Categoriesspeed training Strength Training

Do Absolute Strength Athletes Need to Train For Power?

Today’s guest post comes courtesy of TG.com regular, Justin Kompf. This is Justin’s fourth or fifth article on this site, but admittedly it’s been awhile since he’s contributed because he’s gotten all fancy pants and has a job and website and stuff.

Today he tackles a “touchy” topic: speed/power training (what it means and how to apply it into programming).

Enjoy!

Also, before we get into the meat and potatoes of the post I wanted to remind everyone that Justin’s responsible for organizing the 2nd Annual SUNY Cortland Strength and Conditioning Symposium.

You can read all about HERE (<—- link to my site), or go directly to registration HERE.

For $60 you can attend an event where myself, Nick Tumminello, Mark Fisher, John Gaglione, and Joy Victoria will be speaking. That’s literally nothing for what mounts to a night at the movies.

No excuses young fitness professionals. Get it done. Come listen and learn from some of the best in the fitness industry.

Do Absolute Strength Athletes Need to Train For Power?

Powerlifters often incorporate speed training into their programming. This is called dynamic effort training. For example, they may train at high intensities for a few weeks or training cycles then add in some maximal speed training with sub-maximal load.

This protocol is great for developing force quickly but likely not nearly as effective at increasing absolute strength as training at high intensities are.

It takes about .4 seconds to develop maximal force. Therefore, if you lift at a high velocity, which is only possible with lighter weight, you cannot develop maximal force.

However, some good things happen with speed training, namely athletic development or maintenance. Powerlifters may not want to become accustomed to only lifting heavy weight slow.

No one would argue that speed training is important for athletic development but how important it is for maximal strength is another story. There are a few equations and concepts that need to be understood to help elaborate on why lifting sub-maximal loads faster may not have an impact on strength.

These concepts include the relationship between force and velocity and the equation for force.

Force Velocity Relationships

According to the relationship between force and velocity, as the external load being moved increases the velocity at which it is being moved decreases. This means that as force increases velocity decreases. In fact you can produce more force in isometric conditions where the bar is not moving than in concentric conditions.

 

To give a practical example of this relationship think about it this way; it is possible for most resistance trained athletes to squat 135 at a high velocity. To ask them to squat 315 pounds at the same maximal velocity would not be possible.

Force

It is often argued that because force equals mass multiplied by acceleration, training acceleration with a constant load will increase force production. When the load increases and acceleration decreases force should still be high and when the load decreases and acceleration increases force should also still be high.

Unfortunately, this may be a misunderstanding of acceleration and the force equation.

Acceleration is the change in velocity over time, whereas velocity is the change in distance over time. Just because barbell speed is high, does not mean that acceleration is high if the speed remains constant.

Change the equation force = mass x acceleration to acceleration = force/mass (it’s still the same equation) and we see that the greater the force an athlete puts into a lift the greater the acceleration. Remember that force and velocity have an inverse relationship. High forces cannot be generated at high velocities. The goal of speed training is to lift the bar at high velocities.

Therefore, if velocity is low due to maximal weights being lifted then force is actually high. Another easy way to think about it is like this; if mass goes up and the load is moved force goes up. If mass goes up barbell velocity goes down. With high velocities maximal force cannot be trained. Lifters may have been misinterpreted acceleration with barbell velocity.

Practical Recommendations

In the book Science and Practice of Strength Training the authors states that….

“The method of dynamic effort is used not for increasing maximal strength but only to improve the rate of force development and explosive strength”.

This article is by no means advocating slow speed training. We know that doesn’t work for strength training. In fact loads have to be reduced by 30% to get the equivalent number of repetitions with intentionally slow speed training. The only real rationale for slow contractions would be a function of the load being moved, meaning if you’re lifting heavy weight the speed of contraction is going to be slow.

Training for power, which is (force x distance)/ time, is an important part of athletic development and should hold some place in every individual’s program. However, training for power which necessitates low loads, likely will not have a cross over effect to maximal strength. If you want to get strong you have to lift heavy weights and progressively increase the intensities you are training at.

For athletics, rate of force development, or the change in force over time is extremely important. As mentioned before, it takes about .4 seconds to build maximum force. However, sporting movements happen in shorter time periods than .4 seconds. Therefore, the ability to rapidly produce force is important. However, because speed is high and the time to produce force is low, force production will never be maximal.

Also, the intent to maximally accelerate a load, regardless of weight and subsequent bar velocity may be important in strength development.

One study examined 30 division one collegiate football players and put them into two groups. A control group, that continued training at regular bar velocities and an experimental group that was instructed to train at maximal velocities.

This protocol lasted for 14 weeks, during the upper body training days the athletes used the bench press, incline bench press, behind the neck press, and arm curls. They were pretested and post tested in the one repetition maximum bench press, seated medicine ball throw, and the plyometric pushup.

The experimental groups bench press went up by 8.6% compared with the controlled groups 3.8%. The authors concluded that…

“The intent to maximally accelerate concentrically with heavy weight may be better for improving strength and power than slower heavy strength training.”

This study was interesting because the control group performed the same program and continued to train at the exact velocity they had been training at.

Should You Throw Out Speed Training?

It is clear that as weight increases the potential barbell speed decreases. Because power is dependent upon speed and force is dependent on load, one cannot produce high rates of power and force at the same time.

If you want to specialize in being as strong as possible, focus your training on working with high training intensities.

Speed training certainly can and should have its place in programming.

Speed training could be used to accumulate extra training volume for a movement. For example, on a heavy deadlift day using a submaximal squat weight for speed training can be programmed in after the deadlift. Speed training can also be used to focus on technique with lighter weight. Finally, speed training as previously mentioned is vital in athletic performance.

There is not a definitive answer out there saying speed training absolutely will not help you increase strength.

