Categoriescoaching Strength Training

Stack the Rings For Better Squat Performance

There’s a lot that can go awry with the squat.

  • Knees caving in too much.
  • Excessive rounding of the back.
  • Getting stapled to the ground.
  • Explosive diarrhea.

There’s one cue, however, I believe has carryover to pretty much anyone and it’s almost guaranteed to make your squat look and feel better.

Copyright: spotpoint74 / 123RF Stock Photo

Stack the Rings

It’s not lost on me there’s an easy Lord of the Rings reference to be had here, and I’m going to try my best to be professional and abstain and….

Fuck it.

One ring………..to bind them.

Okay, with that out of the way, what do I mean when I say “stacked rings?” and how how can that possibly help your squat?

I had to audit myself a few years ago when it came to coaching the squat. After being introduced to the concepts of PRI (Postural Restoration Institute) and listening to other strong dudes like Chad Wesley Smith speak on the topic, I wondered if cueing people to “arch, hard!,” and to” sit back” were the right things to be saying to the bulk of my athletes/clients when they were getting under the bar?

Very few were competitive powerlifters and even fewer were geared lifers. I.e., none wore squat suits when training (which require an aggressive arch and sitting back to reap the benefits).

To be clear: There are still many very strong dudes (and coaches) who advocate squatting with a hard arch, and that’s their prerogative. The thing to appreciate, however, is that what works and is ideal for a geared lifter won’t necessarily (read: rarely) ever translate well to a non-geared lifter.

If I were to balance the “I want to be brutally strong AND not shit my spine on this next set” teeter-totter, I’d opt for not arching (aggressively).

Like this.

The ribs & diaphragm are pointing in one direction (up) and the hips & pelvic floor are pointing in another (down).

Put simply, this is all sorts of fuckeduppery not a stable position.

We’re placing a ton of shear load on the spine.

What’s more, this will invariably force the lifter to initiate the movement by sitting back (rather than down, you know, like a squat). As a result, often, the chest will fall forward, and the cue we default towads is “arch, arch, arch, chest up, chest up, chest up, you crap you’re going to fall on your face, too late.”

This only feeds instability.

A better approach, I believe (again, for non-geared lifters) is to tone down the arch and adopt what’s been referred to as the “canister” position or to “stack the rings.”

Giving credit where it’s due, the first person I ever heard use this phrase was Dr. Evan Osar. A simple analogy he used was to think of your pelvis as one ring and your rib cage as a bunch of other rings.

We want all those rings to be stacked.

This will nudge us into a more stable, joint-friendly environment

Now, a minor glitch in this way of thinking is that some people think this infers going into posterior pelvic tilt, where we flatten out the lumbar spine.

This is not what’s happening. As you can see in the picture above, my hips are still behind the bar (still very important) but there’s less of an aggressive arch. Telling people to posteriorly tilt their pelvis towards spine neutral is different than telling them to flatten out their spine.

From there it’s a matter of owning the canister position and to squat down rather than back.

Maybe this quick 3-minute video will help:

Want More Tips Like This?

Yeah, I thought so.

My friends Dr. Sarah Duvall, Kellie Hart, and Meghan Callaway released a stellar product this week – Glutes, Core, and Pelvic Floor Online System – and it hammers home points like the one above. It’s often necessary to break down movement(s) into their respective parts to make certain we’re getting motion from the right areas and that we’re using/engaging the areas we want to use/engage to perform exercises well.

GCPF is a 12-week online course that will teach you how to assess movement and how to implement the correct drills and exercises to help you (or your clients) get stronger and to move better.

TODAY (6/29) is the last day to get it at it’s FULL sale price. You can still get it at a discount until Monday (7/2), however today is your last chance to get it at $200 OFF.

It’s a great resource and one I feel will help a lot of people.

—-> I Like Saving Money, Tony. Thank You <—-

CategoriesAssessment coaching Corrective Exercise

Low Back Pain: Habitual Movement Can Have Greater Influence Over Intentional Exercise

We’ve all seen the statistic: 80% of the population will experience low back pain in their lifetime.1

Back pain is the single leading cause of disability worldwide. Americans spend upwards of $50 billion per year on back pain. Back pain is the nemesis of all ninjas.

The struggle is real folks.

Given how pandemic the issue is and the sheer number of resources there are on the topic, why is LBP still such a nuisance and the Bane of many people’s existence?2

Copyright: kudoh / 123RF Stock Photo

 

When it comes to low back pain there is no one clear cut answer or way to explain things. As my good friend David Dellanave would say “different shit is different.”

It’s impossible to definitively point the finger at one or two things and say “there, that’s it. THAT’s why everyone’s back feels like a bag of dicks.”

Certainly we can proselytize, but at the end of the day we’re mostly just guessing at what may be causing someone’s low back pain. We’re using an amalgamation of relevant anecdotes, experiences, expertise, and evidence based research to make those educated guesses.

But it’s guessing nonetheless.

[BEFORE WE MOVE ON: Another good friend, physical therapist Zak Gabor, sent me THIS rather thorough paper on management of low back pain. To quote Zak…”Movement is key, but EDUCATION on false beliefs about the body is arguably most important.”]

A week or so ago as I was watching an episode of VICE News on HBO and one of the main stories that night was on opioid addiction and of a former drug representative who, sadly, because of debilitating low back pain, had become addicted to the very pain killers that had made him so successful years prior.

In the story he described a seemingly endless barrage of treatments ranging from massage therapy and acupuncture to ultrasound treatments, physical therapy, and traction.

It was a hefty list and I can’t remember all of it.

In the end he ended up having back surgery, yet unfortunately was still reliant on pain killers to help with his chronic low back pain.

As the story unfolded they panned to the same individual miniature golfing with his family and I ended up taking a screenshot of him bending over to pick up the ball after sinking a shot.

If I could add sound it would be accompanied with a cacophony of painful grunting akin to a rhinoceros passing a kidney stone.

Now, what follows is not an attempt at me diminishing his experiences, and I’m fully cognizant my only source of info regarding his “treatment” was/is the five minute snap shot I was given from the story.

That said, I wonder how much agony and frustration might have been prevented in his lifetime if someone took the time to show him some basic “spinal hygiene” (to steal a phrase from Dr. Stuart McGill and his book Back Mechanic) tactics to clean up his daily movement?

What might have happened (what can happen?) if, instead of acupuncture, he was shown how to hip hinge well or given a healthy dose of Deadbugs, Birddogs, and Breathing Side Planks?

 

Repetitive (aberrant) flexion, as shown in the still shot I took, certainly isn’t doing his back any favors. And, I have to assume this type of thing is happening dozens (if not hundreds) of times per day, whether he’s picking up a golf ball or getting out of a chair.

