What I would do as a Strength Coach Building an anerobic demon

I get the opportunity to see a lot of horrible crap in a lot of gyms across my area.  You name it from jumping split squats for clients that can't do a jumping jack, to overhead squat long jumps, quarter squats with knees caved in, to "weight loss" clients first exercise being bicep curls, to large groups of people sacrificing healthy joint saving technique to get a better time or an RX weight.  There's so much more that's too numerous to mention and people blindly throw money away as a "professional" with an under armor shirt and cut arms looks on.  But what really gets me is the local high school, collegiate and travel team coaches that have young men and women do tremendously stupid exercises for reasons that they can't explain.  These people should know better.  I have seen football players, soccer players, basketball players, softball and baseball players running miles as warmups, as conditioning, and worse of all because of poor performance.

WHY???

If I were a strength coach for any of the above mentioned sports I would develop what I call an "Anerobic Demond".  Trust me I am not cool enough or have a good enough imagination to come up with such a cool name myself, I stole it and I don't from where.  All of the above mentioned sports require quick sudden bursts of not long drawn out runs.  For instance the average amount of action in a NFL game is only 10 minutes and you could imagine that number is even less in high school and collegiate games.  So again I ask why should athletes be running miles? Punishment for poor performance?  That makes sense let's beat up a poor performing athlete even more.  Is it because they need to be able to last an hour of play?  Still I call BS, since the average amount of live action is so small.  

What would I do?

I would train these athletes to be explosive and raise that threshold as the off season went on.  This would involve proper squatting variations (i.e, box squats, belt squats....).  I feel that many of today's up and coming athletes have been too specialized in their perspective sports working sport specific technique and dismissing lagging muscle groups.  I would work the posterior chain in every workout at various intensities.  One of the most common injuries in female athletics is a torn ACL and this is often attributed to being quadriceps dominant and having little to no hamstring strength.  I would work sprints at different distances nothing more that 30 yards really working on the ten to 15 yard sprint.  I would spend time working on the "first step" of the explosive run.  Total distances of the sprint work wouldn't be measured in miles.  Understanding that the CNS can only handle so much stimuli the amount of sprints would depend on the returns we are getting.  I would not teach the olympic lifts they are way to complicated to get the benefit from them and this is from a former competitor and current coach.  I would stress a good mobility warmup, work on mechanics then progress into explosive calethstinics.  It's a simple recipe that I could elaborate more on for weeks but this is a quick article.  I leave you with one question.  Why do we still have coaches running the crap out of our athletes?    

"SHOULD I CROSSFIT?"

I get asked all the time "What do you think of crossfit?" "Do you do Crossfit?" "Should I Crossfit?"

Here's the low down on what I think.  I am a fan of anything that gets people up and moving.  If programmed and coached properly with proper regressions and progressions I think crossfit can be a very productive regime.  I do believe that it needs to satisfy a few requirements before you "drink the kool-aide" so to speak.  I think you should look for a box that has an on-ramp program not just a few skill sessions so you kind of know what the prescribed exercise is.  Hey you're a newbie take the time to learn the movements you will last longer and have better gains.  Secondly, how long has the coaches been.... well coaching?  I know that all my crossfit friends will agree with my next statement.  Just because you have been doing crossfit for 6 months doesn't mean you should and open your own box!  Third requirement, how much time is spent working on mobility?  Since much of crossfit is gymnastic type movements and olympic weightlifting mobility is key.

I personally don't crossfit.  It doesn't match my goals, but like I said I don't think anything is wrong with it.  I do wish there was more emphasis on becoming better coaches.  Experience speaks volumes spend time under the bar and keep an open mind.  This isn't just a crossfit problem but a problem across the entire weightlifting community.  We have an epidemic of the blind leading the blind.

Finally I tell people that ask me if they should do crossfit a big fat NO.  Why? because I think they should train with me haha (I never want to give up clients).  If it matches you goals go for it.  Find a box that stresses a beginner "on ramp" program not just a class or two.  Find out how long and experienced the coaches are.  If you need help finding a box in Kentucky email me or comment below I know several boxes that I would recommend

Training Log

Well I finished last week out with a good training session.  Thursday's upper body session was brought to you by an extremely "motivating" (choose your own explitive) ex wife.  I ended up training in the LAB, which is the Underground Garage Gym and I must say probably the most bad ass garge gym around.  So the end of last week looked like this.

Thursday
Standing Overhead Press 5x3
Ring suspended push up 3x15
Pull downs 4x10-20
Super set of shrugs and Shoulder YTWI complex 3x20 and 3x8
Dumbbell row 1x20

Saturday
Recover and foam rolling

Sunday
Family Day.  I know some people that are "hardcore" say they train all the time no matter what.  Now I would say that I am very committed to my craft but when a little girl tells you,"No Daddy no!!!" you listen.  I did some more foam rolling.

