Yesterday my good friends Eric Cressey, John Romaniello, and Ben Bruno revealed to the world an awesome charity that they’ve recently collaborated on along with the good people over at Causes International.
For those unfamiliar, Causes International is an organization which focuses on UPcycling, the process of donating your used electronics so they can be sent back UP the chain, and either disposed of in an environmentally clean and sustainable way – or given to those in need.
Put another way, you know that first edition Nintendo Entertainment System that you’ve insisted on keeping in your closet since you were 17 for sentimental reasons but now your girlfriend or significant other is forcing you to throw away to make room for her rabid collection of shoes, or that rubbish iPhone 4 you were just going to casually toss in the dumpster because it’s so 2012 and you wouldn’t be caught dead with such outdated technology in your pocket?
Well, as it happens, it’s not that great for the environment to just throw stuff (laptops, smart phones, desk top computers, etc) away. As EC pointed out in his blog yesterday:
Electronics that aren’t disposed of properly often wind up releasing extremely toxic heavy metals—such as lead, cadmium, mercury, chromium and deadly toxins like polyvinyl chlorides—directly into the environment. We may not notice it yet in the US, as over 80% of our “electronic trash” is sent overseas, but there are parts of China and other industrialized countries where people can’t breath the air or drink the water, and children are dying or being born with defects because of these toxins.
With that said, I want you to think long and hard before you haul that flat screen tv out to the curb and then move on with your life. Essentially what you’re doing is punching a dolphin in the face. You jerk!
I didn’t know this, but over 100 million (yes million) smartphones are thrown in the trash worldwide each and every year. Likewise, according to some other statistics, in America alone, over 12 million laptops were discarded of inappropriately in 2007.
And I have to imagine that number is even larger today.
Looking at those numbers it’s astonishing how wasteful we are as a society and what a haphazard attitude we have when it comes to taking care of our environment.
This is why this is such an awesome endeavor.
To up the ante, Causes International has teamed with Eric, John, and Ben to help raise money to feed the hungry.
It’s simple: you rummage through your house and find any electrical device that’s broken or you no longer use, you then donate it, and for every $1 raised EIGHT meals can be provided to those in need.
It’s a win-win. Not only do you do your part in helping save the environment, but you also help place food on the table for those in need.
Here’s the step-by-step breakdown:
Step One
Scour your house, condo, apartment, tree fort (nothing is off limits) and find any electrical device that’s broken or you don’t use. Over 60,000 items, in 13 different categories – iPhones, iPods, iPads, and MacBooks (even with shattered screens), plus various other items, like other smartphones, video games, graphing calculators, or digital cameras – are eligible.
Unfortunately, can openers and Shake Weights aren’t included in the mix.
Step Two
Go to the website that Causes International set up at www.FitnessFeeds.org and click on the DONATE button. There’s really very little heavy lifting that has to be done on your part. Causes International will send you a PRE-PAID shipping label that you can print off, and then all you have to do is high-five the UPS guy or place into one of their 40,000+ boxes around the country.
Step Three
You just earned MASSIVE karma points my friend. As noted above, every $1 raised helps provide EIGHT meals to needy people. And, if it’s important to you, the whole thing is tax deductible.
Step Four
If or when you visit Cressey Performance, you and I are totally going to hug it out.
Sorry I’ve been a bit absent this week. Between fighting off this bitch of a cold, prepping for a presentation on posture and low back pain I’m doing at Bose Headquarters this afternoon, and tying up loose ends before heading off on vacation this weekend, my hands have been a bit full.
There’s all of that and a funny story about Lisa almost attacking me with a pillow in the middle of the night thinking I was someone breaking into our apartment. But I’ll save that for a Miscellaneous Monday post down the road.
Nevertheless, today I have an awesome guest post by Nate Palmer on muscle confusion. For those who enjoy my writing style, this one will be right on par. Enjoy!
Muscle Confus….. whaaaa????
If you’re reading this right now, I’m making some broad assumptions about you:
You have above average knowledge of muscular and athletic training.
You’re a 7.5 or better on the general attractiveness scale.
You know and respect the work of people like McGill, Polquin, Bieber, and Cressey.
You are passionate about squatting, building muscle, moving well, and quoting Bane as much as possible.
If you fall into any of those categories, I believe it’s safe to assume that you’ve also heard the phrase “muscle confusion” thrown around like a hipster at a Ramstein concert. It’s all over the news, in radio ads, general fitness articles, and p90x.
Generally the definition of muscle confusion is that by continuing to mix up the exercises/sets/reps/tempo etc. one can ‘trick’ the muscles into growing or burning more fat based on the idea the muscles will adapt to the same stimulus over and over again.
The benefit here is that it is possible to continue to coax new growth out of your muscles without them ever catching on to the fact that you are not, in fact, Mariusz Pudjianowski. Another benefit is that the same routine can be used by a variety of types of trainees with good results.
This is actually science, and since science should not be ignored, I wanted to help clear up the mystical BS surrounding the theory of muscle confusion, and help you create your own muscle confusion workout. At the end, I will give you an example of a workout that I have used for many years with great results, both in my own training, and for many of my clients.
Here is a proven 10 step system that will help you go from Hayden Christiansen status to being a training Yoda in just minutes.
List your goals out on a piece of paper. Be as specific as you can. (i.e. don’t just put “I want to be ripped” put that you want to be bodyweight of 185 at bodyfat percentage of 8%. Don’t put “get stronger” but say you want to squat 315 x 10)
Underneath each goal, write 2-5 exercises that will contribute to your success in that activity.
Now take 12 sticky notes and write down other activities that you enjoy doing, whether that’s sewing, rock climbing, or watching Jumanji on repeat.
Put the sticky notes on your fridge for motivation
While you’re at your fridge, grab something to eat. You don’t want to be hungry while dealing with the advanced principles of muscle confusion.
Grab a calendar for the month. Write down your 7 favorite numbers on it.
Tear all the papers into small pieces and put them into your protein shaker bottle. Shake vigorously for 30-60 seconds to maximize triceps involvement.
Go to the gym with said protein shaker, and begin removing pieces of paper. If legible, tear into smaller pieces and repeat step 7. If you’re becoming confused, that means your muscles are becoming adequately prepped for the workout. While pulling out scraps of paper, you should be haphazardly guessing what they say and doing the exercises with the sets and reps in the way they come out of the shaker.
Your workout should end when the sum of all your sets and reps = 37, or when the minute hand of the clock hits a really cool number.
Make sure to end every session with a naked bosu ball kettlebell snatch on the stair master. Your muscles won’t have any idea what the F just happened!
******BONUS *******
Muscle Confusion Nutrition; the do’s and don’ts.
DO:
Mix 3 parts margarita, with 1 part jack3d and 1 part goji berry extract for the perfect pre-workout beverage. For optimal results, use as a suppository.
Consume as much rotisserie chicken as possible during the workout to involve the digestive system, and to confuse the abs from the inside out.
DON’T:
Have a traditional post workout meal, but instead eat the third thing you see on the way home from the gym. Take a different route every time, or close your eyes while driving to ensure proper confusion.
Listen to the experts. Every body is different, and needs different stimuli to continue growing. Optimize your gains the right way! The confusing way.
DISCLAMER:
Please don’t do this. Any of it really. Except the naked bosu ball snatches. You should do those.
If you’re interested in the actual scientific principle of muscle confusion, look no further than progressive overload, which very simply states that in order to make progress, you must challenge your muscles in ways they haven’t been challenged before. This can take the form of something as simple as adding another rep, or another 5lbs to the bar.
If you are the guy who constantly goes to the gym and does the same 3×10 with 135 every Monday on bench press, you’re not going to make any progress because you haven’t given your muscles any reason to change from the size they are, because they are fully capable of doing your workout.
Constantly changing the stimulus by doing more work per session is the way to create and maintain lasting gains. You don’t need to be jumping from program to program week after week. This will never allow your central nervous system (CNS) to adapt to the movements (which is a good thing that will help you lift more), and you’ll never get any bigger or stronger.
