CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff To Read While You’re Pretending To Work: 6/3/16

Do you ever get caught in the trap of reminiscing? I’m not referring to the Pete Rock and CL Smooth 1992 hip-hop classic “They Reminisce Over You.”

Probably one of my top-10 all-time favorite hip-hop songs.

No, I mean “reminisce” in the sense of remembering where you were or what you were doing 24 hours ago, a day ago, a week ago, even a year or more ago.

Do you ever do that?

A week ago today, my wife and I were walking and biking through the streets of Copenhagen. We had an amazing day that day.

A year ago today, we were in the Bahamas celebrating our honeymoon. Facebook reminded me by reposting the following picture on my Wall via my Facebook Memories this morning.

And who knows: I’m sure if I were to dig a little deeper into my subconscious I could come up with some other examples.

Five years ago today my wife and I were preparing to move in with one another.

Five years ago tomorrow we were ready to strangle each other and second guessing that decision.

It’s surreal to think back at all the cool places I’ve been and experiences I’ve experienced. Part of reminiscing is to think back on things fondly. But too, understandably, reminiscing can be about perseverance, heart ache, tragedy, and death.

I don’t know what my point is. Honestly, I started typing and these thoughts were the first thing that entered my head; so I apologize for the discombobulated intro to today’s stuff to read.

Maybe the idea is to encourage people to reminisce over a positive thought or memory. In light of today’s political/religious/racial/financial/world climate – where everything is doom and gloom (and abhorrent rhetoric) – try to think of one positive thing (past/present) that puts a smile on your face.

If nothing else, go listen and bob your head to Pete Rock and CL Smooth’s jam.

REMINDER: Strong Body-Strong Mind Workshop – Austin, TX

Speaking of my wife and I, we’ll both be in Austin, TX on Saturday June 18th for our inaugural Strong Body-Strong Mind Workshop.

There are plenty of workshops, seminars, and conferences that speak to how to make the body strong, but not many that incorporate mindset and behavior change. This is something we both feel is an underserved “niche” within the fitness industry.

I can speak to turning people into deadlifting terminators.

Lisa – who has a doctorate in Sports Psychology and specializes in Exercise/Behavioral Psychology – can speak to what goes on in people’s noggins.

For more information you can go HERE. Or sign up via the link below:



Lightning & Thunder – Angie Brambley-Moyer, Tim Moyer, Jen Sinkler

If you read my post yesterday you learned that, despite being a strength & conditioning coach (and working with athletes on a daily basis), I feel I’m “rusty” when it comes to my overall athleticism.

And that I wanted to do something about it.

I’m currently doing the Lightning & Thunder program myself and am pumped to see what I can accomplish in 24 weeks.

It’s a program for athletes and non-athletes alike. I’ve referred to it as “elegantly simplistic,” which is what most people need.

The HALF-OFF sale ends TODAY (6/3)…and, as a reminder, those who purchase via my links will get a code for one FREE MONTH in my Group Training Membership on Exercise.com.

Go HERE. I encourage you to join me. Together we can conquer the world.1

4 Easy-to-Fix Reasons Why You’re Not Losing Weight – Scott Baptie

I don’t get it: there are some fitness professionals (charlatans are more like) out there espousing the notion that the reason why some people aren’t losing weight is because they’re not eating enough calories.

Say what now?

That’s like me saying, “dude, the reason why you’re not getting laid is because you’re not attending enough Star Trek conventions.”

It doesn’t make any sense.

Foundational Coaching: The Birddog – Miguel Aragoncillo

It’s a simple looking exercise, with a plethora of benefits, but it’s often done very poorly. Cressey Sports Performance coach, Miguel Aragoncillo, chimes in on some common mistakes and how to troubleshoot the exercise.

Categoriesspeed training Strength Training

Getting My Athleticism Back

The saying “if you don’t use it, you lose it” can be applied to many facets of life. Vacation time for some people applies here. Within some companies here in the U.S, if you don’t use your vacation time, you lose it.

Which is BS.

And, of course, I could easily toss in an obligatory dick joke here.

But I won’t.

Because I’m mature.

 

Athleticism is another one of those “things” we tend to lose when we don’t use it. In fact, I’d garner a guess that athleticism is one of the first attributes that diminishes once many of us enter into adulthood.2

But for the sake of brevity, and legally speaking, lets just say adulthood is when someone hits the age of 18.

At this age, unless you’re a high-level athlete and offered/recruited to play a sport at the next level (college), you typically either:

1. Go to college, stop playing sports, and discover beer.

2. Not go to college, stop playing sports, and get a boring desk job. Or, live in your parent’s basement and play World of Warcraft.

OR

3. If you’re me: go to college, play sports, watch way too much 90210, not hang out with chicks, stay active (even after college), still not hang out with chicks (at this point watch way too much Alias), eventually get a job in the fitness industry, get jacked, playing “sports” gets diluted to slow-pitch softball leagues, start working with high-level athletes, still stay jacked though, finally find a chick that will hang out with me, and eventually realize that, while certainly not un-athletic, I’m not close to where I once was.

That sound like you too?

Now, I’m not insinuating athleticism in this case means you’re ready to enter the NFL Combine or that you could win American Ninja Warrior.

Understandably, athleticism can mean different things to different people. But again, for the sake of brevity, lets just say athleticism can equate to the ability to do several things such as sprint, jump, hop, skip, punch a zombie in the throat, change direction, shuffle, accelerate, decelerate, and just move without looking like a drunk pirate.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Many people confuse athleticism with conditioning

And that’s not what I am referring to.

Yes, athletic drills can be a form of conditioning…however, that’s not their main objective. There’s a lot of technical proficiency and skill involved with developing specific athletic skills and athleticism in general.

Too, athleticism favors those who started at an early age. We’re motor learning sponges when we’re young. Not so much as adults when motor patterns and CNS pathways have been engrained for far too long.

Elite athletes and people who stay active their entire lives can do stuff without even thinking about it.

They can change direction on a dime or catch a frisbee with pulling a hamstring.

They can react.

They have to work at it, of course, and they’ve accumulated hours upon hours of “purposeful practice,” (in the form of actual practice and casual recreational activity) but they make athleticism look easy and seamless.