It is entirely possible that training with sub-max loads (think 70% or even heavier quick singles at 80% & not 40-50%) can help a lifter break the bar off the ground on the deadlift, come out of the hole quicker on the squat, or get the bar off their chest in the bench press.

Also if speed training helps a lifter build up momentum prior to their sticking point, it may help them surpass that region.

Finally, this is not an argument for lifting weights slow, as a matter of fact research supports maximally ‘intended’ concentric contractions for strength training. This means you should try to lift a weight fast regardless of the weight and regardless of how fast the bar is actually moving.

The point here is that training is specific.

If you want to train to be as muscular as possible, focus on training volume. If you want to be as fast as you can, focus on training speed, and if you desire to be as strong as possible the majority of your training should be focused on increasing training intensities.

There certainly can be a mixed approach for well-balanced training. Bodybuilders lift at high intensities in their training cycles so they can handle more load when they go back to training for volume and powerlifters may take on a bodybuilding training approach to increase lean body mass and thus produce more force.

There is nothing wrong with a powerlifter incorporating speed training into their routine as long as they realize that speed training alone probably is not going to have much of an impact on absolute strength.

Further Reading (a lot of the concepts were drawn from the following)

Hales, E.M.(2011). Evaluating common weight training concepts associated with developing muscular strength: Truths or myths? Strength and Conditioning Journal. 33: 91-95

Jones K., Hunter G., Fleisig G, Escamila R., Lemak L. (1999). The effects of compensatory acceleration on upper-body strength and power in collegiate football players. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 13: 99-105.

About the Author

You can check out more of Justin’s stuff at his website HERE.

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CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 2/20/15

I’m in Burlington, MA for the next three days attending the Functional Movement Screen I & II workshops.

Photo Credit: Perform Better Europe

I’m excited because not only do I expect to learn a ton over the next three days, but I also get to learn from and listen to a coach I highly respect….FMS content advisor, co-creator of  the CK-FMS program, RKC Master Instructor, and guy who could snap me in two in two seconds (not that he’d want to do that), Brett Jones.

Chances are I’ll have a ton of new ideas and content brewing in my head when I’m through, so expect some blog post on what differentiates a “2” squat and a “3” squat.  Speaking of which, funny story.

A few months ago my good friend (and University of Washington strength coach), Dave Rak, was in town visiting and getting a lift in at CSP. He has been battling some nagging injuries so myself and fellow CSP coach, Miguel Aragoncillo, were taking him through a few screens. We did an overhead squat screen and it didn’t look pretty.

Me: “Dude, that’s technically a 1.”

Note: a score of “1” is considered a poor squat pattern

Dave (with no hesitation): “Well, technically I won my last powerlifting meet.”

Me & Dave & Miguel: HAHAHAHHAAHHAHAHAHA.

Whatever! It was funny. You had to be there.

Here’s this week’s list of stuff to read.

6 (More) Things Elite Coaches Do – Kate Solovieva

I love reading about what other coaches do to become great. I also love hearing about which books they gravitate towards and recommend.

This article, from the Precision Nutrition website, hits on both fronts.

Core Confusion – Nick Tumminello

This article explains why it’s WRONG to say that squats and deadlifts are all anyone ever needs to train their core.

BroScience debunked!

Inside the Life of a Celebrity Trainer – FitSmart Podcast

An AWESOME listen with LA-based, celebrity trainer, and owner of PUSH Fitness, Chad Landers. Chad’s an awesome dude. I’ve interacted with him many times and have met him in person too, and I know he’s a quality human being (and trainer). I mandate that ALL personal trainers should take the hour and MAKE TIME to listen to this podcast.

Some great advice from all parties involved (shout out to hosts Roger Lawson and JC Deen).

CategoriesExercise Technique

Passive vs. Active Foot For Squatting Performance

There’s a lot to think about and that can (potentially) go wrong when you have a barbell on your back.

Photo Credit: Elitefts.com (Julia Ladewski)

Is it better to high-bar squat or low-bar squat?

Big air!

Are my lats engaged? Where are my elbows positioned?

Head position?

On the descent is it hips back or knees forward? (Hint: it’s both).

Are my knees out? Too far out? Or are they caving in?

What about out of the hole: am I maintaining tension, is my core braced, am I leaning too far forward?

Am I getting my hips through at the top?

Shit, did I forget to turn my stove off before I left my apartment?

Goddammit, I totally forgot to pack my protein shake. I’m totally going to lose all my gainz after this workout.

Last episode of The Walking Dead was amazeballs.

Did I get deep enough on that set?

Basically, Squatting Can Be a Mindf*** of Epic Proportions.

What works for one person, may be a disaster for someone else….and there really is no such thing as one right way to squat. Different people are different. Anthropometry, leverages, training goals, and injury history will have an effect on how one person squats compared to the next.

That said: you should pay close(r) attention to detail when squatting. Far too often I see people approach the bar with a nonchalant attitude with nonchalant technique, and not surprisingly they have nonchalant numbers to show for it.

If gym goers put as much effort into improving their squat technique as they did perfecting their “selfie” taking in the locker room or trolling fitness message boards to argue macros we’d probably have many more stronger, leaner, and happier people.

And less douchebags.

However, even for those who consider themselves more of a connoisseur there’s one component to squatting that’s often overlooked or dismissed altogether. And I’d argue it’s one of the most important.

Tripod Stance.

…….or recognizing the difference between a passive foot and active foot.

This is something I “stole” from Chad Wesley Smith of Juggernaut Training a few weekends ago while attending his powerlifting workshop here in Boston.

I’ve always known about tripod stance, and have always incorporated it into how I coach squats with my athletes and clients. However, I never heard the idea described in the same fashion as how Chad described it. And that’s what I wanted to share today.

Passive vs. Active Foot

A Few Things to Consider

1. I’d recommend taking your shoes off to really get a “feel” for what’s described in the video. There’s really no other way to get a firmer grasp of the concept and to get the tactile/proprioceptive feedback than to take those cement blocks you call shoes off.