It glaringly demonstrates how we often neglect to address the obvious and simple everyday “hammers” in our lives that can (not always <— this is important) lead to back pain.

Nope, not those hammers.3

I’m talking about the kind of hammers – repetitive movement (repeated spinal flexion, and extension for that matter) – that start off as innocuous nothings (the twist there, the bending over there), yet manifest into something far more nefarious once one’s tissue tolerance is surpassed.4

As my friend and strength coach, Joy Victoria, notes:

“Habitual daily postures and movement strategies have a greater influence, than intentional exercise.”

Massage, ultrasound, etc, while likely part of the puzzle (and can provide immediate, albeit temporary relief), are just band-aids.

I think exercise, and to be more specific, strength, can play an integral role in the grand scheme of things.

However, as fitness professionals it’s imperative we keep a keener eye. Deadlifts don’t cure everything. Recognizing run-of-the-mill wonky movement and attacking that, as trivial as it may seem, can make all the difference in the world for those who suffer with low back pain.

Categoriesbusiness coaching

What You Didn’t Expect When You Opened Your Gym: 6 Lessons On Building a Team

It must be “gym ownership week” on TG.com this week.

Yesterday’s post on the effect social media has on the perception of gym ownership – everything is seen through rose colored glasses – was a huge hit.

Today I have guest post by another gym owner, Doug Spurling of Spurling Fitness located in Kennebunk, ME, discussing how to best build a team to help your business thrive.

Doug’s done an amazing job building a successful fitness business and he’s someone I respect a ton. Read what he has to say. He’s smart.

NOTE: Next month I’ll speaking alongside Doug (along with his staff, and my wife, Dr. Lisa Lewis) at the Spurling Spring Seminar. It’s going to be a great event and tonight (3/14) at midnight is your last chance to take advantage of the early bird registration of $50 off.

Copyright: eugenelucky / 123RF Stock Photo

6 Lessons On Building a Team

Hang out in sweats all day long…

Listen to cool music all day long…

Talk shop and change peoples lives…

Life of a gym owner, right?

That’s part of it.

But they don’t tell you about the “other” stuff.

Getting good at marketing, financial statement analysis, strategic planning, holding good meetings, putting out fires, and that you’ll never be able to actually shut it “off.

I’m sure the list could go on and on, but today I want to focus on one particular aspect that I don’t think we spend enough time on as an industry.

HUMAN RESOURCES.

More leads, more clients, and more growth usually means….

More team members.

They are our biggest asset, but can also be our biggest headaches if you don’t know how to lead them.

We thought we got into this business to train people, change some lives, and do it all hanging out in comfy gym clothes.

Now I’m telling you if you want long-term success you need to get really good at human resources.

Today I spend the majority of my time on human resources, team development, holding meetings, and making sure our margins are strong as I run a payroll that exceeds a half a million dollars a year.

I love it, but it’s not what I expected as a gym owner.

I now have seven families I am responsible for, only one of which is mine.

With six full-time team members, that means six people that look up to me, six people that count on me running a successful business so they can get a paycheck next week, six people who live their life mission through my business, and six people who support their families with my business.

Woah!

via GIPHY

That’s a big responsibility when we think about it.

That being said, I’ve made some major mistakes as a leader, but I also feel that I have one of the strongest teams around.

Here are six lessons I’ve learned so far…

1. Hire for Personality, Train for Skill

I want driven, hard-working,  value-focused people, I don’t really care if you can coach a squat.

I can’t train a smile, I can train you how to coach a squat.

We aim to hire people that fit our core values, and then have a strong onboarding system that teaches them the technical stuff like how to coach.

2. Have Clear Systems

We have a master folder called “The Spurling Way.”

Every process in our business is documented under that folder.

There’s no questioning how to do things.

We get feedback when we create a new process, but once it’s put into this folder the team has agreed that this is the way we do things.

We don’t want people that want to do it “their way.”

Follow the system.

Run the play.

3. Hold Good Meetings

I think good meetings are totally underutilized.

Every day we have a meeting.

It starts each day with a daily huddle-a quick 5-minute accountability meeting about what each team member is doing that day and what that needs help with.

We have a leadership meeting every Monday, a coaches meeting every Tuesday, individual meetings every Wednesday, and a team meeting every Thursday.

Now, notice above I said, “good meetings are underutilized.”

Read a book like “Death by Meeting” and learn how to hold good meetings.

They can be some of the most productive hours of the week, or if done wrong, they can be the biggest waste of time.

4. Balance Multiple Personalities

We can’t have a universal leadership approach.

Each team member is different.

How you talk to one team member is different than how you talk to another.

One may be motivated by public praise, one may want a small note left on their desk.

We use things like the DISC profiles and the 5 Languages of Appreciation to understand how each of us functions and how each of us gives and receives appreciation.

As your team continues to grow the possible communication flaws, the potential drama, and headaches can quickly multiply if you don’t stay on top of it.

Understanding each team member, what they value, how they tick, treating them as an individual, and not have a universal leadership approach is key.

5. Communication Is Key

Communication is not what’s said, but what is understood.

Nothing drives us crazier than when we tell someone something and they don’t do it or don’t follow through with it the way you wanted it to be done.

  • Or you tell Coach A how to do something, they nod their head, and then don’t go it the way you taught them.
  • Or you come in and hear the Coach A hates Coach B but isn’t doing anything about it.
  • Or Coach A is annoyed because they feel they’re working so much harder than Coach B.
  • Or Coach A is complaining about something but then isn’t doing anything about it.

I’m sure you can think of a million scenarios that cause you to pull your hair out as the leader.

However, as the leader, you have to take extreme ownership (good book, btw), and take charge of the situation.

Quite often if you hire good people (see number one), most situations come down to poor communication and/or assumptions.

  • Someone makes an assumption that someone else took care of it.
  • Someone makes an assumption that the person understood what they just told them.

We need to over-communicate with our team, never make assumptions, and make sure that we understand each personality (see number four) and how they like to receive communication.

6. Treat Them the Way You’d Want To Be Treated

Seriously.

Seems like common sense, but as they say, sometimes common sense is not so common.

I get a lot of questions on why I have an all full-time staff, all salaried, all fully benefited, have unlimited time off, and they all work a “normal” 40ish hour work week.

It’s the culture I’m trying to build.

I don’t want people that want to train “their clients.”

I don’t want people that are just here for a paycheck.

I want people that are going to devote their lives to our mission.

I want people that are here for more than just a job.

In order to do that, I need to treat them really well.

That means a good salary, a good schedule, good benefits, constant leadership, constant appreciation, and a constant pitch of why we’re doing this.

Is it easy?

No.

Most months I shed a few tears when the payroll gets withdrawn.

