I’ll be making my first appearance – ever (<— how’s that possible?) – in the wonderful state of North Carolina this coming March to put on my popular Coaching Competency Workshop.
Full details (date, location, itinerary, how to register) can be found HERE.
EARLY BIRD rate is currently in effect ($50 off regular price), so make sure to take advantage of it while you can.
3. I Was Memed
SOCIAL MEDIA SHENANIGANS
Twitter
Sport specific, schmort schmerlific
The better term is PERSON SPECIFIC training. Athletes don’t need to emulate their sport in the weight room. They need to use the weight room to address THEIR unique injury history, THEIR goals, and THEIR ability level. Just like everyone else.
Not many people know this but I almost dodged out of my first public speaking event. It was back in 2009 and I was slated to speak at a local college here in Boston to a bunch of incoming freshman on “better nutritional choices in the cafeteria.”
I woke up at like 3 am that morning terrified, telling my girlfriend (now wife) that I was thinking about calling in sick.
Can you even do that?
Anyway, she talked me out of it and no one died.
Since then I have spoken well over 50+ times all over the world and I’m 100% convinced that it’s helped me grow my business.
Mark Fisher is THE best public speaker I know and you should read this.
Dr. Lisa Lewis and I have designed a 1-day workshop for health/fitness professionals that touches on a topic rarely discussed: the SOFT SKILLS of coaching.
How to improve exercise consistency.
How to increase motivation and competency to train.
How to assess clients/athletes and write more effective programs that better match their ability level.
How to create loyal clients (and a growing bank account).
We’ll be holding another Strong Body-Strong Mind Workshop in Boston, MA on August 12th.
1. We offer both a Professional and Student rate.
2. CEUs will be available via the NSCA.
3. Predator Handshakes are free.
For more details (including itinerary and registration) go HERE.
BUT NOW…it’s the Even More Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint.
A bunch of wordsmiths we are.
With this iteration, though, we’ll be going a bit deeper into the coaching and programming side of things:
How to program around common injuries.
How to “connect” the appropriate exercises to the client/athlete.
How to squat and deadlift like a boss.
All registrants to this course (as well as future dates in Ljubljana, Slovenia & Los Angeles) will receive a free download of CSHB 1.0 so that you’re up-to-speed on the content Dean and I will be covering.
There’s only a little more than a week left to take advantage of the Early Bird rate for Houston.
“If you want to be a great lifter, it’s in your best interests to become a great breather, too.”
Breathing is one of those “finer detail” components that can make all the difference in the world with not only how lifting heavy things feels, but also in overall performance.
And it doesn’t have to be a time-intensive, follow Alice down the rabbit hole kinda thing either. Jennifer outlines a simple (albeit very effective) strategy that anyone can apply.
Social Media Shenanigans
Twitter
Went in GNC to buy an energy drink and had to bite my tongue when the guy behind counter was trying to convince me how much sugar “decays” the body & then went on to ask me if I knew about Keto. “Sorry dude, wife’s waiting for me.” Byeeeeeeee
Next weekend, Saturday, August 5th my wife, Dr. Lisa Lisa Lewis, and I will be hosting our Strong Body-Strong Mind Workshop here in Boston.
Like, IN Boston.
There’s no workshop out there catered for fitness professionals that deals with both mindset/mental strategy skills – helping to build rapport, competency, and autonomy with clients/athletes – and exercise technique and assessment.
So, why not combine the two?
There are still a few remaining spots left so if you need some CEUs or want to come to a cool city to hang out and talk about the Transtheoretical Theory of Change or upper extremity assessment like a motherfucking boss, lets do it.
Our Vancouver shindig in April sold out, but Dean and I have recently announced a stop in Orlando, FL later this year, October 21-22nd at Spark Fitness.
I’ve never been to Orlando. There’s no way in hell I’m visiting Disney World.
HEADS UP: We’ve also added Boston into the mix later this year. Not Burlington, MA Boston or Beverly Boston. Like IN Boston… in the heart of the city Boston at AMP Fitness.
