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Supplement Mania

Not too long ago, I was chatting with a guy who was frustrated with his progress in the gym (trying to put on some mass) and mentioned to me that he dropped $150 at his local GNC on supplements the prior day. Upon asking him what he bought, he had no idea and couldn’t even remember the names or what the supplements were used for! Basically he walked into GNC and became an instant “BFF” with the sales clerk. For those out of the loop, “BFF” stands for Best Friends Forever. A “BFF” is someone whom you can always count on for support and who will always be there for a good ol’ fashioned tickle fight. I mean, don’t you watch MTV? Yeah, me neither.

Anyways this particular guy felt that because he wasn’t making any progress, he needed to buy supplements. We sat down for a few minutes to really delve into the issue. Upon ending our conversation we came up with the following facts:

1. He was training between 1.5-2 hours per day, six days per week; 60-90 minutes of weight training along with 30 minutes of cardio. For someone who has always had a hard time putting on weight (let alone quality mass), this would be the exact OPPOSITE approach I would take. In a nutshell, ectomorphic body-types (those who have a hard time putting on weight) would do better with LESS training volume. In his case I would cut total training down to three full-body training sessions per week (maybe four days with an upper/lower split) and cut out the excess cardio completely.

2. I asked him how many calories he was taking in per day. He had no clue. HUGE mistake! How is one supposed to make progress if he/she has no idea what or how much they’re eating? I asked him to break down an average day for me and we came to the conclusion that he was ingesting roughly 1500-1700 kcals per day (or barely enough calories to keep an Olsen Twin alive). It never ceases to amaze me how people will drastically UNDER-eat for their goals. You can’t build an impressive physique through sweat alone. You need to provide the raw nutrients the body needs to grow. Point. Blank. Period.

3. On an aside with the points made above, I’ll always come across guys in the same situation who mention to me, “there is no way I can eat 3000-4000 calories per day, I just can’t do it.” Well, if you’re the type of person who only eats two or three meals per day, then yes, you won’t be able to do it. There aren’t many people out there (outside of Rosie O’Donnell, oh snap) who can polish off two or three 1000-1500 calorie meals per day. What one needs to do is eat more often and spread their calories out over six to eight meals per day. If someone’s goal is to ingest 3000 calories per day, it’s a lot less daunting (not to mention much more manageable) to ingest six, 500 calorie meals than it is three, 1000 calorie meals.

Long story short, this gentleman did NOT need to go out and splurge on $150 worth of supplements. He just needed a swift kick in the pants and some guidance. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. Supplements are progress ENHANCERS, not progress STARTERS. If you’re not making any progress (whatever your goal may be) with your training and/or diet alone, then buying enough supplements to start your own Olympic team isn’t going to cut it.

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Comfort Zones

I was doing some of my daily reading the other day and came across an article written by Coach Robert “Dos” Remedios (Strength and Conditioning coach at the College of the Canyons, located in Santa Clarita, CA) where he discussed “comfort zones.” As I have said before, we’re creatures of habit and it’s only natural that we have a hard time stepping out of our comfort zones.

I mean, it took me a long time before I realized that making the woman pay for the first date by “accidentally” leaving my wallet at home wasn’t the smartest thing to do. It wasn’t till I got out of my comfort zone and suggested we play “rock, paper, scissors” to see who picked up the tab that girls started hanging out with me more.

All kidding aside, in his article, Coach Dos discussed how the majority of trainees fail to ever sway outside of their comfort zones in the gym. As a result, they rarely (if ever) make any significant progress with their body.

Examples include:

1. The guy who only trains the muscles he can see in the mirror, otherwise known as the “beach workout” (and has horrible posture to boot).

2. The woman who performs her 45 minutes of aerobic exercise on the same elliptical machine day after day, while watching “The View” no less (and is still 30 lbs overweight).

3. The teenage boy who never trains his lower body (and still wonders why he can’t gain any weight).

The list could go on and on, but I’m sure you get my point. The fact of the matter is, you NEED to get out of your comfort zone. You need to start doing things that you’re normally not accustomed to in the gym to get the results you want.

