Sarah Walls 7/30/12 Sarah Walls 7/30/12

Directed Attention - Part 1

Part 1: What’s in a word?Focus! Your teacher, coach, or parents have all snapped that word at you at some point, or a lot of points. The word focus has become the standard to garner attention. However, the word itself has become dull, unoriginal, and lost meaning. Focus also has many different meanings, which makes it even less potent.

The word itself has become a bugaboo for athletes in particular. Many athletes think they have to completely “lock in” to perform, which often leads to tension and self-doubt in ability. Focusing solely on raising intensity and energy is often the wrong place for athletes to focus. Additionally, the idea to just “focus” is so vague that athlete’s don’t believe they have control over their ability to do it.

The definition of focus, which is often used as a verb in athletics, is defined as one’s ability to direct attention. When working with athletes, I often talk about directing attention rather than simply focusing. When the athlete understands they can direct attention to a needed action they become more in control of what they need to do and have a better grasp of how to take ownership of their attention.

Many athletes become so focused on the result that they lose the ability to direct their attention to their needed process. The ability for an athlete to direct their attention to things in their control, rather than things that are out of their control, often determines an athlete’s ability to perform in the moment. By simply “focusing” and not directing attention, the athlete loses control over their own focus. Giving them something to direct their attention to will allow them to get back to the moment when they drift awry.

Directing attention to controllables such as effort, attitude, and self-talk often give the athlete the best opportunity to succeed.

Next week in Part 2, find out how to direct and control your focus!

Sarah Walls 5/29/12 Sarah Walls 5/29/12

Happy Tuesday!

Happy Tuesday? I know, who says that.

Apparently, ladies who just gave birth.

I'm pretty low on sleep and have about a million work things to do before the next set of relatives join us for the rest of the week (t-minus 30-min, not looking good for me getting everything done).

So, I'm just going to do a short round-up of some miscellaneous posts and a personal update:

Alex Hutchinson has the breakdown of an interesting study regarding diet and hydration relating to workload at Sweatscience. It's title says it all: Nutrition and Hydration: Science 1, Experience 0. Pretty cool info, especially if you think your body operates on some different plane than everyone else (it doesn't).
This morning I received a link from Brian Levenson directing me to a Ted talk called Philippe Petit: The journey across the high wire. If you've got about 20-minutes to spare check it out, the main points are about magic (yes, like magic tricks), pursuing your passion, and doing the impossible.
My new favorite equipment supplier for both commercial and home applications is Rogue Fitness. Their stuff is made is the USA, comes at very reasonable prices, and - best of all - they don't "bend you over" on shipping rates. Sorry for the imagery. I just ordered a few things for our backyard and anticipate using them heavily for SAPT orders in the future.

Personal update: I know most people who read Saptstrength.com also frequent Stronggirlswin.com, so you're probably aware of the "self-experiment" I've been running on myself throughout this pregnancy.

Now, that the birth is over, I'm beginning a new self-experiment that will last from Duke's birthday of May 23rd through the beginning of the fall semester at Mason (August 27th). That's just short of 15-weeks.

My personal goal is pretty darn simple:see if I can get myself into a BodPod measured and confirmed 14-16% body fat level. Why? Well, over the last 3-years I've been pregnant for a total of 20-months and spent the other non-pregnant 16-months learning how to balance being a mom with work.

But, another EXTREMELYimportant goal for me is to provide proof of success and, eventually, a framework for other new moms to gain motivation and direction from.

I simply don't agree with the idea that once you have kids you have to accept a body that you don't really want.

I'm quite excited and anxious to spend some serious and focused time working on ME. I'll be documenting this process and progress over at Stronggirlswin.com.

Whoooo Hoooo, Happy Tuesday!

Sarah Walls 5/11/12 Sarah Walls 5/11/12

Bridging the Gap Between Rehab and Sports Performance Training

This morning, Sarah and I are meeting with a local physical therapy clinic, in order to discuss working together to better serve our athletes and clients. This reminded me of an article of mine that was published a couple years ago over at ElitefTS.com, that many of you may not have seen yet.

Bridging the Gap Between Rehabilitation and Sports Performance Training

One of the things we at SAPT pride ourselves in, and something that separates us from surrounding training facilities, is our ability and genuine desire to help people train around injuries they are currently experiencing and/or just coming off of. On top of this, we are well aware of the fact that if injured athletes fail to immerse themselves in a sound, science-based resistance training regimen immediately following physical therapy, the odds are quite high they'll be right back in the PT clinic, or, even worse, on the surgeon's table.

However, we also realize that we are not physical therapists, nor do we pretend to be. Which is why we seek to form and maintain symbiotic relationships with PTs. When the strength coach and physical therapist each work within their own, unique sphere of expertise, while simultaneously collaborate with one another, the athlete/client will be in much better hands than if they neglected either of the two options.

Anyway, while it's not the most "sexy" of topics, the article above dives into some practical solutions for the strength coach, physical therapist, and (most importantly) the injured athlete.

