CategoriesRehab/Prehab

Managing Laxity in Lifters and Athletes – Part 1

Note from TG:  Given the special, niche population we work with at Cressey Performance – baseball players – it’s no coincidence that we deal with many athletes who walk in on day one with a preponderance towards being “lax.”

Too, it’s not uncommon to see this in the general population as well, as we’ve also had our fair share of yoga instructors, dancers, and overall “stretchy” (for lack of a better term) people walk through our doors.

It’s a unique circumstance to put it lightly.  Is laxity bad? Yes and no.  For some, being lax allows them to do what they do – and be successful at it.  While for others it can be the bane of their existence. All told if it’s not approached with delicate hands and some careful thought to programming, as a coach or trainer you could be causing more harm than good.

In this guest post by former Cressey Performance intern (and resident breakdanceologist), Miguel Aragoncillo, he dives into this often overlooked (and under-diagnosed) phenomenon.  It’s a two parter, but it’s chock full of awesome information.

I hope you enjoy it!

My own story of hypermobility begins with breakdancing throughout high school and college, and later dealing with it while taking up the sport of powerlifting, and still managing it to this day. I have quite a bit of congenital laxity – in some ways it helps, other times it hurts.

When I worked as a personal trainer for a few years after college, I was convinced that the general population displays tightness due to a combination of work demands, poor posture, and a lack of exercise. This would be illustrated through tightness in their hamstrings, back, and pectorals, and that they would usually need to static stretch in order to decrease that tightness.

From my own time spent breakdancing, I was aware that I was fairly flexible, but it wasn’t until I began reading Eric’s and Tony’s blog that perhaps there was some genetic predisposition that allowed me to slip into certain positions without stretching for hours on end. This point was driven home further after completing an internship at CP in the fall/winter of 2012 last year.

While my time in Massachusetts was filled with pitchers with laxity, talks about glenohumeral instability, and deadlifting to techno (<—- Note from TG:  YES!!!!!!), I discovered that there was more to this self-flexibility observation than I had imagined.

Hypermobility or being congenitally lax involves a series of tests that present themselves in various joints and ligaments due to a lack of specific protein called collagen. In fact, I determined that I was indeed hypermobile through a self-adminstered Beighton Laxity Test.

Personal anecdotes aside, hypermobility affects enough of a population to be documented, namely in those who have African, Asian, and Arab origin, along with youth due to growth and structures not fully developing quite yet. (Chaitow & DeLany).

Concepts Behind Congenital Laxity

Namely, as a strength coach and personal trainer, it comes down to managing the effects of laxity, whether it is taking a pro-active approach through exercise selection or referring to further treatments through a physician’s care.

To break it down, joint stability is a combination of passive stability (think ligaments and tendons), and active stability (agonistic and antagonist co-activation). Further…

“Functional joint stability is determined by the interaction of several factors… joint geometry, the friction between the cartilage surfaces, and the load on the joint caused by compression forces resulting from gravity and the muscles acting on the joint. Of all the factors contributing to the functional joint stability, the load imposed on the joint is one of the most important.” (Lephart and Fu, p15)

Theoretical Approach to Joint Instability

If there is a lack of stability within any movement, there could be several reasons for said instability: weakness of a stabilizer, lack of bony congruency, lack of synaptic signaling from the brain to the affected joint, along with a proprioceptive deficit in said joint.

While each case of hypermobility is unique to the individual, there are a few overarching themes that should be reinforced when talking about stability, namely, co-activation of “agonistic and antagonistic muscles to create stability and coordination for functional joint stability” (Lephart and Fu, pg 15)

Putting this into action would involve proper positioning during exercises that you may be familiar with already: planks, push-ups, rows, squats, lunges, and Tony’s fave – deadlifts.

With hypermobile athletes, there are two points to be made: 1. Stopping a joint from reaching full hyperextension and 2  Encouraging a partial range of motion as variations for beginner athletes. By encouraging a safer range of motion, there will be an increase in proprioceptive feedback on top of increased muscular activation in the major stabilizers of the shoulders and hips. With these tools you can create a safer environment for your athletes, along with adding a more varied exercise selection to choose from at the same time.

To use a common ankle sprain as an example, there is a prevalence for inversion of the ankle to occur. Signals from the brain must be sent to the ankle to provide an equal or greater eversion force to prevent an injury from occurring. “The response (of an ankle injury) is still the body’s dynamic response to a potentially dangerous situation, however, and it seems reasonable to assume that the faster the reaction is, the greater the degree of protection achieved.” (Lephart and Fu, p243)

However, there are a few instances which may present themselves, namely the muscles that must be activated through a conscious awareness of a possible injury from occurring due to an over-inversion of the ankle will be insufficient to react in time.

When discussing injury prevention, the discussion for bracing and taping vs zero bracing is brought to mind. The argument for bracing and taping includes providing proprioceptive feedback from the skin’s mechanoreceptors. These receptors can provide proprioceptive information or may facilitate joint proprioception by increasing sensitivity or motoneuron excitability. (Lephart and Fu, pg.306)

So in regards to the extremely lax athlete, there may be some theoretical benefit to wearing a brace, but at the same time there should be a push towards encouraging an increase in joint position sense during both static exercises and dynamic exercises.

