Categoriescoaching personal training Program Design

Program Design Considerations for the New Personal Trainer

With more and more personal trainers entering the industry faster than Marvel and DC Comics can resurrect D-list characters to put into their movies1, it’s becoming more readily apparent how ill-prepared some (not all) are when it comes to writing effective training programs.

Today’s guest post, courtesy of Tennessee-based coach, Andy van Grinsven, helps to shed some light on the topic and remedy the situation. Enjoy.

Program Design Considerations For the New Personal Trainer: What You’re Missing

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It’s five after, and my client is running late. Like an owl I spin my head round and round checking first the door, then the suspiciously empty squat rack, and back to the door, tapping my clip board with feverish anxiety.

My client arrives. “Hey there! How was your weekend? Ready to get started?” Like Fred Jones I wave of my arm as if to say “come on, gang!” I’m listening to my client while trying to break the speed-walking world record on my way to the rack.

Then it happens. Like a swarm of vultures a group of teenagers snag the only squat rack in the gym. Nut punch. Now what?

Personal trainers and coaches pride themselves in their ability to write programs: sets and reps, rest periods, organization, periodization, and all the other details that make a program, a program. And at the end of the day, we hope this program turns our clients into card-carrying certified badasses.

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But here’s the thing:

Any trainer worth his weekend certification can put together a program. It’s not that hard: pick some exercises, assign some stuff to them, and voila! You’re a coach.

But what happens when you actually hit the trenches and start training these clients? Does your program actually work? Does it fit the context of the gym and client? Does it make them better?

I’ve been training, largely in community gyms, for the better part of 7 years. I’ve written countless programs. However, the number of times I’ve been able to execute a program 100% as written is likely less than 10.

Why?

Because when life throws you a bunch of teenagers in the squat rack, you make do with what you’ve got left (after cursing the Gods, and maybe, crop-dusting them).

Suddenly, your perfect program gets shot down because the equipment you needed is occupied.

Or your client just got back from a 2-week vacation. Or your client slept poorly. Or they stayed up late watching Friends reruns.

Your program means nothing if it can’t roll with the punches.

Exercise selection, sets, reps, and rest periods are great. But there’s a few things you ought to consider along with the meat and potatoes of your program:

Program Design Considerations: What Your Certification Course Forgot to Mention

1.) WHO is your client?

Are they an athlete? Are they a bodybuilder? Powerlifter? Or just some regular Joe trying to lose

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belly fat?

This question might sound silly, but you may be surprised to see many coaches and trainers blindly fit all their clients to one style of training:

Powerlifters like the “Big 3,” so every client is barbell benching, squatting, and deadlifting.

Bodybuilders chase max muscle, and often write programs with titles like “chest day” or “leg day.”

This is, of course, appropriate, if the client is a powerlifter or bodybuilder. But what if they’re not? How do you write a program for the regular Joe?

Do both styles of training, and the tools they prefer, have a place in your program? (<–the answer is probably, yes)

2.) What’s Important?

You’ve got your exhaustive list of exercises: squat variations, different hand position, barbells, TRX, medicine balls, boxes, and the list goes on.

In this crazy world of fitness and exercises, which ones are most important for your client? What do you choose, and how do you implement them?

Develop your own “10 Most Important Things” list. This list will serve as the foundation for your program design.

Here are my 10 Most Important Things (in no particular order):

  • Squat
  • Hip Hinge
  • Push-ups
  • Chin-ups
  • Lunge
  • Row
  • Carry
  • “Power movement”

 

  • Crawl
  • Anti-movements (planks, Pallof presses, etc.)

 

For me, these 10 represent the most important things I need to coach all my clients. The style of squat; the type of hip hinge; how many push-ups they can do; and the “power movement” will all differ client-to-client, but they’re all things my clients will do with me. If I’ve covered these 10 things, we’re going to be in good shape for both the gym and life.

If you must leave your client with only 10 things, what would they be?

3.) What Are the Client’s Goals?

I get it: squatting is a ton is fun. Being super strong is awesome. But does your client want to squat a metric shit-load? Do they even know if they do or don’t? Further, how strong is “strong enough?”

Remember: you’re in business to help your client. If being as strong as humanly possible is their goal, then get after it. If not, reassess “why” you’re designing your program to include heavy squat sessions. They might not be appropriate for this client, or many of your others.

Now before you go writing me off as some soft coach, hear me out: I agree that everyone needs to be “strong.” Helping your client get stronger is helping them build muscle, boost confidence, and reduce their risk of injury.

But, how we get them stronger is through progressive overload, not necessarily the tool: dumbbells, barbells, and TRX each provide a stimulus to help your client get stronger.

I encourage you to evaluate how you define strong and evaluate the methods you use to make your clients strong.

Sometimes, a goblet squat is all you’re ever going to need.

 

4.) What Does Your Client Need?

You’ve established the client’s goals: shed body fat, get stronger, and look great naked again.

What if your client wants to squat a brick shit-house, but can’t squat to parallel with body weight?

Maybe they want to run next year’s full marathon, but they’re carrying an extra 50 pounds of fat.

Get your clients to their goals, but assess their needs along the way. If they have the body awareness of a 2-year old and joint mobility that would make the Tin Man cringe, we’ve got some work to do first.

Whether these things pan out during your first few sessions or are discovered through your screen is up to you, but make sure you’re using the safest and most effective methods for their abilities right now, and not where they think they are.

5.) What CAN You Do?

It’s not what you want to do, it’s what you can do.

There have been numerous times I’ve walked into the gym, program in hand, and had to make adjustments, X-out exercises, and switch my order.

Why? The teenagers in the squat rack. My client didn’t sleep well. The lat-pulldown is out for maintenance.

What are you going to do now?

1. Roll with it

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I’m all for program writing and I love the enthusiasm but have progressions, regressions, and other options that can get the job done.