You don’t become more athletic by incessantly accumulating more and more fatigue. Mind you: the most successful athletes in the world are able to perform at a high-level – repeatedly – in the presence of fatigue. They do need to develop conditioning and endurance amongst many other abilities.

However, I feel many people operate under the assumption that conditioning (or getting tired) is equivalent to athleticism. 

And it’s not.

Hitting up your local CrossFit joint is cool. I think that’s amazing. There are many amazing athletes involved with it.

But don’t assume that just because you’re completing some crazy WOD 3x per week, gasping for air by the end, and are thiiiiis close to shitting a spleen, that you’re somehow improving your athleticism.

Getting My Athleticism Back

Make no mistake: I can still move well. I haven’t turned into the Tin Man or anything (although, lets be honest: dude could dance).

I still participate in athletic endeavors and sometimes look athletic when I demonstrate exercises and drills. However, as a former athlete (and as someone who trains athletes) I’d be lying if I said I was happy with my current situation.

Slight abject disdain would seem more fitting

Which is why I was so happy to see Jen Sinkler type these words the other day:

“I missed feeling athletic in almost any situation. I missed it lot.

So, I told my friends Angie Brambley Moyer and Tim Moyer, both world-class strength-and-sport coaches, that I wanted to get it back. That I wanted to get it allllll back.

I ALSO told them that I wanted to invite others who were in the same boat — former athletes, not-yet athletes, or current athletes who wanted to level up their game — to join me in my quest.

I was positive there were others who, like me, wanted to become lean, mean, athletic machines. Again, or for the very first time.

I was right.”

I’m Not Alone!!

I think many fitness professionals feel the same way I do. We’re in an industry where we often put other’s health, well-being, and goals before our own.

Likewise, there are many people reading who, despite being former athletes themselves, don’t have as much pep in their step as they used to.  Or, maybe there are some reading who have never played a sport in their life, but would like to be able to perform a pro-agility without breaking their hip?

I’m taking some initiative and putting myself through the Lighting & Thunder program. I’m even setting my ego aside and starting with the beginner program.

Here’s what I did today:

5 Yd Starts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TklqD8uN_Ds

 

  • Objective here is to drop down into a proper starting “athletic” position (weight forward, CoG low).
  • Think long backside (toss back arm back as aggressively as possible)
  • Push away as fast as you can (aggressive first step).

5 Yd Jog to 10 Yd Sprint (With Stop Within 10 Yds)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HM-BPJKTslg

 

  • Objective here is more or less the same as above (except without the athletic start position).
  • When you transition into sprint, you should get low and have an aggressive lean with positive shin angle.
  • You still want an aggressive backside.
  • Also, you want to “stutter step” to a stop within 10 yds, which works on deceleration and better emulates athletic activities.

5 Yd Jog to 10 Yd Sprint (To Coast)

  • I didn’t take a video of this.
  • Just imagine the same video as above, except me without a shirt on or something. Or pants.
  • Also, no need for aggressive deceleration…just a “coast” to finish.

Up 2, Down 1 Drill

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSFDp1QSA2w

 

My sock game is ON-POINT!!!

  • This drill helps to hammer home the start/stop/start/stop nature of athletic activities and sport.
  • Performing this drill with hands touching the floor helps to cue weight forward and low (you’d obviously not do this in a REAL sport).
  • Important to note that if you stop with right foot forward, you’d want to tap floor with left hand (and vice versa).
  • Rest is 1:3 ratio. Rest for 3x as long as it takes to to complete the drill. This ensures ample recovery for top performance with each set.

It’s nothing fancy, but it doesn’t need to be.

I’ll be doing this program 1-2x per week all summer. If day 1 is any indication, I’m going to be Carl Lewis by September.

You Should Join Me

Lightning & Thunder is on sale now for HALf-OFF until Friday, June 3.

On top of being a top-rate speed/agility program, what’s great about it is that it can easily compliment any strength program.

It comes with a strength program in fact.

However, for those who purchase Lighting & Thunder via the links provided by the end of June 3rd, I’m going to offer you a FREE month of my Group Training Membership on Exercise.com.

NOTE: I’m only going to email the discount codes out to the exact same email address you use to purchase L&T.

You get two killer programs for one!

So, to review:

1. It was bullshit when Kelly chose Brandon over Dylan on 90210. I mean, it’s freakin Dylan McKay. How do you say no to someone like that?

2. The Lighting & Thunder program is pretty baller.

3. I’m doing the entire thing myself, even starting with the beginner program cause I’m cool like that.

4. You should totally do it with me.

5. As incentive…go HERE, and then I’ll send you a code for a FREE month in my Group Training Membership.

6. We’ll be BFFs.

Categoriescoaching Conditioning speed training

When Going Backwards Is a Good Thing: The Up Two, Back One Drill

Today’s guest post comes courtesy of one of my most favorite people in the world, Jen Sinkler. She, along with strength & conditioning coaches Angie Brambley-Moyer and Tim Moyer are releasing their new strength, speed, & agility training product Lightning & Thunder.

I’ve just started playing with the program myself (my wife and I went to BU on Sunday to move around a a bit, photo evidence HERE), and I gotta say…I really, really like it.

It’s elegant in its simplicity, and will compliment pretty much anyone’s training whether they’re an athlete or not.

Check out Jen’s gleaning example below…

When Going Backwards Is a Good Thing

When it comes to training for speed and agility — a worthy endeavor whether you’re an athlete or not, in terms of power and movement efficiency — you may think about zig-zagging from side to side explosively and working on your go-forward locomotion, but just as important is the ability to quickly transition from forward to backward and vice versa.

“Forward-to-backward movement is what athletes do poorly at first. It’s the most likely skill to be untrained and un-coached,” says Angie Brambley-Moyer, MS, MSCC, assistant director of strength and conditioning for Princeton University.

This is a critical error.

In many sports, the ability to switch from offense to defense and back again is paramount, adds Angie’s husband, Tim Moyer, MS, CPT, head volleyball coach of Philadelphia University and longtime strength and conditioning coach.

“Agility is the ability to perform a series of explosive power movements in opposing directions in rapid succession, and unless you’re training these key movement patterns by focusing on movement quality over speed at first, breaking down skills into smaller parts, and getting feedback (from a coach, a video, or motor recognition) from rep to rep, your mechanics will remain slow and sloppy,” Moyer says.