It’s my biggest expense, but I also know it’s my biggest ROI.

The most common message we get from client always comes back to something along the lines of…

“You have the most cohesive team I’ve ever met. You can tell they are here for the right reasons.”

It all comes back to driving the mission, communicating clearly, leading them, and treating them the way you want to be treated.

We all got into this business to change lives, and depending on what kind of impact you want to make, if you want to change the lives of hundreds of people, you’re going to need a team to support you in your mission.

Hope this helps.

Want More?

Next month Doug will be hosting the Spurling Spring Seminar in Kennebunk, ME alongside myself, my wife, Dr. Lisa Lewis, and the entire Spurling Fitness staff.

There aren’t many events outside Boston that cater to the fitness community, so this will be an awesome opportunity for any personal trainers, strength coaches, gym owners, or anyone interested in assessment, program design, business, and mindset skills to enjoy a day of learning.

You can read all the details HERE.

ALSO: If you register by TONIGHT (3/14) at midnight you can still take advantage of the early bird registration and save $50.

Categoriescoaching

3 Choices All Coaches Must Make

All I have to say is that this article would have helped me tremendously if I had access to it the week I started my first personal training gig out of college.

Looking back I was such a mess.

Excellent guest post today by NY-based (Capital district) strength coach Mike Sirani.

Copyright: michaeljung / 123RF Stock Photo

3 Choices All Coaches Must Make

As a student or aspiring professional, you’ll often hear that preparation is the key to success. If you put in the hours studying and practicing, you’ll surely reap the rewards later on.

Flash-forward a couple years later: you’ve graduated school and just finished your first session with a personal training client.

Do you still feel like the above statement rings true?

The answer is likely no. Nothing can prepare you for your first time training another human being — not all the anatomy, physiology, chemistry, or Call of Duty you spent hours on in college.

Why’s this the case?

You’re now being asked to combine the science with the art. You can write the perfect program and explain all of the physiological adaptations that will come from it, but what happens when your client steps into the squat rack for their first set and the first five reps look as coordinated as a Charles Barkley golf swing?

 

What you choose to do next will either make you look like a Jedi genius or make you seem confusing and unhelpful. In the above scenario, you have three choices to improve the client’s technique:

  1. Cue the individual and see if it improves their technique
  2. Regress the exercise and see if the movement improves
  3. Use a corrective exercise to break down the movement and help the client get a better grasp on what they should be doing.

Below, we’re going to review these three choices and discuss when it’s best to use each of them, depending on the individual, their personality, and the setting they’re training in.

Choice #1: Cueing

This should always be your first option to correct an exercise as a strength coach or personal trainer.

Anyone can move around and sweat on their own. It’s your job to coach and educate clients on the correct way to do an exercise in order to help them reach their goals faster and stay healthy while doing so.

Good cueing is something that most clients will take note of and appreciate. A great coach will keep these short and sweet and cater to the client’s learning style, whether that’s:

  • Auditory
  • Visual
  • Kinesthetic

Understanding the client’s personality type can also make cueing more effective.

If a client has a Type A personality, they may want more details about the exercise and why you’re making certain corrections. Someone who’s more laid back may simply want to be told a correction and then left alone.

Remember, this is where the science and the art meet. The more people you train, the better intuition you’ll develop as to what amount of cueing is too much vs. too little, whether to give internal or external cues, or if a specific cue works or not.

Choice #2: Regress the Exercise

What happens when you’re cueing and what you’re trying to convey isn’t registering with your client? This can result in a frustrated client, but hopefully you don’t let it get to this point. If you sense it’s heading in this direction, there’s nothing wrong with regressing an exercise.

Regress the back squat to a front squat, or the push-up to an incline push-up.

 

When regressing, it’s important to put the regression into context for the client.

This helps keep their confidence up and set the stage for progressing back to the exercise you originally programmed. Let them know why you’re regressing it, how the regression will improve their technique, and what needs to be done to progress back to the original exercise.

Regressing an exercise is also a strategy that may be utilized more quickly in a group setting when you don’t have the same amount of time to cue someone, like you would in a semi-private or one-on-one setting.

Choice #3: Use a Corrective Exercise

Too often, coaches will skip choices one and two and move right into bringing clients through the gamut of corrective exercises.

If you feel like a client needs a laundry list of correctives, it’s more beneficial to refer them out to a physical therapist or another healthcare professional that can better handle their issues. That way, you can use regressions to ensure the client continues getting a training effect when they’re with you, while the physical therapist helps get them back on track towards progressing specific exercises.

I have found using corrective exercises beneficial in certain scenarios, such as speeding up a client’s motor learning of a specific movement via chunking (breaking bigger movement down into component parts).

Let’s say a client is having a hard time learning the deadlift.

You’re giving excellent cues and have regressed the client from the trap bar to a Kettlebell Deadlift. However, their technique still isn’t pretty. Here, I may break down the movement with two corrective exercises.

One is used to teach the client to extend through their thoracic spine, while the other teaches movement at the hips without movement in the lumbar spine.

Thoracic Extension on Foam Roller

 

Hip Hinge Teaching Tools

 

In Summary

Unfortunately, there’s not one quick fix to improve someone’s technique on any exercise. There are too many variables in play for it to be that simple.

Appreciate the science of a program and spend time in the coaching trenches making choices from the three options above. The more you’re forced to make that choice, the better artistic instinct you’ll develop, and the better you’ll be at quickly making the best choice with a client.

About the Author

Mike Sirani is the Co-Owner of Capital District Sport and Fitness in Round Lake, NY. He’s an experienced strength and conditioning coach and massage therapist who has spent the majority of his career in Boston training professional, collegiate, and high school athletes of various sports, as well as helping general fitness clients of all backgrounds learn to move better and get stronger than ever before. He earned his Bachelor of Science Degree in Applied Exercise Science, with a concentration in Sports Performance, from Springfield College and completed a highly sought after six-month internship at Cressey Sports Performance. Mike specializes in teaching athletes and general fitness clients to get the most out of their bodies by enhancing their movement quality and creating exercises programs that allow you to get stronger, faster, and more powerful in a safe and effective manner.

Facebook: Capital District Sport and Fitness

Instagram: @capitaldistrictsportandfitness

Twitter: @CDSFSportandFit

Categoriescoaching Program Design

Programming Considerations: Training Volume

We live in a world of dichotomous abundance.

In literature we see it all the time in the form of heroes (Beowulf) vs. villains (Grendel), good (Gryffindor) vs. bad (Slytherin), or real (Milwaukee) vs. imaginary (Minas Tirith).

We see it all the time in real life too:

  • Democrats vs. Republicans
  • Science vs. People Who Make a Ham Sandwich Look Intelligent
  • Autobots vs. Decepticons

The idea behind dichtomy is to demonstrate or showcase a contrast between two things that are represented as being opposed or entirely different.

