Great Strength and Fitness Must Reads this Week!

A lot of great articles written by the top professionals in the industry this week.

Avoid Holiday Food Cravings Charles Poliquin offers great tips to keep the Holiday weight off from the tempting food cravings.

Shoulder Awareness Eric Cressey teaches some coaching cues to protect your athletes shoulders during important movements.

Strength 101 Lastly, this is an amazing in depth article, by Brandon Patterson, covering strength training periodization blocks and gives an analysis of the different methods (Conventional, Block...). Lengthy, but well worth your time if you are a strength coach, trainer or athlete looking to understand periodization and your programs.

12-12-12 WORKOUT!

I never realized how excited people were about 12-12-12, but with all the excitement here is a workout challenge to try today!

This Challenge is going to be 12 Rounds total, but the Challenge is to see how many rounds you can go while maintaining solid form in each of the 3 exercises! If that takes you all the way to Round 12, then awesome job.

Here are the 3 exercises

Kettlebell Swings: use your lats to lock in your back, drive your hips through @hip extension

Push Ups: butt tight, core tight to keep that invisible straight line from your head to feet.

Inverted Rows (from Barbell, TRX, or Jungle Gym straps): straight legs will be more difficult then bent legs. Don't reach with your back, rather pull yourself to the bar.

You will start with 12 reps of each exercise in Round 1, then 11 reps of each in Round 2, 10 reps in Round 3 and so on... The rest time will be what you need, but keep it short.

KB=kettlebell, PU=push up, IR=inverted row

Round 1: KB-12; PU-12, IR-12

Round 2: KB-11; PU-11, IR-11

Round 3: KB-10; PU-10, IR-10

Round 4: KB-9; PU-9, IR-9

Round 5: KB-8; PU-8, IR-8

Round 6: KB-7; PU-7, IR-7

Round 7: KB-6; PU-6, IR-6

Round 8: KB-5; PU-5, IR-5

Round 9: KB-4; PU-4, IR-4

Round 10: KB-3; PU-3, IR-3

Round 11: KB-2; PU-2, IR-2

Round 12: KB-1; PU-1, IR-1

Once again, always make sure you can maintain good technique throughout all the movements. It will be more beneficial for you to stop when you cannot maintain good posture and body mechanics, rather than work through it. Be smart and enjoy.

Accept the Challenge and leave comments below about what you thought! Happy 12-12-12!

Great Blogs you should be reading!

There is so much information out there today that I get overwhelmed and wonder what is truth and what is not? Thankfully, I have begun to weed out the good from the bad and have found several trustworthy people who write important strength and fitness information backed by science.

Eric Cressey's Blog is a great resource that is kept up to date and is relevant to both athletes and the general population looking to get better. He mostly trains baseball athletes, but is always offering information in all aspects of training (mobility, nutrition, strength lifts, power lifts, marketing tips) that is useful for all types of athletes. He recently put up a great piece about the mechanics of the Front Squat.

Bret Contreras is another guy I trust who simply puts in the work. He is a genius when it comes to Glute training and has a passion for research and is good at it! Our entire industry is a science and Bret's training and knowledge definitely shows this. He also does strength and conditioning research reviews.

Charles Poliquin is also a leader in the strength and health industry and his blog is constantly feeding new information each week. This month alone he has wrote about lower body strength training, muscle gain, fat loss, the effects of coffee on the body and many more.

Of course there are many more great strength coaches out there who are writing about science-based nutrition and training, but these are just a few. It is important to remember that you cannot simply mimic what all these guys do to train. You have to do what is best with your situation and your coaching abilities. However, do not pass up the opportunity to learn from the top professionals in the industry when they are offering free information.

I'll leave you with this: I also subscribe to Mike Boyle's strength coach emails and enjoy reading through his stuff. A few months ago, he was talking about always seeking to get better and not being stuck with your own opinions. He asked, "Are you a know-it-all or a learn-it-all?" A know-it-all is set in the mindset that they have the end all answer and don't even think about getting better. But a learn-it- all is always seeking to get better each day, ask questions from peers and mentors, and not be afraid to fail from time to time. Which are you?

Muscles and Misconceptions

Recently I have had some of my female clients bring up another big misconception in the fitness industry. "If I do strength training, I will get huge muscles. I do not want to look like a female bodybuilder." Sadly, this perception of strength training keeps so many women out of the gym and stuck on the treadmill! However, the truth may surprise you and hopefully change your perspective.

