30 Things I Want to Share

I started this post back in September when I noticed that I was exactly 30 years and 30 weeks old, thus, the 30 points I want to share. I hope you enjoy this one... going back and rereading what I had written, I realized this post was better than I originally gave it credit for. Lots of things I've learned about training, coaching, and life throughout!

• I’ve discovered that with every moment older I get, the less and less interested in material objects I become. I guess this is how real adults are able to buy things like vacation homes and afford retirement.
• Weight training does not make women gain weight, unless they are eating like they want to gain weight.

• Considering the cost of gas consumption when purchasing a car is one of the greatest financial lessons my parents ever taught me. It is also the reason why we own a Prius.
• Imposing a strict tempo is probably the most important change I’ve made in my programming over the last 4 years. Prior to that I really had very little appreciation for how powerful training the eccentric and isometric portions of every movement can be.
• Knowing you can provide well for you children is hugely satisfying.

• I frequently feel that only a handful of trainers/coaches in the world actually know how to teach a squat correctly.
• A professor I had in undergrad once told me "a Bachelor’s degree simply shows you have the ability to commit to something and finish it over a long period of time. The people at your first job will still have to teach you what you really need to know." It’s all about experience.
• Certifications mean very little. It’s, again, all about experience.
• Everyone who lives in and around DC should check out the National Arboretum. It’s a beautiful and relaxing place to unwind.
• I recently read a running book that did a much greater job explaining the importance of working at your current pacing level (i.e. % of 1RM for weights) than any weight-training book I’ve ever read. The book is Daniel’s Running Formula.
• Every trained female should be able to perform at least 3 pull-ups. I used to make excuses for myself about why I would never be able to do them… then I smartened up and figured out a great pull-up progression (see #9). After a bit of time, I found myself doing sets of 10 dead-hang pull-ups.
• Mel Siff’s Supertraining is still the most comprehensive book about anything ever written. My mind is blown every time I crack that book open. How someone produces a work like that is beyond my understanding.
• You can tell a great deal about how parents raise their children by how their kids act in the face of a challenge.
• “If you want to be fast, you have to move fast.” This is referring to bar speed in the weight room.
• “You will pass out before you die.” Another great weight room quote from a mentor of mine.
• If you’re unsure about set/rep schemes as they relate to percentage of 1RM. You MUST read Tim Kontos’ article on Prilepin’s Chart. I continue to reference this when I need solid guidance on final decisions in volume and intensity.
• Working to become less egocentric is an important endeavor to improve overall satisfaction with your life. For example, women who avoid the free weight area of a gym because “all the guys stare at me.” No they don’t. Get over yourself.
• Coaches (strength or sport) who become frustrated at athletes easily are not well equipped to be teaching in the first place. We’re teaching more than how to set a screen or do a pushup, we’re teaching life skills.

• Not having spent any time around babies before having one, I never really knew what the big-deal was… I get it now!
• Everyone should consider wearing shoes that have a zero drop or a very low drop. I don’t like the term “barefoot” shoes because you’re not barefoot. You still have shoes on they just don’t have any elevation change from heel to toe.
• You will be better off if you make an effort to go to sleep and wake up at around the same time every day (yes, weekend days are still days, so they count towards this).
• You don’t have to yell at athletes and put on a big show to get them motivated to perform. Just treat them calmly and with respect. Get excited when appropriate.

• Television is such a massive waste of time.
• Work on soft-tissue quality regularly.

• I fully believe in the idea and pursuit of the American Dream.

Friday Distractions

I don't know if we have any hard-core running sock wearers reading our site, but if we do, then THIS is the post for you: Running Sock Reviews from Runblogger!! From Sweat Science: Higher carb intake = faster Ironman finish

The fiance of a coach I worked with at VCU has a food blog with, what look to be, some pretty good recipes. Check out White Truffle Turnip "Risotto." I've never tried any of the recipes, but again, they look pretty good and tend to be based around Paleo style rules.

Lastly, if you're pretty much spent from the week and trying to get in the Halloween spirit, take a look at these photos of pets dressed up in Halloween costumes. It might be just what you need. HAAAAAA!

As for my family, we'll be participating in the Goblin Gallop 1k Fun Run on Sunday at Fairfax Corner. And, yes, Arabella will be getting her first race medal!

Friday Musings 10/14/11

So, no beating around the bush, I'm pretty mentally beat from this week. Between finishing up the last week of wedding prep, visiting various labs for bloodwork, moving to a new home, getting ahead of things for when I'm on my honeymoon, and staying on top of my daily responsibilities at SAPT, I'm definitely going to crash hard tonight when I finally get to sleep. Not to mention a lot of things have happened over the past month (my car rolling across a parking lot being one of them) in my life that can be summed up by this poster:  

I'm kidding (kinda), given that I really do have a lot, and I mean a lot, to be thankful for. However, currently all I desire is a lollipop for my brain, so I thought that some of you may want a lollipop, too, as it's the end of the week.

This being said, this post is going to be completely random. It may not even have much to do with training, but hey, sometimes people want a healthy dose of entertainment, right? Let's get to it.

1. This is why we teach strict, dead-hang pullups performed with good form at SAPT....

...as opposed to kipping pullups, as shown in the video below. Keep your form locked in, kids:

2. Under Armour underwear is the greatest thing I've discovered since learning that the arrow next to the gas symbol tells you which side of the car the gas tank is on.

