A few weeks ago I was contacted by Lisa Shaughnessy of The Fitness Marketing Q & A Show about coming onto her show and talking about Star Wars trivia.
LOLzzzz. Okay, kidding. As if the name didn’t give it away, the show really revolves around fitness marketing.
Outside of beef jerky, Matt Damon, and maybe the occasional re-run of old 90210 episodes on tv, there’s really nothing more I love than talking about myself. But really, who doesn’t love to do that?
Me, me, me, and me. It’s all about ME!!!!!
Putting everything into context, however, I’ve never really thought of myself as a “marketing” type of guy. I see the word “marketing” and automatically think of those cheesy infomercials that everyone watches when they’re up late and can’t fall asleep.
And if I were really going to be honest, I’m not that much of a fan talking about myself.
I mean, I do what I do and just kind of go with the flow. It’s how I’ve always been.
Suffice it to say, by no means do I consider myself a marketing expert, but giving credit where credit is due, I feel I’ve done a decent job of building my “brand” and establishing myself as someone who doesn’t suck in this industry.
Although, I’m sure there are some out there who may disagree….;o)
That said, for those interested, below is a link to the show (it’s around 45 minutes) where Lisa and I cover, among other things:
How having a system in place improved my online coaching program (as well as discussing the advantages and DISADVANTAGES to coaching people in a distance based situation).
How writing for a local publication can be more important for your business than a national publication.
Hear how I used writing, podcasting and speaking engagements to help my information reach a wider audience.
What’s my promise for 2013. Hint: it’s something I feel everyone should be doing, but I haven’t gotten around to doing it myself (tsk tsk tsk).
I think it’s definitely worth your time, and hopefully gives people a little more insight on what I’ve done to help “mold” my career. If nothing else, you get the chance to listen to my sultry voice while you’re driving your car or wherever it is you choose to listen.
I’d love to hear your feedback, and I know Lisa would as well!
I know some reading are going to scoff at the title of this post and immediately go off on some diatribe about how pull-throughs are so 2002 and about why we’re even having this conversation in the first place when we can just mosey on over to the corner of the gym, grab a kettlebell, and swing away to our hearts content.
Everyone knows that kettlebells are far superior in every way – whether we’re referring to hip hinge patterning, posterior chain strength, explosiveness, overall conditioning, or some of its lesser known uses like how awesome it is as a door stopper, fish line sinker, or paper weight.
I agree that kettlebells are fantastic tool in the exercise toolbox, very versatile, and something that I implement into my programs quite often. However, as with anything else, there’s a time and place for them.
In my opinion pull-throughs are one of the more underrated exercises out there, which is unfortunate because it offers a lot of advantages in its own right.
A look at from a few vantage points:
1. It’s very user friendly. Granted, with proper coaching, a KB swing can be easily taught within 5-10 minutes. The key point to consider, though, is “proper coaching.” I don’t know about you, but Iv’e been in my fair share of commercial gyms and I can count on one hand the total number of times I’ve seen someone perform a proper KB swing – and this includes those who are actually under the supervision of a trainer!
Needless to say, there’s a lot more to a KB swing than just casually picking one up and hoisting it around like it’s some kind of toy light saber.
I find that pull-throughs are a much more “convenient” way to introduce the hip hinge pattern to people – especially those with limited training experience under their belt.
What’s more, not everyone has access to kettlebells, and pretty much everyone has access to a cable system. So there.
2. Furthermore, and going along with the whole versatility angle, pull-throughs are a staple amongst powerlifters (it’s a fantastic accessory exercise for the hamstrings and glutes), as well as beginners who are just learning their way around the weightroom.
3. Likewise, there’s very little spinal loading (assuming form is up to snuff) so it’s a fantastic option for those people working around back pain as it forces people to learn to dissociate the hips from the lumbar spine. If anything it helps to slow people down, which is an important factor when trying to learn a new pattern.
All that said, despite the seemingly innocuous nature of the exercise people tend to butcher its execution. In the video below I discuss some common mistakes as well as a few coaching cues I often use to help clean up technique. Hope it helps!
Whenever people think of Cressey Performance, there are probably two things that immediately pop into their heads:
1. Deadlifts. And….
2. Baseball.
And neither of the two should come as a surprise. For starters, we kinda have an affinity for deadlifts. Walk into the facility at any given moment throughout the day and you’re bound to find someone pulling something heavy off the ground.
Likewise, and with respects to the latter, roughly 85% of our clientele are Victoria Secret models baseball players.
And while many people are under the impression that we solely train baseball players, that couldn’t be further from the truth. I mean come on: I literally just said that 85% of our clientele are baseball players. You weren’t listening were you? WERE YOU!?!?!??!
Sometimes it’s like I’m talking to a brick wall.
In fact, we’ve had every sport imaginable train underneath our roof. You name the sport, and it’s likely we’ve worked with them: softball, tennis, volleyball, football, ultimate frisbee, hockey, basketball, wrestling, boxing, field hockey, swimming, lacrosse, and you can even add fencing into that pile. Totally not kidding.
About the only sport(s) that haven’t made an appearance are ice curling, synchronized swimming, and competitive eating (if that can even be considered a “sport”).
But lets dial in the conversation to soccer. We’ve trained our fair share of soccer players at CP ranging from high school players to recreational players to even having a cameo appearance by the likes of USA Women’s team member Lori Lindsey on occasion. What what!
Given that soccer is the most popular and widely played sport in the world, I thought I’d share a guest post by both Eric and Chris Martinez (AKA: the Dynamic Duo).
I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I enjoy reading research about as much as I enjoy getting dropped kicked in the face. Which is to say: I freakin hate it.
This isn’t to say that I don’t do it: I just don’t like it. At all.
But thankfully Eric and Chris were kind enough to review a recent squat study as it relates to soccer players, and I felt I’d share here on my blog.
Enjoy!
Soccer Players: To Squat or Not to Squat?
GOOOOAAAALLL! We’ve got one question for all of you soccer players…Do you SQUAT? Although we are not expecting any answers back at the moment, we do hope you are saying yes to your computer screen while reading this.