For most everyone, like 99% of the people you’re going to work with, it won’t matter whether you squat them with a bar, dumbbell, or kettlebell. It won’t matter if your hip hinge movement is KB swings instead of deadlifts. It won’t matter if you choose to do push-ups over DB presses.

All that will matter is that you’ve provided a stimulus and a fun training experience.

Why? Because good, hard work, trumps no work at all. And in the grand scheme of things, most of your clients just want to move well and feel well, get a good workout in, and be on their way.

2. Assess Readiness

Many coaches, many smarter and more experienced than I, will use Heart Rate Variability or some other tool to assess “readiness” of the client or athlete before the training sessions starts.

If you have the tools and like to use them, great. If not, borrow my “RPF,” or 0-10 Rating of Perceived Feels scale:

A zero (0) on the scale roughly means “Andy, I’d rather throat punch you than work out today.”

Ok. No problem. Maybe we’ll de-load or reduce the volume on some things.

A 10 on the scale roughly means “Andy, I’d like to fight Superman today.” Great! Let’s get after it: slap on more weight; more sets; and more intensity.

Your 0-10 might mean different things to you and your client, but make it fun and relatable. At the very least, you’ll get a laugh out of them with the silliness.

My RPF scale is a simple, subjective tool that gives you an idea of the state your client is in before you start hitting the weights. Make changes accordingly.

Conclusion

Writing a program doesn’t have to be complicated, however, these are considerations most don’t take into account when designing a program.

It’s easy to jot down the program that *you* would want to do, but is it appropriate for the client? Is it appropriate for the context of the gym and client’s goals?

Answer these questions before you even sit down to write the program, and have progressions, regressions, and built-in flexibility with your exercise selection.

If you can do that, I promise you’ll write better programs and rarely run into trouble.

About the Author

Andy is a personal trainer and strength coach based in Nashville, TN. He likes deadlifting, coffee, and BBQ. His clients range from college age to retirement, but the message is still the same: lift safely and progressively, then rule the world. You can find him on Facebook and Instagram, or on his website HERE.

Categoriespodcast Stuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff To Read While You’re Pretending To Work: 9/2/16

Note from TG: be sure to scroll all the way down for some bonus material.

Wow – it’s September already. It’s Labor Day weekend here in the States, which means summer is more or less over, and so is any chance of me getting a sick tan this year. Noooo.

There’s no sense whining about it. It is what it is. Lets jump right into this week’s list of stuff to read.

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A quick reminder that Dean Somerset and I will be hosting our last LIVE event together of 2016 next month (weekend of October 15th) in Minneapolis, MN.

The stellar folks at Movement Minneapolis were kind enough to offer their four walls to host our Complete Shoulder & Hip Workshop. You can check out all the details along with sign-up information HERE.

Also, speaking of the workshop, Dean and I filmed it last Spring over in Norway and are planning on releasing it as an 11+ hour digital product titled the Complete Shoulder & Hip Blueprint in the next coming weeks. Catchy title, right?2

 

We’d still highly recommend attending a live event if you ever get the chance to do so; each one is always a little different and nuanced. However, the likelihood Dean and I will ever travel to North Platte, Nebraska or, I don’t know, the country of Moldova is slim. No offense North Platteians, I’m sure it’s a lovely place to visit.

Filming the event and making it into a digital product is going to get our information into more hands, which is kind of the point: we want to help more fitness professionals do a better job at assessment and writing effective programs, as well as helping non-fitness professionals better understand anatomy and exercise technique.

Get ready people: it’s coming.

Muscle Confusion Is Mostly a Myth – Brad Stulberg

I love, love, LOVE that this kind of information is starting to “bleed” into the mainstream media. I also love that names like Brett Bartholomew and Vern Gambetta – two highly respected strength coaches used in this story – are the go to sources.

Next time someone tells you how they need to “mix things up in the gym to keep the body guessing”…

  • Roll your eyes
  • Tell them the reason why nothing never works for them is because 1) they’re probably not working nearly as hard enough as they think they’re working and 2) adherence (and allowing enough time for something to stick) is going to trump any “muscle confusion” protocol.
  • Show them this article.

The Online Training Bullshit Detector – Eric Bach

Sure, you can train clients online. But should you?

That’s the question Eric Bach poses in this nifty article. Yes, I just used the word nifty.

Surviving the Dr. Oz Diet (and other fad advice) – Dr. John Berardi

I really liked this article by Dr. Berardi, and not for the reasons you might suspect. It DOES NOT shit on Dr. Oz (which, frankly, is easy to do).

Rather, it’s about learning how to better coach your clients, and how to best set them up for success and weed through the crowded fad diet bonanza.

BONUS

My good friend Mike Robertson invited me onto his phenomenal Physical Preparation Podcast earlier this week. Mike’s a big deal and one of the coaches I look up to most. His podcast is also one of the most informative ones out there and I never miss listening to it myself.

I was honored to be invited on, especially considering the caliber of coaches who have appeared prior to myself. I mean, who the eff am I?

We had a blast catching up and discussing everything from assessment, a typical training session, CORE, and of course, my cat.

LISTEN HERE.

CategoriesAssessment coaching Exercise Technique

When to “Fix” Someone’s Squat

I often joke I’m the worst handyman in history. Something breaks in our apartment? I’m the first one calling the landlord. A picture needs hanging? My wife is the go to aficionado in that realm.

A task calls for a Phillips screwdriver? Well, I’ll hand you a Phillips screwdriver. I’m not that much of a moron.

That’s the flat head one, right?…;o)

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Suffice it to say: I am not great at fixing things. As a matter of fact – and at the expense of losing a few points off my man card – the risk of me setting a fire increases exponentially with the arduousness of the task being asked of me.

Replace a knob on a cupboard = relatively safe. The cat may end up with her fur singed, but the building is still standing.

Change oil in the car = Obama may as well hand me the nuclear codes.

