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Q and A: Training the Adductors

Question #1: What are your thoughts on training the adductors with cables and ankle straps?

A:  It’s not a completely dumb idea (you can make an argument that everything has a time and place), it’s just a mostly dumb idea.

Question #2: Another trainer at my gym seems to do this here and there with his athletes lying on their back, legs spread eagle in the air with cables attached to the ankles and they open and close their legs.

I don’t do these exercises, and I covered one of his guys and he even said “I know you don’t usually train the groin/adductors, but have client A do this”.

To me it looks a bit silly, but then again I have my clients do cable pullthrough’s and every trainer starts cracking jokes about it. Wouldn’t single legged exercises automatically train the adductors to some extent? Is this enough?

A: First an anatomy lesson.  The adductors are actually more of a “complex” consisting of the adductor magnus, adductor longus, adductor brevis, pectineus, and gracilis. Sure their main role is, well, adduction, but some muscles also play a role in (breaking) hip flexion (pectineus and adductor brevis), as well as hip extension (adductor magnus…which is also called the 3rd hamstring), respectively.

In addition, and something that’s usually ignored altogether, are that the adductors (and by the same token, the abductors) are just as important in terms of frontal plane stability than they are in actually initiating movement.

In other words, particularly in single legged stance, the two – along with the quadratus lumborum –  form what’s called the lateral sub-system and are key stabilizers of the femur and pelvis in the frontal plane (controlling whether or not the hip hikes or the knee caves in).

Secondly, while I “guess” what you described above is a slight step above one of those archaic seated adductor/abductor machines (or, what I like to call the naughty/nice machines), why anyone would think that plopping someone down spread eagle style on the floor to solely train the adductors is beyond me.  Seems like a complete waste of time, actually.

Might as well grab a shake weight while we’re at at!

Also, training adduction (or abduction) alone ignores several key roles of muscles. Very few of them have only one function, so it’s borderline laughable to force them into a single plane of motion.  As alluded to above, when you move in the sagittal plane with free weights (in a single leg stance), you’re stabilizing in the frontal plane, but this isn’t present when you’re on the floor showcasing your unmentionables for the entire world to see.

I’d much rather see someone perform more “bang for your exercise buck exercises” like slideboard lateral lunges or a 1-legged RDL and actually train the adductors in a more “functional” manner.

Some other random thoughts:

1.  Utilizing machines (which force trainees into a fixed plane of motion) – as well as that spread eagle whatchamacalit described above – completely neglects the glutes, which is a mistake if you ask me.  Most people have woefully weak glutes, and going out of one’s way to ignore them is a disservice.

Now, of course, I have no idea what else he is doing with his clientele, and I have to assume he’s incorporating things like deadlifts, squats, hip thrusts, etc into the mix to target the glutes.  If so, great…..he’s a little less douchy in my eyes.

Even so, I just feel that there are so many other options at his disposal than what you described above.  Then again, it’s not the end of the world.  I’ve seen (and heard) worse.

2.  The adductor complex is a really grimy, nasty, dense area of muscle. In particular, with regards to athletes such as hockey and soccer players, there’s an increased risk of “sports hernia,” which generally manifests due to poor tissue quality in around the vicinity.  Adding even more stress and load to an area that’s already stiff/short/all sorts of FUBAR’d is just not a smart idea.

This is speculation, obviously, and definitely not set in stone as there are a lot of other factors involved….but an important point to consider.

3.  If he’s targeting the adductors, he better sure as shit be training the abductors, too.  The two groups co-contract in order to maintain frontal plane stability.  When one is dominating the other – in this case, the adductors PWNING the abductors (along with some other weaknesses), the positioning of the femur will be compromised, and as a result, the knee will cave in.

When working with athletes – particularly female athletes – this is important to note as significant adduction is one of the mechanisms behind ACL injuries (the other two being internal rotation and flexion).

All I’m saying is to be cognizant.  Training adduction isn’t wrong per se, I just don’t like the idea of going out of my way to train adduction all by its lonesome self.