Who’s right?, who’s wrong?, what’s better?, what’s worse?, bacon is delicious, no, fuck that, you’re going to hell…

….it can all spiral into a garbled mess.

Copyright: badmanproduction / 123RF Stock Photo

 

The fitness industry sees no shortage of it either.

All you have to do is spend 17 seconds on Twitter before you want to jump into a shark’s mouth  you witness people on both sides of the fence – low-carb vs. high-carb, CrossFitters vs. powerlifters, back squats vs. no squats – tear each other to shreds.

Both sides are adamant their position is the right position, “how can you not see it?,” and the dichotomous divide seemingly grows larger and larger.

I’m going to skip the mental gymnastics today, and instead focus my attention on something else that’s a liiitle less dramatic and less of a dumpster fire to talk about…

Training volume.

Disclaimer: This will not to be a deep-dive into the nitty-gritty, nerdtastic world of program design and volume. It’s a rabbit hole to say the least. I’m gonna get into some of the particulars, but not too much. Sorry.

My goal is to just offer a few talking points and ideas.

For a nice amuse-bouche on the topic, however, I’d recommend THIS article by Greg Nuckols.

Training Volume, Defined

For all intents and purpose training volume (as it relates to lifting things) can most easily be calculated as such:

Sets x reps x load

The final number can be labelled as total tonnage (or total amount lifted).

For example if someone performs 3 sets of 5 reps with 225 lbs on the bench press it can be broken down as 15 total reps x 225 lbs = 3,375 lbs.

Congratulations. You just benched a Volkswagen you savage.

The idea, then, is to adopt the concept of progressive overload (via performing more sets, reps, load, or any combination) to do more work in subsequent workouts.

Using the same example, lets say it’s a week later (or tomorrow if you’re a man under the age of 40) and you wanted to bench press again. To increase training volume you’d incorporate one of following scenarios:

  • Increase Load: 3 sets of 5 reps @ 230 lbs = 3,450 lbs
  • Increase Reps: 3 sets of 6 reps @ 225 lbs = 4,050 lbs
  • Increase Sets: 4 sets of 5 reps @ 225 lbs = 4,500 lbs
  • Increase All Three: 4 sets of 6 reps @ 230 lbs = 5,520 lbs
  • Increase CrossFit: 24 sets of 17 @ Scaled # = Can’t feel the left side of your face

That’s a very watered down and simplified explanation, but should get the gist across.

In short: Ensure that you’re doing more work by tracking stuff and good things will inevitably happen.

As an umbrella theme, however, it’s important to understand that this approach does have limitations.

We’re humans, not Kryptonians.

There’s an inevitable “tipping point” that’s bound to take place. Adding more and more training volume (a poor periodization scheme in the long run) will eventually have deleterious effects.

I like what Mike Boyle has to say on the matter:

“Periodization might be the most overstudied subject in the training world. Tens of thousands of pages have been written detailing the complexities of microcycles and mesocycles. And this has only served to confuse what should be a fairly simple concept, as articulated by strength & conditioning legend Charles Poliquin in the 1988 article “Variety in Strength Training”: Phases of high volume (accumulation, extensive loading), high intensity (intensification, intensive loading) and unloading should be modulated within the program.“

In other words:

Higher volume, low load periods should be alternated with higher-intensity, lower-volume periods.

[Smoke bomb, smoke bomb, exit stage right]

To give a brief example I’ve always liked fluctuating training volume on a weekly basis, which is something I gravitated towards from my years as a coach at Cressey Sports Performance:

Lets use the deadlift as an example here with the main goal being to improve strength:

A. Deadlift

Week 1: 1×2 @ 83%

Week 2: 1×2 @ 85%

Week 3: 1×2 @ 87%

Week 4: 1×1 @ 90%

B. Deadlift – Speed(ish)

Week 1 (High Volume): 4×3 @ 70%, 1×5 @ 65%

Week 2 (Medium Volume): 3×3@ 70%, 1×5 @ 60%

Week 3 (High Volume): 5×3 @ 70%, 1×5, @ 60%

Week 4: (Low Volume): 3×3 @ 65%

To reiterate: taking into account sets/reps/load and trying to use any permutations you wish to ensure someone is doing more work is never a bad place to start.

It’s training volume 101. And it works.

HOWEVER

I’d encourage you to heed this Tweet from Eric Cressey from a few days ago:

When trainers/coaches place too much emphasis on overall volume and use that as their only metric to measure progress it can be problematic.

It reminds me of something strength coach and physical therapist, Dr. Quinn Henoch, has discussed on numerous occasions. We’re quick to pump the brakes and implement any number of corrective exercises when one of our client’s shoulders starts to hurt.

Okay, not the worst thing in the world. I’m not going to cry afoul if a trainer/coach wants to toss in a bit more soft tissue work on someone’s pecs or lats:

I’ve even heard of instances where people are encouraged to get blood work done; as if finding out they’re allergic to grass-fed acai berries will miraculously cure their lack of scapular upward rotation.

The fuck?

Instead, what Quinn is quick to point out is this: Maybe you need to audit your program and adjust total training volume?

It could be as simple as you’re prescribing too much training volume compared to what someone is able to recover from.

That’s why they’re hurt.

Not because they need more Ipsilateral Birddog Balloon Breathing.

Which begs the question: What are some ways in which to increase overload that doesn’t entail just increasing volume?

Well, two come to mind.

1. Get People Into Better Positions

I’d argue the reason many trainees are unable to make much progress in the gym to begin with is because they’re unable to get into appropriate positions to express their “true” strength.

Take the squat.

I see something like this:

Any asshat coach or trainer can tack on more volume to the above walking (or, rather, squatting) ball of fail.

Physical Therapist Gray Cook would refer to this as “adding fitness on top of dysfunction,” which isn’t doing anyone any favors.

Rather, taking the time to actually coach someone so they’re in a better position to be successful is what’s going to make a difference.

And this will often entail LESS volume (using sub-maximal loads).

A funny thing will happen.

Trainees are given a massive piece of humble pie when they’re getting sore from a load that’s 50-75% less than their perceived one-rep max.

2. Change the Center of Mass

Bringing a load closer to the ground makes an exercise easier. A prime example is any single leg variation where DBs are held at the side(s):

 

If I wanted to make this harder and as a result increase overload without necessarily adjusting training volume all I’d have to do is move the DBs to a higher position or maybe revert to something like a Barbell Reverse Lunge w/ Front Squat Grip.

That’s That

Training volume, too, has a very dichotomous vibe to it.

