I’m writing this from the beautiful city of Chicago.
I got here yesterday because I’m presenting at an Equinox today to a group of their trainers, talking shoulders and stuff.
Lisa and Julian are en route from Boston as I tap away on my keyboard, and it’s her first time flying solo with him.
Remember that scene from Taken when Liam Neeson’s character is talking to the dude who kidnapped his daughter on the telephone and after his epic “I will find you, and I will kill you” monologue, all the kidnapper says is “good luck” and then hangs up.
Remember that?
Well, “good luck” babe…;o)
Copyright: wamsler / 123RF Stock Photo
BUT FIRST…CHECK THIS STUFF OUT
1. Coaching Competency – Dublin, Ireland
This is happening Sunday, September 8, 2019 (save $100 using Early Bird rate)
So what happens when a room full of Irish(w0)men find out I’m not much of a drinker?…;o)
Whether you get paid to tell people to lift heavy things or you just like to lift heavy things yourself, in this 1-day workshop you’ll get the opportunity to listen to me talk about my how I approach assessment and gain a better understanding of how I “match” the exercises I prescribe to better fit the needs, ability level, and more importantly, the anatomy of each individual I work work.
In short, this workshop looks at the “umbrella theme” of my coaching philosophy.
For more information – including itinerary and how to register – go HERE.
3. Strategic Strength Workshop – London, England
This is happening the weekend of September 14-15th, 2019 (save £50, Early Bird rate ends THIS WEEKEND).
Luke Worthington and I have presented this workshop twice. Once in London last year and again this past June in Boston.
We’re bringing it back to London this Fall, my most favorite place in the world.
This two-day workshop is designed to arm fitness professionals with all the tools they’ll need to hone their assessment skills and to make their clients/athletes a bunch of bonafide, resilient, strength training Terminators.
Combined Luke and I have ~40 years of coaching experience (or one Dan John) and bring different perspectives and skill-sets to the table; Luke peels back the onion on PRI (Postural Restoration Institute) concepts and assessment, while I go into detail breaking down movement and how to better “match” the exercises we prescribe to our clients.
For more information – including itinerary and how to register – you can go HERE.
SOCIAL MEDIA SHENANIGANS
Twitter
Woke up to this morning to this message in my inbox:
“F*** you bro, deadlifts are way overrated keep f****** up, your spine I’ll enjoy life at 60 while your in a wheelchair and bedridden you rat.”
Grip (or lack of it) can often be a limiting factor when it comes to making progress in the weight room. Strength and conditioning coach, Jarrod Dyke, offers some simple and effective tips to help with that.
Being a business owner (and running a business) is always a delicate balance between setting rules and drawing a line in the sand and knowing when to pick your battles when someone “breaks” those rules.
Personally, whenever I have someone who’s a beginner (“newbie”) reach out asking me to write their programs online I’ll encourage them to seek out a personal trainer IN-PERSON to work with.
There are just too many other variables and nuances involved when working with beginners.
That said, if you ARE going to do it read this article.
Today’s guest post comes courtesy of Syracuse, NY based strength and conditioning coach Ricky Kompf. Ricky’s a good friend, works with a ton of youth athletes, and he knows his stuff.
What I like about his message is that he always stresses the basics first.
No fluff, no smoke and mirrors, no speed camps, and no agility ladders…;o)
Speed is one of the most misunderstood aspects of training.
We get sold on fancy ladder drills, flashy sprint exercises and products that don’t work or are used incorrectly. After working with hundreds of athletes of all levels and skills I’m here to show you exactly what will make an athlete fast and what will actually allow you to hit those impressive numbers the elite level athletes hit.
It also goes without saying that, it takes work.
This will not happen overnight, you achieve this level of physical prowess from years of developing your body and consistently putting work in towards this every day.
Whenever an athlete comes to me, chances are they want to become faster and jump higher.
Speed is king, and rightfully so.
Speed is what sets you apart from the competition.
Speed is what gets you looked at for high level college programs.
There’s not much difference in skill between D3, D2 and D1 programs as there is a difference is speed and strength.
So, what makes an athlete fast?
1. Relative Strength
Relative strength is how strong you are relative to how much you weigh.
Without relative strength there is no speed.
Relative strength is what every quality of speed is built off of.
I hate to speak in absolutes but If you are not strong relative to how much you weigh you will not be fast. Strength is your horse power.