I mean, some people think Nicholas Cage is an A-list actor. I think my toaster can out act him any day of the week.  To each his own I suppose.

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Basics: Get Some

As you might surmise, as a strength and conditioning coach (and personal trainer), I’m a huge fan of teaching people the basics.  Really, though, when you think about it, the basics are a great place to start when learning just about anything.

A common theme is that you need to learn how to walk before you can run. This makes perfect sense and it’s something that everyone can vouch for because, well, we’ve all done it. Likewise, when learning to ride a bike, the general progression is to slap on a pair of training wheels, and once you’re comfortable with that, you take them off, fall a few hundred times, and before long you’re jumping puddles like a champ.

I could sit here and come up with a dozen scenarios: learning a new language, how to hit a baseball 400 feet, how to make a meatloaf that doesn’t taste like death, building an atomic bomb, or even learning how to unclasp your first bra (which, as a dude, is arguably the hardest thing ever…..DAMMIT, it won’t come off!!!  Ahhhhhhhh!!!)

The point is: whether it’s something as trivial as learning your multiplication tables or something as complex as figuring out which fork you’re supposed to use to eat your salad at a fancy restaurant, you have to start somewhere.  You have to learn the basics first.  You have to learn to walk before you can run.

The thing is, when it comes to our health and well-being, most people don’t want to learn how to walk.  They want to sprint on day one.

Take for example a recent email I received from a new distance coaching client of mine asking me about intermittent fasting (IF).

Back tracking a little bit: this is a client who’s admittedly told me that he eats like sh*t, and that he’s tried just about every diet out there with little to no results to show for it. H

Given the high popularity of IF at the moment, he was curious. Now, I have nothing against intermittent fasting – it’s something I’ve experimented with myself and there’s obviously a lot of sound science and research backing its efficacy.

But, again, it’s analogous to sprinting. My man is CRUSHING Pop-Tarts every afternoon as a snack. Looking at this from my perspective, he’s not even walking yet….he’s still learning how to crawl. Why the hell are we even talking about intermittent fasting?

I understand that we live in a “I want it NOW” society, and that we’re obsessed with quick fixes…but why is it so hard for people to step away from the stupid?

In light of this, and despite the groaning, I’m taking a “learn the basics” approach with him. I’m demonstrating to him that drinking more water is kind of important, and that it’s okay to eat the yolk of an egg. In addition, he’s learning to make protein shakes with fruit as an afternoon snack (in place of the Pop-Tarts), and that kale is the shiznit.

Equally as important, with his training, we’ve had to take a step (or two) back.  We’ve had to overhaul his squatting pattern, teach him how to perform a push-up correctly, and we’ve also introduced him to the wonderful world of foam rolling.  He hates it, of course, but whatever….he needs to learn the basics.

It’s not sexy by any means, and it’s certainly not exciting. But, stroking my ego a little bit, I can almost guarantee that he’s going to see marked progress in the upcoming weeks and months.

Start with the basics.  Master them.  And good things will happen.

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5 Coaching Cues: Deadlift

It’s no secret that I love deadlifts.  They rank right up there with Star Wars, my mom, oatmeal, and old GI Joe re-runs  And while I feel the deadlift is one of the more beneficial movements out there in terms of improving performance, muscle growth, and even posture….it’s still something that a lot of trainees have a hard time perfecting.

I give people all the credit in the world for doing them………

….it’s just many don’t do them properly.

Moreover, it can be a very intricate and complex movement to master, and as much as I try, attempting to cover every nook and cranny into one 1200 word blog post is about as easy as quantum physics.

That said, below are some of the more common coaching cues I gravitate towards when attempting to teach it to others. While it’s not an all encompassing list by any means, I do feel the ones highlighted serve as a solid foundation and work wonders in terms of “cleaning up ” technique.

Maybe even yours!

Push the Hips Back

Developing a proper hip hinge pattern can be a cumbersome endeavor for a lot of trainees, as many want to “squat” everything.  The conundrum, it seems, is that there are a lot of trainees and personal trainers (sadly), that feel deadlifts are the same thing as squats.

