He's got a donations button on his blog page in the link above. I know money is tight, but you can give as little as $5. It's for fire safety and he's dragging a fire truck for goodness sakes! A fire truck! That's worth a few bucks, right?
Getting stronger, fitter, and healthier by sticking to the basics. It's not rocket science, it's doing the simple stuff the right way. Strength-Basics updates every Monday, plus extra posts during the week.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Charity Truck Pull
Jason Nunn is going to be dragging a firetruck for a charity event.
He's got a donations button on his blog page in the link above. I know money is tight, but you can give as little as $5. It's for fire safety and he's dragging a fire truck for goodness sakes! A fire truck! That's worth a few bucks, right?
He's got a donations button on his blog page in the link above. I know money is tight, but you can give as little as $5. It's for fire safety and he's dragging a fire truck for goodness sakes! A fire truck! That's worth a few bucks, right?
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Self-Sabotage at the Gym, Part III
In Part I, I discussed conflicting goals.
In Part II, I discussed choosing the wrong program for your goal.
Finally, let's look at the biggest piece of self-sabotage you'll find:
#3: Sabotaging your own progress. This comes in a number of forms. For example, if your goal is to gain muscle mass and get stronger, but you watch the scale and panic (and diet!) when it goes up, you're sabotaging your own progress. If you're dieting and trying to lose fat, but you worry when your strength dips a bit or you look smaller and eat a bit extra, you're sabotaging your own progress. Even if you chose compatible goals and a good plan, if you react poorly to the results of your own training, you won't get where you say you want to go.
You'll see this when people have a goal weight and then find that although their pants or dress size is dropping and they feel stronger and better, the scale isn't cooperating and reads a high number. So they'll diet a bit more, lost the muscle, maybe put on a bit of fat, and then consider the plan - or the trainer, or the goal, or themselves - to be a failure.
You'll see it when someone takes a run at a new PR for a big exercise and then panics during deload week - oh no, the weights are so low, I'm missing good training time - and adds extra work that only slows progress.
It's simply being unable to see the big long-range picture and forget about some of what comes with it.
A good example of this was mentioned in an article about Mark Rippetoe. Mr. Rippetoe said:
"Let's say you put on 40 or 50 pounds in six months. That's going to have a huge impact on how you look and how strong you are.
But let's say you do the 'gotta keep my razor sharp abs' horseshit. You'll be lucky if you gain eight or nine pounds. What do you think is going to have more effect on how you look? 50 pounds, 30 of it muscle, or 8 pounds?"
A classic example of chasing two goals (being lean and being big) that aren't going to mesh well together, and sabotaging your own goals (wanting to gain weight, but fearing fat gain so much you don't gain as much overall as you could have).
I hope this short series was helpful to you. I've seen many of these too often, and I haven't even been at this too long. It's frustrating to watch someone set a conflicting goals ("I'll lose weight and gain muscle mass!"), or choose a bad plan for it ("I'll gain muscle mass with this extremely cardio-heavy program!"), or just sabotage themselves ("My muscle mass plan was working but I gained 5 pounds so I needed to diet for a few days...")
In Part II, I discussed choosing the wrong program for your goal.
Finally, let's look at the biggest piece of self-sabotage you'll find:
#3: Sabotaging your own progress. This comes in a number of forms. For example, if your goal is to gain muscle mass and get stronger, but you watch the scale and panic (and diet!) when it goes up, you're sabotaging your own progress. If you're dieting and trying to lose fat, but you worry when your strength dips a bit or you look smaller and eat a bit extra, you're sabotaging your own progress. Even if you chose compatible goals and a good plan, if you react poorly to the results of your own training, you won't get where you say you want to go.
You'll see this when people have a goal weight and then find that although their pants or dress size is dropping and they feel stronger and better, the scale isn't cooperating and reads a high number. So they'll diet a bit more, lost the muscle, maybe put on a bit of fat, and then consider the plan - or the trainer, or the goal, or themselves - to be a failure.
You'll see it when someone takes a run at a new PR for a big exercise and then panics during deload week - oh no, the weights are so low, I'm missing good training time - and adds extra work that only slows progress.
It's simply being unable to see the big long-range picture and forget about some of what comes with it.