Outside of the weight-room I’m a HAZMAT accident waiting to happen. Put me within four walls, however, surrounded by squat racks, deadlift platforms, barbells, kettlebells, selectorized machines, and maybe a movie quality Chewbacca mask for good measure, allow me the opportunity to watch people exercise and gauge movement quality, and I miraculously turn into Gandalf.

I can fix anything.3

Well, I like to think I have a good eye and can catch wonky movement and fix it.

That’s Assuming Something Needs Fixing

I had a very interesting interaction last weekend at CORE. I was contacted by a dude here in Boston who reached out asking if he could stop by the studio to have me look over his squat and to discuss a few ideas that had been reverberating in his head about bar path, acceleration, and power development.

Specifically he noted he was a high-level powerlifter (600+ lb squat at 181) and that he had been tinkering with his technique of late and wanted another set of eyes on him to see if there was something he was missing.

My first thought was “holy fucking shitballs, that’s a sick squat,” and more importantly I felt compelled to tell him “um, just so you know…I’m not a competitive powerlifter and maybe you’d be better off contacting my boys at The Strength House for more detailed badassery?”

“Nah, I respect the way you’re able to analyze movement and feel you take a balanced approach.”

High praise.

What transpired was pretty cool. It was every bit an educational/learning experience for me as it was for him (I think. He left happy).

To Repeat: this guy squats over 600+ at a competing bodyweight of 181 lbs. An advanced lifter indeed. His approach is unconventional to say the least.

Take this little tidbit of our conversation as an example (not taken verbatim, but it’s close):

“So we see guys all the time squatting 225 lbs in the squat rack, often with poor technique, but then are able to walk over to the leg press and perform 800+ lbs for reps. What gives? How is that possible? I thought to myself “there has to be something there.” I train alone in my home gym which allows me all the time in the world to play mad scientist and to tinker with my technique.

Then it dawned on me: why not leg press my squat?”

Of course, in my mind I’m thinking “well the leg press provides a ton more external stability to the body so there’s your answer.” What’s more there’s typically less ROM involved too.

I was intrigued to see this in action nonetheless, anticipating some sort of leg press to squat Transformer to appear.

I ended up witnessing a meticulous set-up, as well as a masterful demonstration of someone who knows what his body is doing at all times. Unconventional without question. But it worked. A few highlights:

  • His “low bar” position was lower than low bar position. I’m talking mid-arm.
  • Purposeful in-out-in motion of the knees.4
  • A flexed spine. In deep hip flexion, he’d go into lumbar flexion.5
  • He used a staggered stance (left side was a bit behind the right).

For all intents and purposes, many coaches would look at squat like that and start hyperventilating into a paper bag and immediately go into “I gotta fix this” mode.

Guess what I didn’t fix?

My point: everyone is different. No one has to squat the same way. And he’s an a-hole for being a freak…..;o)

Besides, he squats 600+ freaking lbs. He’s obviously trained himself enough to be able to get into (and out of) precarious situations; and he’s never been hurt or in pain.

It was the last point, though, the staggered stance, that he had never noticed or considered.

I don’t fall into the camp that says everyone must squat with a symmetrical stance. This defeats the purpose of individuality and respecting each person’s anatomy. When you factor in varying hip anatomy (varying degrees of APT/PPT, how this affects the ability to both flex and extend the hip, anteverted/retroverted acetabulums, anteverted/retroverted femurs, and varying femoral neck lengths), not to mention that you have two of them, not to mention other anthropometrical factors too, like torso length, femur length…it doesn’t take a genius to understand there’s no one right way to squat.

If a certain squat stance, width, depth, (whatever) feels better and more stable, why not run with it?

NOTE: I’d be doing a disservice by not linking to THIS article by Dean Somerset on the topic. He does a much better job at explaining things.

Back to the staggered stance.

600 lb squatter guy was trying to figure out why it seemed he couldn’t keep the barbell over mid-foot on his descent. I noted the staggered stance and he was like, “huh, I never thought of that.”

He then noted how he had always filmed his squats from the RIGHT side. I filmed from the left and his bar path looked to be on point. So maybe he was being a bit overcritical? Maybe the staggered stance evened things out? I’m sure there’s a biomechanical rabbit hole to be explored here (calling Greg Nuckols?).

When To “Fix” Someone’s Squat

I get it: Many of you reading aren’t elite level squatters, and much of the dialogue above has little merit in your training. The bigger picture, though, I think, is to avoid confirmation bias and sticking solely within camps that always agree with you. Everyone is a different, and there’s always more than one way to do something.

Last weekend, for me, was proof of that.

But I’d be remiss not to point out my standard or “comfort zone” is vastly different between an elite lifter and beginner/intermediate lifter.

Elite level lifters get much more leeway to mess up. More to the point: they’ve messed up enough to know what to do to not to mess up. Yeah, that makes sense. When I am coaching a beginner/novice, though, they’re rope for messing up is much, much shorter.

I still feel it’s important to avoid over-coaching and to allow an opportunity for newbies to figure things out.

But when it comes to squats I tend to have a few “No-No’s” initially.

1) You Round Your Back, a Part of My Soul Dies

Loaded spinal (end-range) flexion doesn’t do anyone any favors. Pick up a McGill book and join the party. I’d prefer to avoid it as much as possible in the beginning. If I see someone flexing their spine during a squat, it’s my job to figure out why?

From there I’m going to try my best to implement the modality or variation that’s going to best set them up for success.

Much of the time it’s getting someone to appreciate how to adopt a better bracing strategy and stabilize.

  • Brace your abs. <— Get “big air” and act as if someone’s going to punch you in the stomach.
  • Learning Active vs. Passive Foot, or spreading the floor with your feet (better yet, a cue I stole from Tony Bonvechio is “find the outside of your heels.”
  • Brace your abs.6

 

Full-body TENSION (trying to touch your elbows and pulling down on the bar helps here too) is the name of the game. The sooner a trainee learns this, the sooner he or she will clean up a lot of snafus in their squat technique.