So whether you believe in joint centration and encouraging those activation of joint stabilizers after centration, or utilizing bracing to increase proprioceptive feedback, the end goal should be the same – increase proprioception and re-establish proper stabilization of major joints.

I personally would like to have my cake and eat it too, or food analogies aside, I’d love to see training encouraged in a proprioceptive rich environment, sans the bracing, and after training and outside in the regular world, perhaps wear the brace or taping to help in “everyday activities”. After a period of time, retest various movements and joints by using a variety of stabilization tests or assessments and reassess the plan of action.

With athletes who display  Cirque du Soleil-like flexibility, here are a few drills and exercises that may be more beneficial and specific to helping establish this proprioception that I keep on harping on about, particularly reactive, perturbation-like drills, and finding reference centers for the body.

Managing Hypermobility with Exercise Selection

For lower body reactive drills, progressions involve hurdle hops, single leg hurdle hops, all the way to lateral bounds (or heidens) – all involve “sticking” or landing the movement.

Emphasis should be on maintaining tension through the hip external rotators and avoiding a “knees-in” movement during landing. These exercises can serve as a progression for youth athletes and advanced general population clients, as the cause for knee internal rotation during flexion is increased due to structural variances of passive structures in the knee in a hypermobile population. (Lephart and Fu, p60).

Upper body drills involve perturbations during various drills – whether it is during a static movement such as a quadruped med ball perturbation, or a more dynamic movement such as perturbating a side lying windmill, these are all great variations to use to reinforce proper stability of the humerus within the glenoid socket.

Further, after being exposed to the philosophy along with attending a few seminars held by the Postural Restoration Institute, there seems to be a manageable series of movements that will help encourage viable movement within the hypermobile population.

Speaking with several coaches, physical therapists, and fitness professionals, there seems to be a concerted effort to finding “reference centers” within the body for those who may be “floating in space”, a common feeling for those who are affected by hypermobility.

These reference centers are facilitated through various positional breathing techniques, and a few of these breathing exercises have been referenced by Greg Robins and Eric Cressey throughout their blog. Specifically, these “reference centers include the left abdominals, left ischial seat (sit bone), left heel and right arch.” (-3)

A hierarchy for exercise progressions would be first to develop force in a static or isometric fashion, and from there develop the force through dynamic movements to help increase proprioception in specific stabilizers. This in turn will help to create a protective mechanism within the faulty joint for healthy movement – whether in everyday life or on the field.

And that wraps up Part 1.  Tomorrow I’ll delve into some more challenges facing the “lax” athlete, assessment, as well as provide a unique case study.

CategoriesUncategorized

Yes, You Can! Chin-Up Plan

There are a lot of things that I can’t do.  I can’t juggle.  I can’t tap dance.  I can’t speak Spanish. I can’t eat dairy without making a room smell like old lady fart passing through an onion. And I can’t not quote Lord of the Rings every chance I get.

YOU….SHALL….NOT…. PASS!!!!!!!!

It’s especially funny whenever we’re walking around the city and Lisa wants to go down Newbury St or something and do a bunch of window shopping.*

Anyways, yeah, there are a lot of things I can’t do. Which reminds me: I can’t whistle.  Weird, right?

And I’m sure it’s a mentality that many people share with me.  We all know our limitations.  But lets be honest: I’m sure if I put my mind to it I could learn to juggle; or speak Spanish; or not eat a metric shit-ton of cheese whenever I go out to eat.

With the exception of a few obvious examples (I’m probably never going to punch a great white or be a fighter pilot), I can easily turn any “can’t” into a “can” with a little time and effort. And yes, some will power too.  I mean, goddammit I love cheese.

The “I can’t” mentality never rears its ugly head more so than in the gym  – especially with women.  And especially when it comes to lifting weights.

Whenever I begin working with a female client and mention to her that one of my goals is to help her bang out some unassisted chin-ups I usually get a stare that suggests I just asked her to climb Mt. Everest, and then that’s followed with a ubiquitous “dude, I can’t do that!”

I think that’s a bunch of bologna, and it’s why I was elated to team up with Women’s Health Magazine to develop the Yes, You Can! Chin-Up Challenge.

It’s a 6-week program that will undoubtedly get people outside their comfort zone and (hopefully) help many realize that doing their first unassisted chin-up isn’t as insurmountable as they originally thought.

I know a lot of women read this blog, and I’d LOVE to get as many of you involved as possible. Below is a video that my friend, the lovely Jen Ator, filmed demonstrating the moves involved, and you’ll have to pick up this month’s (September 2013) issue of Women’s Health to get the full details as far as the breakdown of the actual program.

On top of that we encourage everyone who participates to share their progress on Twitter and Facebook using the hashtage #ChinupChallenge.

So what are you waiting for?  It’s time to kick gravity in the nuts where it counts and prove once and for all that, yes, you CAN do it.

* =  Or whenever she tries to walk into the bathroom.  Or anytime she wants to drag me to the latest Nicholas Sparks movie. You know, stuff like that.

