Apologies for the lack of writing content of late.
It’s been a hectic few weeks getting things prepared for upcoming speaking events and travel. The good news (well kinda good news: I’m gonna miss the little booger) is that my one and half year old, Julian, made the transition to full-time daycare this week.
….It’s the (Even More) Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint.
A bunch of wordsmiths we are.
With this iteration, though, we’ll be going a bit deeper into the coaching and programming side of things:
How to program around common injuries.
How to “connect” the appropriate exercises to the client/athlete.
How to squat and deadlift like a boss.
Houston, TX – is NEXT weekend (Sept 8-9th).
Ljublijana, Slovenia – Octobver 20-21st. (<— EARLY BIRD rate still in affect)
Los Angeles, CA – November 17-18th. (<— EARLY BIRD rate still in affect)
All registrants to this course (as well as future dates in Detroit, Philadelphia, Minas Tirith) will receive a free download of CSHB 1.0 so that you’re up-to-speed on the content Dean and I will be covering.
I’ve had to decline speaking at this event in the past due to prior engagements1, but I’m headed to San Jose this year baby.
And I…..am…..pumped.
I’ve never been to the Bay area so I’m excited for that. But I’m even more excited for the THREEdays of melt your face knowledge that’ll be under one roof.
The line-up is spectacular and I’m honored to be included amongst such esteemed company – Pat Rigsby, Mark Fisher, Molly Galbraith, Kellie Hart, Craig Ballantyne, and Scott Rawcliffe, to name a few.
I’ll be speaking about shoulder assessment.
If you’re a fitness professional looking to take his or her’s career to the next level this is an event you won’t want to miss.
I often say fat loss programs should be reframed and we should instead refer to them as “muscle retention programs.” HEAVY weight training should still be prioritized during this time to nudge the body into keeping as much muscle as possible while in a caloric deficit.
It can be intimidating if not downright terrifying when a client or athlete confides in you and shares intimate details of their personal life.
There have been times I wanted nothing more than to stick my fingers in my ears and start yelling “La la la la la la la, I can’t hear you, la la la la la” when I client started telling me about their divorce, affair, financial woes, that they actually likedAttack of the Clones.
All fitness pros need to read this article.
Like it or not, as Krista notes in the first paragraph….”you’re more therapist-like than you think.”
“Warning: This article may cause heart palpitations, ulcers, and sleepless nights. It will make anyone who’s not a competitive powerlifter question everything they thought they knew about the squat.”
Anyone who’s read this site for any length time knows I’m not a big fan of exercise variety.
For most people, most of the time, adding in novelty for the sake of novelty often mounts to nothing more than a one-way ticket to Averageville.
My good friend and strength coach, Chris Merritt (founder and owner of BSP NoVa), has an excellent guest post for you today discussing why exercise variety can be detrimental and how, despite popular belief, you can still keep your clients engaged with the same exercises.
His FREE e-book detailing how you can add variety to basic exercises can be downloaded HERE.
“No, get your back flatter … yeah, there you go, but drop your hips … okay, great job, but now get your back flat again … [hm, what the heck is going on?] … maybe set your feet wider?”
Whether you’re the coach or client, everyone is frustrated in a scenario like this, and yet, we’ve probably all been here at some point.
If you’re the client, I’m sorry, it’s not your fault.
If you’re the coach—you guessed it—this falls on you.
When it comes to selecting exercises for our clients, we actually shouldn’t have to coach form all that much. Sure, there’s some base level of teaching that needs to happen on the front end, and occasional cues along the way, but, contrary to what all too often happens across gyms far and wide, people don’t need the newest fancy exercise progression every time they get a new program.
In fact, continually introducing new movements will significantly slow down progress or, worse yet, derail it altogether.
Think about it…
The more time spent on coaching, teaching—whatever you want to call it—the less time the client spends training with appropriate focus and duration to accomplish their goals. Do you think the recipient of the coaching above was able to train with enough intensity (i.e., weight used) and volume (i.e., the total number of sets and reps) to even remotely elicit desired results?
