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Today’s guest post is brought to you by Tim Henriques. Tim’s someone whom I’ve followed a lot on sites like T-Nation because I admire his no-frills, no BS approach to training.  He’s also someone I respect a ton because not only is he a phenomenal coach, but he’s also deadlifted 700 lbs at a bodyweight of 198 lbs.

Ie: I hate him.

He knows a thing or two when it comes to powerlifting, and his new book, All About Powerlifting, sets the benchmark for learning everything and anything about the sport.

It’s a beautiful book, coming in at 485 pages, which details everything from dissecting each lift (squat, bench, deadlift) and how to master each one, including tips on technique and troubleshooting strategies, to all the nitty gritty stuff that people never think about like rules and regulations of all the different federations and how to go about determining your opening lifts.  And much, much more.

The title doesn’t lie:  It’s ALL About Powerlifting.

Tim was kind enough to send me an advance copy and I’ve really enjoyed reading it because it’s straightforward, loaded with information, and doesn’t make my head hurt with big words.  And there’s lots of pictures and stuff.

He was also kind enough to write this amazing post today.  So I hope you enjoy it!

5 Life Lessons Learned From Powerlifting

I have been competing in powerlifting for over two decades and I love the sport.  I have learned a tremendous amount, both in and out of the gym, thanks to powerlifting.  When Tony suggested I share some life lessons I thought that was an excellent idea.  Here are 5 key life lessons I have learned from the sport of powerlifting.

1.  Patience

My wife might tell you I still haven’t completely mastered this, but I definitely have more patience now than when I was younger.

Some of that may simply be due to age, but I believe a lot of it has to do with lifting.  If you have spent any time in the iron game you know the gains can ultimately come slow.  I benched over 300 (305) in a competition when I was 20 and I was sure 400 was right around the corner. If you would have told me I wouldn’t bench 400 by the time I was 30 I would have laughed at you, but sure enough 30 came and I still had not benched over 350!

At that point I thought I may never hit 400, but I didn’t give up, I tried new training programs and kept plugging away and 400 finally came.  It certainly wasn’t astronomical progress and a 400 lb bench isn’t earth shattering in powerlifting terms anyway, but it meant a lot to me because it was such a long time coming.

Most good things in life take patience.  Relationships, kids, important work projects – all require patience and in this day and age of quick fixes and instant gratification I think building patience is important.

2. Focus on Results

One of my favorite quotes is “you can’t argue with results”.  Powerlifting forces you to focus on results.

You can design any sort of fancy program you want on paper but when it is time to step up on the platform you can’t fake your way to progress.  You will immediately know if what you did worked or not.  Being driven toward results has had another benefit. Powerlifting seems to have the ability to make one immune to fads, which are ever present in the fitness industry.

When you are focused on finding those hard earned results, you will almost immediately realize that bosu balls, bodyblades, shake weights and other gimmicks are just that – tools may have a very slight benefit in certain circumstances but ultimately they are a way for us to deceive ourselves into thinking we are working hard, when in fact we are not.

Try to convince a powerlifter that this or that new thing will instantly make one bigger and stronger and you’ll find it a short conversion.  Focusing on results also helps one from becoming stuck in a certain philosophy – this person follows High Intensity Training, that person does kettlebells, this guy is a Westside guy, that lady just does 5/3/1. They all have their merits and they all likely will not be ideal to follow for the rest of your life.

Let results – both yours and your competitors – guide you and ground you.  All theories, no matter how eloquently worded, must at some point be tested and ultimately judged on their results.

3. Have a Plan

The difference between training and exercising is when you are training you have a plan – a map – to get somewhere.

 When you are exercising you are just working out, there is no master plan – no end destination – at work.

If you want to be successful in powerlifting, you need to have a plan, and goals will help you create that plan.  There are all sorts of goals, but powerlifting teaches you to zero in on the most important goals.

And what goals are those you ask?  Good question.

It is the daily goals that really make all the difference.  Most people walking around have some version of a long term or ultimate goal in their head, it could be related to fitness or it could be something else.  I want to complete a Tough Mudder, I want to deadlift triple bodyweight, I want to write a book, I want to open up a business.  Long term goals are great to work toward, but sometimes the person’s starting point is so far away from that end goal they don’t know what to do or where to begin.