HORMONES
In the case of testosterone, men are more hormonal than women. This is why we were fearfully and wonderfully designed differently. Even with heavy weight lifting, adequate protein requirements, proper recovery, etc; women will not bulk like a female bodybuilder. It simply will not occur and usually will be aided by some sort of steroid supplement. (This is not to take anything away from bodybuilders who are incredibly disciplined and reach amazing levels of strength).

Secondly, some women will not lift heavy weights in fear of bulking up, so they lift really tiny weights for a lot of reps. FACT: Muscle hypertrophy has a physiological response to high volume and when your repetitions are high (6-12), then your volume is high. (Volume-load = sets x repetitons x load lifted). For example, if you bench press 100 lbs, 5 times, for 3 sets, your volume-load = 1500. So even if the female human body could bulk up rapidly (which it cannot), you wouldn't want to isolate your muscles and lift in a high rep range anyways. The thought process behind this is to raise your heart rate and increase your metabolic rate.

Learning to safely and properly lift heavy weight can be very beneficial. There is a myogenic response our muscles experience in which the body recruits (or builds) more contractile proteins from heavy weight lifting. This will increase your metabolic burn and decrease your body fat, which will get you to that "toned" body composition. Of course with all heavy weight lifting, you should only perform a movement that you can maintain proper technique and form throughout the entire lift.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT
According to the Nutrition Business Journal, in 2011 dietary supplement sales reached $30 billion. Why do men spend thousands of dollars a year on supplements? Because they have a hard enough time trying to get bigger muscles and achieve a "bulkier" physique themselves! If changing your muscular appearance was that easy, then more people would do it. Men have an advantage to be able to support larger muscle frames and yet they still have trouble reaching their goals.

DO NOT THINK THAT MEANS WOMEN CANNOT BE STRONG!

Women can achieve a firmer, more toned, and overall stronger body from weight lifting. Plus, strength training will increase a female's resistance to injury. Women will not lose flexibility or mobility because strength training can increase the two (which is a topic for another time). The NSCA's Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, by Baechle and Earle,  have shown that women can increase strength at the same rate as men if not faster. Wow!

CONCLUSION
Strength training will not bulk up or rapidly grow a woman's muscles in a natural setting. With educated programming backed by science women can successfully get stronger and reach their body composition goals in a safe manner. Even more, when women do lift weights, it is beneficial to lift heavy weights and not only for the compositional changes they will experience, but also to increase one's resistance to injuries. Deadlifts and barbell squats are appropriate lifts, with good coaching and justified reasoning for the client. It all comes back to specific training for each client. Simply put, Lift heavy for strong muscles.

The Value of an Internship

When I was 9 years old I tried an art class with my younger sister because I thought I could excel at it. (My main drive was to prove I was the best at it). However, 15 minutes into the class I had walked out and sat in the car with my mom. I was not artistically gifted nor did I posses the patience or focus for the class.

PUT IN THE WORK!
As you are looking at possible jobs or careers it is very important to experience how you perform in the field. I am not just talking about the fitness and performance realm, but in any industry. Is it too physically demanding, is it too intellectually demanding, do you have to multi-task or can you put all your focus on one project at a time? These are much more important questions to consider rather than the payment you will receive or the benefits you may get. Trust me there is nothing worse than working a job that you absolutely hate no matter what you are getting paid.

An internship is my simple solution to discovering if "said" job is a good place for you. Researching skill requirements and the demands of the job is great, but the benefits of actively working in that area outweigh the latter. An internship provides you with 3 valuable results.

First, you receive the understanding of what the job actually is. Before I started my internship at Prevail Conditioning (where I currently work now), I thought I could train people purely based off my motivational skills without any rhyme or reason to my training. If you are doing this now, your clients will soon realize they are not getting the results they want! Thankfully I have a great mentor, Chris Ecklund, who took the time to teach Prevails' training philosophy, movement education, and his experience in the field thus far. It was invaluable for me to learn the reasons they train their clients the way they do, as well as gain experience working in their atmosphere.

Second, you are able to self-evaluate how you do in the job. In high school I job shadowed my friend's mom for a semester, who worked in commercial real estate. I was really excited and thought I could see myself working in real estate when I was older. However, by the end of the semester I realized a desk job was not for me. I did not do well the days I went to work with her because of how much sitting and computer reading I was doing. In comparison to my internship with Prevail, I always enjoyed the theory sessions, any training I was observing and the interaction with clients.