A good example of this was mentioned in an article about Mark Rippetoe. Mr. Rippetoe said:
"Let's say you put on 40 or 50 pounds in six months. That's going to have a huge impact on how you look and how strong you are.
But let's say you do the 'gotta keep my razor sharp abs' horseshit. You'll be lucky if you gain eight or nine pounds. What do you think is going to have more effect on how you look? 50 pounds, 30 of it muscle, or 8 pounds?"
A classic example of chasing two goals (being lean and being big) that aren't going to mesh well together, and sabotaging your own goals (wanting to gain weight, but fearing fat gain so much you don't gain as much overall as you could have).
I hope this short series was helpful to you. I've seen many of these too often, and I haven't even been at this too long. It's frustrating to watch someone set a conflicting goals ("I'll lose weight and gain muscle mass!"), or choose a bad plan for it ("I'll gain muscle mass with this extremely cardio-heavy program!"), or just sabotage themselves ("My muscle mass plan was working but I gained 5 pounds so I needed to diet for a few days...")
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Self-Sabotage at the Gym, Part II
In Part I, I talked about conflicting goals.
What if you have your goals aligned, is your plan aligned with those goals?
#2: Following the wrong plan for your goals. If your goal is muscle gain, a cardio-heavy routine is not optimal for your goals. A powerlifting routine isn't optimal for fat loss. A fat loss routine is not optimal for getting ready to run the New York Marathon. You aren't sabotaging yourself, but you are taking the wrong path.
The reason is that these plans don't get you where you are trying to go. The best plan ever for a powerlifter isn't going to be the best plan for fat loss.
You need to ask yourself - does my plan fit my goals? Does it even go where I want to go?
What if you have your goals aligned, is your plan aligned with those goals?
#2: Following the wrong plan for your goals. If your goal is muscle gain, a cardio-heavy routine is not optimal for your goals. A powerlifting routine isn't optimal for fat loss. A fat loss routine is not optimal for getting ready to run the New York Marathon. You aren't sabotaging yourself, but you are taking the wrong path.
The reason is that these plans don't get you where you are trying to go. The best plan ever for a powerlifter isn't going to be the best plan for fat loss.
You need to ask yourself - does my plan fit my goals? Does it even go where I want to go?
Monday, September 27, 2010
Self-Sabotage at the Gym, Part I
People often act contradictory to their own stated and intended goals.
For the next few days I'll look at a number of these ways of stopping your own progress.
#1: Contradictory Goals. This one is pretty common, in my experience. It might be the most common if you go by forum posts. You basically choose two or more things you want to do that aren't especially compatible with each other. They may be diametrically opposed ("I want to gain size and lose weight") or just hard to do at the same time ("I want to increase my strength as much as possible and lower my 5k time as much as possible without sacrificing either quality") but they're not easy to do at the same time. You end up chasing two rabbits running in different directions and that's not an easy way to catch either of them.
Other examples of this are: "I want to gain muscle, get bigger, and lose fat."
It's not that you can't gain muscle and lose fat at the same time, but it's always easier to chase one goal at a time. Another good example is wanting to gain muscle but not wanting to gain weight. You get this from weight-class athletes and weight-loss clients too focused on the scale and not the mirror, amongst others. Your goal - increased muscle size - should result in heavier weight for the same size because muscle tissue is more dense. The scale weight might even go up, even as you slim down and look better. But you've set two goals that end up affecting that measurement differently. It's like guys who want to gain some size and weight but are afraid to lose their "six pack" abs. It's extremely hard to convince your body to grow in size and stay extremely lean at the same time.
How about this one? "I want to tone up, but I don't want to gain any muscle." Right, you want sleek muscles but don't want any muscles. This one is really common because it's not clear to people that "toning" involves reducing body fat while increasing muscle tissue size and tension.
If these sound like you, your first task is to sit down and decide what those goals mean - and to settle on which one is more important and prioritize it, or dump one or the other entirely.
For the next few days I'll look at a number of these ways of stopping your own progress.
