It’s official: This marks the sixth year in a row Dean Somerset and I are presenting together. We’re so excited to be coming to Athens to kickstart 2020.
Are you someone with hip pain? Knees that feel like they’ve been put through a meat grinder? Maybe you’re a beginner or just someone who’s sole focus is to get as strong as possible.
It’s official: This marks the sixth year in a row Dean Somerset and I are presenting together. We’re so excited to be coming to Athens to kickstart 2020.
Last week personal trainer, Shane McLean, wrote a guest post for this site titled “4 Mistakes Beginners Make When Starting a Fitness Program (and How to Fix Them).”
When I read it I was like, “goddammit, this is good.” How dare you Shane, HOW DARE YOU, SIR, FOR WRITING SOMETHING SO SIMPLE AND ACTIONABLE AND THEN MAKING ME LOOK BAD ON MY OWN SITE.
YOU’RE RUINING MY LIFE!”
(throws chair through window).
After my tantrum (and explaining to my landlord why a chair was tossed from the 13th floor) I got to thinking: “What about the intermediate lifter? They make mistakes too. A lot of them, in fact. How about an article directed towards them?”
And, most important of all, refers to a kettlebell as a kettleBELL and not kettleBALL
I’d garner a guess that most people reading this site identify as an intermediate lifter. You know, past the point where merely looking at a dumbbell makes you stronger, but not quite to the stage where you’re deadlifting 3x bodyweight or competing at the Arnold Classic.
In short, we could likely make the case that most people will stay in the intermediate category their entire training career. More to the point, I’d make the argument that unless you’re competing at a high-level – whether it’s in powerlifting, bodybuilding, Olympic lifting, Strongman, CrossFit, Hunger Games, etc – and either placing and/or getting paid to do so, you’re an intermediate lifter.
I mean, I still consider myself an intermediate lifter and I started lifting weights when New Kids on the Block were telling us to ‘hang tough.’
I’m such a Danny.
Nevertheless, it should be noted that most intermediate lifters are legit lifters and have a fair amount of experience. It’s just, much like beginners, they have their own set of mistakes they fall prey to as well.
1. Emulating the Programs of Elite Lifters
I get it.
We’re often inspired (or better yet enamored) by what we see our idols doing (or have done) in books or on Instagram and YouTube. It’s hard not to study the likes of Ed Coan, James Fitzgerald, Eddie Hall, Jen Thompson, or Arnold, to name a few, and not want to start a Smolov squat cycle, like this afternoon.
Clearly, if only we followed their programs and what they’re currently doing, the harder and more advanced the better, we’d reap the same result. We’d be the envy of everyone at the gym…
…jacked, diesel, and maybe, just maybe, Tina at the juice bar will actually make eye contact with you.
*fingers crossed*
Unfortunately, things don’t quite work this way. Mirroring what your idols do in the gym is the wrong approach. And, quite frankly, is probably going to get you hurt.
What You Should Do
A better, more cogent, reframe would be to think to yourself:
“I need to follow the program(s) that so and so did when they were a beginner/intermediate lifter. What did (s)he do 5, 10, 15 years ago that allowed them to build their base wide enough to attain a higher peak in order to do what they do now? “
I guarantee it was a program that was very basic and vanilla.
Here’s a simple example of a protocol I use with many of my own clients/athletes. I revolves around the concept of “Inverted Sets,” where you flip-flop sets/reps of a given exercise during the week.
The idea is to increase exposure to QUALITY reps which is a concept I feel gets lost in the weeds with many intermediate lifters. More often than not the mentality is that the only way to progress is to make every workout as hard and challenging as possible.
Stealing a line from Dan John, “easy training is good training.”
2. But Training Still Needs to Be Hard
Serving as nice counterpoint, I love this quote from John Meadows I saw on his Facebook Page recently:
“Stop saying the only way to get bigger is to get stronger!
This is ABSURD.
Getting stronger is awesome and can work…do it!