Powerlifting teaches you it is the daily goals that count.  You want to deadlift triple bodyweight?  Great, put your time in in the gym and work on that.  It doesn’t matter where you start, but it does matter how hard you work, how consistent you are, and what you do each day – day after day.

Regularly completing your daily goals (which should be well within your reach) is what you gets you to that long term goal.  Sitting around and dreaming about the long term goal actually does very little.  Direct your energy toward your daily goals, be consistent, show up, don’t get distracted, and you might be amazed at what happens.

4. Create a Positive Environment

If you train hard you quickly realize the difference between training in Planet Fitness and training in a hardcore gym that promotes hard work.

It is invigorating to be surrounded by people working toward a similar goal.  You see them working hard, they see you working hard, it is motivating for everyone involved and everyone gets better.

Transfer this over to the rest of your life.

If you want to surround yourself with positive workout partners, also surround yourself with positive people in your social and your business life.  Go out with positive people, hire people you like to be around that value hard work, and move to distance yourself from those that don’t.

By positive I don’t just mean somebody that is happy and flighty, I mean someone that creates positive energy.

Trust your gut on this.  Do you enjoy being around that person?  Do good things tend to happen when you are around that person?  Are you looking forward to being around that person more?  If the answer is yes or no, act on it either way.  Don’t stay connected to people that don’t believe in you and don’t let negative people drain your energy, surround yourself with good people and good things will happen.

5. Life is Better With Other People

My natural tendency is to be a bit of an introvert.  I also tend to romanticize the idea of me against the world.  I think a lot of lifters may be similar.

But as I have gotten older I have moved away from both of those mind-states.  It is okay to be an introvert, but I also think it is important to realize that life is simply better with other people around (assuming you can find the type of people I was referring to in point 4).

Think about the last time you had a tremendous amount of fun – were you alone?  When do you laugh and smile the most?  I doubt it is when you are by yourself.  When I see something beautiful or have an accomplishment, the first thing I want to do is share that with somebody else.

Some of my fondest memories are hanging out with my workout partners in the gym.

Many of the people I have met in the gym have gone on to become my closest friends.  My best man at my wedding and best friend to this day was my collegiate workout partner.

I created a powerlifting team in part because I wanted to create a positive environment and because I wanted people around me when I workout.  Certainly some part of that is selfish, but another part is not, because those same people often do better, excel, and enjoy life more when they are around other people.

In my opinion the goal is not to live in solitude in a cave somewhere (although there can be moments when that has its appeal); life is simply better when there are other people to share it with.  These might be your teammates, your workout partners, your significant other, your kids, your coworkers, whomever it is for you.

Cultivate those relationships and appreciate them.

Summary

I have a lot to thank the sport of powerlifting for.  As a kid I grew up on Arnold and Stallone movies so I always wanted to be big and strong.  Those terms are relative and one is likely never truly content in that department, but powerlifting helped me get a lot closer to those goals.

It taught me to have patience (I think my students will appreciate that), to focus on results, to have a plan (I never would have written my books without that), to create a positive environment, and realize that life is just better with other people around.  I think if you embark down the road paved with iron you will discover similar and equally valuable lessons await you.

About the Author

Tim Henriques is the Director for the National Personal Training Institute of VA/MD/DC.  NPTI is a 600 hour long program for people who wish to become personal trainers.  Tim is a Collegiate All American Powerlifter and he currently coaches his powerlifting team, Team Force, which won their federation’s National Championships in 2013.  He regularly teaches, lectures, and writes on the topics of health and fitness.  He recently released a book entitled All About Powerlifting, which has been hailed as “the new bible of powerlifting”.

—-> All About Powerlifting <—-

 

“You just wait until you’re my age….and we’ll see if you’re still training like that.”

That was a quote I received – on more than one occasion – from a handful of older guys who, after watching me complete a set of heavy deadlifts or some crazy metabolic circuit, would give me the standard pat on the shoulder, subsequent “just wait” speech, and sometimes top it off with handing me a  Werther’s Original.

Get it?  Old people loooooove Werther’s Originals……LOLs!!

This was when I was 25 and just started my first job as a trainer in corporate fitness. Unlike the commercial gym setting, in corporate fitness my job was to be “present” for all the employees of the establishment where I worked.