CategoriesUncategorized

Register Now for the 2nd Annual Cressey Performance Fall Seminar

Awwww yeah.  Mark your calanders because I’m happy to announce that on Sunday, September 22, Cressey Performance will be hosting our second annual fall seminar.

Despite Hurricane Sandy laying into the East coast and throwing a monkey wrench into things last year, it was still an extremely popular event, and we’re expecting a big crowd yet again this year.

[Fingers crossed zombies don’t attack or something].

We’ve got the entire CP staff lined up to speak – alongside some special guests – and much like last year, we want to make this an affordable event for everyone and create a great forum for industry professionals and fitness enthusiasts alike to interact, exchange ideas, and learn.

Here are the presentation topics:

Cracking the Crossfit Code – Presented by Eric Cressey

Let’s face it: Crossfit is here to stay.  With that in mind, it’s time for someone to take an unbiased look at how we can make coaches and fitness enthusiasts successful within the scope of this training system.  In this presentation, Eric will look past the emotions people have with respect to this approach, and discuss rationale ways to accentuate the positives while offering solutions for the shortcomings. In short, the goal is to bring people together, not drive two sides further apart.

Training Joe vs. Jane:  Do Women Need to Train Differently Than Men? – Presented by Tony Gentilcore

Should women avoid lifting appreciable weight?  What are the most effective strategies for training women through pregnancy? Is there such a thing as an ACL-Prevention Program?

In this presentation, Tony will discuss many of the common misconceptions and “myths” relating to training female athletes and general population clients. He’ll provide extensive responses and feedback to some of the most frequently asked questions he’s encountered relating to the art of strength training for women.

Note from Tony:

Dear Tracy Anderson,

I highly encourage you to attend this talk.  I’ll even comp you a seat, because I’m cool like that.

Respectfully yours/Pink dumbbells suck,

Tony

Insulin: The Hormone, The Myth, The Legend – Presented by Brian St. Pierre

Carbs spike insulin and insulin causes fat gain. So, cut the carbs and you’ll end up lean and healthy. End of story. Or is it?

While the Paleo and low carb camps loudly proclaim that carbs and insulin are the enemy, the latest science suggests otherwise. In fact, we’re starting to learn that high insulin is an effect of being overweight, not a cause. In this session, Brian will explore the real relationship between carbs and insulin, discussing some of the common myths about insulin, and sharing some practical eating strategies you can put into action immediately.

Integrating Corrective Exercise for Performance Enhancement – Presented by Mike Reinold

Often times, muscle imbalances, alignment issues, and movement impairments can lead to injury and decreased performance.  However, corrective exercises are often unsuccessful for various reasons.  By focusing on several key principles, you can maximize your ability to apply corrective exercises to optimize movement and enhance performance.

Getting To Know Your Athlete: Understanding Learning Styles to Be a More Effective Coach – Presented by Chris Howard

In this presentation, I will discuss the different learning styles and how knowledge of this information is helpful in becoming a more effective coach.  I will also delve into the differences between introverted and extroverted clients and how it is necessary to coach and assess them differently.

Excellence In Group Training – Presented by Greg Robins

Group training, small group training, and bootcamps are here to stay. Let me help you understand how I manage the variables associated with group training to optimize a less than ideal scenario. The information presented will be sure to help everyone from the strength and conditioning specialist to commercial fitness professional alike.

The Role of Physical Therapy in a Strength and Conditioning Facility – Presented by Eric Schoenberg

Physical Therapy earns little respect in strength and conditioning circles due to the inability of traditional PTs to properly progress a patient from injury to high-level activity.  This lack of versatility has contributed to an increased role of the strength and conditioning professional in the care of the injured athlete.  But, is there a role for Physical Therapy in the training world?  Physical therapist Eric Schoenberg will share his thoughts on why partnering with the right physical therapist can add great value to your business and improve results for your clients.

Location:

Cressey Performance,
577 Main St.
Suite 310
Hudson, MA 01749

Cost:

Regular – $129.99 regular early bird (by September 8), $149.99 thereafter
Student (must present current student ID at door) – $99.99 early bird (by September 8), $129.99 thereafter

Date/Time:

Sunday, September 22, 2013
Registration 8:30AM
Seminar 9AM-5:30PM

Continuing Education:

NSCA CEU pending (seven contact hours)

Click Here to Sign-up (Regular)

or

Click Here to Sign-up (Students)

We’re really excited about this event, and would love to have you join us! However, space is limited and each seminar we’ve hosted in the past has sold out quickly, so don’t delay on signing up!

If you have additional questions, please direct them to [email protected]. Looking forward to seeing you there!

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: Hugh Jackman Deadlifts, Supermoms, and Explosive Training

If you’re a gym junkie, and unless you’ve been living underneath a rock for the past five days, you’ve undoubtedly come across the Tweet which has circulated the intertubes of Wolverine, Jean Valjean, Van Helsing  Hugh Jackman deadifting his ass off with the caption that reads, “if the bar ain’t bendin, then you’re just pretendin.”

< —– For visual reference, here it is.

My man-crush on Hugh just hit Matt Damon status.  Hugh, if you read this:  If you’re ever in Boston, come train at my gym.  We’ll deadlift, quote Shakespeare, give each other high fives.  It will be awesome.

