Elf training

When pressed for time, try a total body circuit. I like to use non competitive muscles so I can work more than I rest (for conditioning) and it keeps the same muscles from being over worked allowing for quality muscle training rather than muscle exhaustion. Today's circuit will be:

A1) Incline DB Press
A2) Jump Pullups
A3) Front Squat
A4) Mid Range cable chop

Now as I mentioned, I will warm my body up with Clean and Press just to wake up my nerves. Nothing to heavy and just 3-4 sets of 5. The circuit will be between 8-10 reps with minimal rest say 30-45 seconds.

BK

My first video blog..Holla!

Remember when you choose rep ranges 1-3, 3-5, 5-7 etc. the weight will be according to rep range. Example; If you are trying to get stronger and are prescribed a 3-5 rep range you should be using 80-90% of weight you can do 1 time.

Vanity can't be the only way

The are a number of influences today that negatively impact an individuals ability to stay in shape. With our schedules it is hard getting to the gym. Beyond training, things like cooking, stretching, reading, meditation, food prep, that help make up a better you seem to take up to much time. Sounds a little overwhelming. So how is it we can stay on track and actually create the necessary amount of time it takes for self improvement?

Answer: A BIGGER PICTURE

I created a list of 5 reasons to maintain course and stay on track to creating a new and better you.

1) Vanity - I see nothing wrong with a healthy lifestyle that improves you physically. When we look better, we feel better!
2) Sense of Self - The "Self" or the ME identity allows us to consider our actions and the consequences of these actions. We consciously or subconsciously choose to feel good or to feel bad. Those who choose strength and well being, we salute you!
3) Prevention - Exercise was ruled #1 in disease prevention!
4) Better Performance - Whether improving a sport specific skills, or just want to feel better in the game of life.
5) Pride - There are many that can't use arms, legs, feet, back, hands etc..If you got them, use them!

Max Effort Training, I think...

A friend of mine and I trained some chest together today. He asked my opinion on the "what-to-do's" for this session. So I asked him had what he hoped to accomplish ( speed, numbers, vanity). He replied with "Max Effort" so I prescribed 6-8 rep range with variations in repetition speed and weight progressions. In case your interested, this rep range would indicate a functional hypertrophy theme (muscle building/athletic). Now on to the story!

Now this guy is a fast twitch (explosive/powerful) lifter, so we started with a barbell flat bench max 6 reps with a fast tempo down and up, working on fast bar speed. This accounted for a total set time of about 10 seconds. Now he was solid here in relation to his bar speed and although each 6th rep was very close to failure, he was able to get all 6 reps each set without lowering the weight. Great start.

We move to a flat bench DB next with a significant change in rep speed. We lowered each rep from the top position for 3 seconds, a fast push and had 1-2 second hold at the top of the rep. These sets were designed for 8 reps. Total time under tension here is approximately 40+ seconds for each set. This in large contrast to our original set lengths of 10 seconds. Here is where results changed, as far as he knew....so what happened? I feel the need to preface the results by saying my partner primarily trains with speed reps rather than using a controlled tempo like we are using here.

I talked my partner into using a 25% lighter weight than he normally would use for the 8 rep range. Immediately following the first set, my partner seemed slightly dejected after barely made his 8th rep. In sets 2 and 3, the weights and reps were falling as was his ego. Now in his defense, we rested no more than 90 seconds total between these sets, where complete recovery scientifically could have allowed up to 4 minutes rest time between sets for full muscular and mental recovery. He tried describing his fall off as "just having a bad day". I knew better.

Maximum effort training is relative. Meaning, a ton of variables will alter performance. Now things like time of the day, amount of sleep, pre workout meals, stress levels etc. can have a big impact on individual performance. More specific to this story would be the speed in which a repetition is performed (tempo) and the amount of sets, reps and rest intervals (strength quality) proved to equate to different results. The change in results does not mean your having a bad day, it simply reminds us that we can not be efficient in every style of lifting without actually training for it.

Whether 1 rep or 15 reps, maximum results is achieved through maximum effort. Don't let ego discount the quality of a training program, especially when working in new areas. Embrace the change and try and improve your lifting efficiency in many areas to become a more well rounded lifter.

Ambushing your forgotten muscles!

How many days are you getting to the gym? Maybe 3? Or 4? I am assuming you have a scheduled Chest, Back and Leg day in there but what about the small often times forgotten muscles like forearms, biceps, traps, external rotators, abs and calves? Small muscle groups are easy to neglect, especially when people don't go around bragging about their external rotation strength. These muscles can be boring in theory, however, they are necessary for muscle balancing and injury prevention for the long haul. So rather than skipping them due to fatigue or boredom, here is a way to get then in without really going out of your way to do it.