The company I worked for would be brought in to run another company’s fitness center with the objective of getting people to move and to lead healthier lifestyles.

It was our job to be in the gym to facilitate workout programs for the employees whether they came in prior to their work day, during their lunch break, or even after hours.

In addition, we also did stuff like organize fun runs and build fancy, colorful bulletin boards on a monthly basis.  But I don’t like to talk about that.

Too much glitter paint for my liking.

As the resident “meat head” however, I was generally the one who would hang out in the gym and introduce people to weight training and/or workout alongside some of the employees (guys and girls included).

And it was there where I’d receive some of the push-back or dialogue as follows…..

Why do you lift so heavy? I just want to get toned.

I don’t want to get too bulky!

You just wait till you’re my age.

Blah blah blah.

I’d actually get sort of pissed whenever one of the guys would tell me I’d change my ways once I got older.  I felt it was a cop out to garner such a mindset.

Some would even go so far as to say, “metabolism slows down and you lose muscle as you age anyways, so what’s the point of working so hard?”

Actually, dick, it’s not that our metabolism slows down or you lose muscle due to old-age, it’s because as we get older we tend to be less active.  It’s not so much an age issue (although, to be fair, there is a metabolic drop off, just not as profound as we think), as it is a laziness issue.

Of course I was a bit more tactful in my response, but it only served as a way to advocate that weight training was an important component of a well-rounded, healthy lifestyle.

What MAKES muscle KEEPS muscle, as I like to say.

So, what’s the point of all this?

Now that I’m the age of some of those guys who busted my balls back in the day (37), I have to say…………they were right!

Well, kinda.

My buddy Bryan Krahn said it best in a recent Tweet:

Most lifters past age 40 will gradually switch to higher volume/lower intensity “bodybuilding” training — so don’t bash it when you’re 25.

— Bryan Krahn (@BryanKrahn) May 6, 2014

I’m not 40 (three more years baby!!!!), I by no means think I’m old, and still like to think that I get after it in the gym. However, I’d be lying if I said I haven’t changed the way I train to a degree.

1.  I still place a premium on STRENGTH and still perform a fair amount of low(er) rep training with the big lifts (squats, deadlift, bench press), but I’ve definitely toned down my frequency.

Rather than EVERY session – like I did in my 20s and early 30s – I’ll now perform 1-2 “strength-based” days per week and then revert to more high(er) rep, hypertrophy based training the other 2-3 days.

It looks something like this:

My training week starts on the weekends, cause I’m cool like that.

Saturday: Lower Body Strength – Deadlift emphasis.

We have a great crew that trains at CP on Saturday afternoons, and I like taking advantage of the camaraderie and fumes of Axe Body Spray.

Sunday:  Hill or Stadium sprints.

Nothing crazy, but it’s amazing how much better hill or stadium sprints feels on the knees compared to flat ground.

For those with cranky knees this is an excellent option as you don’t have to decelerate your bodyweight as much.

Monday: Upper Body Strength – Bench Press emphasis.

Tuesday: Legs – high-rep squat/deadlift technique emphasis.

Wednesday: Chest/Arms – higher rep bench press and, you know, arms.

Thursday: Back/Shoulders

Friday: OFF, hang out with my cat.

This approach still allows me to hit my big lifts hard, albeit not at the expense of having my joints flip me the bird 24/7.  Plus, as an aside, adding in a bit more of the “silly” bodybuilding work has been fun and has made my training much more enjoyable in the grand scheme of things.

I mean, dude, I have an arm day!!!!

2.  Something else I’ve tweaked as of late is implementing some LIGHT lunges BEFORE I squat.  You can call this “Pre-Priming,” “fucking stupid,” or whatever you like, but the goal here is to allow some additional blood flow into the hips and knees to help warm them up prior to squatting.

It flies in the face of traditional programming practice, but like I said…..I’m doing LIGHT lunges here, nothing crazy.

I’ve found that my joints – my knees in particular – have welcomed the change.

3.  I love training back, and it’s not uncommon that I train it EVERY training session to some capacity.  I like this approach for most people as well given most are sitting in front of a computer for 8-12 hours per day playing Candy Crush or taking their 17th “selfie.”