Want to get big and strong? Pick 2-3 big exercises and get really, REALLY strong at them. Add 5lbs per week to start, then add 2.5lbs per week, and if necessary, add 1 lb per week. Do that for a full year. That way, at the end of this year, you will have put somewhere between 50 and 150lbs on your squat. Instead of what you did last year, which was jump around too much and end up with a strained shoulder and a 180lbs squat.
If you want to get brutally strong, stay lean and get legs the size of tree trunks, institute a 20 rep squat protocol. Start lower than you think you should, and add between 1 and 10lbs per week, making lower jumps as you increase weight. At the end of a year, you can easily go from doing 135×20 to doing 250×20.
The most confusing thing you can do for your muscles is squat 300lbs 20 times. Do that, and ditch your fitness DVD’s.
You’re welcome. That will be 49.99.
Author’s Bio
Nate Palmer is a NASM certified personal trainer and corrective exercise specialist. He specializes in weight loss, rehabilitation and stretching, and athletic training. He also loves the smell of vanilla candles, and looking at pictures of puppies online, but he would never admit it.
He’s currently employed at PRO Sports Club in the greater Seattle Area, and for more information check out his website HERE.
I received an email the other day from a good friend of mine, Jon Goodman, whom many of you may recognize from The Personal Training Development Center (an awesome, FREE, resource for any trainers out there reading), as well as such book as Ignite the Fire, Race to the Top, and his soon-to-be-released project, Viralnomics, which he’s currently writing in Hawaii. On a beach. While starring at the ocean. And probably being hand fed grapes and coconut milk.
I hate you Jon. I hate you so much……;o)
Anyways, he reached out to me the other day with an interesting query, and I felt compelled to use it as blog post today as I know there are a lot of trainers, coaches, and exercise enthusiasts who read my site on a daily basis (thank you) who often contemplate and express interest in writing. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, many wind up dragging their heels out of intimidation or frustration.
Anyways, here’s Jon’s email he sent in its entirety:
Hey man,
I’ve got a question for you because it’s something that I’ve struggled with a lot and continue to struggle with. Perhaps you can lend some insight.
I’m asking you because you are the most consistent blogger out there. You pump out quality content multiple times a week and have been doing it for years.
So here’s my question:
How do you not get bored? You manage to keep the information fresh and always write in an inviting and entertaining tone but let’s be honest, how many articles have you written about deadlifts, and women lifting weights, and shoulder health etc.
I seem to lose interest really quickly.
Any ideas to ignite my fire?
Note: what follows isn’t (entirely) what I sent to Jon. Some of it is, but I also added a bit more knowing that 1) I had more to add and 2) I knew a fair number of people reading would hopefully benefit from it.
First off: how in the heck am I supposed to “ignite the fire” for a guy who wrote a book titled Ignite the Fire? Talk about pressure!!!
Your question is a good one, and it’s something that I’ve struggled with myself all…..the……time.
I get writer’s block just like everyone else, and often find myself sitting in front of my computer screen thinking to myself, “I have absolutely no idea what to write about today.”
I’ll load up on some caffeine……nada.
I’ll put on some classic music to inspire some creative juices……nope.
Hell, I’ll even talk to my cat who’s usually lying there right next to me….and that generally leads to nowhere. Except for a slight detour to Snugglesville, USA.
While it rarely happens, it happens. And when it does, sometimes I just call a spade and spade, admit that I don’t have anything to say that day, and go make a tuna sandwich.
Typically, though, I somehow I manage to fight through it, and feel the following strategies and insights are what help the most as far as helping me continue to stay consistent with my writing:
1. I write! I’m stubborn like that. Giving full disclosure: the whole process of writing does not come easy to me. I used to struggle quite a bit just to type 500 words.
500 words gave the impression that I was writing my own version of War and Peace.
While that’s a bit of an exaggeration, it’s what it felt like back in the day.
Sometimes it’s still an arduous task, and I feel like throwing my face through a wall. But as with anything, it’s about setting a schedule and sticking to it.
For the most part, every morning from 7-9 AM, I sit in front of my laptop and write. That’s what I’m doing right now, and it seems to works for me.
Some people on the other hand, like John Romaniello, prefer to do the bulk of their writing at night. That’s when he feels he’s most productive.
Everyone operates differently, and maybe it’s just a matter of finding out when you feel you’re most productive and your creative juices are flowing?
2. I think one of the things that keeps me “fresh” is that I’m not scared to go off-topic when I want to. I mean, I have Miscellaneous Miscellany Mondays which allow me to write about movies, books I’m reading, hot chicks, and/or discuss cool restaurants that my girlfriend and I go to.
Take for example this past weekend. While I ended up NOT making this part of some random blog post, I easily could have.
Feeling absolutely drained from the previous work week, I had absolutely no intention of doing any work at home. Sometimes I carve out a little time on Sunday to catch up on programs I need to write or any articles I need to work on. This past Sunday, however, I was a complete sloth.
Instead I decided my time would be better spent watching a Michael Mann marathon. In succession I watched The Last of Mohicans, Collateral, and The Insider.
All of them were ones I’ve seen before – repeatedly – but I love Michael Mann and always enjoy watching his films and dissecting every nook and cranny that come with them. The man is a perfectionist to the “t,” and it’s not unheard of for him to use 50 takes for any one scene.
I think Collateral is one of the most underrated movies of the past decade, and I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve reacted the scene from The Last of the Mohicans where Daniel Day Lewis’s character screams, “You STAY ALIVE. I will find you, no matter what occurs.”
I give an Oscar worthy performance every time – except, you know, instead of Madeline Stowe saying her lines back to me, I use a pillow, and I don’t end everything by plunging through 50+ foot waterfall after the fact.
But other than that, it’s uncanny how spot on I am.
And while I can’t say for sure, I think some of what makes my blog and writing style so “successful” is the fact that it’s relatable and that it’s not uncommon for me to talk about non-fitness stuff.
I’m not just some strength and conditioning cyborg that does nothing but talk about deadlifts and how to address glenohumeral internal rotation deficit.
I think much of what keeps me engaged and interested in my own writing is that I’m not apprehensive to go off-topic, take myself too seriously, and throw in the occasional poop joke from time to time.
Make sense?
So, with that, maybe you just need to write about other stuff? Not that you need to go into heavy detail on your personal life or anything, but don’t be scared to open up just a teeny tiny bit and give people more of a taste of your personality.
I find that when I do that, I get into a sorta “flow,” which makes transitioning into what I ACTUALLY want to write about – fitness, training, making people more badass – easier.
3. But I’ll be honest…..I’m lucky in that I live in a perfect bubble where I’m surrounded with a lot of bright people at the facility. I have Eric (Cressey), Greg Robins, Chris Howard, and all of our interns (who are always eager to talk shop) by my side all day, and we’re always bouncing ideas and thoughts off one another.
If anything, this environment serves as the perfect “incubator” for coming up with new ideas and things to write about.
Along the same lines, we have staff in-services every week. We tend to alternate on a week to week basis where we discuss anything from assessment, program design, case studies, or why Eric is so obsessed with Linkin Park.
Too, we’ll often have people come in to perform in-services. Case in point, Mike Reinold came in a few weeks ago and discussed which is more important to establish first: stability or mobility?
That’s actually a trick question, because neither matter much if someone is out of ALIGNMENT.
As Mike noted, if you stretch into mis-alignment, you create more instability.
Conversely, if you strengthen into mis-alignment, you create more muscular imbalances.
This is easily something I may turn into a blog post in the near future.
Additionally, I have any number of clients and athletes who ask me questions (or say something completely asinine) that I can use as ammo for blog posts or articles.
I can’t advocate going out of your way to surround yourself with more like-minded individuals enough. Even if it’s just going to observe someone else coaching for a day or heading to a local commercial gym to watch people train is enough to spark some kind of fire.
With the latter, you may even be lucky enough to find blogging gold like this:
You’re welcome.
4. Another thing to consider – and this will definitely pertain to Jon (it’s not unheard of for him to write 8,000+ words per day) – is possibly thinking about writing LESS. Just like people in other careers who tend to burn out and go “postal,” the same can apply to those who engage in a fair amount of writing.
