible for 20 seconds, then immediately move to the next. Rest for 60 seconds after the last exercise. You'll start with 2 rounds the first week, then bump it up to three the following week. If that is too easy then simply do 30 seconds of each movement.

Putting it together

A workout

1. Deadlift 3x5

2. Barbell bench press 3x5

10/8/6/4/2 reps of

2a. One arm inverted row (10 each arm, or 5 each if you need to)

2b. Bulgarian split squats. Start with ten each leg.

2c. Ab rollout

Finisher: 20 seconds of each movement for 60 seconds total work x 2 rounds.

3a Med ball jumping burpee (holding a med ball do a burpee followed by a broad jump)

3b. Farmer carry. Pick up 2 heavy dumbbells or kettlebells and carry them around.

3c Kb or db swing

The above examples will comprise one day, so I'll give you two more examples of complete days including strength work, a ladder set, and anaerobic finisher. Also notice that these get you moving in different planes of motion.

B workout

1. Barbell front squat 3x5

2. Barbell bent over row 3x5

10/8/6/4/2 reps of

2a. Lateral lunge

2b. One arm overhead press

2c. Single leg Romanian deadlift (5 each side on the first round, 4 the next etc...)

Finisher: 20 seconds of each movement for 60 seconds total work x 2 rounds.

3a. Alternating jumping lunge

3b. Spiderman pushup

3c. Jump squat

C workout

1. Barbell power clean 3x5

2. Weighted chin-ups 3x5

10/8/6/4/2 reps of

2a. Dips (weighted if possible)

2b. Cable woodchop

2c. Single leg squat to box(5 each side on the first round, 4 the next etc...)

Finisher: 20 seconds of each movement for 60 seconds total work x 2 rounds.

3a. Renegade row

3b. Db squat to push press

3c. Lateral skater lunge

Big Move

2010-07-04T12:37:00.000-07:00

Apologies for not posting the past couple of weeks, but we are in the process of moving from Los Angeles to Portland, Oregon. It's been a while in the works and the right opportunities arose.

To all my clients and colleagues at Equinox Santa Monica, and everyone else reading this I know in the area I thank you for being good friends. Believe me, I have learned as much from you as from any other source.

So two days until we hop in the car and drive north, where I will soon be working out of Edge Performance Fitness.

It's hard to tell from the website, but it's a beautiful, open facility with an as yet untapped large outdoor area (that will change very soon!). Having no machines nor mirrors, it's not the typical gym but is exactly what I want in a facility - one that encourages movement and health. I'll be bringing all my tools to the gym, so it will certainly be an adventure in getting acquainted with the community and building my network again.

I'll be posting soon with reports, pictures, and video of the new place.

Read This and Get Stiff

2010-06-21T22:55:00.000-07:00

Dr. Stuart McGill, professor of spine biomechanics and one of the world's foremost researchers into matters of core and back health recently published an article aimed at personal trainers that breaks down the hows and whys of core training and back health.

This week I'm using this topic for my last educational forum at Equinox, because it never ceases to amaze me the number of trainers I see having clients do set after set of crunches when I know damn well those trainers know better than that.

Yes I know people may demand "cut abs" and still buy into the broscience regarding core work. But we as fitness professionals are supposed to educate our clients, not acquiesce to something we know is counterproductive.

Back to Dr. McGill's article, he states that repeated spine flexion (crunches) are commonly believed to be a good way to train the abs. However the rectus abdominis and abdominal wall do not function optimally to bend the torso, but rather to brace the spine and transfer power from the hips to the upper torso. Or as he puts it a "elastic storage and recovery device."

In other words your six pack is used to stabilize and stiffen the spine, not flex it.

Further, Dr. McGill says that our lumbar discs can only take so many reps of flexion before injury and pain happen, so you'd better save them for tying your shoes rather than endless reps of crunches that do literally nothing for developing a strong, healthy core.

As to why some people can tolerate crunches and some can't blame your parents. We all know people that are naturally lean or strong, or those that have done crunches for 20 years with no problem. Those are the lucky few. Why keep rolling the dice and wasting your time?

This is only the tip of the informational iceberg regarding McGill's work on intelligent core training. For more info consult his latest article in the June 2010 issue of the Strength & Conditioning Journal. Also check out an audio interview and video clips here.

This Is Your Body On TV

2010-06-08T12:16:00.000-07:00

According to a study published in the Journal of the American Diatetic Association if Americans ate only what was advertised on TV we would all end up looking like the guy to the far right above, or worse.

Results suggest that a diet consisting of observed food items would provide 2,560% of the recommended daily servings for sugars, 2,080% of the recommended daily servings for fat, 40% of the recommended daily servings for vegetables, 32% of the recommended daily servings for dairy, and 27% of the recommended daily servings for fruits.

The really scary part is that ads during Saturday morning cartoons figured prominently in the study. Is it any wonder that there is a rapidly growing obesity problem among kids?

We all know kids watch way to much TV, not to mention that Phys Ed. is becoming a rarity in schools. That all adds up to serious health concerns such as type II diabetes becoming more common even among teens, something unheard of a couple decades ago.

Among adults the health concerns are of course no less dangerous. Diabetes, heart disease, and any number of potentially fatal issues are associated with obesity.

People are naturally influenced by what is pitched to us on TV. Advertising firms are full of very smart people that do nothing but figure out how to exploit our brains in order to get us to want what they sell.
Therefore the best option is to not watch TV. Or at least channels that do a lot of this sort of advertising.

It's funny how many people I hear say they don't have time to get in 3 hours of physical activity a week, yet can give you all the details on any number of TV shows.

The way I deal with this is to say fine, pick a few shows you like to watch but stretch or get on the foam roller while watching, and don't snack. And that they MUST schedule regular times to exercise, as this is the only way it's likely to get done - much the same as people know when their favorite shows are on, know ahead of time when it's your time to focus on your health.

Pretty soon I notice those clients begin to like exercising more, have less stress, and of course become more fit. Funny how that works.

Best Exercises You've Never Tried Vol. 1

2010-05-25T13:36:00.000-07:00

A new Men's Health article I contributed to titled "The Best Exercises You've never Tried Volume 1" is up on their site today.

They wanted a brutal exercise that one doesn't see often. I chose this because 1. It's a phenomenal movement 2. My clients hate it, which is why you don't see it done often.

The upper-body annihilator
The plank walk, by Chris Bathke

"This is an exercises you rarely see, and once you try it you'll know why," says Bathke. "It will wreck you." Much like it wrecked this chap.

Form
Assume a press-up position with your feet on a powerwheel, Ab Dolly, or even a towel (it must be a smooth floor). Hold a strict plank position and using your hands, walk forward. You can go for time or distance, but make sure form is perfect.

Works
Your entire anterior core, arms, and shoulders all get a wringing from this exercise, which also requires scapular stabilisation. "Pretty much your entire upper body is working together, as it should, in order to do the plank walk correctly," says Bathke

Once you've mastered it...
Progression I: Try to go backwards. For example, walk 10 metres forward, then immediately go backwards to the starting point. Repeat twice.
Progression II: Add a press-up in between each “step” with your hands. You won't cover much ground before having to stop. Consider your upper body and core work done.
Progression III: Bring your knees to your elbows in a tuck position between each step.

The guy in the video below getting worked is pro MMA fighter Diego Sanchez. Steve Maxwell, the first American to win a world championship in Brazilian Jiujitsu, is the guy coaching him.

Do Work at COC Son!

2010-05-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

Last weekend it was time to do work up at Robert Dos Remedios' Cougar Strength & Conditioning Clinic. And though the cast of Sex in the City weren't there in person to do battling ropes, they were in our thoughts.

This was Dos's 11th year putting on his clinic, which raises money to buy equipment for the sports programs of College of the Canyons, and he always gets a great turnout. This year might have been the biggest yet. Sadly it might be the last, for budgetary and political reasons - why we love beaurocracy.

This year's lineup of speakers included Mike Wunsch of Alwyn & Rachel Cosgrove's Results Fitness Mike talked about the hows and whys of their programming strategy for their clients. And since Results is consistently noted as one of the top gyms in America, like EF Hutton smart people listen.

Their philosophy comes down to doing a great assessment on each client, then addressing corrective work first, then hard strength training to get results. *note* NO cardio, unless their goal is to compete in an endurance event.

Next up was Sean Skahan, strength & conditioning coach of the Anaheim Ducks. Sean detailed the in-season gym training of this NHL players, which boils down to some no nonsense, low volume heavy work in the gym to keep them strong on the ice and to reduce injury rates.

What I found fascinating was the Sean's training wasn't all that different in a larger sense from the 45 year old soccer mom that Mike trains at Results. The intensity and volume differ, but the movement patterns tend to be very similar. No hopping around on bosu balls and wobble boards and all that silly crap. Something to think about.

Next up was Pete Koch and Jim Kovich MD.

Both Pete and Jim are former NFL players now working in the health field. Jim is a geneticist working on issues involving the connections between genetic variation and incidence of injury. In other words, they are developing tests to individualize training, so that if a person has some genetic predisposition to weak ACL, then that can be identified early and addressed in training.

Needless to say it was fascinating to get a glimpse at the future of training science.

Pete talked about how one might take that research and apply it to young athletes.

Pete, a rather large gentlemen, is also best known for his role as Swede in the classic Clintwood film Heartbreak Ridge.

Swede, say something charming to the man.

Finally it was time to get in the gym and get work done.
Dos set up a variety of timed density circuits of the variety he has his athletes do. Everything from 5 seconds work with 25 seconds rest, 15:15, 30:30 40:20, up to 10 or more minutes of continuous work.

And believe me, everyone got worked.
These are some of Dos's volleyball girls doing some density work. No ellipticals or treadmills for these athletes.

Thanks again Dos for the fantastic information, and of course the post-seminar beers!

Advice for Older Lifters...and Pretty Much Everyone Else too.

2010-05-12T22:17:00.000-07:00

Just thought I'd pass along to streams of great information that came my way this week. As most of you reading this know those aches and pains start becoming more frequent once you hit 40. Or if you played sports and lifted from a young age then expect it by 30.

I have trained guys that had some serious joint pains in their late 20's, and it seems like the higher the level they competed at the worse the injury. Just goes with the territory.

By the time I hit 30 I had to stop doing jiujitsu and being as aggressive in other sports as I wanted to simply because of two many piggybacking injuries. It hit me that being able to walk suddenly seemed more important.

Some of those injuries I attribute to lifting with poor form and a bodybuilder approach for too many years. I see guys in my gym that are in their early 20s that already have frequent joint pain and injury from using bodypart split bodybuilding style training.

If only I had some of the following advice back then I'd be much better off now.

First up is a Dan John interview. Dan is one of the truly good guys in the fitness industry. He's walked the walk and doesn't try to sell you any bullshit about getting jacked. Just good common sense and advice informed by decades of experience.

TM: Any closing advice for lifters on the wrong side of 40?
DJ: Once you get past 40, only two things matter: joint mobility and hypertrophy.
It's not flexibility. Flexibility is like a party trick for the muscles. I can instantly be more flexible. It's joint mobility, keeping the body able to move correctly in a given plane that's vital to long term training.
The other thing is, once you get past 32 or 33 you start losing lean body mass at a stunning rate. So you need to do some bodybuilding or hypertrophy work to slow this down. I focus on variations of the military press because I believe that the deltoids, triceps, traps, rhomboids, and probably the butt are the keys to youth. So the more time squatting, doing farmer's walks, and military presses, the younger you stay.
I also believe that it's a real mistake as you get older to keep bench pressing. Between the damage it does to the shoulder joint and the tighter it makes the pecs and delts, I say forget it. Those problems just get harder and harder to deal with as you get older.
I like to say that everyone can have one more injury, but do you have it in you for one more recovery? If you go rollerblading and break your wrist at 50, and it takes you 18 months to get back to lifting, where are you going to be in 18 months? Does the calendar say that you can afford an injury of that magnitude? That question gets tougher to answer as you get older.
So joint mobility, hypertrophy, and don't mess yourself up. Don't get that stupid injury you can't get back from.

The second link is to an online discussion with well known Olympic lifting coach Glenn Pendlay. In it he shares his experience coaching people who in their teens up to women in their 60's. This information is pure gold for anyone that is looking to stay fit and healthy and is in their 30's on up.

A couple of common threads between Dan and Glenn's wisdom are apparent.

1. They advise people to train full body. No working arms one day, back another etc... Make every day "body day."

2. Focus on using perfect form on every movement. If someone can't do it then regress to a simpler version and work on joint mobility, or whatever the issue is. You'll be much better off in the long run.
What's the hurry anyway? Think about all the progress you can make in 20 years.

Let me go ahead and just give you a real world example of an older lifter, one, by the way, that I am trying to get to come to your Bash with me, Mary McGregor.

Mary started training at age 55, having never done anything athletic in her life. She did general training for a few months, but was watching the younger OLers all the time and thought it looked fun. She asked if she could do it, I thought so, so she began to train for OL. It was a bit of a struggle, and having never coached anyone in her particular position (a beginner at that age) I had to fail as a coach to her a number of times before I learned what worked. I will spare you the details of all the things that didnt work, and just go straight to what did. 2 times per week, sometimes 3 for a couple of weeks right before a meet, Mary will go up to about as much as she can comfortably do on both the snatch and clean and jerk. This means what can be done with good crisp form and very little chance of a miss. We try to get 4-5 good snatches in the "working range", which for Mary is about 38kg to 42kg. Her best in competition is 44kg at 61 years old. Then we try to get 2-3 clean and jerks in the "working range", which for her is 55kg to 60kg. Her best clean and jerk is 63kg, done at 61 years old.

This is it, this is her total amount of work in the Olympic lifts. She adds to this 2-3 general fitness workouts per week, sometimes on her own in her garage with kettlebells, sometimes with a personal trainer (friend of mine and also an Olympid lifter) or simply doing the machine circuit they have set up at the YMCA. She usually does no squatting, none at all.

Now, at previous times, she had squatted, and worked fairly hard at it... But I eventually learned that it took more out of her than it gave her, and since her lifts werent held back by leg strength, it wasnt helping anything to subject her nearly 60 year old body to squats. At previous times, we did more volume on the Olympic lifts, but, it just made her tired and created aches and pains. I could go on and on but you get the picture.

Fat Nation

2010-05-10T14:43:00.000-07:00

I'm back from a week vacationing with family up in the Sonoma area of Northern California, and man what a beautiful place. I could spend years exploring the roads and mountains via bike and foot. And though I saw quite a few people biking around those stunningly gorgeous valleys I honestly thought there would be more out enjoying the sights. But judging by the amount of overweight people driving up to the wineries and in the mineral pools, alot of those people aren't doing much exercise ever. I honestly think it would be hard to be overweight in such an environment, but that's not reality.

That brings me to an article in the latest issue of the Atlantic Journal called "Fat Nation" by Mark Ambinder. It's a fairly long article, but very well written, so please click the link and go read it.

Ambinder's approach is interesting in that he takes a macro view of the obesity issue, tying it not only to fast food, increased caloric intake, and the dubious corporate food industry, but also to how it is now more accepted than ever to be fat., and how this affects us.

At once encouraging (the author lost some 90 pounds) and dark: "At the current rate of increase it will take less than 30 years for all black women to become overweight or obese."

Wrap your mind around that for a minute.

Ambinder does a great job at digging into problems involved high up in the corporate and political stratosphere. Basically the food industry discovered that it could make mountains of cash by making Americans want to eat more and more crap. It's a hard nut to crack, as we are constantly bombarded by commercials and displays in grocery stores encouraging unhealthy choices. But it can be overcome.

Personally, my wife and I don't shop at Ralphs or any other store full of processed junk. We buy most of our food at Trader Joe's and farmer's markets. And even though Trader Joe's does sell some unhealthy items, by and large it's easier to buy food of better quality.

Neither do we eat at any fast food places, nor Applebees, Pizza Hut etc... I'd much rather eat someplace that I know takes pride in the quality of their food, not just the profit in serving up frozen processed junk. And we certainly don't miss any of those foods at all.

Lest you think I'm a paleo or vegan nazi, I'll readily throw down some carbs, grains, and milk. My parents, their parents, and their parents did just fine eating bread and drinking milk.

And besides, most people are not going to be able to stick to a restrictive diet. Why not just use common sense in choosing the freshest possible food?

Move Like This

2010-04-22T08:02:00.000-07:00

Check out this video of 63 year old athletic coach Johann Martin. Apparently he coaches athletes and weightlifting in Hamburg, and quite obviously athletics have been a serious life-long pursuit for him.

Moving well at that or any age takes consistent effort. Get up and move.

And why not listen to a tribute mix to Guru while your watching? R.I.P.