I promise I’m (mostly) not a Sith
Trying to sprint as fast as possible with low relative strength is like trying to go from 0-60mph in a Prius: You just won’t be able to get to top end speed quickly and your top end speed will be much slower than a sports car.
When you’re sprinting the only resistance you have on you is your body weight.
You have to propel your body forward in a fast-explosive manner and if you don’t have the relative strength to do so, all the sprints and speed & agility drills in the world won’t make you much faster.
FANCY SPEED EXERCISES AND AGILITY DRILLS WON’T ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING WITHOUT RELATIVE STRENGTH.
To put this into perspective, If you have two athletes who can deadlift 300lbs and one athlete is 150lbs while the other one is 250lbs, 10 times out of 10 the athlete who is 150lbs is faster.
Here are some indicators that I use to determine if the athlete is relatively strong.
Male Athletes:
15 or more chin ups
30 or more push ups
Can trap bar deadlift over 2x their body weight for 3 or more reps
Can back squat to box or safety bar squat to box 1.5x their body weight for 3 or more reps
Can sled push 4x their body weight or more for 10 yards
Female Athletes:
Can perform 5 chin ups or more
Can perform 15 or more full range of motion push ups
Can trap bar deadlift 1.5X their body weight for 3 reps or more
Can back squat or safety bar squat to a box with 1.25x their body weight or more for 3 reps or more
Can sled push 3.5x their body weight or more for 10 yards
This is all a general rule of thumb I use for my athlete to determine if they will respond well to an increase in speed work volume.
2. Mobility
Have you ever seen the athlete on the field who moves their legs super-fast but is one of the slower athletes or middle of the road?
It’s like they’re going nowhere fast.
Here’s why this is happening.
The athlete who takes the least number of strides to cover a certain amount of distance will always get to Point B first.
If your athlete is tight in the hips they won’t be able to cover max distance with every stride. This usually becomes an issue when an athlete’s hips are tight, restricted and weak.
Mobility also doesn’t mean just stretching, this is where flexibility and mobility get confused. Flexibility is the range of motion you can put your joins passively like reaching down to touch your toes. Mobility is the range of motion you can go actively, like driving your knee up as high as you can without moving your spine or going into a deep squat while keeping a neutral spine.
Flexibility is a component of mobility that you need in order to be mobile. Optimal stride length requires more mobility than flexibility.
Perform these mobility drills regularly to keep your hips in check while you become stronger and faster. These are all great examples where together they work on flexibility as well as mobility. This will help you become overall more mobile in the hips and moving better.
Speedy 7 Mobility Drills
Hip Series: Active Recovery
90/90 PAILs & RAILs
Standing Hip CARs
3. Core Strength
The role of the core while sprinting is to keep the midline stable while the arms and legs are in motion.
If your athlete does not possess the appropriate core strength it will result in energy leaks throughout their sprints and change of direction.
The core is used as a foundation in which force can be translated from the lower body to the upper body while sprinting. If the core and spine are not ridged while sprinting there won’t be as much force being put into the ground.
Even worse you’re at a much higher risk of injury.
If you ever watch an elite level track athlete sprint with their shirt off, their arms and legs are moving violently while the torso is perfectly still.
Without good core stability relative strength is low and mobility/movement quality is poor, which, if you’re paying attention are the first two qualities I spoke of.
Addressing all three should be a priority is every athletes program.
Check out these exercises that are great for core development:
Core Engaged Deadbugs
Plank on Knees While Breathing
Level I Plank March
4. A Faster Amortization Phase
The Amortization phase is the transition from an eccentric muscle contraction to a concentric muscle contraction.
This phase is a very fast isometric contraction that helps to transition the muscle to shorten while contracting.
This is commonly known as the stretch shortening cycle.
This is when a muscle rapidly lengthens then shortens. When the amortization phase is optimized and there is a very fast transition, the amortization phase is very short. When this happens there are more motor units recruited and more force is produced.
The shorter the transition from eccentric to concentric the more force is produced.
This happens on every stride once you’ve gotten into your cycle sprint (while you’re upright sprinting at your max speed).
Another common way to see this is when an athlete performs a vertical jump, as the athlete descends quickly and transitions from down to the upward phase of the vertical jump this is where the amortization phase comes in. The less time it takes to make that transition the more potential force is produced.
Ways to train this would be plyometrics, max effort sprints, longer distance sprints (20-40yd) and jumps where there is a focus on the transition from eccentric to concentric.