I make it a point of posting a blog 3-5 times per week, which can easily stock pile the word count on a weekly basis. And this doesn’t take into consideration all the time that goes into answering emails and writing articles.
I’m sure there are some out there who may feel otherwise, but I “think” I’m able to provide solid content with each and every post. But I don’t consider it the end of the world if I truly have nothing to say on any given day.
If that’s the case, I don’t write. Simple as that. Or, I just find someone to write a guest post for me instead (Holla!).
To that end, maybe for some it’s a matter of CUTTING BACK and reducing their writing frequency. Sort of analogous to a deload week from training.
I’ve often found that when I take a day or two off from writing content-heavy posts, I’m able to come back with a bang.
5. Lastly, this doesn’t necessarily pertain to Jon, as I know he’s well read guy. But for others out there who are still paying attention and have made it this far (which is saying something), go out of your way to read. A lot.
I’ve stated on numerous occasions that I’m reading anywhere from 2-4 things simultaneously – most of which are related to my field, but not always. I’m always reading some non-fiction (Malcolm Gladwell, Dan Ariely, Michael Lewis, etc) and fiction too (anything but Twilight).
I’m constantly in awe (and envious) of certain writers, and often gain valuable insight and pick up on lesser known things like style, sentence structure, and how to use a semicolon correctly. Still learning that last one.
And all of this isn’t to say that I know what the hell I’m talking about. I don’t really even consider myself a “writer,” but in the 6+ years that I’ve been doing it, I like to think that I’ve picked up a thing or two.
Anyways, I hope that helps somewhat. Certainly nothing earth shattering, but hopefully it helps shed some light.
Today’s guest post comes from friend and colleague, James Garland. I’ve known James for a few years now and first met him when he came to Cressey Performance (all the way from Australia) three years ago for the sole purpose to hang out at the facility, talk shop, and observe for a few weeks.
And during that time I think I made reference to Crocodile Dundee at minimum 347 times. Give or take a few dozen.
James is a talented coach and someone I feel more people should know about. In this post he calls himself out and discusses a few things which I know many reading (especially those who make a living coaching) will be able to commiserate with.
Take it away James!
Crikey (sorry, I couldn’t resist).
A few months back, I was struggling to train with any kind of intensity. My body hated me, my motivation was low, and my focus with day-to-day work, in a word, suckedharderthanadysonvacuum.
At first I thought that this could all have been the standard leading-into-Christmas winding down stuff; but I was lying to myself.
My body was deteriorating because I had been neglecting it. I had niggling issues that I’d never had before, I was always carrying some sort of pain, and my movement quality was terrible.
Admitting that I had let my body fall into a serious state of suckery was tough. Given that I’m a strength coach, who, by and large, has a strong corrective focus, I was a little (read – a lot) ashamed of letting it get to this point.
Before we go on, just to give you an idea of the growing list of problems that I was having, here’s a list –
Crepitus in my knees
Constantly sore hips
Lower back pain creeping back in
Neck/thoracic pain
Creaky shoulders
Lack of focus
Crashing (tired) in the afternoon
Yep, I was messed up – but there was no point dwelling on that fact. Instead, I decided to look back at the habits that I had led to my body being in a world of pain, and then go about fixing them.
It was kind of funny (note – no it wasn’t) looking back, because I started noticing that I was making all of the same mistakes that I warn, and was warning at the time, my own clients against making. Talk about irony, right?
Here’s what I was doing wrong:
1) Prioritising Work Before Anything Else
When work gets busy, I always tell my clients that they need to schedule time to make sure that they can still get their training sessions and recovery work done. I emphasise the importance that they establish, and maintain their routine because if they don’t, you can bet your first born that they’re going to turn around in a week or two and say that their body feels like it’s gone six rounds with Mike Tyson.
Not only does working more mean less time to pay attention to your body, but it also means more time spent sitting. And I don’t need to tell the readers of this site that whenever you increase your duration of sitting, you’re not going to be in for a good time.
2) Skipping Training Sessions
“I could train today, OR, I could finish that blog post that I’ve had on my to do list for a week now.“
“I could train today, but I didn’t really sleep well last night, and I could do more harm than good.”
Skipping training sessions is a very slippery slope. One missed session can turn into 2, 3, or even an entire week so easily.
When I prioritised work, I missed sessions, and always justified it to myself through some logic that seemed rational at the time. In reality, though, it was just a bunch of B.S. that I used to procrastinate getting my backside into the gym, and lifting heavy stuff off the floor.
3) Finding Quick, And Convenient, Food
“Spend time cooking?
Please! I don’t have time for that, and you know what, I’m pretty lean already, so I can get away with eating shitty foods for a little while.”
But I couldn’t; no one can.
While my body fat didn’t really increase that much when I wasn’t eating as well, my body did become a playground for inflammation (which did NOT help my knees), and my energy levels were shockingly low.
4) Not Sleeping As Much As I Should Have
When you run your own business, sometimes you just have to go without sleep. It’s an unfortunate fact of being able to stand out in the crowd. The problem is that everything is a balancing act between what you can get away with, and what’s ridiculous.
I was well within the realm of the latter.
You see, I wake up at 4-15am every morning to make the commute to work, and while this isn’t usually a problem, when I was consistently on my laptop doing work until 10-11pm at night, you know that I wasn’t getting much quality sleep.
And don’t get me wrong, this is by no means the worst working schedule I’ve ever seen, but throw it on top of poor nutrition, and a caffeine addiction, and you start to get a clearer picture of how things weren’t conducive to a well-functioning body.
The one thing that I came to realise real fast was that there is no point in working through the night if you’re not focusing properly on what you’re doing. A couple of hours of focused, uninterrupted work during the day will always trump several hours of half-assed work done in a sleep-deprived state.
5) Making Up For Said Lack Of Sleep With Stimulants
God invented caffeine for entrepreneurs; of that I am certain.
I mean, who needs 8 solid hours of sleep when you can throw back 4-5 coffees a day? Well, evidently, I did.
Making up for negative habits by utilising more negative habits was always destined to fail, miserably, but I gave it a shot, anyway.
Signs that you’re at this stage – your eyes burn like crazy when you wake up, you’re morning shower doesn’t work in making you feel alert, you need 2 coffees before sitting down at the laptop, and as soon as you hit the pillow at night, you’re asleep (my wife will testify to me lying down and falling asleep some nights at 7pm).
6) Ignoring The Issues, Despite Your Body Screaming For A Change
This was the worst mistake of all. When all of the telltale signs are there, and you ignore them, you deserve the inevitable crash. And that’s what happened. My kick up the backside came in the form of unproductiveness, a terrible attitude, and a few nights where I crashed before 8pm.
I gotta say, though, once I had acknowledged the things that I was doing wrong, I could start making changes. As I write this now, I’m back into the swing of things, getting enough rest, making sessions, improving my movement quality, prepping all of my food, and being productive with my work.
In fact, doing a guest post for Tony has been something that I’ve had on my to do list for a long time – and now it’s done. So if you’ve been ignoring some nagging issues for a while now, maybe it’s time to take a step back and give it the attention it deserves.
Author’s Bio
James Garland is a strength coach based in Sydney, Australia. He shares Tony’s same dislike for Keanu Reeves, and also loves deadlifting. That’s how he flattered Tony into letting him write an article for his site. He also runs a community for busy fathers at http://fitandstrongdads.com/
My sincerest thoughts go out to all of those who live in the NorthEast (particularly New England), and it’s my hope everyone made it through Snowmeggedon 2013 safely and without much incident.
I’m not going to sugarcoat anything: Boston got its butt handed to it, with roughly 30+ inches of snow. We woke up Saturday morning, looked outside, and both Lisa and I were like “whoa!” After a few cups of tea, about a lb of bacon, a pep talk, and Lisa dressing me up like the little brother from A Christmas Story (I can’t move my arms!!!), I eventually made the trek out to do my fair share of the shoveling.
But being a central New Yorker at heart, and having grown up in the lake effect snow capital of the world, the storm paled in comparison to some of the doozies I experiences growing up.