Throw Away Your Chair

2010-04-18T11:39:00.000-07:00

This week there was an interesting article in the New York Times Magazine concerning what role exercise plays in fat loss in relation to diet. The first half of the piece discusses what role, if any exercise plays in fat loss (I prefer fat loss to the more generic term "weight loss"). This jist of it is this from an American College of Sports Medicine study:

The newest science suggests that exercise alone will not make you thin, but it may determine whether you stay thin, if you can achieve that state. Until recently, the bodily mechanisms involved were mysterious. But scientists are slowly teasing out exercise’s impact on metabolism, appetite and body composition, though the consequences of exercise can vary.

It goes on to say that in a study those that reduced calories by 25% alone lost the same amount of weight as those that reduced cals by 12.5% and increased caloric expenditure through exercise by 12.5%.

In other words calories in calories out.

But here is the problem. That doesn't differentiate between the intensity, and suggests that the exercise in question was low intensity cardio. And as we know from other research higher intensity exercise tends to raise your metabolism significantly and thus produce greater caloric expenditure over time.

I'll further quote a longer passage from the article that addresses higher intensity exercise and differences in male and female reactions to low intensity cardio:

In one study presented last year at the annual conference of the American College of Sports Medicine, when healthy young men ran for an hour and a half on a treadmill at a fairly high intensity, their blood concentrations of acylated ghrelin fell, and food held little appeal for the rest of that day. Exercise blunted their appetites. A study that Braun oversaw and that was published last year by The American Journal of Physiology had a slightly different outcome. In it, 18 overweight men and women walked on treadmills in multiple sessions while either eating enough that day to replace the calories burned during exercise or not. Afterward, the men displayed little or no changes in their energy-regulating hormones or their appetites, much as in the other study. But the women uniformly had increased blood concentrations of acylated ghrelin and decreased concentrations of insulin after the sessions in which they had eaten less than they had burned. Their bodies were directing them to replace the lost calories. In physiological terms, the results “are consistent with the paradigm that mechanisms to maintain body fat are more effective in women,” Braun and his colleagues wrote. In practical terms, the results are scientific proof that life is unfair. Female bodies, inspired almost certainly “by a biological need to maintain energy stores for reproduction,” Braun says, fight hard to hold on to every ounce of fat. Exercise for many women (and for some men) increases the desire to eat.

In other words low intensity cardio, the kind I see the vast majority of women doing at the gym, has even less of an affect on fat loss than it does in most men. Ironic isn't it?

But research suggests that for those already thin even low intensity exercise can be effective in maintaining weight. No surprise there.

One final interesting bit is that a new ACSM study suggests that standing has big advantages over sitting regarding burning calories:

In a completed but unpublished study conducted in his energy-metabolism lab, Braun and his colleagues had a group of volunteers spend an entire day sitting. If they needed to visit the bathroom or any other location, they spun over in a wheelchair. Meanwhile, in a second session, the same volunteers stood all day, “not doing anything in particular,” Braun says, “just standing.” The difference in energy expenditure was remarkable, representing “hundreds of calories,” Braun says, but with no increase among the upright in their blood levels of ghrelin or other appetite hormones. Standing, for both men and women, burned multiple calories but did not ignite hunger. One thing is going to become clear in the coming years, Braun says: if you want to lose weight, you don’t necessarily have to go for a long run. “Just get rid of your chair.”

I couldn't agree with his last statement more. Sitting for extended periods everyday has shown to cause a multitude of back, neck, and hip problems. And it hinders our efforts at having a good physique.

Stand up, move around, stretch. Common sense prevails.

Staying on the Ground

2010-04-13T11:58:00.000-07:00

My last post talked about the importance of the foot and how it affects everything up the chain. To add to that many therapists and movement specialists have been recognizing the importance of getting people back down on the ground.

What PTs such as Gray Cook have been finding is that patients coming to him with dysfunction often lack the ability to perform fundamental human movements such as squatting or getting up off the ground. In response, by working on mobility, flexibility, and relearning basic movement patterns such as those in the Turkish getup they have gotten good results. Even strength and conditioning coaches such as Mike Boyle have been getting their athletes on the ground.

Among my clients I constantly see the need for improves mobility and flexibility. Particularly in the hips, lower body, and back. When the hips and back improve there are less restrictions which equal better results and less injury.

I have dug back in my martial arts background for some drills we used in Judo/Jiujitsu/Karate, but some are a bit too rough or impractical for use in the gym. Ginastica Natural however has some pretty interesting movements that could prove beneficial for clients.

Here is an interesting video of a Ginastica Natural flow drill. Some of this is specific to grappling but there are some interesting ideas in there nonetheless.

A famous proponent of this sort of movement is Rickson Gracie, who aside from being a legend of Brazilian Jiujitsu, possesses incredible kinesthetic awareness and control. And reportedly even now well into his 50's he can go in circles against guys 30 years his junior.

From The Ground Up

2010-03-31T10:03:00.000-07:00

Over the past two weeks I've had the opportunity to attend eight hours of workshops by a couple of smart fellas, Dr. Lenny Parracino of the Gray Institute, and Michol Dalcourt. The topics of discussion were human movement in a macro sense, but both Lenny and Michelle addressed the importance of foot function and how that interesting part of the body affects movement quality to a large degree.

The Gray Institute calls the foot/ankle the "switch that turns on the engine." Or in other words if your foot is not functioning optimally then movement at the knee, hip, back, and on up will be compromised, and long term may cause dysfunction.

Without proper talus (ankle) function torque cannot be converted into power in the lower body. Or in other words if your ankle is messed up it will affect how you walk or run. Common sense right?

Then think about how that may affect your fitness training. If you are running on shoes that are worn out or unstable, or if you train in the gym and in poor footwear, at the very least you are compromising progress. At worst you are causing injury to yourself. For those with flat feet or high arches, wearing the wrong shoes will hinder conversion of torque into power at the hip, which ultimately means compromising strength at the very important hip joint.

But aside from shoes if the ankle and foot is not able to function well in all degrees of motion, lacks stability, or if there is excessive fascial tension then ground reaction forces will not transfer properly into movement. For example if one's ankles do not dorsiflex or evert properly then restrictions there mean there will be increased stress on the knee in order to produce movement. Over time this may lead to knee pain and possibly injury.

But as physical therapist Bill Hartman points out here issues may not be only physiologic but neurologic. In other words long term ankle stiffness may lead to neurologic adaptations that negatively affect movement quality even after stretching the ankle. Other areas have been taking up the slack for the ankle and must now be retrained along with the ankle in order to produce good movement.

Let me explain with a little demonstration.
Take your shoes off and stand up…I’ll wait.
Now, keep your knees straight, stay tall, and slowly lean forward until the moment you feel like your heels will come up off the floor and hold that position. Do you feel it?
Do you feel your toes grip the floor? Do you feel the tension move up into your calves?
In an effort to maintain stability, your nervous system turns on your calves and the deep posterior compartment musculature and on up the kinetic chain. Many athletes have the exact same problem.
Your mobilization and stretching may have addressed the physiologic stiffness that would prevent normal ankle mobility, but if your athlete has poor control of his center of gravity, the stiffness will persist to maintain stability. The result is a neurologic barrier to performance and greater risk of injury.
Got an athlete with plantar fasciitis, anterior knee pain, groin pain, piriformis syndrome?
Consider looking at the factors that influence center of gravity and the associated alignment and muscular activation patterns.
Here’s a hint…start from the ground up.

Check out this video of Lenny talking about functional and structural work.

The final take home point is this. I see many people in the gym wearing shoes that appear to hinder their training. Take the time to find a great pair of shoes, or go barefoot if that is appropriate. If you are not sure what type of foot you have - flat, normal arch etc... than find someone qualified to help you. Doing so now may save you a lot of pain and money down the road. Same as eating well.

Funny how everything is connected isn't it?

Kettlebell Compound Movements

2010-03-26T09:03:00.000-07:00

Men's Health UK graciously asked me to do another article on "unconventional" muscle building methods using compound movements, and when talking with the editor he mentioned that kettlebells are the hottest topic on their forums. Lightbulb.

So here it is:

Build the body you want with this four-week workout programme
Compounding your isolation
In our recent article on the top 10 muscle-building mistakes, personal trainer Chris Bathke lamented the scores of gym-goers who spend every session pounding specific muscles with ineffective movements while ignoring the bigger picture. Escape from your isolation and use his compound kettlebell exercises workout to build full-body muscle fast. "After four weeks not only will your shoulders and back be more injury proof, but they'll look substantially better," says Bathke.
Programme loading…
"This type of workout will work shoulder, core, and hip stability that exercises done lying on a bench won't," says Bathke. Do it twice per week for four weeks and choose weights that are challenging but that you can complete with perfect form. Together with chin-up and squat work on another day you'll see good progress.

Sets and reps
Kettlebell clean and push press: 3x10 each side
Renegade rows: 3x5

Turkish get-ups: 3x3 reps each side

(Rest 60 seconds in between sets.)

"Each consecutive week add one rep per set until you can comfortably do an extra 4 reps per set, then increase the weight and drop the reps back to the initial level," says Bathke.
Kettlebell clean and push press
Begin with the bell in front of you on the floor. Perform a swing and clean the weight up into what’s called “the rack position” with the bell resting in the crook of your elbow between your shoulder and wrist. Next, drive the weight overhead ending with the elbow locked out and arm next to your ear. “Initiate the overhead portion of the lift with a slight dip and leg drive,” advises Bathke. To finish the lift, drop it back into the rack position, then down into a swing and repeat. Try to look as cool asthis guy throughout.

See an example of this exercise here.

Works
This movement just about does it all. “The posterior chain is used in the clean portion, while the press hits your pushing muscles. Grip endurance, shoulder flexibility, and shoulder stability will all really be taxed,” says Bathke.
Kettlebell renegade row
Assume a press-up position with each hand on the handle of a kettlebell. Do a full range press-up, then while holding your torso and hips still row one KB at a time. Row each side once. This is one rep. “The goal is to not allow your hips to move, nor your body to twist while rowing,” says Bathke.

See an example of this exercise here.

Works
“The renegade row is a great movement to work both core strength and horizontal pushing and pulling muscle groups.”
Kettlebell Turkish get-up
Start lying on the floor. Bring the kettlebell into a locked out position straight up with your right hand. Your right shoulder should be pulled back into the floor to stabilise the joint. Your right leg will be cocked, with your right foot alongside your left knee. Pushing off your right foot, roll onto your left hip and up onto your left elbow. Push up onto your left hand. Holding yourself up on your left hand and right foot, raise your hips up off the ground, and thread your left leg back to a kneeling position. You should now be in a lunge position, right foot on the floor, and KB locked out overhead. “Make sure that your elbow is not flexed,” says Bathke. “From the lunge position brace your core and shoulder and drive through your front heel to rise up to a standing position.” To complete the movement, simply reverse the process until you are lying flat on the ground again.

See an example of this exercise here.

Works
Turkish get-ups boost shoulder stability and strength, anterior core strength, and glutes/hamstring/quadriceps. “In other words it works pretty much everything, which is why experts such as physical therapist Gray Cook utilise it with everyone from average Joes to pro athletes,” says Bathke.

Machine vs. Progress

2010-03-22T10:02:00.000-07:00

Research corner time. I've had some time to sit down with the latest Journal of Strength and Conditioning and peruse the latest topics. Everyone's favorite, the good 'ol bench press got a few studies this time around, and one of them caught my eye as it is applicable to many gym goers:

"Comparison of Muscle Activation Between a Smith Machine and Free Weight Bench Press"
Done at the Exercise Physiology Lab at Cal State Fullerton, this study looks at how hard certain muscles work during a bench press done in a Smith machine

and free weight bench press with a barbell:

Don't you love cool old school pictures?

Back to the study. They used EMG sensors attached to the deltoids, triceps, and pec major to measure how hard the muscles has to work to accomplish the task. Long story short the free weight movement elicited greater muscle activation than the machine version.

And as you can tell the dude above is way more jacked than the woman in the Smith machine.... ;)

But another important point is that the free weight exercise requires greater stabilization of the glenohumeral joint (shoulder) - which means that the muscles such as the medial deltoid that do the stabilization will get better at this task, which will help keep you healthy.

In other words, stay off the damn machines if you want to get stronger and have healthy joints.

And briefly, another study looked at the effect of stretching before pressing, and found that contrary to some beliefs, stretching had no effect on strength and power production.

Seeing as most guys have shoulders tighter than steel cable go ahead and get all the flexibility work in you can. Yeah yeah...if you are a powerlifter than you will want to refrain from a lot of stretching 2 minutes before you lift... otherwise keep working on shoulder mobility as it will pay off big time down the road.

The Arnold Madness

2010-03-17T12:27:00.000-07:00

A week and a half ago I ventured to the Arnold Fitness Festival in tropical Columbus, Ohio. As you read in my previous post a recurring back injury prevented me from competing so instead I judged the kettlebell sport competition, which turned out to be very enjoyable and not as monotonous as it would seem.

The competition consists of 2 events, the biathlon which is a 10 minute jerk set, followed by a ten minute snatch set, and the clean and jerk (long cycle) event, which is a single 10 minute set.

This is a video of a colleague Londin Winters (on the left in the white tank top), whom I have been coaching for about a month. She stepped up and did a great long cycle set with a 12kg (25lb) bell, hitting 104 reps in 10 minutes with only one hand switch allowed.

Notice the smoothness of movement all the athletes display, which is really what separates good from great performances moreso than strength. The average gym goer or athlete could learn much from this. As I've heard from many collegiate strength coaches the strongest guys in the gym are rarely, if ever, the best players on the field.

Look to improve your movement quality along with other aspects of fitness. It's often more important than strength or endurance when it comes to keeping healthy in the long or short term.

After the competition is when one can really engage in some learning, and this time was no exception. The following is a video of my friend John Wild Buckley hoisting various people overhead with one arm in front of a Mongolian BBQ joint. Needless to say we got some attention from the people inside!

Getting back to movement quality, imagine picking up a 150lb dumbbell and putting it over your head with one arm. Now imagine doing that with something that is off balance and hard to hold onto, such as a person, and you'll have some idea how hard that is. And it's not only strength that makes it possible, but coordination and structural integrity - stability from the foot thru the shoulder.

In other words things people will never develop sitting on a machine, doing curls, or cardio classes. Get on your feet and pick things up.

Get Smarter

2010-03-01T19:55:00.000-08:00

It's been too long since updating my blog, but with good reason. A little more than a week ago getting out of my car triggered some back spasms that knocked me off of my feet for a few days. Only yesterday did I get back to some rudimentary training in the gym, and so far so good.

I've had spasms a few times before, and it is caused somewhat by congenital issues to do with the curvature (or lack thereof) of my lumbar spine. And past sports injuries/ poor mechanics. But there are some things I could have done to prevent the most recent flare-up. Hopefully it can serve as a lesson to others.

#1: Better control workload/volume in training. I simply went too long without deloading or taking a break from training. A chance to compete in a kettlebell competition at The Arnold Classic came up so I decided to forgo a break and try to train through until just before the competition.

Didn't work out too well...

The bottom line is I was training at too high an intensity and volume for too long, and not enough rest and balance in training. I scaled back my normal array of hip mobility movements and paid the price.

#2: Not going to get active release treatment when needed. I could feel some tightness in my hips/SI/low back but decided to delay going until right before the competition. I had learned previously that to stave off problems I need a chiropractic and ART treatment every 6 weeks.

My job involves demonstrating exercises, picking up weights, unloading bars, and being on my feet for most of the day. This adds up over time. As osteopath Lenny Parracino said in a workshop the summation of stresses on the body must be taken into account.

Pay more attention to preventative treatment and listen to your body.

Now for more info on common gym mistakes check this article I contributed to in Men's Health UK: 10 Muscle Building Mistakes.

1 Get with the programme
"Without a doubt the foundation of many troubles people have in building muscle/getting fit is not using a programme designed by a professional and sticking to it," says personal trainer Chris Bathke. "I've seen hundreds of guys over the years do the same chest, arms and ab exercises and get literally nowhere. If they had been working with a programme that utilises the overload principle, periodisation and other facets of an intelligent scientific programme then progress would be constant." Work hard. But also work smart.

2 Focus on food
Even if you're armed with the best workout programme in the world, it's all futile if you fail to kick that Big Mac habit. "Without addressing your nutritional approach, and tweaking it to meet your goals, you are unlikely to ever make much progress in changing your physique," says Derran Langston (realworldfitness.co.uk). "Sure, you might get stronger and a little bigger, but you're never going to look good." Spend at least as much time sorting out your diet as you do planning your workout.