… and we can argue about whether it was an exercise selection or coaching problem some other time.
[the correct answer is both]
Now let’s pretend that four to six weeks later they’re finally getting it, and then BAM!, their coach decides to switch things up to the latest squat variation they copped from Instagram.
… here we go again.
A Better System
At our gym, Beyond Strength Performance NOVA, we use a system of strength standards to determine when it’s potentially time to move on, and a subsequent progression of exercises that layer competency gained from the movement prior.
Let’s unpack what that actually means, using the deadlift as an example…
All our members start their training journey with a personal orientation session, typically done a day or two after their 1-on-1 assessment and goal-setting session, and we accomplish multiple things within the hour:
Teach the warm-ups, providing context for basic concepts (position, breathing, tension, patterning) that carry right over into their everyday training…
Teach them how to deadlift, squat, push, and pull, along with determining what variations and loads are best suited for them from day one…
Teach the language we use to coach and cue across all our staff
Have the new member work with multiple coaches in the session to introduce them to the concept of semi-private personal training
Take them through a short training session with the four movements they just learned, allowing them to train that day and us to see how they took to the information they just learned…
Set expectations for what’s to come…
Make notes about their personality, learning style, and anything else that will help us to coach and connect with them…
Specific to the deadlift, we start the teaching process in our warm-ups by using the cat-cow drill to learn what it feels like to move through our spine and experience two undesirable positions that we refer to as “macho man”—extension, or belly dropped towards the floor—and “sad dog”—flexion, or a big arch like a scared cat.
We then introduce the position of “tall and tight”—ribs down and belt buckle to sternum—using the push-up position plank.
It’s also at this time that we’ll discuss “tall and tight” being our desirable position for all squats, deadlifts, rows, —essentially everything we do in the gym, with one of the only exceptions being the bench press, where we’ll use an arch, or “macho man.”
Finally, we use quadruped rocking to further provide the perception of what it feels like to move with our hips while staying “tall and tight.”
After the warm-ups we teach the deadlift, using a progression of handcuff hinge to barbell deadlift, stopping when we find the ideal starting point for their first program. Rather than write out the whole description of this process, let’s check out a video we filmed in May of last year for a law enforcement group we’re consulting with:
NOTE: The only thing we do differently since this video was filmed is introduce the barbell RDL before progressing to the rack pull, as we have found that folks learn to keep the bar tight to their thighs and groove the pattern with a top-down approach more easily than bending over to find the right position before beginning the movement—much like handcuff hinge before the kettlebell deadlift…
Further, we use a strength standard of EIGHT quality deadlifts with a 60kg kettlebell (132# for those of you searching for a calculator), performed for multiple quality sets, before progressing to the barbell RDL. The new member may clear this and move on during their personal orientation session, or they could require multiple phases of training to build the capacity.
So yes, you read that correctly—if they’re four months into training with us and they haven’t passed the kettlebell deadlift standard, that kettlebell deadlift is staying on every one of their programs until they do so. Then they’ll need to demonstrate proficiency with the barbell RDL before they go to the rack pull, and the proper form and mobility with descending rack pulls before maybe progressing to the floor.
Sounds boring, you say?
Feeling successful is never boring, and the basics allow for our folks to train with appropriate intensity, volume, and positions to crush their goals. But that doesn’t mean you can’t keep things interesting in your application of the basics.
How Many Ways Could You Program the Kettlebell Deadlift?
If you just thought of things like traditional sets and reps, partial reps, varied tempos, clusters, etc., you’re onto what we refer to as loading types.
Rather than just continually throw the kettlebell deadlift at you in the same fashion, month in and month out, we could do something like this:
Elevated kettlebell deadlifts for the first month while we work on hip mobility. Further, we can prescribe more time under tension with the eccentric portion (descent) to really groove the pattern. We refer to this as straight sets with an eccentric focus…
Elevated Kettlebell Deadlift (31X2) 2-3 x 8
(31X2) = each rep performed with a 3 second descent, 1 second pause on the floor, up fast, and 2 second pause at the top. Do these 8 times and you’ve completed one set—one to two more sets to go depending on how you’re holding up with this new training stimulus.