However, just to give a bit more scope of how much snow we actually got, here’s a picture we snapped of someone’s car completely buried.
I spent a good hour digging out my car, and also did the good samaritan thing and shoveled out the two cars parked next to me as well. It never hurts to earn some quality karma points in my book!
Anyways, the city was pretty much shut down for two days – no public transportation as well as a ban on driving (and parking) – while plans were made to remove all the snow.
By late yesterday morning (Sunday), all the main roads were cleared, or at least drivable, and most of the side streets were passable (albeit most were one-lane only), which is a testament to the city and all the folks who worked tirelessly to clean things up.
Well done, everyone. Well done.
My only point of contention – and I realize I’m setting myself up as the ornery jerk here – is that I really wish the recreational runners of Boston would have some freakin common sense.
Now, I have absolutely nothing against runners, and I think any form exercise is better than nothing.
Having said that, while driving to work yesterday, on more than one occasion, I had to swerve to avoid someone running IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STEEET!!!!
As it was, the roads were narrow enough due to the mountains of snow everywhere. And it certainly didn’t make things easier to have to maneuver my car Jason Bourne style around human beings.
What really irked me was the borderline cavalier attitude many (not all) of them had. As if it was perfectly normal to be running in the middle of the street the day after one of the biggest winter storms in more than 20 years.
Okay, more power to them. And I respect anyone who will still go out of their way to not skip a workout.
But have a little feel!
La-la-la-la-la-dee-de-dum-la-la. Oh look! I-95 is clear!!! Fartleks!!!!!!!!!!
Likewise, the sidewalks weren’t much better. Most were very narrow and very icy, yet when walking to the store to get some needed items, both Lisa and I (as well as all the other pedestrians out) had to dodge all the various runners zipping past as if they were getting any benefit for being out there in the first place. I mean, it seemed like most were attempting to NOT break an ankle rather than trying to maintain a specific tempo.
Would it have killed them to skip one day, or, if they really needed to get their heart rate up, to I don’t know, shovel a sidewalk???
Okay, I’ll step off my soapbox now. Just talking about it makes me want to jump through a window.
Switching gears, the snowstorm served as an impetus for something else, too. Something a little less irritating. It gave me the opportunity to catch up on some much needed reading.
I was sent a copy of Dan John’s latest book, Intervention, a few weeks ago and unfortunately it was relegated to my “to read later when I have time” pile.
Since I wasn’t going anywhere for the foreseeable future, I decided to hunker down and read a few chapters.
Not surprisingly, I loved it! I pretty much love anything Dan John writes, and this was no different. And why not: he has over 30+ year of coaching experience.
While I still have a ways to go before I finish it, there was one passage I wanted to share that really resonated with me and helped feed into my incessant campaign on why I continue to encourage women to turn to strength training in lieu of those lame cardio-pump classes.
And yes, sometimes even running.
Here’s the passage:
Recently, a woman told me her friends can’t make a mistake.
What? Well, what she told me was this: Since they were attacking fat loss with aerobic work and strict dieting, they didn’t have any wiggle room. The woman, who holds herself nearly year-round at a very impressive 19% bodyfat, told me she enjoys desserts, cocktails, BBQs and fine food. But, and this is a big but, she can also do 10 pullups. She is very strong in the weightroom. In other words, her glass is so big, she can afford to cheat a little here and there.
That made no sense to me. Then I watched her train and thought about some other women I work with. When she presses an impressive kettlebell overhead (half her bodyweight with one hand!), her entire system has to gather up resources, and then adapt and recover from the effort. When little Edna at my gym thinks the five-pound dumbbell is heavy, she isn’t going to tax her body very hard.
Edna can’t eat cake.
Ladies: read that again and let it sink in. I’ll explain a few things in a second.
I’m not kidding, read it again.
Now for most, you may be wondering what the whole ” her glass is so big, she can afford to cheat a little hear and there” means.
What kind of glass are we talking about here? A standard 8 oz glass? A wine glass? An Optimus Prime collectors mug I got in a Happy Meal circa 1985?
Well, any glass really. The idea, though, is to make the glass bigger!
This is an analogy I first heard from Eric Cressey in his Ultimate Off-Season Training Manual, and again later on from Master RKC instructor, Brett Jones.
Think of strength as a glass, and the water inside the glass as all the “qualities” we train for: endurance, strength-endurance, power, agility, speed strength, strength speed, having the ability to somehow take F.O.R.E.V.E.R in the bathroom getting ready, you know, those types of things.
The smaller your glass, the less “qualities” you’re able to express, let alone at a high level. That said…..
Strength is the basis for everything.
You can’t be “fast” without having some semblance of strength (or horsepower) in reserve. You can’t improve your timed mile, or taking a bit further, your marathon time if you can’t generate more force into the ground to propel yourself forward.
The larger you make your glass, the more liquid your’re able to place inside said glass, and the likelihood your performance improves. Whatever your endeavors may be.
If you’re weak, the glass is almost filled to the brim, and there’s little room for improvement. And, I’d even argue for those more aesthetically minded: you can’t even come close to getting as lean as you’d like if you’re weak in the first place.
If you’re someone who’s idea of “working out” is performing endless repetitions of arm circles, curls, and extensions with those cute, 5 lb pink dumbbells – and it’s hard – guess what?
You can’t have cake.
And that sucks.
Conversely, if you’re someone who places a premium on getting stronger (maybe working towards being able to perform ten solid push-ups, or one dead hang bodyweight pull-up, or maybe 1.5x bodyweight deadlift, or something as simple as learning how to squat properly), and you actually place a stress upon your body and force it to, you know, do something…… and do it hard……
……the more “wiggle room” you have when it comes to your nutrition.
While not a concrete train of thought, I think most people reading can appreciate the general tone I’m getting at here.
For example here’s Lisa this past Saturday afternoon while we were snowed in. While she could have just as easily watched The Notebook or forced me to watch a Julia Roberts marathon, she didn’t. Instead she spent part of the afternoon randomly walking up to the chin-up bar and busting out some reps. Here’s her third set of five:
Not to brag, but I don’t think there are many women out there who could just casually walk up to a chin-up bar and start busting out reps.
Wanna know what else she can do:
– Bench press 160 lbs.
– Deadlift 225+ lbs for reps.
– Perform 10+ flawless push-ups.
– Teach 4 spin classes per week.
– Read the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy in one week (true story).
– Leap tall buildings in a single bound (less true, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she could actually do it).
Wanna know what else she does:
She feels no remorse when we go out to eat on the weekends and orders a steak (with potatoes) and dessert afterwards.
She also eats out of the bread bowl. GASP!!!!!!!!!
To her credit: she works her ass off, and has put in A LOT of hours in the gym to look how she looks.
As Coach John alluded to: she doesn’t necessarily have to be as “on point” with her nutrition (even though she is) and can get away with a few cheats here and there because she’s STRONG!
This isn’t to suggest that every female reading needs to rush out to their nearest gym and commandeer the squat rack (although, that would be pretty cool). All I’m suggesting is that it wouldn’t hurt to turn the page, turn off the Tracy Anderson DVD, and start lifting some appreciable weight.
I’m not saying all of this to be snarky, and I hope it’s not coming across as such. In every sense, I’m saying all of this to EMPOWER you.
Today’s guest post comes from someone many who read this site regularly should recognize – Kellie Hart Davis.
For those scratching their heads, Kellie’s essentially the female equivalent of me except for the slight distinction of being way smarter and much better looking than myself.
Plus, given she’s a copy editor and prolific health & fitness writer herself, she can tell you the difference between an independent and dependent clause, whereas I’m the king of run-on sentences.
So I guess we’re nothing alike- except for our affinity to lift heavy things and to encourage (and to enlighten) women all over the world on why they should do the same.
Nevertheless, this post was inspired by and serves as an adjunct to last week’s post by Emily Socolinsky.
While this is a phenomenal stand alone article in its own right, I’d highly encourage anyone who didn’t read Emily’s post from last to click on the link above before proceeding. Trust me it will be well worth it.
*Cue Jeopardy music*
All caught up? Good.