BUT do you realize that when you get to an advanced stage, and have trained for years, you wont just keep piling up the reps and amount lifted. If you can congrats on benching 2000 lbs or repping 1000 15 times (and having adamantium for connective tissue), cause that’s what will happen.
You will have to find other ways to tax the muscle, for example judicious use of high intensity techniques that some people like to say do no good. So get strong, gain muscle, but realize at some point you are gonna stall and you must now actually think and include other ideas in your plan.
Please stop saying stimulating a muscle is all it needs. No it is not. The daily 3×10 with many reps left in the tank on barbell curls will not give you massive biceps. It’s called a warm-up. You will need to activate, LOAD, and EXHAUST fibers to get the desired affect once you get past the novice stages of training.”
I recognize he was directing his ire towards “advanced lifters,” but I do feel it’s a message that should resonate with intermediates as well.
As much as I’m a fan of not making a habit of training to failure or missing reps incessantly, I do find a lot of trainees fail to make continued progress in the gym if for no other reason than they don’t push themselves.
Ever.
What You Should Do
Strain.
Struggle.
You don’t have to shit your spleen or anything, but get uncomfortable from time to time.
Try this:
On your next bench press session work up to a challenging set of FIVE (meaning, take as many sets as you need to in order to work up to a weight heavy enough where you can’t complete a sixth rep).
Whatever that weight ends up being, drop the load by 10-15% and on your next set or two (or three) perform as many reps as possible (AMRAP).
That sucks.
Or this:
That really sucks.
3. Being Too Strict With Technique
I encourage proper technique with all exercises.
I’m on your side.
Really, I am.
But being too strict with technique – to the point where someone becomes that asshole nun from Game of Thrones and shames everyone within a block radius whenever they see the slightest deviation from perfect form on any exercise – isn’t doing anyone any favors.
Listen, I want my clients (and you) to stay as safe as possible when lifting heavy things. When working with beginners (and holding them accountable with regards to their technique) I am that nun.
Much less assholey, of course, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t adamant they use strict form at all times.
That being said, there comes a point where it behooves everyone to loosen the reigns a bit.
Take the DB row for example.
Now, it’s one thing for someone to look as if they’re having an epileptic seizure – or as if they’re using an industrial strength Shake Weight – when performing the exercise.
It’s another thing altogether for me to permit “some” body english in order to allow progressive overload or time under tension to occur.
The strength curve of the DB Row – as broken down in THIS article by Nick Tumminello – almost guarantees that, at some point, a little shimmying is inevitable.
And it’s okay. The world will continue to spin.
Moreover, it’s important to lean into the fact that as you get strong(er) the more likely it is your body will explore precarious positions when performing compound movements like squats, deadlifts, overhead presses, etc.
I’m fine with that.
It serves as a vaccine in a way.
The more small doses of these precarious positions the body is “introduced” to the more likely it’ll be able to defend against them when shit really hits the fan.
All of this to say…
…be relentless and practice good technique. Be a champion of it.
But understand that there will be a small window (say, 5% of the time) where it’s okay to deviate.2
It’s official: This marks the sixth year in a row Dean Somerset and I are presenting together. We’re so excited to be coming to Athens to kickstart 2020.
Nope, this article refers to the “homework” (or drills and exercises) we trainers and coaches give our clients to do at home that help address stuff they need to work on more whether it be motor control. stability, bad breath, etc.
I’m stuck in the midst of an avalanche of entrepreneurial shenanigans this week, so apologies for the lack of content on my end.
I do, however, have a first-class guest post from TG.com regular contributor, Shane McLean today discussing some common mistakes many beginners make in pursuing their health/fitness goals. But unlike a lot of articles with the same theme that go on and on and (and on) about what people do wrong, he actually provides some simple strategies to address things.
Enjoy!
NOTE: Be sure to check below for a special (and FREE) 4-week program offer from Shane.
4 Mistakes Beginners Make When Starting a Fitness Program (and How to Fix Them)
Starting something is easy.