Predictably, many a internet hater chimed in and had nothing but negativity to throw Hugh’s way, making derogatory remarks about his “chicken legs,” and saying that what he was lifting was no big deal.

Fact is many people UNDERestimated the amount he was lifting, not realizing that the plates he was using were in kilograms and not lbs.  That’s 465 lbs people!

While not all that impressive in powerlifting circles, he’s not a freakin powerlifter! He’s an actor who’s paid to look badass

And, dare I say, I can almost guarantee a vast majority of the people who scoffed at the picture would be doing cartwheels down Main St. if they could sniff that much on their pull.  Let alone for reps.

Defending Hugh Jackman:  Don’t be a Fitness Snob – Bret Contreras

In the article above Bret hits the nail on the head.  I’m always amazed at how snobby people can be, and even more amazed as to how so many people will take time out of their day for the sole purpose of being an a-hole.

Kudos to you, Bret, for writing this.  Thank you!

One Mom’s Journey to Real Food – Kelly Jordan

Okay I’ll admit it:  I’m a little biased when it comes to this particular post because Kelly is my cousin.  Nevertheless it’s still an awesome article with a worthwhile message:  Yes, supermom’s are busy.  But with a little effort it’s not all that difficult to implement healthier food strategies.

Nice work Kelly!  Woo-hoo!

Explosive Days for Muscle and Strength – Lee Boyce

There’s a lot to be said by implementing more “explosive” type training into your weekly workouts.  In this article Lee breaks down a few ways one can go about doing so in a safe and effective manner.  And, it includes one of THE BEST post clean and jerk dances of all time.  Trust me, watch it!

CategoriesNutrition

Another Cholesterol Rant

It’s not something I’m proud to admit it, but up until last week it’s been about eleven years since I’ve stepped foot into a doctor’s office.

While I’d like to sit here and say it’s due to some irrational fear – akin to some people’s fear of say, clowns – sadly, it has more to do with plain ol’ stubbornness peppered with a hint of laziness and a touch of cynicism.

Knock on wood it’s not that often that I get sick.  I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been legitimately out of commission in the last decade, to the point where staying home and watching re-runs of Knight Rider seemed like a better option than “manning up” and heading to work.  And even then I was usually back to normal within a 24-36 hour period.

Fever? Headache? Upset stomach? Ebola?  Whatevs. Doctor schmoctor.

I think much of my “beef” with the primary care industry (and yes, it IS an industry:  they’re just as interested in making money as your local Audi dealership) is that a large portion of it (not all of it) is more interested in being reactive instead of proactive.

It’s much easier to tell the type II diabetic to take eight different pills to treat their symptoms than it is educate him or her on the benefits of exercise and making wiser food choices.

I get it:  doctors are trained to use medicine, not dumbbells and fish oil, to treat symptoms.  It’s just kind of frustrating when I know we can save a metric shit-ton of money in preventative health care costs by educating people rather than circumventing everything with “band aid” fixes.

So yeah, I generally steer clear of the doctor’s office more so out of spite than anything else.  It’s stupid and childish, I know.

But what can I say? I like Boobies.

Well, Lisa put an end to the nonsense. She’s been on me for a while now to go to the doctor’s office if for nothing else just to get a check up and make sure things are a-okay.

To her credit, Lisa absolutely adores her doctor – she’s very attentive, listens, takes her time, and takes a much more proactive approach – and mentioned to me last fall that she was accepting new patients.

I made the appointment and conveniently missed it.  Oops.

I know it came across as self-sabotage, but I totally blanked and got my dates mixed up, and unfortunately, because she’s so popular, in order to reschedule I would have had to wait until January in order to see her.

To make a long story short, I ended up making an appointment with one of the resident doctors (who’s under the supervision of Lisa’s doctor) and well, it was awesome!

She asked a lot of questions, took her time, and didn’t blink an eye when I told her I ate 5-10 eggs per day.  I mentioned that I was interested in getting my vitamin D checked, as well as my cholesterol but that I didn’t want the ordinary test that just gives you your total cholesterol (HDL/LDL) count.

Total cholesterol is a meaningless number and should be the basis for absolutely nothing.  The old division into “good” (HDL) cholesterol and “bad” (LDL) cholesterol is out of date and provides only marginally better information than a “total” cholesterol reading.

As noted in their fantastic book, The Great Cholesterol Myth, Jonny Bowden and Dr. Stephen Sinatra state:

Both good and bad cholesterol have a number of different components (or subtypes) that behave quite differently, and the twenty-first-century version of cholesterol test should always tell you exactly which subtypes you have.

More to the point they HIGHLY recommend a Particle Size Test.

Although LDL cholesterol is known as the “bad” cholesterol, the fact is that it comes in several shapes and sizes, as does HDL cholesterol, the so-called “good” kind.  These different subtypes of cholesterol behave very differently.  Seen under a microscope, some LDL particles are big, fluffy, and harmless.  Some are small, dense, and “angry,” and much more likely to become oxidized, slipping through  the cells that line the walls of arteries and beginning the inflammatory cascade that leads to heart disease.