If you’re super excited and want to sign-up early you can go HERE.
I had the opportunity to chime in on this article on T-Nation asking a bunch of coaches what are some daily habits they use themselves or suggest their clients use to lead healthier lifestyles.
I don’t know if it was on purpose, but the fact the picture above was used as the lead in to this article says it all.
Spotting a DB press by the elbows is fucking moronic, and any trainer who does should be forced to walk off a plank into Mordor. Or Sparta kicked in the chest. Either one is appropriate.
However, this line from the article says it all:
“Oh, and why do you always have fat people do triceps kickbacks? Could anything be less effectual for weight loss and/or conditioning?”
Social Media Shenanigans
Twitter
Sometimes the best coaching is to just shut up & let clients/athletes figure things out for themselves.
People tend to perform best and feel their best when they know they’re a part of a community.
This sentiment is true in almost any context whether referring to AA, drama club, team sports, galactic Empires, or hell, even one of those super secret societies, like in the movie Eyes Wide Shut. But it’s especially true within fitness circles.
It’s in fitness where people can commiserate in unison through a brutal squat session, conditioning circuit, or a random CrossFit WOD of muscles ups paired with running over your right arm with a Prowler for AMRAP.
In short: If you’re part of a (fitness) community you’re more likely to see things through, build an increased sense of perseverance and resiliency, and less likely to give up.
Too, you’re more likely to see the fruits of your labor; I.e., results!
I can attest to this phenomenon via my affiliation with Cressey Sports Performance for eight years, as well as my past experience training at South Side Barbell, a powerlifting gym formerly located in Stratford, CT.
When you train around like-minded individuals (or train with a purpose) great things happen.
CrossFit Gets All the Hype
There’s no denying the overwhelming sense of camaraderie and community that CrossFit has been able to establish amongst its fans and members in recent years. It’s something I commend with vigor.
Nothing has gotten the barbell in more people’s hands – especially women – than CrossFit.
However there’s another fitness “faction” that’s been doing the same thing for years, and one I feel is every bit as motivational and a champion of community as CrossFit.
Maybe even better in several ways.
And it’s a community I wish more people – especially women – would consider.
Drum roll please……..
Powerlifting (But Really, Strength Training In General)
Fear not ladies! I know the word “powerlifting” is often synonymous with “I’m not touching that with a ten foot pole.”
Besides, handstand push-ups and cartwheels look a helluva lot more fun than grinding out a heavy deadlift. I get it.
Plus, the word itself – powerlifting – reeks of intimidation and infers something only advanced lifters dabble in.
Relax. Deep breaths. There’s nothing advanced about it. At it’s base level..all powerlifting really means is strength training.
Besides, what follows assumes that you are equipped with some very basic tools: a working knowledge of gym lingo (you know the difference between a set and rep, can differentiate between a squat and a deadlift, and understand that the word “muscle confusion” is moronic). Also: if you recognize that this picture…..
…is of a dumbbell and not, say, a stapler…we’re good, and you can safely proceed knowing you’re not going to be over your head.
Why More Women Should Powerlift/Strength Train
Okay, I lied. There is a teeny tiny degree of intimidation tied to powerlifting. I mean, I felt it the first time I ever visited South Side Barbell with Eric Cressey back in 2006.
I had just moved to Connecticut (where Eric and I were working and living together) and I tagged along with Eric to South Side to get a lift in. Note: Eric was a competitive powerlifter at the time.
I remember walking through the doors the first time into a room full of 280+ lb giants warming up with my 1RM. Intimidation doesn’t begin to articulate what I was feeling. I was trying every trick in the book not to destroy the back of my pants.
Moreover, as the weeks passed, I had to “wear” the not-so-subtle ball-busting…you know, being the skinny, veiny guy and all. But it didn’t take long for me to be accepted and to feel as if I was part of the group; part of a team.
