Friday Musings 10/14/11
So, no beating around the bush, I'm pretty mentally beat from this week. Between finishing up the last week of wedding prep, visiting various labs for bloodwork, moving to a new home, getting ahead of things for when I'm on my honeymoon, and staying on top of my daily responsibilities at SAPT, I'm definitely going to crash hard tonight when I finally get to sleep. Not to mention a lot of things have happened over the past month (my car rolling across a parking lot being one of them) in my life that can be summed up by this poster:
I'm kidding (kinda), given that I really do have a lot, and I mean a lot, to be thankful for. However, currently all I desire is a lollipop for my brain, so I thought that some of you may want a lollipop, too, as it's the end of the week.
This being said, this post is going to be completely random. It may not even have much to do with training, but hey, sometimes people want a healthy dose of entertainment, right? Let's get to it.
1. This is why we teach strict, dead-hang pullups performed with good form at SAPT....
...as opposed to kipping pullups, as shown in the video below. Keep your form locked in, kids:
2. Under Armour underwear is the greatest thing I've discovered since learning that the arrow next to the gas symbol tells you which side of the car the gas tank is on.
Anyway, last month I felt compelled to order the outrageously priced underwear from Under Armour, and let me tell you, it is FANTASTIC.
I mean, talk about feeling tranquil and luxurious, all day long. I'm tempted to make a quick change to our wedding registry and replace everything with under armour underwear...it's just that good. They really hit the nail on the head with that product line. Yes, they're expensive, but worth every penny.
3. I finally began training like I would train one of the athletes under our roof at SAPT.
What? What do I mean by this? Well, as counterintuitive as it may seem, even strength coaches struggle when it comes to their own programming. After all, the toughest person to program for is yourself (as I've written in the past, this is one reason why it's wise to have someone else write your program). As some of you know, I've had some pretty persistent shoulder pain, and over the last five weeks I FINALLY manned-up and trained using a similar approach that I would give one of our athletes should they be exhibiting similar symptoms.
Namely, I've taken out a LOT of the pressing volume and added in a LOT of horizontal pulling. For example, this is what my upper body session looked like this past Tuesday:
A1) Bent-Over DB Row, 5x8/side A2) Neutral-Grip DB Press, 3x6
B1) Seated Cable Row, Pronated Grip, 4x10 B2) Tempo Pushup, 3x10
C1) Cable Face Pull w/External Rotation, 2x12 C2) Anti-Rotation Press and Hold, 2x3x :10 per side
*Notice that the total "pulling" volume was 104 reps, compared to the "pressing" volume which was 48 total reps.
And what do you know? My shoulder is feeling WAY better, and I've added some much needed strength to my upper back. Funny, as things didn't get better until I stopped training like a doofus and did what I knew I should deep down all along.
4. No matter if you're a cat person or not, you have to admit this is the cutest thing you've seen all week: Yeah, I realize the some of the gents in the crowd may be screaming for me to have my man-card revoked, but I wanted to give something to the ladies in the crowd...what can I say.
5. This is what it looks like to not care, whatsoever, about what other people think of you.
This is pretty funny; thank you Ben Bruno for finding this. Maybe I'll add this exercise in for people as a warm-up before their isolation lifts:
That will do it for today. Hope this helped pass the time in your respective work place and have a great weekend!
This is a call to arms against New Year’s resolutions!
Ready to freak-out…New Year’s resolutions are right around the corner!!! Did you just break-out in a cold sweat? Did you just un-tuck your shirt to more seamlessly blend the muffin top into your lower extremities? Are you slowly moving towards your snack drawer to dispose of the various half-eaten processed delicacies stroon about…ya, I’m on to you. Folks, this is a call to arms against preventing what you really want for yourself; to once again have a waistline; finally beat your friend “Svelte Jerry” in your weekend tennis match, and not worry about your knee exploding in the process; to not live in fear of your annual check-up.
My friends, climb aboard the SAPT rowboat, and like GW crossing the Delaware, we’re gonna sneak-up and ambush our opposition...failed New Year Resolutions, no more. Don’t wait for the bleating attempts by surrounding commercial gyms to wrangle you into some membership you’ll never use, because at that point it’ll be too late (I’m a poet and didn’t even know it).
HEALTHY HABITS MUST BEGIN NOW. Trust me, it’s the only way you’ll be able to curb, and defeat, your unhealthy infatuation with snickerdoodles, the little cookies with Hershey kisses on top, and the latest “housewives” series? You know why, because GOING COLD TURKEY ON JANURARY 1ST DOESN’T WORK!
What you need is plan, something to guide you through the season of endless fruit cakes. Perhaps something like an SAPT individualized training program? You need some motivation, and a sense of accountability. Perhaps the knowledgeable SAPT staff and encouraging-positive room dynamic created by our semi-private training model would do the trick? What you need is a reason to have only a small slice of cheesecake instead of the entire pan? Perhaps knowing that the SAPT Prowler (our weight sled) is in your metabolic finisher tomorrow and you’d rather not taint our pristine turf with bits of graham crack crust and heavy cream (too far (?)…probably)? Perhaps viewing the incredible physical transformation of SAPT’ee lifer, Ron Reed, in the video below will stoke your fire:
Ladies, and gents, the solution is simple, set yourself up for success by enrolling in one of our adult training structures. We understand that change is difficult, but as it’s been proven to us time and time again, with a little help and guidance, SAPT’ees can accomplish some pretty amazing things. Let us help you.