Total cholesterol doesn’t mean shit and should NOT be the basis for any treatment.  While the media is quick to demonize high total cholesterol for the cause of heart disease, what they fail to dictate to the pubic is that 45-50% of the people who die from heart disease have what’s deemed “acceptable” total cholesterol readings.

There’s much more of the onion that needs to be peeled back than TOTAL cholesterol.  What’s more, the fact that cholesterol is demonized in the first place is a bunch of BS.

Alas, the public has been programmed to think that cholesterol is our enemy……….so it only makes sense that the amount of eggs I ingest on a weekly basis would make most people cringe.

I got my blood work back the other day, and in the words of my doctor:  everything came back perfectly normal.

So to all the random checkout line cashiers throughout the years who shit a tofu brick and went out of their way to express their concern about my cholesterol levels (I can’t tell how many have asked whether or not I’m ever concerned about my cholesterol) because of the number of cartons of eggs (and beef, and bacon, and cheese) I buy each week, but never said a word to the person a head of me with a cart filled with soda, ice-cream, chips, cookies, and organic Pop-Tarts…… all I have to say is:

Nah nah nah nahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

I win.

And, I have the coolest doctor like, ever.

CategoriesMotivational

Why Do People Change?

Today’s guest post comes from a familiar face on TG.com, Justin Kompf, who previously contributed a very well received piece – HERE (on how to (Wo)Man Up).

Justin’s someone who I feel is going to do great things in this industry and it’s hard to believe that he’s only in his early 20s!

He has a lot of insight for someone his age, and this post definitely showcases that gift. Makes me question why I spent so much time watching Melrose Place and Party of Five when I was his age!

I hope you give it a read as it has a really compelling and worthwhile message.

Enjoy!

One of the most rewarding and frustrating aspects of personal training is getting your clients to change their habits. Until they’re ready to change what they do outside the gym, what you tell them won’t lead to action. This can be truly disheartening; plenty of times I’ve cared more about my clients’ health than they’ve cared about their own.

I’ve had clients attempt to make changes only to relapse and become discouraged. For whatever reason, they simply aren’t “ready” to change. In my initial assessment, I ask three simple questions:

1)     Are you ready to change?

2)     Are you willing to change?

3)     Are you confident that you can change?

For people that aren’t positive about one of these answers, I can see their hesitation. After four years of working with people, I’ve developed a good sense of if they really are ready to change.

Interacting and working with different types people daily has fueled my curiosity about human nature. Why out of one thousand overweight/obese people does only one person change? What is so different about that individual? Similarly, plenty of people go to the gym but why out of hundreds of people do only a few truly dedicate their lives to training correctly? Why do they care so much to get their training programs, sleep schedule, nutrition and hydration status down to a science?

There has been a lot of research on why people gain weight, but I think we miss the message.

If you want to learn how people got rich, you wouldn’t necessarily study the habits of a poor person.

Similarly if you want to study how and why people get and stay healthy, focusing solely on people who are heavy might not be the answer. We need to examine people who made life changes, people who went from poor health to spectacular health, and we need to ask why.

In talking to friends and family who have made changes, I’ve come to a several conclusions about why people decide to become healthy:

1)     They do it to empower themselves

2)     They have hit rock bottom

3)     Life altering events/wake up calls

4)     Heroes are present – particularly for youths.

EMPOWERMENT

These people felt that they were not in control of their lives and they desperately needed to make a change to gain the control back.

“I was broken down emotionally by the verbal abuse from my father. One day he pushed me around and I vowed to never let a man treat me like that again. That was until I got in to a really poor relationship in my beginning years of college. The guy I was with did the same – not just once either. I was fed up, and I knew not only did I need to get stronger emotionally but physically as well.”

This was part of the story that I received from a great friend in college. I didn’t know this individual before she started going to the gym, but her back story is extremely motivational. She’s someone who will go out of her way to say hi to you, ask you how you’re doing or give you advice on your girl problems (thanks!).

She also has a diesel squat and deadlift.

She told me she was embarrassed and had described her mindset to me as fragile. I never knew that side of her. Her training helped her become one of the most confident and strong female friends that I have known.

ROCK BOTTOM

Recently, I got caught up in watching a documentary on a 700 pound woman. One scene really stuck out to me; this woman was riding through the grocery store on one of those automatic wheel chairs when someone made a comment about her weight.

“If you get any bigger we’ll just get you a bigger wagon,” he said.

After the man passed by her she began to break down and cry. Her life had hit rock bottom and she knew that if she didn’t change she would die.

This woman ended up losing about 500 pounds.

So I ask myself, why? What drove the change? Why did she change when so few do? What is so different about her?

She had talked about weighing only 350 pounds the last time she stepped on the scale, thinking that wasn’t so bad. The next time she stepped on the scale she was about 650 pounds, reality smacked her right in the face. She was at rock bottom and I think that’s why she changed. Her choices were simple; continue down the path she was on or, literally, death.