“Form equals function. The better your form the better you will function.” That means patterning proper mechanics from the get-go.

“From an injury prevention standpoint, you are only going to be as fast as you can stop and change direction,” says Brambley-Moyer. “In many sports, you have to change direction every three to five steps, and the ‘Up Two Back One’ drill closely mimics that. It’s important to master these short direction changes before increasing the distance (which increases intensity).”

This is one of Brambley-Moyer’s favorite drills for working on forward-to-backward-to-forward agility. Incorporate it at the very beginning of any conditioning work you do, performing three total sets and using a 1:3 work-to-rest ratio. Start slowly and focus on really nailing the mechanics of footwork and body position, picking up speed only as your form improves.

Moyer refers to one of the special forces’ mottos, saying, “Remember: Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.”

Up Two, Back One: Forward Sprint to Backpedal Instructions:

The Up Two, Back One drill is performed like it sounds: You will first run forward to the second cone, come to a stop, backpedal one cone and then repeat by running up two more cones before backpedaling again. You will sprint and backpedal a total of three times before transitioning to your last sprint and coasting to a stop.

For the set up, place five cones three yards apart in line with one another. Completing the drill as outlined above counts as one set. To ensure you’re performing each set with the proper intensity and technique, take three times the rest as it takes you to run the drill, in a 1:3 work-to-rest ratio.

Coaching Points:

To start, use a staggered stance (with one foot slightly in front of the other) as your starting position for the drill. Direct your head and shoulders toward your target by leaning forward, and then take off into a sprint.

Decelerating at each cone starts by lowering your center of gravity toward your base of support (your feet). You will also increase the length of your ground contact time by taking a number of smaller, choppier steps until you come to a complete stop next to each cone.

This drill’s focus is accelerating quickly, decelerating quickly, and then transitioning into the backpedal before moving forward into another sprint. To ensure you’re staying low and using proper acceleration and deceleration mechanics, touch the ground at each cone when performing this drill.

Ideally, you will touch the ground with the opposite hand as the foot that’s in front. Meaning, if your left foot is the front foot at the transition point (sprint to backpedal or backpedal to sprint), your right hand should touch the ground.

After your last backpedal, focus on proper arm- and leg-drive mechanics through the final cone and coast to a stop.

Lightning & Thunder will help you become a force of nature.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…you don’t have to be an athlete in order to train like one.

Athleticism is one of those things where the saying “if you don’t use it, you lose it” becomes inevitable. As adults we often become more enamored with adult-like things. Things like balancing checkbooks, going to bed early, and binge watching Netflix.

Too, in the context of training, as adults we sometimes (not always) tend to “pump the brakes,” and training goes from this:

To this:

And the most athletic thing many people do on a day-to-day basis is chase down the 66 Bus after work.

That being said: athleticism is important yet it is something that intimidates a lot of people; especially for those who participate in more fantasy sports than actual sports.

However, you don’t need any fancy equipment or complicated periodization schemes in order to train athleticism.

Lightning & Thunder is a brand new strength, speed, and agility program written by Tim Moyer, MS, CPT, and Angie Brambley-Moyer, MS, MSCC, with Jen Sinkler, personal trainer, fitness writer, and former U.S. national team rugby player.

 

Moyer, Brambley-Moyer, and Sinkler have teamed up to get you stronger, faster, and more agile. You don’t have to have any experience playing sports, and you don’t have to play any in the future, either, if you don’t have the inclination. You only need to be interested in training like an athlete, in moving like one and looking like one.

Make no mistake, though: this program is perfect for athletes too.

In it, you’ll get:

  • A comprehensive training manual that lays the groundwork for this philosophy of training for both the strength and the speed and agility (SAQ) programs.
  • Both beginner and intermediate 12-week SAQ programs.
  • Both beginner and intermediate 12-week strength programs, with an explanation and calendar on how to combine the strength work with the speed work.
  • A complete exercise glossary with written coaching cues and images for every single strength and SAQ movement. This detailed description of 180 moves is a resource in and of itself!
  • A streamable video library of more than 25 speed and agility demonstration videos. In the videos, Tim and Angie coach the athlete through the fundamentals of their SAQ patterns and drills, allowing them to know what they need work on whether they are watching from home or watching it as they hit the gym.

Here’s the best part. To celebrate its release, Lightning & Thunder is on sale for HALF OFF now through midnight Friday, June 3rd. For more information click HERE.

About Jen Sinkler

Jen Sinkler is a longtime fitness writer and personal trainer who talks about all things strength related at her website, UnapologeticallyStrong.com. The former editorial director of fitness for Experience Life magazine, she writes regularly for a variety of national health magazines. She’s a certified RKC 2 kettlebell instructor, and a powerlifting coach through USA Powerlifting. She also holds coaching certs through Ground Force Method, Progressive Calisthenics, Onnit Academy, and DVRT (Ultimate Sandbag).

A lifelong competitive athlete, Jen played rugby for 13 years, many of those on the U.S. women’s national 7s and 15s teams. She co-owns The Movement Minneapolis with her husband, David Dellanave.

CategoriesExercise Technique Strength Training

Why Performing 1-1/2 Reps Will Alter Your Life Forever

The title of this post might be construed as a tad exaggerative in tone.3

For the sake of brevity: anything labeled “life altering” should be reserved for stuff like winning the lottery, beating cancer, or, I don’t know, a really, really, really good steak.

Or having your own lightsaber.

So please forgive the sensationalism. What follows next will, in fact, not alter your life in any way, shape, or form.

Except for increased strength, muscle mass, and overall increased levels of badassery.

The Deets: 1-1/2 Reps

The idea of utilizing 1-1/2 repetitions (reps for short) isn’t anything new. My good friend, Ben Bruno, has been a huge fan of them for years.

Basically you take an exercise and “extend” the set by incorporating a “1/2 rep” in between full-ROM reps.

The idea serves a few purposes/benefits:

  1. Increased Time Under Tension.
  2. Can be used to address a technique flaw/weakness (which should be the main objective of accessory work anyways).
  3. Awesome alternative to use as a finisher at the end of a workout. They also serve as a nice way to increase total work done in any given session.
  4. Improved mental toughness. Or, put in other words: they fucking make you hate life.