3 Good manners cost nothing
It's also useless getting ripped only to get ripped apart by furious gym-bunnies. "If you're strong enough to lift 100kg on the bar, you're damn well strong enough to put it back on the rack," says Dr Elesa Argent, personal trainer and ex-bodybuilding champ. "Don't squat on a piece of equipment either – let people jump in during sets if the place is busy." And say please and thank you.

4 Compound your mistakes
People who neglect the biggest muscle groups, wasting time and effort on relatively ineffective isolation movements, are a personal bugbear of Bathke. "If you want to build serious muscle then you need to make compound movements that work across more than one joint, such as the deadlift, pull-up, squat and press-up staples of your training. It is no coincidence that athletes in strength sports who have physiques we all envy built their foundation upon such exercises," he says.

5. Know your limits
"A lot of people try to copy the routines of professional bodybuilders, doing 15-20 sets for each muscle group," says sports scientist Christian Finn (thefactsaboutfitness.com). The problem? "You can't take a programme used by a heavily drug-assisted and genetically gifted bodybuilder and assume that someone who trains without the same level of pharmaceutical assistance will get the same results." Stimulate, don't annihilate.

6 Watch your form
"Too many trainees throw weights around with poor form and no regard for controlling the speed of the reps," says Scott H. Mendelson (www.completegymsnutrition.com) "Manipulating the length of the set by assigning a time in seconds for the lowering, bottom position, lifting and pause on top is an important strategy for increasing muscle-fibre stimulation. Lack of control is most evident with those using loads that are way too low to produce any benefit."

7 Squat like a baby
Squats, in particular, are a valuable muscle-builder often rendered near useless through poor technique. "Watch a baby move and they will easily perform a deep squat while transitioning into tiny footsteps," says MH online fitness editor Neil McTeggart (neilmct.com). "As adults the deep squat has been replaced by two-inch knee tremblers: guys attempting to impress everyone by squatting triple their bodyweight in front of their chest dominate their peers." Go deep to build both size and power.

8 Back yourself up
"The Monday night bench-press session is a ritual in gyms up and down the country," says McTeggart. "Unfortunately a routine rich in push and poor in pull can lead to all sorts of problems. To keep the shoulders healthy and add visual size to the chest, work the back with more volume and frequency than anything else."

9 Leg it
One of the most common sights in gyms everywhere is huge-chested behemoths waddling around on spindly legs, risking injury and looking ridiculous. "You can't get great symmetry without well-developed hamstrings, quads and calves," says Dr Argent. "Substitute some benching time for squats, curls and lunges and you'll look so much better."

10 Use kettlebells correctly
As anyone who's recently checked into the MH forums will know, kettlebells are big news at the moment – but that doesn't seem to have led to an increase in the knowledge of how to use them. "Time and time again I see PTs getting new clients to use kettlebells for side bends or floor presses, or any other number of exercises that would be better carried out with other equipment," says Langston. "Kettlebells are designed to be used for dynamic moves like snatches, clean and presses, and swings. If your PT doesn't know how to teach those moves or claims they are too advanced for you, find a different PT!"

Olympics and Nutrition

2010-02-15T15:41:00.000-08:00

First off I hope everyone is enjoying watching the Olympics as much as I am. I can't get enough of these athletes putting it on the line - and if you can go online and look at some of the training these athletes do.

It goes without saying that most all of us would kill to have physiques as lean and muscular as the skiers or speed skaters. But look at how they train - trust me that they are not doing slow jogs, light weights for high reps, and cardio classes. These athletes train for performance so they lift heavy, and do alot of specific power training. Which means they move fast, and with challenging loads.

Bottom line is to look and move great don't do what most people do in the gym.

Now that rant is over I'll look at some nutritional research concerning performance from the latest Strength and Conditioning Journal.

A few studies separately look at popular energy drinks and potential benefits. Both studies, which reviewed other studies come to the general consensus that caffeine and taurine, two active ingredients most often found are what give a slight boost concerning muscular endurance. They do not, however, show any benefit to power or strength.

Another aspect most people need to think about when choosing a drink is sugar. Alot of popular drinks such as Monster or Rockstar have 27-30 grams PER SERVING of sugar. Keep in mind that you are getting more than one serving in most cans.

That is a lot of sugar which will likely be stored as fat if the rest of your diet is not absolutely on point. People have to account for this when calculating caloric goals if your goal is to be leaner.

So seeing as how caffeine is the active ingredient why not drink green tea (iced is great in the gym) or coffee? No calories, sugar, or other mystery ingredients often found in popular energy drinks.

Bring Up The Glutes

2010-02-01T19:57:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy few weeks so apologies for not posting more, but that's how it goes. The opportunity came up to be a Master Instructor for Equinox, so had to take (and ace) an exam on short notice.

But back to business Men's Health UK ran another article I wrote for them in the strength test series. This one concerns the legs, and in particular the posterior chain. I find most guys really lacking in this department so without further ado:

Your glutes and hamstrings form part of the posterior chain, which is the foundation of any great athlete. Says personal trainer Chris Bathke, “The gluteus maximus and hamstrings function together to extend the hips and flex the knee, so isolation movements such as the leg curl are inferior when it comes to building some real strength. This test will introduce you to one of the toughest lower-body movements out there.”

The glute ham raise

Using the lat pulldown station, kneel on the seat pad facing away from the machine with your feet anchored under the pad normally used to place your knees under. Place a bench in front of you at about arm's length. You can also do a manual version by kneeling on the floor and having a partner hold your ankles down.

Keeping your stomach and glutes tight throughout, lower yourself slowly until parallel to the floor, or until you can't hold yourself up anymore. Catch yourself at the bottom with your hands on the bench. Then raise yourself back up to the starting position by contracting your hamstrings and glutes and drawing your body back up to vertical. “You can use a slight push off with your hands at the bottom when starting, but eventually you'll want to use only your legs,” says Bathke. Do not allow your hips to shoot back at the beginning and try to keep a straight line from your knees to your shoulders. If you bend at the hips, you're doing it wrong.

Build it up

The test is to do 8 perfect reps. “This means that your hips should be level with your body the entire time, that you can lower yourself all the way down with no hands, and that you are using your arms only for the slightest push off at the bottom,” explains Bathke. If you can't do 8 – and chances are you won't at first – then start with 3 sets of 5 once a week. Each week add a rep until you can do 3 sets of 8 and try to use less upper-body assistance each time.

Raise the bar

“Soon, you'll likely notice your performance increase in every lower-body exercise, so start adding in deadlifts to really bring up the posterior,” says Bathke. “Once a week begin your session with bar-bell deadlifts.” Start with 3 sets of 8 with a weight you can do for 10 reps maximum, and focus on proper technique. After four weeks do 3 sets of 5 with an 8-rep maximum. “Seek to increase the weight in 2kg increments each week for the next 4 weeks, then retest what you can do for 8 reps.”

Stay tuned for the back test...

Conversations with a Nutritionist

2010-01-18T21:25:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had the opportunity to hang out over coffee with rockstar nutritionist Alan Aragon and chat for a few hours about this and that. By the way he had whipped cream on his drink. err... paleo whipped cream that is!

A couple things that stuck with me was a discussion on saturated fats in regards to how big of a deal is it when it comes to body composition. According to research (and nobody knows current research like Alan) it's not as important as caloric intake when it comes to losing fat, nor does the source matter all that much.

And in the case of high fructose corn syrup, Alan says it probably won't do any more harm than regular sugar unless you are drinking the equivalent of something like 10 cans of soda per day for extended periods.

We also had a related discussion on different fad diets such as paleo, the zone, the raving no-dairy types etc... all of which don't really have solid science, nor common sense to back them up. Alot of those types of diets work because people generally cut the amount of calories they eat, thus losing weight, but ultimately it's hard to maintain ultra strict diets and so people fall off the wagon and gain the weight back.

In other words common sense. Eat what you like but make sure you get a wide variety of protein and vegetable sources.

All About The Kitchen

2010-01-08T08:23:00.000-08:00

Anyone who has waged the weight loss battle knows that the bulk of the work (pun intended) comes in the kitchen. It is simply the fact that you must be able to control what you eat in order to lose fat and keep it off.

TMuscle asked various fitness coaches, Docs etc... 5 things people should have or do in the kitchen and unsurprisingly many of the same things popped up over and over. It's no coincidence.

You MUST know how many calories per day you need to keep it at, and you MUST know how much you are currently taking in. Aside from that simply having a good selection of clean, healthy food at home is mandatory. The more junk you have the more tempted you'll be to eat it.

Virtually everyone in the article recommended monounsaturated fats (olive oil, nuts, fish oil) and abundant protein sources, along with veggies. These should be the staples of your diet. Period.

Cooking most of your meals at home is another must do. Those that eat most of their meals out have a harder time.

My five:

1. A computer to keep a food log. You've got to know how much you're eating in relation to your caloric expenditure in order to see the elusive rectus abdominus.

2. Tea. Be it green or otherwise, make tea the beverage of choice rather than soda or beer. I prefer loose-leaf green tea and cold mugi (barley) tea.

3. Healthy fats. Avocados, olive oil, peanut butter, nuts, etc; all are great for using instead of mayo or other spreads. Show monounsaturated fats some love.

4. Mixed nuts. See #3. Great to have on hand for the inevitable evening snack.

5. Invest in a good knife and cutting board for preparing the fresh veggies and lean meat that should be a staple of your diet.

Get a handle on your diet, do some effective exercise program you enjoy. Done.

Paced Density Circuits for Maximum Fat Loss

2010-01-04T16:04:00.000-08:00

Today TMuscle.com published my first article for them. A timely one too, as it concerns fat loss.

Timed Circtuits: Pace Yourself for Mximum Fat Loss

The idea for the concept came from experimenting with two training protocols: Density circuits, and timed sets of the kind used in kettlebell sport. I've found timed sets done at a set rep per minute pace were quite effective for building conditioning, technique, and of course body composition, so just applied the idea to circuit-style training using other tools.

There has been some research published that shows standard weight training circuits producing a huge caloric expenditure, which means you'll lose alot of fat in a short amount of time. Now, this isn't quite the holy grail as these circuits are pretty damn tough. You've got to have something of a strength base and experience with the exercises to maximize results. But for those who have put some time in the gym give it a try and let me know what you think.

I've got some other variations of this protocol for other specific goals for those interested.

Posterior Shoulder Assessment

2010-01-03T09:39:00.000-08:00

Welcome to 2010. May it be better than the last.

The third part in my strength assessment series for Men's Health concerns perhaps the most important part when it comes to maintaining or improving shoulder health: The posterior shoulder.

For most of us that spend considerable time typing at a computer, driving, or sitting on the sofa working your posterior shoulder muscles, and in the case of the featured prone L raise, the rotator cuff muscles, is crucial for staving off injury. Most of you have at some point tweaked a shoulder while pressing and know what that does to progress - actually regression.

This year is a perfect time to think about long term health and improvement.

Strengthen your weakness
To make significant progress with upper body training, having healthy shoulders is essential. (After all, you can't offer her two tickets to the gun show if your bouncers aren't letting anyone in, if you see what we mean.) The common "Achilles heel" of shoulder exercises is rotator cuff weakness: do the following test, courtesy of personal trainer Chris Bathke, to determine if you need some extra work for your posterior shoulder.

Test your rotator cuff

Lie face down on an incline bench holding a pair of 5kg dumb-bells with arms extended toward the floor and thumbs facing in. Pinching the shoulder blades together, raise your elbows to shoulder height. Then, while maintaining a 90-degree bend at the elbow, raise your hands towards the ceiling until they are in line with your head. Pause for one second at the top, then return to the starting position.

Build it up

"If you can do 10 perfect reps using a full range of motion and without any stress in your neck or mid-back then you have good rotator cuff strength," says Bathke. Simply maintain with two to three sets of eight once a week. However, if you had difficulty then do three sets of eight with 2.5kg dumbbells twice a week, along with two or three sets of eight prone T raises (reverse flys). Retest every four weeks.

Raise the bar

Once you're up to speed (and strength), blast your shoulders further with scapular face pulls. "Using a double handle attachment on a cable station, set the handle at about head height, grip the handles and row it towards your face while bringing your hands wide," says Bathke. Use strict form with no momentum and make sure you relax your upper traps and pinch your shoulder blades together. "Start with two sets of 10 once a week and try to do an extra rep each week until you hit 15, then up the weight," advises Bathke.

New Year Gunz

2009-12-30T11:31:00.000-08:00

The 2nd part in my series for Men's Health UK ran this week in which I lay out some advice for improving bicep strength. Rather than go the usual route of curls I suggest you will get more out of chin-ups. The editor requested some curls to please the audience so I put in a sample progression for that too.

Go get your gunz on:

Base strength
It's likely that a few extra inches on your pipes would be most welcome, but before you can pack pounds of muscle onto your biceps, you'll need to build up a decent strength base. "To achieve superior results, muscles and joints should move through a full range of motion," says personal trainer Chris Bathke. "Both bicep heads attach to the scapula and assist in shoulder movements, so relying only on single joint isolation movements that don't involve the back or shoulder shortchanges muscular development." Bathke recommends this simple self-test to determine whether your base strength is up to scratch.
The close grip chin-up

Hang from a bar, palms facing toward you with arms fully extended, and pull yourself up until your upper chest is even with your hands. If you can successfully perform 10 reps with strict form then you have decent arm strength. If not, then forget bicep curls for now and work on chin-ups.
Build it up

"Chin-up negatives are a good movement to improve strength, even for those that can't do a chin-up," says Bathke. Chin-up negatives are easier as they consist only of the second part of the chin-up movement: start at the top position of a chin-up, and slowly lower yourself down to the bottom in a five-second count. Do three reps at the end of each set of your usual chin-up work, or if you can't do a chin-up then start with three sets of five negatives and each week try to add a rep each set. Retest your chin-ups every four weeks and note the improvements.
Raise the bar

After you've built up your base strength you can start on the curls and lay down some serious muscle. Once a week after your chin-up or row work, try curls with dumb-bells that you can lift for a maximum of 10 reps. "Start with three sets of eight and add one rep each week until you can do 12, then move up to a heavier weight and start back at eight," advises Bathke. Use strict form with knees locked and no torso momentum.

Try This At Home

2009-12-28T17:52:00.000-08:00

I hope you all had a great Christmas and are gearing up for a fun New Year. My wife and I spent a few days visiting family and snowboarding in Colorado. Nothing like consecutive days of getting in as many runs as possible in perfect powder - talk about lower body training!

If more people got out in the winter and had as much fun obesity rates, particularly in the Midwest and other cold, fat states, would take a serious hit. There just isn't a downside to getting out there.

But I digress. A short time back I contributed a tip to TMuscle's ongoing twitter series. This one concerns using the muscles and tissue in the upper back/thoracic area to build strength and improve posture all at once.

The next time you do one-arm overhead presses with a kettlebell or dumbbell, try using thoracic extensions for increasing strength. Just before you begin to press, round your upper back slightly, then as you start to press, stick your chest out and pinch your shoulder blades together forcefully. Do NOT arch your lower back, but concentrate on your upper back. This will not only allow you to lift heavier, but has positive effects on thoracic mobility and posture.

There are some other cool ideas in there too so give the whole article a read.

Test Your Core Strength

2009-12-22T22:00:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post (while using someone else's network. No thanks to Verizon - who suck big time by the way) to drop a link to Men's Health UK. Last week they asked me to write a series of strength assessment's for them, the first of which was sent out on their online newsletters today. Funny to think that some Brits will be checking this out, but they'll be getting the advantage over all the Americans still doing crunches!

http://www.menshealth.co.uk/Fitness-&-muscle/Test-your-core-strength/v3

You'll never see a gymnast with a weak core. Training for strength and performance, rather than just looks, ensures that the folks who dedicate their youth to cartwheeling in Lycra boast six-packs that would put your mid-region to shame. This test, courtesy of personal trainer Chris Bathke, will be humbling for most, but with patience and dedication, anyone can use it to improve their base core strength. Though you've probably left it a bit late to reach the podium in the parallel bars in 2012.

Test your core

Set up by hanging from a pull-up bar with a pronated (palms down) grip, arms fully extended. "Preferably, your back should be against a wall or have a partner push slightly on your upper back to prevent you from pulling your shoulders back behind your hands," says Bathke. If this isn't possible then just try your best to keep your back absolutely straight and motionless. From the hang position slowly raise your legs up to 90 degrees with your knees locked, feet together and head neutral. "Your elbows should be locked and your lower back should be straight. Use a timer and try to hold this position for 10 seconds," says Bathke. Figure-hugging Lycra optional.
Build it up

If you have difficulty holding for 10 seconds, then start off by doing the same movement with your knees bent. "Begin with two sets of five slow reps and build up to doing two or three sets of five reps with your legs straight," says Bathke. Retest every four weeks.
Raise the bar

Once you've built up your strength, try the V-up. Hang from a bar, but this time bring your feet all the way up to touch the bar, pause slightly, then slowly return to the starting position while keeping your legs and body straight. "Go slow and don't use momentum. Quality is everything with this one," says Bathke. Start with two sets of five and work up to three sets of eight.