It’s not a coincidence if you are reading this and questioning, “Well, why should I squat if I do indeed play soccer?”
In all honesty, we could sit here and explain all the great benefits of squats, but that could take a whole other article itself to school everyone on. Instead, we would like to breakdown a study that the great Chris Beardsley and Bret Contreras discovered and dissected on their fantastic Strength and Conditioning Research.
The aforementioned study revolves around how strength training can lead to increases in power and speed for elite soccer players.
So, if you’re a soccer player or coach soccer players we highly recommend you sit back, relax, turn off the FC Barcelona game on the flat screen for a bit and take some notes.
If you are a current soccer player or former soccer player, you should know that the sport involves movements that involve speed and power. Ask any Strength and Conditioning coach how important those two elements are for athletic performance. We promise they will tell you it is very damn important for sports performance. If you want to be the best, you have to train like the best!
Back to our original question: If you play soccer do you squat?
We asked this question because the study we are about to break down by Keiner et al. shows strong correlations that sprint performance and leg strength can improve by doing both back squats and front squats. Man, if only we knew this back in our days when playing futbol, aka soccer. We probably would have been bending it like Beckham 😉
So What Did the Researchers Do?
The researchers wanted to track the development of 30m sprint performance in youth soccer players over a 2-year strength training intervention. So, they recruited 134 elite soccer players, not world cup stars ladies and gents.
The players were subdivided into three age-groups (A, B and C cohorts) and the average ages of each group were 17, 15 and 13, respectively.
To be very clear here, the participants in each cohort were divided into two groups. One group (Strength training group [STG]) was subjected to regular soccer training in addition to strength training twice a week for 2 years. The other group (Control group [CG]) completed only the regular soccer training.
The strength training group performed their workouts on non-consecutive days and the exercises varied between the parallel front and back squats during the week and also performed bench presses, deadlifts, neck presses, and exercises for the trunk muscles as well as the standing row.
Squat training for the strength-training group was periodized such that following initial technique training, the subjects started with a hypertrophy training block, which comprised 5 sets of 10 repetitions with 3-minutes rest between each set.
The next training block comprised a strength period of 5 sets of 6 repetitions with 3-minutes rest between each set followed by an additional training block of 5 sets of 4 repetitions with 5-minutes rest between each set.
The researchers measured 30m sprint times, including splits every 5m, and maximum 1RM front and back squat strength after two years of training.
So What Happened After All of This?
For Maximum Strength, the researchers reported that the strength-training subgroups of all three age-groups displayed greater improvements in the front and back squat 1RMs than the control sub-groups.
For 30m Sprinting Performance, the researchers found that in the A and C groups, the strength-training sub-group displayed significantly better reductions in sprint time than the control sub-group at each 5m split time between 5m and 30m. They found that in the B group, there was a significant difference between the strength-training and control sub-groups at the 5m, 20m and 25m splits.
Correlations; the researchers performed a correlation analysis and found that there was a significantly positive but moderate relationship between strength gains in 1RM expressed relative to body weight and improvement in sprint performance in all age groups.
The correlations were highest for the first 15m of sprinting, indicating the greater importance of squat strength for accelerating rather than maximal speed sprinting.
What Did the Researchers Conclude?
The researchers concluded that a strength training program involving front and back squats led to a positive improvement in the sprinting performances of young soccer players. Pretty cool. Right?
Wrapping It All Up
As you can see the research doesn’t lie. Of course there were limitations, but all studies have limitations. And, at the end of the day if those do not agree with these findings, that’s ok too because science is always open to debate.
We can definitely tell you from anecdotal experience that squats and front squats will 99.9% of the time increase speed, power, hypertrophy, strength, and overall athletic performance. In other words, we highly agree and approve of this study by Keiner et al.
So, just too briefly recap, if you are a soccer player, coach, or just an overall jock, we highly recommend you implement some sort of squat variations into your training regimen to maximize your full potential.
Don’t get us wrong here ladies and gents, we are not asking you to go load up a squat bar and max out for 500 lbs. We are simply saying whether its conventional back squats or front squats that you chose to do, do them with proper precautions, make sure you squat deep, and don’t be afraid to progressively overload.
And hey, if you squat more often, maybe you will score more GOOOOOAAAAALLLLLSSSS than the famous “Pele” did.
“No Excuses, Only Solutions”
References:
1). Influence of a 2-year strength training programme on power performance in elite youth soccer players, by Sander Keiner, Wirth and Schmidtbleicher, in European Journal of Sport Science, 2012.
2.) Chris Beardsley and Bret Contreras, 2012.
About the Authors
Chris and Eric Martinez, CISSN, CPT, BA, also known as the “Dynamic Duo” operate a world class personal training and online training business “Dynamic Duo Training.” They’re also fitness and nutrition writers, fitness models, and coaches that love helping people reach their goals. Their philosophy is “No excuses, only solutions.”
I had every intention of getting up this morning and writing a killer post on rest/pause training, but last night’s telecast of the Oscars kinda put a damper on that.
Not surprisingly, I ended up watching all 17 hours of the show, and needless to say didn’t get to bed until pretty late.
And while I understand that admitting I love to watch the Oscars places me in the stratosphere of ultimate nerdom, at least I don’t play World of Warcraft….;o)
A few candid highlights:
1. Really glad to see that Silver Linings Playbook didn’t win for Best Picture. If it had won, I would have likened it to the travesty of when Shakespeare in Love won for Best Picture over Saving Private Ryan.
Yes, that happened over 15 years ago and I’m still bitter about it.
I love quirky, off-kilter movies (Moonrise Kingdom, anyone!), but this one in my opinion was vasty OVERrated and I don’t really get why it has gotten so many accolades. Sure, hats off to the film makers for making an effort to bring mental illness to the forefront, but when Lisa and I went and saw this back in the fall (before everyone hopped on the bandwagon and it became “cool” to say you went to see it), we were both pretty meh about it.
Lisa almost wanted to walk out.
