My good friend Eric Cressey wrote an article not too long ago titled “Are You Doing Stupid Stuff in the Gym?.” In it he claimed that any healthy male under the age of 50 can and should be able to deadlift at least 400 lbs within two years of proper training; sometimes even faster than that.

Needless to say, Eric caught a lot of flack in the fitness community for saying such a bold statement.

Meet Pete Dupuis (Vice President of Cressey Performance). 364 days ago Pete weighed 160 lbs (at 6-1) and barely had enough flexibility to get low enough to the ground to perform a deadlift safely. I believe his first time performing a deadlift he used less than 100 lbs.

364 days later, Pete weighs roughly 200 lbs and he pulled 400 lbs……easily. And he totally made out with his girlfriend afterwards.

A few thoughts/comments:

1. Everyone has to start somewhere. Whether you’re a newbie or a world class powerlifter, we ALL started in the same boat (weak, weak, weak). If you would have asked Pete when he first started if he thought he would be pulling 400 lbs a year later, I’m sure he probably would have laughed. But he had a goal in mind and trained hard, and he won’t stop there. You shouldn’t either.

2. Sometimes less is better. I wrote an article not too long ago, titled “Training Disasters,” where I briefly discussed how I feel that many trainees deadlift BEFORE they’re ready. That’s to say, I think everyone should learn to deadlift, but not everyone can (or should) walk into their gym on day #1 and pull a bar from the floor. What’s nice about the deadlift is that it’s a movement that can be conformed to fit the needs of the lifter (and not vice versa). Pete started with less than 100 lbs and he made the proper progressions as he got more proficient. Long story short: train hard, but be patient. Make the proper progressions.

3. Training environment is huge. Never fails that when someone trains in an environment with like minded people, their progress almost always skyrockets.

4. For those who are curious. That’s Wu-Tang Clan playing in the background. Wu-Tang FOREVER!

Everyone is always looking for a new way to train their “core.” One of my favorite movements is the Pallof Press. Here, we’re training core stability (or anti-rotation), which is the main function of the abdominals in the first place (not trunk flexion: ie, crunches).

Key Points to Remember:

1. Stand perpendicular to the apparatus (you can use a Functional Trainer or a regular cable/pulley system) with the arm set at chest level.

2. Assume an “athletic” stance (knees slightly bent, feet just past shoulder width apart, chest high, butt back).

3. Begin with the handle right against your sternum. Brace your abdominals. “Press” the handle away from your body until your elbows lock. Do not let the weight/cable rotate you in any way (essentially you’re resisting the pull of the weight). Pause for a second, and then return to the starting position. Repeat. Once you complete all your reps on one side, switch and perform your reps on the other.

4. Be amazed at how many people now want to hang out with you.

Meet Audrey. Audrey is a wife and loving mother, and due to client/trainer confidentiality, I cannot reveal her age (Read: I’d have better odds winning a fight against a rabid black bear than I would surviving the wrath of revealing her age). Like many women, Audrey wants to get into shape. Unlike most women, Audrey is doing so by busting her butt in the gym. She isn’t spending 45 minutes on the treadmill everyday, she isn’t using pink dumbbells for 20 reps, and she isn’t scared to sweat.

Audrey Sled Push

A Few Random Notes:

1. That’s six plates on the sled. Sure, the turf makes it a bit easier, but it’s impressive nonetheless. Well, it’s more impressive than the fact that you read the entire issue of OK Magazine while on the elliptical machine. Newsflash: Lindsay Lohan likes her alcohol. Turn the page.

2. Once the set was complete, Audrey looked at the camera and yelled “PROTECT THIS HOUSE!” Alright, she didn’t do that. But it would have been cool if she did.

The lesson here? You need to TRAIN ladies, not “workout” to get the results you want.

Fat (specifically saturated fat) has long been the evil step sister of the dietary world. Thankfully we have people like Jeff Volek (author of the TNT Diet) to help dispel many of these common myths.

Lets take a gander at some not so well known facts concerning saturated fat:

1. Replacing carbohydrates with saturated fats-or any type of fat-results in decreased triglycerides levels, an independent risk factor for heart disease

2. Replacing carbohydrates with saturated fat-or again, any type of fat-results in increased HDL (good) cholesterol levels. In fact, saturated fat raises HDL even more than unsaturated fat.