I have a relative, Kelly, who lost and has kept off an incredible 130 pounds. She had steadily been gaining weight due to her Crohn’s disease and had eventually reached 300 pounds after having her second child. I had to ask her why she decided to change. Here is part of her story:

“Years went by and I was always the “nice one” or the “funny one” and seemed to always have a smile on my face. I was truly sad and hurting on the inside. I couldn’t wear cool, trendy clothes like everyone else; it was hard to find things in my sizes. In the Adirondacks I was too heavy to ride the horses. I could not fit into most roller coasters, so pretended to be fine holding everyone’s stuff. I was ashamed and embarrassed throughout my 30s.”

“So if you are wondering what made me decide it was time….it was the sadness that filled my heart. Sad that I couldn’t keep up with the kids, that I embarrassed them and myself; sad that I was watching life pass me by and pretending to be satisfied and even happy all of the time.”

She has a truly inspiring story. Kelly has since run many 5K races. Through listening to stories like this I’ve come to realize that rock bottom and the desire to change often go hand in hand with the loss of the ability to do things the individual used to be able to do. I believe this helps to fuel the change process.

 

LIFE ALTERING EVENTS/WAKE UP CALLS

I spoke to another friend who was heavy in his youth and this is how he described himself:

“I was very inactive as a kid and gained a lot of weight in middle school; I only really had friends that were girls, no guy friends and was pretty much bullied by the other kids at school.”

This story isn’t inherently unique, lots of young kids share this background but so few of them end up like this individual who currently competes as a powerlifter and has competed in body building shows as well.  Most of these young overweight kids stay overweight throughout adulthood. So why did he change?

“Every male in my family, from my two grandfathers, to my uncles to my dad, has either suffered from or died from a stroke or heart attack. After my dad had his first stroke he had a wakeup call and a chance to change but he ignored it didn’t address his problems then had a second more serious stroke that left him extremely cognitively challenged. So I hate that. I hate that obesity took such a great man and reduced him to so little. I have literally all the cards stacked against me when it comes to health and staying lean. If I eat starch or bread in any large quantity I put on massive amounts of weight.”

This individual could essentially see into his future; if he didn’t change he knew exactly what would happen to him. After his father’s stroke he began to change his habits, playing sports and eating better, which led to him losing 30 pounds.

HEROES

I’d like to leave on a light (perhaps cheesy) note so I’m about to alienate some readers and get others to nod their head and smile. When I put up a post asking people why they got healthy I had some great responses. An overwhelming number of people attribute their weight training and healthy habits to Dragon Ball Z.

I had to laugh because that cartoon was one of the reasons I started exercising at a young age. My story wasn’t as interesting or inspiring as some of the ones above. I was chubby in middle school and felt embarrassed. I’d blush when talking to girls; I didn’t feel noticeable or happy with the way I looked.

Like so many other friends I’d watch Dragon Ball Z on cartoon network then run into my garage later to attempt to do a Kamehameha wave (I was 22….just kidding).

The majority of my social group consists of very fit people. I don’t think I can chalk it all up to random chance that they all watched DBZ as kids.

If you’re not familiar with the show, it’s essentially good guys beating up bad guys, long fight scenes, lots of screaming and awesomeness. I think what a lot of us got out of it as kids was the desire to train like the characters in the show who were constantly getting stronger and better.

I believe it is the hero aspect of the show that motivated people to work on getting their bodies stronger and fitter. Since it is the hero aspect that motivated us, I don’t think that I can just say DBZ is the reason most of my friends are fit.

I think it’s because we had real heroes (fictional or nonfictional) who motivated us to be like them. It could have been superman, it could have been a strong relative we looked up to or maybe it could have been some celebrity we idolized and wanted to look like. I know a lot of people were inspired to body build because of Arnold’s physique.  It’s our heroes who inspired us to be better than average as young kids.

TIME TO CHANGE

Working with people and watching them either accept or resist change has left me very curious about the nature of change. Why do people resist it when they know change will be good for them and what is that definitive moment when they do decide to start changing. Finally, what is so different about the people that do change and why are they such a minority?

Through the stories I’ve gathered, I’ve begun to form a better understanding of the change process and come to the conclusion that people change because they want to be in control of the quality of their lives. Unfortunately, a lot of times it doesn’t hit us that the quality of our lives are poor until events occur like the ones in the stories above that act as the to gasoline to fuel us to the other side we dream of.

I’d love to hear more stories on why people change so us fitness professionals can better understand and help others to change just like you!

About the Author

Justin Kompf is a certified strength and conditioning specialist and certified personal trainer through the NSCA. He graduated from SUNY Cortland in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology. He currently teaches and trains clients at the University. Justin like burritos, deadlifting, peanut butter, and The Fast and the Furious movie saga (minus 2 and 3). He is an author for bloodandiron315.com . He can be reached at [email protected].

CategoriesMiscellaneous Miscellany

Miscellaneous Miscellany Monday: Women’s Health Debut and Why You Have No Excuse Not to Train

1. Lisa and I were sitting out in our back patio yesterday afternoon – she was studying, I was doing everything I could to not be productive (Hint: LOL Cats and Buzzfeed) – when she looked up at me and said, “I want chicken soup.”

Being the good boyfriend that I am, I hopped in my car and drove the short distance to Whole Foods to pick up said chicken soup and some other miscellaneous stuff.  As I was waiting in the checkout line I noticed that the new issue of Women’s Health was out.