And yes, this means you too psycho minimalist, I-read-Born-to-Run-and-wear-my-Vibrams-everywhere-I-go-and-make-sure-to-tell-everyone-about-it guy.

2. I look, like, way more intelligent when I wear my glasses.

3. Don’t misinterpret my mentioning of “knees out” when cueing the squat. Telling someone to push their knees out is one thing (and correct), but it’s another thing altogether to tell them to push out so far that they end up on the outer edges of their feet.

4. Practice barefoot with bodyweight only. From there you can put your shoes on and try to get the same pressure points, and then add the barbell.

5. As noted in the video, with an ACTIVE foot you’ll probably notice you won’t be able to squat as deep, and that’s okay. You won’t go to hell. I promise.

6. It isn’t enough to just get the pressure points. Really focus on “corkscrewing” your feet into the ground (and gaining external torque in the hips to improve stability)….this is the final step in gaining the active foot.6

7. It’s amazing how many people who swear they have flat feet and have been told their entire life that orthotics are the only answer who are still able to get an arch and maintain an “active foot” with some practice.

Give it a try today. It will feel weird. It will effect how much weight you can use (at the start). But I promise with a little practice it will make a profound difference in the long run.

CategoriesNutrition

Losing Fat and Building Muscle With a Simple Lifestyle Diet

Note from TG: Today’s guest post comes courtesy of Ohio based personal trainer, Collin Messer. Collin wrote an interesting guest post a few weeks ago HERE, and afterwards proposed a post on how to help people develop a simple lifestyle diet. I like simple. Simple works. Enjoy.

As the saying goes, the best diet is the one that you stick to. Some people have the capacity to stick to intense or complex diets and they get great results. But that’s not me. I prefer a nice lifestyle kind of diet that I can just tweak here and there to burn some fat or grow some muscle.

Usually my clients resonate with this too after they’ve wrecked their metabolism doing all kinds of crazy diets and detoxes. This led me to take the most simple approach I could. I start with a general foundation, then make small adjustments as I go depending on the client.

This is how you do it…

The Foundation

First I start with a simple foundation that all my clients can adhere too pretty well. There are five rules that I have found to be fairly painless for most people to follow.

  1. Eat well 90% of the time and don’t worry about the other 10%.
  2. Eat 2-3 meals per day.
  3. The majority of your diet should be lean meats and vegetables with occasional intake of fruits and carb sources like white rice, quinoa, or oats.
  4. Avoid processed foods, food products, and sugar as best as possible.
  5. Try to only drink water, tea, or coffee.

Usually when I give new clients these foundational principles they drop a few pounds of water weight and lose some of the bloating they didn’t even realize was there. I’ll have people build good habits and focus only on these rules for 1-2 weeks before doing anything else.

One thing to notice here is that I didn’t give any recommendation on calorie intake. I have found that by cleaning up the food choices people tend to eat in normal amounts and their body adjusts to a healthier lifestyle.

 

Building Upon The Foundation

After I establish a solid foundation with the client then I’ll start to build upon it and tweak things depending on the person’s goals, habits, and lifestyle. There are a lot of things you could do from here but I have a few adjustments I routinely make.

Note that I only add one or two adjustments at a time and it always depends on the client. Not every option is good for everyone, use your own judgement and you’ll do just fine.

Intermittent Fasting For Fat Loss

If the client is focusing on fat loss then I like to work in some intermittent fasting. I really like the 16/8 model found at LeanGains.com. It’s essentially a 16 hour fast followed by an 8 hour eating window. The easiest way to do this is to just skip breakfast and have your first meal at a your regular lunch time. So you would have a normal lunch, a normal dinner, and a meal or snack in between as necessary.

At this point I still don’t tell clients to try and eat less. For most people, the “diet” part is the fast in the morning. If you try to lower calories and skip breakfast then you’re probably going to be drastically undereating and clinging to that body fat for dear life.

Note From TG: for more information on Intermittent Fasting, I’d highly recommend checking out THIS resource by the peeps over at Precision Nutrition. Easily one of the best resources I’ve ever come across on the topic. It doesn’t make your head hurt with big words and it’s free. So there’s that.

Carb Back Loading For Fat Loss

Some people just don’t like skipping breakfast. It gives them a reason to get out of bed and not hate the early morning life. And that’s just fine because I can work with that. My go to solution here is back loading the carbs to later in the day.

By shifting the carbs later in the day you body will stay more sensitive to insulin for a longer period of time (one of the goals of intermittent fasting). Depending on the person and their lifestyle then I’ll have them eat their first carbs at lunch, post workout, or dinner. So, they’re eating breakfast but still taking advantage of the low levels of insulin that the.

My go to breakfast option that won’t spike insulin is a few eggs with a fatty meat like bacon or sausage. Top this off with some black coffee and you’ll be good to go.

IF or Carb Back Loading For Muscle Gain

While these strategies are great for fat loss you can definitely use them for muscle gain. I’m currently using the 16/8 IF strategy to build muscle myself. The main difference is to make sure you’re eating above maintenance on the calories. So if you can’t fit in all of you calories in 2-3 meals in an 8 hour window then this isn’t the method for you.

The reason why I skip breakfast even though I’m building muscle is because I feel it helps me stay leaner while still building muscle. More muscle with less fat is always a good goal. Plus it fits my lifestyle well as I feel very clear headed and focused in the morning, so I get a lot of writing and programming done.

Refeed Meals

With the foundation I laid out, it would be easy to find yourself eating a pretty low carb diet (less than 100g carbs per day). Though that’s not exactly the point of the foundation, it usually benefits people to reduce their carb intake a bit.

After the initial 1-2 week adjustment period, if the person seems to be continually eating lower amounts of carbs then I usually advise to up their carb intake at dinner. A sweet potato or some extra rice will work well here. If they have hit a fat loss plateau then we’ll usually break through it again.