3. Saturated fat increases the size of LDL (bad cholesterol) particles, which are less atherogenic.

4. Not all saturated fats raise cholesterol. For instance, stearic acid, a type of saturated fatty acid found in meats-has a neutral effect on LDL cholesterol.

And speaking of all of those delicious furry animals you can eat, lets take a closer look at the fatty acid content of steak and how it impacts your heart health.

Fatty Acid Content of Sirloin Steak

Monounsaturated Fat: 49%

Oleic Acid: 45% (+)

Palmitic Acid (+)

Saturated Fat: 47%

Palmitic Acid: 27% (+)

Stearic Acid: 16% (0)

Myristic Acid: 3% (-)

Lauric Acid: 1% (+)

Polyunsaturated Fat: 4%

Linoleic Acid: 4% (+)

Key:

+ = Positive effect on cholesterol

– = negative effect on cholesterol

0 = no effect on cholesterol

As you can see, steak isn’t quite the artery clogger everyone claims it is. Matter of fact, Volek goes so far as to say that including more saturated fat (while reducing processed carbohydrates/sugar) into your diet will help REDUCE your risk of heart disease. How you like dem apples?

My good friend Kevin Larrabee, of The Fitcast has a goal of raising $1000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. So far he has raised $200 and is offering a sweet deal on The Fitcast Insider (interviews include Alwyn Cosgrove, Mike Boyle, Bill Hartman, Dan John, Jimmy Smith, Cassandra Forsythe, among others). Check it out here

Instead of buying all that candy today, how bout using that money for a good cause? Last time I checked tooth decay isn’t a good cause.

Side Note: I had a new article published yesterday on Testosterone Magazine (t-nation.com), titled “Training Disasters.” In it, I discuss some of the more common mistakes (ie: disasters) that many people fall prey to with their own training. Check it out: here

I read a lot of books. Specifically I read a lot of books related to the fitness/nutrition industry. And while most make me want to vomit in my mouth, occasionally I come across one that really impresses me. One such books is The TNT Diet, written by Jeff Volek and Adam Campbell. Dr. Volek is a professor at the University of Connecticut and has been a long time advocate of low-carb diets and their efficacy towards fat loss (notice I didn’t say weight loss). Adam Campbell is a features editor of Mens Health and is a handsome devil (I hate him).

What I like best about this particular book is that it’s written by two guys who actually train and have experience under the bar. Matter of fact, Dr. Volek was a competitive powerlifter not too long ago. Walk down the health/fitness aisle at your local Barnes and Noble and peruse the covers of many of the books. I’m normally not the type of person to judge a book by its cover, but come on…..Dr. Phil? I doubt the man has ever lifted a weight in his life.

Nonetheless, the “TNT” in The TNT Diet stands for Targeted Nutritional Tactics. Essentially the book entails specific nutrition (and exercise, which is very important because most diet books never mention resistance training) strategies that enable “you” to reach your body composition goals as fast as possible. Notice the word body composition and not weight loss.

Most diet books focus only on weight loss, which is a major mistake. Research on dieters show that 75% of their weight loss is fat (great) and the other 25% is muscle (not so great). The TNT Diet focuses specifically on fat loss, while maintaining or even GAINING muscle, which bodes well from a body composition standpoint, as well as overall health (improve cholesterol profile, improve triglyceride profile, cut down risk for heart disease, lower blood sugar, ect). I won’t go into the details here, but suffice it to say it’s refreshing to actually read a mainstream diet book that focus on body composition and not just weight loss.

Also, what differentiates this book from other dieting books is that is goes out of it’s way to debunk many of the common myths that have been perpetuated by the media and “fitness/health experts” throughout the years.

1. The Food Guide Pyramid (yes even the new MyPyramid) stinks.

2. High(er) protein diets will not cause your kidneys to explode.

3. Saturated fat is actually healthier for you than you think and increasing your intake (while decreasing intake of processed foods) will actually DECREASE your risk of heart disease.

All in all, I definitely recommend this book.