Thursday, May 21, 2015

Frontal Plane Stability on a BOSU! WTF SMH

Having your overweight and deconditioned client do lateral hops on a #BOSU is garbage training. It's very high impact to the knees, ankles, hips and low back. As well what metabolic benefit occurs from feeling like a clumsy elephant on walking on a wet floor. Let's build some #sagitalplane strength from the ground up people. Basic compound movements. A #hexbar #deadlift or #kettlebell version is a great starting point. And let the metabolic effect speak for itself. NO MORE #circustraining please be a #fitnessprofessional.

Monday, April 13, 2015

Old School Training methods revisited

Guys! For those of you who are looking for a great new training program fostering quick healing, as well as aiding in building lean muscle mass, here are some useful exercise principles from our friend and South Florida trainer, Marc Scanlan who is an expert in TRX and Kettlebell from Rogue X-Training.
Push – Pull Training
Joe weider and Larry Scott
Joe weider and Larry Scott
We all know the primary goal of any strength training routine is to achieve muscle hypertrophy. One of the best training methods that gained tremendous popularity in the 80’s and 90’s, and continues to work today is the Push-Pull Trainingprinciple. In fact, Joe Weider, co-founder of the International Federation of BodyBuilders, was the main force behind this training system and had a huge impact in its development. Fundamentally, it involves using a push and/or extension exercise followed by a pull curl exercise. This can be be done set by set or exercise for exercise. The main benefits of this type of training, is the ability to work multiple muscles repeatedly and creating incredible pumps casuing an increase of blood flow into muscle. The ability to work multiple muscles repeatedly and increase capillary , as well as type 2a muscle fiber activation is the key to the success of this program. While the Weider Principles have been debated and rediscovered by countless coaches and athletes over the decades, modern science still confirms their value more than ever!
Tempo training
Charles Poliguin
Charles Poliquin, worlds most accomplished strength coaches
Another training method that can be utilized to maximize muscle hypertrophy isTempo Training. Strength Coach Charles Poliquin, the creator of thePoliquin®philosophies who introduced the Poliquin International Certification Program (P.I.C.P.) and Poliquin® BioSignature Modulation worldwide,  brought this type of training to the mainstream. This involves setting a timed or count for each phase of your repetitions. Conentric, pause and Eccentric. This type of training enables you to focus the exact stimulus any athlete or fitness participant desires. The basic breakdown would look like this for each rep 4-0-2, 3-1-3 and so on. These are just examples for tempo. For each and every muscle group, exercise and desired training goal a tempo can be designed to enhance the training outcome. The priority of muscle growth would dictate slower eccentric tempos of 3-5 seconds, power, speed or explosive training would use a 1-2 second tempo primarliy on the concentric part of a lift and of course the variation can be adjusted towards other training goals.
Contrast Training
Lastly, Contrast Training uses a  hybrid of both the push-pull method and tempo training. Like the others, this fundamental approach primarily helps to increase lean muscle mass. The most common use of Contrast Training is for those who engage in sports which involve speed training. Here, the focus involves gaining muscle growth by pairing compound movements together. Utilizing the Push-Pull method while leveraging the Tempo method helps to maximize your training to new levels. Secondary benefits to these movements also helps to reduce wear and tear on soft tissue and even promotes some healing to tendons and ligaments.
BODYJOCK Sport recommends anyone starting a new exercise routine first seek out medical attempting before engaging in any new exercise routine. Experience over the years and working with hundreds of athletes, personal training clients, and fitness gurus this type of training is best done right after a heavy lifting period, pre-season or during the peak of off season training to really benefit and promote muscle hypertrophy and healing.Implementing these types of training offers someone who has  new and fresh intense muscle stimulus. I always prepare athletes and clients to be sore after the first few workouts. Rest intervals should be 30-60 seconds between sets to maximize the results. It is most effective when planned and scripted out. Don’t attempt to do multiple set after set. Pick a few few compund exercises that work oppossing muscle groups and focus on the effort and execution. The training volume takes care of itself.

Wednesday, February 11, 2015

Wild West Workouts & Circus Training vs. Programming & Training

Simplicity in its purest form is basic and effective with regards to fitness. So many ways to do a squat, bicep curl and push up these days it's enough to make ones head spin. I promote solid strength fundamentals first and foremost. Being almost 45, having started lifting in the early 80s w universal and nautilus equipment at my local YMCA are my roots. As I progressed into highschool and playing varsity football I was then given the platform of bench, squat, power clean, tbar row and military press. Other then needing a posterior chain exercise I can honestly say those basic 5 are still a primary way of my personal and professional training. I've trained hundreds of clients, athletes and trainers and the basics are always what I focus on. I've evolved with the times with a love of TRX, Kettlebells, stability/BOSU balls and strength bands in the past decade+. If your posting videos of some crazy ass funky ooh ahh way of a basic lunge, push up etc... I'm not for you. Good luck and good riddens. That stuff don't work my friend. As well attending workshop after workshop to learn bootcamp and mind numbing rhetoric based versions of basic strength movements you're wasting time and money. It's takes 10000 reps or so to master a movements biomechanics. Sorry that doesn't happen in 8, 16 or 24 hours of training. Every single person who trains is different and you need a basic foundation of strength and muscle building to build off of. Making someone's HR elevate, gasp for breath and sweat is not training. Making a client walk on a treadmill for 2,3,4 minutes every 10-15 minutes of a training sessions IS NOT training. It's actually filler and shows you don't really know what to do to truly help your clients or athletes. Copying a YouTube video or some goofball sports conditioning drill then having a deconditioned person do the same has got to be the lamest form of personal training going. If you've never spent years coaching and mentoring w top strength coaches YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS asking regular people to do agility, dynamic warm up and explosive training. That leads to injury, no fat loss, no muscle gains and pretty much a booby trap for failure. The industry is going through a corrective adjustment and it's time leaders, pioneers and fitness professionals lead by talking and walking.  I always speak from experience and observation. Seek knowledge, embrace information, research an answer to a question and practice before you teach.

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Effort alone will not cut it when it comes to Fitness

The concept of working out harder and harder has turned into a billion dollar infomercial and affiliate industry. Like the 6 billion dollars in annual sales magic pill and potion supplement marketing monster this is lessening actual fitness progress. I deal with 2 types of clients primarily on a daily basis. The ones who can't get enough and want more more more. Mostly a good thing. Then there's the people who workout 1-2x a week and think walking on a treadmill at 2.5 mph with a 1% incline is going to burnfat. GRRRRRRRR that drives me nuts. I applaud the CrossFit model of barbaric physical destruction but the lack of programming, proper nutrition and supplement focus makes for a limited lean muscle mass growth potential. As well all these in my professional opinion jump around and do plyometrics in your living room DVDs are even more of a detriment to building lean muscle mass. Chaotic helter skelter exercise is just that! You'll sweat, you'll burn lots of glycogen, you'll have sore joints and muscles the next few days. But that pattern equates to minimal long term success and stunts actual fitness progress. Personal training and small group training has to match goals and ability with capability. Be a fitness professional and plan, strategize and do some research. Attend seminars and workshops. Read YES read books. YouTube won't teach you what takes months, years and thousands of reps to perfect. Diversify your training methods. NOT using TRX, kettlebells, freeweights and basic bodyweight core strength methods means you're not up to speed. Invest in your self so your clients and career will benefit even more.