It’s been my experience that when left to their own vices, trainees will typically do what is “normal” and what they view as easy. Hence why you tend to see more people performing leg curls than deadlifts; or performing steady state cardio rather than ball busting intervals (sprints). Many trainees fail to realize that it’s supposed to be hard work. It’s not supposed to be pleasant. Next time you’re at your gym, do yourself a favor and watch the people train who have a physique you desire.

Are they reading People Magazine while they’re walking on the treadmill?………………………No.

Are they talking on their cell phone or sending text messages to their friends while they’re exercising?……………………No.

Are they starring at the television watching the latest highlights on SportsCenter in between sets of tricep kickbacks?………………No.

Are they checking out the hot new personal trainer?…………………..Um, yeah. Duh. She’s hot. They get a mulligan for that one.

Needless to say, many people would bode well by learning to get out of their comfort zones and start incorporating exercises or programs that they have never tried before. You might be surprised at what kind of progress you can make in a short amount of time.

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Exercises You Should Be Doing (Band Assisted Pull-Ups)

I have a simple rule I like to follow. If you can’t perform at least one body weight pull-up (if you’re a woman) or five body weight pull-ups (if you’re a man) or twenty pull-ups with a full grown elephant on your back (if you’re me), then you have no business what-so-ever spending ANY time performing arm curls. Ever.

I always find it comical how trainees will spend so much time training their biceps, yet can’t even perform a proper pull-up. Many people will revert to the lat pulldown machine, because well, it’s easy.

I’ll see some men who can pull the entire weight stack for ten repetitions and think it’s some great feat. Sorry fellas, watching a 27 year old woman vertical jump over 30 inches constitutes as a great feat. Heck, I would even go so far as to say watching the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy nonstop with no bathroom breaks would be a bigger accomplishment than performing “x” amount of repetitions on the lat pulldown machine.

Nevertheless, I do realize that many trainees cannot perform a proper pull-up without assistance. A great tool I like to use with clients is the concept of Accommodating Resistance.

In general, accommodating resistance refers to the concept of increasing muscular strength throughout the complete range of joint motion. Better yet, you can technically refer to it as a way to sustain near maximal force throughout the complete range of joint motion. This is the basic premise behind the use of bands and chains.

There comes a point when you’re doing an exercise (squats for example) where the force generated during the movement is less at certain joint angles compared to others. This is why you can handle more weight with one-fourth squats than you can with full squats (force-velocity curve).

Another great example is pull-ups. Instead of using the assisted pull-up machines that offer a counterbalance for trainees (hence, the lifter isn’t able to sustain maximal force throughout the duration of the movement), I like to use bands.

1. Take a Jump Stretch Band and loop it around the top of a pull-up bar so that the band hangs from the top.

2. Step onto a box and place the bottom of the band between your knee and ankle (mid shin, if you will). The leg with the band around it will be bent throughout the duration of the exercise. The opposite leg will be straight.

3. Start from the bottom position (don’t jump up) and pull yourself up to the bar till your chin reaches the top of the bar.

4. Return to the bottom position and repeat for the desired repetitions. With each set, switch up the leg that the band is around.

All in all, you get a little “boost” from the band at the bottom position (where you’re weakest), and as you get closer to the bar, you’re getting less “help” and pulling more of your own body weight (where you’re strongest due to the improved joint angle). As you get stronger and more efficient you can use bands with less tension, and before you know it, you’re performing pull-ups with your own body weight. You’re so cute.

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You Can’t Out Train a Poor Diet

Admit it, your Thanksgiving was spectacular. Even though you would rather drink laundry detergent than torture yourself with another slice of Aunt Jane’s mince meat pie; or I don’t know, listen to a Britney Spears album rather than listen to your dad tell the same story of how he caught three touchdown passes in a high school game (30 years ago), it’s still great to come home.

While I was home last week, I had the opportunity to train with my brother and a few of his friends at their gym. It wasn’t more than a few weeks ago where I was talking to my mom on the phone and she had mentioned to me that my brother had joined a gym and was excited for me to come home so that I could help him out a bit. You see, despite being a two sport athlete in high school, and working a relatively active job now, my brother has never really been a “gym rat,” and you can imagine my surprise (and joy) when I found out that he was starting to train with his friends on a consistent basis.