Einhorn is Finkle and Finkle is Einhorn!!!!!!

While I could sit here and write a five-page dissertation on why this is the most absurd thing I’ve ever heard, lets just agree on a few things:

1.  Squats are generally considered more “quad dominant,” while deadlifts on the other hand, are considered more “hip dominant.”  I’m not a huge fan of this distinction because you can easily make a squat more hip dominant in nature (think box squats), but for the sake of brevity, it’s a relevant talking point.

2. Squats generally start with an eccentric loading phase, while deadifts are almost purely concentric.

3.  And, most important of all, regarding trunk, hip, and knee angles, significant differences between the lifts are readily apparent.  In a nice summary titled Differences in the Squat and Deadlift in the Journal of Pure Power (V.5, Number 2, April 2010), the scientists noted that squats produced a more linear relationship between the hip and knee angles, “illustrating a more synergistic and simultaneous movement.”

The deadlift, however, showed three distinct phases defined by dominant joint action at the knees during lift off, the hips with the barbell at knee height, and both knees and hips during lockout.

So, in summary:  a deadlift IS NOT A SQUAT!!!!!!!

Capiche?  Good!

Back to the topic at hand:  the hip hinge.  This cue comes into play throughout the entire movement, from the set-up to the descent.

In terms of the set-up, I like to tell people to stand up right against the bar and to then push their hips back (as if there were a rope around their waist and someone was standing behind them pulling the rope back).  Essentially, one would be performing a romanian deadlift – feeling significant tension in the hamstrings – until their hands are able to grab the bar.

Many trainees make the mistake of breaking with their knees and “squatting” down to the bar. This is wrong.  Instead, think about pushing the hips back.

“Pull” the Chest Tall

Pulling the chest tall encourages the trainee to get into t-spine extension, which in turn demonstrates that he or she can resist shear loading of the spine.

Once someone’s hands get to the bar, I usually like to say “use the bar to pull your chest tall.”  Meaning, they’ll literally use the bar to set themselves into proper position.

Taking it a step further, if I’m standing directly in front of them and their shirt happens to have a logo of some sort – a team logo, a New Balance emblem, a picture of the Jonas Brothers (don’t worry, I won’t judge) – I want to see that logo when they set up.

The chest shouldn’t be parallel to the floor, but rather more upright.  An adjunct to this would be to think “chest tall, hips down.”  So, as one pulls their chest tall, the hips will come down simultaneously. From there, they’ll be in a solid position to pull.

“Stiffen” the Upper Back

This could arguably be the most crucial of the bunch.  As I noted above, resisting shear load is kind of important when deadlifting.

Pulling a bar off the ground with a rounded upper back is a recipe for disaster, but unfortunately, it’s par for the course whenever you walk into a commercial gym.

Using the cue “pull the chest tall” is often helpful, but sometimes trainees don’t have the kinesthetic awareness to “feel” what their back is doing.  You can tell someone to arch their back, and they’ll think they’re doing it, but it will still look similar to the picture to the right.

To “stiffen” the upper back, I may just tell them to place their shoulder blades in their back pocket and to “set” their shoulders in place.  Truth be told, this cue often works in unison with pulling the chest tall.

As a pair, those two cues should place an individual in a solid starting position to pull (see pic above in the previous section).

Tuck the Chin

Too, as much as we’re concerned with keeping the entire backside in a neutral (arched) position, we also need to be cognizant of neck position.

If you watch a vast majority of people set up to deadlift, you’ll invariably see them end up looking up or straight ahead, cranking their neck into hyper-extension, kinda like this:

Please, stop doing this.

I like to tell people to find a spot that’s roughly 10-15 feet in front of them, and to keep their eyes fixated on that point throughout the entire set.

Another cue I like to use in this instance is “your head should follow the hinge.”  In other words, during the set-up, your entire back side – from head to sacrum – should make a straight line.  Oftentimes, during the lockout, people will still think I want them to look straight down, which isn’t the case at all.