Why We Are the Even Weaker Sex
As a kid, I didn’t put much thought into how my grandmother lived. But now I sit here marveling at the very thought of it. How she accomplished so much in a given day without ever making mention of the work involved.
My grandfather passed away the year I was born. He left her with a modest 3-bedroom home and a backyard garden that would gain approval from Martha Stewart. It hosted an expansive 20 x 5 meter vegetable garden, an apple, cherry, plum, and apricot tree. Bushes of various berry varieties and other types of edible plants.
Below in the basement she stored the finished products of her agricultural ventures. A cabinet filled with jams, pickled vegetables, and canned sauces and fruits all made with her hands. The freezer held prepped vegetables, potatoes and cuts of meat to get through the winter.
And this was just a hobby. She worked at Colorado State University everyday up to her forced retirement at age 66. Until she was in her late 50’s she rode her bike to and from the printing press on campus (weather pending). This wasn’t the flat terrain of the Midwest. It was Fort Collins, for heaven’s sake. That’s no easy ride.
I remember days as a kid when all my aunts, uncles, and cousin would gather at my grandmother’s house for harvest. The women would sit in lawn chairs shucking corn and beans for dinner while the kids dropped cherries down from the tree and the men pruned bushes.
That was her life for 70 years. She was as strong as an ox, but never made mention of it. She never made noise about how she activated her lats tilling soil or how she had to cut back on carbs in the winter because she was more sedentary.
Yeah, I can say that my grandmother was indelibly stronger than I ever will be. There’s no shame in that. She was pretty badass. I grow potted vegetables and bake bread in a $300 bread maker that does the work for me. There’s no way I would ever compare to Granny Hart.
What really struck a cord with me: faddy diets and fears that muscles aren’t feminine have left modern women weaker . . .
Is that really it?
My grandmother never thought about dieting or bulky muscle. But she was into Clean Eating™. Tosca Reno would be proud! Grandma was never overly muscular either. She was rail-thin even though she was totally Primal™.
I guess one could argue that modern women have all the luxuries that women in the past never did. Sure, when my dad was a kid they lived on a farm with no running water in the plains of Nebraska. They had to walk to the outhouse in the dark and milk their own cows.
But when I was a kid things weren’t so. Grandma had a washer and dryer, a vacuum cleaner, running water, a dishwasher, and many of the same luxuries that I have. Okay, so she wasn’t totally Primal by this point.
I don’t think it’s the fear of being bulky or eating too much that sends modern women fleeing to the couch with their iPhones so they can tweet their daily macro accountability.
I think it’s an innate fear of all things.
We are a society that is scared shitless of everything.
We’re scared of injury, disease, germs, dirt, robberies, getting hit by cars, concussions, aging, peeping toms, pederasts, guns, not having guns, too much real violence, not enough fake violence, loss of internet connection, Facebook hackers, identity theft, zombies, not having a hot vampire to love, too much carbsfatprotein, muscular arms, flabby triceps, bulky legs, fat legs . . .
We think so much about what could possibly go wrong in our lives that we live in a state of paralysis. That is why we are weak and lazy. It’s safer to sit around and talk text and tweet about what we think we should do or aren’t going to do rather than unplugging so we can actually do something.
That is the generational difference. Our grandmothers acted on instinct, doing what they must to make life possible. But now the female mind switches to making choices. We must choose to be active, to eat well. All instincts are gone because life comes in a ready-made package with automated systems.
It’s time to turn off automation. It’s time to reach deep down in your belly to pull out those instincts. The ones that tell you to move and eat the way that your body was designed to do. To unplug from a world that you cannot touch or hear and get involved in the world that is tangible and interactive.
So be it if you pick up a barbell or plant an orchard. Just be present in your daily life.
Presence is what we are all missing. Never once do I remember my grandmother not hearing my voice because her mind focused on something arbitrary (she wasn’t around when Facebook and Pinterest launched). She was always there with us in that moment. She never talked about all that she had to get done. She just did things, and if she didn’t finish she did them the next day.
When I talk about presence it means to tune out the part of your life that is not actually happening and tune into what surrounds you. Sounds a bit archaic, huh?
So, going back to faddy diets and fears that muscles aren’t feminine have left modern women weaker.
That’s just our excuse to live in this alter state of reality. To think about how doing these certain things will change our perception of an ideal body.
How we don’t want to do these things because we don’t want the perceived results. If this is so, then don’t do those things. Do other things. No one is saying that you have to deadlift or eat skirt steak. Yes, these two activities rank right up there with finding out Mark Cuban left you a fraction of his estate, but they aren’t for everyone.
That doesn’t mean you should sit in a stinking heap of fear either. Look where that’s getting you—smack in the headlines of a news article that goes on to talk about how you can’t even whisk an egg without hurting yourself.
Is that the legacy you want to leave in this world? Is this what you want your granddaughter to write about on the Internet 30 years from now?
I write all of this not to point a finger at society. I am just as guilty when it comes to not being present in my life at times. I’ve mastered the art of ignoring the world around me by shoving my face into a handheld device or opting out of a weekend activity because I downloaded 3 seasons of Boardwalk Empire.
I write all of this to evoke change within us. All women, including myself. May we finally adopt those skills our grandmothers and great-grandmothers tried to instill in us. A sense of pride in our homes, our bodies, and our lives.
If we take this back and own it, strong will always be sexy.
Author’s Bio
Kellie Davis is a freelance writer and blogger turned fitness coach living in Northern California. She published short fiction and essays in anthologies and literary magazines before starting a full time career as a health and fitness writer. She currently works as a contributing author to several online fitness publications including Greatist and Bodybuilding.com, and also runs corporate health blogs.
Sorry for the slight gap in between posts from last week to today. While I’d like to sit here and say something honorary like I decided to prep my food for the week, or I don’t know, I spent my Friday morning reading scripture to orphans, what I really ended up doing was making the mistake of watching my very first episode of The Walking Dead.
What started as “oh, I’ll just check out one episode, and then get some work done,” turned into a Walking Dead marathon where I had season one completed by Saturday afternoon, and I’m already 3/4 of the way through season two as I type this.
How did I not start watching this show sooner?????? I mean, what’s not to like about it? It’s zombies for crying out loud! Zombies walking. Zombies running. Zombies attacking. Zombies getting shot. Zombies getting a pitchfork thrown through their eyeball.
I can’t tell you how many times I’d be sitting there watching, and out of no where I’d yell “ohhhhhhhhhh snap. Lisa? LISA??????? You HAVE to see this!!!!
As you might expect, she’s just ecstatic that I’m obsessed with this show at the moment (slight sense of sarcasm there).
But enough of that. My goal today wasn’t to sit here and type away on why zombies are the awesome. Although, lets be honest: that would make for an entertaining post.
Instead I want to exercise a massive brain dump on a topic that comes up every so often (maybe once every week or so), and something I’ve let marinate for quite some time.
I receive a fair number of emails on a daily basis from people asking questions ranging from why their [insert body part here] hurts to programming questions to my opinion on certain fitness related books and DVDs
And everything in between.
Too, I also receive a fair number of emails from people asking me for career advice. Specifically I’ll get emails that sound similar to this (Cliff Notes version):
Tony,
How did you get to where you are today? I’m a new trainer and I’d really like to get my name out there more. How do I get more clients? How do I go about starting a blog or trying to write for places like T-Nation or Men’s Health?
While I’m always humbled to get such emails, and I always go out of my way to write back a detailed and positive response, there’s still a teeny-tiny percentage of me that wants to do nothing but face plant my forehead into the keyboard and yell out any number of expletives.
What I want to say (but don’t, because I don’t want to come across as an a-hole) is something along the lines of this:
How about understanding that I’ve been working as a personal trainer/strength coach/business owner for about a decade! That I spent the first five years (FIVE years!!!!) working in corporate fitness (and a number of shitty commercial gyms) trying to get better at what I do, working with as wide of an array of clients as I possibly could.
The way I saw it the only way I was going to get better was to expose myself to as many different types of people as possible; whether it was a 15 year-old kid who was only there because his parents forced him to be and could barely perform one push-up, or a 88 year old grandmother who wanted nothing more than to be able to pick up her cat without throwing her back out.