In month two we’re ready to ditch the elevation, however, we haven’t cleared the strength standard, so we’ll program clusters to build our capacity.
Kettlebell Deadlift Clusters 3 x (2, 2, 1)
(2, 2, 1) = 2 reps, rest 10 to 30 seconds, 2 reps, rest another 10 to 30 seconds, and finally 1 rep—all with the same weight. That’s one set, and you’ve got two more to go.
Perform 3 heavy kettlebell deadlifts, right into 2 medium-heavy kettlebell deadlifts, followed by 1 medium-light kettlebell deadlift. That’s one set down, two to go.
In month four we bring it back to straight sets, only this time with no elevation…
Kettlebell Deadlift 4 x 4
… and for example, let’s say you want to test out in week 4. We’ll simply switch your 4 x 4 to 2 x 8. Crush it, and on to the barbell RDL we go…
All For One and One For All
We have strength standards for our core four movements—squat, deadlift, push-up, and pull-up—and progressions/regressions for every exercise we use.
When we put these systems to use in our program design process—appropriately selecting individual exercises and combining them in a manner to work towards the clients’ said goals—coaches don’t need to overwhelm the clients with constant corrections, clients get to see a pathway to success and train their asses off in the process, and decision making with regards to writing one program to the next becomes a simple task.
And if you’d like to come learn this stuff in person—and so much more—join us on Sunday September 9th in Queens, NY at Iron Lion Performance for the Program Design One-Day Deep Dive Seminar. Check out the agenda and get registered here.
….It’s the (Even More) Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint.
A bunch of wordsmiths we are.
With this iteration, though, we’ll be going a bit deeper into the coaching and programming side of things:
How to program around common injuries.
How to “connect” the appropriate exercises to the client/athlete.
How to squat and deadlift like a boss.
All registrants to this course (as well as future dates in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Los Angeles, Detroit, Philadelphia, Minas Tirith) will receive a free download of CSHB 1.0 so that you’re up-to-speed on the content Dean and I will be covering.
I’ve had to decline speaking at this event in the past due to prior engagements1, but I’m headed to San Jose this year baby.
And I…..am…..pumped.
I’ve never been to the Bay area so I’m excited for that. But I’m even more excited for the THREEdays of melt your face knowledge that’ll be under one roof.
The line-up is spectacular and I’m honored to be included amongst such esteemed company – Pat Rigsby, Mark Fisher, Molly Galbraith, Kellie Hart, Craig Ballantyne, and Scott Rawcliffe, to name a few.
I’ll be speaking about shoulder assessment.
If you’re a fitness professional looking to take his or her’s career to the next level this is an event you won’t want to miss.
Does everyone need to squat? Nope. But your ability to competently do it provides a profound upgrade to your exercise (and movement) repertoire. Also: finding the RIGHT squat for your body, injury history & ability level matters.
John first started writing for T-Nation back in the early 2000’s and eventually started Precision Nutrition which is now a 200 million dollar company and one of the most respected entities in the industry.
How?
How did he do it?
Was there some secret morning ritual, a daily hack, or maybe he cut a deal with Rumplestiltskin?
None of the above, actually.
As always John keeps it real and provides a ton of practical insights.
I know Ben Bruno has done similar variations from the floor, so I guess he serves as my muse in this instance.
What Does It Do? – This is a great example of an exercise that provides a high-training effect with a low dose. Here we’re targeting the pecs (obviously), but we’re also getting a high degree of glute activation and an even higher degree of core recruitment.
I’m a BIG fan of “offset” training.
This is where you hold a weight (dumbbell, barbell, KB, Mjolnir) on ONE-side of the body and perform all your repetitions before switching to the other side.
In this case the benefit is you have to do all you can to “steady” yourself and not fall off the bench as the set progresses.
