When to use explosive techniques imo..

Explosive techniques are mostly specific to the muscle groups being trained that day. Example: A1) Jump squat A2) Back Squat. I use these exercises primarily for motor unit recruitment. Motor units are responsible for activating different muscle fiber types. Although difficult at times, I assume these warm ups to be less taxing and actually help prepare for a more difficult lift. What concerns me however, is how easily they could be over used. A body weight jump squat although much less in tonnage compared to your squat, is equally exhausting to our energy substrates (things we burn during training) like CP, ATP and glycogen. Not to mention it jacks your heart rate up! So with energy supplies having a distinct time frame before being fully depleted, we have to decide how many is to many. We wouldn't want to take away from our meat and potato exercises to often in place of less measurable choices.

So I use them once within an athletic template usually at the beginning of a session due to high energy levels. But will use more often in a hypertrophy program to accommodate people's love of them pumps. I like supersets in this case. Example: A1) DB Flat Bench A2) Band Press burnout.

Olympic lifts are also explosive lifts, but due to the high coordination level of theses exercises, I would do them with supervision of a professional. I was writing making reference mostly to plyometrics type training. If you never use explosive lifts in your training, I would reconsider. If not for any particular reason, just for the change from the norm .

Keep it real

The path of least resistence

My definition is basically taking any task, duty or responsibility and finding the easiest way to complete the job. Sometimes being efficient could take less time. So how do we determine whom is on the path of least resistance? Now there are times when this path is ideal or can be justified, like mowing the lawn. But what about if your a teacher, a father, a coach? How can we tell the difference between a person who is just "doing their job" to a person who does a job passionately?

The last few years of my life with both jobs and relationships have been my most trying. I justifiably could have cried "poor me" and used what some feel are legitimate reasons, to waller (as they say in the south) in self pity.

I received a text message from a friend today and it said,..

"My wife just sent me a cool email. It said she takes things for granted and stresses the little things too much. She said that seeing you go through tough times and being as caring and loving and unselfish as ever makes her see what a great person you are and that she isn't".

With an email like this, I believe in people and my work more now than ever. I am convinced that working with passion regardless of your trade, does rub off on people. At the end of the day people are what it's all about. Everything else is meaningless.

The path of least resistance may be convenient at times, but if we hold ourselves to a higher standard, our time in this world may truly be blessed.

Added to data collecting

Getting bigger, faster and stronger typically means you can move more weight. So with that said, I aim to get people to move more weight. I have been tooling around with different clusters, super sets, drop sets, eccentrics and isometric contractions to see what is seemingly the best route. I have an answer...ALL OF THEM! Don't be confused. All of these methods are excellent and should be used in athletic and muscle development. What I have found to be the true foundation is tonnage. Tonnage can be described as the total amount of weight lifted within a set. Example: 10 reps of bench at 135lbs is 1350 total pounds lifted. Now the tempo of the lift and rest intervals (amongst other co-factors) will emphasize the strength quality, I am simply talking about total tonnage in a set and different ways of achieving maximum numbers. I chose an intra set rest/pause vs. a cluster to see which could provide more tonnage.


The exercise for we chose for the demo was a 2-3-4 board flat bench press. The cluster for this example was done with a 10 second rest with the weight racked with each board change (this does mimic a cluster). The rest/pause was used with the weight locked out for a few seconds while we changed boards. I am aware that by racking the weight for a short time does allow for the body to rebuild energy substrates (things the body breaks down to help performance) making it an obvious choice to improve tonnage. To a lesser degree the same could be said for holding a weight in the lockout position. The locked out position can be useful to help store elastic energy as well as rebuilding of substrates that can improve the amount of reps per set. Needless to say, as much as I new the cluster would be superior, I was not prepared for how much more. Take a look:








Set #1 (14) reps at 185 lbs. = 2590lbs

Set #2 (24) reps at 185lbs = 4440lbs WOW!! That is a lot more weight!



So I still say use many different variations in your lifting, but if your focus is tonnage than the cluster or cluster is far superior.

Life is not a book

I find myself constantly looking for new training ideas. You know, the next big program. To mine and my crews benefit, we have had good fortune with our success. Although I do not discount that we have put research into our why's and how's, I do not believe that to be the main reason for our progess.