During lockout your head should be upright and your entire backside should still make a straight line (you’re looking 10-15 feet a head of you).  Then, on the descent, your head will follow the hinge.  As you push your hips back, your head/neck will still stay in line with the actual hinge.

I think that makes sense. If it doesn’t, too bad……;o)

Hump the Bar (Hips Through)

Another common mistake that many trainees make is not “finishing” the movement.  At lockout, you’ll often see one of two scenarios:

1.  No hip extension what-so-ever, and they don’t squeeze their glutes at the top.

2.  HYPER extension – because they’re not using their glutes, they substitute lumbar extension for hip extension……….and their spine cries.

It’s a double edged sword in both scenarios, because in each instance the glutes don’t come into play at all.

Luckily there’s an easy fix. As one comes to lockout, simply tell them to squeeze their glutes and “hump the bar.”

For those in the former (no hip extension), this will serve as a vital cue to use.  Squeezing the glutes at the top will provide more posterior pelvic tilt and help to finish in a more optimal position.

For those in the latter, however (hyper extension), because their glutes don’t fire properly and they’re compensating with excessive lumbar extension, you may need to take a more of hands-on approach and show them where to stop.

Either way, in both cases, squeezing the glutes (humping the bar) will bode in their favor.

And Now You’re (Hopefully) Less Sucky

There are numerous cues I like to use when teaching the deadlift, but these five tend to be the ones that stick out the most.  Sure, we can talk about taking slack out of the bar, foot placement, not destroying the back of your pants, and other more pertinent cues…..but like I noted above, the five above serve as a fantastic foundation and will set a lot trainees up for success.

Have your own cues you find useful?  Share them below in the comments section!

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Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 4/6/12

Two things before we get to the stuff you should be reading:

1.  I’m not going to lie, I kinda want to go see Titanic 3D this weekend. There, I said it. Let the ball busting begin.

I remember when the movie first came out in theaters (SPOILER ALERT:  the ship sinks) – back when I was in college – and being absolutely blown away.  Sure, it had the sappy love story and all that, but the special effects were on point, and well, it did show boob – albeit PG-13 boob.  But boob nonetheless!

Okay, dammit…..you got me.  Yes, I got a little teary eyed when Rose told Jack she’d “never let go.” The first time I saw it (yes, I went twice**), I balled like a little school girl.  The second time, I was on a date, so I was able to hold it together. Sorta.

Whatever.  Don’t play it off like you didn’t get a little emotional during that part, too.

Anyways, I just remember Titanic being one of the more memorable movie experiences – right up there with Grindhouse (easily, the most fun I’ve ever had at the movies), and Avatar (which goes without saying), and I think seeing it in 3D would be kinda cool.  Thing is, I don’t know if I’ll be able to handle Celine Dion’s My Heart Will Go On without fighting off the urge to jump off a cliff.

If you don’t see a blog here on Monday, you’ll know the answer.

2.  My boy Dean Somerset is holding a sweet sale on his best-selling product Post Rehab Essentials all Easter weekend. I have a lot of respect for Dean, I consider him a good friend, and I think he’s one of the brightest minds in the industry when it comes to assessment and program design, which is why I feel this is a MUST HAVE product for any fitness professional to have at their disposal.

To sweeten the pot, Dean’s added two additional incentives on top of the already stellar content:

  • “Developing Medical Referrals for Fitness Professionals” – 40 minute webinar

For this weekend only, the entire package is on sale for only $99, down from the regular $209.  With the money you save, you could watch Titanic like ten times!

15 Commandments for the 3 Big Lifts – Todd Bumgardner

This article drew me in like a moth to a flame.  With a title as simple, basic, and badass as this, how could it not?  The only way I would have clicked on the link quicker is if the article were titled, “Hey, Tony Gentilcore, Click Here to See Naked Pics of Alicia Keys!”

All kidding aside, this is an excellent piece by Todd which provides some solid tips/cues/advice on how to improve your performance with the big 3 – squats, deadlifts, and bench press.

Love it.