Another easy fix is to implement an anterior load.

This is part of the reason why Goblet Squats or Plate Loaded Squats are so user-friendly and help to maintain a better torso position. The load is in FRONT which then forces the trainee to shift their weight and recruit/engage more of their anterior core, which then helps them remain more upright.

 

2) Knees Caving In (Past Neutral), Heels Coming Off Ground

The knees caving in aren’t always a deal breaker. Many trainees when they first put a barbell on their back and begin to squat for the first time resemble Bambi taking his first steps.

I don’t mind a little knee movement. Much of the time it’s just a matter of getting some reps in and whammo-bammo, the issue resolves itself.

It’s when it hits the point where they go past neutral and/or the heels come off the ground that it can become problematic.

Some things that have worked for me with knees caving:

  • Hey, don’t do that.
  • Think of your knee caps tracking with your pinky toe.
  • Place a band around the knees to provide some kinesthetic awareness. The band wants to push the knees in, they have to push the band out.

I want a squat to look like a squat. It requires ample ankle dorsiflexion, hip flexion, hip internal/external rotation, t-spine extension, among other things.

When someone’s heels come off the ground it’s often because they have no idea how to hip hinge.

Grooving the hip hinge and using props such as a box (box squats) to get someone to learn to “sit back” and use more of their posterior chain is a nice option. This will help keep the heels cemented to the floor.

 

NOTE: once they master that, the idea is to then perform an equal parts “knees forward, hips back” motion, learning to sit down into the squat (not so much back, back, back). Again, the squat should look like a squat

And That’s Really It

I’m not TRYING to find something wrong with everyone’s squat.

If the 2-3 things above are met from the get go we’re in a pretty darn good spot.

Things like bar position, foot stance/width, hand position, and everything else in between, while significant considerations for some people and staples for entertaining internet arguments, are all going to depend on several other factors (goals, anatomy, experience, ability level, injury history), and in the grand scheme of things are minute comparatively speaking.

Categoriescoaching Exercise Technique

Bench Press Technique: How to Not Hand-Off Like a Jackass

Remember those “The More You Know” PSA (Public Service Announcements) from the late 80’s and early 90’s?

They often ran during primetime shows on NBC and even during Saturday morning cartoons. Oh man, remember Saturday morning cartoons?

  • Transformers
  • GI Joe
  • Dungeons & Dragons
  • Alvin & the Chipmunks
  • Bionic Six
  • Captain Planet7

Those were the days.

The ads would typically feature a celebrity facing the camera and speaking in an earnest tone espousing the dangers of drugs, smoking, and not going to school.

All sound things to be earnest about, no doubt.

Sadly, a PSA was never made championing the idea that wearing a jean jacket with jeans wasn’t the key to gaining the attention of the opposite sex. Also, impressing girls with Star Wars quotes never worked either.8

But the “real” PSAs were always clear, concise, and cutting….scratching the surface of deeds that were for the greater good.

We should bring those PSAs back, albeit this time targeting the fitness crowd.

PSA #1: How to Hand-Off on the Bench Press

It sounds pointless and borderline trivial…but learning how to hand-off on the bench press is an acquired skill, and something that will drastically affect someone’s performance with the exercise.

Raise your hand if this has ever happened:

It’s bench day and as you work up towards your heavier sets it’s becoming a little harder to maintain appropriate upper back tightness as you un-rack the weight. Reluctantly, you decide to scour the gym floor to ask someone for a hand-off.

Finding someone who knows the intricacies of a “good” hand-off is on par with finding a ship other than the Millennium Falcon that can do the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs.

Note: I was a virgin till I was 21. Weird, I know.

What usually ends up happening is that after you spend time getting your shoulder blades in the right position (retracted and depressed/posteriorly tilted), driving your upper back into the bench, turning your lats on, and getting your foot position correct….it’s instantly negated when the guy/girl handing off haphazardly performs an explosive upright row with you attached to the bar.

They lift the bar up, rather than helping to “guide” the barbell into position.

Fail.

You have to get tight. Especially in the upper back. Without getting into the extreme details, I like to coach guys to place their feet on the bench (relax, it’s only for a few seconds), grab the bar, raise their hips, and drive their upper back into the bench. Simultaneously, I’ll tell them to consciously think to themselves, “together and DOWN” with the shoulder blades.

I then tell them to bring their feet to the ground – heels up/heels down is predicated on personal preference – and then “scoot” themselves up the bench to get even tighter.

It looks like this:

Why go through all that trouble to get tight, compact, and ready to hoist a barbell off your chest, only to NOT get a proper hand-off and/or lose all of it when you un-rack the bar?

Think about what happens when you un-rack a bar on your own, or you receive a piss-poor hand-off: the shoulders protract. As a result, the scapulae abduct and (most likely) anteriorly tilt as well, and stability is compromised.

Impressive bench press go bye-bye.

It’s my hope this video will help:

 

NOTE: I had every intention of filming a new video today, but then realized I had this one on my YouTube channel already. No sense reinventing the wheel.

A few points to consider that I didn’t cover in the video:

1. To reiterate: The “spotter” or hander-offer guy isn’t lifting the bar off the j-hooks, but rather “guiding” the bar to the starting position.

2.  Moreover, the lifter shouldn’t think of it as pressing the bar up and into the starting position, but instead “pulling” into position. Kind of like a bastardized straight-arm press down (albeit on your back).

3.  Getting down the cadence of 1….2….breath….lift off is the key here. It’s going to take some practice, which is why I highly advocate finding a training partner you trust.

3.  If at any point the guy providing the hand off starts chirping, “all you, all you, all you” when he’s clearly got his hands on the bar, immediately rack the bar and scissor kick him in the face.