Here is an example on a Leg Day.

A1) Back Squats 3 sets 6 reps rest 120
A2) Seated Calve raise 3 sets 15 reps rest 120

Now the Back Squat with this rep range could allow for as much as 5 minutes rest for full muscular and neurological recovery before performing another set of squats. So rather than sit on the end of a bench or on your cell phone checking Facebook, you could add a set of a non competitive muscle (like calves) when you would normally be resting.

Here is another idea:

A1) Flat Bench with Chains 4 sets of 5 reps rest 120
A2) Ab Planks 4 sets 30secs holds rest 120

Same idea here. This is a way to maximize your sessions in the gym as far as time goes and gets us hitting the "forgotten muscles" more often.

Your perception is not my reality!

What is perception of reality? What one perceives is a result of combining past experiences, including one’s culture, and the interpretation of the perceived event or thing. Reality or truth is something that actually exists. Although things that actually exist can be interpreted differently based on personal experiences, curiosity, inquiry, and the selectivity involved in personal interpretation of events. So do we have a solid ground for deciding the value of our individual perception? Well of course we do, but to ourselves only.

What's my point? The point is, when you think something should look a certain way or talk a certain way, it is truth..truth as you see it. Truth is, it's possible our perception at times is a little off. Went left a little..sorry. I will cut it short.

Example: Under Armour clothes, juice bar, pools, sauna's, treadmills all create an image of a quality training environment based on a perception of quality. Let proven results be your new truth. That is a plug..

PowR Performance Rules!

THE NEW HEALTH INDUSTRY

So I read that the health industry was the third most growing industry in the country in 2010. Gym membership sales are up. Personal training is growing. People's awareness to health is growing, heck, I typed in "nutrition" on a google search and over 699 million pages came up! This is wonderful news. The most stunning statistic that has grown amidst all this great news is....obesity. So if we are becoming so conscience of our health and spending hard earned dollars to obtain it, then why are we getting fatter? I think I have at least one idea.

I was driving home from work this morning and heard an advertisement on the radio about a new company offering personal training certifications. Definitely peeked my interest as I am always looking for new ideas and information to improve my skills. So after the radio DJ talked about the hands on training and new innovative techniques, I started digging for a pen to write this number down. Just as my excitement was bubbling over, the commercial mentioned the other certifications the company offered; bookkeeping, medical assistant, dental assistant, you name it they had it. My pen went limp.

Strength Built By Intelligence is a motto that we live by at PowR Performance gym. Intelligence meaning actual science based methods that are improving individuals health time and again. So please, before you spend your hard earned dollars on a fancy gym membership, new kicks and Chip the trainer, maybe you should find people and places with proven track records.

How Good Is Your Sleep Quality?

How good would you say you sleep? Most people reply with “I sleep good”. The truth is most don’t. Did you know that roughly 70% of Americans suffer from a sleep disorder? Here is an 8-point questionnaire to see how you rank.

1. Do you have trouble falling asleep at night?

2. Do you wake up with energy or do you want to hit the snooze button in the morning?

3. Do you sleep less than 8 hours a night?

4. Do you wake up once or more during the night?

5. Do you sleep in a room with any light or noise?

6. Do you wake up feeling tired?

7. Do you wake up only to an alarm?

8. Do you use over the counter or prescription medications for sleep?

If you answered yes to 2 or more of these questions than you will need to address your sleep issues in order to maximize your energy, attitude, and results in the gym.

Sleep is the time that your body repairs and regenerates itself. Without quality sleep you will never achieve your full potential when it comes to a very low body fat percentage or becoming as strong as you could be. Research shows that even one night of little to no sleep can seriously impair your performance whether it is in the office, weight room, or in your sport. Having good sleep hygiene is essential for our overall health and well being. Here are two common problems that can affect your sleep negatively.

Oxidative Stress:

The oxygen that we breathe in helps our bodies convert food into energy. Unfortunately, this process also creates unstable oxygen molecules. These molecules cause damage to surrounding molecules and tissues and are called free radicals. Once these free radicals exceed our bodies’ antioxidant stores oxidative stress occurs. Some of the things that cause this are pollution, chemical exposure, poor food choices and stress. Since exercise is stress it is also included. Just taking any antioxidant is not the answer. This can actually cause more free radical damage. Knowing the right ones to take is the key.

Adrenal Fatigue/Burnout

The adrenal glands sit on top of the kidneys and aid or influence nearly every physiological process in our body.