Collecting training as well as nutritional data sets you up for ways to become more intuned with your body. As I have learned from the past, life is not a book. Books even with the most intimate of details are still merely a template for growth. Taking a concept and applying it is the only way to determine if this theory is right for my right now.

Where I am most fortunate is having a group of individuals with similar goals. I have the luxury of applying a single method to multiple people with very different lifes and collecting group based data that can be priceless in my quest of getting better as an athletic coach. I can compare reps, rest, tempo, different activation techniques, plyo's, CNS intensive training amongst others and develop a hypothesis in a very short time.

Without taking the data and assessing it, how does one determine the outcome of a particular way of eating or training? So write down your training and food to better learn what's best for you.

Are all methods equal as long as there is progress?

I had the opportunity today to spend time with/train a local coach with an impressive resume. Let me start by saying this guy was top notch. Did not bring attitude except for training. But anyways, he was a scholarship football player from the Big Ten and Cal State Fullerton. At 6'2" 235 and single digit bodyfat, he was impressive. We spent as much time talking as we did training. The majority conversation stemmed around this days training methods. The training went like so:

-Myofascial release

-Dynamic mobility

-Athletic/explosive movement (band assisted broad jumps for neural training and coordination)

-GBC (total body) with non compete muscle pairings

A typical day in the gym for me, for him, not so much.  What was interesting was his sincere disassociation with the methods we used.e.g.. warm ups, order, tempo's, % of weight used, choice of rep ranges..etc. So as we talked about what we were doing and why, he consistently made comparisons to his different coaching techniques and techniques his coaches used on him. He determined that there must be multiple schools of thought that work equally, "the best fit for you is what you are most comfortable with" and why shouldn't he? I mean he is bigger and stronger than me and played sports at an elite level. Yet I stood with a smirk, not being arrogant (well maybe a little), but reassured that I could improve even the most elite of athletes.  Now, I am no expert on every aspect of training. I love to learn new things and believe this industry is in constant change. What I have trouble with is the general belief in comfort and familiarity being a motto to train by. This violates every training principle for growth both neurologically and muscularly. 

Adaptation is the enemy. So is the lack of a plan, improper order of exercises, exercise choices related to your goals and a general lack of understanding proven training principles. 

So as much as I can say with contentment that there can be progress with many different training styles, they will not all yield the best possible results. What helps me sleep is knowing that I can make a difference even with elite athletes as long as I stick to some principles:

1) Log your training to follow progress. 

2) Apply progressive overload to your training weekly.

3) "Methods are many, principles are few". Stick to principles (sets, reps, weight, tempo, rest)

4) Strive for continued improvement.

5) Believe in yourself as much as your program.

Out

Healthy options in seconds

Work, family, friends, job, bills, sleep, training.. All of this in a day and I still need time to prepare healthy meals. It is alot to ask. I battle with good or convenient choices everyday. You had better believe 99% of convenient choices are terrible. So how do I get a balanced meal that supports my health as well as my athletic development? My answer is a blender! That's right, my "be on time vs. preparing a good meal" neutralizer.



Without getting into a discussion on the pro's and con's of whey protein including quality, let's just call the majority whey secondary protein. Primary sources of protein would be the obvious ocean caught fish, grass fed beef etc.. The blender just allows us to be resourceful and time efficient. Here is an idea:

2 Scoops Whey protein
1/2 cucumber
Handful of spinach
Fresh/Frozen berry (blueberry, raspberry, strawberry)
3-5 Fish Oil Caps or 1 tsp Liquid
Almond milk, rice milk or water

BLEND....and what do you get? A meal consisting of protein, fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, a real balanced glycemic meal.

Don't let time be an excuse to skip meals or eat convenient choices when all it takes is a few ingredients and one push of a button.

Stop whining and get to work

Do you want to know why your body and mind are not where you would like them? It's because you are not doing all you can to get there. Take nutrition: How many times have you said " it's not that bad for you" or "all in moderation". Take training: "I'll go tomorrow" or "I'm just not feeling it today". Excuses, excuses. In this day and age we don't have time for excuses. We have to work hard in the gym. We have to show restraint at the dinner table. We must be motivated and focused on a life long course, not just seeing how far we can get in a few months. This blog is simple. We need to find a reason to want more. Try watching this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6ppMmCewmI

Now get to work!