This works well for some people, but not everyone. They either think they’re upping their carbs when they really aren’t, or they just still need more. This is where the gift of a refeed meal comes in. For one dinner, I want them to significantly ramp up carbs and whatever sugary dessert they want.

The refeed is going to really help kickstart more fat loss and provide more energy. Plus it’s always a great mental break for them to enjoy their favorite dessert again.

Be careful with these though. The refeed doesn’t mean you can go on a weekend binge fest while watching the entire Lord of The Rings trilogy in one sitting. Usually just having a big bowl of ice cream at dinner is going to work well.

Putting It All Together

There you have it folks, this is the template for building a successful lifestyle diet. You start with the foundation and then adjust it as you go to maintain steady progress towards your goal. Once you reach your goal, its as simple as adjusting your calorie intake to maintenance level and you’re good to go.

Sometimes the most simple things are the most effective.

About the Author

Collin Messer is a Personal Trainer at MesserFit Strength and Conditioning in Lebanon, OH. He primarily works with younger athletes and weekend warriors. When he’s not crushing deadlifts or back bends he’s writing at CollinMesser.com about all things life and fitness.

CategoriesExercise Technique Program Design Strength Training

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Deadlifters – Part 2

In case you missed it, last week I shared a few thoughts on deadlifting. You can check out part one HERE.

In it, rather than regurgitate the same ol’ obvious things most people who write about deadlifts regurgitate (don’t round your back!, good deadlifters don’t “jerk” the bar off the ground, 2+2 = 4, water is wet, Kate Upton is hot, my cat is the cutest cat in the world) I opted to highlight a few things I feel most lifters overlook or aren’t aware of in the first place.

Things like:

– how the lats play a key role in pulling big weight off the floor.

– how to engage the lats more optimally.

– how paying closer attention to your setup may result in better performance.

– and what it really means to pull the slack out of the bar. I promise, despite the nefarious connotation, the explanation is completely PG rated.

– But seriously, my cat is off the charts cute.

Pretty much the best writing partner a person could ask for.

A photo posted by Tony Gentilcore (@tonygentilcore) on

As promised I wanted to continue my stream of thought and hit on a few more “habits” of highly effective deadlifters.

4. Think of 315 as 135.

Chad Wesley Smith of Juggernaut Strength hammered this point home a few weekends ago during a workshop he put on here in Boston at CrossFit Southie.

To paraphrase: You can’t be intimidated by the weight. You need to approach the bar on every set and show it who’s boss. Every time.

Like this monster.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4jO21-a2W0

 

Setting a little expectation management, though, if you’re training in a commercial gym and acting like this before a set of 225, you’re an a-hole. Lets calm down a little bit and put down the ammonia packets mmmm kay?

Many trainees will attack a lighter load and then turn into Bambi once the barbell hits a certain weight or threshold. Lighter loads will generally go up faster than heavier loads…..duh, I get it. However, this point does speak to something larger, and something that’s a bit more psychological in nature.

If you approach the barbell with a defeatist attitude – oh shit, oh shit, oh shit – before you even attempt the lift, how will you ever expect to improve, much less lift appreciable loads?

If you watch good (effective) deadlifters you’ll notice that every set looks the same. Regardless of whether there’s 135 lbs on the bar, 315, or 600 lbs, everything from the set up to the execution of the lift is exactly the same.

Which is why, flipping the coin, we could also make the argument that 135 lbs should be treated like 315. Getting good at deadlifting requires attention to detail and treating every set the same. Even the lights ones.

5. Don’t Just Think “Up.” Think “Back.”

The deadlift is nothing more than bending over and picking up a barbell off the ground, right?

Well, yes….but it’s a bit more complicated than that.

Many will view the deadlift as a pure up and down movement. Meaning, the barbell itself will move in a path that’s literally straight up and down.

Ehhhhhhhhhhhh, wrong.

23.7% wrong, at any rate (<—- trust me it’s science).

The deadlift is actually much more of a horizontal movement than people give it credit for. To quote my good friend, Dean Somerset:

“Deadlift drive comes from the hips when you start in flexion and move into extension. In other words, deadlift drive comes through hip drive. Driving your hips forward, coupled with vertical shins and a stable core, causes the torso to stand up vertically, pulling the weight with it.”

When people get into the mindset that deadlifitng is more of vertical movement they’ll often resort to initiating and finishing the movement with their lower back rather than their hips. Which, as you can guess, leads to some wonky habits of the rounded back nature (which we’d like to avoid as much as possible).

A cue I like to use to help initiate more of a horizontal vector is to tell people to think about “driving their sternum to the back wall.”

When they initiate the pull, they shouldn’t think up but rather……..BACK!

It sounds weird, but I like to describe this phenomenon by telling people that if they do it right – and think about pulling their sternum back – that they’d fall backwards if they decided to let go of the bar.

6. Deadlifts Don’t ALWAYS Need to be Max Effort, I’m Going to Shit My Spleen, Heavy.

Yes, you’ll need to train with max effort loads in order to improve your deadlift. To quote Ronnie Coleman, you’ll need to “lift some heavy ass weight.”

That’s pretty much a given.

But you DO NOT need to do it all the freakin time.

This is another point that Chad Wesley Smith touched on a few weeks ago. To paraphrase him (again): “I could care less about gym PRs. I want to PR when it counts.”

Understandably, most of the people reading this post aren’t competitive powerlifters like Chad, so how he trains and prepares (and peaks for a meet) is going to be drastically different from most of us.

But the message still resonates and reigns true for most trainees. You don’t need to train balls to the wall 100% of the time.

This is a tough pill to swallow for many people, especially in the shadow of CrossFit where training all out, to the point of exhaustion is not only encouraged but accepted as normal.

 

Don’t get me wrong: I LOVE when people train hard, and I think CrossFit has done some good in terms of getting more people excited to not run a treadmill.