Here’s Ben performing some chin-ups (with a 100 lb weight-vest no less) using the 1-1/2 method:

 

And here he is performing 1-1/2 reps with Front Squats:

 

I like to use the 1-1/2 method with the bench press, as I feel it helps trainees to:

  • Better appreciate what it means to keep the lats on, the upper back tight throughout, and to learn to “meet” the bar with the chest.
  • To help trainees imbue a better sense of time under tension. I.e., it’s a killer way to elicit a chest pump and overall chest hypertrophy. And, at the end of the day, a bigger chest is going to (probably) produce more force.

Some Things To Consider/Pontificate

1) Your bench set-up is going to be crucial.

There’s a sense of poignancy that festers inside me whenever trainees take a haphazard approach with their bench set-up. It’s like a Greek tragedy.

If I had to choose a few big-hitting, big-rock cues that tend to have a universal carryover, they’d include:

  • Learn to drive the upper back INTO the bench.
  • Shoulder blades should be “pinned” together and down (retracted and depressed) to provide more stability.
  • GET A HAND-OFF

 

  • Let be bar “settle” before you begin.
  • Think about wrapping your hand AROUND the bar (I.e., lat activation).
  • You don’t have to have a super aggressive arch in lower back – there’s a degree of mastery and personal comfort insinuated here – however, an arch (even a slight one) is advantageous.
  • Pull the bar down to your chest.
  • Chest meets the bar, rather than bar meets chest.
  • Leg Drive, leg drive, leg drive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fj9RnZJqpOE

 

2) I prefer to use the 1-1/2 rep method as an accessory exercise to the bench press, rather than as the”main gig.”

It implies a bit more of an “accessory movement” vibe.

I feel it works wonders with helping trainees to learn to keep their chest UP throughout the duration of a set. Many make the mistake of allowing the chest to collapse or “cave in,” which manifests into a domino effect of losing upper back stiffness, scapulae position, elbow position, and a muffled leg drive.

Here’s what it looks like in action:

 

During the 1/2 rep portion (where I press the barbell half-way up) I have to cue myself to maintain lat activation, upper back stiffness, chest UP (to meet the bar), and to make sure my chest doesn’t deflate at any point during the set.

It’s harder than it looks.

Generally, it’s best to use sub-maximal loads on these – in the 60-75% range. You can strive for “x” number of reps, say 6-8 for 2-4 sets. Or, another way to implement these is with AMRAP sets.

NOTE: AMRAP = As Many Reps As Possible

My coach, Greg Robins, has been using this approach in my training.

After my main bench movement of the day I’ll follow that with something like this:

ONE set at 75% of 1RM for AMRAP.

Rest 60-90s

ONE set at 70% of 1RM for AMRAP.

It’s killer, but man, the pump is awesome.

And please, feel free to experiment with these. You can use this method with bench pressing, squats, chin-ups, row variations, single-leg variations, bicep curls, and deadlifts (just be careful).

Try them out, and let me know what you think.

CategoriesOff Topic

Day 15: The Best Copenhagen Day Ever!

pic of us at the palace

Day 15: The Best Copenhagen Day Ever!

I didn’t really sleep.

There were a number of young and drunk people yelling and chanting early 2000’s hip hop outside of our hotel window.

Tony didn’t hear it because:

  1. He is the best sleeper on earth
  2. He wears earplugs, which worked out to be smart in this situation.

Anywho, once we were up Tony thought we should just go for it and get the breakfast in the hotel. It was cold cuts and yogurt and toast and the worst coffee in America… oops… sorry… the worst coffee in Denmark.

So I had muesli with hot water and shitty coffee, but we did what we needed to do and got up out of there to enjoy the day!

We rented some bikes (with a handy GPS attached!)

Bike Rental

And made our way over to one of the castles.

Rosenborg Slot

Afterward, we were wandering around and stumbled upon a fabulous market!

Called Torvehallerne, this public space was filled with beautiful produce, funky and fabulous food and drinks, skincare, and all kinds of fun! Here’s a pic:

Torv Market (before lunch)

And HERE’s the website (in case of you randomly being in Copenhagen).

We decided to come back at lunchtime.

But first, to the Round Tower! Built in the 17th century to be used as an astronomical observatory, our tour also included the attached chapel and library hall.

Here’s the beautiful chapel:

Round Tower Chapel

And here’s the super cool winding hall up to the top of the tower! (Please notice Tony being silly/creepy over there in the corner).

Round Tower hall with creepy tony

Atop the tower was the observatory, with a great view of the city:

Us on top of tower

Then it was time for lunch! Tony hit up an “egg wrap”, which is basically super thin yet large omelet that functions as a wrap for veggies and other goodness. I had a salad from this place called “Paleo”. Check it!

Pic of lunch

Tony wanted a bit of dessert afterward, and he stumbled upon the bakery Nazi – AKA Café Rosa.

Rosa was not playing any games, and made it clear that we were interrupting her baking by asking for Tony’s carrot cake – but it was worth it!

pic of tony's lunch dessert 1

Once we were all finished with the market, we hopped back on some bikes, and cycled our way over to the Royal Palace. I risked my life while riding to show you how awesome and bike friendly Copenhagen really is! There’s Tony up ahead:

pic of tony riding

And here we are once we arrived at the Palace:

pic of us at the palace

By this point, we were both feeling Copenhagen.

Staff at the front desk of our hotel told us that more than 50% of the city’s population rides a bike, but that seemed like an underestimate to us. There were HUGE bike lanes everywhere, special traffic signals, specifically for bikes, and very patient easy-going drivers, who seemed used to bikers being everywhere.

Bikers in mini skirts.

Bikers drinking a coffee (or beer) while riding with one hand.

Bikers chatting, listening to music, and so on and so forth. It was very fantastic!

For example, here is one of many bike parking lots, sitting just outside a little café where I grabbed a coffee:

bikes from coffee shop window

We returned our bikes (there are little stations to return the bikes all over the city) and wandered around in the city for a bit. When we came upon Nyhavn:

Pic of Nyhavn

It was high time for another dessert, and Tony wanted a repeat of the amazing Belgian waffle a la mode that Travis’ wife Amanda introduced him to the day before! Here it is:

Tony with waffle

Then, upon another of Travis and Amanda’s recommendations, we jumped on a boat tour of Copenhagen. It was fabulous! Here are some highlights:

Pic 4 of boat tour

pic 5 of boat tour

We even got to see the famed Little Mermaid statue:

pic 3 of boat tour

It was a fabulous way to see the city and hear little facts about different buildings and neighborhoods:

Once off the boat, we decided to walk around to the “other” side of Copenhagen, and check out “Christiania” – the hippie town with a reputation for an amazing street food extravaganza:

pic of papiroen

It was a long walk, but completely gorgeous. Walking from one side of the city to the other from 5:00pm to about 6:30pm meant that we were accompanied by hundreds of city-dwellers afoot and on bikes, leaving work and heading over for some amazing street food (and drinks).