On one end of the spectrum there’s the “do more” mentality (which is a thing, and an important part of strength & conditioning). But on the other end there’s a delicate balance of what amount of volume a particular person can handle as it relates to their ability to recover.

And finally it’s important to have other tricks in your bag other than adding more of it in order to help your clients/athletes get better.

Like I said, I didn’t want to get too far into the weeds on the topic of training volume, but I hope this helped.

Categoriescoaching personal training

The Problems With Over Coaching (And Some Solutions)

A few weeks ago I Tweeted something to the effect of “Don’t be afraid to let your clients figure things out for themselves. Not every rep has to be a pristine vision that makes the Virgin Mary weep tears of joy.”

I gave the example of the knees caving in during a squat. Many coaches see this and they start hyperventilating into a paper bag no matter what.

I keep it real.

There’s a stark difference between the knees caving in TO neutral and caving in to the point where someone falls into excessive valgus.

Anyways, my little rant inspired Baltimore based strength coach (and fellow Lord of the Rings nerd), Erica Suter, to write a guest post.

It’s pretty baller.

Copyright: dolgachov / 123RF Stock Photo

The Problems With Over Coaching (And Some Solutions)

Sit your butt back.

Keep your chest out.

Put your shoulders back.

Engage your lats.

Wait, pretend there are tennis balls under your arm pits.

Squeeze your glutes too.

Breathe.

Don’t smile.

Did you get all of that?

Does this sound like you as a coach? Let’s hope not.

Too many cues have their way of confusing and frustrating our clients. More often than not, they become overwhelming. Worse yet, they become too much information for people to process during a session, let alone, mid-lift.

via GIPHY

Don’t get me wrong: correcting people is a good thing. We wouldn’t be coaches if we didn’t coach. To that end, we have to instruct people so they are executing pristine form and progressing.

However, too much instructing, over-coaching, over-cueing, or saying-shit-just-to-say-shit-and-hear-yourself-talk, is problematic.

Over-coaching is real and it permeates across the fitness industry as one of the biggest issues, besides perfectly staged selfies in yoga pants on a beach:

So why is over-coaching bad?

Problem 1: Too many Cues Confuses People.

Since clients are performing complex movements that excite the nervous system, the last thing they need is someone barking orders at them.

As an example, there’s already so much going on in a client’s mind during the deadlift:

Chest out, butt back, Megan Fox is hot, credit card bill due tomorrow, get kids from school, breathe, shoulders back, if only I could marry Megan Fox.

You see how stimulated their mind is already?

So a coach adding 5-10 things for them to fix is bound to go in one ear and out the other.

Solution: Focus on the most glaring mistakes.

Try and keep it to one to two cues, too.

You may find that one cue is what works the magic for multiple problems. As an example when you see a client with a “rounded back,” this happens because the client fails to engage their lates, sink their hips back, or keep their chest proud.

One magic cue could be “project your chest like Superman” or you can go as far to as to give them tennis balls to actually squeeze under their arm pits so they can adjust their posture.

Or to touch on a more tactile cue (no pun intended), for this pallof drag, the only thing my athlete needed in order to maintain and athletic stance was put a mini band above her knees:

 

Again, sometimes one thing fixes EVERYTHING.

Problem 2: There’s Nothing Worse Than Being Told How Wrong You Are.

And I get it. People fuck up. But over-coaching makes them to feel like failures.

As an example, I had a client unable to back squat. And no matter how many fancy cues, various demonstrations, correctives, and prayers to the squat Gods I threw out there, he couldn’t get it down and told me he felt like a failure because he couldn’t squat.

So instead of saying, “sorry, squats are off limits,” we had to change things up.

Solution: Realize some people need a variation on a basic movement in order to “get it.”

What my client needed to get more depth and hip mobility in his squat was front loading.

So we tried this gem from strength coach Joel Seedman:

 

Not only did it help him better groove the squat position, it also helped him not feel like a failure that is banned from squats forever.

Will he progress to back squats one day? I’d argue never say never.

Problem 3: Over-Coaching Doesn’t Give People Autonomy.

Sure, they hired you to hold their hand, but allowing clients to gain independence helps them gain confidence back in themselves.

People aren’t paying coaches to have a babysitter. They’re paying coaches to get strong, instill confidence back in themselves, and be able to go out into the wild alone at times, namely, do shit themselves.

Solution: It shouldn’t be a surprise that you should allow them to fix it themselves.

This much I know: people’s bodies are awkward.

But.

They’re also capable of amazing feats of strength and movement and exploration. The body plays mysterious tricks on us and surprises us with its abilities.

Oftentimes, I may have an athlete struggling with a movement like the dumbbell snatch on Day One. And saying coaches cues, sprinkling fairy dust on them, and performing wizardry still won’t work.

With that said, I’ll give them one cue, and if it still looks like shit, I’ll leave the facility, go get a burger, go to bed, and come back the next day, and boom….their snatch is flawless.

Again, the body is amazing and people can be capable of fixing themselves after they learn a movement, fuck it up and learn and feel what NOT to do, sleep on it, and come back with good form.

One More Thing: Please don’t toss out too many cues just to say shit. Sometimes, the best coaches are able to sit back, observe, drop one knowledge bomb, and exit stage right.

Let your clients work their magic and trust me when I say keep it simple.

After all, simplicity is the highest form of sophistication.

About the Author

Erica Suter is a certified strength and conditioning coach, soccer trainer, and fitness blogger who has worked with athletes and non-athletes for over 5 years. She is currently a strength coach at JDyer Strength and Conditioning, and also runs her own technical soccer training business in Baltimore, MD.
Her interests include writing, snowboarding, and reciting Lord of the Rings quotes to her athletes and clients.
Categoriescoaching Strength Training

A Subtle Reminder That Lifting Weights Is Supposed To “Stress” the Body

NOTE: This post is a bit of a face-lift from a similar post I wrote last year. 

I’ve noticed a growing trend in recent months in the fitness community and it’s something that’s been grinding my gears.5

It seems it’s become trendy or a “thing” for some (not all) people to bash certain exercises – specifically, from a more general standpoint, lifting appreciable weight – due to the stress it can cause. I’ve been noticing this trend a lot in the comments section of this site and in the comment sections of other training forums I frequent. It’s certainly not at pandemic levels or anything, but it’s happening enough where I felt compelled to get a little ranty today.

Copyright: vadymvdrobot / 123RF Stock Photo

“Don’t do this exercise because it’ll stress your knees.”

“It’s probably best to avoid lifting heavy weights because it’ll stress your joints and back.”

“You shouldn’t do “x” or “y” because it’ll cause too much stress.”

Blah, blah. blabbidy, blah, blah.

Now, let me preface everything by saying I understand it’s not everyone’s goal to get strong(er), hoist barbells and dumbbells every which way, and/or, I don’t know, make people clench their sphincters when they watch you bench press.