Agonist-Antagonist Training

2009-12-16T21:13:00.000-08:00

Though the title sounds like what happens when some guy wants to curl in the squat rack and you throw him through the window, but it's actually a useful training methodology.

This refers to training antagonist muscle groups, which means muscles that counteract the force of another. For example your rotator cuff muscles serve to decelerate your arm when punching so that you don't injure your shoulder. Fatiguing an antagonist muscle takes the brakes off somewhat. For example doing a chin-up and an overhead press back to back theoretically benefit the other. It's also a very effective method of saving time in the gym.

The study:

J Sports Sci. 2009 Dec 3:1-9. [Epub ahead of print]
Effects of agonist-antagonist complex resistance training on upper body strength and power development.

Robbins DW, Young WB, Behm DG, Payne WR.

School of Human Movement and Sport Sciences, University of Ballarat, Ballarat, Victoria, Australia.

The objective of this study was to examine the chronic effects on strength and power of performing complex versus traditional set training over eight weeks. Fifteen trained males were assessed for throw height, peak velocity, and peak power in the bench press throw and one-repetition maximum (1-RM) in the bench press and bench pull exercises, before and after the eight-week programme. The traditional set group performed the pulling before the pushing exercise sets, whereas the complex set group alternated pulling and pushing sets. The complex set training sessions were completed in approximately half the time. Electromyographic (EMG) activity was monitored during both test sessions in an attempt to determine if it was affected as a result of the training programme.

Although there were no differences in the dependent variables between the two conditions, bench pull and bench press 1-RM increased significantly under the complex set condition and peak power increased significantly under the traditional set condition. Effect size statistics suggested that the complex set was more time-efficient than the traditional set condition with respect to development of 1-RM bench pull and bench press, peak velocity and peak power. The EMG activity was not affected. Complex set training would appear to be an effective method of exercise with respect to efficiency and strength development.

Studies on Training During Pregnancy

2009-12-11T08:01:00.000-08:00

Following up on the last post here are a couple of studies courtesy of Cassandra Forsythe (the woman busting booty in the previous videos).

First up

Long-term outcome after exercising throughout pregnancy: fitness and cardiovascular risk
James F. Clapp, III, MD
Am J Obstet Gynecol. 2008 November; 199(5): 489.e1–489.e6.

OBJECTIVE
The objective of the study was to test the null hypothesis that continuing vigorous weight-bearing exercise throughout pregnancy has no discernible long-term effect on indices of fitness and/or cardiovascular risk.
STUDY DESIGN
This was a follow-up observational study of the fitness and cardiovascular risk profile of 39 women conducted on the General Clinical Research Center at the University of Vermont. Data were analyzed using the paired Student t test, analysis of variance, and linear regression.
RESULTS
Women who voluntarily maintain their exercise regimen during pregnancy continue to exercise over time at a higher level than those who stop. Over time they also gain less weight (3.4 vs 9.9 kg), deposit less fat (2.2 vs 6.7 kg), have increased fitness, and have a lower cardiovascular risk profile than those who stop.
CONCLUSION
Women who continue weight-bearing exercise during pregnancy maintain their long-term fitness and have a low cardiovascular risk profile in the perimenopausal period.

BJOG. 2006 Nov;113(11):1239-47. Epub 2006 Sep 15.

Uterine blood flow during supine rest and exercise after 28 weeks of gestation.
Jeffreys RM, Stepanchak W, Lopez B, Hardis J, Clapp JF 3rd.

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Schwartz Center for Metabolism and Nutrition, MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, OH 44109, USA.

OBJECTIVE: To test the null hypothesis that, after 28 weeks of gestation, uterine blood flow during supine rest and supine exercise is no different than uterine blood flow at left-lateral rest. DESIGN: In vivo experimental study in pregnant women. SETTING: Department of Obstetrics, MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, OH, USA. POPULATION: Fourteen, physically active, late-pregnant women who continued supine exercise throughout gestation. METHODS: Studies were carried out between 29 and 38 weeks of gestation. Maternal blood pressure, maternal heart rate, and ultrasound estimates of volume blood flow in the right ascending branch of the uterine artery were obtained serially at rest in the left-lateral position, at rest in the supine position, during and immediately after 10 minutes of supine exercise, and again at rest in the left-lateral position. Exercise sessions included alternating 60- to 90-second periods of abdominal crunches and leg exercise at moderate/high intensity (Borg's rating of perceived exertion 14 +/- 1). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Blood pressure, heart rate, and uterine artery volume flow. RESULTS: Data are presented as the mean +/- SD. Maternal heart rate and blood pressure were unchanged at supine rest but increased during supine exercise (heart rate increased from 76 +/- 9 to 98 +/- 12 beats per minute, mean arterial pressure increased from 81 +/- 6 to 102 +/- 12 mmHg). Volume flow fell from 410 +/- 93 to 267 +/- 73 cc/minute after 5 minutes of supine rest and then, during supine exercise, increased to 355 +/- 125 cc/minute. Uterine artery luminal diameter and blood flow correlated directly with tissue weights at birth (r(2) values between 0.32 and 0.59). CONCLUSIONS: In physically active women, uterine blood flow decreases during both supine rest and supine exercise but the decrease in the former is twice that seen in the latter.

Needless to say any woman should listen to her doctor before starting to exercise, and one should undertake exercise with the help of a qualified professional - make sure your trainer has taken courses in pre and post-natal training.

Training During Pregnancy

2009-12-09T12:47:00.000-08:00

Cassandra Forsythe, colleague and co-writer of New Rules of Lifting for Women just shot some video of her training at 6 months into her first pregnancy. Obviously she has experience in the gym, but the point is that you can, and should train to be as strong and conditioned as possible for the health of your baby and you.

And as you can see Cassandra is training harder at 6 months than the vast majority of people ever do.

Kettlebells Beat Cancer

2009-12-08T18:06:00.000-08:00

We all know KBs can cure just about anything ;) but here is a piece about Anthony DiLuglio on ESPN about his battle with a rare form of cancer. The article suggests that type of muscle has has built over the years helped his body reject the advances of a tumor in his leg. KBs are just a tool of course, but nevertheless there is alot to be said for the healing properties of consistent, hard work.

Up until that point, he had been in perfect health. But now, myxiod liposarcoma, a rare form of the disease, was invading his leg. Only 6,000 cases are seen in the U.S. each year. The doctor explained that more surgery was needed, and that DiLuglio had a good chance of losing all feeling in his leg and foot, or worse, losing the entire leg. "I thought, 'What did I do to end up like this? What about training? What about my livelihood?'"

Amazingly, DiLuglio made it through surgery and managed to keep his entire leg and the majority of his muscle tissue: His training had made the muscles so dense that the tumor was unable to penetrate them.

"The doctors wanted to know what I did to create such muscle," he said. "If you're a runner or bodybuilder, you don't have that type of density. I explained kettlebell training and my approach to building strength." Researchers at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston continue to study his case, hoping to learn more.

I had no idea about Anthony's fight with cancer when I met him about a year ago at a seminar and found him a knowledgeable and nice guy. Needless to say what he's done for himself and now with other cancer patients is inspirational. Check out more of his approach at Art of Strength.

Heal Thyself

2009-12-07T12:30:00.001-08:00

Last week New York Times online ran a good article on foam rolling and self myofascial work.

No matter if you lift heavy, run, or do spin class it's likely you feel tightness from time to time, or have postural issues. I conservatively estimate that about oh.... 100% of new clients at the gym have pretty tight thoracic spines, IT bands and hip flexors.

Those that do a lot of endurance training, be it running, biking, or cardio class will almost certainly have some significant scar tissue or adhesions due to repetitive motions and pounding on the joints, not to mention imbalances:

For instance, “riding on aerobars on the bike sets up a huge muscle imbalance in the upper back and shoulders,” said Tim Crowley, a triathlon coach in Marlboro, Mass. “Hip flexors, hamstrings and glutes become extremely tight and immobile from running.”

The following is an example of a foam rolling sequence from Eric Cressey. Note that in the video a small ball is also used for the calves, glutes, and other hard to get at areas. You can certainly use a roller for these areas first, and gradually work into using a tennis or golf ball.

5 minutes a day will do wonders for you.

Meat & Brotatos

2009-12-04T15:56:00.000-08:00

Back by popular demand is 6+6 more minutes of nutritional conversation with the digital Alan Aragon. And he's obviously been getting some sun judging by the video.

Part III

And another great bonus quote:

Many folks into fitness & bodybuilding have this unproductive tendency to think in black & white extremes. They’ll scapegoat certain foods, while glorifying the magic bullets. They rarely see the integration of the various components that comprise the big picture.

For more info go check out Alan's blog.

5 Minutes of Nutrition

2009-12-02T15:04:00.001-08:00

Men's health magazine nutrition contributor and king broski Alan Aragon brings you nutritional quotes worthy of the history books. One of his clients culled some of his best quotes and put them together in animated form.

Now I present to you Aragon's conversation with a bro Part I

Oh, and to condense one key point of nutrition: If you are having trouble losing weight then figure out how much you are eating every day, then reduce your calories to meet your goal. Not doing this will guarantee failure every time.

Stay tuned for more Aragon animation!

Dynamic Stability Training

2009-11-18T22:03:00.000-08:00

One of the real good guys in this business, Dan John, kindly posted a clip on another site from his DVD talking about dynamic stability training. This one deals with methods of adding different forms of resistance to a squat, and in particular the "Koji squat".

I'm also adding a clip Koji himself. Koji Murofushi is a world and Olympic champion in hammer throwing. He isn't that big, but brutally strong, agile, and powerful. He also has some unique training methods that focus on movement quality - a topic I'll get into in subsequent posts (or see past videos with Steve Cotter). Anyone that has played sports or done martial arts should immediately recognize the importance of developing good movement quality as Koji demonstrates.

Enjoy.

Born to Run

2009-11-11T08:58:00.000-08:00

I'm back from a couple of weeks in Japan traveling with family. Needless to say we had a great time visiting a historic pottery town, marveling at Kyoto's temples, and eating fantastic food.

Once again we were struck by how many people you see in Japan outside being active, and how few obese people there are. Could be some connection there...

While traveling I read Christopher McDougall's book Born To Run. I had seen McDougall interviewed on the Daily Show and heard good things so picked it up at the airport. Part ethnography, part research on running, part one man's search for meaning, Born To Run is an engrossing tale of some lost souls finding each other among the Tarahumara peoples of Northern Mexico.

Of course I'm a sucker for ethnographies, having a grad degree in ethnomusicology, but relevant to this blog McDougall drew upon a growing body of research showing that our "high tech" shoes are breaking us down. I admit I'm already sold on this point, having seen first hand many times how training barefoot, or close to it (Nike Free, Vibram Five Fingers) does much to improve foot, knee, and back health.

McDougall points out that no American has won the Olympic or New York marathon's ever since our footwear got high tech (arch support, fat heels, orthotics etc...), but that many who have one, namely the Kenyans seldom ever wore shoes until in their late teens.

Further, the main subjects of the book, the Tarahumara people, are known as the best ultra-endurance runners on the planet, but they wear nothing more than flat sandals made of rubber and leather. And they seldom, if ever, get injured.

Meanwhile injury statistics among American runners show that 8 in 10 runners will deal with injuries each year. McDougall for one claims his injuries have vanished since ditching his expensive running shoes and going barefoot.

OK, enough of that - go check out the book. It's a great read.

However I will say that Born To Run portrays ultra-endurance runners as uber-athletes. But watching youtube videos of them I'm struck by the skinny-fat physiques and poor posture, which is why I'm adamant that people need to do some sort of exercise that uses the whole body.

And it's not just for looks. This research demonstrates links between lack of muscle strength and increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease:

The strongest patients had 61 per cent less chance of developing the disease than the weakest. No reason for the association has yet been foung, but it could involve energy production in the body or other hidden health problems, the scientists believe.

Alzheimer's disease – the most common form of dementia – causes a progressive loss of memory and thinking ability. However, it is also known to be associated with symptoms such as an impaired gait, depression and a weakened grip.

Researchers at Rush University Medical Centre, in Chicago, studied 970 adults with an average age of about 80 who did not initially have Alzheimer's.

Each participant was rated for mental function and given a physical strength score derived from testing 11 muscle groups. At least one further evaluation was carried out over an average follow-up period of 3.6 years. Of the total, 138 participants (14.2 per cent) went on to develop Alzheimer's.

Muscle strength scores ranged from minus 1.6 to 3.3 units. Every unit increase in initial muscle strength correlated with a 43 per cent reduction in the risk of developing Alzheimer's during the study period, the researchers found.

Participants in the top 10 per cent of scores for muscular strength were almost two-thirds (61 per cent) less likely to develop less at risk of Alzheimer's than those who were in the bottom 10 per cent.

In other words go get stronger. Only good can come of it.

Kettlebell in the Age of Quarrel

2009-10-14T13:01:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I attended the Kettlebell in the Age of Quarrel 3 day workshop put together by Mike Mahler. Alicia & Peter and AF Performance provided an excellent space for the 30 people that showed up from all over the U.S., Panama, Scotland, Germany, and Canada.

The main theme of the workshop was that there is no one size fits all approach to fitness. In order to achieve your goals you need to figure out what works for you, or have a professional figure it out for you. But we need to understand the underlying principles in order to do this.

Among the main coaches present were Mike Mahler, Steve Cotter, "Stone Cold" Ken Blackburn, Jason Dolby, Andrew Durniat, and John Wild Buckley. And I must thank Mike Mahler for kindly allowing me to attend and help out when needed.

Each of these individuals has a unique background, skill set, knowledge base, and specialty. And together they made a hell of a group to lead a well rounded approach to fitness and well being.

Ken Blackburn lead the dynamic warmup/mobility and agility portions each day - and there were plenty of people dog tired after the initial hour of agility training, and we hadn't even lifted anything yet! Some of this mobility work would be familiar to martial artists, but not generally what one sees trainers do, something I think could use some reflecting upon. People with MA backgrounds tend to move very well and have good mobility and flexibility, so why not incorporate more of what they do?

It is even whispered in some circles that some of Ken's moves were derived from the legendary Jean Claude Van Damme himself!

Mike Mahler's presentations focused on nutrition, supplementation, and how this affects our hormones and ultimately our health. He drew on a number of sources including Dr. Kessler's excellent The End Of Overeating. Mike's main message was derive as much of our nutrients as possible from clean, organic sources, and understand exactly what supplementation an individual may need to our optimize hormonal profile.

Jason Dolby lead and excellent segment on Indian club work for shoulder health on days 1 & 3. Clubs have been around a long time but are highly underrated in my opinion. Clubs have already been implemented into some of my clients training. Try it, your shoulders will thank you.

Day 2 focused primarily on kettlebell the kettlebell sport lifts and assistance work. The group spent a good 6 hours on working cleans, jerks, snatches, long cycle, and related drills. We performed a number of work sets in order to develop technique and show what sort of programming works for various purposes. The coaches made sure to present a variety of approaches to each movement, stressing that certain ways work better for certain builds, and that everyone should experiment and find what works for them. Not unlike powerlifting or any other sport.

We were fortunate to have Andrew Durniat lead the snatch portion. Andrew quite a knowledgeable guy, and has competed in Russia at the highest levels of KB sport, as well as strongman competitions and a winner of the 2009 national grip strength competition. That's him doing the KB and barbell juggling in the video below.

Following KB work there was a panel discussion during which various aspects of programming and periodization, including KB sport work, integrating Wendler's 5/3/1, integrating KBs into general fitness programs, and other concepts.

Following warm ups and mobility work on day 3, Steve Cotter was ready to open some eyes with bodyweight conditioning work derived from Chinese martial arts. Some of the drills had people muttering "no way in hell" but Steve is a great teacher and instructed how to regress each movement so that everyone could do it.

After an hour of this we ended the segment with 50 dragon twist squats. I don't know if many people made it through all 50, but we tried. And we still had the squat segment coming up. Uh oh.

Mike and Ken lead the pressing segment, assisted by John Wild, who's build is indeed well suited to wrestling dinosaurs. Despite having some back spasms John can throw a 150lbs overhead with one arm like you might lift a pencil.

Go ahead an youtube John Wild.