Anyways, I was happy to see Argo take the award home. After being snubbed by the academy for a Best Director nod (although the guy who ended up winning, Ang Lee, for Life of Pi, 100% deserved to win), it was great see Ben Affleck get some recognition.
2. Really happy to see that my boy Tarantino took home the prize for Best Screenplay.
3. In watching a bit of the pre-show I couldn’t help but wonder: if we put as much scrutiny into solving our national debt issues as we do into best dressed, we’d probably accomplish something.
For the record, Lisa’s pick for best dressed went current woman George Clooney won’t marry, Stacy Kiebler:
4. Seth MacFarlane’s opening number “We Saw Your Boobs” was pretty freaking funny.
Note to Self: Tony, if you haven’t already, make it a point to watch every movie he mentioned.
5. I couldn’t help but notice that 90% of the guys who won for behind-the-scenes stuff like Sound Mixing, Cinematography, Editing, etc all had creepy long hair like the villain from Die Hard:
So yeah, I was up late, slept in, and since I’m running short on time this morning I figured I’d start the week with my list of stuff to read:
Some days you feel like a rockstar, and on others, the second you wake up you feel like you’ve been run over by a mack truck.
While I can count on one hand the total number of times I’ve skipped a scheduled training session my entire life, for many, they’ll use any excuse possible to get out of going to the gym.
The slightest hint of a headache or a hang-nail, and they’re hightailing it to their couch instead of the squat rack.
While there are certainly cases were heading to the gym if you’re not feeling well is more counterproductive than anything else, I’d argue that you can still get a heckuva training effect if you just tweak a few things here and there.
This article sheds some light on that very notion.
I’m embarrassed to say that when I was originally sent this article from someone else and read the first few paragraphs, I thought it was serious.
Apparently I forgot to eat my bowl of sarcasm flakes that morning.
This was an absolutely HILARIOUS post by Chris, and while the article itself is very entertaining, the comments section is borderline addicting. Grab a chair, maybe prepare some popcorn, and enjoy!
Act of Sportsmanship – If This Doesn’t Make You Teary Eyed, You’re the Spawn of Satan
Okay that’s probably a bit drastic, and I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. But for all of those people reading (like me) who generally go out of their way to avoid watching the news because of its incessant negativity, this story is quite the contrast.
I received an email the other day from a good friend of mine, Jon Goodman, whom many of you may recognize from The Personal Training Development Center (an awesome, FREE, resource for any trainers out there reading), as well as such book as Ignite the Fire, Race to the Top, and his soon-to-be-released project, Viralnomics, which he’s currently writing in Hawaii. On a beach. While starring at the ocean. And probably being hand fed grapes and coconut milk.
I hate you Jon. I hate you so much……;o)
Anyways, he reached out to me the other day with an interesting query, and I felt compelled to use it as blog post today as I know there are a lot of trainers, coaches, and exercise enthusiasts who read my site on a daily basis (thank you) who often contemplate and express interest in writing. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, many wind up dragging their heels out of intimidation or frustration.
Anyways, here’s Jon’s email he sent in its entirety:
Hey man,
I’ve got a question for you because it’s something that I’ve struggled with a lot and continue to struggle with. Perhaps you can lend some insight.
I’m asking you because you are the most consistent blogger out there. You pump out quality content multiple times a week and have been doing it for years.
So here’s my question:
How do you not get bored? You manage to keep the information fresh and always write in an inviting and entertaining tone but let’s be honest, how many articles have you written about deadlifts, and women lifting weights, and shoulder health etc.
I seem to lose interest really quickly.
Any ideas to ignite my fire?
Note: what follows isn’t (entirely) what I sent to Jon. Some of it is, but I also added a bit more knowing that 1) I had more to add and 2) I knew a fair number of people reading would hopefully benefit from it.
First off: how in the heck am I supposed to “ignite the fire” for a guy who wrote a book titled Ignite the Fire? Talk about pressure!!!
Your question is a good one, and it’s something that I’ve struggled with myself all…..the……time.
I get writer’s block just like everyone else, and often find myself sitting in front of my computer screen thinking to myself, “I have absolutely no idea what to write about today.”
I’ll load up on some caffeine……nada.
I’ll put on some classic music to inspire some creative juices……nope.
Hell, I’ll even talk to my cat who’s usually lying there right next to me….and that generally leads to nowhere. Except for a slight detour to Snugglesville, USA.
While it rarely happens, it happens. And when it does, sometimes I just call a spade and spade, admit that I don’t have anything to say that day, and go make a tuna sandwich.
Typically, though, I somehow I manage to fight through it, and feel the following strategies and insights are what help the most as far as helping me continue to stay consistent with my writing:
1. I write! I’m stubborn like that. Giving full disclosure: the whole process of writing does not come easy to me. I used to struggle quite a bit just to type 500 words.
500 words gave the impression that I was writing my own version of War and Peace.
While that’s a bit of an exaggeration, it’s what it felt like back in the day.
Sometimes it’s still an arduous task, and I feel like throwing my face through a wall. But as with anything, it’s about setting a schedule and sticking to it.
For the most part, every morning from 7-9 AM, I sit in front of my laptop and write. That’s what I’m doing right now, and it seems to works for me.
Some people on the other hand, like John Romaniello, prefer to do the bulk of their writing at night. That’s when he feels he’s most productive.
Everyone operates differently, and maybe it’s just a matter of finding out when you feel you’re most productive and your creative juices are flowing?
2. I think one of the things that keeps me “fresh” is that I’m not scared to go off-topic when I want to. I mean, I have Miscellaneous Miscellany Mondays which allow me to write about movies, books I’m reading, hot chicks, and/or discuss cool restaurants that my girlfriend and I go to.
Take for example this past weekend. While I ended up NOT making this part of some random blog post, I easily could have.
Feeling absolutely drained from the previous work week, I had absolutely no intention of doing any work at home. Sometimes I carve out a little time on Sunday to catch up on programs I need to write or any articles I need to work on. This past Sunday, however, I was a complete sloth.
Instead I decided my time would be better spent watching a Michael Mann marathon. In succession I watched The Last of Mohicans, Collateral, and The Insider.