It’s not everyone’s bag, and that’s cool.

Likewise, any conversation of this magnitude should come with the assumption that whatever exercise or modality we’re referring to – squats, overhead pressing, juggling chainsaws – is, in fact, an appropriate fit for someone based off their goals, ability level, taking into account their current/past injury history, and individual anthropometry.

Moreover, we can make the case for any exercise having an inherent risk, if not tinkering on the edge of dangerous, if it over-steps someone’s ability level, is performed incorrectly, and/or is done with too much volume.

  • A newbie performing conventional deadlifts on Day #1 probably won’t be a good fit.
  • A heavy back squat performed with an excessively rounded back = stop blaming the exercise and fix your technique, Sherlock.
  • Even if someone has immaculate dynamic control of their rotator cuff, spends time addressing soft-tissue quality, and also stays on top of their ability to upwardly rotate their scapulae, even if they do all of that (which is saying a lot), the acromion space will always narrow when you overhead press. Doing too much of it (volume) can still cause shoulder issues.6

That said, it’s not lost on me there’s a heavy bias on my end given I’m a strength coach. I like getting people strong. It’s what I do and it’s what I’m about.

Well, that, and crushing ice-cream.

And still trying to figure out why Carrie broke up with Aidan in Season 4 of Sex and the City.7

I have rarely found anything negative that results from getting someone stronger; whether we’re referring to helping an athlete perform better in his or her’s respective sport, helping a grandmother be able to carry her own groceries, or helping anyone be less fragile.

Everyday life is filled with trials, tribulations, tripping over Legos on the carpet, and general levels of shitstormery. What harm can come from getting stronger and to be better equipped and prepared for it?

Yet, time and time again I witness people’s backlash towards strength training – or any sense of straining – by using the excuse “it’s too much risk at stressing the body.”

Ummmmmm.

The point of exercise, and more specifically, lifting weights, is to stress the body.

Strain, effort, and yes, even some level of discomfort is warranted, nay, needed, in order to make the body more resilient and ready for sport AND life.

I’m not making this stuff up either.

There are laws (meaning, proven, undeniable facts backed by science) to back me up:

BOOM

Wolff’s Law – States that bone in a healthy person or animal will adapt to the loads under which it is placed.

As a corollary to Wolff’s Law there’s also the term known as Minimal Essential Strain (MES) which also states there’s a threshold (strain) that must be reached and repeated often enough to signal to the osteoblasts to travel to the area of strain and lay down collagen to increase the strength of the bone.

Davis’s Law – Describes how soft tissue models along imposed demands.

I-Just-Threw-My-Face-Into-a-Brick-Wall-Because-I-Became-Dumber-For-Having-Listened-To-What-You-Just-Said Law – Describes the spontaneous reaction that results when someone says something stupid.8

We can’t always live in a bubble or “safe space” filled with non-threatening exercise, pink dumbbells, and Adele radio playing on Pandora.

It behooves us to teeter with end-ranges of motion and to sometimes tinker with someone’s ability to just do more.

Lets take the squat.

A common argument against it – again, for some, not everyone – is that it should be avoided because it stresses the knees.

Well, when done incorrectly I’d agree.

There’s much that can go awry with the squat.

However, some trainers/coaches take it to delicate flower levels that I can’t begin to comprehend. To the point where, if there’s any deviation from perfect, they’ll start hyperventilating into a paper bag and shut the set down faster than you can say “When’s Season 3 of Stranger Things coming out?”

Sometimes you have to let people figure things out for themselves and stop over-coaching.

The knees caving in isn’t always bad.

“Caving” to neutral is a lot different than actually falling into knee valgus.

Don’t be so quick to pump the brakes on people.

Hell, the point of someone going to physical therapy is to do something physical. Those therapists who tend to get the best and most efficient results tend to be those that include strength & conditioning to compliment the clinical side of the equation.

If you’ve done your job as a coach and properly progressed your clients/athletes it’s okay to allow them to deviate from perfect. It’ll help them in the long run.

I’d make the case it’s beneficial to allow people to experience compromising positions anyways. That way they’ll know how to get out of them if or when they happen again (and they will).

It’s imperative to make the body do more work in order to adapt and make progress. To steal a quote from Nick Tumminello:

“It’s all about creating STRESS (to stimulate adaption) W/O DISTRESS (that exceeds one’s tolerance and causes injury).”

We need to challenge the body.

We need to stress it.

Categoriescoaching Exercise Technique Program Design

Programming Considerations: When To Choose Sumo Over Conventional Deadlift

If there’s one topic I’m asked to write more on it’s programming.

What, when, why, and how do I do what I do?

I may make this more of weekly or monthly series depending on how this first iteration goes.9

Lets see what happens.

Copyright: ozimician / 123RF Stock Photo

When To Choose Sumo Deadlift Over Conventional

I like to think of myself as a middle of the road kinda guy. I try not to veer too far to the left or right on any given topic.

Except for Attack of the Clones.

That was and always will be a dumpster fire of a movie.

On pretty much anything else however, especially as it relates to strength & conditioning, I tend to default to the more temperate “it depends” defense.

Back squat vs. front squat? It depends.

Concurrent vs. undulated periodization? It depends.

Raspberry ketones vs. purified unicorn tears filtered through a Leprechaun’s beard ? Kale.

What about deadlifts?

Well, you guessed it…….

……..it depends.

Despite the title of the post I’m not in favor of one variation over the other. In fact, if I had to choose a variation I feel is the best fit for most trainees most of the time I’d pick the trap bar deadlift.

 

If I had to place a number on it, I’d say 90-95% of the clients I have historically worked with – this includes eight years at Cressey Sports Performance – started with the trap bar deadlift and progressed from there.

75-80% have kept the trap bar as their “home-base” deadlift variation throughout their training career.

However, when it comes to choosing between the sumo deadlift (wider stance, hands inside the knees) and conventional deadlift (narrower stance, hands outside the knees) the key determining factor(s) are:

  • What’s the person’s goals?
  • Which variation puts them in the best position to be successful and not shit a facet?

So in the spirit of “this is just information, relax, I still have my clients/athletes conventional deadlift” here are a handful of reason’s why I’d gravitate towards sumo.

1) Anatomical Considerations

Taller people or those with long femurs/torsos are likely going to have a hard time pulling conventional.

Anyone who has worked with basketball players can appreciate this. Long spines require attention to detail.

The trap bar is a great choice with this population, but so too are sumo deadlifts or block pulls (where the barbell is elevated to a height that allows them to get into a maintain good position).