However it’s also set a dangerous precedent in brainwashing people into thinking that a workout or training session is pointless if you don’t set a PR or come close to passing out.

NOTE: this doesn’t apply to every box or every Crossfit coach. So relax guy who’s inevitably going to shoot me an email saying I’m nothing but a CrossFit hater.

1. I actually have written a fair amount praising CrossFit. Like HERE. 

2. I also workout at a CrossFit 1-2x per week – albeit during “off” hours when I have the place to myself along with the other coaches.

3. Shut up.

More often than you think, training with SUB-maximal weight (60-85%) is going to be the best approach for most people, most of the time. Not only does it allow for ample opportunity to focus on and work on technique, but it also allows people to train the deadlift more often.

The best way to get better at deadlifitng is to deadlift. A lot.

If you’re someone who constantly trains with max-effort loads this is going to be hard to do because 1) you’re going to beat up your joints 2) you’ll fry your CNS and 3) this requires more recovery time.

Not every training session requires you to hate life. This is especially true when it comes to improving your deadlift. QUALITY reps are the key. Oh, this is weird…..it just so happens I have a deadlift specialization program that follows this mantra to a “t.”

You should check it out.

Pick Things Up

7. Pull & Push

The deadlift is a pulling dominant movement. But it also involves a fair amount of pushing.

Yep you heard me right, pushing.

Think of it like this: in order to pull an ungodly amount of weight off the floor (or for those less interested in ungodly amounts, a boatload or shit-ton) you need to generate a lot of force into the ground and push yourself away.

I’ve heard this best described as “trying to leave your heel print into the ground.”

It’s a subtle cue, but it works wonders and it’s something that effective deadlifters keep in the back of their mind all the time.

And there you have it. While not an exhaustive list of habits, I do feel the one’s highlighted in both parts of this article will help many of you reading dominate your deadlifts moving forward.

Got any of your own habits to share? Chime in below.

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 2/13/15

Gentle reminder fellas: Valentine’s Day is tomorrow.

But I’m sure I didn’t have to say anything because as every guy reading who has a girlfriend, fiancee, wife, or is within a tw0-mile radius of anyone who’s a raging case of estrogen is fully aware…..50 Shades of Grey opens in theaters this weekend.

It’s pretty much going to be THE Valentine’s weekend movie of all time, and will serve as every female’s payback for being dragged to movies like Taken (1 through 3), The Fast & Furious (1 through 117), and any movie starring Jason Statham.

No lie, here’s the conversation Lisa and I had yesterday.

Lisa: Guess what comes out this weekend?

Me: Sooo, you and Jess (one of Lisa’s BFFs) are going to go see 50 this weekend, huh?

Lisa: Yep.

Me: Oh, good. Have fun. I’ll go down to Coolidge Corner and…….

Lisa: And you’re coming with us.

Me: No I’m not.

Lisa: Yes, yes you are.

Me: Uh, no I’m not!

Lisa (don’t eff with me, look of death stare): do you know how many movies I’ve sat though with you? You’re going!

Me: [Pretty much my reaction below]


Have fun fellas. I’ll be right there with you. Washing my eyes out with broken glass.

Here’s this week’s list of stuff to read.

Complete Speed Training – Lee Taft

Today’s your last chance to take advantage of the sale price of Complete Speed Training by renowned speed coach, Lee Taft.

After midnight tonight (Friday, 2/13) the price jumps (<— or should I say, bound? Lame agility joke)…..by quite a bit.

Coach Taft is someone who has a lot of respect in the industry and he doesn’t release a ton of new material too often. When he does, though, it’s stellar.

This is easily one of the best resources I’ve come across that discusses everything from warm-ups to progressions with linear and lateral speed drills, strength training, and everything in between that will help you and your athletes dominate on the field.

Stop Doing Box Jumps Like a Jackass – Eric Bach

There’s a right way to do box jumps, and the jackass way. This article highlights the former.

Lessons From Chad Wesley Smith – Prashanti Ganesh

I had the chance to head to CrossFit Southie (located in South Boston) last weekend for a one-day powerlifting workshop put on by Juggernaut Training Systems co-founder, Chad Wesley Smith.

The man is a beast. Not only because he owns the 8th highest (raw) meet total in history, but because he’s also a very knowledgable coach who takes a more pragmatic approach than you would think.

This was an excellent write-up on some of the things he covered during the day.

CategoriesExercise Technique Program Design Strength Training

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Deadlifters – Part 1

When I was a junior in college one of my professors had us read The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey.

Yeah, I didn’t read it.

But who actually reads in college anyways? I was too busy playing baseball, lifting weights, watching Party of Five, and not hanging out with girls because, well, I was watching Party of Five.

I mean, all I had to do was look at the title and I knew it was going to put me to sleep within five minutes of turning the cover. And besides, was this book going to add 5MPH to my fastball and get me drafted? Pffffft, I think not!

Fast forward five years.

Surprise! Nothing I read added 5MPH to my fastball. Professional baseball didn’t pan out and I was a year or two into my career as a personal trainer. I finally listened to my professor and read the book. And it was game changer.

I won’t bore you with the details – it’s a quick read – but The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People speaks to things like how to be more proactive, why it’s important to think about the future so that you can more concretely figure out what to make a reality, the value of the “win-win” mentality, seeking to understand shit before you open your mouth (<— that’s my own interpretation), and what it means to “sharpen the saw” (I.e., seek out activities like exercise, yoga, meditation, etc. to expedite mental focus), among a handful of others.

Needless to say it’s a book I recommend to a lot of people, and something who’s theme I’m going to rip off today.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Deadlifters

Being a massive human being helps (^^^^^^^^^), so I’ll just skip that one and try to focus on some less obvious points.

NOTE: What follows is more of a commentary on deadlift technique with the goal to lift a lot of weight. It’s not going to cater to CrossFit and more of the tap-n-go, bounce off the floor, (high) hinge deadlift.