Categoriescoaching Conditioning

Finishers That Will Finish You

Anyone familiar with the video game Mortal Kombat will appreciate the slight reference to it in the title of today’s post.

“Finish him.”9

Today’s guest post from Cressey Sports Performance coach and Strength Camp Coordinator, George Kalantzis, showcases some “killer” finishers that you can use at the end of your workout to add some extra conditioning or make you hate life.  Whatever floats your boat.

Enjoy.

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You want to be shredded and understand that you need to train hard to get results. For many a great way to help expedite the process is to add high intensity short duration workouts to your training regimen.

What is A Finisher And How Do You Use Them?

A finisher is simply a short burst of high intensity training performed at the end of a workout that will drastically improve your conditioning levels and bring out that six pack. The cool thing about finishers is that you can use pretty much anything from your own bodyweight, to ropes, sleds, and barbells.

The sky is the limit when it comes to finishers.

When Do I Use Finishers?

For someone who is training 3x per week, full body routines, you could add those at the end of your workout for maximum fat burning effects. For those that prefer the traditional upper/lower split 4-5x’s a week, the type of finisher you would add depends on the amount of volume during your session.

For example, if you are lifting heavier earlier in the week, it would be wise to challenge your body in the same way so that your workout does not interfere with recovery. And on days that you have decided to take it lighter, maybe you could add in that extra finisher.

Lets say I squatted heavy on Monday, I would follow the workout with some 400 meter repeats for best results, and maybe towards the end of the week I would choose to do something less hellish like a slow intensity cardio based session.

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Everyone is going to be different and ultimately it is going to depend on your fitness level, the amount of time you have available, any other external stressors that you may have going on within your life.

The following workouts are designed to be finishers at the end of a workout and should last 5-10 minutes depending on your conditioning level.

You could also use them as an extra conditioning day during the week or when strapped for time. These circuits will be sure to jack up your heart rate and send your metabolism into overdrive.

Finisher City

1) Dumbbell Shoulder Carry/Renegade Rows

Grab a pair of dumbbells and choose wisely. This is a great circuit that can be used as pre-work to fire up the core and shoulders or as a finisher.

 

2) Kettlebell Complex Finisher

The KB finisher is probably one of my favorites to use in my own workouts and with clients. It really challenges your endurance and strength in one and is fun because you switch between three different exercises to prevent boredom.

 

3) Battle Rope Core Crusher

When you think about getting shredded, there is no better tool than the battle ropes. The cool thing about ropes is that you can pretty much take them anywhere from outside to inside, and they are so versatile that anything can go. Check out this core crusher . Be warned, it is not as easy as it looks, and 20-30 seconds of work can typically get the job done.

 

4) Sprints

What good would finisher be without sprinting? Sprint intervals have been shown to increase testosterone levels and prevent decline it’s decline so what are you waiting for?

Here is some of my sprint favorite to use:

  • 400 meter sprints for best time at least 90 second rest in between

Sprint for 15 seconds light job for 45 seconds Repeat 4-5x’s, increasing the number of rounds every week as you progress. This number is not set in stone, and any shorter interval bursts with a minimum a 2:1 rest to work ratio will do the trick.

Very tough : Want to really challenge your endurance and jack up your heart rate? Try 800 meter sprints, but you have been warned, these are not easy!

Conclusion

If you want to get shredded, will most likely help. They require a tremendous amount of effort but will be sure to boost your testosterone levels while elevating your fat loss levels. Use them at the end of the workout or during your off days for maximum results.

About the Author

George began his time at Cressey Sports Performance as an intern in the fall of 2013, and returned in 2014 as CSP’s Group Fitness Coordinator, overseeing all Strength Camp coaching and programming responsibilities.

George is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps and was awarded an honorary discharge after eight years of service. He possesses an MBA from Southern New Hampshire University and is currently attending massage school to become a licensed massage therapist.

Outside of CSP, George maintains a fitness-related blog that can be found at www.sgtkfitness.com.

He and his wife Shawna reside in Manchester, NH.

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff To Read While You’re Pretending To Work: 8/26/16

Hate to rush through this but I have a date. A deadlift date that is.

45344440 - barbell and discs in a weightlifting gym

Copyright: jtrillol / 123RF Stock Photo

I’m meeting up with two buddies of mine today – Dave Rak and Matthew Ibrahim – at BU to toss around some iron and possibly follow-suit with eating of the dead animal flesh.

Just a bunch of bros being bros.

We’re meeting up pretty early and I wanted to make sure to compile my list this week before heading out. See? My readers come first…..;o)

3 Reasons Why Runners Need To Lift Weights – Chris Cooper

Next time a friend, colleague, or family member who’s a runner says something like this:

“I don’t need to strength train because I run, my legs are plenty strong.”

Try not to be too obvious with your eye roll.

AND

Have him or her read this article.

The Diminishing Returns of Strength Training – Graham Ballachey

This is an older post I came across (written in 2014) which I felt was really interesting and brought up some valid points.

NO one – at least within my circles – would ever state that getting strong is a bad thing (or dangerous). To quote Bret Contreras:

“If you think lifting weights is dangerous, try being weak. Being weak is dangerous.”

However, there comes a point in every lifter’s journey where he or she must ascertain “how strong is strong enough?” At what point are the aches, pains, twinges, and incessant DOMS worth it?

Likewise, this is a tough nugget to crack with athletes. Many are drilled into thinking that stronger is always better. To a large degree, it is. However, part of the role as a strength coach is to sometimes pump the brakes and surmise that there’s little (if any) additional athletic benefit in taking someone’s deadlift from 450 to 500 lbs. Is the risk worth the reward?

Anyways, interesting read and nice parameters given for strength numbers for many to strive for – at least to start.

Why Am I So Fat? – Sara Benincasa

My inner feminist took over after reading this post, and I had to share. The double standard in our society with women and body image is a travesty, and this was a very entertaining read. As a quote-on-quote “writer” myself, I admired this very much. I mean, what’s not to admire with the well placed penis joke?