Let me just tell you, the walk was worth it!

Inside street food 1

inside street food 2

After we did a lap and made a thorough assessment of our options, I grabbed a local beer from a microbrewery, and Tony grabbed some pizza:

tony eating pizza

For our second course, we hit up a Brazilian place and got the “mixed grill”, which involves our favorite: meat and veggies:

Lisa and Street Food Copenhagen

food from brazilian place

To wrap it all up, we decided to have an open-faced little sandwich with tenderloin, onions, and a bit of pickle:

pic of sandwich

That was our favorite, and came from this little gem, called Handmade:

Handmade

We were full, and weary, after an amazing day! We decided to bike home, since we needed to get clear across the city. Here’s Tony heading over to our bikes for the Trek home:

Tony walking to bikes

It was a beautiful, and an epic way to end the perfect day. Awesome sunset, easy biking, and happy people everywhere, getting their weekend started:

bike ride home

We were so sad the day was over!

It may have been our best.

We quickly washed up and passed out! Tomorrow, we start the long journey home… talk to you then!

Love Lisa (and Tony).

CategoriesOff Topic

Day #14: Stockholm to Copenhagen

Note From Lisa: Sorry this is a day late! Tony and I had such an amazing last day in Copenhagen that once we got back to our hotel it was time for bed. More to come soon.

Day 14: Stockholm to Copenhagen

God Morgon!

Tony and I were up, packed, and ready to head to the train bright an early. We made our way back to Central Station, and looked around for some breakfast.

Usually I try to be a sport, but I could not bring myself to eat another creamy sandwich. I probably drove Tony crazy, walking into and back out of a dozen little cafes – but each time I tried to accept the present moment and just grab a sandwich, I couldn’t do it!

I left Tony with his turkey sandwich, protein bars, and sugar-free monster on the platform, and went in search of a “real” breakfast (sorry if that sounds obnoxious and American!).

I found a grocery store with non-dairy milk! I literally almost jumped up and down. Grabbing the coconut milk, I made my way back to a café where I got myself a coffee.

Once on board, our train left promptly at 8:20 am, and I enjoyed my coffee while Tony had his Monster. Afterward, I used my cup as a bowl, grabbed a spoon from the “bistro” on the train, and fished the oats and awesome Czech granola out of our luggage!!! Here’s my do-it-yourself American breakfast:

Breakfast on train

The train was much more crowded today – and much faster. In retrospect, I see that Oslo is a quieter, smaller, slower city than Stockholm. The Swedish capital is more metropolitan… cosmopolitan.

So the passengers reflected that. And the views were beautiful:

View from train to Copenhagen

Today is an exciting day; not just because we’re going to Copenhagen, but because we’re meeting up with one of Tony’s oldest friends!

Travis and Tony became friends after their senior year in high school, and played on a summer baseball team together. Travis now lives with his wife Amanda in Sweden, a bit outside of Copenhagen, and they made the trip into the city to hang out with us! Here’s the reunion:

Travis at Copenhagen

Another pic of Travis and Tony

We made the trek from the station to our hotel, which is… interesting.

Called the Cabinn Scandanavia, the rooms are like Cabins… on a cruise ship. So our room looked like a 3-level cruise ship Cabin, and I hated it. Take a look:

Cabinn Scandanavia 1

Cabinn Scandanavia 2

The toilet is in the shower. There are three levels of beds. So we dropped our shit off, and got up out of there!

Travis, Amanda, Tony and I ran around in Copenhagen for the afternoon. We stopped for a drink in the harbor (Nyhavn) and watched the characters enjoy their ice cream and beers and whatever else they wanted:

Drink in the Harbor

Amanda also introduced us to a Belgian waffle with ice cream on top. Tony’s favorite so far! Check it:

Waffle 1

Waffle 2

Did you know that you can drink anywhere you want in Copenhagen?

Plenty of cafes have “To-Go” beers and cocktails. Travis surprised us with some fruity cider from 7 Eleven, to enjoy while we roamed… here’s Tony (who is this guy?!) enjoying his blueberry cider while taking in the sites:

Street Drinking

After lots of walking and shopping, we went to Sushi n’ Sticks for dinner! Here we are at the bar:

pic of all at dinner

And here’s our awesome food:

pic of dinner

After dinner we walked Travis and Amanda halfway back to the train station. Then, realizing we didn’t have a map or GPS capability, we hugged goodbye and walked back to our cruise ship Cabin.

Nothing exciting is happening there!4

Walk to you soon, after a sleep and getting up out of the hotel room!

Lisa (and Tony)

CategoriesStuff to Read While You're Pretending to Work

Stuff to Read While You’re Pretending to Work: 5/27/16

My wife and I are approaching the “final countdown” of our European Extravaganza…currently en route (via train) to Copenhagen, Denmark.

When it’s all said and done we will have put foot to ground in five different countries over the course of five flights, two trains, and zero Batmobiles.

Hopefully you’ve been keeping up with Lisa travel blog – HERE – and if not, I hate you. You’re ruining my life!

[slams door]

Just kidding.5

I’d like to offer some of my own candid thoughts on the trip:

1. Europeans know how to squat.

Culturally speaking I think many European countries – particularly Eastern European – spend more time in the squat position compared to North Americans. The also smoke a helluva lot more, but that’s besides the point.

Too, I believe, if we consider anthropometrics, there are segments of the Eastern European population who have shallower acetabulums (hip sockets) and shorter femoral heads compared to North Americans, allowing for greater squat ROMs.

Pretty interesting.

2. Despite speaking in two different countries – Czech Republic and Norway – where English is not the first language spoken, I found there wasn’t as much of a language barrier as I had originally thought there’d be.