A few of my favorite ways to train this is by performing some of these following exercises:
1. 10-yd Push Up to Sprint/Mountain Climber Sprints
2. Hurdle Hop Variations to Push
3. Max Effort Vertical Jumps
4. 20 yd Sprints Flat Ground or Up Hill
5. Partner Sprint Chases
6. 30 yd Sprints
7. Double Broad Jumps
5. Strength in Specific Joint Angles and Technical Form
To develop strength in specific angles that the athlete will be in during a game I will often use contrast training, game speed exercises drills, and lifting exercises that are similar to positions an athlete will be in.
When it comes to speed, there’s nothing better than a heavy sled push or a sled drag.
Other good ones I like to use with a contrast are trap bar deadlifts and safety bar squats. All of these are great with mimicking the sprint and jump movements. Below is a video example of some contrast sets and specific joint angle exercises for speed.
Example #1
A1. Trap Bar Deadlift – 5×2
Rest 10-20 seconds
A2. Vertical Jump – 5×1
Rest 2-3 minutes before the next set.
Example #2
A1. Heavy Sled Push – 5×10 yards
Rest 10-20 seconds
A2. Push Up to Sprint – 5×10 yards
Rest 2-3 minutes before the next set
Example #3
A1. Safety Bar Squat to Box – 5×2
Rest 10-20 seconds
A2. Box Jump – 5×2
Rest 2-3 minutes before the next set
Example #4
A1. Chain Loaded or Banded Trap Bar Deadlift – 5×2
Rest 10-20 seconds
A2. Double Broad Jump – 5x(max distance)
Rest 2-3 minutes before next set
Strength Training Exercises in Specific Joint Angles
Heavy Sled Pushes
Heavy Sled Drags
Resisted Sprints
Trap Bar Deadlifts
These type of exercises and contrast sets should be performed during preseason after a full foundation has been developed during the offseason.
Note that these types of circuits are reserved for athlete who are older and more advanced with a good foundation of general strength and all the other qualities we went over already. Contrast training is not as effective without 3-6 months of general strength training. The sled pushes, sled drags, and deadlifts are exercises that should be staples every month in your athletes program.
Another way to work on this is to perform sprints and jumps to refine technique, having a coach’s eye to teach you how to sprint the correct way and jump the right way is the final piece to put all these qualities together. Sprinting, change of direction and jumping is a skill that will always require fine tuning and technique work.
About the Author
Ricky Kompf is the head coach/owner of Kompf Training Systems where we work primarily with team sport athletes like baseball, football, lacrosse and basketball.
He’s also a Head Trainer for a corporation for Bankers Heath Care.
This workshop is designed for fitness professionals – personal trainers, strength & conditioning coaches, physical therapists, etc – to provide both physical & psychological tools to help build your brand, business, and rapport with clients.
Dr. Lewis and I cover a lot of material:
How to increase competency and motivation with your clients.
An overview of both upper and lower extremity assessment to create increased “buy in.”
How to set professional & personal boundaries with clients.
Troubleshooting common lifts such as squats & deadlifts to best fit the needs, ability level, and anatomy of clients.
And more…
CEUs will be available.
For more information – including full itinerary and to register – you can go HERE.
2. Coaching Competency – Dublin, Ireland
This is happening Sunday, September 8, 2019 (save $100 NOW)
So what happens when a room full of Irish(w0)men find out I’m not much of a drinker?…;o)
Whether you get paid to tell people to lift heavy things or you just like to lift heavy things yourself, in this 1-day workshop you’ll get the opportunity to listen to me talk about my how I approach assessment and gain a better understanding of how I “match” the exercises I prescribe to better fit the needs, ability level, and more importantly, the anatomy of each individual I work work.
In short, this workshop looks at the “umbrella theme” of my coaching philosophy.
For more information – including itinerary and how to register – go HERE.
3. Strategic Strength Workshop – London, England
This is happening the weekend of September 14-15th, 2019 (save $100 now).
Luke Worthington and I have presented this workshop twice. Once in London last year and again this past June in Boston.
We’re bringing it back to London this Fall, my most favorite place in the world.
This two-day workshop is designed to arm fitness professionals with all the tools they’ll need to hone their assessment skills and to make their clients/athletes a bunch of bonafide, resilient, strength training Terminators.