It’s core training 101.
Resisting/stabilizing external forces & vectors.
Moreover, the exercise is made exponentially more difficult when performed in the “off-bench” position (glute bridge) because 1) there’s less of the bench to keep you stable and 2) you have to work to maintain appropriate lumbo-pelvic alignment as a result.
Key Coaching Cues – This is admittedly a bit of a wonky exercise at first, especially with regards to getting into position. The best piece of advice I can offer is to place the DB on your lap first and then use that (and the bench) as leverage as you finagle yourself into the bridge position.
Rest your head on the bench.
When you’re set make a fist with your free hand to help ramp up and maintain full-body tension. Be prepared to get diesel.
I can’t comprehend why some people risk their reputation and credibility plagiarizing the work of others.
– Is it for the additional clicks and page views?
– Is it due to our infatuation with “likes” and shares on social media and the facade of success it insinuates?
– Is it because some people just lack any form of original thought and commonsense?
I honestly don’t know the answer, and it dumbfounds me why some people would jeopardize their integrity at the prospect of maybe gaining more of a following, maybe generating a few more hits on their website, and/or maybe making a bit more money.
It seems obvious to me it’s not worth the risk given the fleeting euphoria of all of the above when news comes out you’re nothing more than a cut and paste hack.
There have been some egregious examples of plagiarism within the fitness industry of late.
My friend, Georgie Fear, used Facebook earlier this year to call out another fitness professional who was repeatedly copying her work. She only went public after all previous attempts to rectify the situation privately failed to stick.
Likewise, Sohee Lee took matters into her own hands not too long ago and took another fitness pro to task for blatantly taking credit for her work (and other’s)…repeatedly.
Heck, I remember a few years ago, when I was still at Cressey Sports Performance, Pete Dupuis typing CSPs mission statement into Google and watching, in a matter of 0.007 seconds, several examples popping up on screen of other fitness facilities having cut/pasted that – word for word – and using it as their own.
I mean, if you can’t even come up with your own mission statement for your facility why are you even in this industry?
What Is Plagiarism?
noun
pla·gia·rism
The practice of taking someone else’s work or ideas and passing them off as one’s own.
What Is Not Plagiarism?
Now that we’re all on the same page – thanks to Webster’s – of what plagiarism is, lets discuss what it is not.
Not Plagiarism
Anything that is not plagiarism.
A cheese sandwich, a free month’s subscription to Hulu, my wife’s curling iron, that weird oddly shaped mark on your left leg below your kneecap (you might want to get that checked out), anything else that’s not plagiarism.
It’s Simple
Go out of your way to give credit.
You will not lose demerit points and people will not think any less of you in doing so. Speaking on a personal level I can’t tell you how many times people have gone out of their way to commend me on my persistence to always give credit.
Whether I’m presenting or writing I’m always name dropping other coaches who’s information and intellectual prowess I borrow.
And here’s an example from an article I wrote last week on this site:
In neither scenario did I risk my reputation, compromise my integrity, or spontaneously combust in a flash of ineptitude because I had the audacity (and conscious) to reference someone else’s work.
I didn’t lose credibility in anyone’s eyes (I think).
There’s no shortage of shenanigans, tomfoolery, and outright WTF’ness tethered to everyday life. We can multiply this by a factor of infinity when talking about stuff we see and hear in the gym.
The gym is a petri dish of grit, determination, chalk, high-fives, blood, sweat, and other bodily fluids I don’t want to think about, plumes of Axe Body Spray, cheesy one-liners, groutfits, selfies, rusty barbells, and a spectrum of head scratching, eyebrow raising, head tilting dumbfoundedness of human behavior.
Shit can get weird.
Today’s guest post by regular contributor, Shane McLean, scratches the surface.
Whenever I go off on a tangent and start raving about some minuscule subject, my wife often dismisses me with ‘whatever floats your boat dear.’ My reply is ‘you’re the one who floats my boat dear.’
Okay, that’s enough dirty talk.
