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Off to Providence

I didn’t have anything in particular I wanted to write about today, however I did want to mention that I’m heading out to Providence shortly for the Perform Better 3-Day Functional Training Summit.

If you’re a fitness professional and have yet to attend a Perform Better seminar, you’re doing yourself a major disservice. Today alone I’ll have an opportunity to listen to the likes of Mike Boyle, Alwyn Cosgrove, Rachel Cosgrove, John Berardi, Martin Rooney, and Thomas Plummer, otherwise known as the godfather of learning how to make money in this business. SPOILER ALERT: apparently it helps to wear your pants when training clients. Dammit! I knew I was doing something wrong.

Nevertheless, today should be pretty fun. I get a chance to touch base with some friends and do a little networking. Matter of fact, I’m meeting up with my good friend Cassandra Forsythe, co-author of The New Rules of Lifting for Women and we’re going to make our rounds today. I’m sure I’ll have lots of new blog content to write about next week and maybe an article or two as well down the road.

And speaking of next week, I have a blog post ready to go that will feature me doing something that you probably never thought possible. I just hit you with a preview bitches.

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OMG! Protein Water (rolls eyes)

A friend of mine sent me a link to a new (or at least new to me) product being distributed by Kellogg’s called Kellogg’s Special K2O Protein Water.

According to Kellogg’s: “Losing up to 6 lbs in 2 weeks* Just Got Easier.” However, as mouseprint.org points out, if one were to follow the asterisk after the weight loss claim, one discovers that losing that weight has little to do with with consuming the advertised water:

*= Consult your physician before starting any diet or exercise program. Average weight loss when replacing meals with two cereal meals is five pounds. Weight loss may vary.

Lets forget the fact that the human body is 70% water and that losing six pounds in two weeks is quite easy–just ask anyone who has followed a low carbohydrate diet for a few days. Essentially it’s not the actual water that helps you lose six pounds, but rather replacing two meals per day with two meals consisting of a bowl of cereal (presumably Special K). Furthermore, mouseprint.org states:

The water helps account possibly for the extra pound of weight loss in their claim if used as a substitute for other higher calorie snacks, but it certainly is not the means to lose the six pounds promoted.

A major company has gone so low as to falsely advertise their product? I am shocked. Just SHOCKED! This is almost worse than that time I claimed to know the female body inside and out*. I guess that’s the reason my girlfriend and I only have sex on the weekends………..with the lights off……….and only when she’s drunk.

Nonetheless, to say that the marketing strategies of “some” food companies are more than shady is a bit of an understatement. I mean, when you mention the fact that one bottle of Special K2O is relatively expensive ($1.25-$1.50 per bottle) and has only five grams of protein (the same as what you would get in a mere five ounce glass of milk or one large egg), I’d say save your money. Besides, one bottle also has roughly six grams of sugar which will add up over time. Especially considering that most people aren’t going to limit themselves to one per day.

*= hahahahaha. Fooled you. I have no freakin idea.

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So You Have 22 Minutes to Train….

Many commercial gyms (especially the big chains like Boston Sports Club) like to entice their members with simple “programs” such as the XpressLine.

See how they did that? Instead of using the actual word “express,” they just used the letter “X” and it still sounds the same. Only extra retarded.

This trainer-supervised free service allows members of all fitness levels to complete a full-body strength workout in fewer than 22 minutes. Stations include:

Leg Press– I’ve gone on rants in the past on why I’m not a big fan of leg presses (here and here).

Leg Extension– hello knee pain.

Leg Curls– Arguably the most pointless exercise ever. Yes I’m talking to you “guy who’s inevitably going to write a comment saying that leg curls are perfectly fine if you’re trying to isolate the hamstrings. You don’t know what you’re talking about Tony. Leg curls are awesome. I can totally curl the entire stack and chicks want to hang out with me afterwards. You suck.”

I suck? I suck? Well, I’ll have you know that as of this past weekend, I’ve watched the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy 14 times without pausing to go to the bathroom even once.