This is evidenced by the crowds that pour into every gym after January 1st.And how many of these people are still in the gym after February 1st?
Probably not a lot.
They realize that a year’s worth of debauchery is not undone in four weeks, no matter what Dr. Oz says.
No cleanse, no magic exercise, no magic pill or diet will undo all that unhealthy living.
Like anything worth doing, it takes time and patience.
If this sounds anything like you (or a friend) here are some other mistakes (besides impatience and listening to Dr Oz.) you need to watch out for when starting out your fitness quest.
And if you recognize them and made them before, here’s what to do about it so you don’t do it again. Because learning from your mistakes is a good thing.
And learning about a potential mistake (before you make it) is even better.
1. Changing Too Many Habits at Once
When you’re first starting, your gun-ho to get this show on the road.
You want to hit the gym four, no, five days a week.
You throw away your junk food and buy all the fruits and vegetables.
And you vow to drink more water and less soda. However, the more you try to change, the less those changes stick according to Leo Babauta, the author of ‘The Power of Less.’
He states:
“In order to create a sustainable habit, you need to address one habit at a time.”
His research tells us that you will have an 85% success rate adopting one new habit at a time. Trying to change two habits at once the success rate to 33%.
That’s a huge drop off.
Trying to change more than one habit at a time is more likely to lead to failure than success.
What to do instead
Start small– Most people want to create big change as quickly as possible. For example, if you’re trying to lose weight start with drinking a glass of water before each meal
Get hooked on your habit- That’s the point. It takes a little while to make it a habit to stick. Don’t worry if you miss a day. Just don’t miss twice. The only way to fail is to quit.
2. You Think Rome Was Built in a Day
Following from above, because you’re making all these changes at once you (may) expect instant success. You feel the weight should fly off and the scale and mirror become your best friends.
Hold your horses.
Usually, it takes 4-6 weeks to see any visible changes in your body. During this time your nervous system, ligaments and tendons are getting used to the exercise you’re throwing at them.
They’re all busy making new connections and getting stronger. Once this period is over, you’ll start seeing some changes when you flex in the mirror. The trick here is to stick it out and be patient.
Because it doesn’t happen overnight, but it will happen.
What to do instead
Realize it took you awhile to get here and it’s going to take some time to turn this ship around.
You need to celebrate the small wins along the way. Even if you walked for an extra 10 minutes or did an extra rep of an exercise, give yourself a pat on the back. This helps keep you going.
3. Making Vanity Your Only Reason
Self-improvement for whatever reason is a worthy pursuit.
The trick here is to keep it going and to find your why outside of vanity.
For example, training for a 5 k or bending over to pick up your kids without pain.
Because when vanity is your only reason and if your results dry to a trickle, it’s easier to give up and listen to your thoughts that are saying this exercise thing isn’t for you.
That’s why it’s important to find your WHY.
Because when you have a deeper reason for your health outside of vanity, you’re more likely to keep going.
What to do instead
Spend some time in self-reflection and ask yourself the 5 whys.
Here’s an example.
Why do you want to exercise? To lose weight.
Why do you want to lose weight? Because I don’t like the way I look.
Why don’t you like the way you look? Because I’m 35 pounds overweight.
Why is losing 35 pounds important to you? Because I’m pre diabetic, have low energy and I can’t keep up with my kids anymore.
Why is keeping up with your kids important? Because they’re young and I want to be a better parent to them for as long as possible.
Boom. Now you do the same.
4. NOT Asking for Help
When everything is shiny and motivation is at an all-time high, exercise is easier. You’re going to the gym consistently; you’re eating better and you’re looking sexier.
Everything is going to plan until you hit a roadblock.
It could take the form of:
A fat loss plateau
Your hours increase at work
Your caregiver duties increase because of sickness
You get hurt or injured
Life and all it entails 😊
Bears. What out for those jerks.
Then you either think power through it or you begin to drop off your good habits, little by little. Either way, reaching your goals is more difficult.