Here is a small list of just some of the functions that this gland plays:

Aids insulin for proper glucose metabolism

Regulates blood pressure

Immune function

Controls the anti-inflammatory hormones

Plays a major role in sex hormones and eventually becomes the main source with age

Fluid and electrolyte balance

One of the hormones the adrenal gland produces is cortisol. This hormone is supposed to have a descending curve, highest in the morning and lowest in the evening. Since it’s also secreted during times of stress it is also referred to as the “stress hormone”. The only time there should be high amounts present in the blood is while working out (since it is a product of how much energy you have) or during a “fight or flight” response because you’re in danger. In today’s society, our bodies’ levels of this hormone fluctuate out of rhythm though. This can be due to stress from work, your spouse or children, a cold and even your diet. Every little stressor if not managed properly reduces normal adrenal function.

Here is another list of some signs of adrenal fatigue:

Difficulty getting up in the morning

Craving sugar or needing stimulants such as coffee to get you through the day

Impaired cognitive performance

Increased abdominal fat

Light-headedness from standing too quickly

Decreased sex drive

Difficulty falling asleep at night

Finally, here are 10 suggestions on how to fix these problems.

1. Take magnesium in a true Albion mineral chelated form. Taking 500 mg with dinner will help lower cortisol and relax you. Take another 500 mg right before bed.

2. Eat vegetables at every meal. If you don’t like eating vegetables than drink them. Paleo Greens by Designs for Health is what we use at PowR Performance. This is the best greens product I have seen on the market but you must be a health practitioner to get it.

3. Take a quality multi vitamin that is a true Albion mineral chelate.

4. Take one tbsp of Celtic sea salt with an 8-ounce glass of water immediately upon waking up.

5. Eat breakfast as soon as you possibly can once you’ve woken up.

6. Stop eating within two hours before bed.

7. Drink plenty of water throughout the day. If you want to drink something else drink green tea

8. Don’t go more than three hours without eating.

9. Exercise earlier in the day.

10. Stay away from stimulants in pill or liquid form. If you’re a coffee drinker and you refuse to stop, limit it to one cup in the morning.

These issues discussed in this article can be quite complex. Although the suggestions made would help practically everyone if adopted, their still just suggestions. Depending on how long these problems have gone without being treated what stage you’re in. There are seven stages of adrenal fatigue and cannot be properly diagnosed without be tested. If you have any of these symptoms and can relate to this article you can contact us here.

Good training question

Q: Have you ever heard of training where you do a slow controlled concentric lift as opposed to controlling the weight eccentrically?

A:I have dedicated the majority of my coaching profession to following athletic lifting principles like sets to reps, tempo, work to rest ratio, weight progressions..etc. Of these, tempo is a mathematical tool to help measure a persons progress. Tempo measures the total amount of time it takes to perform a repetition. The total time a muscle is under tension, qualifies what a person result will likely be (muscle gain, weight loss, strength increase).

I mostly use the eccentric (resisting) portion of a lift to add tension. You are proven to be 50-75% stronger on most lifts eccentrically which allows for weights to be higher percentages of maximum loads. Percentages above 70% of maximum loads have been proven to cause the largest metabolic disturbance mostly due to activating our largest muscle fibers (Type II).

The concentric portion of the lift (working against weight) is proven to be most effective on metabolism, strength increases, speed increase etc., in an explosive manner. The maximal speed is also necessary to move heavier loads. To be able to control a weight in the concentric portion for a longer time will mean a drop in weight. This will also minimize calorie burning and strength advances as it is less stressful to the body. It has however, been effective in muscle sculpting. Bodybuilders use these methods to shape their body. As strength is not a priority.

I am a strength and conditioning coach dedicated to making people stronger, faster and more efficient lifters. I therefore choose only the fastest most proven methods to get people there.

Slow concentric is not one.

If life were like a concert

So I've just arrived at the theatre to see my favorite band play with my friends. Man am I excited (don't get out much these days). I buy a t-shirt and enter the main floor area. A lady whom I never met says "hey awesome shirt", I nod knowing the shirt rocked! On my way to get a beverage, I see a couple other people I know and we all slap high five. The band is already into their set so I charge the main floor hoping to get as close as possible.

Making my way through the crowd I spill part of my frosty beverage on a girl in front of me. I was extremely apologetic, she says "It's all good bro", I thought that was cool. As I wedged myself into a space meant for oxygen, I realized I was right in front of a lady and now blocking her view. I asked her to move in front of me as she was there first. She replied " I don't think my husband would like that" pointing at her very large companion. I turned to apologize to him he acknowledged the gesture with a high five and a friendly nod letting me know he would not be hurting me.

As the concert continued, a guy crowd surfing falls to the floor right at my feet taking a couple people down with him. Everyone helped them up and hoisted the surfer back in the air to make his way towards the stage.