We all have our own idiosyncrasies, things we do without thinking or habits we do that other people look upon as strange. And if you’re a fitness professional or a hardcore gym goer you probably have a bucket load of things that your family and friends brush off as weird.
However, if you’re anything like me, you either don’t care what people think or you believe it’s completely natural and everyone should do it because it’s awesome.
For example, checking out your abs in the mirror while every else is lifting.
I’ve been around gyms for over 25 years as a gym goer and a trainer. And in that time, I have developed my own strange habits and I’ve also seen things that I can’t forget because it’s been burned into my subconscious.
The following list is like therapy for the soul.
Let the healing begin.
1. Don’t ever show your underarm fat to a trainer and ask, “What do I do about these chicken wings?”
If you must know, I like them battered and fried and smothered with BBQ sauce.
2. It’s okay to sweat but please, clean up after yourself. The habit of not cleaning up after one’s self and leaving a pool of sweat on the gym floor like a calling card to gross. Your mum is not there to clean up for you, so you do it.
3. I love training bare foot.
I love my feet touching the dirty gym floor because it gives me better feedback on how I’m doing.
Unfortunately, not everyone digs it as much as I do.
4. Do you remember when Monica Seles graced the tennis courts?
Don’t be that guy after every rep.
A little is okay but a lot is not.
5. Do you know the dude who wears a weight belt while doing 55-pound barbell curls? Don’t be him either.
6. If you’re getting dirty looks while on your cell phone, you’re talking too loudly. No one needs to hear what you ate last night. On that note, why are you talking on your cellphone in the gym?
Get back to lifting.
7. Why do people wake up at the arse crack of dawn to run on a treadmill? The weights are over there.
8. Don’t text and lift. It’s hazardous for ones health.
9. Laying the weight plates by the weight stack doesn’t count as putting them away. Don’t be lazy and re rack your weights.
10.Stop bragging to everyone about how much you lift.
Somewhere, someone is warming up with your max.
11. Who doesn’t enjoy eating out of Tupperware containers?
12. There’s a time for dancing and a time for lifting.
Don’t get the two confused.
13. Do you drop your dirty plates on the floor after you’ve finished eating? Of course not. Pay the dumbbells the same respect.
14. What am I doing with the lacrosse ball?
Don’t ask.
15. There’s a reason gyms have lots of mirrors, so take advantage of it you sexy thing.
16. Don’t make me wait for the water fountain while filling a gallon container. Are you really that thirsty?
17. Wearing sunglasses while training is never cool unless your Corey Hart. Is the sun shining in the gym?
18. Playing Candy Crush on your phone while spotting your partner bench pressing goes beyond stupid.
Yes, this actually happened, and I still can’t get it out of my brain.
19. There are some exercises that look like you’re getting lucky. Please don’t maintain eye contact with anyone while doing these.
20. Squatting while on a stability ball is a trainers worst nightmare. It’s still giving me the cold sweats.
Wrapping Up
It’s my hope that you feel better now.
I certainty do.
I’ve saved a bunch of money on therapy.
Author’s Bio
Shane “The Balance Guy” McLean, is an A.C.E Certified Personal Trainer working deep in the heart of Louisiana with the gators.
….It’s the (Even More) Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint.
A bunch of wordsmiths we are.
With this iteration, though, we’ll be going a bit deeper into the coaching and programming side of things:
How to program around common injuries.
How to “connect” the appropriate exercises to the client/athlete.
How to squat and deadlift like a boss.
All registrants to this course (as well as future dates in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Los Angeles, Detroit, Philadelphia, Minas Tirith) will receive a free download of CSHB 1.0 so that you’re up-to-speed on the content Dean and I will be covering.
I’ve had to decline speaking at this event in the past due to prior engagements1, but I’m headed to San Jose this year baby.
And I…..am…..pumped.
I’ve never been to the Bay area so I’m excited for that. But I’m even more excited for the THREE days of melt your face knowledge that’ll be under one roof.