But you still got this, right?
What to do instead
I’m all about making it easier, (on myself and clients) not harder. This is why I enlist the help of a friend and coach to write my programs. Because a trainer who has himself as a trainer has a fool for a client.
Please make it easier for yourself by asking for help.
This may take the form of asking the trainer at your gym for tips to work around an injury or exercising when you have limited time. Enlisting help from your spouse or loved ones, so you carve out a little time for yourself for health purposes.
Because when you don’t ask, the answer is always no.
Wrapping Up
Starting something is easy. The follow through and the ability to keep going is more difficult. Especially when things are not going your way.
But, the only way to fail is to quit. And you’re no quitter, right?
Do you need help with your exercise, getting started or overcoming roadblocks to be your best self?
Download my 4-week program here to get you on the road to better health.
About the Author
Shane “Balance Guy” McLean, is an A.C.E Certified Personal Trainer working deep in the heart of Louisiana with the gators.
** THIS WEEKEND. Some seats still available if you’re bored…;o)
I’m teaming up with Brad Cox of ACUMobility for this 6-hour workshop where we’ll discuss hip assessment and, you guessed it…
…keto recipes deadlifts and squats.
What will be unique about this workshop is the two perspectives we’ll bring to the table; myself as a strength coach in addition to Brad’s background in sports medicine and orthopedics.
It’s official: This marks the sixth year in a row Dean Somerset and I are presenting together. We’re so excited to be coming to Athens to kickstart 2020.
Before you say something asinine like “performing bicep curls blindfolded will increase your Tinder compatibility by 117%” you should read this post by my good friend Luke first.
Today’s guest post comes courtesy of TG.com fan-favorite, Justin Kompf. And by “fan-favorite” I mean his one fan, his mom.
Just kidding.
Justin’s my good friend, occasional training partner, and has written a ton of content for this site, but it’s been awhile…
…and I was excited to see this article waiting in my inbox this morning. The title of the email was “really, really good blog,” and, begrudgingly (because Justin is the opposite of modest when it comes to E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G), I have to admit, he was right.
Trashing the Word Can’t: It’s Either You Will or You Won’t
Only twice in my life have I deadlifted 600 pounds.
I cannot do that now. There remains a plethora of other feats that I cannot do. I cannot run a five-minute mile. I cannot bench double my body weight and I cannot jump four feet in the air.
However, I certainly can deadlift, I can run, I can bench press, and I can jump.
Saying you cannot do a behavior is like saying you cannot ask out a person you like. You can, but for any number of reasons, you’re just not going to.
In fitness, there are outcome goals and there are process goals. Process goals lead to outcome goals. Deadlifting, the process goal, leads to the 600-pound deadlift, the outcome goal. Reducing calories, the process goal, leads to a lower body fat percentage, the outcome goal. Processes cause outcomes.
Outcome goals are not plausible in the here and now.
You cannot achieve them now because they are in the future, and often far away. Process goals are here and now, and they are plausible.
You can do them today.
For process goals, cannot is often a misused word.
It sets up a false narrative that allows for stagnation. Yes, with 100% confidence you can go to the gym and lift. Yes, with 100% confidence you can eat vegetables. Once cannot and can are used properly and the right words are used instead (“I don’t want to”, “I don’t feel like it”) you can actually move forward to different options or maintain the status quo.
Your choice.
A Clear-Cut Definition of Can and Cannot
Any student who has spent a semester in an introductory psychology class has inevitably heard of the importance of self-efficacy, a person’s confidence in their abilities to execute a task. Confidence in abilities plays a pivotal role in whether a behavior is initiated. For example, even if I wanted to Salsa dance tonight, I couldn’t because I don’t have the skills to do so.
I could dance or move my body in a way that someone may be able to make an educated guess that I am dancing. But it’s not Salsa.