NOTE II: Please don’t take this as a knock against CrossFit. It isn’t. I get that the tap-n-go approach is more relevant to the demands of a CrossFit class or competition, where high(er) reps are performed. I also recognize that there are some strong people who do CrossFit.

But if you’re a CrossFitter and you’re that easily butt-hurt over me poo-pooing a tap-n-go deadlift, I’ll ask you this: why is the exercise called a DEADlift?

NOTE III: Nothing I mention below is concrete and will apply to every lifter in every situation. While I feel much of what I have to say with resonate with a lot of people, I’m not that much of an egotistical asshat to think that it will apply to 100% of the lifting population. So take that for what it’s worth.

Anyways……..

1. Your Lats Are the Key (Point #1)

In order to move big weights (safely, and long-term) you need two things to happen: you need to place a premium on tension and alignment.

If either of the above are lacking you’re not going to be able to develop as much force.

To the former point (tension), the lats are kind of a big deal.

The latissismus dorsi (or “lats” in bro-talk) are a massive muscle, which, on top of playing a role in humeral extension, internal rotation, and adduction (blah, blah, blah), also has significant play in breathing patterns and more germane to this conversation spinal stability.

In short: get the lats to engage and garner TENSION during the setup of a deadlift, the more stable you’re going to be, and the less likely you’ll look like this:

To do this I like to use any one of the following cues:

1. Squeeze an orange in your armpits

2. Protect your armpits.

3. Phew…your armpits stink.

4. Put your shoulder blades in your back pocket.

All are fantastic external cues to help people get the lats to fire to provide more tension and thus, stability. Despite this, some people may still look at you as if you’re speaking Elvish when you tell then to “turn on” their lats.

Sometimes it’s beneficial to give them more tactile feedback or cues.

Band Lat Activation with Hip Hinge

Or what I like to call “TRICEPS”


Lat Activation (via Mike Robertson)

 

2. Your Lats Are the Key (Point #2)

Pigging back on the point above, your lats are what “connects” you to the bar. Yes, your hands are grabbing the bar, but it’s where your armpits (where the lats insert) are located – in relation to bar placement – that plays a huge role in deadlifting badassery.

I’m a fairly decent deadlifter. I’ve pulled 3x bodyweight….570 lbs at a bodyweight of 190. I’m no Andy Bolton, but not many people are.

For years I’ve set up with my shins as close to the bar as possible, and while it led to some success it also led to some pesky back issues.

Why?

When setting up as close as possible to the bar, think about what’s happening.

1. My shins are more vertical.

2. And because my shins are more vertical, my armpits are in front of the bar, creating an awkward line of pull I have to overcome.

This not only puts me in a mechanical disadvantage, but over time is going to make my lower back flip me the middle finger. And it has, many times.

In the past few months I’ve had to overhaul my setup so I’m a little further away from the bar in that my shins can translate forward a bit, which then allows me to get my armpits directly over the bar, which in turn puts me in a more mechanical ADvantage (which helps me garner more tension), which in turn makes my lower back happy.

FYI: the picture below doesn’t show that right before I pull, I’ll push my hips back a smidge

And no, I’m not squatting the deadlift…….;o)

3. Pulling Slack Out of the Bar

Running with the tension theme, another habit of highly effective deadlifters is learning how to take the slack out of the bar.

It’s important to leverage yourself against the weight when you’re setting up. Another way to think about it is to act as if you’re “pulling” yourself (against the bar) into proper position.

This is what it means to get the slack out of the bar or what I like to say instead “bending the bar before you pull it.”

NOTE: I was in the middle of filming a video of this last night when my camera puttered out. Damn you Droid!

Luckily CSP coach, Greg Robins, filmed a video not too long ago on this very concept:

That’s it for today. I’ll be posting part II of this article sometime soon. But in the meantime I want you to recognize the key theme of all the points listed above:

That the setup is very, very, VERY important.

Like almost as important as Bilbo giving Frodo Baggins the blade Sting when leaving Rivendell on his way to Mordor.

95% of the time any mistake or snafu in technique with the deadlift can be attributed to how someone sets up in the first place. Far too often trainees fail to put much thought into it and just haphazardly bend over and pick up the bar. And far too often people end up getting hurt and/or never making any progress.

Place more precedence on getting tension and watch your deadlift take off.

CategoriesCorrective Exercise Rehab/Prehab

Prioritize Your Mobility

Today I have an excellent guest post by Boston based strength coach, Matthew Ibrahim. I love pointing people in the direction of coaches in the industry who are on the up and up, and Matthew definitely falls into that camp.

He’s someone who I feel provides a ton of great content and has a lot of great things to say. Today he discusses mobility, what it is (what it isn’t), and some new drills I think you’ll enjoy.

Craig: “Hey bro, I can’t wrap my right hand all the way around my back and grab my left arm.”

David: “Really? Everyone can do that. You definitely need some shoulder mobility to fix that.”

The word ‘need’ is quite subjective here.

Does Craig really need mobility in his right shoulder? Is that particular range of motion and pattern important enough to warrant this need? How much mobility is truly enough?

Think about these few questions. Let them marinade for a bit. We’ll jump back to them soon, but first let’s talk about the why, the where and the when.

WHY MOBILITY IS IMPORTANT

Everyone needs mobility, to a certain extent and in certain areas more than others.

It’s just a common thing to see in clients/athletes/patients: a lack of mobility in a joint.

Regardless of the reason, more often than not, that particular individual will benefit a great deal by incorporating more mobility drills in order to increase the overall range of motion for that joint to have access to. We see this both in the strength and conditioning world and in the physical therapy world.

Perfect example: if you can’t perform lunges properly due to hips that just don’t seem to function correctly, then a quick fix may be to perform a few hip mobility drills to open these areas up.

Most recently, I’ve had the opportunity to work with a big group of NFL Combine Prep college football players from Division I programs at Athletic Evolution in Woburn, MA.