Part of that entailed getting up at 3:45 in the morning every Monday and Thursday to drive 45 minutes to work so that I could be there to open the doors for people who did nothing but walk on a treadmill and stare at a television. Awesome.
The other days were spent closing the gym at 8 PM, only to drive home 45 minutes so that I could write programs for an hour.
No one ever talks about stepping outside their comfort zone, either. While I don’t regret working in corporate fitness and various commercial gyms for five years, I knew that in order to grow as a professional I needed to take the next step and learn to “spread my wings” so-to-speak.
This involved packing up all my things – on a whim – to move to Connecticut into an apartment with some dude named Cressey.
Talk about a leap of faith. I had no idea what the heck I was getting myself into, but I knew I had to take the chance.
Then, throwing myself another curve ball (on a whim), a year later, I quit a pretty sweet job to move yet again. This time to Boston.
I arrived in Beantown with no job in sight and a dwindling back account. But things worked out in the end because I was willing to start at the bottom of the totem pole (again), work crappy hours for a less than stellar wage, and not bitch about it.
I was adamant in making myself better through coaching my tail off and helping people reach their goals.
I still did my part: continued to read, attend seminars, and started to explore the idea of writing a blog (and eventually articles) while other colleagues were stuck in neutral and would do nothing but brag about how wasted they got the night prior.
Then, in 2007, we opened up Cressey Performance, which wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. We literally started from scratch building a successful business from the ground up.
Five years later, I’m only just now feeling as if I’m hitting my stride and starting to “get it.” But I also understand that I still have a loooooong ways to go, and that I’m no where near where I want to be.
The key point to take home here is that it wasn’t a matter of just showing up and expecting things to fall into place. I didn’t pet a unicorn and things just happened. I worked my ass off to get to where I am today! And you know what? I know I have A LOT more work to do before I feel like I’ve accomplished anything.
As far as the whole writing thing is concerned, lets put things into context. If you want use writing as a way to get your name out there – whether it be starting a blog or possibly writing for other fitness sites – great! I think that’s a wonderful goal to stive for.
The best piece of advice I can give anyone in this regard is to just write! Quit talking about it, and do it.
As a frame of reference, I was talking about this with Ben Bruno over the weekend, and he made a pretty solid point. He had 26 articles published on T-Nation last year, at an average of 2500 words per article.
That’s 65,000 words, which, for those wondering, is a metric shit-ton of writing.
Throwing myself into the mix: I had six articles published on T-Nation, which is no where near as prolific as Ben. But giving a little credit where credit is due, I also did a lot more writing on my blog comparatively speaking, and published 204 blog posts last year.
Holla!
On average I’d say my posts run anywhere from 800-1500 words per. For the sake of brevity, lets keep it on the conservative side and say I average 900 words per post.
* Or the equivalent to one Bret Contreras blog entry.
And that doesn’t take into consideration the amount of writing I did for the likes of T-Nation.com, Livestrong.com, Greatist.com, Men’s Health, and everything else I’m completely drawing a blank on at the moment.
Now, I’m not suggesting I’m anywhere near the same stratosphere as Malcolm Gladwell, Stephen King, or JK Rowling as a writer (who is?). But I’m not hesitant in vociferously stating I’m a much better writer than I was a year ago, let alone six years go when I first started.
I mean, come on – I just used the word “vociferously” in a sentence. That has to count for something.
While all are fantastic resources, and ones that I recommend all the time, none of them will ever trump the act of actually sitting down in front of a computer screen and writing.
I think it was William Faulkner (or maybe Kurt Vonnegut) who, when standing in front of a room full of writing majors and asked what piece of advice he’d give on how to become a better writer, just simply said, “write.”
And while many people don’t like to hear it: you often need to write for years (and for free) before anyone actually reads your stuff, let alone pays you for it.
Just to reiterate: I’m always more than happy to help people out and to offer advice and words of encouragement, and I’d certainly be the first one to state that I don’t have all the answers. I just wish more people would take a step back and understand that it takes a lot of hard work, sacrifice, and yes, sometimes years in order to become “successful.” At least a lot more than what I can offer in one simple email response.
As Malcolm Gladwell states in his phenomenal book, Outliers (which I feel everyone should read at some point in their life), it takes 10,000 hours of deliberate and purposeful practice in order to become good at anything. It doesn’t just happen.
So, have you even sniffed 10,000 hours? 1,000? What about 100? Don’t expect things to just happen. You have to work your ass off and put the time in just like everyone else. You’re not that special.
Today’s post comes courtesy of my internet buddy, Emily Giza Socolinsky. Some of you might recognize her since I’ve linked to several of her articles in the past. She sent this one my way last week, and after reading it (and doing a few cartwheels down the street because 1) why not? and 2) this article was the bees knees and deserved it) I asked if she would be cool with me slapping in on my site for your viewing pleasure.
I mean, what’s not to love? She talks about badonkadonks. More specifically she discusses the outright pervasive attitude that much of our mainstream culture has towards women and how they “should” look, as well as its meager attempts at offering training advice.
To be blunt: I trust the mainstream media with giving fitness advice towards women about as much as I trust a barber with a mullet.
To that end, this one is a doozy and sends an absolutely wonderful and positive message. It’s my hope that you’ll read it.
I don’t get women into my gym by promising them a great ass. They acquire their awesome asses as a result of doing goblet squats, split squats, kettlebell swings, step ups, reverse lunges, deadlifts…you get the picture.
I don’t promise them “toned” arms. But they end up with awesome arms from push ups, rows, chin ups, face pulls, presses….you get the picture.
In fact, I don’t promise them anything. They come to me because they want to get stronger. They come to me because they want to move better. They come to me because as one of my clients said to me today, “Because I don’t want to be in pain. Because I want to be able to keep moving this way when I am 90.” And of course, I will not deny the fact that many of them also want to look better too. I am not going to ignore the fact that most women wish they had ______. (You fill in the blank.)
I just want other things to take priority.
Because if you promise a woman a better butt or if you promise weight loss or toned arms and after weeks of exercising, it doesn’t happen as fast as they like, she will be left feeling worse about herself than she did before she started.
I think that these type of promises encourage negative thinking in women. I think that when you focus on body image, you put a woman’s body image before performance, before health, before confidence. These empty promises encourage a woman to feel bad about herself, not better and honestly, she has enough to feel bad about as a woman. Remember, it is hard enough just being a woman (I wrote about that recently here.)
So in my mind, these types of promises should not exist. It is easier and WAY more satisfying to build a woman’s confidence by introducing her to the deadlift (by the way, a great ass exercise), boost her self-esteem by teaching her how to do a proper push up (toned arms anyone?) or a barbell squat (another great ass exercise) than just help her fit into a pair of pants. Women do not need to be reminded of what they don’t have. They need to be reminded of what they DO have and they need to be coached how to use the body they DO have.
Just ask my ladies.
The other night, after watching one of my clients bang out a set of 10 push ups, my husband asked her if she started off at my place with such good push ups. “NO way,” she said. “This is what I am most proud of too. My push ups.” She told me that she has also been getting compliments right and left from friends about how awesome she looks and these friends just cannot wrap their heads around the fact that all she has been doing is squatting, pressing and rowing.
No running? They ask. No cardio, she tells them aside from a few ball slams and rope slams here and there. Of course, she said, she would rather them ask her how much she can squat these days than how she got her body.
This past summer, I wrote an article about my ladies and their feelings about strength training. You can read it here. The women speak about the empowerment they feel as a result of strength training, how much more confidence they have in their daily lives, how they are able to do things they never thought was possible.
They talk about the focus and concentration that goes into training, why they do it, what they get from it. And yet, I still find it difficult to get some women to believe in the power of the iron. I was recently on my Facebook News Feed and I saw a post by a friend of mine (a dancer) who was talking about building a new butt for the new year at Pop Physique. I had heard of this place (it’s a chain) and knew that it was just another type of barre class (They are popping up like mad all over the city. You can read about my feelings in regards to barre classes here.)