The line-up is spectacular and I’m honored to be included amongst such esteemed company – Pat Rigsby, Mark Fisher, Molly Galbraith, Kellie Hart, Craig Ballantyne, and Scott Rawcliffe, to name a few.
The dumbbell row is a common exercise performed in gyms everywhere and is a splendid choice for anyone interested in building a back the size of Nebraska.1
It’s a staple in my own programming (and that of my clients) because it offers a bevy of other benefits – shoulder health, emphasizes unilateral strength, promotes increased eccentric loading (they’re superb for accentuated eccentric sets), and it’s undeniably versatile, to name a few.
However, it’s an exercise that’s often butchered in terms of its execution, and as a result many trainees lose out on all those benefits
I wanted to highlight a few of the more egregious culprits in today’s post.
There’s No One Perfect Way, and I’m Not Saying You’re Wrong
Let me set the record straight out of the gate.
This post is not meant to be the end-all-be-all-Tony’s-right-and-you’re-wrong-so-STFU answer to everything dumbbell row.
I’ll be the first to admit there are many nuances of the exercise I’m omitting from this post. Truth be told I didn’t want to write a 3000 word article on the dumbbell row and make people want to commit seppuku out of sheer boredom.
3ooo words on Why The Gummi Bears Were the Best Saturday Morning Cartoon of the 80’s = Pulitzer material.
300o words on the DB Row = someone toss me a sword.
That said, my main objective here is to 1) point out a handful of technique flaws I’ve observed over the span of a 15+ year coaching career, 2) suggest some “fixes” and 3) hopefully keep my pants on in the process.
DB Row Mistake #1: Not Pushing Away
Understandably, when we’re performing a DB Row we should emphasize and be cognizant of what the working/moving arm is doing (more on this below).
However, it’s important to recognize that the supporting/non-moving arm is also a major player and is very much involved in the proper execution of this exercise.
Mike Robertson has pointed this out in the past, and it makes a ton of sense. I watch a lot of people “hang out” on their supporting side when performing a DB Row…more or less “dumping” into that shoulder.
This places the scapulae in a precarious position – anteriorly tilted, often in more of a shruggy pattern – which isn’t doing anyone’s shoulder any favors.
Instead, you want to protract or “push away” on the supporting side for better positioning, stability, and, as a bonus, Serratus Anterior activation.
DB Row Mistake #2: The Path
Many people view the DB Row as two things:
A straight up and down motion.
An exercise that targets scapular retraction, namely the Rhomboids.
I view the DB Row as two things:
More of an arc motion (forward and backward).
An exercises that, yes, can (and kinda-sorta does) hit the rhomboids, but due to the increase line of pull (arc motion), is actually a superb exercise for maximal Lat engagement.
Strength coach Lee Boyce has hammered home this concept in the past, but it bears repeating here: the force angle of the DB Row – especially if it’s performed straight up and down – doesn’t lend itself as a great scapular retraction exercise.
Simply put: There are better options (Seated Row variations, bent over row, jumping into a live volcano).
Instead, you should treat the DB Row as more of Lat exercise.
Implementing more of a sweeping action or “arc” pattern with your arms allows you to match the fiber orientation of the Lats.
And that’s what it should target.
No diggidy, no doubt.
DB Row Mistake #3: Too Much ROM
More ROM isn’t always better.
A common mistake I often see trainees doing when performing a DB Row is allowing their elbow to travel too far past the midline of the body (glenohumeral extension).
Excessive glenohumeral extension (as what happens when the elbow travels past midline) can lead to excessive scapular anterior tilt and Anterior Humeral Glide, both of which will likely kill you.
Just kidding.
But they’re not going to make your shoulders (or elbows for that matter) feel great.
I like to cue my trainees to bring their elbows towards their hip or “back pocket” and that’s it. I’ll often have to place my hand just off the small of their back so they know when to stop.
Once they understand that, it’s makes all the difference in the world.
DB Row Mistake #4: Pinning the Shoulder Blade
Many people are cued to retract their shoulder blade at the top of the movement when they perform a DB Row.