Cue “Rocky” soundtrack,
Chris
Outdoor Training
For the record, I love Fall. It's hands-down my favorite season. Crisp and refreshing weather (but not too cold), pumpkin spiced ales are a-brewing (or pumpkin spiced lattes, depending on who you are), Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and some may even argue that football season makes things more enjoyable.
Fall is also a perfect season to train outside. There's just something about breathing fresh air and having the sun shine on your body that makes training outdoors far more vivifying than remaining indoors.
This past weekend, a couple friends and I went to a local field to get in a training session, and it was awesome. We primarily used a 100lb sandbag and the prowler to get some work done, and just did whatever we felt like doing that morning. For those that have never trained with a (shifting) sandbag, it makes any movement you do ten times harder than using a fixed weight such as a dumbbell or barbell. Take a look at the video below:
Here's a quick recap of what we did:
Round 1: Repeat AMAP in ten minutes A1) Zercher Squat to Stepback Lunge (2 of each movement) A2) PUPP until it's your turn again
Round 2: Repeat the circuit three times B1) Suspended Row and Hold 4x :5 B2) SB Walkover w/two pushups each side (3 passes) B3) SL Slider Hamstring Eccentric 5x :6ecc/side
Round 3: Repeat until you're done (you'll know when you're done...) C1) Prowler Push to Reverse Drag C2) Sandbag Over-Shoulder Carry, 50yds/side C3) Sandbag Bear Hug Carry, 100yds **We then finished up with some alligator crawls just for kicks.
This workout hit the entire body and was challenging, yet didn't leave us exhausted at the end nor did it affect anything we wanted to do later that day (or negatively affect our training sessions once Monday came around). And, more importantly, it was FUN. After all, that's what training should be, right?
For those that have never trained outside, or, at the very least, completed hill sprints, I highly encourage it. You won't regret it.
Physical Presence Speaks Volumes
Basketball season is upon me once again. As I walked into the Patriot Center last Sunday at 5pm (read that again… SUNDAY at 5PM) for our first team practice, I sighed to myself as I noted this is where I will be spending enormous chunks of my days for the next seven months. Don’t get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy working with this team and staff… but, it does mean I will often end up working 7 days per week for weeks and weeks at a time. Right about now, it may have dawned on you that I’m not a basketball coach, so what do I do at these practices that result in 7 day workweeks, you may be wondering. My role during practice is to conduct the team warm-up (which I previously wrote about here), monitor practice volume and intensity (this is a topic I will post on next week as it is critically important for strength coaches to write effective and complimentary programs), watch practice to see where our team has room for improvement (speed, strength in certain planes of movement, conditioning, etc.), and simply to show support for the team which results in a tight bond between myself and the players and coaching staff.
That last part is the one I want to focus on for this post: one’s physical presence demonstrates support for both the team and coaching staff that will eventually manifest itself into an excellent working relationship between all parties. Clearly this can be applied well beyond college athletics and is the backbone to why you show up for your child’s recitals and various events. Taking it a step further this is a great example of how you can show support for a spouse of coworker. Simply by being present.
Over the last three seasons I have been able to keep a constant pulse on the team and the long-term result is that this year I have put the strongest, fastest, and most well conditioned team on the court (up to this season, at least). This has come from small, but critical, insights to the game I’ve garnered ONLY from hanging around.
What can you learn today by “zipping your lip” and simply listening and watching?
Torch Your Hammies with The Band-Assisted Sissy Ham
Confession: I have weak hamstrings. Very weak hamstrings. As such, I’ve needed to ensure that my training includes exercises that will bring up the strength of those stubborn muscles on the back of my legs. In the process of solving this dilemma, I came up with an exercise that will also help athletes improve their performance via stronger hamstrings. Now, one of the last exercises we would have one of our (healthy) athletes perform to increase their hamstring strength is the leg curl.
For most, they’re a terrible waste of time (yes, they certainly have a place in rehab settings and with older/deconditioned individuals, and bodybuilders could make an argument for them). While the majority of people understand that hamstrings function to flex the knee - which is what the leg curl trains - they often neglect that the hamstrings play a CRITICAL role in hip extension. The hamstrings are the body’s second most powerful hip extensor – just behind the glute max! (pun fully intended) For athletes, strong hamstrings can be invaluable as they play crucial role: resisting (eccentrically) knee flexion during sprinting. Take home point: stronger hamstrings make you faster!
As they say, necessity is the mother of invention. Enter the Band-Assisted Sissy Ham (or “Russian Leg Curl”). I came up with this exercise as I was helping some of our athletes perform pullups with band assistance. I had an “ah-ha” moment and decided to find a way to give myself (and others) band assistance during the sissy ham. In the video below, the first half will show me performing the sissy ham without the band. Then, I perform it with the aid of a band (attached above me). Notice there is now no arm push needed to help on the concentric (the “up”) portion of the lift.