One incredibly glaring thing I noticed right from the start: all of their hips were jacked up, so much so that each of their gait patterns were altered due to this imbalance, which was ultimately affecting their performance.

I knew this problem needed to be fixed, especially if they had high hopes of making some noise in the next couple months during their Pro Day.

Luckily, I was given the task of creating and implementing a mobility program, specifically designed with their needs in mind.

In this case, mobility in their hips has been most important since it has helped a great deal in restoring their gait pattern, improving their posture, and most notably, optimizing their overall performance in the weight room and on the field.

Mobility is crucial to certain joints in your body that are either limited or don’t have full access to certain ranges. It’s important for you to find the areas of most need and to constantly address them through daily maintenance.

Note From TG: it IS important to note (and I know Matthew would agree) that sometimes lack of mobility at a certain joint is due to a stability/alignment issue.  We shouldn’t set our default to always thinking it’s a mobility issue.

WHERE AND WHEN TO APPLY MOBILITY

I see too many individuals performing mobility drills without actually having a legitimate reason. They just feel that they need to do it. It’s almost as if they truly believe that their entire body “needs” mobility.

Stop. Please, STOP!

Before you go any further, put the foam roller, the lacrosse ball and the stretching strap down for two minutes.

I’ll use the shoulders as an example. Here’s what you need to know:

  • Should you perform an excessive amount of mobility drills if your shoulders already have plenty of range without any limitations? No.
  • Should you perform a couple short mobility drills for your shoulders if they’re especially tight/naggy due to a recent workout, but typically have very few limitations? Yes, go for it, but keep it light.
  • Should you perform a handful of mobility drills for your shoulders if they’re especially tight/naggy due to a recent workout, but are usually limited in several areas? Yes, definitely: address what needs to be addressed.

My point: have a legitimate reason for performing mobility drills with a thoughtful goal in mind. Don’t just do it to do it; have a purpose.

Case in point: apply mobility where it is needed most at the time of most need.

Simple enough? Yes, but that’s the point!

For example: it wouldn’t make much sense for me to focus the mobility program solely on shoulder/thoracic spine drills for the aforementioned college football players. They wouldn’t benefit much since they aren’t really lacking in those areas.

Always make sure there is a reason as to why you are doing what you are doing when it comes to mobility.

Referring back to the introduction

Is it truly that important for Craig to wrap his right hand all the way around his back and grab his left arm?

Think about what we just went over.

With those items in mind, I’m not so sure it is that important. Plus, we haven’t even discussed anything about his overhead shoulder range of motion or shoulder external rotation range of motion.

These are the angles you need to start viewing mobility from. Be conscious of how much is enough, and also how much is needed in order to perform the exercise task (i.e., overhead shoulder press) and the daily task (i.e., grabbing a snack from the top cabinet).

CHOOSE AREAS OF PRIORITY

You’re not always going to need mobility everywhere in your body.

Note From TG: Read THIS (<— it will melt your face)

It’s important to be able pinpoint what areas may need the most attention.

I’ve created three short mobility sequences below, where the body has been divided up into three separate compartments: lower, middle and upper. Select the compartment that you need to focus on the most.

MY GO-TO MOBILITY SEQUENCES

1.) Lower Compartment

If you’re someone who has a tough time loosening up the areas of the calves, ankle and feet, then give this mobility drill series a try for 2-3 rounds:

 

  • Lacrosse Ball Rolling
  • Lacrosse Ball Pin and Extend/Flex
  • Tibial External/Internal Rotation Shifting
  • 1-Leg Ankle Rocking

2.) Middle Compartment

Do you find it challenging to get limber in the hips, glutes and posterior chain areas? Try out this sequence for 2-3 rounds:

 

  • Quadruped Rocking
  • Inchworm
  • Hip Series: Spiderman, External Hip Rotators, Lateral Lunge w/Toes Up

3.) Upper Compartment

Tight shoulders? Naggy thoracic spine? Give this series of mobility drills a shot for 2-3 rounds:

 

  • Overhead Floor Slides
  • Scap Push-Up
  • Lateral Crawl
  • Linear Crawl
  • Quadruped Thoracic Spine: 4-Way Reach w/1-Leg Abducted

Always remember: address what needs to be addressed, and always keep it simple.

Now, go get limber!

About the Author

Matthew Ibrahim is a Strength and Conditioning Coach and Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Aide with an evidence-based approach to human movement, biomechanics and injury-prevention, and is knowledgeable on how each area impacts performance in sports and life. He delivers training methods that are aimed at bridging the gap between rehabilitation and performance through proper movement education and basic human maintenance. Feel free to read more at www.mobility101blog.com and follow ‘Mobility 101’ on Facebook and Twitter.

CategoriesProduct Review Program Design speed training youth sports training

The D’Angelo of Strength and Conditioning?

I’m not bashful when it comes to admitting my weaknesses as a coach. I did it before when I wrote a post not long ago explaining why I don’t include the Olympic lifts into my programs, and I’ll do it again today.

Ready?

Speed and explosive training is not my strong suit.

This is not to imply I don’t include any speed/explosive/movement/agility training with my athletes and clients. I absolutely do! What good is it to have strong athletes who can’t express that strength quickly and/or who move like the Tin Man?

But I’ll be the first to admit that speed training isn’t my strong point as a coach. Kind of like Aquaman being a cool superhero….;o) He can get s*** done, buuuuuuut, you know, he’s Aquaman

Part of the reason is due to my philosophy as a coach. I can’t begin to tell you how many parents walk into Cressey Sports Performance on a weekly basis and wax poetic on how their 13 year old child – who plays on five different AAU baseball teams throughout the year – needs to work on their foot speed and getting faster.

I typically nod my head, play the part of the understanding coach, and quench the parent’s thirst for that “x factor” that’s going to make their kid the next Clayton Kershaw or Mike Trout.