More specifically it was the September issue.

The same issue that I was told a few months ago my chin-up article would appear in.

Keeping my cool – about as cool as a dude can get holding a women’s magazine (and chicken soup) – I casually thumbed through the contents and low and behold, on page 55, my name appeared in Dirk Diggler’esq fashion….with bright blue neon lights, purple outline, and a bunch of fireworks:

Okay, it was nothing like that.  Not by a long-shot.

But it never gets old to see your name in print – especially in a mainstream magazine.  Here’s what it actually looks like:

As the title suggests, I lay out a plan on how women can go about implementing chin-up progressions into their training repertoire with the end game being able to bang out chin-ups like finding shoe sales.

LOL – get it?  Women like to buy shoes!  And well, um, uh…….okay, I’ll shut up.

In any case I’m pretty proud of the article. And while I’m a little biased, I think it’s one that a lot women should read and implement.  Especially if they’re interested in finally cracking the chin-up conundrum.

2.  And lastly, for those who need a little motivation or some ammo to give a friend, colleague, or significant other the kick in the pants they deserve, check this out.

The next time you or someone you know complains about having a headache or something equally as lame like having a hang nail, and you or that other person opts to skip out on the gym (again), watch this video.

Andrew is one of our college athletes up here from Virginia training for the upcoming baseball season. The guy is a beast and a workhorse.  He’s one of the first guys to show up every day, and generally one of the last guys to leave. Although to that last point, our ping-pong table in the athlete lounge has more to do with that than the design of the programming…..;o)

The video below is of him RDL’ing 315 lbs for reps. For some that’s not that big of a deal, although I’d argue it’s still pretty impressive – especially for a 19 year old kid.

There’s something else that makes this video impressive, and it’s something that’s easily missed.

If you look really closely at Andrew’s left hand, you’ll notice that he actually doesn’t have one.

The first day I met Andrew and did his assessment he greeted me with the firmest handshake I’ve ever experienced.  If you combined the grip strength of He-Man, Thor, and a lumberjack, they’d have nothing on Andrew.

Speaking truthfully I didn’t even notice he didn’t have a left hand until about halfway through his assessment!  It’s not like the first thing that came out of his mouth was, “dude, I don’t have a left hand.”

Rather it was all about how stoked he was to be at Cressey Performance for the summer, that he’s read everything that I and Eric have written, and that he was ready to work hard and get after it.

That’s just the type of guy he is.  He’s not one to draw attention to himself, nor is he one to make excuses.

So, what’s yours?

CategoriesMotivational Strength Training

Spark Notes For “Hard” Gainers

I’d say that on any given day I receive close to 50+ emails from people around the world asking various things ranging from programming advice to book recommendations to sharing —-[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[[= (<——oops, my cat just pounced on the keyboard and says hi) their shared affinity for Jason Bourne.

Probably one of the more common “themes” that gets sent my way are emails from guys looking for advice on how to add muscle to their frame or how they can go about adding on any weight in general.

Much of the process entails asking a few key questions like, “what does your current training split look like?” or “how long have you actually been training?”

If someone retorts with something like, “well, on Mondays it’s chest and back, on Tuesdays it’s bis and tris, Wednesdays I hit up some posterior delts and tibialis anterior, and then I’ll maybe toss in some legs for good measure,” I know that it would be in their best interests to point them in the direction of the squat rack or deadlift platform and tell them not to leave until they’ve put on 25 lbs.

And then there are those who’ve only been training for two months and are worried that they don’t look like Mr. Olympia yet.

In this scenario I’ll roll out a generous dose of “expectation management” and inform them that it’s going to take a lot of time, hard work, and CONSISTENCY (for years on end) in order to see the results they’re after.

Much of the time I’ll point them in the direction of sites like T-Nation and tell them to absorb as much as they can – especially stuff written by Chad Waterbury, Joe DeFranco, and Jim Wendler.

And it isn’t just about reading either.  One of my biggest pet peeves is when some internet hero brags about how many times he’s read SuperTraining and that he has like 20,000 posts on some forum, yet, can barely crack a 1.5x bodyweight deadlift.

Reading and educating yourself is cool and all, but you also need to practice what you preach. It amazes me how people can quote Zatsiorsky, yet seemingly can’t manage to weigh more than 150 lbs soaking wet. Despite having been “training” for five years

Just shut-up and lift!

And now I’m just getting fired up and angry for no reason.  Deep breaths, Tony. Deep breaths

One such email I received a couple days ago went something like this:

I  have been working with 2 different online trainers which provided me with my diet and workout plan but unfortunately I did not get visible changes compare to the GREAT amount of work and dedication. I am a really HARDGAINER and I have a small frame with really small legs (chicken legs 🙂 ) Is there something different that you can provide me in your services that could make a difference in my body composition (muscle growth)?

Do you provide any nutritional advice? What supplements would you recommend I take?

My response:  CALORIES!

My facetious tone aside, I did write back a more thorough response, I didn’t hold back in letting the guy know that it’s not rocket science. No pill or powder is going to trump lack of calories.  You can’t just magically make muscle appear out of thin air.  The body needs calories to grow.