Training Log Update

I haven't posted any training logs in a long time, partly because I was like does anyone really want to know how I train and because I've been lazy with posting.  Well any ways I've been tinkering with a new template.  I only deadlift for a four week period.  The first three weeks of deads are from a nasty deficit, I mean nasty, the bar is touching the top of my foot (3-4" I don't know). The other 6-8 weeks, depending on how I feel, my deadlift day is either a strongman day or an Olympic lifting day.  My strongman lifts are limited I do a log lift, a fat bar clean an jerk, ghetto stone load ( I take the end off a bar an load it w/ bumpers) a farmers walk and heavy rope row (I load up the prowler and tie a battle rope to the end and pull it to me).  My oly lifts are almost always from the hang, the reason being I don't want it to interfere with my deadlift and vice versa.  The deadlift and a clean or snatch pull are to totally different animals.  If you don't believe me come to my Oly Workshop in Lexington KY starting Nov 17 or hit me up in Louisville.  I will throw some lifts from the floor in but mainly just pulls.  Also still rehabbing a pec tear so snatches are limited in weight, I know being a wuss, but I have to think about being a 100% in August if I'm going to try to post a 2375 total at 242 (1050 squat, 650 bench, and 675 deadlift).

With staging my deadlift like this I have made some big gains in my pull.  I repped 605 raw for 5 which is a rep PR of 20 lbs. for me.  I haven't went for a max single yet but it's coming.  My squat programing just came off a wave of chain back squat where a single with 500# bar weight with about 200# of chains was easy.  Now I'm concentrating on my box squat since it sucks.  Plus I keep in my single leg movements since I swear that's what took me from a 860 squat to flirting with a 1000.  Upper body wise I'm still rehabbing the pec everything feels great but I'm just nervous I do not want a relapse.  So it has been floor pressing with and without chains fairly high volume some light dips if I'm feeling good and plenty of overhead pressing and tons of back work.
So here's what this week looks like:

Saturday:
Cleans from a high hang 315x4
Single leg cross body RDL's 4x8
Hanging leg raises 4x10

Monday: (usually Sunday)
Single Dumbbell overhead press 4x8
Pull ups wide 6x6
Dips bodyweight 4x12-15 (depending on shoulder/pec)
Hammer row 4x15-20
Band pull apart/ band resisted skull crushers 4x10

Tuesday:
Box squats 4x4 then 1x3 (working on technique my box squat sucks but my free squat rules)
SSB lunge 4x8
Log bar cleans 4x3
Ab cable rotation 4x15
GHR 4x15

I'll update the rest of the week later.  Stay strong.

Just a quick rant

I apologize in advance for anyone this may offend, but I feel that this is a topic that needs to be                discussed.  The views and opinions expressed are solely that of Underground Athletic Development HAHAHA!!!! A disclaimer.

Ok my rant for today was brought up by a good friend of mine.  He asked "why everyone is organic this, grass fed beef that, 40 minute warm ups and so on.  What happened to don't eat crap and be consistent in the gym?"  The only answer I could come up with everyone is an expert.  People do not want to do the basics and the basics being "don't eat crap and be consistent in the gym".  I feel when trying to improve your fitness far too many people lose the forest for the trees.  If you don't eat right there is no way that you can improve your fitness and or lifestyle.  I like to use the analogy of eating junk is like putting diesel fuel into your car that uses gasoline.  Yes the car will run but it will run like crap.  It will sputter and have no power much like yourself if you put crap in your body.  So first put down the "100 calorie snack packs" and supplements and grab some real food.  I'm not knocking organic food because recent tests have proven that there is no nutritional difference between organic vegetables and there non-organic counter parts, but they do provide 100% of your daily pretentiousness.  Ok I'm being a little cynical.  Sure organic foods are great but just because you eat some organic food doesn't give you the excuse to eat crap the rest of the time.  It's kind of like the fatty that drinks a diet coke and then shoves 3 cupcakes down her throat.

Now being consistent in the gym, is another story.  I do some work at a small commercial gym and I am required to do "Fitness Consults" (and yes the italics is supposed to be sarcastic).  However crappy these "Fitness Consults" are there is one question that always gets me.  "How many days a week are you planning on coming to the gym?".  90% of the time people respond, "5-6 days a week would like to go 7 but just don't think I can do that, you know trying to be realistic."  If you could go that many days in a row then more power to you but we all know that for a newbie that's not going to happen.  When I talk about being consistent in the gym I mean picking 2-3 days a week for  a beginner and sticking to those days no matter what.  If you go Monday, Wednesday, and Friday but its Wednesday and you're "too tired and will go tomorrow" well I got news for you, you are going to be too tired "tomorrow" also, so just get your butt in the gym!  Find a warm up that addresses your specific needs.  DO NOT I repeat DO NOT come in touch your toes a few times and do some windmills with your arms and call that a warm up.  A warm up should be approximately 5-10 minutes of mobility work that is specific to your needs and the work out that you have planned.  With that being said, that does not mean that once you do your mobility warm up you jump straight into your working sets.