One topic discussed here and in the KB jerk portion is the role of thoracic mobility, and the ability to utilize thoracic extension, the ribcage, and the back in overhead movements. This concept is not very widely practiced in the West, but we could all feel an immediate difference in pressing.

Yet another reason to do foam rolling and other types of back mobility work.

Steve Cotter came back and put everyone through some great squat mobility work. This is something I find every single client needs alot of, and if you sit in a chair for more than a few hours a day you need it to.

Steve ended this portion with a squat drill that consisted of 8 sets of 10 double KB squats with minimal rest. Starting from the heaviest pair we worked our way down each set until we could barely squat our own bodyweight. My legs still remember you Steve, thanks. I guess.

Andrew Durniat ended the day with an exhibition of barbell and kettlebell juggling. He is an admirer of the deep history of physical culture, and digs these sorts of odd lifts and feats of strength. Great stuff and fun movements to play with.

All in all this was probably the best workshop I've attended, and all involved did a fantastic job. I can't express enough how cool it was to spend 8 hours each day surrounded by people so focused on physical culture and fitness - a rare treat in a time of gyms filled with chrome junk and cookie cutter training. I'm already looking forward to the next opportunity to get together with my clan.

Back to Basics & workshop

2009-10-07T11:02:00.000-07:00

It's been a couple of busy weeks so please excuse my lack of blogging.
First up today the Kettlebell In the Age of Quarrel workshop is in 2 days. I'm really looking forward to hanging out and learning from some high level coaches for three days. In addition to KB work there will be alot of work on mobility, agility, Qi Gong, animal-based movement derived from kung fu systems, and Indian clubs.

In other words, strategies and methods by which to improve our quality of movement and long term health. Anyone who has been injured or otherwise not able to move as well as they once could can attest to the impact this has on our lives.

It's not about getting ripped, it's about moving and feeling better. Once you do that then fitness can really happen.

In my experience people that have done some sort of martial arts have a kinesthetic awareness that is hard to teach in the gym. Martial arts obviously stresses moving your body without external loading (weights) in a very precise and measured manner.

Not only will you get conditioned and learn valuable skills but create an awareness of quality of movement that is important in daily life. It can be the difference between breaking your wrist or hip after a fall or being able to roll out of it.

I've gone through the car window of a careless driver throwing open their door while biking and came out without a scratch. I'm sure that little incident would have ended badly if I didn't know how to do a rolling breakfall.

Steve Cotter can move. Very well.

And while we're on the topic of moving better one exercise I see done wrong all the time, and which is very hard for many that look "fit" is the good 'ol pushup.

Eric Cressey just did a fantastic little video on how to do this seemingly basic exercise that many people have trouble with. If you struggle with pushups don't worry about how many you can do, but back up and really get your form correct and you'll end up way ahead.

I can't stress enough the multiple benefits of pushups: Core strength, glute activation, pushing strength, postural improvements.

Warm-up Right for Bigger Improvements

2009-09-23T10:47:00.000-07:00

Time to catch up on some research.

This study from the latest Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (23(6)/1811-1819) concerns a comparison between three warm-up methods: Static stretching, light aerobics (15 minutes on a stationary bike), and a dynamic warm-up consisting of various leg swings, lunges, lateral steps, and kick backs.

Three groups of untrained college age females were put through 3 test session over 2 weeks, plus one familiarization session. Each group would perform the assigned warm-up then would be measured for max vertical jump, peak force production (time to maximum contraction of the right quadriceps), and joint range of motion. Subjects were measured pre-warmup, 5 minutes post, and 30 minutes post.

Results:

For the peak force measurement the aerobic warm-up group improved an average of 10% from pre-test to 5 minutes post-test, while the static stretching group showed no improvement. The dynamic warm-up group however showed a 27% improvement.

For the vertical jump test the dynamic warm-up group again showed the biggest improvement, with the static stretching group coming in last again.

Concerning the joint range of motion there were no significant statistical changes between the three groups. All three showed equal improved range of motion.

One can conclude from this that dynamic warm-ups will give you the biggest bang for your buck. If you want to get the most out of your training I highly suggest some sort of warm-up similar to that demonstrated below by Todd Durkin.

True Unstable Surface Training

2009-09-14T12:53:00.001-07:00

It's been awhile since I've hollered at you amigos (reference anyone?) but life has been busy. This past weekend I celebrated my birthday by trying a new sport, and discovered a truly usable method of unstable surface training (get off the damn bosu balls! haha)

Stand up paddle surfing (SUP) is a blast. Standing up and paddling wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, but I was shocked at how exhausted my lower body was afterwards, especially my adductors. Guess that's what happens when you have to keep your balance going over waves while digging in to paddle at the same time!

Go out and try this.

Over the Labor Day weekend I also had the opportunity to hang with my friends from the IKFF. Steve Cotter, Ken Blackburn, Jason Dolby, and John Wild Buckley were all there introducing a new group of people to the pleasure and pain, but mostly pain ;) of serious KB work. It was a great time as usual.

John even broke out some fun feats of strength, one arm snatching and doing various other things while holding people over his head. Here he is doing a windmill with my friend and fellow trainer Alice Nguyen.

Yep, that's pretty good shoulder stability and strength, wouldn't you say?

Couple's Fitness Competition III

2009-08-31T12:16:00.000-07:00

I've finally edited and posted the highlight video from the recent Couple Fitness Competition III.

The events were:
1. Max reps in 1 minute of Turkish getups with a sandbag (guys 80lbs, girls 35)
2. 3 minutes max reps kettlebell snatches with one hand switch. Guys 16kg, girls 8kg
3. Metabolic circuit best time: 20 inverted rows, 100 jump rope passes, 20 box jumps, 100 jump rope passes.
4. Partner wheelbarrow relay race
5. Tug of war

The next competition is being planned for January 2010 with new formats and categories. Stay tuned for details.

Contrasts

2009-08-27T13:16:00.000-07:00

I was talking with a friend today about what's really important in training, and we both agreed that it's changing someone's life for the better. And the way to do that is to learn as much as possible and always seek to improve your skills.

Now I'm not the world's best trainer. Faaaaar from it. However when a client shows me how their life has improved, that really makes my week. Just yesterday a client explained to me how losing 50lbs, removing mobility limitations, and increasing strength has boosted his confidence, energy level, relationship, and how people now treat him differently. He now impresses his young son by climbing ropes and is starting martial arts training with him.

It's impossible to put a price tag on that.

But we've still got a ways to go in this industry in terms of quality.

Read this short but insightful article by Alwyn Cosgrove. There is a lot of truth there concerning misinformation spread via dumbass trainers and the mainstream media that too often quotes the wrong people.

Awesomeness right here:

I think my mission in life is to rid the world of this ridiculous workout notion. Somehow this highly developed organism that we call the human body is not a remarkable piece of machinery that functions flawlessly as a unit, it's just random ass "parts" put together — each of which can be worked separately.

My arse.

You didn't even turn your computer on using only one muscle so why in God's name are you trying to develop a body using some sort of body part split?

And while I'm on the subject, how come fingers and toes don't get their own "day"?

Biceps get their own special recognition, what about fingers and toes and sternocleido mastoids? Or left arm on one day, right arm on another day (different body parts)? Because it's stupid, right? Well, so is splitting up your chest and shoulder "days".

There are NO athletes other than a small bunch of genetically gifted, pharmaceutical abusing individuals who use a "body part" split with any success. NONE.

Now, if you ARE one of the genetic elite pharmaceutical abusers, then feel free.

Split routines arrived on the scene shortly after Dianabol was popular. Do you see the connection?

Now before you ask me, "Can I split up my routine in some way?" Of course you can. But split it up based on what your body DOES, not based on what "part" it is. Splitting up by parts makes as much sense as splitting up by the number of freckles in that area.

And then, if you dare, glance at this article and video.

Seriously, if you have to dress up in cutoff vests and ridiculous hats in order to train a client please leave the fitness industry. But of course he's not training clients, he's creating marketing hype to make up for lack of skill and knowledge.

Lose the Shoes. Get Stronger.

2009-08-20T13:29:00.000-07:00

Today I've got a confluence of ideas for you regarding joint health, strength, and endurance.

My friend Jon Hinds, owner of the fantastic Monkey Bar Gym in my old stomping grounds Madison, Wisconsin, recently posted this video of a video analysis of someone running in running shoes and the same person barefoot.

Listen to the video commentary about what happens to the bones and joints, and you don't have to wonder why most runners will end up injured. Running shoes with puffy heels simply don't let your feet contact the ground the way they should, thus joints above take a real beating and eventually injury will occur. It's that simple.

Likewise, in the gym I prefer people to wear as flat a shoe as possible. Other than barefoot training, which is common in many of the top gyms in the country, Vibram Five Fingers are a great choice, as is Nike Frees. Vans, Converse AllStars, or other flat shoes are also good.

Here is why: A flatter shoe will be more stable, and will allow you to sit back further on your heels which will aid in recruiting your posterior chain (glutes, hamstrings) i.e. the biggest muscles. Working your biggest muscles means you get better results. You'll get stronger where it counts.

Not to mention that wearing flatter shoes will put less shear force on your knees and low back.

Sound good?

But that's not all (joke). There is a book making headlines these days called "Born to Run" concerning the Tarahumara native peoples of Mexico famous for incredible distance running abilities. One of the reasons cited for the Tarahumara's legendary running is that they run barefoot or in sandals. They also rarely get injured despite running distances and over terrain we can hardly fathom.

Now, moving on to developing endurance I-let's look at a study done by Universities in Spain and the U.S. concerning the influence of strength and power on endurance.

The study (Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 23(5) 1482-1488) took 14 firefighters that must perform endurance tests as a part of their job and in training specifically targeted their maximal strength and power, then looked at the effect on endurance. Across the board they found that just by increasing their maximal strength and power output the firefighter's performed better in endurance tests.

To put it another way, if you have hit a plateau in running, biking etc... then more running is not the answer. It's doubtful that cardio capacity or VO2 max is what's holding you back. Likely it is that your body is not able to produce enough power in order to propel you faster. Improving muscle strength means that running at a given pace will now be easier due to the fact that said effort requires less of a % of maximal strength and power output.

The most efficient way to do this is to get follow an intelligent strength & power program using resistance training. And one key to getting stronger is developing the largest muscles using proper biomechanics and technique - i.e. the stress should be placed across the proper muscles instead of the knees and low back.

The bottom line is do yourself a favor and lose the crosstrainer shoes with the puffy heels. Once you go flat you'll never go back.

The End of Overeating

2009-08-14T15:19:00.001-07:00

I don't usually write more than 2 blog posts per week but I've come across info so good I think you need it. Now.

Lou Schuler, author of The New Rules of Lifting and many other excellent books on fitness recently recommended The End of Overeating by Dr. David Kessler.

Dr. Kessler, former dean of Yale Medical School and UC San Francisco, puts forth a host of simple yet profound information on how and why America has developed such an obesity problem. But I won't attempt to review the book here, but just draw upon a couple of points. I encourage you to go read the book.

In regards to overeating Dr. Kessler analyzed research on caloric consumption and found that in regards to weight gain and metabolism, diet composition, genetics and many other topics we see bandied about in the media the most important factor, by far is simply the amount of food one eats.

We should all know by now that writing a food log is essential if one wants to lose fat (or gain muscle). In regards to that:

Most people do a poor job of reporting what they eat, and overweight people are particularly innacurate reporters.

I've seen figures in other sources that say most people, especially those overweight tend to underestimate their caloric intake by 40%. That's a lot of calories folks.

You need to know how many calories you should take in to reach your goals, then you need to make sure you aren't going over that by keeping an accurate food log. This is about your health and nobody else will care, so you might as well do it right. Fooling yourself only affects you and those that care about you.

And how about this complicated piece of wisdom from Dr. Kessler:

How much we eat predicts how much we weigh.

Who would've thought? ;)

Of course there is alot more to it than that, including how food manufacturers do everything they can to make sure we eat more by loading our food full of sugar, salt, and fat. So the best thing you can do is limit how often you eat out, don't buy or eat processed or fried foods, and eat more veggies and lean protein sources.

That's it.

Finally, Dan John has released the latest edition of his fantastic free newsletter Get Up. Go read it. It'll take 10 minutes and is full of simple, yet profound advice. Dan has a real knack and cutting through the crap and dispensing simple, quality advice that only someone with 40 years experience can do.

CFC and Top Ten Gyms

2009-08-13T12:26:00.001-07:00

A reminder to everyone that the third and last Couple's Fitness Competition of the year is two days away. Please go register here so we know who is coming.

Next, Men's Health has compiled a list of the top ten gyms in America. I know quite a few of the people running them, and am familiar with the rest of the facilities.

What they all have in common is the training involves primarily free weights, including kettlebells, ropes, rings, sandbags, and other "trendy" training tools, and hardly a machine in sight. In fact most of these places have no good girl/bad girl machines, bicep curl machines, or any other chromed out garbage that most gyms use to lure new members in. Let's hope the fitness industry and more importantly the general public starts to notice what works and what is just marketing.

And do click the links on the left side of the article as each one has some pretty good advice from trainers at the respective gyms.

See you on that beach at CFC3 in two days.

Getting It Done

2009-08-10T13:34:00.000-07:00

I came across some excellent advice by Jim Wendler of Elite FTS fame. Jim is a powerlifter, but his no nonsense advice is applicable to everyone that wants to lose weight/get ripped/get better at their sport/lose fat. And he has a certain way with words ( in other words don't bother complaining about the profanity).

A very good friend of mine is making great progress on the program and losing weight/gaining strength. His attitude is great - he's not looking to make changes tomorrow but a lifestyle change forever. I hate to sound like a fitness 'tard but that is what most people need. He's adding in the conditioning slowly and something else he's doing...

He does 50 jumps with the jump rope between all of his sets.

This has made a huge difference, actually.

Also, make performance goals for yourself; Squat X, Bench Y, DL Z, Military XY.
Run X in Y minutes. Or do X amount of hills per week. Doesn't matter, just make a list of stuff you need to get done and do it. Apply this to your life, too.

One thing I've done is do 3 hard conditioning workouts/week. That's it. I don't care when or with what. Just get the shit done. When you start doing stuff like this, stuff starts falling into place.

Some of these goals can't be done at the same time, but while striving for one, you can make slow progress on the others. For example, if you want to get in better shape, up the hills/Prowler or whatever you choose and make slow climbs with the weights and make smart decisions with your weight training.

When the weights turn to your focus, condition just hard enough to maintain your levels but not enough to take away performance in the weight room. I'm getting longwinded now and I apologize. It's Friday and I want to go home and play music, drink whiskey and blow out my ear drums. Here is an email I sent yesterday when a young kid asked me if I cared what I looked like (if looking good was a huge priority for me):

"Do I care what I look like? I guess. It's not a priority, though. Think about it this way:

If I do the following:

Squat 700 raw
Bench 450 raw
Deadlift 740 raw

(all in a meet)

And run hills for 30 minutes 3 times a week.
Eat 2-300 grams/protein a day and don't eat much junk...

What do you think I'm going to look like?

So I just concentrate on performance and being the baddest motherfucker I can be. Shit starts falling into place when that happens. Looking good is a byproduct of kicking ass. If you want some good diet advice, try this. It always fucking works:

Eat 4 meals a day.

* Each meal starts with a 50g (or so) protein drink in water.
* After that, each as much protein as your stomach can handle (I usually eat only eggs, chicken or steak) - because of the protein drink, it's not much maybe 2-3 eggs, small serving of chicken or beef.
* Eat a piece of fruit that you like (or vegetable...whatever)

If you want some carbs after that, eat them. But you'll be so full you won't be able to eat that many. I've noticed that as long as you get enough protein, the carbs will take care of themselves. Even when going out to eat, before you go, slam a protein drink. You'll eat less "crap" and you'll be much better off. I'm not a huge fan of protein drinks (or any supplements, really) but this diet works for getting bigger and stronger. And not getting too fat.

To make it even simpler, before you eat ANY MEAL, drink a 50g protein drink. I did this during college and lost 25lbs (I was too heavy as a fullback) and never got weaker and was leaner.

The bottom line is this: no one gives a fuck what you look like, except you. And that just means you are a narcissist bastard. Girls don't fucking care, no matter what they say. They want you to be smart, funny, strong and confident. Having money helps a ton, too. Does this mean you can be a fat slob? NO. But work on being a complete person all the time and getting shit done, in the weight room, on the conditioning "field" and in school (or work) and life.

Information Overload

2009-08-05T20:33:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I was fortunate to attend the Perform Better 3 day training summit in Long Beach. PB is always educational and a great time to catch up with friends old and new. I attended probably 20 hours of lectures and hands on workshops over the course of the weekend, not to mention talking over drinks with some of THE best coaches and trainers in the world.