All of them were ones I’ve seen before – repeatedly – but I love Michael Mann and always enjoy watching his films and dissecting every nook and cranny that come with them. The man is a perfectionist to the “t,” and it’s not unheard of for him to use 50 takes for any one scene.
I think Collateral is one of the most underrated movies of the past decade, and I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve reacted the scene from The Last of the Mohicans where Daniel Day Lewis’s character screams, “You STAY ALIVE. I will find you, no matter what occurs.”
I give an Oscar worthy performance every time – except, you know, instead of Madeline Stowe saying her lines back to me, I use a pillow, and I don’t end everything by plunging through 50+ foot waterfall after the fact.
But other than that, it’s uncanny how spot on I am.
And while I can’t say for sure, I think some of what makes my blog and writing style so “successful” is the fact that it’s relatable and that it’s not uncommon for me to talk about non-fitness stuff.
I’m not just some strength and conditioning cyborg that does nothing but talk about deadlifts and how to address glenohumeral internal rotation deficit.
I think much of what keeps me engaged and interested in my own writing is that I’m not apprehensive to go off-topic, take myself too seriously, and throw in the occasional poop joke from time to time.
Make sense?
So, with that, maybe you just need to write about other stuff? Not that you need to go into heavy detail on your personal life or anything, but don’t be scared to open up just a teeny tiny bit and give people more of a taste of your personality.
I find that when I do that, I get into a sorta “flow,” which makes transitioning into what I ACTUALLY want to write about – fitness, training, making people more badass – easier.
3. But I’ll be honest…..I’m lucky in that I live in a perfect bubble where I’m surrounded with a lot of bright people at the facility. I have Eric (Cressey), Greg Robins, Chris Howard, and all of our interns (who are always eager to talk shop) by my side all day, and we’re always bouncing ideas and thoughts off one another.
If anything, this environment serves as the perfect “incubator” for coming up with new ideas and things to write about.
Along the same lines, we have staff in-services every week. We tend to alternate on a week to week basis where we discuss anything from assessment, program design, case studies, or why Eric is so obsessed with Linkin Park.
Too, we’ll often have people come in to perform in-services. Case in point, Mike Reinold came in a few weeks ago and discussed which is more important to establish first: stability or mobility?
That’s actually a trick question, because neither matter much if someone is out of ALIGNMENT.
As Mike noted, if you stretch into mis-alignment, you create more instability.
Conversely, if you strengthen into mis-alignment, you create more muscular imbalances.
This is easily something I may turn into a blog post in the near future.
Additionally, I have any number of clients and athletes who ask me questions (or say something completely asinine) that I can use as ammo for blog posts or articles.
I can’t advocate going out of your way to surround yourself with more like-minded individuals enough. Even if it’s just going to observe someone else coaching for a day or heading to a local commercial gym to watch people train is enough to spark some kind of fire.
With the latter, you may even be lucky enough to find blogging gold like this:
You’re welcome.
4. Another thing to consider – and this will definitely pertain to Jon (it’s not unheard of for him to write 8,000+ words per day) – is possibly thinking about writing LESS. Just like people in other careers who tend to burn out and go “postal,” the same can apply to those who engage in a fair amount of writing.
I make it a point of posting a blog 3-5 times per week, which can easily stock pile the word count on a weekly basis. And this doesn’t take into consideration all the time that goes into answering emails and writing articles.
I’m sure there are some out there who may feel otherwise, but I “think” I’m able to provide solid content with each and every post. But I don’t consider it the end of the world if I truly have nothing to say on any given day.
If that’s the case, I don’t write. Simple as that. Or, I just find someone to write a guest post for me instead (Holla!).
To that end, maybe for some it’s a matter of CUTTING BACK and reducing their writing frequency. Sort of analogous to a deload week from training.
I’ve often found that when I take a day or two off from writing content-heavy posts, I’m able to come back with a bang.
5. Lastly, this doesn’t necessarily pertain to Jon, as I know he’s well read guy. But for others out there who are still paying attention and have made it this far (which is saying something), go out of your way to read. A lot.
I’ve stated on numerous occasions that I’m reading anywhere from 2-4 things simultaneously – most of which are related to my field, but not always. I’m always reading some non-fiction (Malcolm Gladwell, Dan Ariely, Michael Lewis, etc) and fiction too (anything but Twilight).
I’m constantly in awe (and envious) of certain writers, and often gain valuable insight and pick up on lesser known things like style, sentence structure, and how to use a semicolon correctly. Still learning that last one.
And all of this isn’t to say that I know what the hell I’m talking about. I don’t really even consider myself a “writer,” but in the 6+ years that I’ve been doing it, I like to think that I’ve picked up a thing or two.
Anyways, I hope that helps somewhat. Certainly nothing earth shattering, but hopefully it helps shed some light.
Okay, not that I had any qualms or regrets with writing the pregnancy post the other day, because I was more than happy to do it; it’s something that had been running around in my head ANd I wanted to address it for a while now, and a topic I wanted to tackle sooner rather than later; and more importantly, I feel it’s a message that’s going to help a lot of people down the road.
But lets be honest: it was definitely something off the beaten path from what I normally write, and I’m sure there were a fair number of people who read the title and immediately high-tailed it in the other direction.
So, to make up for it, I wrote an article not too long ago for T-Nation that went live yesterday on what else….
[Drumroll please…….]
Deadlifts!
I know, I know – I write about deadlifts about as often as a bear shits in the woods, and I promise this will be the last one for a while. No, seriously….I mean it this time.
Nonetheless I feel there are a number of tips that can be gleaned from this article, so check it out and let me know what you think.
I can just smell the testosterone rising. Enjoy!
It’s no secret that I love deadlifts. I try to write about other things that inspire me – squatting, pull-ups, seeing Nadine Velazquez naked in the first 5 minutes of Flight – yet I’m constantly drawn back to the mighty pull like a jacked-up sockeye salmon returning to its pristine natal waters to spawn.
Fortunately for me, if the amount of email I receive asking about improving deadlifting performance is any indication, the majority of T Nation readers feel the same way.