While I’d love to chalk this up to some secret superhero power which allowed me the ability to communicate with anyone at any time, I don’t feel it’s such a secret “thing.”

Besides…that would make me Aquaman, and that’s lame.

It was just a matter of slowing down, not talking over people’s heads, and making sure to stay open to other ideas and mindsets.

One of the best compliments Dean and I received while in Prague was that we were both very approachable, we didn’t make anyone feel stupid6, and that we were open to other ideas and methodologies. NOTHING we discussed was meant to be concrete or interpreted as the ONLY way to do something.

It’s an approach I wish more fitness pros who educate would adopt.

3. Along the same lines I’ve heard from several attendees from the workshops over here that many fitness professionals in Europe are “behind the curve” compared to American trainers. That they’re “behind in the research and trends.”

I think this is BS.

I find that because European trainers seem to be less transfixed or wooed by the latest “trends,” that their approach is more basic and less laborious.

There’s very little fluff.

I see nothing wrong with this.

In working out in several commercial gyms since I’ve been here, I can say that I’ve seen more trainers utilizing the free-weight area and having their clients deadlift, squat, perform KB swings in addition to various movement/dynamic drills than I have ever seen in most commercial gyms in the States.

Just calling it like I see it.

4. Europeans are chill. In Prague I rarely, if ever, heard someone beep their horn. There was a liiiiitle bit more of it in Stockholm, but Stockholm is a bit more of a modern metropolis.

Still, compared to places like NYC or Boston, where you’re suffocated with a cacophony of horns and angry pitchforks if you don’t move your car within 0.02ths of a second of a light turning green, Europe is a welcome reprieve.

Dr. Robert Sapolsky, author of the book “Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers,” likens this phenomenon to a phrase he coined called toxic hostility.

We all know someone in our lives who is a proverbial hothead. No matter what they’re always “on” or in a rush. The slightest thing – taking too much time at a stop light, a long line at a grocery store, putting too much creme in their coffee – is an opportunity for them to flip-the-eff-out.

In my travels abroad I don’t find this happening nearly as much. People seem to be calm, cool, and collected.

And kind.

This is not to insinuate that everyone in the States is a major league a-hole. However, this is to insinuate that there are A LOT less of those types here in Europe. It’s amazing.

5. The food in Europe, seemingly, is, well, food. As opposed to what Michael Pollen,  author of favs of mine, “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” and “In Defense of Food,” refers to as Frankenfoods (that we’re used to here in the USA).

I’m not one of those people who operates in a dream world where total calories don’t count. I saw Alan Aragon put up a Tweet the other day from another nutritionist who said something to the effect of “you need a carbohydrate/sugar deficit to lose weight not a caloric deficit.”

That made me – and the internet – LOL a little bit.

However, people CRUSH bread over here. And dairy. And beer.

Sure, people are more generally active here which counts for the lack of obesity…but what both my wife and I have noticed is that there’s no added “anything” in any of the food here.

Bread isn’t “enriched” with anything. It’s just, you know, bread.

And it’s SO good.

While I can’t speak for all of Europe, I know in Germany (and I have to assume Prague?) there are strict rules on how beer is processed. It can’t have more than 3-4 ingredients.

This is in stark contrast to other beers – particularly in the States – where it’s not uncommon to see an ingredients list that would rival a Breaking Bad episode.

I could keep going, but I’ve rambled enough. Lets get into this week’s list of stuff to read…

1) Regular Cardio Will Make You Fat – John Meadows

Taking away the sensationalistic title, this was an awesome article by John. I’ve always operated under the guise that the bulk of one’s “cardio” should be either brutally short and intense or very, very low intensity (or what I like to call Zone 2 work).

The middle ground – or cardio purgatory – is where many (not all) people tend to lose their way.

2) How Intense Workouts (and overtraining) Can Ruin Your Results – Dr. John Berardi

Speaking of intense exercise…It is necessary for continued gains and adaptation.

That said, not every workout or training sessions needs to be a balls to the wall battle.7.

This was an excellent article by John and the Precision Nutrition team shedding light on the importance of mixing things up, having fun, what’s the right “activity level” given your goals.

3) 3 Reasons Coaches Aren’t Respected Like the Old Days – Chris Fore

This was such a good read.

All the points made by Chris in this piece were on point. #2 in particular, sadly, happens quite a bit.

CategoriesOff Topic

Day 13: Mayo, Salmon, Lebanese!

The Palace

Day 13: Mayo, Salmon, Lebanese!

With one full day in Stockholm only, we had a full itinerary!

Tony wanted to get a lift in, so we found the nearest SATS gym, and had a good bench day together.

NOTE from Tony: kudos to the staff at SATS Odenplan for their professionalism and general level of awesomeness.

I observed many of the trainers working doing some lovely things with their clients. Frankly, it was a breath of fresh air to see the bulk of them utilizing the free weights area and having their clients deadlift, perform KB swings, and perform a plethora of movement/mobility drills.

A hearty slow clap to you:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAryFIuRxmQ

 

Afterward, we were in search of breakfast.

Did you know that Swedes eat sandwiches for breakfast? Did you also know that Swedes are obsessed with mayonnaise, and other creamy condiments? We didn’t know! So after popping into and back out of 12 different cafes, we decided we had to just do as the Swedes to, and have a sandwich for breakfast.

Tony found a “chicken Caesar” sandwich, which is essentially the American salad classic, between bread. I wanted to try something Swedish, so I got a Skagen. An open-faced sandwich with lots of little shrimp. Here’s our breakfasts:

Sandwiches for Breakfast

I was not aware of the Swedish love for mayo! There was a freaky amount of mayo underneath those shrimp. I spent about five minutes taking globs off the bread.

For me, it was a little on the gross side. I couldn’t help but laugh, thinking of my best friend Susie, who is horrified by mayonnaise… I think she would have had to sit at a different table!

We popped back to the hotel for a shower. It was much cooler and overcast today, so once we had on some layers, we were ready for our day!

We decided to hop on the Hop On Hop Off Boat, which scoots all around Stockholm:

Hop on hop off boat

We made our way over to the Vasa museum.

The Vasa was a MONSTER ship that was built early in the 17th century. The ship made it a little over a mile before capsizing and sinking in the Stockholm Harbor, and sat in the bottom of the harbor for 333 years (until 1961) before being rescued, restored, and placed into it’s very own museum.