Likewise, it didn’t take long for me to understand that it was one of the most giving and educational experiences in my lifting career, despite not competing.
To reiterate, though, you don’t need to train AT a powerlifting gym in order to strength train. You can do it anywhere.
Also, on an aside: Spandex (those silly singlets) are only needed to compete.
1) Community
This is very much on par with CrossFit. The powerlifting community is a generous one, and one that will always give back (assuming you’re someone who will show up, do the work, and take a role as part of a team). Basically you need to give too, and not just take.
And like CrossFit, when you’re surrounded by like-minded individuals it’s pretty much impossible not to see results.
Cressey Sports Performance coach, Tony Bonvechio, started the CSP Women’s Powerlifting team a few months ago and when I was still there I saw firsthand how empowering and invigorating it was for the women who took part.
It was awesome to see them train as a team, and to watch them coach and cheer one another as they continued to hit PRs.
The “community” element can’t be understated, and I’d encourage anyone reading to seek out a facility or group to work with, even if it’s only 1x per week. It’s worth it.
2) Purpose
Admittedly, not everyone is going to have easy access to a facility or group of people who like to powerlift and/or strength train. But that doesn’t mean you still can’t reap the benefits.
Following a powerlifting/strength-centric program gives people PURPOSE in their training; a goal. It helps to take away the notion that progress (or results) is dictated by what the scale says or what the gossip magazines like to portray as the ideal body type.
Instead, powerlifting (like CrossFit) places higher credence on performance-based goals, which to me has a greater carryover to long-term, consistent progress than anything.
It’s funny: when things start to click and a woman latches on to strength as a positive thing – and not something to be condemned– many of the aesthetic markers she may have be working towards for years with little or no result begin to manifest.
It becomes less about “look at me, I’m hot. Do you think I’m hot? I’m hot, right?” and more about “look at me, and this deadlift PR I just smashed.”
3) Technique
By now some of you may be thinking:
“Well, it seems there’s not much difference between CrossFit and powerlifting in terms of advantages. So, why not just CrossFit?”
This third point is where I feel the two start to separate themselves.
Disclaimer: Yes, CrossFit, I know plenty of coaches and boxes you coach their athletes/clients up well, use intelligent programming, and take the time to properly ramp up or progress individuals based off ability level, goals, and limitations.
But lets be real: that’s the exception and not the rule. Because, CrossFit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=opYj0XICHvQ
The overwhelming mentality is “lets do stuff because it looks cool and because it’s hard1” rather than “lets do stuff that will make people better, educate them, and allow them to build some semblance of fitness autonomy.”
As Dean Somerset noted recently:
“The benefits of learning technique for outweigh the benefits of simply doing an exercise. Using powerlifting principles to teach positioning, bracing, and organization to perform a lift helps to limit secondary movement from joints that shouldn’t be causing the movement, and helps reduce the likelihood of problems down the road.”
The principles of powerlifting help to build proficiency in the “big 3,” which makes the learning curve when introducing new movements much less of a barrier.
Jennifer Blake and Jen Sinkler have constructed a resource – Unapologetically Powerful– I feel will help a lot of women understand the power behind powerlifting. <— See what I just did there. Clever, right?
I mean, why should you have to “apologize” or feel ostracized because you’re strong or want to be strong?
They help to make powerlifting more accessible to women and less intimidating. Here’s what’s in the program
A comprehensive training manual that includes Beginner and Early Intermediate 12-week powerlifting programs with a detailed introduction to biofeedback training.
An extensive guide on how to compete for first-time powerlifters who want to step onto the platform.
A complete exercise glossary with clear-cut written coaching cues and images.
A MASSIVE video library of more than 140 exercise demonstration videos. Every movement in the program is in the video library, with detailed coaching cues to walk you through each exercise step by step.
A revamped version of Lift Weights Faster geared specifically toward powerlifters.
Unapologetically Powerful is on sale for HALF OFF now through midnight Friday, December 11. For more info, click HERE.