Sarah Walls 4/4/12 Sarah Walls 4/4/12

Straight Bar vs. Trap Bar Deadlifts, Part 2

In Part 1 we discussed the main differences between deadlifting with the trap bar vs. doing so with the straight bar, and also examined the primary muscles recruited through each pull. Part II will touch on some of the training implications - aka the, “How does this affect ME?” question. I like lists, so what follows are, in list form, some key points surrounding each deadlift variation.

The Trap Bar

1. I previously stated that the trap bar tends to be easier to learn how to deadlift with, and while I still stand by that claim, it doesn’t mean the trap bar can’t be royally screwed up if unaware of what to feel or look for.

Continue Reading....

(Note: The above link takes you to my most recent OneResult Article)

Sarah Walls 3/29/12 Sarah Walls 3/29/12

3 Awesome Things I've Learned...

I’ve been in the strength and conditioning field for a very short time; luckily I have luck on my side and ended up surrounded by very smart people. Whether it’s coaching, watching my colleagues coach, reading, or training myself I consistently learn something new every day. With that said here are 3 awesome things I’ve learned both as a coach and as someone who trains.

Keep things simple…

If you’re an inexperienced lifter or you’re dealing with an inexperienced athlete don’t try and get to crazy; you’re not and their not as advanced as you think. Squatting (bodyweight, goblet, barbell), deadlifting (kettlebells, trap bar, straight bar), and pressing (pushups, bench press, overhead press) are the best ways to gain strength, power, and body awareness. If you are just starting out or are coaching someone who is just starting out you will be much better off refining these motor patterns, using progressive overload, and coupling them with unilateral movements like split squats, stepback lunges, bowler squats, single leg balancing. I don’t care if someone is 8 years old or 50 years old these movements form the foundation for athletics and everyday life and should be learned proficiently. Things like powercleans or Turkish getups are awesome but they are advanced. I see absolutely no need to give them to someone who cannot squat, deadlift, or do a pushup correctly. Milk the simplicity of the other exercises for all their worth; you or your athlete will be better for it in the long run.

Get Experience Under the Bar…

In one of the first conversations I ever had with Sarah was her telling me I need to compete in powerlifting. Her reasons were it would help me learn more about strength and conditioning and it would make me a better coach. I wasn’t quite sure how competing would do both those things but I started training for powerlifting anyway. Time has gone on since then and looking back I completely understand what she was talking about. You cannot be a coach or a trainer unless you get experience under the bar. I was re-watching the EliteFTS BIG seminar with Jim Wendler the other day (which everyone should watch) and he said two things that really stuck with me. Keep in mind I’m paraphrasing here but he said something along the lines of “I have authority on the subject (strength training) because I’ve had a bar on my back, not because of a certification I have or something I read” and later “everything you want to know about lifting can be learned through training”. These are bold statements but they are absolutely true.

If you’re a coach you need to try everything out, you need to get some scratches on you or no one will take your advice. It’s like a tennis player telling you how to improve your golf swing because they read an article about it once, doesn’t make any sense. And if you’re just trying to train stop reading internet articles all day long and go put a barbell on your back and squat it, go pull something heavy off the ground and then press something off your chest or over your head. You can listen all you want to this guy or this girl but the truth is you will NEVER know what works until you do it yourself. Get under the bar!

Don’t Ever be Content and Always Have Fun…

This is where I feel people lose it. No one should be content whether it’s your knowledge base, your numbers, the money your business brings in, your teaching abilities, it doesn’t matter always strive to be better. If you’re a coach you shouldn’t ever come to a place where you say “I know everything I need to know” because you don’t. The greatest strength coaches in the world still educate themselves and then apply it. This is what’s going to make you and your athletes better. If you’re just a person trying to get stronger that’s great but once you hit a specific goal, don’t stop there, make a new one. I’m not saying don’t be happy about what you’ve done because that’s ridiculous. You should be happy about what you’ve accomplished and you should reflect on those achievements but strive for more.

This leads into my next point of having fun while you’re doing all of this. There hasn’t been one day where I haven’t had fun training or coaching. Are there days where I’m tired and don’t necessarily feel like going to train? Yeah, but by the end I had fun and am glad I did it. And as far as coaching or teaching for that matter, if you’re not enjoying helping people get better and realize their potential than you need a new career. That has been the best part of coaching and teaching for me is that I can truly have fun. I can joke around with the clients and athletes and I can help them reach their goals. People want to be so serious and mope around all the time, I don’t get it. We have all had some bad stuff happen in our lives but its our ability to overcome that makes life great. Life is truly short and we need to enjoy it and have some fun while we’re living it. With that said, I’ll leave you with this… because it’s funny!

Sarah Walls 3/21/12 Sarah Walls 3/21/12

Straight Bar vs. Trap Bar Deadlifts, Part 1

Which bar is more appropriate for your deadlift training goals? “What’s your thought/preference on straight bar deadlifts vs. trap bar deadlifts?”

I hear this question constantly, but because both lifts closely resemble one another, and because both lifts are used so often, I can understand why it can be a confusing topic.

So, what exactly are the differences? Which of the two bars is easier to learn? Which variation will add more muscle mass? Which option will be place less stress on the low back? Which variation will provide a greater stimulus for the hips? Which bar would Wolverine and Batman choose, respectively? Hang tight, as I’m about to answer those questions and then some.