So what follows are a few lesser-known tricks and tweaks that you can use to quickly improve your deadlift technique and bust through plateaus.
These tricks won’t turn you into Andy Bolton over night, but they could, to steal a line from Dave Tate, take you from “Shit to Suck” – which is still pretty good.
And, if you play your cards right, maybe even from Suck to Good!
Okay, I know what some of you may be thinking: What does someone who burps out loud, hates The Notebook1, and pees standing up know about the female body, let alone guiding and training someone through what’s arguably the most precious, magical, and delicate time of their life?
Well, first off: Not for nothing, I took health class in 9th grade, so I know were babies come from Mr. Smarty Pants. For those who don’t know, when a man and a woman love one another they place a note in a bottle and throw it into the sea.
Eventually a mermaid reads it, sends her pet seahorse to the Galapagos Islands where he then relays the message to Henry the stork. And wah-lah……a baby arrives nine months later.
Don’t argue with me, it’s science.
Secondly, more to the point (and a bit less tongue-in-cheek), in the ten years that I’ve been a strength coach I’ve worked with and trained a number of women through their pregnancies, and since two of my female clients are currently less than three weeks away from “go time” I thought I’d share some of my own thoughts on the topic (as well as those from people who reached out through this blog).
Admittedly I have a strong viewpoint on this topic and recognize that not everyone will agree with me (and that’s cool). But it’s my hope that this post at least opens up the conversation and helps encourage people to think outside the box.
For me there’s a massive dichotomy between what I do and what most (not all) of the research says we should be doing.
Obligatory disclaimer: every pregnancy is different; each woman needs to consider her own specific situation.
No one should be made to feel guilty or lazy if they need to take it easy; the health of the baby and mother are paramount.
While it definitely comes down to the individual, their comfort level, listening to their body, as well as their past training history, I find it somewhat disheartening that there are health professionals out there (both primary and tertiary, as well as many of us in the fitness realm), and even more articles, that suggest that “training” should revolve around light walking and what mounts to folding laundry.
For me, when I’m working with someone who’s expecting, it’s about preparing them for something a helluva lot more significant than lifting pink dumbbells, or for that matter anything I’ll ever have to do.
I mean, I think it’s an accomplishment when I can shave my head without missing a spot.
In my eyes, if they’re able to grow and push a human being out of their body, they’re capable of lifting a barbell off the ground.
Sometimes even over their head. Repeatedly.
But let me be clear, and this is going to serve as the proverbial umbrella of the entire conversation:
It ALWAYS comes down to one’s comfort level.
Regardless of one’s experience in the gym, whether they’re a seasoned veteren or a newbie, I always tell them to listen to their body. After a few hundred thousand years of evolution, the human body is pretty smart and will let you know when it’s pissed off or doesn’t like something.
Now, I’m not insinuating that every expecting mother out there should go out and try to hit deadlift PRs on a weekly basis or snatch a mack truck over their head. But I’m certainly in the camp that feels we can offer a lot more than simply telling them to “go walk on the treadmill” or what mounts to playing patty cake for shits and giggles.
As an example, here’s CP client Whitney G performing some heavy(ish) deadlifts at roughly 32 weeks out.
And I say “heavy(ish)” because the weight in this video is no where near her best effort, but is still a heckuva lot more impressive than what many non-pregnant women throw around.
To that end, because this is a gargantuan topic, and because my head is spinning at several different directions, and it’s something that I couldn’t possibly cover in one simple blog post, I’m just going to shoot from the hip and list things out in random order. I like lists, so whatever.
1. Before I begin I’d be doing a huge disservice to the discussion at hand if I didn’t point people in the direction of Cassandra Forsytheand Julia Ladewski, both of whom are two very strong (and very smart) females who have written extensively on women training through their pregnancy.
Just do a search on both their sites (linked to above) and you should have no issues finding quality information.
On that same front, if anyone reading has any high-quality websites, blogs, or general information they’d like people to know about PLEASE link to them in the comments section below.
Julia Ladewski
2. Just to give you a little insight into the type of information being regurgitated out there: one of the females that I’m training right now has a friend who told her that when she was pregnant, her physician recommended that a great way to get more protein in her diet was to pound milk shakes.
Many women fall into the trap that, “well, you’re eating for two!” Granted, there’s no doubt the metabolic demands of the body increases when another human being is growing inside of it, but lets not get too carried away here. Most of the research and material I’ve read says that an increase of 400 kcals per day is more than enough to cover one’s bases, and to ensure adequate fuel for the body and the growing fetus.
Giving that a little perspective, 400 kcals mounts to roughly four (standard) tablespoons of peanut butter. That’s it.
No need to go crazy with a quarter-pounder with cheese, a baker’s dozen from Krispy Kreme, and a liter of Coke. Don’t try to disenfranchise yourself into thinking that just because you’re preggers, means you can go bonkers with the calories.
Just a little dose of “tough love” there to get things started.
3. While the topic of nutrition is HIGHLY individual, when in doubt stress protein. But really, I don’t care what side of the fence you preside on: low carb, Paleo, Vegetarian, Vegan, or whether you only eat foods that start with the letter Q (I can’t of more than five off the top of my head). The important thing to remember is to provide adequate calories, and try to keep them to as many whole, nutrient dense, un-processed foods as possible.
4. Take your fish oil. If you’re already taking fish oil, take more of it – but be sure it’s a HIGH-quality fish oil. If you choose not to participate in strenuous exercise just to be safe and to keep your mind at ease, that’s perfectly fine. But it doesn’t make much sense (in my eyes) to do that, only to nonchalantly buy some generic fish oil brand that’s sky high in mercury levels and other toxins.
The nutrients you take in are the same one’s your baby are taking in, so if you’re going to go out of your way to supplement with fish oil – and you should – you might as well do yourself a favor a buy a high-quality brand that has a potency of 50% or higher.
5. If I’m going to be honest, I’d have serious reservations working with someone who has limited experience in the gym or is new to me. Having a sense of rapport is crucial in this context, as both parties involved have to have quite a bit of trust in one another.