Combined Luke and I have ~40 years of coaching experience (or one Dan John) and bring different perspectives and skill-sets to the table; Luke peels back the onion on PRI (Postural Restoration Institute) concepts and assessment, while I go into detail breaking down movement and how to better “match” the exercises we prescribe to our clients.
For more information – including itinerary and how to register – you can go HERE.
SOCIAL MEDIA SHENANIGANS
Twitter
Things that annoy me:
– Brie cheese.
– People who don’t train people commenting on exercise technique.
– Gym owners who post videos of them vacuuming their own facility.
– Kettlebell snobs (DBs work too).
– Ppl who think a squat and DL are the same thing.
– Poodles.
This is entirely new content that Dean Somerset and I spent well over a year presenting and tweaking before filming it with a professional crew to release to the masses.
It builds off of Version 1.0 but digs deeper into programming considerations, exercise technique, and tickle fights (amongst much, much more).
It’s on SALE through this weekend only so be sure to pick up a copy today…HERE.
Few things grind my gears more – Jake P from The Bachelorette, Voldemort – than shady motherfuckers who pretend (or claim) to be more important than they really are based off their fake followers.
It’s a common tactic for fitness professionals, especially during an initial session or assessment, to go out of their way to demonstrate just how dysfunctional someone is.
“Okay, so, after everything we’ve gone through and discussed it seems you have an internally rotated right shoulder, a bit of anterior pelvic tilt, upper back kyphosis, you lack thoracic rotation on your left side, you need to clip your toenails, and one eye is lower than the other.
We’ve got some work to do to fix everything.”
Now, I’m not going to sit here and say I’ve been perfect my entire career and that I never did the same thing.
I did.
And while hindsight is 20/20…I can’t even begin to imagine how much business I lost because I felt it a good idea to showcase to potential clients how much of a walking ball of fail they were on Day #1.
To that end, I do believe there’s a natural growth or maturation (that only comes with experience) of any fitness professional where you begin to understand and appreciate this train of thought.
Of course it’s our job to “audit” movement and to ascertain, to the best of our ability, what will set people up for the most success possible given their goals, injury history, and ability level(s).
But I adamantly feel that one of the worst things you can do as a fitness professional is to highlight dysfunction and to make people feel broken out of the gate.
Take scapular winging for example, where the shoulder blade lacks congruency with the ribcage (I.e., it peels off the rib cage).
Is it actually a dysfunctional thing?
Now, admittedly, the picture above is a little a lot fucked up.
This is TRUE scapular winging, an actual medical diagnosis where the long thoracic nerve is not doing its job innervating the Serratus Anterior.
No amount of Prone Trap Raises or Forearm Wall Slides is going to fix that dumpster fire. It’s going to entail meticulous manual therapy and someone with a keener sense of neurological wizardry to fix it.
However, many people walk around thinking they have “scapular winging” (HINT: pretty much everyone has it to some degree) and that they’re doomed to a laundry list of corrective exercise purgatory.
I have news for you.
Most people’s long thoracic nerve works just fine and most people are NOT in a state of dysfunction.
In fact you can fix scapular winging pretty quickly by adding LOAD and by getting people to TRAIN.
Load helps nudge people into better positioning and training just helps people not want to jump in front of a bus (trust me: corrective exercise purgatory is no fun for anyone).
There are a litany of ways to accomplish this.
In this short video, I outline some of my thoughts and manage to not swear the entire time.
This is a short clip from mine and Dean Somerset’s new series Even More Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint, a brand new product with entirely new content from the version 1 workshop, which is on sale until Sunday for $70 off the regular price, and digs into individualization concepts like this, plus so much more to help you get the best possible plan of action for your clients in order to get them results in the fastest, easiest and safest manner possible.
…most of you reading don’t have enough eye-rolls to give.
I mean, I get it: a blog post on warming-up is about as exciting as me writing about breathing drills, how to make kale chips, or, I don’t know, NASCAR.
But two things:
1. This post will be short and sweet.
2. The video shown below will help you not only feel better, but also help you crush your next (and subsequent) lower body lifts.
There’s no need for me to belabor the point: a proper warm-up prior to lifting heavy things is imperative. It helps increase core temperature, potentiate the central nervous system, “lubricate” the joints, and as a whole is just a smart habit to follow to better prepare the body for the workout to follow.
Thing is…
…the warm-up is also the one thing most trainees skip, treat as the evil step-child, or otherwise ignore altogether.
I can’t fault some people for doing so.