Reminder

Dean Somerset and I will be at Movement Minneapolis (you know, in Minneapolis, MN) the weekend of October 15-16th presenting our Complete Shoulder & Hip Workshop. It’ll be our LAST live event for this course in 2016 (and the foreseeable future).10

You can go HERE to sign-up and for more info.

ALSO

This is right around the corner:

CategoriesNutrition

The Day I Gave Up Chicken Meat. At Least Temporarily

“Motherfucking coffee“.

Email received from my wife Lisa on Tuesday, December 1st, 2015 at 10:28 AM

35273778 - two people talking while drinking coffee.

Copyright: imtmphoto / 123RF Stock Photo

That’s all it said. That’s all it needed to say. I knew Lisa was pissed. And was probably thiiiiis close to tossing her computer out the window.

I’ll be honest: when I read those two words I couldn’t help but chuckle. Of all the things to come back positive on her Pinnertest, we were both keeping our fingers crossed that coffee was going to be safe.

For one, Lisa loves coffee.11

And two, on my side of the fence (a non-coffee drinker), I bought her what’s equivalent to the Cadillac of Nespresso machines for Christmas a few years ago. If we come to find out coffee is on the “hit list,” does it just become an expensive paperweight, albeit one that makes delicious caffeinated beverages?

Alas, there it was, plain as day…coffee: a “Level 1” intolerance.

Lets Back Up a Bit

Without going into too many personal details, Lisa was having a conversation with a friend of ours (Eric Gahan of Iron Body Studios) last year on the topic of diet/nutrition and food intolerances. The two of them steered towards digestive and skin issues and how both believed some of the foods they ate may be playing a role in each.

The idea of food intolerances or elimination diets is nothing new in the industry. In fact, many books extolling the virtues of eliminating “this” (gluten, dairy) or “that” (meat, anything that’s delicious) have been written. And many “gurus” have been made (and made a lot of money) as a result.

41069134 - a gluten free breads on wood background

Copyright: xamnesiacx / 123RF Stock Photo

By and large, much of the dialogue you see in the mainstream media on food intolerance is sensationalistic and wishful thinking at best, and predatory at worst.

Many charlatans will prey on people’s fears on a particular food (0r category of food) and try to convince them that if they don’t eat or eliminate said food(s) they’ll lose weight12, get a six-pack, be able to deadlift a bulldozer, win the Boston Marathon, balance their checkbook, solve global warming, become a Navy SEAL, and/or have endless threesomes.

 

I’m a skeptic. And I’m right there eye-rolling with the best of them. Most of the time, anyways.

In fact, on the seemingly pseudoscience of it all I agree with much of what Mike Samuels had to say recently:

If you’ve been reading my messages for any time whatsoever, you’ll know my response to these will be – B.O.G.U.S.

On the whole, any tests you can buy off the Internet are kinda crappy.

BUT …

What I would say (and the point of this email) is that how you feel when you eat a certain food does matter. Bloated after a bagel? Maybe bread’s not your thing. Feel crappy following a big cheese-fest. Perhaps your guts don’t love dairy as much as you do.

It’s worth a try.

It doesn’t mean you have to ban anything, it just gives you the data to make an informed decision over what the best foods for you are.

Hard to argue with that.

However, sometimes people need a little nudge or some form of “expedited” information to help point them in the right direction. A starting point if you will.

And that’s where Eric and Lisa’s conversation from above led to her taking the Pinnertest.

The Pinner…What Now?

The Pinnertest:

Pinnertest Kit

From the website:

The Pinnertest makes use of the MicroARRAY – ELISA Method IgG (blood) test for determining permanent food intolerances.

It does NOT test for food allergies.

Food allergies can kill you.

Food intolerances, on the other hand, can lead to things such as indigestion, IBS, bloating, skin issues (acne), and even unexplained weight gain in rare cases.13

The latter – indigestion, skin issues – is what served as the impetus for Lisa taking the test. After listening to Eric speak about his experience and how the Pinnertest helped to “pin point” a few food(s) he never would have thought of as culprits, and after hearing all the success stories of many of his clients taking the test…she was in.

To remind you of the result:

“Motherfucking coffee.”

And there were other foods that popped up too, like green peppers for example. Which was amazing, because Lisa avoided green peppers since they always “disagreed” with her whenever she ate them.

She now had some proof to back up her inclinations.

Egg yolks were a +2

Coffee (at +1) was the biggest blow, however. There are varying “levels” of intolerance with the Pinnertest:

  • Level 1 (Low Reaction)
  • Level 2 (Moderate Reaction)
  • Level 3 (High Reaction)

Or, if I were in charge of naming them:

  • Aw, Man, This Kinda Sucks (Level 1)
  • No, Really, This Sucks Donkey Balls (Level 2)
  • Fuck (Level 3)

Per the recommendation of Pinnertest, Lisa omitted all of the above from her diet for three months. Even coffee. I don’t know how she did it, but she did. She was a champion, instead opting for lots and lots of tea (and long, mournful stares at the Nespresso machine).

Low and behold, friends and colleagues who hadn’t seen her for a few weeks started to comment on her skin and how much better it looked. She noticed the difference too. Stuff she had dealt with for much of her life had resolved.

After the three months was over she had her first shot of espresso. I wish I had filmed her reaction. It was on par with Frank the Tank from the movie Old School:

In the time since she’s experimented with varying degrees of coffee consumption and has figured out what’s “worth it” on her end. The Pinnertest helped make the decision making process and planning a little easier.

So, Tony, What’s the Deal With Chicken?

As you may have guessed after a bit of pressing from Lisa, I finally ended up taking the test myself.

Again, not to get too personal, I fart. I fart a lot.