Chicks want to hang out with me too mister! Matter of fact, I talk to them all the time online at www.hobbitbabes.com. I’m even thinking about turning my basement into a replica of The Shire so my cyber girlfriend can move in with me. *Runs upstairs to ask mom*

Military Press/Chest Press/Lat Pulldown– Considering the fact that most trainees have atrocious posture and all these movements promote internal rotation of the glenohumeral joint, I’d say that there are better options. At the very least we can substitute a few of these with some additional horizontal pulling or core stability work.

Arm Curls/Tricep Extension– You know, cause performing arm curls will undoubtedly work wonders with helping people lose those extra 30 lbs of fat they’re lugging around.

The point I’m trying to make is that if places like BSC are going to have their trainers supervise these sessions either way, why not have them do something useful with the members? Show them some dynamic flexibility drills. Show them how to foam roll and how it can help improve tissue quality (which most people need anyways). Set up some simple circuits where they actually learn how to squat, lunge, perform a proper push-up, work on core stability, etc. A great example would be this:

A1. Goblet Squat: All you need is a dumbbell and possibly a low box (for those who aren’t able to get to proper depth). I utilize the goblet squat quite often with beginners and is a great way to introduce squatting to that population. There is very little spinal loading and tends to be much more comfortable for newbies to perform. As they get stronger and more proficient, you can progress them to “regular” squatting variations.

A2. Elevated Push-Ups– if they can’t perform a proper push-up from the floor, place them in a position where they can. Using a bench would be perfect in this case.

A3. Reverse Lunge– Reverse lunges tend to be a little easier on the knees compared to walking lunges and place a little more emphasis on the posterior chain (hamstrings and glutes), which most people drastically need.

A4. Prone Plank- I hate crunches. I love planks, but they can also bore people to tears. Rather than focusing on increasing time, I’d keep my time limit to 30 seconds but look to alternative ways to make them more challenging.

A5. 2-Point DB Row– Mike Robertson demonstrates the 2-point row in this article. Essentially you’re going to perform a standard single arm dumbbell row, but instead of one hand, one knee, and one foot as your “points of contact,” you’re just going to stand on two feet while maintaining a neutral spine and perform the same exercise. As Mike notes in the article above, the most important facet of this exercise is to not allow rotation while raising or lowering the dumbbell.

All you would need to set up the above circuit are a few dumbbells, a bench, and some floor mats. I can guarantee members would get more out of those 22 minutes than they would performing the XPressLine. Don’t get me wrong, I understand the premise is the fact that it’s easy and convenient. However, easy and convenient doesn’t necessarily mean results. People need to learn to step out of their comfort zones. Not to mention most trainers need to practice their interpersonal skills and coaching techniques anyways.

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Completely Off Topic

I was going to discuss the finer points of glycolysis today, and how in cells that lack mitochondria, such as the erythrocyte, the pathway of glycolysis is the sole provider of ATP by the mechanism of substrate-level phosphorylation of ADP. But no one is paying attention to the words I’m writing because OH MY GOD DAVID COOK WON AMERICAN IDOL LAST NIGHT! I CAN’T BELIEVE IT!***

Here’s hoping that the country can finally get back to normal and pay more attention to the issues that really matter. You know, like inflating gas prices, health care reform, rising cost of food, and OH MY GOD THE NEW INDIANA JONES MOVIE OPENS TODAY!!11!! War? In Iraq? Huh? TANKS! THIS MOVIE HAS TANKS!

***Know what else I can’t believe? After watching Carrie Underwood perform on last night’s season finale, I can’t believe that she has never made my top ten list of celebrities to stalk.

Congrats Carrie! Your first hand written letter made out of glitter paint and my own blood should be in the mail later today. Toodles!

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The “Kids”

Since last September, I have been training the “kids.” Will, Nick, and Connor (ages 9-11) are all close friends who come to Cressey Performance every Saturday morning at 10 AM. To say that it’s one of the more entertaining hours of the week is an understatement.

I know what many of you might be thinking: “won’t having children that young lift weights stunt their growth?” Many parents are still under the assumption that weight training prematurely closes the epiphyseal growth plates in children; forever stunting their growth. It’s gotten to the point where putting a barbell on a child’s back and having them do a few simple squats is apparently more dangerous than having them pet a grizzly bear with a raw steak tied around their chest.