Another point to consider are those who picked the wrong parents. For example, people with shorter arms will have a challenging time with conventional deadlifts.10

We also have to consider general movement quality. We live in a day and age where people don’t move a lot, and as a result have the movement quality of a pregnant rhinoceros.

If someone doesn’t posses the requisite ankle dorsiflexion, hip flexion, and/or t-spine extension to get close(r) to the floor without “falling” into lumbar flexion, why are we trying to force conventional deadlifts on them?

2) Previous Experience and Injury History

The conventional deadlift requires more forward lean compared to its sumo counterpart.

This places much more shear loading on the spinal erectors.

This isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

Conventional deadlifts are a fantastic option for those who deem their back a weak link and may be looking to strengthen their spinal erectors.

However, sometimes we need to pump the brakes.

Anyone with a history of back issues/injuries may find the conventional deadlift too aggressive. To that point, some may prefer the sumo deadlift and find it more suitable since they’re able to keep a more upright torso.

3) Speaking of Weak Links

The sumo deadlift, as counterintuitive as it may sound, is more quadricep dominant than people give it credit for. Strength coach Kevin Cann of Total Sports Performance (located in Medford, MA) puts it more eloquently than I:

“The sumo deadlift is basically a high squat. The greatest quad demands in the squat are coming up out of the hole. Since the sumo deadlift begins higher than the sticking point for the squat, the demands on the quads will be less than the squat, but greater than the conventional deadlift.“

I’ve found for those trainees who need to work on their quad strength the sumo deadlift is often a great accessory movement to consider.

4) Because, Fuck Purists

I dislike absolutism.

I lose respect for those coaches who act like children and allow their egos to dictate how they interact with others.

The “my way is the only way to train people” diatribes gets old.

I’ve had more than a fair share of coaches get defensive with me because I like the sumo deadlift and because I tend to use the trap bar with many of my clients/athletes.

I remember a case in particular where a coach chastised me on social media for having the gaul of utilizing the sumo deadlift over conventional with a new client (even though, as I had explained, she had repeated occasions of the latter hurting her back).

  1. In both her passive and active assessment she was unable to prevent her spine from going into excessive lumbar flexion in conventional stance (from the floor, and to a lesser extent elevated). This was likely due to anatomical barriers. I wasn’t certain, because I don’t have X-ray vision, but it was my best guess.
  2. We reverted to sumo stance and sha-ZAM: she was able to maintain a pristine position with her spin AND it didn’t hurt her back.

Anyhoo, despite my attempt at marinating in a moral victory, this particular coach went on to wax poetic that “well, I’ve never had anyone walk into my gym and not be able to conventional deadlift….so you SUCK Tony.”

I was like….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAryFIuRxmQ

 

I could be projecting and I honestly have no idea why some coaches are so steadfast with their infatuation with the conventional deadlift. If I had to guess it’s because there’s this notion that sumo deadlifts are cheating.

Last I heard there’s no gold star given out to people who only conventional deadlift.

If we wanted to get all sciency and stuff, the hip extension demands are THE SAME for both variations. Unless you’re Gandalf (if so, can we hang out?) and can lengthen someone’s femur, the moment arm (the distance between the joint’s axis and line of force acting on it) doesn’t change.

Furthermore, to steal another gem from Kevin Cann, the distance you lose in sagittal plane when adopting a conventional stance, you tend to pick up in the frontal plane when you switch to sumo.

Generally speaking, in terms of which is “harder:”

  • Sumo Deadlift = more difficult off the ground, easier at lockout.
  • Conventional Deadlift = easier off the ground, more difficult at lockout.

In the end, it has nothing to do with cheating. It’s about recognizing that the two variations are just… different.11

And that some people are just insufferable fuck-faces.

Categoriescoaching Exercise Technique Program Design

A Few Ways to Progress and Groove the 1-Legged RDL

I know, I know.

Talking much less writing about the 1-Legged RDL isn’t the most exciting thing in the world. Here’s where it ranks on my “Stuff That Gets Me Really Excited About” List:

1: Ice cream.
2-717: Reading Wikipedia pages for every Wu-Tang Clan member.
718: Cleaning up my cats weekly furball vomit.
719: Valentine’s Day.
720: 1-Legged RDL’s.
721: Poodles/Ebola.

But hear me out…this is important shit.

Copyright: peogeo / 123RF Stock Photo

 

While many may echo the same sentiment above, it’s hard to downplay the importance of the 1-Legged RDL.

Being able to access the hip hinge (and being able to perform it on one leg) is crucial for a variety of reasons: Ranging from improved joint health (specifically dissociating hip movement from lumbar movement) and improved movement quality to improved hip/rotary core stability and enhanced athletic performance.

BONUS: And, for what it’s worth, I’m pretty sure “good hip hinge” is one of the top criteria people search for when puttering around on Tinder.

Even if that’s not the case I’m willing to bet if you put something like “Hip Hinging Is Hot” as your profile heading and followed suite with some candid pictures of you deadlifing a variety of things like a barbell, a bag of groceries, a litter of bunnies, you’d get more matches.

Do it.

DO IT.12

via GIPHY

Getting back on task, today I wanted to highlight some of my favorite exercises and drills to help groove and progress the 1-Legged RDL.

I find a lot of trainers/coaches are quick to add these into a client’s program, when the fact of the matter is…they’re a rather advanced movement.

Taking the time to properly progress someone based on their current ability level (and needs) will go a long ways with breeding success and rapport with your clients.

Lets dive in.

But First: Some Universal Coaching Cues

Two common technique flaws I see with most people are:

1. Helicopter Hips
2. Letting go or “losing” their shoulders.

Helicopter Hips

This is where you’ll see someone’s hips kinda rotate upwards towards one side as they hinge back into their leg.

No, no, no, no, no, no, NO.

Don’t Lose Your Shoulders

This is probably the most common snafu with the 1-Legged RDL. Simply put this is where someone will round their shoulders/upper back as they hinge back.

I said, NO.

Progressing the 1-Legged RDL

For most people I think it’s smart to start from the ground, work to standing variations, and then add movement/load after that.

NOTE: What follows isn’t an exhaustive list, but will get the job done for the bulk of people.13

Handcuff Hinge

I feel it only makes sense to start with BOTH hips. We have to master the bilateral hip hinge before we have any shot at mastering single leg variations.

I think Dan John was the first to popularize this drill. There’s just something about this variation that provides the requisite feedback to “feed” the hinge.

NOTE: I also think your standard variety Glute Bridges and Hip Thrusts work well here too.

Split Stance RDL

I also like to call this one a “Fake 1-Legged RDL.”

While still technically bilateral, this variation allows the trainee to front load the front leg while simultaneously using the opposite leg as a balance point as they hinge back.

 Skater Hinge RDL

A fantastic progression from the above exercise.