Granted not nearly as much as when I was a bachelor living off of nothing but chicken breasts, Ramen noodles, and boxes of cereal…but, you know, I have my days…….;o)

In addition, I have been battling some dermatitis on my face for many years. Sporadically I’ll get red blotches and flaky skin on my face which, as you can imagine, makes the ladies go crazy.

Not!  (<— Sorry, Roman, for the exclamation point)

I still managed to snag this one, though:

Dinner at Lure

After some pining from Lisa (and the kindness of the people at Pinnertest to send me a complimentary kit), I was in too.

Here’s me watching the video of the How, What, and Why’s of the Pinnertest (FYI: It’s super easy):

Watching Pinnertest video

Here’s me signing the form:

Filling Out Pinnertest Form

Here’s me pricking my finger with a needle:

Pricking Finger

And here I am sending off my sample to get tested (and crossing my fingers that dairy was going to be safe. No cheese or ice-cream = rip shit city):

Sending Kit Off

Fast Forward Two Weeks…The Results

I got my results back (via email) two days ago. And as you probably guessed one of the foods that came back to avoid (a +2) was…chicken.

Chicken?

Yes, effing chicken.

What’s a meathead to do? Chicken is like, the thing, a food group in of itself. When it doubt eat chicken.

This is analogous to telling James Bond he’s intolerant to Vespers, or that E.T. is intolerant to Reese’s Pieces, or that a vegan is intolerant to, I don’t know, sawdust.

The rest of my results included:

+2 Reaction: chicken, shrimp, carrot.14
+1 Reaction: potato (<— dammit), grape.

[Thankfully things like dairy, red meat, wheat, and Adamantium were in the clear.]

I never would have guessed chicken (or any of the others for that matter), and as it happens the day I received my results I took this picture of my face. My beautiful, beautiful face:

Red Blotch

See those red blotches? They weren’t as profound the day prior. Guess what I had for dinner no less than twelve hours before?

Curry chicken.

Interesting.

So What Now?

I asked Georgie Fear, a Registered Dietitian I respect a ton and author of the book Lean Habits, to chime in. Here’s what she had to say:

CategoriesExercises You Should Be Doing

Exercises You Should Be Doing: Barbell Shovel Hold

Up here in New England we’re very familiar with shovels.

51302774 - snow removal. orange shovel in snow, ready for snow removal, outdoors.

Copyright: bubutu / 123RF Stock Photo

Particularly during our long, cold, New England winters.17

The shovel I’m referring to in today’s post, however, has nothing to do with that kind of shovel. Unlike traditional shoveling which sucks – and ranks somewhere between getting a colonoscopy and listening to Donald Trump speak as things I’m not rushing to do – the “shovel” variation I’m highlighting today is (hopefully) more palatable and something you’ll find use for in the weight-room.

HINT: you totally will.

Barbell Shovel Hold

 

Who Did I Steal It From: Kinda, sorta myself. I wrote about a similar exercise a few years ago – the shovel lift – but came across a quick write-up by Boston-based coach, Matthew Ibrahim, describing this variation…which I felt was brilliant.18

What Does It Do: First and foremost this is a great exercise to help train rotary stability. The asymmetrical – or offset – nature of this exercise makes it a perfect fit for those struggling with chronic back pain. One must “fight” to maintain a neutral and upright torso position. Not only will this target the more superficial or global musculature – glutes (you need to actively fire these bad boys), erectors, abdominals, traps, rhomboids, obliques – but also the deep, stabilizing musculature as well. Think: the “deeper” muscles like TvA, multifidi, etc.

Note: if you perform this exercise while simultaneously performing positional breathing (inhale with FULL exhale, dialing in on rib position) you’ll hammer those deep, stabilizing muscles).

Because the drill is performed in a more or less isometric fashion, it lends itself as a very user-friendly option that pretty much anyone can do.

As a corollary, even with quote-on-quote “healthy” individuals/athletes, it serves as a welcome way to train core stability and possibly as a way to increase full-body time under tension. To that end, it could serve as a nice way for some trainees to add muscle mass to their frame.

Can you dig it?

 

See what I did there?

Key Coaching Cues: I feel the thrilling (<— kidding) video above makes things self-explanatory. You load a barbell with anywhere from 10-45 lbs. (start conservative, it’s harder than it looks), un-rack, and hold.

Brace your abs, squeeze your glutes, flex your quads, and think about squeezing oranges in your armpits to add even more body tension. Hold for a 5-10s count, rack the barbell, rest for 5-10s, and repeat for a total of 3-5 “reps.” Then repeat the same process with the load on the other side.

Shoot for a total of 3-5 “rounds.”

I’ve been using this as a quick “finisher” with some of my clients/athletes and they love it.

CategoriesExercise Technique Program Design

Upgrade Your Deadbug

Today’s guest post comes courtesy of Dallas based personal trainer, Shane McLean. If you forced me to make a short list of things I love, that list would include things like ice-cream (all of it), GoodFellas quotes, anything my cat does, old-school Transformers cartoons, and an empty laundry mat.19

And, you know, my wife would make the list too. Oh, and deadbugs. The exercise…not, literally, dead bugs. Gross.

Read below to watch some (hopefully) new-to-you variations.

Ever witnessed a “watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat” moment?

36535764 - magicians rabbit. closeup image of a cute white bunny looking out from the magicians black hat isolated on white background

Copyright: yacobchuk / 123RF Stock Photo

Mine was around three years ago at a fitness mastermind in Frisco, Texas which had the one and only Eric Cressey in attendance.

During his demonstration he got hold of a minor league baseball player who presented with limited shoulder flexion. After some positional breathing exercises and a few deadbug reps, the player then stood up and demonstrated his improved shoulder flexion range.

It was just like magic.

Ever since then, the deadbug has been a staple programs for myself and my clients. You could almost say it was love at first sight, if you believe in that kind of stuff.