Crossfit Squat

This popular fallacy is NOT supported by research or clinical findings. In his book Facts and Fallacies of Fitness, renowned exercise physiologist and biomechanist Mel Siff notes that force plate analysis shows that even fairly heavy squats (exceeding bodymass) do not impose as great a load on the body as fairly casual running or jumping, which can impose joint loading which is greater than SIX TIMES bodyweight! Thus, if resistance training is to be eliminated to promote growth plate safety, then all children must be forbidden to run and jump.

It’s a gross error to say that resistance training is “bad” or dangerous for adolescents. Strength and Conditioning coach Mike Boyle has even gone as far to say that activities such as gymnastics and ice skating (which many parents have their children do on a regular basis) is just an organized form of child abuse.

Both put a ton more stress on the joints compared to resistance training. In the end, carefully controlled progressive resistance training can actually improve muscle and bone strength significantly in children and help to develop gross motor learning skills that they would otherwise lack because many spend way too much time playing video games.

Just to give you an idea of what types of things I have these kids do, here’s what we did last weekend:

1. Kids arrive and Nick shows off his bruise that he got during a recent baseball game. Total awesomeness.

2. Kids are taken through their typical warm-up, which includes simple dynamic movement and activation drills. We also take this time to totally talk about the last episode of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. That Shredder is such a cotton-headed ninny muggins.

3. Ten minutes of sprint technique/drills. Nothing fancy: high knee skips, reverse skips, and simple coaching cues to help improve their running mechanics.

4. Dedicated strength training. When we first started, this entailed nothing more than body-weight circuits where they worked on movement patterns (squat, deadlift, various lunges, push-ups, etc). Now we spend more time working on main lifts and then add in some accessory work as well.

5. The fun stuff. I might have them push the sled (with each other on it), play tug-o-war (I’m totally still undefeated), perform med ball circuits, run football routes, etc. Last weekend, I had them push my car in the parking lot.

Your eyes are not fooling you. That’s a vintage Hyundai Elantra. See ladies, not only do I spend my spare time nursing kittens back to health, I also drive a car that’s environmentally friendly. 32 MPG’s has never been so sexy!

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Why Runners Should Get Strong(er)

Yankees vs. RedSox

Republicans vs. Democrats

Autobots vs. Decepticons

Autobots

What do all of the above examples have in common? As you might have guessed, all are seemingly sworn enemies. While there’s no doubting the animosity between the first three examples; there are times where I want to add another “couple” to the mix. Strength coach vs. endurance athlete.

I mean lets be honest, trying to get an endurance athletes to lift weights is like trying to get me to watch American Idol. Not gonna happen.**

It still amazes me that there are a plethora of endurance athletes out there who feel that strength training has no place in their programming. Despite research (and real world evidence) which states otherwise, many endurance athletes are still missing the boat and failing to realize the full benefits of spending more time in the squat rack and just a liiiiiittle less time in their running shoes.

In a new study published by Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, researches investigated the effect of maximal strength training on running economy (RE) at 70% of maximal oxygen consumption (V O2max) and time to exhaustion at maximal aerobic speed (MAS).

Seventeen well-trained (nine male and eight female) runners were randomly assigned into either an intervention or a control group. The intervention group (four males and four females) performed half-squats, four sets of four repetitions maximum, three times per week for 8 wk, as a supplement to their normal endurance training. The control group continued their normal endurance training during the same period.

Results: The intervention group had vast improvements in their one repetition maximum in the half squat (33.2%), rate of force development (26%), running economy (5%), and time to exhaustion at maximal aerobic speed (21.3%). The control group saw no changes between pre and post training parameters.

For those who aren’t familiar with fancy words like VO2 max or rate of force development, fear not! As luck would have it, I submitted my own study which takes the above study and simplifies everything — aptly titled, “HA! I told you so.” Published in the Journal of Pink Dumbbells Aren’t Gonna Cut It. (18) 537-45. I even used construction paper and a He-Man stamp. You know, to make it look all “science-y.”

So what do all these results mean?