Note from TG: I actually linked to Emily’s article above in a recent Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work segment, and the feedback/response that it received was nothing short of awesome. If you’re someone caught in the “dancing/yoga/pilates/pick your poison trap” and think such classes are the key to lean, toned arms, I HIGHLY encourage you to read it.
I checked out the website and the first thing staring at me was some woman’s ass. Ugh. Seriously?
Right there, I knew what this place was all about. With a little more digging, I found a YouTube clip from one of the classes. Take a look.
What bothers me the most (I was face palming so much I turned my forehead red – it was like hearing nails on a blackboard), was the fact that the woman interviewing the instructor in the video is seen at the beginning of the video standing in front of a squat rack with a loaded barbell. Loaded with 45lb plates and a couple of smaller plates.
A squat rack people.
The clip then goes on to show women pulsing with 3lb dumbbells and then humping a ball. WTH? Where did the squat rack go? Why was it there in the first place? To tease us women who believe in the power of the rack? For the love of…..where the hell did the squat rack go??? NOOOOOO!
Okay, okay….I get it. The point of these classes is to build a better butt. How do you do that when you use no resistance?
Do you want to see what a butt looks like from a barre class? Cue picture to your right. Whoa. Now, mind you, during this time, I was also teaching cycling and doing some machine work at the gym. But this is my butt after two years of barre classes. Flat as a pancake. Non-existent. Is it even there, you ask? I just see wrinkles.
Yes, there is something beneath the pants. Not much though. And look at my chicken arms too. Hell, look at my breast. Where is the muscle????? Where is the butt? I thought I looked great…..until I saw this picture and saw my body and realized how pathetically weak I looked.
I had recently lost weight too (due to not eating as a result of my back injury – in too much pain to eat. This was the year I had my relapse.) But all the time I was teaching my barre class. I was squeezing and pulsing, squeezing and pulsing. Where was my ass to show for all that work??
Fast forward one year. ONE year.
Take a look at my ass now after a year of squatting, deadlifting, pressing, benching, doing chin ups, push ups. Uh, big difference, wouldn’t you say? I was still teaching my barre classes (this was the year before I opened my gym), but what had I added into my program that was not there before? You guessed it. Heavy squats, deadlifts, glute bridges.
More specifically, weight. Weight, people. Weight. None of that 3lb bullsh**. Real weight.
And more weight. And more weight. My goal was a stronger butt, not a “better butt. Hell, my goal was to just get stronger. The butt came as a bonus from all the hard work.
And I continue to work on getting stronger each and everytime I train. And consequently, my glutes get stronger too.
So, ladies, if you are looking to build a stronger, more able backside, please for the love of all that is humane in this great world, give up humping the barre while squeezing a ball between your thighs and grab a freaking dumbbell and start doing some goblet squats.
Or teach yourself how to do a kettlebell swing. Holy backside Batman! Or roll a barbell over your hips and thrust away! Your glutes will thank you and will appreciate the work. Because the work you do in your “build a better butt class for the New Year” will only work for some time then it stops working because nothing has changed. No resistance has been added. If you stick with 3lb dumbbells, you will end up looking the same. The body adapts. So, instead of working towards a cute ass, why not do yourself a real favor and work towards a stronger body and consequently, a stronger, maybe cuter ass.
Author’s Bio
Emily is a certified Starting Strength Coach, AFAA certified, USA Weightlifting certified Level 1 Sports Performance Coach, and cycle certified through Madd Dogg Athletics. Emily holds a Masters degree in Education and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dance from the University of Maryland at Baltimore County. As a fitness coach and mentor, she has helped many clients explore their true potential through hard work and persistence. Emily has also been active as a professional dancer and teacher for over 20 years. During that time, she has focused on strength training and a variety of cross-training methods that helped her grow and develop as a dancer and athlete.
So we’re what, three weeks into the New Year? As I suspect, most reading this site have made your New Year’s resolutions three weeks ago, and whether it was to try to read more, watch less television, eat less cheese, smile more, put 10% of your paycheck into a savings account, drink more water, eat out less often, introduce a little culture into your life and watch more foreign film (or listen to jazz, or buy Grey Poupon), travel more, floss more, or simply accept the fact that a shirt is required attire when grocery shopping (which is utter BS!), I’m sure many are crushing it and still going strong.
But lets be honest, when it comes to New Year’s resolutions, 90% of them revolve around finally (like, I mean it this time) making a concerted effort to head to the gym on a regular basis and getting into shape.
While many have undoubtedly taken the plunge and dedicated some time and energy to fitness goals, the real coup de gras is sticking to these New Year’s resolutions for more than a month! Understandably there are many reasons why people don’t stick to their workouts and fitness New Year’s Resolutions.
Some of them are just facts of life, such as time commitments, financial concerns, and lofty expectations, as my friend Mike Reinold noted in a recent post of his. Some of them are just lame as lame can get , such as “oh, American Idol starts tonight!” or ” Dammit, I forgot my gym shoes!” or “I have a hang nail.”
While I’m being a bit facetious in tone, it’s certainly not outside the scope of reality that there are some people out there who are pros at sabotaging their own efforts.
But then again, there are far, far more people who make a resolution to get healthy, purchase their gym membership, iPod, and new white kicks, and stay about as consistent as humanly possibly.
Yet, for some reason, fail to garner the results they’re after.
Many may head to the gym 3-5x per week, for weeks on end, yet fail to see the fruits of their labor. Before long frustration sets in (why the heck do I ever bother!), and soon they become nothing more than a New Year’s resolution statistic.
While it’s almost impossible to nail down (exactly) what, why, and how someone fails to achieve optimal results in the gym, below are some ideas/thoughts/insights I’d like to throw into the mix for everyone’s consideration:
Supersets (Are You Using Them?)
Simply put, supersets are arguably (but I don’t really see what there’s to argue about) the most efficient way to set up your programming.
For those scratching their heads, all a superset implies is that you pair two exercises – preferably ones that work opposing muscle groups or an upper/lower tandem – together that are performed back-to-back.
So, rather than performing a set of bench presses and then walking around for two minutes twiddling your thumbs, annoying the hot personal trainer you have no shot with, or watching highlights on SportsCenter, you’d pair another exercise like a row variation, lunge variation, or mobility/activation drill. You increase training density, and can use the pairings to bring up weak areas.
Many people waste too much time in the gym by performing straight sets, where they’ll perform a set of an exercise, rest for an allotted amount of time, and repeat.
While there’s definitely a time and place for straight sets, instead try to pair exercises in an A1-A2, B1-B2 format. By doing so, you’ll get more work done in a shorter amount of time, and burn infinitely more calories in the process.
If you’re still kind of lost on the idea, and need some ideas for exercise pairings, check out THISpost by Eric Cressey, which should turn on a few light bulbs.
Implement Fillers
Pigging back on the point above, adding “fillers” to your program is an awesome way to address imbalances and weaknesses.
Another common mistake I see many trainees make (along with trainers for that matter) is taking too long to warm-up or getting too caught up in “corrective exercise” mode.
Yes, it’s important to active “stuff.” In fact, I’m often flummoxed that some people still don’t understand the importance of taking themselves through a proper warm-up. Getting the body and nervous system primed for physical activity is kind of a big deal, and I won’t belabor the point here. You should be doing it.
But I do feel – at times – people baby themselves.
I’m sorry but if you’re someone who takes 30 minutes to active your left glute, you’re missing the bigger picture here.
To save time I LOVE implementing fillers into my programs. The idea is to address common “problem areas” by tossing in some low-grade activation/mobility drills during one’s rest intervals.
The key point here is LOW-GRADE. Performing a set of 400M sprints or Tabata anything IS NOT a filler, and defeats the point. We’re trying to turn stuff on, not train for a cage match.
Instead, if I’m working with someone with poor T-spine mobility I may have them do a set of side lying rib rolls after their bench presses:
If they have poor glute function, I may throw in some glute bridges in between sets of squats:
Or if they’re just one massive knot in general, I may have them perform a Yoga Push-Up complex to work on everything:
Again, the idea here is to keep it simple, address common weaknesses, and not to shit an appendix.
There’s no need to go overboard here.