#1: Contradictory Goals. This one is pretty common, in my experience. It might be the most common if you go by forum posts. You basically choose two or more things you want to do that aren't especially compatible with each other. They may be diametrically opposed ("I want to gain size and lose weight") or just hard to do at the same time ("I want to increase my strength as much as possible and lower my 5k time as much as possible without sacrificing either quality") but they're not easy to do at the same time. You end up chasing two rabbits running in different directions and that's not an easy way to catch either of them.
Other examples of this are: "I want to gain muscle, get bigger, and lose fat."
It's not that you can't gain muscle and lose fat at the same time, but it's always easier to chase one goal at a time. Another good example is wanting to gain muscle but not wanting to gain weight. You get this from weight-class athletes and weight-loss clients too focused on the scale and not the mirror, amongst others. Your goal - increased muscle size - should result in heavier weight for the same size because muscle tissue is more dense. The scale weight might even go up, even as you slim down and look better. But you've set two goals that end up affecting that measurement differently. It's like guys who want to gain some size and weight but are afraid to lose their "six pack" abs. It's extremely hard to convince your body to grow in size and stay extremely lean at the same time.
How about this one? "I want to tone up, but I don't want to gain any muscle." Right, you want sleek muscles but don't want any muscles. This one is really common because it's not clear to people that "toning" involves reducing body fat while increasing muscle tissue size and tension.
If these sound like you, your first task is to sit down and decide what those goals mean - and to settle on which one is more important and prioritize it, or dump one or the other entirely.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Measure, don't guess
There is a common saying in the fitness industry - "If you aren't assessing, you're guessing." I've seen it variously credited to Dr. John Berardi, Alwyn Cosgrove, Mike Robertson, Paul Chek, and others. It's usually discussed in the context of either measuring results or doing movement/strength tests to determine where you are starting from.
My question for today is, what are you measuring in your training? Here are some options.
Weight - Pretty simple - get on a scale at regular intervals and record the results. Know how I know if my bulking plan is working or how far out I need to start cutting for a competition? I weigh myself every day first thing in the morning, and have done so for years. I can tell you what effect my training and my diet is having on my weight.
Size - Take measurements. Find a consistent plan or make up your own, and take those measurements regularly. I do mine - shoulders, chest, biceps, forearms, waist, hips, thigh, calf - once a week. I do hip and waist daily when I weigh in. If your goal is to gain size, this is a good one to do. It's one thing to have anecdotal evidence ("I think I look bigger") but another to have real evidence ("I've added 0.25" to my thighs, 0.5" to my biceps, and 0.25" to my forearms since I started my hypertrophy program").
Weights Lifted - Are you lifting more for the same reps in the same exercises? You should track this no matter what your goals are. A training log isn't really optional, even if you only track your main lifts.
Reps and Sets - Did you get more reps for the same weight? More sets than last time? You can make progress but unless you track it, you're guessing and trying to remember instead of following a systematic approach.
Kcals - Seriously, it's a pain in the rear end but things like Fitday do make it possible to do this. If your goal is body-composition related, you can track this.
Any others? I do all of those (I log my food, track my gym progress, measure weekly, and weigh daily). What do you do, and what did I miss on my list?
My question for today is, what are you measuring in your training? Here are some options.
Weight - Pretty simple - get on a scale at regular intervals and record the results. Know how I know if my bulking plan is working or how far out I need to start cutting for a competition? I weigh myself every day first thing in the morning, and have done so for years. I can tell you what effect my training and my diet is having on my weight.
Size - Take measurements. Find a consistent plan or make up your own, and take those measurements regularly. I do mine - shoulders, chest, biceps, forearms, waist, hips, thigh, calf - once a week. I do hip and waist daily when I weigh in. If your goal is to gain size, this is a good one to do. It's one thing to have anecdotal evidence ("I think I look bigger") but another to have real evidence ("I've added 0.25" to my thighs, 0.5" to my biceps, and 0.25" to my forearms since I started my hypertrophy program").
Weights Lifted - Are you lifting more for the same reps in the same exercises? You should track this no matter what your goals are. A training log isn't really optional, even if you only track your main lifts.
Reps and Sets - Did you get more reps for the same weight? More sets than last time? You can make progress but unless you track it, you're guessing and trying to remember instead of following a systematic approach.