Today’s guest post comes courtesy of Jennifer Vogelgesang Blake – or JVB as she’s affectionately called – a coach at The Movement Minneapolis, competitive powerlifter, and author (along with Jen Sinkler) of Unapologetically Powerful, a new resource designed as a go-to source for learning the “big 3” lifts, and removes the intimidation often attached at their hip.
Or weight clamps in this case.
Anyone can (and will) benefit from this resource – especially beginner and intermediate lifters who are even the slightest bit interested in competing and/or honing their technique.
And, I’d be remiss not to mention I feel this is a home run for any woman who may be on the fence about this whole “lifting heavy things” thing.
Without further ado, I’ll let JVB take it from here. Enjoy!
3 Squat Variations You Haven’t Tried Yet, But Need To
I’m going to be bracingly honest with you. If I were forced to choose, with my feet to the fire, I would have to own up to liking to squat more than I like to deadlift.
(I can picture Tony Gentilcore’s eyes firing up like Darth Sidius in The Empire Strikes Back and pledging an oath to never host a guest blog from me on his site ever again. This is what they call “going out on a limb.”)
I don’t think it’s unusual for lifters to hold a slight allegiance to one or the other. Both big lifts remind me of a bricklayer laying bricks: strengthening the quads, hams, back, and core are going to construct a house no one is going to be able to knock down. Even so, to me, there’s something really thrilling about loading a bar onto your back and refusing to let it plaster your face into the ground.
Squats open up the lifting in a powerlifting meet.
Of the three main lifts (back squat, bench press, and deadlift), squats come first. I’ve come to regard this lift as the party starter—it sets the tone for the rest of the day.
Starting the meet off strong gets your mind in a good place and a great result there infuses confidence into the following two lifts. Feeling strong also improves your mental game.
On that note, make all versions of your squat the same sort of tone-setter.
There are so many riffs on the movement: bilateral variations, such as kettlebell goblet squats and barbell front squats, are excellent for targeting anterior core strength, and unilateral variations such as Bulgarian split squats, skater squats, and pistol squats are key for giving both legs the chance to work, and to even out strength imbalances.
These variations are like the sprinkles on a cupcake, though: while I like to sprinkle that ish liberally, I know that these sprinkles alone do not a great, big, fluffy cupcake make.
I acknowledge that I need to work on my similes, but you don’t have to be a powerlifter to embrace cupcakes and the following three lifts, you only have to be interested in improving your strength everywhere—but especially in your core and in the bottom position of a squat. If you are, chances are good that you could give your current back squat PR a nice bump if you incorporate them regularly.
Barbell Squat-To-Box
First things first: what’s the point of having a big squat if it’s not a big, full-range-of-motion squat? Quarter squats don’t count when you’re going for bragging rights.
Depth issues sometimes come down to a lack of awareness in how low you are actually getting.
Heads up: Don’t confuse the Barbell Squat-To-Box with Barbell Box Squats, a variation in which you actually sit on the box. This is a touch-and-go movement and will help you learn what it actually feels like to squat to proper depth.
Zercher Squat
When David Dellanave, owner of The Movement Minneapolis, originally showed me how to do the Zercher squat, I was like, “Really? Why would I want to hold the bar like that?” His answer, “It’s going to get you really f#cking strong, that’s why.”
Zercher squats hammer your quads like crazy, and you’ve never experienced an ab workout quite as intense as a set of heavy Zercher squats. Getting your body strong in weird positions will make lifting in more conventional position that much more lovely.
Zercher squats require that you hold the weight in the crook of your elbows while you complete the movement. The Zercher isn’t just limited to the squat, either: you can also Zercher hold, carry, and deadlift. Because of the position of the weight on your body, this variation is killer for strengthening the upper back.
Hot Tip: Wrap the bar in padding or even a yoga mat for greater comfort.