Don’t Perform Anything Sitting
It’s insane how much people sit during the day. I’m a fairly active person, and yet I still sit upwards of 4-5 hours a day writing in the morning and driving to and from work.
But that’s peanuts compared to most people.
Many have a rough commute to work, and then have to spend 8-10 hours sitting in front of a computer all day, only to head to the gym and sit even more on the recumbent bike or through various exercises like seated DB press or seated leg extensions or seated whateverthefuck.
Performing the bulk of your exercise standing will not only be more challenging, but it will also force you to engage more muscle groups, which in turn will help you burn more calories, which will probably increase your chances of seeing someone of the opposite sex with their clothes off. Maybe even with the lights on.
It’s a win-win.
Start With a “Money” Movement (The rest is just details. Kinda).
When I write my own programs I don’t necessarily take the mindset that Monday is a “leg day” or a “lower body day.”
Are you picking up what I’m putting down? Well good – you should.
Each workout – or to be more appropriate, each training session – should have a main exercise (or focus) of the day. That’s the what I mean when I refer to a “money movement.”
And for the record, you should put all your heart and soul into that money movement. When I know it’s a deadlift day, I don’t pussyfoot around. I’ll get myself mentally prepared by planning out my session, visualizing hitting all my lifts, cueing up some mid-90s hip hop, and either sparta kicking a wall or punching a dolphin in the face.
Whatever gets me amped.
It’s me vs. the bar and that’s really all that matters.
And if I did everything right, and didn’t leave anything in the tank, I’m absolutely trashed afterwards.
Of course I’ll have a list of accessory exercises I’ll perform after the fact, but those are just details and serve just to “compliment” my money movement and to help me bring up my weaknesses.
I truly feel if people placed more of a premium on that money movement, got a little angrier, put every ounce of energy into it, and did more than just putter around on the Cybex circuit, they’d see marked improvements in their progress.
Include More Movement/GPP/Or Whatever You Want To Call Them Days
Know what I can’t stand (other than Ryan Seacrest)? Are “off days” where people head to the gym only to walk on the treadmill for half an hour.
Listen, I get it: getting your cardio in and improving your heart health is important. And if it’s something you want to do, than do it.
But if it were me, I’d nice the warm and cuddly cardio sessions and perform more movement based or GPP days into the mix.
Instead of hopping on the elliptical and dying a slow death of boredom, why not get your heart rate up in other ways and actually work on things you need to improve?
If you have access to a Prowler, farmer carry attachements, kettlebells, TRX, and the like, you’re golden. You can set up some killer circuits and absolutely torch yourself.
Understandably, most of you won’t have access to those things, but that doesn’t mean you’re relegated to treadmill hell.
You can simply set up a circuit like this:
A1. LIGHT Goblet Squats: x10
A2. 3-Point Extension-Rotation: x10/side (thank you Conor Nordengren for the video)
A3. Side Plank w/ Row: x10/arm
A4. Bodyweight Reverse Lunge: x10/leg
A5. Hand Switches w/ Push-Up: x5/side)
A6. High FIve Someone
Perform in circuit fashion with as little rest as possible between each exercise. At the end, rest 30-60s, and repeat for a total of 3-5 rounds.
It’s roughly 10-15 minutes of work (depending on how long you rest and how many rounds you complete), but it will definitely get your heart rate up (and be of more benefit because you’re addressing common weaknesses like poor glute function, core stability, etc), and it’s a heckuva lot more exciting than rotting away in the “cardio” section.
And I’m Done
While I could throw in a few wildcards like getting more (quality) sleep, drinking more water, hiring a reputable coach, or making an effort to train with people who will push you (even if it’s only once per week), I think I stated my case.
Nothing I mentioned above is revolutionary, but I think the above suggestions will go a long ways in helping people take their programs to the next level. We often think that making things more complicated than they have to be is the way to go, and that couldn’t be further from the truth.
In reality just making an effort to simplify things, or to be more aware of common mistakes we’re making can make all the difference in the world.
LOL – see what I just did there? I burned Tracy Anderson right from the get-go! Oh man this day is off to a good start already.
The only thing that could make it better is if by some miracle it started raining bacon. And, you know, I drove a tank to work.
But I’m getting a little carried away here.
Tracy Anderson jokes and bacon aside, Mondays generally suck no matter which way you look at it. Personally I don’t mind them that much because I actually love my job. But there was a time, when I first started in this industry (in corporate fitness), where my Mondays consisted of getting up at 3:45 AM to drive 50 minutes to work so that I could open up the gym by 5 AM.
That…..sucked…….donkey……balls.
Even more so when it was the dead of winter, ten degrees outside, and the roads weren’t even plowed yet. For those unfamiliar with central New York winters – it’s essentially the lake-effect snow capital of the universe (yes, the universe), and it’s abysmal weather from December to April.
But at least it’s not Edmonton (sorry Dean Somerset).
Suffice it to say, I’d spend most of my day on Sunday dreading the start of Monday.
But that isn’t really what this post is all about. Things are cool now. It’s true what they say: if you enjoy your job, it’s never really “work.” Mondays now are just like any other day in my eyes.
Except for the day AFTER attending a seminar.
I know I’ve seemingly harpooned the CP Elite Baseball Development seminar this week and have taken it hostage, using it as the impetus for every post.
But what can I say? I learned a lot – and it provided me with some blogging ammo for a week.
Sure, the shoulders play an important role – and it’s no coincidence that they’re a problematic area in many baseball players – but throwing a baseball involves the entire body, and taking the mindset that we should solely focus on the shoulder (and elbow) is a bit, well, dumb.
Having said that, not everyone reading this blog follows baseball, plays baseball, or really cares one way or the other how we train them.
So I’ll do everyone a favor and shut my yapper on that front.
But there is one more gem that I took away from the seminar that I feel applies to any fitness professional reading whether they train professional athletes, high-school athletes, soccer moms, type-A doctors, lawyers, and CEOs, or bomb sniffing dolphins.
And that’s this:
Turn on the brakes!!!
The hardest part about attending seminars – and something Mike Robertson alluded to in THIS fantastic post – is the following Monday, where you want to try all the new exercises you learned, and demonstrate to the world that performing a one-legged squat on a BOSU ball while juggling oranges is EXACTLY what everyone needs to be doing.
I think there are many fitness professionals out there that bombard their athletes and clients with a host of exercises thinking that more is better. Worse, is that they’ll attend a weekend seminar (which should be commended by the way), arm themselves with an endless supply of new and “cool” exercises, and then, without any discretion what-so-ever, include them in every client’s program on Monday.
Throwing a nice corollary into the mix, Dennis Treubig, PT, DPT, CSCS, wrote a nice guest post on Mike Reinold’s site earlier this week where he talked about the same topic, but included something I’ve read about is several behavioral economic books I’ve read referred to as the jam experiment.
Mmmm, I like Jam
If you are unfamiliar with this experiment, here is a brief synopsis (officially titled, “When Choice is Demotivating: Can One Desire Too Much of a Good Thing?”). Shoppers at a grocery store were presented with two different displays of jam – one had 6 flavors and the other had 24 flavors. The results showed that 30% of people who visited the display with 6 jams actually purchased jam, while only 3% made a purchase after visiting the display that offered 24 jams.
So what’s the take home message? Less is more.
Or better yet: refraining from being an a-hole and recognizing that not everything applies to every client….is more.
Don’t go thinking that the more exercises you include (or add) in your programs somehow shows off your superiority as a trainer or coach. All it really demonstrates, with bright, gleaming colors, is that you’re unable (or unwilling) to think for yourself and to properly apply what you’ve learned.
This isn’t to say that you shouldn’t apply new techniques, exercises, or principles into your programming. On the contrary, you should STRIVE for that. I can’t even begin to tell you how much it saddens me when a trainer or coach never grows, cultures, or adapts their training methodology.
All I’m suggesting is that, come Monday, don’t jump the gun and immediately overhaul your programs with an avalanche of new exercises. Take the time to actually dissect and assimilate the information and to see what (if anything) applies to you and your clients/athletes.
Having more of a “filter” and learning how to disregard new information is just as important as learning it in the first place.