Kcals - Seriously, it's a pain in the rear end but things like Fitday do make it possible to do this. If your goal is body-composition related, you can track this.
Any others? I do all of those (I log my food, track my gym progress, measure weekly, and weigh daily). What do you do, and what did I miss on my list?
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Food labeling
I was reading the health news today and came across this article:
Consumer groups push for label for modified salmon
If you read it, the main point is that a company is trying to get its genetically modified salmon (who'll produce more growth hormone and grow bigger, faster, and for longer) approved for human consumption. But, they don't want to have to label it as genetically-modified fish, but sell it labeled like any other (presumably farm-raised) fish.
"In preliminary analysis released ahead of the hearing, the FDA agreed with the company, saying there were no biologically relevant differences between the engineered salmon and conventional salmon, and there is a reasonable certainty that no harm will come from its consumption."
The real issue to me is not genetically-modified food vs. non-genetically modified food, although that is a concern. It's the idea that I don't even get to know if the food is modified or not. They'll determine if it's the same, and if so, that's that. You know they're fighting it because they think people will shy away from GMO fish - if they thought it would be a selling point they'd argue to be allowed to include it.
Consumer groups push for label for modified salmon
If you read it, the main point is that a company is trying to get its genetically modified salmon (who'll produce more growth hormone and grow bigger, faster, and for longer) approved for human consumption. But, they don't want to have to label it as genetically-modified fish, but sell it labeled like any other (presumably farm-raised) fish.
"In preliminary analysis released ahead of the hearing, the FDA agreed with the company, saying there were no biologically relevant differences between the engineered salmon and conventional salmon, and there is a reasonable certainty that no harm will come from its consumption."
The real issue to me is not genetically-modified food vs. non-genetically modified food, although that is a concern. It's the idea that I don't even get to know if the food is modified or not. They'll determine if it's the same, and if so, that's that. You know they're fighting it because they think people will shy away from GMO fish - if they thought it would be a selling point they'd argue to be allowed to include it.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Quick Tip - Teaching abdomninal activation
"Activate your core and keep it tight" is a cue I use whenever I coach any exercises that require a good, stable abdomen and lower back. Not all of my trainees really "get" that cue, though. You'll sometimes hear "tighten up like you're going to take a punch" as well, but that's a fairly violent clue for some people, and it can distract them rather than help them. Besides, my MMA coach says not to tighten up to receive a hit anyway.
I've used planks, Pallof presses, Turkish get-ups, woodchoppers, and other assorted exercises to get people to feel the abdominal activation and learn that it's not just holding your breath but keeping your muscles tighten while you breath. But it can take a while despite this, because most of these exercises have an element that will let you overcome a weak core, usually by powering right through the reps.
One thing I picked up from one of my clients is to use a 1+ second count at the area of maximum contraction with a band or tube-resisted variation of the exercise. You can't help but activate your abs if you are holding a band-resisted Pallof press at maximum extension. I prefer the band because the resistance is actively pulling you out of the position, and its easy enough to recover from if you start to lose it (unlike some weighted exercises - you can't recover from a lost TGU very easily, say).
So try this - add a 1-2 second hold at the maximum extension of a Pallof press and see if that doesn't get you supremely conscious of just what contracted abs feel like. I'm starting to use this cue and this method with all my clients, just to get them used to properly firing their abs.
I've used planks, Pallof presses, Turkish get-ups, woodchoppers, and other assorted exercises to get people to feel the abdominal activation and learn that it's not just holding your breath but keeping your muscles tighten while you breath. But it can take a while despite this, because most of these exercises have an element that will let you overcome a weak core, usually by powering right through the reps.
One thing I picked up from one of my clients is to use a 1+ second count at the area of maximum contraction with a band or tube-resisted variation of the exercise. You can't help but activate your abs if you are holding a band-resisted Pallof press at maximum extension. I prefer the band because the resistance is actively pulling you out of the position, and its easy enough to recover from if you start to lose it (unlike some weighted exercises - you can't recover from a lost TGU very easily, say).
So try this - add a 1-2 second hold at the maximum extension of a Pallof press and see if that doesn't get you supremely conscious of just what contracted abs feel like. I'm starting to use this cue and this method with all my clients, just to get them used to properly firing their abs.
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