But that isn’t to say I’d turn my back on someone whom I’m not familiar with. I just wouldn’t go crazy with the programming and would keep things as simplistic as possible. In keeping with the above mantra: it all comes down to what THEY’RE comfortable with, but that doesn’t mean we can’t introduce new exercises and drills that are going to have many more far-reaching benefits down the road.
In this scenario, I’d maybe stick to more basic exercises like Goblet squats, TONS of core stability work (think Pallof Presses), teaching a proper push-up pattern, single leg work, and the like.
It’s not like I’m going to throw them to the wolves and have them performing heavy singles and triples.
Putting things into context, Whitney G (from the video above) has been training with me for three years, and I KNOW she knows what she’s doing – so I feel completely comfortable throwing deadlift and squat variations (and she can still do pull-ups!) into her programs.
Someone with limited experience or that I don’t know very well: not so much, and I’m going to be much, much more conservative.
6. Likewise, the same can be said for Cara L, another mom-to-be who’s still training and getting after it 34 weeks into her pregnancy. Here she is deadlifting 200 lbs for eight reps:
Cara’s been training at CP for well over two years now, and she’s been coached very well. As such, we had no problems staying on task with her training. Which is to say: while certain “tweaks” and modifications were made trimester to trimester, we were still able to maintain a significant training effect.
And while she’s definitely an exception to the rule, despite being a first-time mom, she never experienced any morning sickness – something she attributed to not flaking on her training.
From Cara herself:
It was hard to find information specific to heavy weight lifting. Most “advice” given about exercise has to do with cardio, probably because that’s what doctors expect most women are doing. In general, there’s an attitude that if you are already fit, you can continue what you are used to. So I made my own decision to continue what I was doing, to the best of my ability, just paying attention to what felt comfortably to me personally. Taking longer breaks, adjusting weights and positions as needed.
Others might think I lift “too much” or let my heart rate get “too high” but I don’t believe in one-size-fits-all limits on what pregnant women should be doing. We’re all accustomed and able to do different things when not pregnant, and I think the same can apply during pregnancy.
7. By that same token, I don’t want to give the impression that every woman who’s pregnant has to lift heavy things. There are quite a number of other things to pay close attention to.
Shedding some light here are some thoughts via my blog provided by Laura DeVincent, who’s Pre/Post Natal Certified through FitForBirth:
The first 10 minutes of a session are spent diaphragmatic breathing, which I think is vital for keeping connected with the core. Although kind of awkward to coach, kegals are also important to prevent problems down the road. The next 30-40 minutes are spent on corrective exercise and strength training, and the last 10 minutes are spent interval training.
8. Expounding a bit further, something else to consider is stretching. Does it have a place? Many women (and fitness professionals) are under the assumption that stretching is an important factor, but I’d actually caution against it in this case.
In fact I’m actually not a huge fan of stretching in general – as most people suck at it, and you’re not actually “stretching” anything anyways (only increasing the tolerance to stretching). But that’s a debate for another time.
As the pregnancy progresses the body produces more of a hormone called Relaxin, which, as the name implies, makes the tendons and ligaments (soft tissue) more “pliable” as the body gets closer and closer to the due date.
Mirroring our thoughts, Laura notes:
In my experience, most women that are used to doing group ex classes feel nervous doing intense plyometric and cardio workouts, so they love the fact that they can get intense with weight training!
What most women deem “intense weight training” can be left to interpretation, but it stands to reason that contrary to popular belief, weight training can be argued to be SAFER than most other options.
9. Taking it a step even further, and touching on the whole heart rate issue, my good friend Dean Somerset offered his insight as well:
The big cautions come from not wanting to have large blood pressure fluctuations early on in the pregnancy or having too much of an anaerobic load that would cause stress to the fetus. If the muscles are pulling all the oxygen and not enough is going to the fetus, it can cause some issues, so most cardio is best performed beneath anaerobic threshold, or in short bursts where fatigue isn’t a major factor.
Loading tends to have to be decreased over time due to changes in core stability, pelvic dilation, presence of lumbosacral ligamental laxity, and increasing pressure on the bladder and bowels. It’s cool to deadlift in the second trimester, but something to avoid in the third trimester in favour of squatting, moving from a conventional stance to more of a sumo stance as the pregnancy goes on.
I’m not going to sit here and dis on CrossFit – because there is plenty about CrossFit that I like. And yes, plenty that makes me throw up a little in my mouth.
All I’ll say is that if you’re someone who’s pregnant and you’re still adamant on going to CrossFit every week (and that’s completely fine), please, please, PLEASE use some common sense and recognize that it’s okay to tone it down a bit and not feel like you’re going to cough up a spleen when you train.
10. Shedding some more light on this topic, here are some sage words from strength coach, John Brooks:
The problem with training pregnant women is no two pregnancies are the same. With our first born my wife hit rep PRs into the early third trimester, did chins, and lots of unilateral leg work deep into the pregnancy. This latest (due in march) had some complications and bleeding early on, so she was on pelvic rest (which means you can pretty much do somewhere between jack and crap) now she’s back up to some basic body part split stuff. Totally different response to training stress in those conditions.
I’ve worked with a couple other women who didn’t have complications and for me the HR monitor was the key, Keep their HR down below threashold, keep a training effect going, and (especially if this is the second+) no movements that abduct the legs either quickly or under load (if you don’t know why ask your mother).
11. And bringing everything to a nice succinct stopping point, I want to share one of my former distance coaching client’s, Laura M (whom I trained through her second pregnancy), perspective on things:
I was one of those lucky women you trained through a pregnancy. During this time, I also regularly attended kettlebell classes in preparation for my RKC certification, which I passed 7 month after delivery.
With solid programming Tony that included a lot of heavy compound lifts and modifications where necessary (no barbell glute thrusters), I was fitter at the end of the pregnancy than I had been at the beginning, with a slew of new PRs in my pocket as well – including squats and deadlifts.