A few weeks ago, I talked to him on the phone and he had mentioned to me that he wasn’t losing any weight. Normally I don’t worry about scale weight with people, but in my brother’s case, he needs to lose some weight and he has been perplexed as to why he hasn’t lost any despite training everyday with his friends.

When I arrived home last week, we sat down for awhile and discussed his eating habits. While he made some vast improvements with his diet, come to find out, he was still drinking three Powerade’s a day:

One of the first rules I tell people to follow when trying to “clean up” their diet is to eliminate ALL calorie containing beverages (alcohol, soda, fruit juice, Starbucks, and sports drinks).

One look at the nutritional label for a Powerade, and you find the following:

Serving Size: 1 cup (8 fl. oz)

Servings Per Bottle: 4

Total Calories: 68

Protein: 0

Fat: 0

Carbohydrates: 17 grams (Sugar: 15 grams)

Each bottle of PowerAde he has been drinking contains roughly 270 calories and 60 grams of sugar. Remember however, that he has been drinking THREE per day, which equates to 810 calories and 180 grams of sugar PER DAY. No wonder he hasn’t been losing any weight! This just proves my point that you will never out train a poor diet.

After hitting him upside his head, I instructed my brother that under no circumstances is he to drink anymore PowerAde. Ever. Unless of course, Jessica Alba herself knocks on his door one day while wearing a bathing suit and just so happens to be holding a Powerade in each hand. One for her. And one for my brother to sip while serving as Jessica’s personal “oil boy” during one of her photo shoots.

Dude, that could totally be a commercial. You owe me Powerade advertising executives.

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Happy Thanksgiving

Just wanted to take this opportunity to say I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving. I also wanted to take this opportunity to say thanks to all of those who read this blog on a daily basis. It’s somewhat humbling to know that there are people out there who want to read what I have to say. Then again, I am kinda awesome, so I guess I can’t blame you….(wink). In all seriousness, I thank everyone for their kind words and I very much appreciate it.

That being said, I am headed back home to central New York tomorrow, so I won’t be updating this blog till next week. By 4PM tomorrow, I will officially be in insulin coma. I’ll need the rest of the week to recover.

In the meantime, if you haven’t purchased LiftStrong yet, what’s stopping you? ALL proceeds go to the National Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. You’re getting 800 pages of quality information from some of the top names in the fitness/nutrition industry for what it would cost you to take you and your significant other to the movies ($25). Give thanks, by helping those who need it.

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Eric Cressey= Nostradamas

My good friend Eric Cressey wrote an article not too long ago titled “Are You Doing Stupid Stuff in the Gym?.” In it he claimed that any healthy male under the age of 50 can and should be able to deadlift at least 400 lbs within two years of proper training; sometimes even faster than that.

Needless to say, Eric caught a lot of flack in the fitness community for saying such a bold statement.

Meet Pete Dupuis (Vice President of Cressey Performance). 364 days ago Pete weighed 160 lbs (at 6-1) and barely had enough flexibility to get low enough to the ground to perform a deadlift safely. I believe his first time performing a deadlift he used less than 100 lbs.

364 days later, Pete weighs roughly 200 lbs and he pulled 400 lbs……easily. And he totally made out with his girlfriend afterwards.

A few thoughts/comments:

1. Everyone has to start somewhere. Whether you’re a newbie or a world class powerlifter, we ALL started in the same boat (weak, weak, weak). If you would have asked Pete when he first started if he thought he would be pulling 400 lbs a year later, I’m sure he probably would have laughed. But he had a goal in mind and trained hard, and he won’t stop there. You shouldn’t either.

2. Sometimes less is better. I wrote an article not too long ago, titled “Training Disasters,” where I briefly discussed how I feel that many trainees deadlift BEFORE they’re ready. That’s to say, I think everyone should learn to deadlift, but not everyone can (or should) walk into their gym on day #1 and pull a bar from the floor. What’s nice about the deadlift is that it’s a movement that can be conformed to fit the needs of the lifter (and not vice versa). Pete started with less than 100 lbs and he made the proper progressions as he got more proficient. Long story short: train hard, but be patient. Make the proper progressions.