Again, this isn’t a scenario where you have to go gang-busters every session, but even on your lower body days it wouldn’t be a bad idea to toss in some light cable rows or high-rep face pulls to help offset the incessant flexion most of us are in on a daily basis.

Video credit to Mike Robertson.

4.  Along those same lines, I’m also not opposed to adding in some form of squat pattern into the mix daily.  I’ve actually “extended” my warm-ups to the point where after I perform my foam rolling and dynamic drills, I’ll toss in 2-3 sets of LIGHT Goblet Squats and Swings to “groove” the pattern(s) and to help get my heart rate up.

Some other, random, things to consider:

– taking a yoga class once a week.

– perform more Turkish Get-ups throughout the week.

– get your beauty sleep.  8-9 hours per night. Not kidding.

– eat more gluten.  Just cause.

– And, just to reiterate…….never stop trying to get stronger!!!

And those are just a few subtle tweaks I’ve made to my programming now that I’m not 25 anymore.  They’re no where near concrete, and will probably change within a few months, if not weeks, and they may not fit into YOUR goals and needs, but I do feel all the above hits on a number of components that will help most dudes in the long run.

While I don’t feel I’ll ever blurt out the phrase “wait till you’re my age,” I can now appreciate where all those guys back in the day were coming from.

That, and Werther’s Originals are delicious…..;o)

Have your own insight to share?  I’d love to hear them.

I don’t expect that my latest article on Stack.com is going to get a bunch of views or create any buzz** outside of those interested in improving their ability to throw a baseball, but at the very least it will give some insight into how we go about structuring our in-season training for baseball players.

More specifically for pitchers.

Continue Reading……

Note to Reader: I do make a brief comment (in the article) about why distance running is something I generally poo-poo for baseball players (or most athletes for that matter), and for those looking for more insight as to why I’d suggest reading THIS and THIS by Eric Cressey.

** Note to Self:  Unless I either 1) incorporate “Kate Upton” into the title or 2) put up a video of a cat straight up PWNING a dog.

Both scenarios are GOLD when it comes to generating traffic.

Unless you’ve been living underneath a rock for the past 48 hours…..did you see this shit??????

Unbelievable, and YAY for cats getting some respect!

I like to think that as a strength coach I’m wiser now than I was ten, five, hell, even two years ago.

There’s stuff that I poo-poo’ed back in the day, only to do a complete 180 later on once I got past my own prejudices and got my head out of my own ass.

Take yoga for example. While there’s still a large percentage of me that feels it’s not a good fit for some people – and I wholeheartedly cringe at how it’s marketed towards women as the end-all-be-all panacea of health – I’ve changed my mind in many ways.

I don’t feel it’s the spawn of Hitler as I used to believe.

It DOES have a place.  And if someone likes yoga, and wants to do it, who am I to judge?

I still feel it’s woefully OVERemphasized, and there are a lot of people out there (not all) who make a lot of silly claims (“yoga builds long, lean muscles!”), but my older, less cynical self does appreciate that it provides a plethora of benefits.

For those interested, you can check out my Tony Takes a Yoga Class Part I and Part II.

Another example would be CrossFit. Like a lot of strength coaches, there’s quite a bit about CrossFit that I don’t agree with – lack of assessment and progression, ridiculous WODs, little to no sense of structure with regards to coherent programming.

This isn’t representative of ALL CrossFit affiliates, of course, but a far portion of them.

However, I’d be remiss not to recognize that there is a lot of good about CrossFit too. I actually wrote a post DEFENDING CrossFit HERE.

Bringing the discussion to specific exercises, 80% of people will have some form of lower back pain at some point in their lives. At any given moment, 1 in 3 are experiencing lower back pain NOW.

While lower back pain can be attributed to any number of things – aberrant motor patterns, mobility/stability deficits, lack of spinal endurance, blunt trauma, or global warming, to name a few – I’d go so far as to say that 75% of those people (the ones who are physically active anyways) will usually point their finger at one specific training session where they tweaked their back performing either a squat or a deadlift.

Not surprisingly, these are the same people who will scour the message boards, tirelessly, warning people of the dangers of squatting and deadlifting.

Of course, if we were to dig deeper, we’d find out that their version of a deadlift is more like a “lets see how much we can round our back while lifting this bar off the floor” doohickey.

Nonetheless, the point I’m trying to make is that it’s rarely the exercise that’s the problem – it’s the lifter.