In a 2016 paper, Ryan Rhodes, a researcher out of the University of Victoria, dived into how can and cannot are misinterpreted. Participants were asked to rate their confidence that they could do resistance training two times per week for at least 20 minutes on a graded percent scale where 0% meant cannot do at all and 100% meant definitely can do.
After they recorded their answers can and cannot were properly explained.
Cannot was described in a similar way to my 600-pound deadlift or 5-minute mile example. No matter how hard I try, I would have no confidence that I can run a 5-minute mile. Can was explained similarly to the asking a crush out example.
The capabilities are there, you just aren’t going to do it.
Once can and cannot were properly explained, confidence values for resistance training increased. Nothing really changed though, other than the understanding of the word can. They realized they could do it; that is, they have the capabilities.
Prior to the explanation capabilities were considered the same as motivation. Stated otherwise, they had the capability; they just weren’t motivated.
There we have it, can and cannot.
If you have done resistance training or exercised within the last year even once, you certainly can do it. If you have had a single bite of broccoli you can eat vegetables. While the skill set may not be there to do a back squat or make a ratatouille casserole you certainly can do a leg press and put baby carrots into your mouth. It just might be hard, but entirely doable.
Moving on, it’s best to trash the words “can’t” and “cannot.”
What Can I Do That I Am Willing to Do?
As a disclaimer, there are real “cannots.”
You cannot do a back squat unless you have a gym membership or a squat rack. Nor can you go for a run without running shoes.
Limitations are real but only exclude a small percent of us from exercise and improvement.
“What can I do?” is going to be the first question, immediately followed by “what am I willing to do?”
Goals necessitate a willingness for change. An opportunity-cost will always exist in a change effort. What am I willing to give up to get what I want? Drinking 30 beers a week is counterproductive to a weight loss goal. If you are lifting weights for 90 minutes you cannot simultaneously be watching Netflix on your couch for 90 minutes.
Opportunities have a cost.
If you’re not willing to give on anything, be honest with yourself, it’s a motivation issue not a capability issue. If you’re willing to give on something, then it’s time to design your change menu.
Design Your Change Menu
Your change menu is composed of what you can do AND what you are willing to do. If you don’t know how to do certain exercises it can’t be on your menu.
Your menu would need to say “learn how to do X,Y,X” instead.
If you don’t know how to write your own fitness program you cannot say “write my own fitness program.” It needs to be “hire someone to write my program” or “hire someone to teach me to write a program.”
If you can do it, what are you willing to do? How much time are you willing to dedicate to it? Are you willing to go faster? To lift heavier?
If you can run, what are you willing to do? How far, how fast, how many days?
If you can lift, what are you willing to do? What exercises, how long, how many days?
We often have lofty fitness goals, abstract visions of six pack futures, jaw dropping physiques.
For the most part we are entirely capable of doing the things that would lead us to get there.
We can cut calories.
We can push ourselves to lift heavier, to accumulate greater training volume, to learn new exercises.
We can persist year in and year out.
Match your goals to what you are willing to put on your change menu.
I realize it’s just vernacular, but it’s words that tell us the story we follow. It’s rarely an issue of if you can do it. Arguably, most reasonable fitness goals can be chipped away at with time and persistence. It’s all a matter of picking what you can do right now and choosing goals that match what you are willing to do.
About the Author
Justin Kompf is doctoral student studying exercise and health sciences. He is a personal trainer in Boston at CLIENTEL3.
When it comes to overall shoulder health there are a bevy of factors to consider:
Rotator cuff strength
Tissue quality
Overuse
Programming balance
Even exercise technique (and how joints are loaded)
All are important and things I consider myself when working with a new client who’s shoulder isn’t feeling great. However, there’s one “thing” that’s often overlooked in lieu of all the above:
Can the shoulder blade move freely on the ribcage?
The Key to Shoulder Health = Scapular (and Ribcage) Movement
The shoulder blades are meant to move, plain and simple. Nothing extraordinary there.