This one really begins to set the table for increasing range of motion as well as grooving the hinge itself in addition to hip separation.

I like to tell people to think about driving or pushing the KB through their chest and to “protect their rib cage with their arms” to help create more full-body tension.

Wall Assisted 1-Legged RDL

Once they mastered the “hinge” component, now it’s time to take away a point of contact. However if balance is still an issue an easy fix is to use the wall to assist.

Start with bodyweight and then add external load once they get comfortable with that (and can extend the leg fully).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EazaXmRPA3A

Assisted 1-Legged RDL w/ Reach

Another option would be this gem I stole from the crew over a War Horse Barbell in Philadelphia, PA.

Don’t Worry: Even though the Pats lost the Superbowl to the Eagles this past weekend, we’re still friends. I guess.

1-Legged RDL ISO Hold

Many will scoff at this drill as easy.

Many will suck at it.

It’s okay to LOL at them.

1-Legged RDL ISO Hold w/ KB Swap

And if you really want to LOL at your clients, give them this drill.

They’ll feel stuff firing they never knew existed.

Deadstart 1-Legged RDL

One trick I keep in my back pocket to help people really get a feel for this exercise is to start in the bottom position.

I’m sure there’s some hoity toity term I could be using here to explain things, but all I’ve got for you is that there’s something about starting in the “end” position that helps people contextualize the pattern.

Try it.

I think you’ll agree.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkfUrsGCXGE

I’m Done

There’s more I could add but 1) no one made it this far, did they? and 2) I’m hungry.

Hope these help.

Categoriescoaching

How The Matrix Can Make You a Better Coach

It’s no secret I love movies.

I always joke that if I weren’t a strength coach I’d try to finagle a way to watch movies for a living. I don’t know know how I’d make a living doing that, all I know is that it’s pretty much my life’s dream (outside of owning my own real-life Airwolf).

I can’t think of an instance in my life where I haven’t been transfixed or excited to head to the theater to catch a flick.14The ones that really stick out in my mind, that made my jaw drop and were almost biblical in how they affected me are…Return of the Jedi (of course), Back to the Future, Forrest Gump, Avatar, and The Matrix.15

Who can forget that opening sequence with Trinity? Remember how it started off with her taking out that whole SWAT team single-handedly, with that slow motion 360 degree camera shot, then building to a chase scene crescendo out-running an “agent?”

Nerd boner city.

You knew, after watching that, that the next two hours were going to be something special.

And, arguably, maybe one of the more iconic lines/scenes of the movie was when Neo first visited The Oracle and he had the “bending spoon” conversation with the little girl.

“There is no spoon.”

Copyright: fergregory / 123RF Stock Photo

 

The whole point of that interaction, at least to me, was to provide some much needed perspective to Neo.

To demonstrate to him that, sometimes, all you have to do is shift your perspective to see someone’s else’s truth. 

The Matrix is real, and you know, the spoon isn’t there.

via GIPHY

In the health and fitness industry, and in particular as a health and fitness professional, understanding someone else’s perspective is a crucial and germane talent to posses.

I + XI = X

Take for instance the equation you see above.

Is that a “true” or “false” statement?

I snaked this little gem from author Dan Brown’s latest novel, Origin.16

You’re looking at the equation and thinking to yourself:

“One plus eleven is ten? That’s false Gentilcore. Idiot.”

Alas, when the main character in Brown’s novel, Robert Langdon, wrote out the same equation in sand during a pivotal moment in the story, and presented it to another character (named Ambra)…he received the same perplexed reaction.

When told that the equation is “absolutely false,” Langdon responded with “And can you see any way this could be true?”

“No, the statement is definitely false,” replied Ambra.

Langdon then reached out and gently guided Ambra’s around to where he was standing.

It was only then that she saw the equation from his vantage point.

The equation was upside down:

X = IX + I

“Ten equals nine plus one.”

I was sitting in bed when I read that tidbit and chuckled to myself. “That’s good,” I thought to myself. I then reached over and wrote the equation on the little notepad I keep at my bedside figuring I’d use it at some point to make a blog post out of it.

SPOILER ALERT: This is that blog post…..

Many of us are steadfast in our beliefs in this industry.

I remember when Mike Boyle caught a metric shit-ton of flak years ago when he told the strength & conditioning world that he had omitted back squatting from all his programs.

I think he could have live streamed himself clubbing a baby seal and that would have been more universally accepted.

From his perspective, however, he saw a correlation between back squats and the vast number of athletes experiencing back discomfort and in worse case scenarios…missing playing time due to injury.

He switched gears and opted to emphasize building single-leg strength instead. For the record, he’s still producing world renowned athletes (and he’s seen a reduction in injury rates).

This is not to insinuate I agree with all of what Mike has to say about back squats – if it’s any consolation, I still use them with my athletes – but rather it’s to note that he’s not wrong.

He just has/had a different perspective.

He’s still getting results.

And the world is still spinning.

Likewise, I recently saw a thread on Facebook with a personal training attacking Jenny Craig.

She went off on how she’s frustrated with one of her client’s who decided to enroll in the program.

I’m paraphrasing but she said something along the lines of:

“It’s just a foo-foo fad diet, and she (her client) is just wasting her money.”

Don’t get me wrong, I too have a hard time not rolling my eyes at Jenny Craig. It is a touch “faddy,” and I believe most are better off not adopting an often unhealthy relationship with food by following a point system.

Hamburger w/ wheat bun: 719 points

Celery sprinkled with sawdust: 1 point, Mmmmmmm.

That being said, it does work for a lot of people and it does serve as a way for many to learn to appreciate portion/calorie control.

That’s not a bad thing.

Are there better, maybe more long-lasting and sustainable avenues to take?

Yeah, maybe.

But from a client’s perspective, Jenny Craig may be the most un-intimidating starting point to take.

And that’s a huge win. Assuming they follow the rules to a “T” and stay consistent, it stands to reason some cool things will happen.

What they don’t need is their trainer/coach discouraging them.

Perspective goes a long ways.

It helps to explain why some coaches don’t use back squats, or don’t incorporate a lot of overhead pressing, or maybe omit the olympic lifts from their programs. You may not agree with them, but that doesn’t mean they’re wrong.

In addition it’ll help to better understand where your clients are physically and emotionally, and what will likely be the best course of action to take to set them up for long-term success.

I’m not even sure what my overarching rationale was for writing this post. Maybe it was to note that Keanu Reeves is capable of making good movies.17. Or better yet, to encourage you not to be an uppity dick.

No one is saying to turn your back away from your experience and expertise. I implore all fitness professionals to use both to educate their clients/athletes.

But too, try to make a habit of walking around to the other side, to see the vantage point from their perspective. You’re only going to be a better coach in the end.