My daughter presented in a posterior position (sunny side up), but I only had to go through 20 minutes of pushing — believe me that’s rare. With doctor approval, I was back swinging kettlebells in the gym the day after I was home from the hospital, and I healed like a champ.
Now, I’m not trying to blow sunshine up my own butt, but how many women do you know who are back in the gym a mere day after returining from the hospital?
There’s no way Laura could have done that – let alone even think about doing it – if she had only resorted to yoga classes and basing all of her training sessions around weights that are lighter than the purse she carries around on her shoulder.
12. Something else to think about is the fact that Laura had a very progressive MD (which is rare, but a breath of fresh air) and midwife, who, according to her, understood that pregnancy is not an illness.
As well, according to her, “I also took a lot of comfort from the wonderful book Exercising Through Your Pregnancy by James Clapp, which examines study after study showing the value of continuing to engage in strenuous exercise during pregnancy.
The book also provides advice for people who go into pregnancy in more of a deconditioned state.
So there you have it: while not an exhaustive list, and certainly a topic which deserves one taking a more proactive approach into what’s the right course of action for HER, I feel this post provides a rather unique (and dare I say: anti-status quo) approach to how women should go about exercising through their pregnancy.
I’m in no way saying that my opinion is right or should be considered the gold standard. But I am saying it’s something that needs to be discussed.
But coming full circle, isn’t it funny how people will often scoff or give double takes and question a pregnant woman who’s lifting appreciable weight in the gym, yet not think twice about those who crush a bag of Doritos as a snack?
While there are definitely cases where women have to use their own discretion and recognize what’s best for them (and their child), I’m not one to fall into the overly recognized notion that women (and by extension, pregnant women) are these delicate flowers who need to limit themselves to drying the dishes as a form of exercise.
Weight training and strenuous activity have been around a lot longer than Doritos the last time I checked. And plenty of women have came out just fine.
While it’s technically not something you’ll be able to read while you’re sitting there at your desk pretending to work, I just wanted to remind everyone out there that today’s marks the LAST day that Spinal Health and Core Training: An Interdisciplinary Approach for Health, Fitness, Rehabilitation, and Performance is on sale for $100 off the regular price.
While I’d like to sit here and say that this DVD will add 50 lbs to your deadlift almost instantly, make you strong enough to wrestle a great white shark (with one arm), and increase your IQ so high that NASA will hold a ticker tape parade in your honor, that would be embellishing things just a tad.
I mean, it’s pretty much common knowledge that it’s impossible to put a great white into a half-nelson. So it’s not like I’m fooling anyone here.
All kidding aside, I really feel this is going to be a game changer for a lot of fitness professionals out there and will undoubtedly place you a step above the rest with regards to anatomy, assessment, corrective exercise, program design, and a plethora of other things like understanding when to progress (or regress) clients with back pain, how to integrate appropriate core exercises, and maybe even more important, how to coach the exercises correctly!
All of the guys involved – myself, Rick Kaselj, Dean Somerset, and Dr. Jeff Cubos – put a lot of work into this seminar and provided over 12 hours worth of information and knowledge bombs that, in our eyes, will make anyone who watches it a verifiable Robocop when it comes to working with athletes and clients with back injuries.
I thought this was a fantastic review by Dr. Freedhoff on the best selling book, Wheat Belly, by William Davis, M.D.
It seems like every few weeks a new diet book comes out throwing something else under the table – in this case it’s wheat.
Now, I’m fully aware the gluten intolerance – and all the nastiness involved with it – exists. And I’m also fully aware that people tend to overemphasize highly processed foods like breads, bagels, and pasta in their daily diets – even if they’re “whole wheat/grain” (and presumably under the guise that they’re healthier options) – and develop a killer “wheat/pot/food” belly as well as a raging case of type II diabetes to show for it.
On the flip side, though, there are still plenty of people out there who do eat whole grains and wheat (as well as many of the other foods which Dr. Davis poo-poos on) without any issues what-so-ever.
Admittedly, if given the choice, I’d lean more towards the camp of telling people to omit much (not all) of the grains and whole wheat products they eat – my gut and experience just tells me that most people are better off that way.
But at the same time I understand that pointing the finger at one thing is a bit naive and sensationalist; and that what works for one person, may not necessarily be the right choice for the next – especially in the long-term.
Thanks to people like Dr. Freedhoff, it’s a bit easier to tone down the stupid.
In light of all the talk surrounding the increased incidence of concussions and the dangers to one’s health that are a result, I thought this was an interesting commentary of the role the strength and conditioning community plays.
Now, just to be clear: I am in no way insinuating that we shouldn’t “hold back” in our efforts to make our athletes (and clients) bigger, faster, and stronger (that’s what we’re paid to do)……..
…..But is there ever a time – and have we reached that point – where enough is enough?
The squat is undoubtedly one of the more popular exercises out there in the fitness world, and with good reason! You’d be hard pressed to find anything else that can trump what it can accomplish with regards to muscle gains, increased strength, improved athletic performance, and even less talked about benefits like increased bone density (staving off osteoporosis) as well as a litany of positive hormonal adaptations that come into play.
While there’s an endless abyss of information available discussing proper squatting technique – what’s the ideal bar placement, foot placement, how to groove a proper hip hinge (and by extension how to engage the hamstrings/glutes to a higher degree), not to mention all the different variations – more cogent to today’s post I want to discuss a factor that’s often dismissed or at best glazed over.
And that’s how not to destroy the back of your pants the set-up.
Quite literally, how you set up to squat can make or break your set, and thinking more long-term, your overall squatting success.
Many people just kinda haphazardly approach the bar, un-rack it without much thought or attention to detail, and then perform their set. And I hate to break it to you: it looks like garbage. And I can only imagine what it feels like.
Suffice it to say, there’s a bit more to it than just approaching the bar and performing your set. Like, a lot more. And in today’s video I briefly cover why taking the time to set-up properly (and yes, even learning how to un-rack and rack the bar without making your spine hate you) can pay huge dividends in terms of keeping your back healthy in addition to aiding overall squatting performance.
* Photo credit above goes to the peeps over at Elitefts.