Both gorgeous and fascinating, the Vasa is still actively being restored and preserved. Here are a few pictures:

vasa 1

vasa 2

vasa 3

We hopped back on the boat and enjoyed the scenery as we made our way over to Gamla Stan:

Hop on hop off view

Once in Gamla Stan, we made our way to the central square, and then found a little place for lunch.

Gamla Stan lunch 1

Tony had some Swedish meatballs, and I had the BIGGEST and most delicious piece

of Salmon ever! Check it out:

Gamla Stan lunch 2

Lunch was amazing.

We explored Gamla Stan a bit more, and then spent the afternoon in the Royal Palace. First, we walked around in the Royal Apartments, checking out the gorgeous surroundings:

The Palace

The large collection of Clocks:

Royal apartments clocks

And then finally some of the grand bedrooms and meeting rooms in the royal apartments:

Royal apartments

Then we took a tour of the old, medieval part of the palace. We were the only two who booked the tour! So we had a private tour with a lovely Swedish woman, who spent almost an hour with us, describing the history of wars and the difficult ways of life, and the legit Game of Thrones that used to go on.

It was fascinating.

The lighting was very low, but Tony took a few pictures… take a look:

Royale Palace - Sweden

We then took at look at the museum of Antiquities, which housed a collection of Roman art that one of the princes of Sweden put together and then made public:

Lisa with Antiquities

After some more walking around, we made our way back to the hotel.

Tony had enough of Swedish cuisine for one day, and had a hankering for some Mediterranean food.

After some Google map and TripAdvisor searching, we found a Lebanese (my favorite) place up the block.

It was AMAZING!

The restaurant was called Underbar and I highly recommend to anyone. Here’s my dinner, complete with grilled meat, salad, and plenty of meze:

Lebanese Dinner

After dinner Tony went down to the lobby to use the Wifi and get some work done, while I packed up and got ready for tomorrow’s travels.

We’re off to Copenhagen!

Can’t wait… talk to you then!

Lisa (and Tony)

CategoriesOff Topic

Day 12: Stockholm

Stockholm

Day 12: Stockholm

5:00am Sharp!

That’s when our alarms went off. We popped out of bed and headed down to the Oslo Central Station. Once on our 6:00am train, Tony and I settled in for a five hour ride to Stockholm. Here’s some photos of the view:

View from Train

Tony working diligently catching up on emails and what not.

View from Train 2

Since we were up so early, no breakfast was had.

There was a pathetic little “kiosk” with nothing (really) worth eating or drinking. So we swayed and we fasted, and as the hours past, we got very tired, and a little nauseous.

Dehydrated, sleepy, and woozy, we slithered off the train in search of caffeine. Tony does not drink coffee, but is a sugar-free energy drink drinker. You may curl your lip, but don’t judge. We all have our vices.

One sparkling water and Sugar-Free Monster later, we made the 10 minute walk to our hotel!

We’re at the HTL Upplandsgatan, a “smart” hotel, which apparently means no drawers – or furniture actually. But we don’t mind – with barely 48 hours to explore, who’s got time to unpack?!

Pic of our hotel

So off we went, in search of lunch. We were directed to the nearby Vete-Katten, where we enjoyed a delicious salad:

Pic of lunch.

Vete Katten 1

Vete Katten 2

We were pleased to see the prices for food and drink return to normal, and actually Vete-Katten also provided water, coffee, bread, butter, and cookies along with all lunch orders:

Vete Katten 3

After some sustenance and more caffeination, we were ready! Map in hand, we made our way down through Norrmalm (the “new city”, where our hotel is),

New Town Stockholm

To Gamla Stan (Old Town)

Old Town 1

Old town 2jpg

And then down and over another bridge to Ostermalm (“Hipster” town), where there were amazing views of the rest of the city:

Lisa Stockholm

Here you can see most of “Old Town” in the background…a breathtaking view of the city overlooking the harbor.

We meandered through streets and stopped to chill in the small square in Gamla Stan, just outside of the Nobel Prize Museum:

Nobel Prize Museum

On the way back to the hotel, we stopped for a drink (I stopped for a drink, and Tony joined me) to enjoy the sunshine and watch Swedes leave work and meet up for a Carlstad.

AFternoon drink

At this point, we started to feel weary! But, a fan of Tony’s recommended a restaurant to us, and made us reservations for 7:30pm. We began to wonder how we’d stay awake…

Luckily, the lady at the front desk of our hotel called and changed our reservation from 7:30pm to 6:00pm (I know! We are early birds!).

The Grill was amazing. A funky place with live jazz and edgy décor:

The Grill

Tony had the Tenderloin of a Swedish cow, and I had grilled lamb with grilled veggies.

Afterward, we were in search of ice cream for Tony, and came across Organic Gelato. There were even a few Vegan flavors! I had dairy-free peanut butter, which was somehow better than Tony’s creamy cookies and cream:

Gelato

We were back at the hotel by 8:15pm, and ready for bed just about an hour later! Tomorrow, a FULL day in Stockholm! See you then,

Lisa (and Tony)

CategoriesAssessment coaching Motivational personal training

3 Questions to Assess Your Clients’ Willingness to Change

You may have heard I’m traveling in Europe.8

Today’s guest post comes courtesy of Canadian health and fitness professional, Dave Smith. He shares some excellent advice on how we can better assess our clients’ willingness to change.

Have you ever had a client who was extremely eager to jump into the health and fitness lifestyle?

They’ve bought their new fancy running shoes, pedometer, sweat pants, and they’re ready to go.

You sense this eagerness, and to help them, you construct an intensive diet and training plan that will help them achieve their goals.

1 week passes – everything is going well.

2 weeks pass – they’ve missed a training session.

3 weeks pass – they’ve missed 3 training sessions and only followed the diet plan for 2 days of the week.

4 weeks pass – they’ve given up. Dieting and training just “isn’t for them.”

We’ve all had these types of clients in the past, and it can be very misleading – one day they’re inspired and motivated to be healthy, the next day they’ve given up and are back to their old ways.

It’s important that when you’re working with new clients, you assess the stage that they’re at regarding to how willing they are to make changes.

You have to see past the initial excitement that they may have, and make a proper assessment of their level of dedication to changing.