Pause-in-the-Hole Squat
Many lifters rely on the stretch reflex, that rubber-band-like contraction that happens when the muscles stretch at the bottom of the squat, to bounce out of the hole. There’s nothing inherently wrong with taking advantage of this phenomenon, which is particularly handy when attempting to move the most weight your body can handle.
But, there’s something to be said for eliminating the bounce and building strength from a dead stop in the bottom position.
It means you’ll be less likely to stay stuck in the hole.
Pause-in-the-Hole Squats are a favorite for addressing this issue because your position must inherently stay tight from the top position and hold tight throughout the bottom pause (lest you topple) before driving out of the hole. The extra time under tension will fully hammer home the need to keep the upper back tight and entire core braced, as well as build static strength in the lower back, hips, and abs.
Pausing at the bottom is undeniably challenging, even when your form is shipshape, so lessen the weight accordingly.
About JVB
Jennifer Vogelgesang Blake’s leggings might be pink but her weights aren’t. A personal trainer at The Movement Minneapolis, she is a powerlifting coach and competitor with a passion for helping her clients discover and grow their strength, inside and out. She’s here to spread the good word that strong is empowering and because of that, really, really fun.
Unapologetically Powerful is here!
Are you ready to become Unapologetically Powerful? If you’re even just a little bit interested in improving your back squat, bench press, and deadlift, and building lean, beautiful muscle, you’re going to love digging into this program.
Unapologetically Powerful is your go-to resource to learning all about the “big three” lifts, and removes any intimidation from training for and competing, should you decide to, in the sport of powerlifting.
Trainers Jen Sinkler and JVB have teamed up to provide you the answers to all of your powerlifting questions—and get you radically and unapologetically strong. Here’s what’s in the program:
A comprehensive training manual that includes Beginner and Early Intermediate 12-week powerlifting programs with a detailed introduction to biofeedback training.
An extensive guide on how to compete for first-time powerlifters who want to step onto the platform.
A complete exercise glossary with clear-cut written coaching cues and images.
A MASSIVE video library of more than 140 exercise demonstration videos. Every movement in the program is in the video library, with detailed coaching cues to walk you through each exercise step by step.
A revamped version of Lift Weights Faster geared specifically toward powerlifters.
Unapologetically Powerful is on sale for HALF OFF now through midnight Friday, December 11. For more info, click HERE.
A few housekeeping things to hit on before we dive into this week’s list.
1) A quick reminder that I will be in Frisco, TX on Sunday, December 27th doing a 1-day workshop on “The Athletic Shoulder” at Full Throttle Athletics. I’ll discuss things like upper extremity assessment (static and dynamic), why the term “shoulder impingement” is garbage, how to write effective programs around certain shoulder pathologies, coach up a few exercises, and probably talk about Star Wars. Because, Star Wars.
2) Eric and Chris Martinez – AKA: the Dynamic Duo – who have written for this site several times, just released a FREE 2-week mini course directed towards newbies (or those who are inundated with too much information) breaking down everything from training and nutrition mistakes to how build better adherence.
3) Lastly, I made a recent appearance on The Fitcast where Kevin and I spoke about my recent transition from Cressey Sports Performance to doing my own thing in Boston. And Fast 7.
Mike is known as one of the more analytical lifters out there. The guy is super meticulous when it comes to mapping out his training and he’s famous for saying smart things like “what gets measured gets managed.”
In this article he discusses the “grind.” Good? Bad? What does it mean?
Kale. Freaking KALE is bad for you? It’s absurd to think, right? Well, apparently some journalist wrote an article on why it’s bad. Or, rather, what we put on kale is bad. But the damage is still done.
Adam thinks it’s a shame (and I concur) that someone would write this, and here’s why.
In anticipation of the release of Unapologetically Strong next week, “the Jens” have been sharing a ton of excellent information this week detailing the ins and outs of the “big 3” and getting women fired up to powerlift!
I love it.
NOTE: you’ll need to provide your email in order to watch the video above. But 1) I promise it’s worth it and 2) “the Jens” aren’t a-holes. They won’t spam you.