Some warm-ups are just absurd. I’ve had some people show me warm-ups that take 20-30 minutes to complete. Now, this isn’t to say that, sometimes, this isn’t warranted. Depending on one’s injury history (or even other factors, such as age) we can sometimes justify a warm-up of that length.
But too – and more to the point – if I were given a warm-up that takes that long to complete I’d be tossing it some shade too.
On the flip side, I also think one reason many people skip their warm-up is because there’s no rhyme or reason to what they’re doing:
“I’ll do some arm circles here, some hip thingamajiggies there, weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.”
An ideal warm-up will not only prepare you for the stuff you’ll be doing on the weight-room floor, but also address any mobility/range of motion/activation deficits that may exist.
And, lately, my train of thought is that an ideal warm-up is short and to the point and kinda-sorta makes you hate life.
A perfect example is this hip series2. I’ve been using myself of late and is something covered in the (Even More) Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint – a brand new product with entirely new content Dean Somerset and I just released this week.
This series hits all the heavy hitters to keep your hips nice-n-juicy for some squats or deadlifts:
✅Hip IR
✅Hip ER
✅Hip Flexion
✅Dissociating hip movement from Lower Back movement.
Start with your hands on the floor for support and try to stay as upright as possible (contingent on your ability to do so).
It’s not a deal breaker if you have to lean to the side a bit.
You also have the option to “ramp” up the intensity while performing this series too. You can go through the motions and make it relatively easy or you can come close to shitting a kettlebell by increasing the amount of tension you put into it.
I encourage clients to dabble in both (because both scenarios have their advantages and disadvantages).
Have fun (<– said with a hint of sarcasm).
(Even More) Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint is currently on sale this week till this Sunday for $70 off the regular price, and digs into preparation concepts like this, plus so much more to help you get the best possible plan of action for your clients in order to get them results in the fastest, easiest and safest manner possible.
After over a year of development, fine tuning, and presenting multiple times to get the fine points just right, Dean Somerset and I have finally released “(Even More) Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint” – a brand spankin new product with new content – and it’s on sale now.
Save $50 off the regular price of Version 2.0 and $80 off the COMBO pack (Versions 1.0 & 2.0) HERE.
It’s not lost on me that most sequels fall somewhere between “sucks donkey balls” and “a complete dumpster fire.”
I mean, do I have to go any further than Major League 2 or Speed 2: Cruise Control?Assuredly, the (Even More) CSHB falls more along the lines of Return of the King or, fuck it, I’ll go there…The Godfather II.
I.e., it’s the polar opposite of a dumpster fire.4
Dean and I go deeper into our assessment protocols, offer more insight into programming considerations, and also provide more in-depth coaching on squats, deadlifts, thoracic mobility, and much more.
In all there’s 11+ hours of content – both lecture/theory as well as plenty of hand-on practicals – and the miraculous thing is that I don’t swear even once over the course of the two days we spent filming. Anyone who’s ever seen me present in person know that this is a feat in of itself.
Okay, maybe I say “shit”…once.
But that’s peanuts compared to what normally emerges from my sailor mouth.
In addition to being able to safely watch this at work or with a bunch of five-year olds in the room, you’ll also have the opportunity to earn continuing education credits, and I even think my cat makes a cameo.
It basically sells itself at this point…;o)
Still, we’re no idiots. (Even More) Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint is on sale through this week only at a very generous discount.
Thanks for your consideration and I hope you enjoy it!
This workshop is designed for fitness professionals – personal trainers, strength & conditioning coaches, physical therapists, etc – to provide both physical & psychological tools to help build your brand, business, and rapport with clients.
Dr. Lewis and I cover a lot of material:
How to increase competency and motivation with your clients.
An overview of both upper and lower extremity assessment to create increased “buy in.”
How to set professional & personal boundaries with clients.
Troubleshooting common lifts such as squats & deadlifts to best fit the needs, ability level, and anatomy of clients.
And more…
CEUs will be available.
For more information – including full itinerary and to register – you can go HERE.
2. Coaching Competency – Dublin, Ireland
This is happening Sunday, September 8, 2019 (Early Bird rate in effect)
So what happens when a room full of Irish(w0)men find out I’m not much of a drinker?…;o)
Whether you get paid to tell people to lift heavy things or you just like to lift heavy things yourself, in this 1-day workshop you’ll get the opportunity to listen to me talk about my how I approach assessment and gain a better understanding of how I “match” the exercises I prescribe to better fit the needs, ability level, and more importantly, the anatomy of each individual I work work.