The 5 Stages Of Behavior Change

The Transtheoretical Model is a handy little tool that you can use to assess your clients willingness to change – in this case, a change in their training and eating habits.

These 5 stages are:

  • Pre-Contemplation: The person is not planning on taking action at all
  • Contemplation: The person is aware that their behaviour is problematic, and is beginning to educate themselves on the changes necessary
  • Preparation: The person is preparing and is ready to take action in the near future
  • Action: The person is making changes to their behavior
  • Maintenance: The person has now made those changes a habit and is a part of who they are

Using these 5 stages, we are able to assess our clients and their willingness to change.

The Reason Why The Stages Of Change Are So Important

Understanding the stages of change is crucial for being able to properly assess a new client’s ability to build new habits.

For example, let’s look at a new client that we’re working with named Jimmy.

Jimmy’s a cool guy. He’s 32 years old – wife and two kids, works a standard office job.

Jimmy wants to make some real gains. He wants to put on some muscle.

So Jimmy comes to you looking for a training and diet plan that will help him with his goal. He seems extremely eager, energetic and ready to go all out with the new plan that you’ve written up for him.

But you’ve seen this too many times.

Too many times clients have come to you with the energy of a kid in a candy store, only to have that energy drained after a mere three weeks.

Not only have they upset themselves, but it can also can give the impressions that the service you’re providing is sub-par.

The reason why it’s important to recognize the 5 stages of behaviour change is because it allows you to see past the initial excitement and assess your client’s willingness to change in a long-term perspective.

So now when Jimmy comes to you ready and wired, it’s your job to ground his excitement and assess where he’s really at.

Not only will it prevent him from being upset in the future if he decides to drop off at the three week mark, but it also prevents the chance that your reputation is tainted.

3 Questions For Assessing Your Clients

To do this assessment, here are three questions you can ask Jimmy that will bring down the initial wavering excitement levels and decide if he REALLY is ready for change.

1. Have you tried anything previously to make progress towards your goals?

If Jimmy tells me he’s tried everything from calisthenics to Olympic lifting, there’s a good chance that he’s probably in the preparation stage. He’s searching for answers but hasn’t figured out an appropriate action plan.

This is shown by Jimmy’s inability to pick a path and stick with it. This might also tell you that Jimmy is looking for a “magic pill” to solve his problems. Maybe he’s looking for the quick fix rather than sticking with one plan.

2. What, specifically, has stopped you in the past from reaching your goals?

This is where you get to see if Jimmy comes up with an external excuse or not.

If Jimmy tells you he hasn’t had enough time because of work, or because his wife and kids have kept him too busy – you can recognize that he’s probably in either the Contemplation or Preparation stage.

While he sees value in adding more muscle to his frame, his priorities lie elsewhere.

Throwing him into an intensive program is doomed to fail (at this point).

Jimmy needs to be introduced to change more slowly.

3. Using a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being “there’s no way” and 10 being “definitely will do”), would you be able to exercise for _minutes for _days this coming week?

This is the ultimate test of Jimmy’s willingness to change.

In this case, Jimmy says that he’s probably at a 6 when it comes to exercising 45 minutes, 4 times per week: He’s got a lot of commitments next week, but he’s ready to “try his best.”

Is a 6 rating really that convincing?

Do you really want to give a client a task that has at least a 40% chance of failure? (I say “at least” because most clients overestimate their ability to take on change in the beginning!)

Identifying a Willing, Ready, and Able Client

Question #1 gets the ball rolling. It lets you see how new or experienced your client is with training and nutrition, and also his level of interest in these two areas.

Question #2 throws a curve ball to the client. He is perhaps thinking you’re just asking a basic question, but really you’re screening the client to see his attitude and willingness to change.

If your client blames the reason of not reaching their goals on external factors – deflecting the reason to things such as not enough time, too busy with work, the wife not cooking healthier meals or the kids bringing home junk food – then this is a sign of someone who’s in one of the earlier stages of change.

Again, the notion of wanting change is there, but perhaps not at the expense of other enjoyable things in life.

However, if they take responsibility for their actions or lack of, then that’s a good sign of someone who could possibly be ready to get started.

Question #3 is the true test of a client’s willingness to change. “Action speaks louder than words”, and we’re about to find out how loud their actions really are.

Any number they give you shows their level of commitment to following a training and nutrition plan.

  • Any number between 1 and 3 is a sign that they’re probably not ready for much of a change.
  • A number between 4 and 6 is an okay, mediocre response. A small change may be possible.
  • A number between 7 and 10 is a good sign that they’re ready to go. Let’s take them into Action.

Changing Your Plan For Different Behavioral Stages

You can’t give a client an intensive, thorough training and nutrition plan when they’re not ready to change, so it’s important to identify which stage your client is at and adjust their needs from there.

Remember, the majority of them are going to say “they’re ready for everything right now” when their excitement levels are high, but it’s your job to assess how willing they truly are.

Clients that are in the Precontemplation stage need help finding their “why.” Help them see why it’s important to work out and eat healthy. You can relate it to having more self-confidence, living longer so they will be able to spend more time with their family etc.

Once you find their why, keep tapping on that pressure point.

Clients that are in the Contemplation stage will benefit by showing what they can achieve as well as the sacrifices they’re going to have to make to achieve it. Also a basic level of the how to achieve their goals will help them.

 

Clients that are in the Preparation stage will benefit from organizing a custom plan for them. Sorting out times that they’re able to exercise, recipes that are healthy and they also like etc. Anything that is customized for them and moves them towards taking action.

When the client has reached the Action stage, they’re now to start working on the fitness plan that you’ve customized for them. Remember to not jump the gun and start with extreme exercise sessions to begin with. Gauge where your clients fitness levels are at and work your way up from there in small steps.

Once your client is in the Maintenance stage, you’re now able to just keep the ball rolling and help them so they don’t fall back to their old ways. Spice things up every now and then with different exercises, challenges; perhaps increasing their training frequency or adding some extra healthy snacks.

Remember, you’re the professional. You’re the leader. It’s up to you to properly assess a new client and then deliver a program that has the highest likelihood of success.

About the Author

Dave Smith is a professional fitness and weight-loss coach who was chosen as “Canada’s Top Fitness Professional” in 2013. He shares awesome health and weight-loss tips through his blog and podcast that you can find at makeyourbodywork.com.