1. For starters, I have no clue why the researches chose to test the half squat. Shrugs.

2. The intervention group all had increases in strength, without adding any mass (body-weight). This is an important distinction and something that endurance athletes need to hear. Getting stronger, doesn’t necessarily mean getting bigger. Furthermore, outside of the obvious (improved performance), increasing strength also has an often overlooked side benefit. As muscles (active restraints) get stronger, it’s less perceived stress by the passive restraints (bone, ligaments, etc). This goes a long ways as far as keeping you healthy and preventing all of those nagging injuries in the first place.

3. Improvements in force development will undoubtedly equate to improvement in performance. The more force an athlete can generate into the ground, the more force said athlete will generate to propel him/her forward. To do this, one needs to lift heavy stuff. Last time I checked, the objective of a race is to see who can finish the fastest, not who can go the longest.

4. As the study noted, the intervention group improved their running economy by 5%. To put this into perspective, that’s roughly twelve minutes shaved off of a four hour marathon; all of this without having to log more mileage on the road.

And while many endurance athletes will complain that they just don’t have the time to participate in any strength training, I like to counteract that statement by pointing to Cressey Performance client Dede Griesbauer.

As an elite tri-athlete (2nd at Ironman Brazil, 7th in the 2007 World Championships), Dede trains an average of 10-13 times per week. Yet, she still makes it a point to get her butt into the gym twice per week. In her words, “Strength training has clearly improved my power on the bike. It has also been beneficial in terms of injury prevention. Finally, I feel that my strength training better enables me to handle the volumes required for my Ironman triathlon training.”

**except for every god damn day!

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Men’s Health Debut!

So I have some exciting news to report today. I’m going to give you three guesses as to what it is.

1. No, Kate Beckinsale hasn’t split with her husband, Guy I Hate Because He’s Not Me.

2. No, Pete Wentz didn’t drop his restraining order against me. What’s a guy gotta do to be able drop kick someone in the face legally anyways?

3. No, I didn’t go see an advance screening of the new Sex and the City movie last night with my girlfriend. Not me, that’s preposterous. I think you have me confused with someone else dude. I was totally busy growing a beard last night– and eating bags of beef jerky, with a cowboy hat on. You know, manly things; cause I’m a man. ALL RIGHT FINE! YOU GOT ME. I WENT. ARE YOU HAPPY NOW? WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL ANYWAYS? I JUST WANTED TO SEE WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN CARRIE AND BIG. You’re right, I’m totally whipped. *Hands in man-card*

Your three guesses are up (thank god). In fact, I made my official debut in the June issue of Men’s Health……..twice!

The first is on page 70 where the Cable Core Press (AKA: The Pallof Press) is featured as a “Best New Exercise.” The second is a “blurb” on page 112, in an article discussing gynecomastia. I basically describe a simple plan to help “tighten up” those pecs.

Not really a huge deal, but cool nonetheless. Check it out when you get a chance.

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So What Did You Do Today?

Yahoo Sports ran a story a few days ago about Bonnie Richardson, a junior high school track and field athlete, who won the state 1A team championship for Rochelle High school–by herself.

Richardson was the only Rochelle athlete to qualify for the state meet and stunningly won the team title. University Interscholastic League officials said it was the first time they can remember a single athlete winning a girls’ team title.

Richardson’s title march began with field events on Friday when she won the high jump (5 feet, 5 inches), placed second in the long jump (18-7) and was third in the discus (121-0).

On Saturday, she won the 200 meters in 25.03 seconds and nearly pulled off a huge upset in the 100 before finishing second (12.19) to defending champion Kendra Coleman of Santa Anna. Richardson, a junior, earned a total of 42 team points to edge team runner-up Chilton (36).

With temperatures hovering in the mid-90’s throughout the entire week, Richardson was thankful that the meet was split up into two days. Additionally, she laughed off a suggestion that she could have won more if UIL rules didn’t limit individual participation to five events.

“I don’t think I could handle any more,” she said. “It was hot and I was tired.”

Oh please. Where I’m from, girls win the team state title by themselves all the time and they never complain about how hot and tired they are. My mom actually won one yesterday (on the sun…..true story) and she still had enough energy to cook dinner and clean the house afterwards. High five mom! Now where’s my meatloaf?