Cool.
But then they keep it pinned there, in place, throughout the duration of a set.
When I coach the DB Row I encourage people to feel a slight stretch at the bottom of the movement.
The shoulder blades are meant to move around the rib cage.
Pinning them in place can lead to a litany of other situations – like Downward Rotation Syndrome – which you’re better off avoiding.
There are situations where I may cue someone to hold a retracted position more, but it’s rare.
Don’t be afraid to let those bad-boys explore their full movement capability.
DB Row Mistake #5: Going Too Heavy
Here’s a nice rule of thumb: If you look like you’re having an epileptic seizure – or it looks like you’re using an industrial strength Shake Weight – when performing a DB Row you’re likely not doing it correctly (or gaining much benefit other than stroking your ego)
I understand there’s a time and place for body english.
I do.
But as Eric Cressey poignantly Tweeted the other day:
If you’re doing 1-arm rows with 110lb dumbbells but your deadlift is only 315lbs, I’m just going to put it out there that your ugly rows probably aren’t doing much for your deadlift. Or you need to stop skipping leg day.
Moreover, and as my colleague Chris Cooper succinctly reminded me of the other day, the DB Row is just as much of an upper back exercise as it is an ANTI-ROTATION exercise.
I prefer to encourage as rigid of a torso as possible during a set. There’s going to be “some” movement, mind you, but it shouldn’t be too prevalent.
When it is it’s often a sign someone is using too heavy of a load.
For a bit more of a the science and biomechanics of what I’m getting at – especially as it relates to the Resistance Curve and Strength Curve of rowing – I’d encourage you to check out THIS article by Nick Tumminello.
Jordan McNair, a (former) University of Maryland football player, died a few weeks ago during practice as the team was completing conditioning drills.
All signs pointed towards him being in distress.
Yet, the cloud of “being tough” and persevering through a grueling workout seemed to have overcast common-sense.
We can learn from this tragic event as fitness professionals and be more cognizant of what our roles truly are. Thanks to NYC based strength coach, David Otey, for sending this article my way to post.
Coaching: The Fine Line Between Building Toughness and Being Destructive
It shouldn’t take a devastating loss to rattle the heads of everyone in an industry.
The death of Jordan McNair, a 19-year-old sophomore football player at the University of Maryland is one that got shockingly little attention until recently.
Jordan died a couple weeks after a conditioning incident when running 110’s with the team.1
While there is much to be seen regarding specifics of the circumstances the part that is clear is this happened under the watch of their Strength and Conditioning staff.
We work in a field where bigger, stronger, faster, and more resilient is the goal.
With increased expectations can come increasingly negligent practices or, at the very least, less attention to the factors we can control. I bring this up because this is just a concerning situation when looking at Personal Trainers and instructors who have less education, experience, and want to show what they can do.
This isn’t to say that less education or experience can make someone more dangerous, but someone may be less in tune with the risk factors and signs showing that someone can be in distress.
The symptoms of a heat illness include:
High body temperature
Nausea
Vomiting
Rapid breathing
Flushed skin
Headache
Racing heart rate
Confusion
Agitation
Slurred speech and irritability (1)
Don’t the top seven symptoms look like what a “tough workout” would lead to when working out outdoors in the summer?
While heat stroke symptoms are the example I use above, this can be similarly associated with any client that is thrown too far into a program without the proper baseline. As I would compare it, throwing someone into the deep end who doesn’t know how to swim. While there are many factors we cannot control, there are many we can control.
1) Communication
An open line of communication is paramount to gaining success and identifying everyone’s boundaries.
Self-awareness is not a trait that every individual comes equipped with when they begin working out.
At the end of the day, the risk of an exercise should never outweigh the reward it pays out.
There are always options to improve the health and performance of someone while avoiding some dumb shit you saw on Instagram.
The phrase I commonly use with all my clients or potential clients is…
“If at any point in time you feel tired, sore, fatigued, dizzy, or just generally uncomfortable, please let me know.”