Tony has written extensively on this subject, so I will not harp on, but the benefits of deadbugs are numerous, including

  • Reinforces contra lateral limb movement
  • Improves lumbo- pelvic stability
  • Reinforces correct breathing patterns
  • Being on the floor provides you with more stability and kinesthetic feedback
  • Prevents misalignment and encourages good posture

It’s definitely an exercise that provides a lot of ah-ha moments when done correctly. It may look easy to the meatheads who have never done it before, but once I drag them away from the mirror, they know it’s the real deal.

But when they ask me why it is called the deadbug, the best explanation I can give is this.

If you need to be reminded of what the dead bug is, watch Tony perform this with impeccable form.

Notice how serious he is:

 

Correct deadbug form consists of:

  • Low back in neutral (encouraging posterior pelvic tilt)
  • Breathing in through the nose before the rep starts and fully breathing all the air out through your mouth during the rep
  • Slow and controlled limb movement
  • No rib flaring and arching of the low back

The standard deadbug is a great warm up exercise and can be used for recovery/mobility purposes between sets of lifting heavy. This is the version you should be doing the majority of the time.

However, like a lot of things that we do over and over again, we get bored and need a little spice. When you’ve nailed the standard version and want to upgrade, take a few of these variations out for a test drive.

You’ll be the coolest person in the gym. Trust me, I’m a trainer.

1) Pullover Deadbug

Kettlebells and the deadbug is a match made in heaven, like peanut butter and jelly or bicep curls and mirrors.

The instability and the resistance of the kettlebell combined with the standard deadbug movement put extra demand on your core stability, shoulders and lats.

Did I mention it also works the chest? Now I have your attention.

 

Pairing this exercise with a movement that demands core stability and a neutral spine works best. For example

1A. Squat/Deadlift Variation

1B. Pullover Deadbug 6- 8 reps per leg

Or seeing you’re already down on the floor, pair it with a single arm floor press for a great upper body/core workout.

1A. Pullover Deadbug 6-8 reps on each leg

1B. Single Arm KB Floor Press

 

2) Weighted Deadbug

Adding light weight plates in each hand (2.5-5 pounds) slightly increases the intensity, but the real benefit is that the resistance helps slow down the movement as the weight plate descends towards the floor.

You get to enjoy the deadbug even more.

 

Typically, I use this movement as part of a warm up, but if you’re feeling extra ambitious, pairing this with a plank variation will give your core a double whammy.

For instance:

1A. Weighted deadbug 6-8 reps each leg

1B. Plank with plate switch (Thanks Tony)

 

3) Stability Ball Deadbug

The virgin deadbuger can run into trouble with contra lateral limb movement and often extend the same arm and leg. They get frustrated and can feel uncoordinated.

Enter the dragon stability ball.

Using the stability ball as a reference point helps teach the movement because using the same arm/leg will cause the stability ball to drop to one side and the client will feel the tension required for correct form as well.

Actively pressing your opposite arm/leg into the ball combined with diaphragmatic breathing will light a candle under your core that you’re sure to enjoy.

 

I program this variation into the warm up but this can be included in a core tri-set. For example.

1A. Stability Ball Deadbug 6-8 reps on each side

1B. Stability Ball Hip Ext./Hamstring Curl 12 reps

 

1C. Stability Ball Rollout 8-12 reps

 

A young Eric. Those were the days.

5) Bosu Ball Deadbug

Yes, the Bosu ball is good for something.

Bosu balls’ instability is excellent for upper body/core work and can take your deadbug to the next level. You’ll have to work to find your balance point but if you fall off, at least it’s not very far.

Please make sure no one’s filming, for your sake.

 

Pairing this with any Bosu ball exercise works as long as it’s not squats. For example

1A. Bosu Ball Deadbug 6-8 reps on each side

1B. Bosu Ball Side Plank 30 seconds on each side

https://youtube.com/watch?v=tjzuv9O6Q1E

 

Bonus – Click HERE for another great variation of the deadbug Tony highlighted a few weeks ago on this blog: Deadbug with Extension + Reach.

Wrapping Up

The deadbug, and its variations, deserves a prime time position in your routine because of all the benefits it provides. Don’t worry, you’ll will not look weird because all the cool kids are doing it.

About the Author

Shane “The Balance Guy” McLean, is an A.C.E Certified Personal Trainer working deep in the heart of Dallas, Texas.

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff To Read While You’re Pretending To Work: 8/19/16

Bookshelf

Dean Somerset and I will be in Minneapolis, MN the weekend of October 15-16th putting on our Complete Shoulder & Hip Workshop. Not only will this be our last event together in 2016, but it’s likely to be our last LIVE CSHW event for the foreseeable future.

It’s kind of on par when N’SYNC performed for the last time. Except it isn’t.

So don’t miss out, go HERE and hopefully we’ll see you there.

3 Ways to Clean Up Your S.L.R.D.L – Sean St. Onge

Pay no mind to the asshat demonstrating the really shitty S.L.R.D.L above. It’s just for show…;o) Sean St. Onge of 212 Health & Performance breaks down some tried and true ways to clean up your single-leg RDL. Awesome stuff!

Happy Before(s), Happy After(s) – Jen Sinkler

“I don’t live a slouchy, sad-faced life, regardless of what my body-fat percentage or state of muscularity is. Right now or ever.”

I’ve never read anything like this before. Leave it to Jen to always surprise me with her candor, no BS zest for life, and amazing prose.

Improving Overhead Position and Shoulder Mechanics – Chris Duffin & Brad Cox

I’m a huge fan of two things in this article:

1. Acumobility products. I was fortunate enough to bump into Brad (Cox) and Julian (Cardoos) at the Perform Better Summit in Providence a few weekends ago where they handed me a few of their products to try out. All I have to say is RAVE reviews from myself and my clients.

2. Chris Duffin himself. The man is a beast (and super smart). Nuff said.

3. Also, shoulder shenanigans. That’s three things, but what can I say: I’m a shoulder nerd.