Both Eric and myself have always stated that there’s really no such thing as a contraindicated exercise, rather there are contraindicated exercisers.

I believe EVERYONE should learn how to squat and deadlift.

Both are basic human movement patterns that, for whatever reason: whether it’s poor mobility, some sort of kinetic dysfunction, inactive lifestyle, lack of core stability, tight this, stiff that – many people have forgotten how to do properly.

It doesn’t mean, though, they can’t re-learn it.

Moreover, the same can be said about anyone with limited hip or thoracic mobility -which can make deadlifting from the floor a bit problematic.

Instead of trying to hammer square pegs into round holes, we can use something like the trap bar (with an elevated setting) which makes things infinitely more manageable, and safer.

Matter of fact, we don’t have to limit this to just squats and deadlifts. Someone’s shoulder hurts when they bench? The simple answer would be to tell them to:

– Stop benching every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and every other Saturday.

– Implement more horizontal rowing into the mix, to the tune of 2:1, or even a 3:1 (pull/push) ratio.

– Push-ups, push-ups, and more push-ups.

– Work on their technique, cause it sucks.

– Add in more dynamic stabilization drills for the rotator cuff, like THIS.

– Get some aggressive soft-tissue therapy done, whether it’s Graston, ART, or massage.

Okay, so it’s not that simple.

Since most are going to bench anyways, why not show them some better alternatives, like floor presses or board presses?

They’ll still be able to “bench,” albeit with infinitely less stress on the shoulders. Along with the stuff mentioned above, in a matter of weeks, they could be back to benching pain-free in no time!

Using ONE more example, “Ten years ago Tony” would probably want to drop-kick present-day Tony in the face for saying this, but, everything has an appropriate time and place: leg presses, leg extensions, leg curls, and, sadly, even BOSU balls.

Yes, I said BOSU balls.

None of the aforementioned items mentioned above would be my first choice when building a program for someone who’s healthy, but they DO have a time and place.

In the end, it comes down to understanding that there are contraindicated lifters, not contraindicated exercises.

Understanding this point, as well as being able to make the necessary progressions, is oftentimes what separates the great trainers from the not so great.

Which is why I’d like you to read my latest article on Stack, which discusses why back squats MAY not be such a great fit for baseball players.

Continue reading……..

It goes without saying that last year’s Boston Marathon will forever be singed in our memories as a pretty crappy day.

This is especially true for those who were directly affected by the horrific events that transpired.

Indeed the entire country shared in the horror, but as someone who lives in Boston (my apartment is located less than two miles from the finish line), I can tell you first hand that the events of that day, not to mention the days that followed when the entire city essentially shutdown to find those two dickheads, conjure up equal parts rage and pride.

Rage in the sense that it’s hard to believe that there are people that evil and cowardly in the world who would (and will) casually do something so unspeakable, as if they’re simply flipping a coin or deciding which movie to go see.

Pride in the sense that the human condition never ceases to amaze me. There were infinite numbers of people who risked their own lives to act and to seek justice.

More to the point, after the fact, thousands upon thousands of people have been more than willing to lend a helping hand in countless ways.

It’s a year later, and with the 2014 Boston  Marathon right around the corner it’s safe to say that all those same feelings from last year are being drummed up and people are still eager to remember that tragic day and to offer their help.

Cressey Performance will be hosting a Charity BootCamp this coming Saturday, April 12th from 7:45 AM to 8:45 AM, and all proceeds will be donated to The One Fund Boston.

Obviously not everyone reading can attend the bootcamp, unless you happen to have a private jet in your back-yard.

Either way we’d graciously accept any donations others would be willing to contribute.

Greg Robins has set-up a campaign page for people to donate to HERE.  Our goal is to raise $200, but I think we can (and will) easily surpass that.  Especially with your help.

Again, 100% of the proceeds will go towards The One Fund.  And, I owe you a hug for being such an awesome human being.

Just sayin.

Thank you!!!

I’m sitting here in my apartment – in Boston – and it’s currently 17 degrees outside.  Two days ago I was sitting on the beach reading a book in 80 degree weather in the Dominican Republic.

Lisa just left for work, and right before she shut the door we both kinda gave each other a bemused look as if to say “well, it was cool while it lasted.”