“We’re absolutely going to try to make your kid faster,” I’ll say, “by making him (or her) stronger.”

Silence.

Crickets chirping.

This….is….getting….awwwwwwkward.

I won’t belabor the point here, but needless to say I’ll go into a short spiel explaining that doing a bunch of cute ladder and agility drills won’t make their kid faster because their kid can barely put any force into the ground as it is.

I’ve used the analogy before, but it would be akin to me putting a sweet paint job on a Ford Focus with some spoilers and sick rims, and making look fast….but unless I do something to increase the horse power of the engine it’s pretty much all a giant waste of time.

Lets place a premium on correct movement, building a base of strength and progress from there, mmmm kay?

The other reason speed training isn’t my strong suit is because CSP coach, Greg Robins, has done an amazing job within the last year at revamping our approach to it. He’s more or less taken the reigns on writing all of our off-season “movement days” which incorporates any number of skipping drills, heidens, box jumps, foot work drills, arm/leg action drills, build-ups, and change of direction.

You can get a taste for what that entails HERE.

You still won’t find any of this nonsense, though:

All that said, can I work with a young or intermediate athlete on general sprint mechanics or helping them improve their explosive power? Yes. Can I help an athlete train for the 100M dash in the Olympics? Um, no.

It’s still no excuse on my end to take a back seat and not try to improve myself on the topic.

Lee Taft is one of the most respected speed coaches in the industry. He’s worked with countless numbers of elite athletes and is easily one of the coaches I, along with many other coaches I know, go to when “we” need to up our game with regards to getting athletes faster.

He’s also a coach who’s the strength and conditioning equivalent of the enigmatic R&B singer D’Angelo.

I love D’Angelo. His first album, Brown Sugar, is still one of my favorite albums of all-time. His second album, Voodoo, released five years after his first, again, became an instant classic.

Within that time, he rarely ever gave interviews or released any new material. And then, poof….he seemingly disappeared, making a few cameo appearances here and there on various soundtracks and guest tracks.

15 years later, he just released his latest album, and again….it’s legit. Basically, when D’Angelo releases something you know it’s going to be amazing.

The same can be said for Lee Taft.

See what I just did there? I made a comparison between D’Angelo and Lee Taft. Dammit I’m good.

Now, I don’t mean to insinuate that Lee’s emulated D’Angelo and played the role of reluctant recluse. He’s a prominent player on the Perform Better tour and has always been in the trenches, coaching.

He just doesn’t release a lot of new products (his last was ten years ago).

But when he does……it’s unreal.

Complete Speed Training

Lee’s just released his latest product, Complete Speed Training, his first in a looooong time, and after reviewing it I can say it’s pretty damn awesome.

It gives you a step-by-step breakdown – from the warm-up to the drills themselves – on how to make your athletes (and clients) faster and more agile.

And there’s nothing that’s going to make your eyes bleed.

If you’re a coach who works with athletes or a personal trainer who’s looking to add safe and appropriate progressions to your client’s training repertoire, I’d HIGHLY encourage you to check this out.

It’s on sale through this Friday at midnight, and I can guarantee you don’t want to miss this amazing opportunity to learn from one of the best.

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 2/6/15

Another week, another foot of snow here in New England. I grew up in Central NY, and have lived in the northeast my entire life so I know what a lot of snow is and I’m not of those people who complains about it.

It’s like people who live in Florida complaining about the humidity or Tom Brady complaining about having the greatest life, ever.

But good grief….they’re saying we may get another foot this weekend.

Which makes me all the more pumped for my trip to Australia in less than a month. As a quick reminder I’ll be heading “down under” in early March to put on not one, but TWO workshops. a 2-Day event in Ballina, NSW the weekend of March 7th-8th, in addition to a 1-Day event in Sydney on Saturday, March 14th.

Details including locations, cost, the over/under I’ll even touch the ocean with my big toe1, and sign-up information can be found HERE.

I also wanted to remind people that registration is still open for the 2nd Annual SUNY Cortland Strength & Conditioning Symposium (March 28th). I’ll be hitting up my alma mater (and doing my best General Zod impersonation…..KNEEL BEFORE ME!) along with Nick Tumminello, Mark Fisher, John Gaglione, and Joy Victoria for what will undoubtedly be a day full of mind melting.

Details can be found HERE.

How to Win an Argument With a Vegan – Kris Gunnars

Pew, pew, pew. Shots fired. Shots fired!

I’ll make the same statement as the author: I have nothing against vegans or vegetarians. If someone chooses not to eat meat for environmental, health, or ethical reasons…far be it from me to pass judgement.

Although I do find it comical that there are many vegan or vegetarian food options that mimic the foods they’re so adamantly against. Tofurkey burger anyone?

Looks like a hamburger and tastes like turkey. Hmmmmmm.

Anyways, what my main beef (<— LOL, awesome pun) is with some pundits is their claim that all animal protein is unhealthy, which is absurd. This article explains why.

Power to the SHE – Christa Vancini Doran

I am all about messages that help and encourage women to challenge themselves (namely in the gym). I hate pretty much every message the mainstream media attempts to throw in women’s faces – lean and long, tone, thigh gap, lose inches in days, weights make you big and bulky, blah blah blah blah –  all in the name of selling a product or sex appeal.

I understand sex sells – I’m not a moron – but how it’s delivered in the realm of health and fitness is lame IMO.

I’m a huge fan of Christa and the culture she’s built at her facility. Ladies, THIS is the type of person you should follow and learn from; not some overly hyped, narcissistic, selfie-taking nimrod who’s only claim to fame is having the world’s most exaggerated case of anterior pelvic tilt.

Squats: Fold-Ability and Proportion – Tom Purvis

I felt this was a fantastic, quick video on squat mechanics and how taking into consideration each person’s anthropometry and leverages will dictate what their squat will look like. Definitely worth five minutes of your time.