If you are a trainer and aren't going to events such as this then you are doing yourself and your clients a disservice. Period.

Now it's time to catch up on some reading and throw some of the best gems out to you.

First up is Mike Robertson's podcast. He recently interviewed Men's Health nutrition columnist and old fashioned rock star Alan Aragon.

When it comes to cutting through the bullshit and giving straight up advice in regards to how we should be eating to aid in our fitness goals I haven't seen anyone better than Alan.

And the man knows how to eat a paleo cream puff!

Next up, you might have heard of Tabata intervals if you've read anything on fat loss the past couple of years. If not then let's just say it's been hyped as the most effective interval protocol. But here is the thing. Most people that think they are doing them aren't.

Here Lyle McDonald dissects the original study by Dr. Izumi Tabata and comments on the true intensity of the intervals used in the study.

Lyle's article may be more technical than you are willing to wade through so I'll reprint the key points:

It’s also relevant to note that the study used a bike for training. This is important and here’s why: on a stationary bike, when you start to get exhausted and fall apart from fatigue, the worst that happens is that you stop pedalling. You don’t fall off, you don’t get hurt, nothing bad happens. The folks suggesting high skill movements for a ‘Tabata’ workout might want to consider that. Because when form goes bad on cleans near the end of the ‘Tabata’ workout, some really bad things can happen. Things that don’t happen on a stationary bike.

As well, I want to make a related comment: as you can see above the protocol used was VERY specific. The interval group used 170% of VO2 max for the high intensity bits and the wattage was increased by a specific amount when the workout was completed. Let me put this into real world perspective.

My VO2 max occurs somewhere between 300-330watts on my power bike, I can usually handle that for repeat sets of 3 minutes and maybe 1 all out-set of 5-8 minutes if I’m willing to really suffer. That’s how hard it is, it’s a maximal effort across that time span.

For a proper Tabata workout, 170% of that wattage would be 510 watts (for perspective, Tour De France cyclists may maintain 400 watts for an hour). This is an absolutely grueling workload. I suspect that most reading this, unless they are a trained cyclist, couldn’t turn the pedals at that wattage, that’s how much resistance there is.

If you don’t believe me, find someone with a bike with a powermeter and see how much effort it takes to generate that kind of power output. Now do it for 20 seconds. Now repeat that 8 times with a 10 second break. You might learn something about what a Tabata workout actually is.

My point is that to get the benefits of the Tabata protocol, the workload has to be that supra-maximal for it to be effective. Doing thrusters or KB swings or front squats with 65 lbs fo 20 seconds doesn’t generate nearly the workload that was used during the actual study. Nor will it generate the benefits (which I’d note again stop accruing after a mere 3 weeks). You can call them Tabatas all you want but they assuredly aren’t.

Lyle touches upon a point common to just about any aspect of training. Namely that the vast majority of people simply don't train intelligently and with enough intensity to achieve the results they are after.

Core Training Article

2009-07-29T15:03:00.000-07:00

An article I contributed was published this week on TMUSCLE.com.

There are some cool embedded videos of exercises you probably haven't tried so check those out.

In it is some advice on building a strong midsection from the perspective's of myself, a bodybuilding coach, and guys such as Mike Robertson that trains some athletes.

The real keys lie in the commonalities of our approaches: Nobody uses crunches, and we all understand the importance of train the anterior core to develop core stability, strength in torso extension, rotation, and anti-rotation functions.

Of course anything with firing neurons realizes that nutrition plays a huge part in being able to see the fruits of your labor, and so bodybuilding coach Scott Abel drops a good line:

Diet plays the biggest role here, and it's a deal-breaker. "No one can out-train an inconsistent or improper diet," Abel says. "And if your own metabolic set point is such that having quilted abs is not your genetically natural predisposition, then you'd better have expert help in achieving that look."

As for aerobic training,

Abel says to practice caution here. Hours a day of steady-state aerobics can lead to a suppressed metabolism, burned-out adrenals, and even an unexpected weight gain. "As I always say, force the body and it reacts. Coax the body and it responds."

To sum it up be on point with your nutrition, then skip the aerobics classes and crunches, and instead train your core in ways top trainers in various sub-fields of fitness know work.

Research Review: Strongman, Unstable Surface

2009-07-25T11:08:00.000-07:00

It's time to get up to date on current research out there so from the latest Journal of Strength & Conditioning (NSCA) here are two studies.

First up is a ground breaking study by Dr. Stuart McGill, the foremost researcher on back/core biomechanics in the world at the University of Waterloo. If you want to know the best way to train your core and keep a healthy back (or fix one), go out and read anything you can find by this guy.

This study (23(4)/1148-1161) is a comparison of different strongman events on trunk muscle activation and lumbar spine motion, load, and stiffness. They wired some elite strongman competitors with EMG monitors to precisely measure which muscles were working hardest, when, and what kind of stress was put on the spine.

The six events were farmer's walk, yoke walk, Atlas stone lift, suitcase carry, keg walk, tire flip, and log lift.

Condensing the results for you here it's apparent that picking up a heavy object with a rounded back (Atlas stone) places a ton of stress on the low back (why we deadlift with a straight back), but also shows why hip extensors MUST fire before the back extensors in order to prevent injury.

The yoke carry (carrying a loaded bar across one's back) placed the highest stress on the spine due to bar position (also why I don't favor back squats) and insufficient strength in hips to deal with the load. So carrying something on your back causes massive torso muscle cocontraction, so if core weakness is an issue this is most likely the position to cause injury.

The farmer's carry (carrying a heavy weight in each hand at one's side)and other carrying events placed unique stresses on the core and hip musculature, and in ways different than any lifting event which leads Dr. McGill to conclude that carrying weights would enhance any strength program.

*note* Strength coach Dan John, among others, have for years advocated carrying weights for distance or time as a part of any program.

Guess what my clients will continue to do?!

The second study was a joint project between The University of Memphis, Washington University School of Medicine, and Sports Biomechanics Lab at the University of Alberta.

This study (Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research 23(4)1211-1216) looked at the effects of unstable surface training (standing on bosu balls, airex pads, half rollers etc...) on measures of balance in older healthy adults.

Quoting the results:

Five weeks of unstable surface training does not seem to increase balance capabilities in older persons with normal balance. Thus far, the widespread use of such programs seems questionable in those who do not have balance difficulty.

Go to just about any gym and you'll see trainers putting just about everybody on some sort of rubber ball or pad and having them squat, press, or just stand there.

So folks, unless you are rehabbing some sort of lower body injury or neurologicial impairment getting on one of these pieces of equipment is a total waste of time and energy, not to mention money. The reason lifting something while standing on a bosu ball feels harder is because the unstable surface makes it harder to fully stabilize your torso, thus making you able to apply less force.

When your muscles can't apply as much force you will be weaker, thus allowing you to lift less weight. This means that if your goal is to look better, get stronger, lose weight, or gain muscle you are doing yourself, or your clients, a disservice and won't get the results you are after.

So get off the damn rubber balls, pick up something heavy and carry it around. Lift it over your head and squat with it, then walk around some more with it and leave the circus tricks to the clowns.

No more of this

Do this

Intent

2009-07-16T11:45:00.000-07:00

Cate Imes, the first American to achieve the Master of Sport rank in kettlebell sport lifting just wrote an excellent piece on intent and why it matters on the AKC blog.

Whether you are brand new to training or can't remember when you started this article is a great reminder of the importance of being conscious of everything happening when lifting. Hopefully we've all experienced what a difference specific cues make in helping us miraculously become instantly "stronger".

Of course it's not that we suddenly became stronger but that we became more aware of proper technique, and specifically what actions our body should perform to efficiently execute the lift. One reason I say leave your ego at the door and use whatever weight is necessary to develop great technique. Once you do you'll quickly leave those that are too proud to learn the fundamentals in the dust.

Why is intent important? First, if you don’t know what you intend to do, then you’ll be going through the motions without any awareness of the necessary mechanics in terms of the appropriate application of energy. You won’t develop a feeling on when you should be powerful or quick , when you should employ tension or relaxation.

If your intent in the beginning is to be smooth and relaxed, then you may not really ever get a feeling for the mechanical requirements for a good lift. Elites look smooth and relaxed, but I don’t believe that they are thinking I want to be smooth and relaxed while they lift. I believe they look this way because they are so good at the movements that they waste no energy performing them. They are quicker than most of us realize. They have laser precision with all the movements.

I encourage you to read Cate's entire post. Though she goes into more detail about how this works in the context of kettlebell lifting the underlying principles apply to just about anything.

Omega 3s, Fat Loss, and Your Heart

2009-07-10T16:26:00.000-07:00

I'm sure most of you have seen all sorts of items in the grocery store that advertise added Omega-3s. While that's well and good, getting your doses of healthy fats through food that naturally contains omega-3s will probably do much more good for a couple of reasons.

1. Eating more fish and leafy vegetables (a good source of Omega-3) will undoubtedly be good for you, and most of us eat far to little of both. You'll also get quality protein and a host of other nutrients essential to your health.

2. Eating more fish and vegetables will mean you'll be eating less starchy carbs and sugars, providing you keep your total caloric intake in check.

Rather than buying bread or anything else marketing added omegas just get some fish, veggies, and also a quality fish oil tablet.

As to the benefits of Omega-3s there are many. For those training to improve body composition/fat loss there have been studies done suggesting that a higher intake of omega-3s aid in fat loss. This is because it protects against insulin resistance (a common problem among the overweight population), and works like this.

Omega-3s increase the permeability of a cell's membrane, which allowing it to absorb more glucose (sugar that provides energy). If someone is insulin resistant than the sugars one consumes is more likely to not be absorbed but stored as fat. Omega-3 then functions to help raise your metabolism, which has obvious effects regarding fat loss.

Other benefits include preventing heart disease and cardiovascular disease. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (2006;83) contains a study showing that Japanese who consume 30% more omega-3s than Americans have 4 times less the rate of death from heart disease.

The New England Journal of Medicine (1997;336) ran a study that showed increasing omega-3s reduce chances of heart attack by a third.

I don't know about you but I'm about ready for some sushi!

Get Some Meat

2009-07-06T14:12:00.000-07:00

Eric Cressey has a great article on T-Nation today concerning working the most important movement patterns for most people - namely those that work your back, hamstrings, and glutes.

We all know most guys tend to do some curls, bench, and hit the showers and completely neglect movements that will REALLY give them some results, both strength-wise and with the ladies. And strangely all the women I've trained never complain about having a nicer butt.

It seems everyone gets big benefits by working the other mirror muscles. The posterior chain muscles are also responsible for keeping your back healthy and posture good despite most of us spending alot of time at desks and on a computer. Funny how that works.

to quote:

Eric Cressey sees it all the time.

"A lot of lifters show up at my gym for the first time with virtually no meat on their hamstrings, glutes, and upper back," he told me on the phone last week. "And those muscles have the biggest potential for overall strength and growth! What's more, these lifters are as weak as they look."

I take a quick mental image of what my hamstrings and back look like. "Yeah, my hamstrings are my major weak point," I admit.

"I just kind of expect it when someone walks into my facility," continued Eric. "I see around 70 athletes per day, many of them at the elite level. And because of their weaknesses, even the ones who think they're strong aren't gaining nearly as much muscle as they could.

"And if you hammer the muscles of the upper, middle and lower back, as well as the glutes and hamstrings, you'll not only see muscle growth there, you'll see it virtually everywhere in your body," Cressey says. "But first, these muscles need to be primed for growth by activating high-threshold motor units as often as possible and with the right volume."

Recruiting high-threshold motor units — the muscle fibers that have huge potential for building strength and size — is of course a matter of lifting heavy weights (at or above 80 percent of your 1RM).

So if you aren't doing so right now start doing more chinups, rows, KB swings, deadlifts, and single leg exercises. You will feel and see the results. It's that simple.

Done Backed Off

2009-07-02T22:43:00.000-07:00

After taking my own advice from the previous entry I took 10 days completely away from the gym, and spent it all with family enjoying great food and lots of time outdoors in Wisconsin.

I hope everyone has a great 4th, and get out and enjoy the warm weather. Long summer days are perfect for getting outside and doing some training in the fresh air. Grab some of your favorite tools, find an open space and get to work. Lately I've been enjoying the simplicity of climbing ropes, sandbags, and bodyweight gymnastic-type exercises on rings and ground-based.

You'd be hard pressed to find anyone stronger in relation to bodyweight than gymnasts. And the funny thing is alot of gymnastic movements tend to work the important stuff such as anterior and posterior core, and pulling movements - all of which do much to keep us healthy, as opposed to bodybuilding style training which often does the opposite, in my opinion.

Here is a short video taken a while back of me climbing a rope on Santa Monica beach. Do a bunch of these and you'll know you've done some work.

Simple, but not easy.

Back Off, Make Progress

2009-06-18T18:33:00.001-07:00

Yesterday T-Nation ran an article I contributed to called Get Bigger By Doing Less.

My part was to write a sample week-long program as an example of what to do on a back off (deload) week.

Over the past few years I've really come to appreciate the importance of periodically decreasing volume in order to give our bodies and nervous systems a break so that we can keep making progress and keep from getting injured. Of course that means you have to be training hard in the first place, but that's another discussion.

Most all my programs have some sort of deload built into them, depending on the training status of the person. If it's a 25 year old guy that new to training then he'll be able to go longer without backing off, but for a 50 year old person that has joint issues they'll obviously need to be careful with training volume and intensity.

In other words a person cannot keep doing the same thing and expect to remain healthy, nevermind make progress.

On to the article. Bryan Krahn drops some good knowledge.

1) Going hard all the time never, ever, works

If you try to go hard every single workout, week after week and month after month, you'll end up with a mix of serious and half-assed workouts, and if you don't get hurt, you'll probably burn out completely at some point.

By the end of any given training year, you'll discover you would've been better off taking planned breaks, rather than letting your body and brain decide when you're ready to push toward a peak and when you're not.

2) Your muscles and joints need a break

Not every part of your body recovers at the same pace. You can restore energy substrates in your muscles faster than you can remodel tissue that's been damaged from serious training. Muscles repair themselves faster than connective tissues. And connective tissues might be ready for a serious workout before your central nervous system has fully recovered.

3) Sometimes you get stronger by not training

With full recovery comes supercompensation. With supercompensation come greater gains in size and strength and higher levels of fitness and conditioning. This is why swimmers and runners taper before major competitions in which they hope to break records, and why a lot of serious lifters will describe how they hit PRs right after a deloading phase.

A review published in the NSCA's Strength and Conditioning Journal compiled this amazing list of benefits that research has attributed to tapering:

• Up to 20% increases in strength and power
• Increases in muscle cross-sectional area of 10 to 25%
• Lower levels of stress hormones
• Higher levels of Testosterone
• Better moods during the day, and better sleep at night

4) Training is a marathon, not a sprint

Finally, unloading is just plain healthy, no matter what your age. Along with pampering the musculoskeletal and nervous systems, a phase of relatively easy training is also good for the immune system. Train too hard for too long, and you'll not only feel tired and unmotivated, but you'll also increase your risk of catching a cold or flu.

But if nothing else just watch the technique of that guy doing kettlebell clean and jerks... ;)

Finally EVERYONE should watch this video of Dr. Stuart McGill demonstrating effective core training movements for a healthy back and strong core.

Couple's Fitness Competition 2 Highlight Video

2009-06-16T14:23:00.000-07:00

After many hours of editing I've finished up the long version of the CFC2 highlight video. It was a blast hanging with everyone - the atmosphere is incredibly motivating. A real testament to the quality of people our event attracts.

But next time I WILL compete. Finally.

Train like an athlete

2009-06-15T15:01:00.000-07:00

First off, Saturday's Couple's Fitness Competition was a raging success, if I do say so. I'm editing video now and expect to have it up in a day or so.

A local reporter recently went to meet up with my friend Robert Does Remedios. Does is the head strength and conditioning coach at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita. The first article is a story regarding Dos's philosophy in training his athletes, while the second concerns the reporter himself being put through a workout.

I've learned a ton from Dos over the years, and if you've trained with me you might recognize some of the exercises in those articles. That's because I believe in order to lose fat, get stronger, and be healthy in the long term health we can learn alot by looking at how athletes train.

Train like a bodybuilder and your joints will get hammered. Train like an athlete and you'll move better and look better, not to mention out lift all the guys curling in the squat rack. And if you don't believe me I train women that can deadlift more than most guys I see hitting 5 bicep curl variations.

Here is Dos making a room full of trainers do WORK this past weekend in Chicago.