5 Questions with a Girl Gone STRONG: Jen Comas Keck – Trey Potter

Trey continues with his on-going series with the Girls Gone Strong crew, and I think this may be the best of the bunch thus far (no offense to the other ladies

 Choose the Best Breakfast Foods – Men’s Health

I thought this was a pretty neat (yes I just used the word neat) idea by Men’s Health to test the breakfast IQ of its readers.  What’s yours?

Well, don’t just stare at the screen…….take the test and find out!

 

** Okay, I actually went three times.  DON’T JUDGE ME!!!!!!!!!!

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A Few Candid Thoughts on Women and Training

Below is a portion of an interview I did for another blog on the topic of women and training.  I thought I’d share some of it here, since I know a fair portion of my audience are women (as well as those who train women).

On a scale 1-10, with 1 being the equivalent of an episode of Grey’s Anatomy and 10 being Rocky IV, this interview is a 10.  Easy.

Enjoy.

On how the media portrays training to women.  Is there any way to change what is being marketed as “exercise” to women?….

TG:  Completely true, and it’s something that I do see changing – albeit at a snail’s pace. Walk down any aisle at your local grocery store, and you’re bound to see numerous “women’s” magazines with a teeny-tiny (airbrushed) actress or model on the cover holding a pink dumbbell underneath some innocuous title like “10 Tips for a Bikini Body” or “Tank Top Triceps!” or something equally as vomit-in-my-mouthish.

In reality, it’s not even the title that’s the most nauseating – it’s the remedial, almost offensive workouts that are attached. I mean, come on:  recommending a workout based solely around a can of soup (which I saw one national magazine publish) – how to curl with it, squat with it, lunge with it, throw it at the editor’s face who decided this was viable fitness information – is a bit of waste of everyone’s time don’t cha think?

But, this is the type of stuff that’s marketed towards women all…….the…….freakin…….time.  As you noted, can you blame women when they curl up in the fetal position whenever you ask them to lift something heavier than their Prada bag?

Note: not every women does this, of course. Many are more than willing to listen. But, it’s pretty comical when you think about it. Many are lugging around bags (and kids!) that are pretty heavy and they don’t bat an eye.

Hand them a 50 lb dumbbell, however, and label it as “exercise,” and all of sudden they’re worried about adding on too much muscle.

Most of what they know about fitness is what the likes of Tracy Anderson regurgitates to them: “no woman should EVER lift a weight heavier than three pounds.”

More to the point, as far as the mainstream media is concerned, I don’t think their formula is going to change anytime soon.  While it’s changing somewhat for the better – they do still have to sell magazines, and what sells magazines are articles with Kim Kardashian on the cover telling the world that performing body weight exercises with high heels on is the key to badonkadonkness.

Thankfully, we have women out there like Nia Shanks, Molly Galbraith, Jen Comas Keck, Neghar Fonooni, and the rest of the Girls Gone Strong crew fighting the good fight and trying to empower women to step away from the elliptical and treadmill.  Likewise, I too try my best to provide information to women that goes against the norm of what they’ve been spoon fed for decades.

I try to debunk as many myths as I can – lifting heavy things WILL NOT make you a She-Man, endless hours of cardio IS NOT the key to fat loss, Yoga WILL NOT make your muscles long and lean, Tracy Anderson IS NOT a credible source of fitness and health information and is about as intelligent as a ham sandwich.  There’s still a very long battle a head, but I do see the tides turning, and it’s a beautiful thing.

On how to convince a woman who is scared to “bulk up” and feels she needs endless amounts of cardio to drop body fat…..

TG:  The best thing I can do as a coach is listen.  I try to ask as many questions as possible and do a little digging.

  • How often do they train?
  •  What has their training looked like?
  •   Are they happy with their results?
  •   If not, how come?
  •  What is their ideal body type?
  •  Why?
  •  What do they feel is holding them back?
  • Team Jacob or team Edward?

So on and so forth.  Once I’m done listening, I then go into a little (not a lot) of what I feel would be the best approach to take given their goals. Almost inevitably, once I start throwing out words like squats, deadlifts, chin-ups, Prowlers, strength training, “we’re going to dominate the world”…….I’ll start to get a little push-back, and many of the same myths and fallacies I described above – things many of these women have been falling prey to for YEARS, with limited (if any) results mind you – rear their ugly heads.