I say this so frequently it becomes a natural part of their program dialogue.
Creating a line of communication where the athlete, individual, or child you are working with understands they can trust you to be open is when real progress begins.
2) Hydration
I think we all have at one point in our life had that coach that used “no water” as a form of punishment.
That is an awful and ridiculous idea.
To be sufficiently hydrated it is recommended to drink 16-20 oz of fluid prior to exercise and replenish every pound of weight lost in a training session with 20-24 oz of water afterwards.
While hydration numbers are often changing based on many variables, it is safe to say 8-12, 8 oz glasses of water are recommended daily (2). Water effects everything from cognitive function do muscular activity so, yeah, its kind of a big deal.
3) Symptoms
Identifying when someone you have been consistently working with just isn’t themselves comes with time and attention.
Understanding what these signs look like can help avoid injury or regrettable overexertion.
The following examples pertain to system overload scenarios:
High respiratory rate
Wheezing
Blurred Vision
Clammy skin
Not sweating during vigorous activity
Headache
Uncontrollable HR
The following examples pertain to potential injuries (Muscular/Joint):
Wincing
Compensation to one side
Irregular gait pattern
Verbal cues (grunts or moans)
Visible cues (facial expression)
Unsure? Don’t Pass Go
Ultimately, we cannot avoid all situations.
We try out best to avoid every wrong turn to get the most out every person we have the privilege to work with. The best we can do is keep our eye and attention at making sure we keep our clients and athletes in the safest position possible.
Mental toughness is built in dealing with adversity and pushing the current limits.
Generic training and standards of what we expect can be thrown out the window. Arbitrary training protocols and “toughness” challenges are a thing of the past.
With all the advances we have seen in the fitness industry we can avoid some of the circumstances we have seen ourselves in over the past few years. We need to develop individuals from where they currently stand to where they can eventually thrive.
Because I said so is never a good response.
Don’t find yourself to be the health professional who neglects health.
For those who’d like to help you can go HERE to contribute to the GoFundMe account that has been set up to support the McNair family.
Resources
“Heat Illnesses.” Korey Stringer Institute, ksi.uconn.edu/emergency-conditions/heat-illnesses/
Roy, Brad A. “Exercise and Fluid Replacement.” ACSMs Health & Fitness Journal, vol. 17, no. 4, 2013, p. 3
About the Author
David Otey is a Strength and Conditioning specialist based out of New York City. David is the 2015 Fitness Manager of the Year for Equinox and has been featured in several major fitness publications on the topics of strength and Conditioning. David will be presenting at this year’s NSCA PT Conference on the topics of Rotational Power and Hex Bar Protocols.
….It’s the (Even More) Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint.
A bunch of wordsmiths we are.
With this iteration, though, we’ll be going a bit deeper into the coaching and programming side of things:
How to program around common injuries.
How to “connect” the appropriate exercises to the client/athlete.
How to squat and deadlift like a boss.
All registrants to this course (as well as future dates in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Los Angeles, Detroit, Philadelphia, Minas Tirith) will receive a free download of CSHB 1.0 so that you’re up-to-speed on the content Dean and I will be covering.
I’ve had to decline speaking at this event in the past due to prior engagements (and because of Kumite), but I’m headed to San Jose this year baby.
The line-up is spectacular and I’m honored to be included amongst such esteemed company – Pat Rigsby, Mark Fisher, Molly Galbraith, Kellie Hart, Craig Ballantyne, and Scott Rawcliffe, to name a few.
I’ll be speaking about shoulder assessment.
I’ll also be booking a photographer soon because my current headshot is god awful.
If you’re a fitness professional looking to take his or her’s career to the next level this is an event you won’t want to miss.
Lee has written many things that are well-written, poignant, and thought provoking. I always appreciate his willingness to write & say things many of us are sheepish to point out ourselves.
You can learn all about 20+ loading types, providing YEARS of near infinite variety on the basics by picking up my free e-book, 