UPDATE: Picks up phone. Beep boop boop beep beep. Hello, can I speak to franktalk(scroll down)? Oh hey, what’s up dude? Good good. Yeah well, I just wanted to call to let you know that the above paragraph is what I like to call sarcasm. I just didn’t want there to be any confusion. I mean, what Bonnie Richardson accomplished is amazing and is in fact why I decided to blog about it in the first place. How’s your golden retriever doing studying for his CSCS exam? Wait what? You were being sarcastic when you said that? Hahahahahaha. You’re hilarious!!111!

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Exercises You Should Be Doing (Prone Plate Switches)

When it comes to planks, many trainees (as well as trainers) are under the assumption that the only way to “progress” is to perform them for longer periods of time.

I don’t know about you, but I’d rather swallow a live grenade than perform planks for MORE time. Furthermore, if I’m working with a client and only have 45-60 minutes with them, why would I waste 3-5 minutes just performing planks? That’s about as exciting as watching a marathon session of The Hills; only with far less puking and stabbing myself in the eye. Haha, get it? The Hills makes me want to stab myself! I should totally write a children’s book.

Once someone can perform a plank (correctly) for 30 seconds, instead of progressing with more time, I’ll make the movement more challenging. Here is an example of some simple progressions:

Prone Planks (wide stance), prone planks (narrow stance), prone planks with feet elevated, prone planks with weight vest, prone plank on stability ball, side planks (two feet), side planks (one foot), side planks with perturbation, and the list could go on.

Another great way to progress planks is something I came across and “stole” from strength coach Will Heffernan called prone plate switches:

Essentially you’ll take upwards of 8-10 five pound plates (I use four in the video) and stack them to one side. Assume the plank position and switch the plates from one side to the other. Make sure that your body makes a straight line (basically you should assume the same position as if you were standing), and that your hips/pelvis don’t shift back and forth. It’s harder than you think. Again, I like to shoot for 30 seconds maximum. To make this more challenging you could either narrow your stance or use 10 lb plates as well. Have fun!

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ACL, Again.

Last week ESPN featured a story on Sara Tucholsky- a senior softball player for Western Oregon State. Long story short: Sara had never hit a home-run in her life. In a tight game versus arch rival Central Washington, Sara finally went yard. However, in her excitement, she forgot to touch first base and while she turned around to do so, she tore her ACL. For those who aren’t in the know; that’s an ouchie.

ACL

Due to NCAA rules, no one from Sara’s team could substitute for her or assist her in rounding the bases, or she would be credited with a two run single rather than a three run home-run. In an act of true sportsmanship, Central Washington players Mallory Holtman and Liz Wallace carried Sara around the bases, tapping her left foot on each base until she reached home plate.

I’m no conspiracy theorist, but here’s my take on what really went down. The chick hit a home-run and the opposing head coach went all Cobra Kai, and told the first basemen to “sweep the leg.” Yes that’s it. That’s exactly what happened…..strokes beard.

Sweep the leg

Okay, that’s not what happened*.

It’s no secret that female athletes are four to six times more likely to sustain ACL injuries than their male counterparts. Furthermore, the majority of ACL injuries in female athletes are due to non-contact mechanisms such as landing from a jump or making a lateral pivot while running.

Hewett TE, et al state that dynamic knee instability, caused by ligament dominance (decreased dynamic neuromuscular control of the joint), quadriceps dominance (decreased hamstring strength and recruitment), and leg dominance (side-to-side differences in strength and coordination) may be responsible for gender inequity in ACL injury rates.

If we know all of this, then why do “we” still see programming for female athletes that includes leg curls, leg extensions, quarter squats, leg presses, no single leg work or posterior chain work, nor emphasis on sprint or landing mechanics? Something to think about.

*Or did it?

EDIT: The following day, it was revealed that the umpires had the original ruling wrong and that Western Oregon State’s coach could have substituted a runner for Sara without any penalty after-all.

UPDATE: Said umpires are now working tee-ball games…………in Wyoming.