In short, this workshop looks at the “umbrella theme” of my coaching philosophy.
For more information – including itinerary and how to register – go HERE.
3. Strategic Strength Workshop – London, England
This is happening the weekend of September 14-15th, 2019 (Early Bird rate in effect).
Luke Worthington and I have presented this workshop twice. Once in London last year and again this past June in Boston.
We’re bringing it back to London this Fall, my most favorite place in the world.
This two-day workshop is designed to arm fitness professionals with all the tools they’ll need to hone their assessment skills and to make their clients/athletes a bunch of bonafide, resilient, strength training Terminators.
Combined Luke and I have ~40 years of coaching experience (or one Dan John) and bring different perspectives and skill-sets to the table; Luke peels back the onion on PRI (Postural Restoration Institute) concepts and assessment, while I go into detail breaking down movement and how to better “match” the exercises we prescribe to our clients.
For more information – including itinerary and how to register – you can go HERE.
SOCIAL MEDIA SHENANIGANS
Twitter
I say this facetiously (kinda), but if you really want to “shop” for a personal trainer and can’t figure out who to hire and who’s worth the money, ask them to name 3 out of the 4 rotator cuff muscles.
The most cogent place to start is to (briefly) explain what a hip hinge is. And to that end I often like to steal a train of thought from renowned strength coach and writer, Dan John:
“The Hip Hinge = Maximal hip flexion with minimal knee flexion.”
Well, that was easy.
Now that we know what it is, why do we care?
In my neck of the woods – strength & conditioning – the hip hinge is the precursor (or base) for a lot of what we do to help make people stronger, faster, and more athletic.
Deadlifting = hip hinge.
Jumping = hip hinge.
But in everyday life, too, the hip hinge pops in to make a cameo appearance:
Bending over to pick up your child.
Picking up anything off the ground, really.
Sitting down.
Assuming an athletic position in your recreational basketball league. You know, the same league a bunch of your friends asked you to join because it was going to be fun, but then you went a head and missed those two foul shots to lose the championship game, and now everyone hates you. That league.
Photo Credit: STACK.com
Whether you realize it or not, and whether or not it involves lifting heavy things (or your recycling bin), you likely hip hinge many, many, many times per day.
And you’re likely more than proficient at it.
Some (not all) fitness professionals like to make things more complicated than they have to be. When it comes to the hip hinge, really what we’re after is the ability to dissociate hip movement from lumbar movement.
We want to be able to move from the hips with little (if any) movement from the spine; especially when we’re under significant load.
Some fit pros will assess the hip hinge and if it seems wonky or awry they’ll automatically transform into “corrective exercise” mode where said individual will be put through a hefty 17-week program complete with dowel rods, bands, breathing drills, and maybe a Shaolin monk (in worst case scenarios) to set them straight and to fix things.
Now, I am not here to bemoan corrective exercise or to belittle those who take the time to coach up their clients with hip hinge drills.
I mean, I’ve written several blog posts on the topic HERE and HERE, so I’d be a major asshole if I did that.
But, what I would like today’s post to do is to provide a bit of context and to remind coaches that sometimes all people need is a slight nudge or reminder that “x” is what you want them to do.
Again, with a hip hinge, all I’m after is dissociation of hip movement from lumbar movement. If I can get an individual to create tension – or a “flexion moment” – in the anterior core so that they can’t move through their lower back, then my job is done.
Whoa – I was thiiiis close to titling this post “A Cool Way to HACK Your Landmine Variations,” and then I remembered I can’t stand people who use that word incessantly.
Hack.
You see articles or blog posts use it all…the…time, as if to imply 1) they know something we don’t, some short-cut no one in the history of ever has ever thought of before and 2) that they’re some sort of uppity, bourgeoisie Dumbledore or something with a bevy of tricks up their sleeve:
5 Tips to Hack Your Sleep Habits
Hack Your Way to Increased Muscle Mass
Use These Hacks to Hack Your Next Article on Writing About Hacks.
Anyway, I remembered I wasn’t an asshole and decided to go with “upgrade” instead.
I receive inquiries from companies and individuals all the time asking me to try their stuff out in the hopes that maybe I’ll like it and share it amongst my “tribe.”
Admittedly, most of the time, it’s just not a good fit for what I do and what I believe in. I had an individual reach out to me once asking me if I’d be interested in trying out their “Keto” supplements.