Upward/downward rotation
Protraction/retraction
Anterior/posterior tilt
The ability to perform all of those actions is indicative of a “healthy” shoulder, and the platform for all that movement to take place come courtesy of the ribcage.
The ribcage is shaped in a convex manner.
The scapulae (shoulder blade) is concave, or rounded, in nature. The ability for the two to play nicely together is an often overlooked mechanism of what I like to call “my shoulder fucking hurts syndrome.”
Here’s a common example of what I mean.
The cue “pull the shoulder blades together and down” is a common one we use in the industry. And, you know what? It works splendidly when 1) you’re working with someone who’s stuck in a more flexed/rounded/computer guy posture and/or 2) the goal is to lift as much weight as humanly possible.
I.e., good luck bench pressing (or even squatting/deadlifting) appreciate weight with shoulder blades that aren’t “set” in a more stable position
That being said, too much of anything can have its inherent drawbacks.3.
The “together and down” cue can lead to overactive lats and a more extension-based pattern where the shoulder blades get stuck or cemented together – making it all the more more challenging for them to move about the rib cage.
My shoulder blades basically making out
To that end one of my favorite ways to address this is to include more reaching drills into people’s training repertoire. That and BACK EXPANSION.
More to the point, what I’m really after is targeting the Serratus Anterior, or those finger-like looking thingamajiggies on the side of your ribs.
I’m starting to fall into the camp that addressing Serratus weakness is the answer to everything:
Shoulder pain?
Neck pain?
Back pain?
Snowblower won’t start?
More Serratus work my friend!
The power of reaching cannot be understated. That in concert with learning to expand the upper back (getting the ribcage to move, via breathing) can be a game changer for a lot of people.
Here’s an effective drill that addresses both.
Seated 1-Arm Reach-Row
Who Did I Steal It From? – Strength coach Conor Harris.
What Does It Do? – Via Conor himself:
“A stiff ribcage is one that lacks trunk rotation and the ability to expand with air. We can free up the ribcage through alternation + reaching of the arms (serratus/obliques) with an intention to pause and expand it posteriorly with air”
The reach engages the serratus/obliques (watch out for that side cramp) and closes off the front side of the body. Air has no where else to go but BACK; it feels wonderful.
Key Coaching Cues: Don’t be a hero. You DO NOT need a lot of weight to perform this exercise, it’s not the point. You’ll pull with one side (elbow to hip, no further) as you simultaneously reach with the other, free hand. From there, inhale through the nose, focus on “breathing into your back,” and then perform a full exhale.
Don’t rush the breaths.
Hold the position for a 2-3 breath count and that’s one repetition.
I’m teaming up with Brad Cox of ACUMobility for this 6-hour workshop where we’ll discuss hip assessment and, you guessed it…
…keto recipes deadlifts and squats.
What will be unique about this workshop is the two perspectives we’ll bring to the table; myself as a strength coach in addition to Brad’s background in sports medicine and orthopedics.
It’s official: This marks the sixth year in a row Dean Somerset and I are presenting together. We’re so excited to be coming to Athens to kickstart 2020.
I’m a huge Bill Bryson fan and his latest book, The Body: A Guide for Occupants, is BLOWING….MY….MIND. I mean, did you know that there’s more information stored & processed in a millimeter sized portion of your brain than the entirety of the history of the internet?
The limiting factor that prevents some people from being able to lift appreciable weight in the gym is their grip strength. Here are some simple ideas, using a kettlebell, that can help.
I had the opportunity to make an appearance on the Rebel Performance Radio Show recently hosted by James Cerbie.
James and I have a bit of history because he was an intern at Cressey Sports Performance back in 2014 when I was there, and it was great to sit down and talk some shop.
I loved doing this episode because not only was it great to catch up with James, but he has a very casual way of interviewing that I enjoy…
…just two dudes talking about dude stuff.
We covered a gamut of topics – everything from my pursuit of a 600 lb deadlift, opening up my own training studio here in Boston, to the differences between working with athletes and the general population.