3. Training environment is huge. Never fails that when someone trains in an environment with like minded people, their progress almost always skyrockets.

4. For those who are curious. That’s Wu-Tang Clan playing in the background. Wu-Tang FOREVER!

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Exercises You Should Be Doing (Pallof Press)

Everyone is always looking for a new way to train their “core.” One of my favorite movements is the Pallof Press. Here, we’re training core stability (or anti-rotation), which is the main function of the abdominals in the first place (not trunk flexion: ie, crunches).

Key Points to Remember:

1. Stand perpendicular to the apparatus (you can use a Functional Trainer or a regular cable/pulley system) with the arm set at chest level.

2. Assume an “athletic” stance (knees slightly bent, feet just past shoulder width apart, chest high, butt back).

3. Begin with the handle right against your sternum. Brace your abdominals. “Press” the handle away from your body until your elbows lock. Do not let the weight/cable rotate you in any way (essentially you’re resisting the pull of the weight). Pause for a second, and then return to the starting position. Repeat. Once you complete all your reps on one side, switch and perform your reps on the other.

4. Be amazed at how many people now want to hang out with you.

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Head, Shoulders, Knees Over Toes

Myth: The knees should never project ahead of the toes during any exercise.

In a study titled, “How many clueless aerobic instructors and personal trainers still follow this archaic nonsense,” done by The Journal of Stupidity, it was shown that a vast majority of fitness professionals still believe the above myth to be true. Matter of fact, the same study showed that many fitness professionals would rather see you club a baby seal (that’s just mean) than witness your knees project over your toes while under their supervision.

Needless to say, they’re wrong. Sarcasm aside, having the knees project over the toes is perfectly normal and occurs quite frequently in everyday life. Just ask anyone who participates in football, karate, dance, or mudwrestling. Heck, try walking up a flight of stairs without your knees going over your toes. Despite all of this, many fitness professionals still claim that the knees going over the toes during weight bearing exercise is dangerous. I’ll even go so far as to say that this guideline has assumed the stature of law in the aerobics world.

In past writings, both Eric Cressey and Alwyn Cosgrove have referenced one study which kinda debunks this whole myth.

Fry AC, Smith JC, Schilling BK. Effect of knee position on hip and knee torques during the barbell squat. J Strength Cond Res. 2003 Nov;17(4):629-33.

The above study examined joint kinetics during back squats under two conditions. The first condition placed a board in front of the participants’ shins, which restricted forward displacement of the knee. In the second condition, movement wasn’t restricted at all. They squatted normally and the knees were allowed to pass the toes (GASP).

The researchers found that restricting the forward excursion of the knees during the squat (not allowing the knees to go over toes) increased anterior lean of the trunk and promoted an increased “internal angle at the knees and ankles.”

The results showed a 22% decrease in knee torque and a 1070% increase in hip torque! That stress has to go somewhere. Keeping the knees behind the toes definitely reduces the forces on the knee, but those forces were transferred more than tenfold to the hips and lower back. Translation: that’s an ouchie.

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Quote of the Day

Recently at Cressey Performance, we started a “Quote of the Day” board. They range from anything inspirational: “The only time success comes before work is the dictionary,” (from legendary football coach Vince Lombardi) to motivating: “There’s two things female athletes need; balls and hamstrings. And since girls don’t have balls, they need more hamstrings,” (Eric Cressey) to factual: “Tony, you’re the best trainer ever. Wanna make out?” (from Jennifer Garner to me……….last week……….in my dreams).

However, last week we had a quote from a client of ours that truly speaks volumes for the type of attitude that we try to instill here at the facility:

“If it ain’t deadlifing, it ain’t worth it.”

This coming from a client who before he started training with me a few months ago, had never touched a weight in his life and was an avid runner (still is to a degree). Needless to say, it brought a tear to my eye. My boy is all growns up.