Ok, so let's run through this again.  Rule number one to success in improving your health /fitness.  Don't eat crap and be consistent in the gym.  Rule number two Don't eat crap and be consistent in the gym.  Awesome simply awesome.

Working my way back

I've been absent for a while, well over a month, but I'm back.  I have recently suffered a torn pec and can't press for another month and a half.  It's my own fault I have neglected my own advice and don't do my recovery work.  Shame on me!!! My right internal shoulder rotation is dismal to say the least and my upper back and shoulder girdle is full of adhesions.  Well since injuring my pec I have been doing shoulder mobility work, foam rolling, and using my Ther-a-cane.  I would recommend the Ther-a-cane to any one.  I didn't realize how tight and bad off I was until I started really digging.

With this injury I have had to change my training since I can't bench, which to be perfectly honest with you I hate benching but it does suck since I hit a huge PR a week before the injury.  I can overhead press with no discomfort and have been pounding the heck out of my upper back.  Recently I started putting cleans in my programs, I guess I'm just reliving the glory days of my Oly lifting career.  First night back to the Oly lifts and I easily cleaned 275 for a slow triple.  What the hell is a slow triple?  Well it's a set of 3 where you can catch a quick breath and reset.  The Oly lifts are not designed to be done for reps (Sorry Crossfit).

My goals are to:
1) Heal my pec with out a major setback by increasing my shoulder mobility and health
2) Practice what I preach about doing recovery work.
3) Increase my bench press without bench pressing.

I'll let you know how that works.

Lessons Learned in the Gym Part 2

I've been in the dark ages for the past week and a half, with no internet, luckily for you I'm back.  I always said one of the two most frequent questions I get asked is, "what supplements should I take?  Right now I'm taking protein and this and that ....".

My first question to these people is do you eat?  Simple question, huh, and of course I get the answer "yeah!".  However, once we start talking I quickly find out that these people usually fall into one of two categories.

The first category of "supplement seekers" are the people that eat, but what they eat is junk.  They may be getting in plenty of calories (i.e. 2000+) but these calories are from horrible sources.  These calories are usually from carb heavy diets, heavy on the bread and pasta and extremely low on protein.  The second category of "supplement seekers" don't eat enough.  They starve themselves taking in extremely low calories causing there bodies to hang on to as much of their fat reserve as possible and burn off a lesser fuel like muscle.  Both groups of "supplement seekers" may workout/train very hard but see little results in the form of body composition or strength gains.

If you fall into one of these two categories my advice to you is simple eat first supplement second.  There is no "supplement" for real food.  Eating whole, unprocessed food is key to getting stronger, feeling better and looking better.  Here is a simple rule when looking at food, "If you can't kill it, catch it or grow it DON'T EAT IT!"

If you are eating properly, then you must look at two other variables in the fitness equation.  Are you training effectively?  Are you doing minimal weights, low intensity, single joint movements? If so quit, do some research and find out how to train.  The other variable is recovery.  We must do an equal part recovery work for all the training we do.  So what do I mean by recovery work?  Well recovery can include everything from getting adequate sleep to foam rolling to special exercises such as sled dragging...

Ok, ok, ok you say that you are eating clean and taking in plenty of calories, training heavy with multi joint movements, getting plenty of sleep and doing recovery work so what supplements would you recommend?  Well I would start with a quality whey based protein that is low in carbs.  Stay away from soy based proteins.  Soy is an inferior protein source that can cause a host of problems.  Branch chained amino acids are also a good investment there are plenty of benefits of BCAA's.  Check out the link to learn more about BCAA's http://www.charlespoliquin.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article/791/The_Benefits_of_BCAAs.aspx
Now another supplement that I really think is beneficial are ZMA's (zinc magnesium aspartate).  ZMA's help you sleep allowing muscle recovery.  http://www.livestrong.com/article/283647-what-are-the-benefits-of-zma-supplements/

So to recap, before you spend money on expensive supplements you need to ask yourself three very important questions.
1) Are you eating enough of the right foods?
2) Are you training properly for your goals?
3) Are you doing your recovery work?
If you answered yes to all three then look into starting with a protein supplement, some BCAA's, and some ZMA.

Until next post be safe and be strong.
Ford