Couple's Fitness Competition in 3 days

2009-06-09T22:04:00.000-07:00

Just a reminder that the second Couple's Fitness Competition is happening this Saturday, June 13, from 9-11am on Santa Monica Beach next to the pier.

check out the site for more info and to register.

The new events this time are:

1. Max pullups and/or inverted rows in 60 seconds.
2. Kettlebell jerks. Guys use 2 bells, girls one. Max reps in 3 minutes. Your set ends when you put the bells down. Women will use 1 bell, and will switch hands only once.
3. med ball toss for distance
4. Leg matrix (12 jumping lunge, 12 jumping squats, 24 lunges, 24 squats) for time
5. Spiderman plank hold for max time
6. obstacle course (details super secret)

For those that haven't done timed sets of kettlebells this will be an education in technique, efficiency, and work capacity. I HIGHLY encourage you to check out the following video of some of the best kb lifter's being coached by the true elite of kettlebell sport lifting.

And this is how a one arm jerk should look. Note the leg dip as the bell goes up. She is NOT pressing it, but using her entire body thus saving energy which allows for more reps.

Heal The Shoulders

2009-06-04T11:20:00.000-07:00

I'd estimate that 90% of my clients have some sort of shoulder tightness, if not impingement or other similar issue. The same goes for every other trainer I know, so needless to say it's an important topic to address.

Since today I'll be doing a staff training on shoulder dysfunction and fixes I'll throw the notes up here so everyone can take a look. It might be a more technical than you really need to know, but pay attention to the fixes.

Basically everybody needs to be doing foam rolling for thoracic spine mobility, shoulder mobility work, and scapular stability and strength work.

Roots of common shoulder issues with clients

When shoulder issues are present look at posture and thoracic mobility and the scapula. Scapular function is most often the key to preventing shoulder impingement. Kyphotic (rounded) posture prevents proper scapula posterior tilt as the arms are lifted, which narrows space in the AC joint (subacromial space) eventually resulting in rotator cuff issues and impingement. The scapula may become stuck in anterior tilt with someone that has kyphosis, which will shorten the pec minor and weaken the upward rotators.

Poor scapula function and limited T-spine mobility results in weak upward rotators (lower traps, serratus anterior, upper traps) and scapular retractors (rhomboids, middle traps).

Fixes: Improve thoracic mobility through foam rolling and wall slides
Stretch the anterior: Subscap wall stretch, pec major/minor stretch, anterior deltoid stretch.

Activation and strengthening movements
1. Scapular Retraction: Neutral grip face pulls, row variations, band pull aparts, prone trap raises, rev flys.

2. Scapular Depression: wall slides, band pulldowns, chinups, prone trap raises

3. Upward rotators: Overhead shrugs. Dumbbell scaption with a shrug. Normal shrugs will stress the levator scapulae and rhomboids, both downward rotators, which will worsen the problem.

4. Humeral External Rotation: External rotation variations, prone trap raises (Y,Ts), band pull aparts.

3. Pushup variations (narrow hand placement with shoulders tucked) produce a significant increase in recruitment of shoulder stabilizers such as the supraspinatus, infraspinatus, and posterior deltoid. Scapular pushups, one hand on med ball, ring/TRX pushups etc…

Exercises to limit or not do: shrugs and upright rows, barbell bench press, military press or any press with shoulders at 90 degrees.

People with shoulder issues may need a 2:1 pulling to pushing exercise ratio. Or possible no benching or overhead pressing at all.

My friend Steve Cotter demonstrates some good shoulder mobility movements in the video below. Alot of his movements are derived from Chinese martial arts, and are quite effective.

P for Passion. And Pain.

2009-05-28T14:38:00.000-07:00

I recently picked up the new book by coach Dan John, Never Let Go, and so far it's very educational as well as a fun read. Dan has been training since the late 60's, and is the current National Champion in his class for discus.

In the book there is a section regarding top ten tips for fitness/long term health. Dan is a no bullshit kinda guy, and he's trained a ton of top athletes as well as kids (his day job).

Anyway, one of the tips is to have some passion. But perhaps not in the sense you are thinking, and certainly not in the way corny motivational speakers blather on about.

He's talking about the Latin root of the word, which means to suffer. To get anywhere meaningful in your training it's necessary to do things you hate, and that are really hard.

Think about it. Nobody gets overweight by doing things that are hard, or that they don't like, or eating things they don't like. If your goal is to drop 20lbs or do a double bodyweight deadlift it's going to take considerable work, and yes even some suffering (mild suffering, admittedly). Training isn't THAT hard. Your going to have to develop good nutritional habits and create a sustainable lifestyle congruent with your health goals.

If you aren't willing to suffer a bit then you might as well join the people watching TV while "working out" on the treadmill. As Dan says don't mistake sweating for hard work. You sweat in a sauna too and it doesn't mean nothin'. Hard work is lifting something until you can't do for another rep, or until you HAVE to stop.

But be careful because training like that can be addictive, and soon you might turn into one of those people that doesn't mind showing off your hard work.

By the way one of the best workshops I've ever attended was by Dan John on the subject of hip mobility/squatting/Olympic lifts.

Watch the entire workshop on video here.

Possibilities

2009-05-20T15:50:00.000-07:00

As humans we often get wrapped up in our little worlds, myself included, and sometimes forget to open our eyes and take a look around. In regards to fitness this is especially true if, like me, you spend alot of time in a commercial gym, which often has less to do with applicable training - but that's another rant for another time.

One of those times I was searching around for information on agility I came across Mr. Ido Portal, and was immediately impressed by his physical capabilities. But Ido is also an accomplished trainer with a host of knowledge in training for strength, flexibility, gymnastics, and Capoeira among other disciplines.

I suggest checking out his blog for a different perspective on fitness.

Nutritionism

2009-05-18T22:51:00.000-07:00

I've been reading Michael Pollan's excellent The Omnivore's Dilemma and getting schooled on food.

Pollan's gig is very common sense: Don't eat foods your great-Grandmother wouldn't recognize, only eat foods from the perimeter of the supermarket, or better yet shop at a farmer's market/co-op, and slow down and enjoy your food.

Sales for fat-loss products & services in the U.S. is something around $60 BILLION a year. But the irony is that the reason people have to fork out for those products is because they have too much of the wrong stuff on their forks every day.

It really is simple. Ignore the latest headlines regarding miracle foods etc... because that is why half the U.S. population is obese, and just eat some real vegetables, fruits, meat, and grains.

As in training follow the K.I.S.S principle(keep it simple, stupid). Eat real food and do basic, hard exercises.

Getting down off my soapbox now, I highly encourage you to watch this video of Pollan talking at the Google Campus (yo Henry!) last year.

Cougar Strength Clinic

2009-05-15T17:15:00.001-07:00

It's been a very busy couple of weeks, but also productive.

First off the next Couple's Fitness Competition is happening Saturday, June 13th. We've got 6 more events lined up for you, so come on down to Santa Monica Beach and have some fun - but please sign up by May 30th. Details here.

Tomorrow I'm going up to the Cougar Strength Seminar hosted by my friend Robert Dos Remedios, the Strength and Conditioning coach at College of the Canyons. He, Alwyn Cosgrove, Valerie Waters, and others will be speaking on a variety of topics. I'll be the one furiously scribbling notes during and buying beers afterward.

Dos does great work with his athletes. Check the video - this is what a real gym should look like. Nobody sitting down on machines that make it easy, just lots of hard work, sweat, and progress. End of rant.

Lastly, Eric Cressey's More Lower Back Savers article is up. I highly recommend it for anyone that has, does, or might have back pain. And since that's pretty much everyone I know you'll digest his advice.

Save Your Low Back

2009-05-05T13:59:00.000-07:00

Back on the research tip here. Eric Cressey just did a fantastic article on low back health. In it he draws heavily on the research of Dr. Stuart McGill, someone who's advice I've used with dozens of clients.

If are a trainer or are someone interested in back health do yourself a favor and pick up one of Dr. McGill's books - follow the link above.

Back to the article there are a couple key points I'll quote.

Broadly speaking, you can classify the majority of back pain sufferers into extension-based or flexion-based back pain.

Extension-based back pain typically is worse with standing than with sitting. These folks will present with everything from spondylolysis (fractures), to spondylolisthesis (vertebral slippage), to diffuse lumbar erector "tightness." Typically, those who suffer from extension-based back pain will have short hip flexors, poor glute function, and a lack of anterior core stability.

Effectively, the hip flexor shortness and insufficient glute contribution leads athletes to substitute lumbar extension for hip extension in movements such as deadlifting, jumping, throwing, or any other task that requires hip extension. The end result is typically some very prominent anterior pelvic tilt, as seen in the photo at right.

Conversely, flexion-intolerant individuals have more pain in sitting, as they tend to have flatter backs and therefore increased stress on the posterior ligaments of the spine. This is your classic symptomatic disc pain patient — with or without radicular pain into the legs.

Flexion intolerance is very common in office workers and cyclists, and you'll typically see folks with poor psoas function. The psoas is the only hip flexor active above 90 degrees of hip flexion, and typically, these folks will substitute lumbar flexion for hip flexion in these positions.

Unfortunately, it's been my experience that correcting flexion-based back pain can be a long battle for the exact same reason it develops: it is difficult to get a person to stop sitting so much in today's world.

Most of my clients fall into the flexion-intolerant category because they are sitting so much, while those that have problems due to sports or yoga (I see more people messed up from yoga than you'd think) are extension-intolerant.

The next part addresses something I see all the time. When someone tends to use their low back to move, instead of their hips, chances are about 100% that they have back pain or will. You've got to learn how to use your hip muscles (including glutes) and not the low back. Period.

The premise is pretty simple: you want to move predominantly at your hips and thoracic spine, and while a small amount of movement at the lumbar segments is normal, you don't want to encourage extra motion there.

As I noted above, there are specific situations that call for individualized mobilization protocols at the lumbar spine, but in terms of what you can accomplish with your own training, the general principles of "mobilize thoracic spine and hips, stabilize lumbar spine" apply.

Here's where it gets interesting. The American Medical Association (AMA) still uses lumbar spine range of motion as the qualifying criterion for allowing lower back pain patients to return to work. In other words, you needed to attain a certain amount of gross lumbar spine rotational range-of-motion to be considered "safe" to return to work.

Surprisingly, as Parks, Crichton, Goldford, and McGill observed in the discussion of their 2003 study (5), there isn't a single study out there that shows the lumbar spine range of motion is correlated with having a healthy back; in fact, the opposite is true!

Those with high lumbar spine ROM and power are more likely to be injured, whereas those with better lumbar spine stabilizing endurance are the healthy ones. And, interestingly, there really isn't any way of knowing what an individual's original "normal" spine ROM was, so they have to assume that someone had "average" spine ROM.

Yes, that study from the world's premier spine researchers was published just over six years ago (meaning that the data was probably collected at least seven years ago). Meanwhile, the AMA hasn't caught on, and chances are many doctors haven't, either, as this has been the "standard" for decades (28 years, actually, to my knowledge).

Do your back a favor and read the article.

Couples Fitness Competition

2009-05-04T20:32:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all that came out this past Saturday for the first Couples Fitness Competition. It's safe to say everyone had a blast and probably outperformed anyone's expectations. And there were some classic comedic moments.

Equinox's Operation Manager Brad S. doing a big 'ol faceplant during the sprint relay takes 1st place in the comedy category.

Brittany Ferguson stepping up and using the same weight as the guys and hitting 90 reps in the kettlebell clean & jerk takes the ass kicking award.

Check out the video highlights

To see a picture slideshow done by the lovely Anita follow this link

Stay tuned for details on the next competition!

Three Days To Couples Fitness Competition

2009-04-29T14:50:00.000-07:00

A short announcement as things have really been busy at the gym this week. The Couples Fitness Competition is only three days away.

We've got quite a few couples signed up and ready to go. The comp starts at 9am at the rings/ropes area (old Muscle Beach) next to Santa Monica Pier.

Get ready for some fun and serious work. I'm most curious to know who's going to be able to finish the obstacle course intact... heh heh.

Things You Should Know How To Do

2009-04-22T21:12:00.000-07:00

Chances are if you have trained with me you've heard me rant and rave about how great chin-ups and pull-ups are. Simply put I think they are essential for looking good and having healthy shoulders and back.

If you've ever had shoulder or back problems you know how much that sucks, so why not engage in some preventative care.

So without further ado check out this article by Nate Green: Things You Should Know How To Do.

In the article I lay out a sample program for getting someone from 5 pull-ups to 10.

WEEK 1

Workout 1: Band-assisted pull-up with a medium band, 3 x 8.

Workout 2: Dumbbell row, 3 x 8-10. Don't work to failure — leave 2 reps in the tank on each set.

WEEK 2

Workout 1: Band-assisted pull-up with a medium band, 3 x 9.

Workout 2: Dumbbell row, 3 x 8. You should be close to failure on the final rep of your final set.

WEEK 3

Workout 1: Band-assisted pull-up with a medium band, 4 x 8.

Workout 2: Dumbbell row, 3 x 10, using the same weight you used for Week 2.

WEEK 4

Workout 1 (test day): Body-weight pull-up, 1 x max reps.

Workout 2: Dumbbell row, 2 x 15.

WEEK 5

Workout 1: Body-weight pull-up, 3 x 4 with slow negatives on reps 2 and 3.

Workout 2: Inverted row, 2 x 8. (If you don't know how to do this one, check out this article.

WEEK 6

Workout 1: Body-weight pull-up, 4 x 3 with slow negatives on reps 2 and 3.

Workout 2: Inverted row, 3 x 8.

WEEK 7

Workout 1: Body-weight pull-up, 4 x 4 with slow negatives on reps 2 and 3.

Workout 2: Inverted row, 3 x 10.

WEEK 8

Workout 1 (test day): Body-weight pull-up, 1 x max reps.

Get to work!

Reading List

2009-04-21T16:35:00.000-07:00

A short post today in hopes that you'll click the links and read the articles.

The first is a recent article on problems one may run into regarding fitness advice coming from a medical doctor: What Your Doc Doesn't Know About Lifting.

In particular the common advice thrown out by doc that you shouldn't lift heavy weight, just do cardio etc... which anyone that reads this blog knows is pure crap. As the author points out most Docs have little to no real experience with weightlifting, nor are likely to further their education in this arena other than the little gotten during med school.

The other article to read concerns Crossfit, a fairly popular business model that alot of people talk about. This is a pretty even-handed article that succeeds in pointing out the pitfalls of the Crossfit philosophy.

Namely poor programming that will and does injure people, and likely won't produce good fat loss nor strength gains for most people.

Couples Fitness Competition

2009-04-15T21:52:00.000-07:00

The official announcement is here.

My colleague at Equinox, Luke Sniewski & I are organizing a fun fitness competition for couples taking place on Santa Monica Beach at the old Muscle Beach site on Saturday May 2nd.

Get info and register here: Couplesfitnesscompetition.com

The cost is $35 per couple, and 20% of proceeds go to charity (listed on the site).

Time is 9am-11am, so plenty of time to have some fun and get on with your day.

There will be 6 events, ranging from strength to power to endurance events that will test your overall fitness.

There will be plenty of prizes (each worth upwards of $100), so come down and join us for some fun sweating on the beach.

Liftstrong Cancer Benefit

2009-04-08T19:19:00.000-07:00

A couple of years ago my friend Alwyn Cosgrove underwent his second bout of Leukemia (stage 4)and kicked it's ass again. Hu subsequently decided to give something back to those that saved his life so put together this CD-ROM of articles on training from some of the best minds in the business. Whether you want a bigger bench, better butt, or need info on rehabbing an injury this is a good deal at $24.99.

All Proceeds go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

Order it online here

This CD contains articles from the leading fitness specialists of our day including:

Adam Campbell; Alan Aragon; Bill Hartman; Bob Youngs; Brian Grasso; Chad Waterbury; Charles Staley; Chris Mohr; Chris Shugart; Craig Ballantyne; Dan John; Dave Tate; Dax Moy; The Doorman; Eric Cressey; Gray Cook; Brett Jones; Harry Selkow; Jack Reape; James Smith; Jason C Brown; Jim "Smitty" Smith; Jason Ferruggia; Jimmy Smith; Joe DeFranco; Joe Dowdell; Joe Stankowski; John Alvino; John Berardi; Julia Ladewski; Keith Scott; Lee Taft; Lori Incledon; Lou Schuler; Lyle McDonald; Mark Philippi; Michael Stare; Mike Boyle; Mike Mahler; Mike Mejia; Mike Robertson; Mike Rousell; Nick Grantham; Pat Beith; Pavel Tsatsouline; Robert Dos Remedios; Ryan Lee; Steve Shafley; Susan Hill; TC Luoma; Todd Hamer; Tony Gentilcore; Tony Reynolds and Zach Even-Esh

Friendly Advice

2009-04-05T10:40:00.000-07:00

The folks at Gym Jones offer some friendly advice. Though blunt it is true.