Anyway, last month I felt compelled to order the outrageously priced underwear from Under Armour, and let me tell you, it is FANTASTIC.

I mean, talk about feeling tranquil and luxurious, all day long. I'm tempted to make a quick change to our wedding registry and replace everything with under armour underwear...it's just that good. They really hit the nail on the head with that product line. Yes, they're expensive, but worth every penny.

3. I finally began training like I would train one of the athletes under our roof at SAPT.

What? What do I mean by this? Well, as counterintuitive as it may seem, even strength coaches struggle when it comes to their own programming. After all, the toughest person to program for is yourself (as I've written in the past, this is one reason why it's wise to have someone else write your program). As some of you know, I've had some pretty persistent shoulder pain, and over the last five weeks I FINALLY manned-up and trained using a similar approach that I would give one of our athletes should they be exhibiting similar symptoms.

Namely, I've taken out a LOT of the pressing volume and added in a LOT of horizontal pulling. For example, this is what my upper body session looked like this past Tuesday:

A1) Bent-Over DB Row, 5x8/side A2) Neutral-Grip DB Press, 3x6

B1) Seated Cable Row, Pronated Grip, 4x10 B2) Tempo Pushup, 3x10

C1) Cable Face Pull w/External Rotation, 2x12 C2) Anti-Rotation Press and Hold, 2x3x :10 per side

*Notice that the total "pulling" volume was 104 reps, compared to the "pressing" volume which was 48 total reps.

And what do you know? My shoulder is feeling WAY better, and I've added some much needed strength to my upper back. Funny, as things didn't get better until I stopped training like a doofus and did what I knew I should deep down all along.

4. No matter if you're a cat person or not, you have to admit this is the cutest thing you've seen all week: Yeah, I realize the some of the gents in the crowd may be screaming for me to have my man-card revoked, but I wanted to give something to the ladies in the crowd...what can I say.

5. This is what it looks like to not care, whatsoever, about what other people think of you.

This is pretty funny; thank you Ben Bruno for finding this. Maybe I'll add this exercise in for people as a warm-up before their isolation lifts:

That will do it for today. Hope this helped pass the time in your respective work place and have a great weekend!

Warrior, The Resistance, Mobility, and Happy Birthday Baggins

It is Friday, and in my efforts to make the end of this week a bit lighter for you all, I'm simply going to share a few notes floating around my brain at the moment. 1. Happy Birthday Bilbo and Frodo Baggins. Well, technically their birthday was yesterday, on September 22nd, but, alas, it was Chris's day to post so I wasn't able to give them a proper shout-out on time. Many of you may have missed this important and monumental day; shame on you if you did. Kelsey and I did not.  (A side note: I knew I wanted to marry her as soon as she told me, on our second date, that she'd read the Lord of the Rings series three times).

I will most assuredly - and shamelessly - be attending opening night of The Hobbit (releasing December of 2012), especially given that Peter Jackson is directing it. For other Middle Earth fans that may be out there, you can keep up with some video blogs of the filming HERE.

Kelsey and I also had the pleasure of seeing The Return of the King with a LIVE symphony, thank you very much. Yes, it was as amazing as it sounds.

LOTRlivesymph

2. A Tale of Two Kingdoms. Martin Rooney recently wrote a fantastic blog post discussing the two "kingdoms" currently at war in society. It's short and simple, yet thought-provoking. I love most of Martin's writings and instructional videos as he's extremely talented, funny, and also possesses infectious energy as he talks about strength training. Do yourself a favor and read it here:

A Tale of Two Kingdoms - Martin Rooney

If you're looking for a preview, watch the video below (not only is it hilarious but also passes along a pretty deep and important message):

3. Warrior. Was amazing. I'm honestly not a huge fan of most fighting movies (I often find them awfully-predictable), but I felt Gavin O'Connor did a great job directing this one, and Tom Hardy REALLY hit a home run with his acting. The ending was a liiitttllee iffy, but all in all an awesome film filled with SWEET fight scenes while at the same time being emotionally engaging.

Okay. Let me get to the real reason I liked this film (Spoiler: shameless man-crush announcement). Tom Hardy's traps were the most awesome things I've ever seen. I mean, given his body weight and frame, they were quite impressive. I can say with full confidence that Chuck Norris would turn tail and run just from the sight of them:

Beast. I mean, let's be real here. I think every male on the planet, upon seeing this movie, ran to the nearest gym to load it up on some farmers walks and direct trap work. Heck, I know for me personally, on Monday the first thing I did during my training session was shrug deadlift.

Trap-specialization phase for October anyone? Alright, I'm kidding (but not really).

4. Movement Quality. The older I get, and the longer I spend working at a computer, the more I realize just how important it really is to maintain and/or restore lost ROM at our joints. This could be an entire article or blog post in and of itself, but I'm convinced that even taking ten minutes a day to invest in our joint mobility and soft tissue restrictions will go a longer way than many of us even realize.

After all, it really doesn't take that long to run through a quick series of spiderman variations, a yoga plex or two, warrior lunges, walking knee hugs and cradle walks, BO t-spine rotations, forearm wallslides, and quadruped extension-rotations, to name a few. Or, even just throwing in a few static and contract+relax drills while at a coffee shop.

That's it for today. Hope everyone has a great weekend!