But all of this got me thinking: What are some other tidbits of advice I could throw down to other “hardgainers” out there?

Well, here you go:

1.  Calories

Seriously, eat!  I know, I know, you eat like, all…….the……time.  Actually, no, you don’t.  My litmus test for most self-described hardgainers is this one simple question:

What did you eat for breakfast this morning?

More often than not I get s bunch of “ums” and “uhs,” with a really long pause mixed in and it just gets awkward.  The word “supplement” shouldn’t even be a part of your vocabulary if you’re not even making an effort to eat breakfast.

And I’m not just referring to an apple and a glass of OJ either.  You’re a human being not a hummingbird.  Be a man, and don’t make the lame excuse that you don’t have time. Get up earlier, and make some eggs.  And don’t you dare toss away the yolk!!!!!  I can’t back this up with science, but an angel dies every time an egg yolk is throw into the sink.

If eggs aren’t your bag, it takes all of two minutes to make a bowl of oatmeal.  I don’t care, just eat breakfast for the love of god.

One of the best weight gaining pieces of advice I give guys is one I stole from Dr. John Berardi. Buy a bag of cinnamon-raisin bagels, slather each one with a boat load of peanut butter, and eat one of those in between each meal.

And if you don’t like cinnamon-raisin bagels, who the hell are you???  It’s like I don’t even know you anymore.  Who doesn’t like cinnamon-raisin bagels?!?!

The point is, you need to eat, and you need to eat a lot.

Eat.

2.  Less Volume?

Yes, you read that correctly.  Less volume.  It sounds counterintuitive but I’d make an argument that most hardgainers perform way too much volume and that’s what’s preventing them from packing on any weight.

While admirable, many will spend 2-3 hours in the gym per day, and on the off chance they do take a day off, that “off day” turns into 400 m tempo runs at the local track.  Or they do a Tough Mudder just for the fun of it.

Stop it already!

How can you expect to put on any weight if you’re constantly burning off calories?

When I start working with a hardgainer I typically limit his training days to THREE, full-body workouts per week.  Depending on the individual I may add in a day (maybe two) of GPP or movement, but for the most part I’m going to significantly reduce their training volume.

It’s a mindf*** at the start, especially for those who are used to heading to the gym everyday to blast their biceps, but it’s uncanny how often they start to see the scale ooch in their favor when they cut out all the extraneous fluff in their workouts.

3.  Focus on the Big Rocks

For those who are familiar with the Pareto Principle this next point will hit the nail on the head. For those who are scratching their heads here’s a brief explanation:

It was named after an Italian economist, Vilfredo Pareto, who demonstrated that 80% of the wealth in Italy was owned by only 20% of the population.

Taking it a step further, many have described it as a Law of Unequal Return, whereupon certain activities tend to give more return on investment than others. Incidentally, it should come as no surprise that many (if not all) aspects of fitness, can be applied here.

I know this comes across as preaching to the choir, but it bears repeating:  focus on the bang-for-your-training-buck exercises like deadlifts, squats, bench press, chin-ups, rows, push-ups, and single leg work and you’ll see good things happen.

If all these so-called hardgainers spent 80% of their time focusing on the big rocks (and understood that progressive overload is kind of an important thing), they probably wouldn’t call themselves hardgainers anymore.

I’d go so far as to say that if more guys started their workouts with a squat or deadlift variation and just alternated between the two week in and week out for a straight year, they’d see marked improvements in their physique.

Trust me, ditch the arm day and go lift something heavy…..;o)

4. Train Like an Athlete!

I like to play a game with people.  When I start with a someone who refers to themselves as a hardgainer I like to ask them to bring in a picture of a physique they admire.  Much of the time they’ll bring in a picture of guys like former NFL wide received Terrell Owens.

Now, I can’t speak to Terrell’s training, but can almost guarantee that he didn’t build that physique by crushing tricep kickbacks and worrying about carb cycling.

A lot of guys want to look like athletes, but they don’t come remotely close to training like one.  Of course there’s a lot that comes into the picture.  We have to take into consideration one’s injury history, experience, and if someone has the movement quality of a Sasquatch I don’t feel sprinting is a wise choice.  It ALWAYS comes down to progressions.

That said, I do feel a lot of people train themselves as if they’re covered in bubble wrap and fail to elicit any form of training effect

If you want to look like an athlete, you need to train like one!

Which is why Mike Robertson’s Bulletproof Athlete is an excellent choice for hardgainers as well as those looking to take their training to the next level.

It includes four months of customized programming, and there’s even several options to choose from depending on your schedule.  What’s more it comes with an extensive exercise database, as well as weekly conditioning and nutritional challenges.

Sometimes it’s just a matter of getting out of your own way and allowing someone else to do the thinking for you.

The manual is currently on sale NOW for a bargain price of $97.  But that ends THIS Saturday (August, 3rd), so if you’re going to take advantage of the savings you need to act quickly.  Ya heard.

—> Bulletproof Athlete <—

And that’s that.  I know I could keep going and speak to sleep, recovery protocols, 10×3 instead of 3×10, and did I mention deadlifts?  But hopefully a few of the points I did hit up resonated with a few people out there.