Once that happens, I have one more question for them:  “how’s that working for you?”

Clearly, if their way is the superior way, and it’s the approach they’ve been using for the past 5-10 years…….it MUST be working, right?

Not so much.

To that end, all I ask is that they give me two months.

Give it their all for 60 days and see what happens.  Almost always, after three weeks……..they’re hooked.

Once they start to see (and feel) the confidence they gain, it’s always a done deal. Once they realize that putting an extra ten pounds on the bar won’t turn them into The Rock (and they can fit into their “skinny” jeans), and they start noticing small, incremental changes to their body, the sky’s the limit.

On setting goals

TG: With any client – whether I’m working with a male or female – it’s usually my job to tell them what they need to do, and not what they want to do.  Big difference.

With any client, it’s about getting them outside their comfort zone.  Generally speaking, with women, their Kryptonite is the free-weight area.

Can you blame them?  Who wants to train around a bunch of dudes who smell like they fell into a pool of Axe body spray, stare at themselves in the mirror incessantly, and do stupid stuff like this:

Hell, I don’t want to be around that.

That notwithstanding, having clear and defined (not to mention realistic and attainable) goals is an important component many trainees fail to grasp.  As a trainer or coach, I think it’s crucial to sit down with your client and come up with a goal or set of goals – whether it’s to perform an unassisted, body weight chin-up, shoot for “x” number of lbs on the deadlift, or to lose ten lbs of fat by the end of the month.  Having something to work for gives people a sense of purpose and holds them more accountable in the end.

With the women that I train, they’re going to get coached on all the basic movements – squats, deadlifts, push-ups, etc. Much like you, it’s not uncommon for many of the women I train to boast that someone complimented them on their deadlift form, and I totally dig that!

Even cooler is when they come back with stories about how they were waiting to “jump in” on a certain exercise at the commercial gym, and they warmed-up with the weight that the guy finishing up used on his last set.

In the end, though, it’s about coaching the basics.  There’s no need to make things more complicated than they have to be. Nor is it doing them any favors to “baby” them.  I never quite understood this whole mentality that women can’t train like the boys, and lift some appreciable weight.  Anyone else agree?

 

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Exercises You Should Be Doing: Zercher Goodmornings

Normally with this segment I gravitate towards exercises that fall under one of the three categories:

1.  Those exercises I see most people perform poorly (seated rows, push-up variations, single leg variations, etc).

2.  Those that are new to me, and thus, new to the reader, but can be performed by most everyone without running the risk of poking their eye out (band overhead shrugs, innovative pallof press variations, etc).

3. Those that, you know, activate or mobilize “stuff.”  As an example, HERE.

Today, however, we’re going to kick it up a notch or two (or ten thousand) and enter beast mode territory.  Because, well, why not?

I heart goodmornings.  But I also understand that they’re a fairly advanced exercise (okay, uber advanced exercise) that I feel only those with a solid 1-2 years of “real” strength training should utilize.

With that said, here’s some criteria before moving on:

  • As noted above:  it’s preferred that one has at least 1-2 years of solid training experience under his or her belt before attempting this exercise.
  • This isn’t an exercise that I’m just going to haphazardly throw into the mix unless I feel completely confident that someone knows what they’re doing.
  • You must have a SOLID foundation of squatting and deadlifting technique.  If at any point someone makes the this face (——>) while you’re performing either of the two, you definitely should not be performing goodmornings.
  • Why?  It’s pretty well known that the spine can handle compressive loading like a G6, and as such, we can sometimes get away with less than stellar technique. When it comes to shear loading, though, the water gets a little murkier and having a client perform goodmornings (which is shear loading central) when they’re not prepared for it, is a recipe for disaster.

Still, I do find that goodmornings are an excellent strength training exercise that, when performed correctly, has it’s advantages.

For starters, it’s an awesome movement that hammers the posterior chain and serves as a key accessory movement to the deadlift (which is probably why I like them so much).