After the band was done, my friends and I met out front in a lounge that was attached to the theatre. Everyone was festive. So as I'm people watching, I see a well known NHL hockey player standing their with his girlfriend. I extended my hand and complimented his Black Label Society (heavy metal band) jacket and his great career. After a drink, introducing me to his friends and taking a picture together, we went our separate ways.

A night without prejudice. A night where accident's happen and all is forgiven. A night where everyone is happy. A night where you can talk to a complete stranger and it seems normal. If life were only like a concert.

50 starts with 1

I find myself getting overwhelmed with things like retirement, business development, religion and personal goals. At 36yrs old the thought of retiring makes me nauseous. So what I am trying to do is work on micro-managing my life. If I need a million dollars to retire, I need to find a way to save the first $10. This is also true for getting healthier. Everyone, and I mean everyone, analyzes their health and body daily. So rather than hanging the 2 piece on your door or starring at your Arnold posters with discontent, let's breakdown the goal into micro goals.
Development must happen in stages. So if we are trying to lose weight, look no further than your next meal. Find a way to make better choices one step at a time. Like a salad as opposed to deep fried calamari..
Remember losing 50lbs. starts with 1lb

Jesus or a gun???

Do you ever get to a point that besides you, the entire human race seems absolutely pointless? You feel like the center of the universe and everyone and everthing in it is purposely trying to piss you off? Well it happens to me. I do carry a lot of responsibility on my shoulders at times and all the while, still trying to be a better person. It can be a lot.

So what's my point you ask? My point is emotions can roller coaster up and down but how you deal with them is a science. Being able to immediately recognize when your out of sorts, can be the difference between the worst day of your life and just a minor inconvenience. Little by little we can put behavior's in place that can help our long term health.

Here are a few examples of anti-stress remedies:

Supplements: Holy Basil, Reshi Mushroom, Ashwaganda, Theanine, 5HTP, all help lower stress and relax you.
Prayer: If we can't figure it out, God can
Meditation: It's been said that prayer is talking to God where meditation is listening
Starchy foods: Starches like rice and potatoes can lower cortisol (stress hormone)
Training: The world lies and cheats but 200 lbs will always be 200 lbs (Henry Rollins)
Soft Music: Soothe your soul

Life is full of stress, but don't let moments become life changing

How do you measure your health

Did you know:

- A healthy night sleep is 8 hrs of continuous rest without waking?

- Getting "bloated" after a meal is a sign of a food allergy?

- Bowel movements should happen a few times a day?

- Vegetable servings should be between 9-12 a day?

- Low fat food products are actually high in sugar and artificial sweeteners?

- You should be drinking .8 x your body weight in ounces of water a day (ex. 200lbs x .8 = 160 oz)?

- Tight joints (elbows, knees, hips, shoulders) is commonly related to eating sugar and refined carbohydrates?

- To much fruit (more than 2 pieces) can be bad for you?

- Lack of physical exercise is the leading cause of disease?

- Artificial sweeteners are worse than regular sugar?

So, how did you do?

Self control

I went to Panera for lunch today. Man do I love their chipolte chicken sandwich smothered in a gooey sauce voted as a love handles favorite. So I'm in line and it's packed by the way. Im watching all the bags of bagels flying around. The loaves of bread just waiting to be dipped in a "healthy" soup or salad. The fountain pops that flow like a river. So it's almost my turn. I'm drooling then it happened, someone's ass wider than the aisle way nudges past me delicate and soft.

I ORDERED A FREAKIN SALAD WITH AN APPLE. IF I CAN DO IT, YOU CAN DO IT!

Don't try and accomplish all your goals today. Just work on one at a time.

Resolutions? Sure why not

I'm not real big on New Years resolutions, but this year I thought I would give it a try. My New Years resolution for 2010: To create an army of COMMITED people that use health as their foundation to master all OTHER resolutions.

Think about it. Some hope to be better people. Some to lose weight/build better bodies. Some want a job promotion. Some want to be better at relationships...The common denominator here to me is better health.

Health is described as the general condition of a person in all aspects. Health could be described as a good night sleep. Consider the last time you woke up and felt amazing (for some that may have been awhile). How was your attitude? Your ability to focus at work? Your ability to control your emotions? Your training session? The point here is, something as simple as a good night sleep was able to carry over being a better mother/father, a more detailed employee, a more focused training session and/or helped with your ability to control emotions. Now takes these qualities and magnify them day to day, week to week, scenario to scenario.
When you consider the things in your life that you would like to work on, all roads lead to one point... you. So if your looking for reasons to get off the couch and train, just look around.