And it really says something coming from them, seeing how hard they work their athletes. It's doubtful I'd have anyone do the exact training they prescribe. Nevertheless it's always fun to see what they are doing.

One example:

Work up to heavy Jerk
Then:
“Jonestown Sprint”:
Push Press @ 75# +
Burpee/Pull-up
20-10 reps of each
Then:
Cool Down

That means 20 push presses with 75lbs, then 20 pullup/burpee combos, then 19 of each etc... down to 10 reps. Puketastic

hard core

2009-03-31T14:15:00.000-07:00

For the past few years working your "core" has been all the rage in the fitness industry, but few trainers nor the general population has any idea of what true core strength is or how to get it. *hint: Crunches will do nothing for you*

Building core strength and stability is often best addressed through static holds such as plank variations, woodchops, and other movements where one must contract not only the rectus abdominus (six pack muscles), but more importantly the external and internal obliques, and transverse abdominus - which are more important muscle concerning back health.

One sample progression is to move from static planks to dynamic planks. Then do them on a stability ball, then work up to hanging knee raises, then straight leg raises (hang from a pull-up bar and raise your legs into an L position), then hold the L position for time. Finally, try to do pull-ups while holding your legs straight out in the L position.

Then one day when you can do the following rope climb variation you'll know you've got not only some serious core strength, but a strong grip, back, and likely healthy shoulders.

Fill It To The Brim. Or Not.

2009-03-24T14:12:00.000-07:00

My friend Leigh Peele made this short video concerning common mistakes concerning counting calories and measuring your food.

And if you are someone that is trying to lose weight I can't overestimate the importance of knowing (not guessing) how much you are eating every day. Nobody wants to try and lose weight forever so you might as well go after it and get the results you want. After that it's all gravy (so to speak).

It's true you can't out train bad nutrition

Pump You Up

2009-03-23T11:28:00.000-07:00

Continuing on with some research review today I'll look at two related studies. Both are from the Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research.

The first is a study of physiological and neuromuscular responses during a "body pump" class (for you John! ;).

The second is a study on the physiological and metabolic response to a "functional" training circuit.

The two studies look at similar issues. Namely how the body responds to continuous circuit-style exercise.

*disclaimer* I am reporting results of two independent studies to which I have no connection. The comparison of the studies, due to many factors inherent in such research, are not necessarily proof of anything, but may just give us clues into improving our training.

First, the fundamental difference in the two studies are that in the body pump class the primary tools are very light barbells and dumbbells (approx 10% of 1 rep max, or 10 lbs). The second study uses Freemotion cable machines, which employs higher resistance levels and less volume (reps). The first study used 15 untrained women, the second used 10 men and 10 women (19-27 yrs).

The Body Pump class is a group fitness "aerobic" class in which participants do hundreds of repetitions of light weights, the idea being to improve aerobic capacity and metabolic rate. In other words to improve one's fitness level and body composition (primarily fat loss).

The study concluded that for the 15 untrained women body pump "generated a fatigue condition that is sufficient for the strength improvement of inferior limbs in untrained subjects." However (and this is the biggie) "the metabolic and cardiovascular stimulus seem not to be efficient to improve aerobic capacity."

In other words the untrained women showed some strength improvement in smaller muscles due probably purely to the deconditioned state they were in. Their cardio fitness however showed no significant improvement, which one could stipulate means that such classes are not the most efficient means by which to improve one's fitness nor create a rise in metabolic rate (a big factor in fat loss).

Regarding the second study the workout "did not result in oxygen uptake values that meet the ACSM recommendations for improving cardiovascular fitness". However the relatively high intensity of the cable circuit workout resulted in elevated blood lactate and fairly significant caloric expenditure.

These studies are by no means exhaustive, but are similar in result to other research I've read, and personal experience with client's results. The bottom line is that body pump-type classes are not very effective for fat loss nor improving conditioning. Yes it's certainly better than nothing and you'll be tired afterward, but a key mistake many people make is mistaking being fatigued for getting results.

The "functional circuit" type of workout appears to be a better option, though not optimal, concerning overall fitness. And if done with good form does provide a means by which to learn how to fire the right muscles at the right time, and reinforce good movement patterns.

I Got Your Back

2009-03-17T15:49:00.000-07:00

I'm just catching up on research here, and when I see a new study that the world's foremost researcher on back issues Stuart McGill is involved in I pay attention.

In the latest issue of The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research (23(2)/350-358) said study compares three different rowing exercises and stresses upon different areas of the back. Specifically they looked to quantify muscle activation of the spine and hip extensors, spinal loading, and muscle stiffness.

The three movements are an inverted row, a single arm cable row, and the standing bent-over barbell row.

Previous studies have shown that muscle stiffness (in other words how stable the spine is) is a good way to determine back health and/or injury risk.

Results.

Not surprisingly the bent-over row had significantly higher spinal compressive forces than the other two movements - something everyone should consider in exercise choice, especially if there is a history of back troubles. However due to the spinal loading and demands on the core musculature the authors recommended this lift for athletic training for the purposes of preparing athletes for the compressive forces generated in many sports.

The inverted row had the least amount of compression but the highest amount of activation of the thoracic and upper back (where most people are weak).

Applying these results to the general population one can say that for most people a reasonable progression would be from one arm rows to inverted rows, and finally if core and spinal stability levels are sufficient and nedd is present, then to bent-over rows.

Monster Dangerball

2009-03-12T22:54:00.000-07:00

Valery Fedorenko, head coach of the American Kettlebell Club did a little demonstration at last week's Ahhhnold Fitness Expo in which he jerked a 132lb kettlebell for reps. 53 consecutive reps in fact.

Now, looking at Valery you wouldn't think he could lift 130lbs over his head even once, nevermind 53 times. He's not jack dieseled.

The key is an extremely high technical level, along with power/strength endurance developed through lots and lots of hours of training. Oh, and being strong doesn't hurt either.

Naturally if you come to my workshop this weekend you'll learn all the secrets to develop this beast-like power! And buy before midnight and you'll get a double special bonus!

Well, no. You won't be able to do that, nor is there any bonus other than enjoying lying in your own puddle of sweat.

So without further ado.

Happy Feet - Happy Body

2009-03-09T13:06:00.000-07:00

It's catch up time due to a snowboarding trip to Colorado and otherwise being very busy in the gym.

First order of business is that this Saturday, March 14th I will be leading a kettlebell (aka dangerballs) and sandbag training workshop from 1-2pm at Equinox Santa Monica. Show up and we'll have some fun. And by fun I mean hard work.

Next up it's time to discuss footwear and health. Anyone that trains with me knows I'm big on training in flat shoes. There are a few reasons for this.

1. Flat shoes allow you to sit back more on your heels when doing any squat of deadlift pattern which will make your posterior chain (glutes and hamstrings) do more work, and it takes some stress off of the knees. You will also be able to lift more weight, thus get results faster.

2. Flat shoes with less support such as Nike Frees will also force your ankle and foot muscles to work harder, thus make them stronger and less susceptible to injury.

If that doesn't convince you then check out this article on T-Nation. ( I disagree with the author that Sanuk sandles are good for training though).

Personally, I train barefoot at home. Many other top trainers such as Eric Cressey and Bill Hartman, who train alot of pro athletes, have their clients train mostly barefoot in their facilities. Of course most commercial gyms don't allow this so the next best thing are Nike Frees (the Nike Free Dynamic Trainer available on Zappos.com are my favorite) or Vibram Five Fingers.

I just picked up a pair of the Five Fingers and so far love them.

Both Frees and Five Fingers go for around $70-$80, and last along time. Your feet will thank you.

Mythbusters

2009-02-24T21:04:00.000-08:00

The article I mentioned last week is now up on T-Nation: Mythbusters

Let me say that I'm honored to be quoted in the same piece as guys such as Dave Tate and Eric Cressey, as I've been reading their material for years. And I particularly liked Eric Cressey's contribution regarding "functional" training with bosu/stability balls:

Myth: Unstable-surface training works for everybody.
Mythbuster: Eric Cressey

While UST works for people in the rehab setting, a lot of trainers assume they can apply the same techniques to healthy athletes and prevent ankle sprains, improve balance, and enhance performance.

This makes perfect sense. We talk about "prehab" all the time when it comes to back and shoulder joints, so why wouldn't preemptive ankle training help you avoid sprains?

But then I dug into the research for my master's thesis, and what I found there surprised me: There's no evidence that UST reduces injury risk or improves performance in healthy, trained athletes.

When I conducted a study of my own, I had the good fortune to use one of the country's best Division I men's soccer teams as my subjects. Our results were published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research in August 2007.

My study showed that replacing 2 to 3 percent of overall training volume with UST didn't improve performance. But I also discovered something even more important: UST minimized improvements in jumping, sprinting, and agility tests. Put another way, the subjects who weren't doing UST made bigger gains in power, speed, and agility.

So just because something works in rehab doesn't mean it's useful for healthy athletes. In fact, if it takes the place of something else in their training, the opportunity cost seems to make things worse.

Once the study was finished, I invested a lot of time creating a framework for this type of training. One goal was to show the appropriate uses for UST, and there are some. But I also wanted to show an overall progression model for true instability training in healthy athletes.

A lot of people choose the binary route — either "it sucks" or "it's awesome" — but by the time I finished the 100-plus-page report (which you can purchase here), the answer turned out to be a lot more interesting and complex than those two extremes.

The next in the Mythbuster series might have something from me regarding kettlebell (aka dangerballs aka kookballs) training, but I'll give a sneak preview in a subsequent post.

Front or Back?

2009-02-13T13:53:00.000-08:00

Nate Green over at T-Nation recently asked me to contribute to an article series regarding commonly believed notions about fitness. One of the topics I addressed is that I believe front squats are more beneficial than back squats for most people. Unless you are training for powerlifting, front squats are a better choice in terms of lower body recruitment and back health.

I readily admit that I didn't come up with this one my own, but through talking with reading material by people such as Robert Dos Remedios and Mike Boyle, among others.

Much of what we read on the intertubes and in weightlifting books say that we (mostly directed at guys) need to be back squatting in order to get strong. I beg to differ and rarely, if ever, have clients do back squats anymore. One exception is in the form of complexes, and also just to teach proper form.

The latest NSCA Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research has a study done at the University of Florida (J Strength Cond Res 23(1): 284-292) that found in healthy individuals "The front squat was as effective as the back squat in terms of overall muscle recruitment, with significantly less compressive forces and extensor moments."

The study found back squats had "significantly higher" spinal compressive forces and greater torque on the knees, which is precisely what one should avoid in order to stay healthy. Therefore in terms of long-term joint health front squats are preferable.

Further, for most people, especially those that sit alot at work, hip mobility is a concern, and I've had good results having people improve mobility through front squatting. By racking the bar in front you are forced to keep a more upright position which puts less of the load on your back, more on your hips and legs. It also means to reach parallel a greater range of motion of the hips is necessary. This means your glutes, hams, and quads are working harder. Though it is harder initially, and it may take awhile to increase the ROM, I've seen people's lower body development and strength make great improvements over a relatively short amount of time.

Your legs are forced to do more of the work, hip mobility is stressed to a greater degree, and there is less lumbar and knee stress. That's a win-win-win in my book.

Don't Empty Your Cup

2009-02-09T08:08:00.000-08:00

If you know me then you might be tired of hearing about how good drinking tea is for you. And if you've trained with me then you've likely done the tea cup exercise for shoulder health.

I picked this one up more than ten years ago when I was in a Tai Chi club, and was recently reminded by my friend Steve Cotter how good it is for shoulder mobility.

Here is a a video reminder

So if you see me hauling tea sets into the gym you'll know what's coming.

Parallels

2009-02-03T15:09:00.000-08:00

I love the proverb that what's old becomes new again. In the fitness world we are currently witnessing a revival of kettlebells, climbing ropes, Indian clubbells and other tools used for hundreds of years. It makes me wonder what the Greeks, Phoenicians, and Persians were doing that we have yet to rediscover.

The following video illustrates the parallels between dance across the world and time. There is much to learn from these athletes/martial artists/dancers.

How A Champ Warms Up

2009-01-29T12:40:00.000-08:00

This coming weekend George St. Pierre, one of the best professional athletes out there in my opinion, puts his welterweight title on the line. GSP's trainer Jon Chaimbourg is one of the best in the business, in large part because he soaks up information from top fitness pros.

I got a kick out of this video of St. Pierre training because it uses some of the same movements all of my clients use. Good enough for my clients...I suppose it's good enough for a world champ ;)

Fitness on Dysfunction

2009-01-28T08:35:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I took the opportunity to attend the Perform Better training summit held in L.A.. The fitness pros PB brings in are among the best in the business and I always come away with knowledge worth it's weight in gold.

One of the themes this year appears to be using kettlebells, but that's a topic for another day.

One of the big ideas I came away with was from Gray Cook, co-creator of the Functional Movement Screen, the best way I've seen to assess a person's ability to move and stay healthy.

Gray talked about how vital it is to not put fitness on dysfunction. What this means is that if your trunk stabilizers (core) are not firing well, or if your hips are not as mobile as it should be, by continuing to push ahead you are running the risk of injury.

I'm a victim of this myself when I ignored my own stiff hips and thoracic (mid-back) tightness, which resulted in back spasms and lost days at work. Instead of fixing the issues I continued to train hard and before long - wammo. It took some Chiropractic and ART (Active Release Technique) to get me back on my feet, and I really learned a valuable lesson.

I see it all the time in the gym: A new member comes in a wants to get in shape ASAP, however their shoulders are tighter than a drum and they can't squat past parallel. What happens if this person simply started bench pressing and squatting hard is that bad movement patterns are re-enforced (putting fitness on dysfunction), and it's only a matter of time until they will have pain and be forced to back off or get injured.

Better to take a step back and fix the problems, and still get good workouts in the process, then to be forced to take 10 steps back due to injury. One of the analogies Gray used was continuing to run your car with a bad wheel - sooner or later larger problems will occur.

A poor trainer, in hopes of retaining a client, will often just keep hammering them with cool, trendy exercises while ignoring the underlying issues.

The smart trainer will begin each session with a few minutes of specific mobility work and dynamic stretching, then use exercises designed to help achieve better joint range of motion, posture, and core stability.

It doesn't take a Malcom Gladwell to figure out who will ultimately attain their goals and move without pain.

ElementalFitnessLab

Move to Elemental Fitness Lab

Of Mice and Men

And the Oscar Goes to...

Friday Fitness Info Roundup

Because 11 is Louder than 10

Do These Shoes Make Me Weak?

Feedback To Keep On Track

New Rules of Lifting for Abs

Kettlebell Resources

The Origins of Weightlifting

The Facts Of Life

Recovery - You Need It

Becoming Unstable

Move Better, Feel Better, Look Better

Why Can't I Lose Weight?

Reality Intervenes

Ab Fixes

When three should be six

A question of posture

Not so bleak

How to do the side plank

How to do woodchops

Perform Better 3 Day Function Training Summit in Long Beach

No more Cap'n Crunch

Don't do crunches, do Swiss ball planks

Research Review: Energy Cost of Running

Endless Summer

Big Move

Read This and Get Stiff

This Is Your Body On TV

Best Exercises You've Never Tried Vol. 1

Do Work at COC Son!

Advice for Older Lifters...and Pretty Much Everyone Else too.

Fat Nation

Move Like This

Throw Away Your Chair

Staying on the Ground

From The Ground Up

Kettlebell Compound Movements

Compounding your isolation

Programme loading…

Kettlebell clean and push press

Kettlebell renegade row

Kettlebell Turkish get-up

Machine vs. Progress

The Arnold Madness

Get Smarter

Olympics and Nutrition

Bring Up The Glutes

Conversations with a Nutritionist

All About The Kitchen

Paced Density Circuits for Maximum Fat Loss

Posterior Shoulder Assessment

New Year Gunz

Try This At Home

Test Your Core Strength

Agonist-Antagonist Training

Studies on Training During Pregnancy

Training During Pregnancy

Kettlebells Beat Cancer

Heal Thyself

Meat & Brotatos

5 Minutes of Nutrition

Dynamic Stability Training

Born to Run

Kettlebell in the Age of Quarrel

Back to Basics & workshop

Warm-up Right for Bigger Improvements

True Unstable Surface Training

Couple's Fitness Competition III

Contrasts

Lose the Shoes. Get Stronger.

The End of Overeating

CFC and Top Ten Gyms

Getting It Done

Information Overload

Core Training Article

Research Review: Strongman, Unstable Surface

Intent