Today’s guest post comes from friend and colleague, James Garland. I’ve known James for a few years now and first met him when he came to Cressey Performance (all the way from Australia) three years ago for the sole purpose to hang out at the facility, talk shop, and observe for a few weeks.
And during that time I think I made reference to Crocodile Dundee at minimum 347 times. Give or take a few dozen.
James is a talented coach and someone I feel more people should know about. In this post he calls himself out and discusses a few things which I know many reading (especially those who make a living coaching) will be able to commiserate with.
Take it away James!
Crikey (sorry, I couldn’t resist).
A few months back, I was struggling to train with any kind of intensity. My body hated me, my motivation was low, and my focus with day-to-day work, in a word, suckedharderthanadysonvacuum.
At first I thought that this could all have been the standard leading-into-Christmas winding down stuff; but I was lying to myself.
My body was deteriorating because I had been neglecting it. I had niggling issues that I’d never had before, I was always carrying some sort of pain, and my movement quality was terrible.
Admitting that I had let my body fall into a serious state of suckery was tough. Given that I’m a strength coach, who, by and large, has a strong corrective focus, I was a little (read – a lot) ashamed of letting it get to this point.
Before we go on, just to give you an idea of the growing list of problems that I was having, here’s a list –
Crepitus in my knees
Constantly sore hips
Lower back pain creeping back in
Neck/thoracic pain
Creaky shoulders
Lack of focus
Crashing (tired) in the afternoon
Yep, I was messed up – but there was no point dwelling on that fact. Instead, I decided to look back at the habits that I had led to my body being in a world of pain, and then go about fixing them.
It was kind of funny (note – no it wasn’t) looking back, because I started noticing that I was making all of the same mistakes that I warn, and was warning at the time, my own clients against making. Talk about irony, right?
Here’s what I was doing wrong:
1) Prioritising Work Before Anything Else
When work gets busy, I always tell my clients that they need to schedule time to make sure that they can still get their training sessions and recovery work done. I emphasise the importance that they establish, and maintain their routine because if they don’t, you can bet your first born that they’re going to turn around in a week or two and say that their body feels like it’s gone six rounds with Mike Tyson.
Not only does working more mean less time to pay attention to your body, but it also means more time spent sitting. And I don’t need to tell the readers of this site that whenever you increase your duration of sitting, you’re not going to be in for a good time.
2) Skipping Training Sessions
“I could train today, OR, I could finish that blog post that I’ve had on my to do list for a week now.“
“I could train today, but I didn’t really sleep well last night, and I could do more harm than good.”
Skipping training sessions is a very slippery slope. One missed session can turn into 2, 3, or even an entire week so easily.
When I prioritised work, I missed sessions, and always justified it to myself through some logic that seemed rational at the time. In reality, though, it was just a bunch of B.S. that I used to procrastinate getting my backside into the gym, and lifting heavy stuff off the floor.
3) Finding Quick, And Convenient, Food
“Spend time cooking?
Please! I don’t have time for that, and you know what, I’m pretty lean already, so I can get away with eating shitty foods for a little while.”
But I couldn’t; no one can.
While my body fat didn’t really increase that much when I wasn’t eating as well, my body did become a playground for inflammation (which did NOT help my knees), and my energy levels were shockingly low.
4) Not Sleeping As Much As I Should Have
When you run your own business, sometimes you just have to go without sleep. It’s an unfortunate fact of being able to stand out in the crowd. The problem is that everything is a balancing act between what you can get away with, and what’s ridiculous.
I was well within the realm of the latter.
You see, I wake up at 4-15am every morning to make the commute to work, and while this isn’t usually a problem, when I was consistently on my laptop doing work until 10-11pm at night, you know that I wasn’t getting much quality sleep.
And don’t get me wrong, this is by no means the worst working schedule I’ve ever seen, but throw it on top of poor nutrition, and a caffeine addiction, and you start to get a clearer picture of how things weren’t conducive to a well-functioning body.
The one thing that I came to realise real fast was that there is no point in working through the night if you’re not focusing properly on what you’re doing. A couple of hours of focused, uninterrupted work during the day will always trump several hours of half-assed work done in a sleep-deprived state.
5) Making Up For Said Lack Of Sleep With Stimulants
God invented caffeine for entrepreneurs; of that I am certain.
I mean, who needs 8 solid hours of sleep when you can throw back 4-5 coffees a day? Well, evidently, I did.
Making up for negative habits by utilising more negative habits was always destined to fail, miserably, but I gave it a shot, anyway.
Signs that you’re at this stage – your eyes burn like crazy when you wake up, you’re morning shower doesn’t work in making you feel alert, you need 2 coffees before sitting down at the laptop, and as soon as you hit the pillow at night, you’re asleep (my wife will testify to me lying down and falling asleep some nights at 7pm).
6) Ignoring The Issues, Despite Your Body Screaming For A Change
This was the worst mistake of all. When all of the telltale signs are there, and you ignore them, you deserve the inevitable crash. And that’s what happened. My kick up the backside came in the form of unproductiveness, a terrible attitude, and a few nights where I crashed before 8pm.
I gotta say, though, once I had acknowledged the things that I was doing wrong, I could start making changes. As I write this now, I’m back into the swing of things, getting enough rest, making sessions, improving my movement quality, prepping all of my food, and being productive with my work.
In fact, doing a guest post for Tony has been something that I’ve had on my to do list for a long time – and now it’s done. So if you’ve been ignoring some nagging issues for a while now, maybe it’s time to take a step back and give it the attention it deserves.
Author’s Bio
James Garland is a strength coach based in Sydney, Australia. He shares Tony’s same dislike for Keanu Reeves, and also loves deadlifting. That’s how he flattered Tony into letting him write an article for his site. He also runs a community for busy fathers at http://fitandstrongdads.com/
Chris and Eric Martinez, CISSN, CPT, BA, also known as the “Dynamic Duo” operate a world class personal training and online training business “Dynamic Duo Training.” They’re also fitness and nutrition writers, fitness models, and coaches that love helping people reach their goals. Their philosophy is “No excuses, only solutions.”