We kissed, said “I love you,” and in that instance……..we were both propelled back into reality.

I don’t think I have to tell everyone that our vacation was nothing short of amazing. In fact, for those who kept up with the blog last week in my “absence,” you know we had an amazing time, because 1) I told you (I did have access to some wifi, and Lisa was understanding enough to let me disappear for a few minutes here and there to check in and update the blog. It didn’t hurt I was able to bribe her with an endless array of cocktails), and 2) we took – and shared – and bunch of pictures.

Here we are at the Monkey Jungle/Zip Lining Adventure

I’ll refrain from the obvious “getting the monkey off my back” joke here.

There was plenty of pool and beach time

And of course, cocktails

Admittedly, I’m not a big drinker – I honestly can’t stand the taste of alcohol – but  hey: it was vacation, why the hell not.

Here’s me trying one of Lisa’s drinks

Annnnnnnnd, here’s my reaction

But as much as we enjoyed the scenery, weather, and food.  OMG the food! I’d say what made the trip exceptional was the people.  I know I mentioned this last week during one of my covert Lisa-has-a-cocktail-and-is-in-her-happy-place-so-I’m-going-to-snake-away-and-get-on-the-internet operations, but words can’t describe how friendly, appreciative, kind, and gracious the people of the DR were.

Throughout our week-long stay, both Lisa and I made note of how often we (as in she and I, as well as society) take things for granted, and how “we” allow ourselves to be inundated with our quote on quote 1st World or “luxury” problems.

The resorts and beaches are beautiful.  But I don’t think I have to sugar-coat anything or pull the wool over everyone’s eyes and not note that there’s a resounding amount of poverty in that area.

It’s hard not to take notice when it’s right there in front of you during the ride from the airport to the resort(s).  The windowless, dilapidated, houses, the lack of infrastructure, the kids running around with no shoes.  It’s all right there. Unflinching.

But even as Lisa and I noticed it and couldn’t possibly understand what it’s like to not have access to a mattress, clean tap water, or god-for-bid, a consistent wifi connection, the people were, almost resoundingly so…..happy!

Granted our perspective(s) may have been a bit skewed since we were on the resort 95% of the time, but it was uncanny how upbeat and enjoyable the locals were. Everyone smiled. Everyone, when asked how they were, responded with “excelente!”

Even the vendors on the beach – who, if you read the reviews on TripAdvisor, were the universal sole negative factor of the resort and were the worst things since a Kardashian wedding – were pretty freaking cool.

Here they were walking around the beach in god-awful hot weather, lugging around and trying to sell their necklaces, shirts, and carved goods to a bunch of rich, entitled tourists, and even they were smiling and seemingly having a good time.

I’m sure wearing my RedSox hat helped me to some degree – David Ortiz is a god down there – but even after politely saying “no thanks,” it wasn’t uncommon to end up engaged in some small talk about the RedSox or baseball in general, and it was uncanny to observe how upbeat and happy they all were.

This isn’t to say that there aren’t some MAJOR societal “red flags” and issues going down in the DR with regards to equality and basic human rights being met, but all things considered, from what I observed, they’re pretty happy.

And it comes back to this whole “luxury problems” comment I made earlier.

In recovery or 12-Step language, so long as you have your basic needs met – food, water, shelter, access to healthcare – then, and only then, do you really have to worry about addressing any “luxury” or 1st World problems you may have.

But be honest……..

How many problems in your life are ACTUAL problems?

Your iPhone breaks down.  Sure it sucks, and it’s a minor inconvenience, but is it the end of the world?  Will the Mayan Apocalypse begin if you can’t play Candy Crush for a day or two?

Probably not.

I can’t help but see some of these same parallels in the fitness world.

Many of our “fitness woes” can be considered luxury problems.

I’m taking some liberties and making some gross generalizations, but:

1. Men tend to be worried and place a lot of credence in having a six pack or biceps.

2. Women tend to get a in a tizzy if they don’t fit into a particular pant size or don’t weigh 110 lbs.

Neither of the above scenarios really say anything about one’s actual health or well-being.  It’s just, sadly, what society tells us is what’s “valuable.”

And it’s bullshit.

Worrying about weight, clothing size, six packs, whether or not your biceps look good in your latest selfie pic, or crushing your next WOD are all the fitness equivalent of LUXURY PROBLEMS.