(Note: Yes, upon looking at this video in retrospect, my pelvis is slightly tilted anteriorly and there's a bit of excessive low back arch. If I could travel back in time a year I'd go kick my own arse. Comon' Stevo! Get it right. Geez....)
This is such a fantastic exercise as it trains, simultaneously, both functions of the hamstrings: knee flexion and hip extension (which is how our hamstrings are utilized in athletics, anyway). It also makes for a more tangible progression than the regular sissy ham/russian leg curl. As you get stronger, you can lessen the band tension (as opposed to subjectively measuring "how fast you fall" during the regular sissy ham).
If you don't have a power rack that makes it easy to set up something like this, you could either just have someone manually hold your ankles, or latch your ankles under the pads of a lat pulldown apparatus (your knees would be resting where your butt normally goes). Then all you need is a sturdy 1/2" or 1/4" resistance band, which can be purchased through companies like Iron Woody, Perform Better, or EliteFTS.
As strength coaches, our mission (behind keeping people healthy) is to improve movement quality, performance, and strength and power. We also have only, roughly, 150 minutes a week to do this. This being the case, you won't find us filling 10 of those 150 minutes wasting time on an isolated leg curl. I could think of a million things athletes would be better off spending their time doing (placing their hand on a heated frying pan being one of them). Even if you're not an athlete, this exercise will still be wayy more beneficial for developing your hamstrings than the leg curl. It will also work well for the long-distance runners in the crowd!
This exercise isn't appropriate for everyone, as it's EXTREMELY difficult, even though it may not appear so if you haven't tried it. I definitely recommend a healthy dose of glute walks, slider hamstring curl eccentrics, and hip thrusts before attempting something like this.
Forward Thinking
As many of you know, Steve Jobs (CEO and co-founder of Apple) passed away earlier this week. While I'm not going to pretend that I closely followed his career or that I know more about him than any of the local magazines or newspapers can tell you, I will say it's obvious he was a brilliant inventor, played a major role in expediting our plunge into the digital age, revolutionized the music industry, and was overall Head Ninja in the technology sector. And, although I've never been too "big" on most graduation speeches (I honestly don't remember a thing from mine) Jobs's commencement speech to the Stanford graduates of 2005 was pretty incredible. I think anyone, college-aged or not, can learn something from it and apply it to their life:
Here are a few other Jobs quotes I stumbled across through a quick Google search:
“You can’t just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they’ll want something new.”
“It’s really hard to design products by focus groups. A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.”
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” (taken from the speech in the video)
It's clear that, judging from his products and quotes, Jobs was a very forward-thinking person. Regardless of your views on Apple products or on Jobs as a person, there's no denying that he accomplished what he set out to do by always thinking multiple steps ahead. He was light years ahead of society when it came to technology, and a possessed a creative force that most of us would only dream of. And, as a result, put a ding in the digital universe, just as he said he wanted to do.
Anyway, this got me thinking: those with forward thinking mindsets in the training realm are always the most successful.
Always train for what you want to happen one year, five years, and even ten years from now, but not necessarily for what you want to happen immediately. In the future, when you're older, do you want to be strong, healthy, and be able to play a Thanksgiving game of flag football with your kids without pulling a groin? Or able to go on a hike with your church group without becoming winded? OR, do you want to be injured, overweight, and hardly able to walk the stairs to your office without gasping for air?
You might be able to get away with it now, but sooner or later bad training and eating habits are going to catch up with you.
Some of the athletes at SAPT get very frustrated when I don't let them move up in weight because their form simply wasn't good enough. Given that they're paying me to improve their performance in a sport, my first and foremost goal is to do my absolute best to keep them injury free. And, if their form isn't as close to perfect as they can get, then sorry, but you may not be the Don Juan you think you are. Stay put right there until you can move it WELL. Can I prevent them from walking in front of a bus or getting scissor kicked to the face by Jack Bauer if they step in his way of killing terrorists? No, but I can at least do my part with what I'm given.
Some of the guys have become very impatient when I don't let them back squat. Well, you have to earn the right to back squat and say, using one of many examples, you have anterior shoulder instability, it's highly unlikely that I'll give you that exercise! Even if you can get away with it now and push through some slight discomfort, I want to play no role whatsoever in contributing to the chronic shoulder pain you may experience down the road.
Along a somewhat-similar line, it blows me a way when some of the baseball guys or volleyball girls in our area show up at SAPT 6-weeks out from the season and say, "Uh, yeah, I really want to make varsity this year so you gotta get my sprint time down and/or vertical improved."
What?! Lol. Umm, hate to break it to you but you should have gotten started, oh, I don't know, maybe last year when your previous season ended? (Don't mistake me, I'm not talking about early sport specialization here....more just the mindset of doing SOMETHING year round, even if it's going snowboard in the winter and remaining in a solid strength and conditioning program year round to keep you moving well).
Anyway, forward thinking. That's the point of all this. Think of where you want to be five years from now and then trace back the steps that are required to get you there, starting with today. Is what you're doing right NOW going to put you one step further?