Third, internships can lead to jobs! It is not just about figuring out how you do, but in many ways it is like a try-out. You show up each day proving yourself to the company that you are hardworking, dedicated, teachable, etc... Even if you are not offered a job at the company you intern at, the recommendation you receive from them could give you an advantage at the next place you apply. Or better yet, they might set you up with another company they know is looking for employees. You have to always be on your game and live the way you want others to perceive you. For me, this is with an honest heart, a hard working mentality, and serving others before myself.

SUMMARY

Do not underestimate the value of an internship. You will get first hand experience of what working in a certain field is like. Also, you will get raw feedback showing how you succeed and fail in "said" industry. Are the failures something you can work on to make yourself better for the job or is the job not what you expected it to be? Lastly, working an internships gets your foot in the door. Especially in a struggling economy, where it can be tough to get any job, a foot in the door is one of the biggest advantages a person can get. Art was not my thing, but thankfully I found an internship run by a person who was passionate about teaching others who were willing to work. Now I have the privilege to work  with Chris (and others who share his desire to teach and continue to learn) each day.

Keeping the Weight Off!

A close friend of mine recently moved across the country to the East Coast and told me she had been getting in better shape and lost a good amount of weight. Even more important she is keeping the weight off! There is just 1 problem, and I know you are thinking how could there be a problem? She does not know what it is specifically she is doing to maintain her new weight.

Many people who have endured a long weight loss journey or just shed a few pounds will tell you that keeping the weight off is tougher than losing the weight. So true! And here is the reason. A person will work so hard changing their nutrition plan, organizing their schedule for more training time, managing the normal stresses of life and it all adds up to this goal weight. However, the goal goes much beyond losing the weight. The true goal is to adopt this new lifestyle that you have been training yourself for, which is really a life long journey.

Not knowing what her new lifestyle is like or the old habits that have become new ones, here is my attempt to answer why she is doing so great at maintaing her new weight.

1) Nutrition. I believe nutrition accounts for the majority of one's weight loss plan. Simply understanding if the food you are eating is a carbohydrate, protein or fat. How much of each food group are you eating? Precision Nutrition wrote a great article about calorie control and how to make it easier. (http://www.precisionnutrition.com/calorie-control-guide). If you have trouble measuring your food, check this out.

2) Of course you need to be exercising, that is a must. However, there are plenty of times we are exercising without knowing it. With gas prices sky rocketing, people have been commuting to work through trains, bicycles or walking. All of which require energy expenditure even if it is at a lower intensity. (If you have ever been on a train you know there is a lot of walking that takes place between your destination and the train stop). Do not rely on walking alone to burn your calories, but take note of the healthy ways you are getting around your town.

3) Sleep is a no brainer for me because your body has to recover. People tell me that as you get older you won't have time to sleep as much and I understand that. But I am talking more about sleep quality  vs. sleep quantity. I believe if you are getting quality sleep each night and being able to reach those deeper levels of sleep that it helps in the recovery process for your body.

CONCLUSION
I am very proud for my friend and her fitness accomplishment. If you are in the same position or are working on getting to your goal weight assess these 3 things in your life. What do you feed your body? Where is your exercise coming from? And are you getting quality sleep each night? Be confident that if you are eating healthy and exercising safely then you are doing most things right. As always seeking help from a certified trainer or a registered dietician is a smart choice. I am happy to answer any questions or comments you may have.

The Road to a Stronger Chest!

Push ups will forever be in my training regimens. It is one of those exercises that can easily be overlooked for how beneficial it is to your training program. A push up demands total body control and stability along with strength and endurance.

What do we look for in a push up?
Neutral spine and a straight body line from head to toes (of course this is done with glute activation, engaged core and many little features learned from training). There may be more cues, but these are the fundamentals I look for.

Now for some people successfully performing 1 push up is an accomplishment, but for those of you who can rep out 50+, I think it is time to step it up a little. Just like any other exercise one option to increase the intensity is by adding resistance. Band resistance push ups are great option to stay in a horizontal plan rather than elevating your feet to more of an overhead movement (another great option for a different goal).

The following video is an example using a 2 inch band. The band is wrapped from both of my hands across my upper back.

I like using a band because it is easy to use when I am training solo and there are many different thicknesses. I have used metal and olympic plates in the past, but it is more challenging to keep them on your back.

If you have tried these I would love to hear your feedback and the results you have found from them.