Stephen King tells all aspiring writers to read The Elements of Style.  I’ve read it. Most of it is Klingon to me. But rule 17 in the chapter titled “Principles of Composition” is “Omit needless words.”

I’m still working on that rule (poop), but when you think about it, it’s a rule that parlays very well into other realms in lifeOh, too.  Especially the fitness realm.

In the same vain I’d like to tell everyone to “omit needless exercises.”

Squat, hinge, push, pull, carry, single leg work, and “some” direct core training is all you need.

Oh, and it probably wouldn’t hurt you to focus on getting STRONG. Focus on bar speed. Focus on QUALITY reps.  Eat your fucking vegetables! <—— Just tossing that last one in there.

Much like the example made earlier with basic needs, these are your basic fitness needs.

I wholeheartedly believe that if people placed more credence on these things, tried, to the best of their ability, to include all the movements in every workout, placed a premium on getting stronger, and made more of an effort to focus on performance based goals, they wouldn’t be worrying about pant sizes, or six packs, or what the scale says.

If guys spent more time working towards deadlifting 2x their bodyweight than performing 14 different bicep exercises in one training session, I’m willing to bet they’d actually have decent sized arms anyways.

If women spent more time working towards being able to perform at least one, strict, bodyweight chin-up than fiddling with those silly pink dumbbells to “tone” their arms, I’m willing to bet they’d be rocking that strapless dress sooner rather than later.

Quit focusing on the luxury problems.  Focus on the REAL problems.  The big rocks. That’s the path to (fitness) happiness.

I realized yesterday that it’s been F.O.R.E.V.E.R since I’ve done one of these.  Bad Tony!

Season 2 of House of Cards wasn’t out yet, the Seahawks hadn’t won the SuperBowl, and  “EggGate” hadn’t happened, which meant Justin Bieber’s general level of douchiness was a smidge lower than it is now.  But just a smidge.  That’s not a lot.

LOL – Bieber burn.

Suffice it to say it’s been a while, and since I’m roughly 48 hours from entering vacation mode – think of it as a grown up case of Senioritis – I figured I’d make this one short and to the point today.

3-Month Pose Kettlebell Pullover

Who Did I Steal It From:  I have no idea.  I know Mike Robertson has discussed this one before, as has some of the peeps over at the Postural Restoration Institute.

Oh, and this is one of Optimus Prime’s favs……;o)

What Does It Do: I know many people reading are wondering what the deal is, so lets address the elephant in the room first.  The exercise is called 3-Month Pose because, and I’m kinda speculating on this front, it represents the stage in human development where an infant will begin to place itself in said position (probably without the dumbbell) before learning to roll over.

While it seems rather goofy looking, this is an exercise that does provide a number of benefits.

1.  This is a fantastic exercise to train core stability – namely anti-extension – as well as simultaneously learn to “own” one’s breath.

2.  It also serves as a great exercise to work on and improve the length of the lats – which tend to get stiff/short in overhead athletes as well as the meathead population.

3.  And, of course, there’s a fair amount of pec recruitment.  Cause, you know, it’s ALL about the pecs!

Key Coaching Cues

I like to tell people to use the floor as feedback and to not allow their lower back to overarch (ie: it should stay flat against the floor the entire time).

Holding a kettlebell (a DB can be used too) straight above the body, inhale through the nose, taking a deep breath into your belly as well as focusing on more of a 360 degree expansion (breath into the floor) of the rib cage.

While the rib cage is going to expand, it’s important to not allow it to flare up/out too much.

From there you will exhale as you lower the KB/DB towards the ground. Keep it controlled – don’t rush!

Once you’re an inch or two from the floor, pause for a 2-3 second count, and remember to not allow your lower back to leave the floor.

Return back to the starting position, inhaling as you do so, and then repeat the process for the allotted repetitions.  I like to perform 2-3 sets of 8-10 repetitions.

And that’s it.  Try it today and let me know what you think.  It’s harder than it looks.

ALSO

As was the case earlier in the week, in anticipation of the release of her new project – Lift Weights Faster – my pal Jen Sinkler released another killer FREE video today which covers bodyweight training. In particular four exercise she feels should be part of every routine.

OMG – what are they?

Click HERE to find out