“They’re very effective,” she said, “and I’m sure the bulk of your audience will agree.”
In my head I was like, “I’d rather jump into a dumpster fire.”
I don’t know, maybe they were effective (at what, I have no idea); and maybe I’m a big, fat, meanie head for not giving something new a try, but all I did was politely say “no thanks” and move on with my life.
I’ve also had people reach out to see if I’d be interested in trying out “x” piece of equipment or maybe they want to send me some of their apparel that does all sorts of fancy things like keep track of your heart rate, exfoliates your skin, and filters your sweat so that it can be recycled to grow organic grass fed acai berries.
I’m always flattered and always try to be respectful when I know something’s not a proper fit for me or my brand.
It comes with the territory for being moderately e-famous.
NOTE TO AUDI: If you ever want to send me one of your new Q5’s to try out I won’t say no…:o)
That said, it’s not always a shit show. Every now and then I’m sent something cool, and something I think everyone else will think is cool too.
Like…
…The Gut Wrench
The people over at StrongerThanU.com reached out to me several weeks ago asking if I’d be interested in their gadget, The Gut Wrench.
Full Disclosure: I receive zero kickback or affiliate income for recommending this product. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a future hug, though.
I know based off the picture above it doesn’t look like much, but once I saw it in action I knew I’d want one to have in my studio.
It makes having a dedicated Landmine (or Angled Bar) attachment obsolete. I can do a multitude of Landmine exercises anywhere in the gym I please: in the corner, in the middle of the gym floor, over here, over there, pants on, pants off, whatever.
When I got back from Australia last week The Gut Wrench was waiting for me and I immediately starting playing around with it.
And boy do I like it.
It’s small, sturdy, and I can use it for soooo many activities; a god-send for anyone who works out of a limited space such as myself.
In the video above I’m performing a Rotating Alternate Landmine Press (0ne of my favorites), and because the Gut Wrench is designed the way it’s designed the barbell doesn’t “slip” on the floor.
I.e., It stays in place.
Too, I’m still able to perform all the same lower body movements as well without any worry that the barbell will travel away from me.
If you’re a gym owner or someone who needs a little more versatility with your Landmine exercises I’d seriously give The Gut Wrench a consideration.
It’s official: I thought I felt like a bag of dicks yesterday, but I really feel like a bag of dicks today.
The jet lag was fairly manageable yesterday and Lisa and I were both like “huh, not too shabby.” Today, though, it’s kicked into high gear and next level shitty.
It’s so bad I don’t even feel like heading to the gym to do some arms.
FML.
Copyright: wamsler / 123RF Stock Photo
BUT FIRST…CHECK THIS STUFF OUT
1.Strong Body-Strong Mind Workshop – Chicago, IL (w/ Dr. Lisa Lewis)
This workshop is designed for fitness professionals – personal trainers, strength & conditioning coaches, physical therapists, etc – to provide both physical & psychological tools to help build your brand, business, and rapport with clients.
Dr. Lewis and I cover a lot of material:
How to increase competency and motivation with your clients.
An overview of both upper and lower extremity assessment to create increased “buy in.”
How to set professional & personal boundaries with clients.
Troubleshooting common lifts such as squats & deadlifts to best fit the needs, ability level, and anatomy of clients.
And more…
The Early Bird rate for this workshop is set to expire this weekend (7/29) so if you want to save yourself $50 I’d encourage you to sign up ASAP.
CEUs will be available.
For more information – including full itinerary and to register – you can go HERE.
Luke Worthington and I have presented this workshop twice. Once in London last year and again this past June in Boston.
We’re bringing it back to London this Fall, my most favorite place in the world.
This two-day workshop is designed to arm fitness professionals with all the tools they’ll need to hone their assessment skills and to make their clients/athletes a bunch of bonafide, resilient, strength training Terminators.
Combined Luke and I have ~40 years of coaching experience (or one Dan John) and bring different perspectives and skill-sets to the table; Luke peels back the onion on PRI (Postural Restoration Institute) concepts and assessment, while I go into detail breaking down movement and how to better “match” the exercises we prescribe to our clients.
For more information – including itinerary and how to register – you can go HERE.
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Did some high-rep frog pumps with a 40 lb DB on my lap this morning in the hotel gym.
There were a handful of other patrons in there as well.
Thanks @bretcontreras for making the world a little more awkward one thrust at s time…😉
