A few weeks ago we had a video crew spend the day at Cressey Performance for a promotional video we’re making to highlight our elite baseball development program. Below is just a quick sneak peek (a little over a minute), and sheds some light on what a typical day at the facility looks like when all the pro guys are getting after it:
We’re pretty excited and when all is said and done, the finished product should be around 7-8 minutes long with tons more action, interviews, and maybe, just maybe, if you play your cards right, a cameo appearance of me hittng the tire with my shirt off.
Actually not really, but the video is going to be ninja’esque either way. We should have it posted in a week or so.
Also, on a quick aside, today at midnight (2/11) marks the last day you’ll be able to purchase Lean Hybrid Muscle Reloaded at the discounted rate (50% off).
Word on the street is that the feedback on the program has been awesome so far, and I can’t wait to get started myself next week. As you all know, I don’t like to pimp too many products on this site, and I like to think that when I do endorse one, it will not only help out a lot of people and give them some sense of structure, but also motivate them to get off their ass and train!
Likewise, as I noted earlier in the week, both Mike and Elliot are “in the trenches,” and have a lot of coaching experience between the two of them. Put another way, they actually train people, practice what they preach, and aren’t just out to make a quick buck.
So, the sale ends tonight. After that, the price pretty much doubles. You snooze, you lose – go HERE and thank me later.
I write a lot of programs. It goes without saying that I write programs for many of the athletes and clients at Cressey Performance; I also write programs for various distance coaching clients I have around the world; I write my girlfriend’s programs; and I even write programs for family and friends, too. Basically, I spend a lot of time writing programs. Big surprise, I know.
And, to be perfectly frank, sometimes, the last person I want to program for is myself.
Typically what ends up happening is that I’ll write a program to get my swole on, and while I’ll start with good intentions and do every exercise prescribed to a “t” – for a few days, atleast (maybe even a week) – inevitably I’ll start to tweak things.
Before you know it, what started as program “A,” turns into program “whateverthe****,” where I just revert back to exercises I know I’m good at, or that I like to do (it’s okay to deadlift five times per week, right?).
We all do it – and I’m no different.
So, when Mike Westerdal and Elliot Hulse contacted me a few weeks ago and asked whether or not I’d be interested in checking out their latest product, Lean Hybrid Muscle Reloaded,it couldn’t have come at a better time.
I needed a change, and as cliché as it sounds, it was exactly what I was looking for.
Sometimes, you just need someone else to do the thinking for you, and the fact that this program is written by two guys who are hella strong (and actually train people), only makes it more appealing to me.
So, that being said, what makes the program so great? How is it different than any other program you can find on the interwebz?
1. Concurrent Programming – in short, concurrent training refers to training multiple qualities simultaneously. Unlike, say, linear periodization (which focuses on ONE quality in any given training cycle), concurrent training allows the trainee to focus on several qualities at once, which I feel has a lot more carry over to the world of athletics and leads to better results in general.
2. “Hybrid” Training – as the name implies, this program takes bits and pieces from several modalities (powerlifting, bodybuilding, strongman, etc) and combine them into one balls-to-the-wall, no frills, kick-ass program.
As noted by both Mike and Elliot: what hybrid workouts do is take the best of everything, combine them into a single, cohesive strategy that gives us all the benefits, but leaves behind the drawbacks. As a result, you’re able to build muscle and get lean at the same time.
In layman’s terms, you’ll basically turn into a sexual Tyrannosaurus.
3. Miscellaneous Awesomeness – unlike some manuals you’ll come across with little to no detail on the programming side of things, Lean Hybrid Muscle comes with a pretty extensive video database which makes following the program that much easier.
Moreover, it also includes the Hybrid Diet Nutrition Plan, which includes, among other things, detailed meal plans ranging from 1900-3000 kcals.
Simply put, Mike and Elliot cover all the bases and have gone out of their way to provide a quality product.
But I’ve done enough talking. Head over to the Lean Hybrid Muscle Website and check it out for yourself!
My girlfriend has been away for the past ten days doing some consulting work down in Colombia, and while it was nice to have some free time to hang out with the boys, leave the toilet seat up, burp out loud, and chew food with my mouth open, I can’t wait to see her in a few short hours. So, since I’m going to have to leave to pick her up at the airport shortly, I’m just going to leave you with a few random thoughts today.
1. I got a message on Facebook the other day from an old friend, asking this:
What do you think about that new 17 day diet? Is it hogwash?
B to the U……….llshit. This is hands down, the epitome of what a fad-diet looks like. Just look at the cover and your answers are right there smacking you in the face.
– A doctor’s plan for rapid results.
– 17 days, is all you need. Giving people the illusion that that is all it takes – 17 days.
– All that’s missing are dancing elephants, fireworks, and midgets. Can’t forget the midgets.
Does it get results? Sure. Are they going to last? Not a chance.
The basic premise of the diet is to change your caloric load every 17 days (why not 16? Hell, why not 22?) to keep your metabolism “guessing.” In short, you’re expected to cycle your calories every few days or weeks, changing the combination of healthy fats, carbohydrates, and protein that you eat.
And therein, lies the problem. People don’t want to have to think when they eat. Sure, someone will be able to follow this plan in the short-term, and probably see some results. But lets be honest – who’s going to want to have to count calories, adjust macronutrients, and let food ALWAYS be on their mind for the indefinate future?
You need to change HABITS in order for results to stick. Following some “cleansing” diet that has you pissing out your ass by day eight, isn’t going to change anything. Except maybe your wardrobe.**
This isn’t a complete waste, however. From what I can tell, there are good things about the diet. I mean, he streses the notion of eating “clean” foods, and that it’s okay to indulge. But in the long-haul, this diet falls short of helping people make behavioral changes towards their eating habits, and more specifically, it’s un-realistic.
It’s like $8 and will take you 25 minutes to read, and will do a great job at introducing the concept of behavorial changes that MUST take place in order to see long-term results.
2. If I had to guess, I write anywhere from 25-30 (sometimes upwards of 40 depending on the time of year) programs per week. It stands to reason, then, that writing MY programs is the last thing I want to do. I don’t want to have to think.
Starting next week, both myself and Eric Cressey are going to be following Lean Hybrid Muscle by Mike Westerdal and Elliot Hulse. I was lucky enough to receive an advanced copy last week, and after looking through it, I can’t wait to get started! Eric already has a head start on me – hitting one of the workouts outs over the weekend – and based off of the feedback he’s given me, it’s going to be badass!
3. I don’t watch the show, but I watched this clip which was posted on Bret Contreras’ wall on Facebook, and I have to say, I haven’t teared up that much since Travis shot Old Yeller:
But, what’s up with Steven Tyler? Dude is taking the creepiness to a whole new level:
4. My new obession are sun-dried tomatoes. I can’t get enough of them lately. I’ve been rocking them in my omeletes lately and they’re delicious!
5. I’ve decided that I really, really, really want to hit a 600 lb deadlift this year. As it stands now, I’m going through a bit of a bulking phase (210 lbs and counting, thank you very much) and then I’m going to get my sexification on and diet down in the Spring. After that, it’s game on. The last time I tested, I hit 570 lbs and it went up fairly easily. I figure I can follow another deadlift specialization routine similar to what EC and I did about a year and half ago, take an ample deload, and I can hit 600 like a G6.
Or, I can just wait until Nia Shanks actually comes to Boston for our deadlift-off. Which ever comes first……
6. Okay, time to go train. Training at a commercial gym today. God help me.