Secondly, and pigging back on the point above, due to the anterior bar placement and subsequent control of shear loading, it forces people to get into more t-spine extension.

Note: This is, of course, assuming that they’re able to do it in the first place. If one has questionable t-spine mobility (particularly in extension), I’d probably pass on this exercise and opt for safer, more manageable alternatives.

And lastly, speaking from a personal perspective, goodmornings serve as an  “indicator movement,” which helps me better gauge my progress with the deadlift (and squat for that matter).  Because the goodmorning so closely strengthens the same muscle groups, whenever I see improvements in its performance, I can almost guarantee my deadlift and squat numbers improve as well.

There is a caveat.  Outside of someone’s preparedness to do them, goodmornings can be problematic for those with a history of cranky shoulders.  Due to the bar placement, which places the shoulders in the “at risk” position for impingement (abduction and external rotation), unless one has access to specialty bars such as a Giant Cambered Bar or Safety Squat Bar, traditional goodmornings probably are not the best option.

…which is where Zerchers come in.

Key Coaching Cues:  set the bar at or around chest height so that it’s easier to place it in the crook of your elbows.  It’s going to take some experimentation, and yes it’s about as comfortable as washing your face with broken glass, but deal with it.  Worse case, if you find it’s excruciating, you CAN place a towel between the bar and your elbows.  Don’t worry, I won’t judge.

“Hug” the bar close to your chest and keep the chin tucked throughout the set. Un-rack the weight, take two steps back and get your air.  I like to tell people to make themselves look fat and fill their belly with air – doing so increases intra-abdominal pressure and improves spinal stability.

Too, you need to make sure to arch like a bastard – particularly when pushing your hips back.  When doing so, you feel a significant “stretch” in the hamstrings.

If you can visualize it:  the bottom position of the goodmorning (in terms of feet/hip/back placement) should be about the same as your starting position for the deadlift.  The back should not be rounded in any way.

From there, you’ll reverse the direction making sure to finish “tall.”  Both your hips and knees should lock out and you should squeeze your glutes hard at the top.

I prefer not to go crazy with the reps here, and tend to keep these in the 4-6 rep range. Since it’s such a technique heavy movement, and requires Jedi-like precision, using high(er) rep schemes which induce more fatigue isn’t wise.

Like I said, this is a little bit of a break from the norm in terms of exercises I normally cover in this series, but if you’re looking to kick it up a notch and add a certain level of badassesery to your training, these may fit the bill.

Let me know what you think!

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Miscelleneous Miscellany Monday: My Writing Process, People Are Awesome, How Real Men Bake

1. I wanted to start things off this week with a pretty cool email I received a while back:

Tony – You are a busy guy and I respect that, but I decided to shoot you at least one e-mail ’cause you inspire me as a trainer, writer, and a person in general.

I wanted to ask you: How do you write? This is such a difficult and broad question for you, but could you tell me a bit about your writing process. What I’m inspired by is that a) you have a lot of material, b) you have lots of funny stuff in your articles. How could I improve my articles in those areas? More fun and more material.

First off, THANK YOU for such kind words.  I’ve stated it before, and I bears repeating….it’s somewhat surreal for me at times that my writing reaches so many people and that there are a handful out there who don’t think I suck. I sincerely appreciate the support, and it’s my hope that I only get better.

With all the sappy stuff out of the way:  This is a topic I’ve elaborated on in the past, but as far my own writing process is concerned here are some basic truths:

  • I don’t really consider myself a “writer” in every sense of the word. Sure, I spend a large portion of my free time writing and I do get paid to write, but it’s still something I have yet to accept.  Vonnegut was a writer. Hemingway was a writer.  Me? Not so much.  I’m just some dude who lifts heavy things, tells other people to lift heavy things, and has an uncanny ability to throw two coherent sentences together in a somewhat amusing, entertaining, and intelligent fashion.  Poop!
  • It’s definitely NOT easy for me. While I’ve gotten a lot better over the years, and have seen a definite growth in my writing style, it’s no cake walk for me.  For some, writing is a seamless activity – like writing a check or clipping their finger nails – and the prose they write comes across as easy and fluid.  For me, however, writing is about as easy as giving an elephant a bath. I fuss over every word and sentence, and sometimes it takes me hours just to write one page.  That is, of course, assuming I can think of anything to write in the first place.
  • I just try to be myself.  Being myself completely changes the dynamic of the writing process for me.  Being myself allows me to write in a way that comes across as if I were sitting across the table from someone just shooting the breeze.  Because of this, I think my writing resonates with a lot people and I’m able to get my message across more effectively.  I think where a lot of “writers” fail is that they try too hard to be someone (or something) they’re not, and their writing comes across as such – stiff and robotic.
  • Invest in yourself. It wasn’t until maybe two years ago that I came to the realization that writing was a viable source of income for me, and something that I really enjoyed doing.  To that end, I signed up for a Creative Non-Fiction writing class this past winter which allowed me to explore the writing process with other writers.  And can I just say how relieved I was to know that there were others out there who struggled just as much as me.
  • As well, I began to purchase books on writing.  On Writing Well is a book that helped me a lot, as did It Was the Best of Sentences, It Was the Worst of Sentences. But the grand-daddy of them all, the book that really knocked my socks off, kicked me in the mouth, and really opened up my eyes was  Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott.  Get it, and thank me later.
  • In the end, you just need to write. The only way you’re going to get better at writing is by, well, writing.  Poop jokes optional.

2.  Just wanted to give a shout-out (WHOOT WHOOT) to two of my online distance coaching clients, Conor and Brandon.

Conor: Joined the 300 bench press club this past weekend.  Crushed it in fact.

Brandon:  set a new squat PR (375 lbs) this past weekend in his powerlifting meet.

To both gentlemen, I offer you a WHOOT WHOOT and a “This is Sparta kick……….”

3. A sign that people are awesome:   I came home Friday to a frantic girlfriend. I walk in the door and she immediately says, “something bad happened.” At first I thought maybe she heard they were making another Sex in the City movie. They’re not…..WHEW.

Anyways, she explained that she somehow lost the rent check and had no idea where it went. Between the time she left the apartment to run some errands and when she reached in her pocket to deliver the check, it disappeared.

We thought maybe she dropped it on the sidewalk or accidentally put it in the mailbox along with the other mail. Either way, on my way out to walk to the bank to cancel the check, I see an envelop with my name (and address) on the cover in the entrance way to our building. In it was the rent check with a note that said “found this on the sidewalk on Beacon St. Be well – Sue”

Whoever Sue is……THANK YOU!!!

 

4.  For those looking for something to pass the time during your long commutes to and from work (or you just need to quench your nerd fix for the day), check out On Target’s Movement Lectures, which a partnership between Gray Cook, Lee Burton (the founders of the Functional Movement Screen), and Laree Draper.

As of right now, they’re offering 44 audio lectures (with typeset transcripts) from some of the brightest minds in the industry, and the list is going to be growing monthly. I’ve already listened to a handful, and have had my mind thoroughly blown.

5.  Look for a new t-nation.com article from me shortly.  I just submitted one late last week, and while I can’t say I’ll be Ben Bruno’esque with my writing frequency (the guy is a freakin machine), I will say that with the facility a bit quieter for the next few months, I should have the opportunity to get a lot more writing done in the foreseeable future.

6.  It’s no secret I’m a heavy advocate for eating whole, REAL, foods.  The less processed the better if you ask me.  Still, there are numerous people (and nutritionist for that matter) who, despite knowing better, like to push off things like 100 calorie snack packs as viable “healthy” options.

Taking it a step further, when it comes to Western medicine, while not always the case, you’re more apt to find doctors pushing the latest pills rather than educating their patients.

For those still not convinced that food can be a powerful healer, check out THIS latest post over on Mike Reinold’s blog titled Food as Medicine.  Awesome stuff.

7.  And lastly, this was a picture my brother-in-law sent me that made me split out my omelet this morning.