Much Ado About Deadlifting

I've been discussing deadlift technique with a lot of people lately, so here's another article to further the discussion.

Much Ado About Deadlifting by Tony Gentilcore

Get big or die tryin.

Things You Can Do Every Day

Over the past ten days I have been doing 200 push-ups and 50 pull-ups every day, as well as 25 handstand push-ups three times a week. While it may seem odd to train the same muscles and movements day after day, understand that frequency and intensity have an inverse relationship, so the more intense a movement or exercise is, the less frequently it should be performed. I break my push-ups into eight sets of 25 reps; my pull-ups into five sets of five, three, and two reps; and my handstand push-ups into five sets of five reps. All of these rep ranges are well under a maximal effort for me, and I can often complete a set or two while my clients are getting water. The takeaway from this is that it is important for you to build up your tolerance for a particular movement or exercise if you are going to perform it every day. If your goal is to do 100 push-ups a day, but you can only do 30 consecutive push-ups right now, don't plan on doing five sets of 20 every day. It is too close to your maximum. Instead, shoot for ten sets of ten and, over time, work your way up to doing 20 reps every set. So, with all of that being said, here are some things you can do every day to improve your strength and fitness levels:

Body Weight Exercises

As I've said, I'm doing push-ups and pull-ups every day. I would not do explosive body weight exercises every day, however. Focus on movements you would do in a warm-up, since a warm-up is just a series of body weight exercises. Stick to the basics, too--push-ups, pull-ups, squats, inverted rows, dips. If you are doing this in addition to your regular training, don't go crazy with it. A few reps every day will add up quickly, and you will be seeing gains in both strength and size before you know it.

Grip Training

If you are like 97.83% of gym-goers, you don't ever train your grip; at least not directly. You'll train it through pulls, assuming you aren't using straps, and you may even perform a deadlift or two. I used to have add in a few grip training exercises at the end of my deadlift/back days, but quite often I found myself skipping them. Instead of blocking out a large chunk of your training time for grip training, throw in one set of one exercise to be performed every day at the end of your training session. Whether it is farmer walks, plate pinches, tennis ball squeezes, or whatever else you can think of, doing one set of one exercise will allow you to see great improvements in your grip strength. If you are a strongman or participate in activities where your grip is absolutely vital to your performance, one set of one exercise may not be enough, in which case you may want to block off more time to specifically train it.

Abs

Ahhhh yes, abs. I know, I know, everybody does abs every time they go to the gym, right? I mean, that's how you're going to get that six-pack or flat tummy to show, right? Ha. Okay, so remember what I said about frequency and intensity? If you are going to do abs every single day, limit yourself to two sets of one to two exercises. Your abs do recover relatively quicker than some other muscles, but that does not give you the g0-ahead to do abs after your workout on Monday, abs class on Tuesday, power yoga abs on Wednesday, super power Pilates abs on Thursday, and cardio kick-boxing abs on Friday. And yes, I said workout, not training, because I am making fun of you. And if you didn't get the joke, you are exactly who I am making fun of. **Just as a side note, you realize that by working your abs that often, you are actually making the muscle bigger and expanding your waistline, right? You understand you can't do a bunch of exercises for a muscle such that it gets smaller, or longer, right? (Sorry yoga and Pilates.) If you are training for performance, then it would make sense to increase the strength of those muscles. But, if you are training for aesthetic reasons, cut down your volume of daily abs training.

So, there are some things that you can do every day to improve your strength, physique, and well-being. Remember, if you increase frequency you must decrease intensity, but that doesn't mean you won't see improvement. The grip training and body weight exercises are done in addition to your regular training, so there is no reason to overdo these. And with the abs, remember what I said about thickening up those muscles and that waist line.

Get big or die tryin'.

Charlie Cates, CSCS

Self Made®, Owner

Charlie Cates is a strength and conditioning specialist and the owner of Self Made® (http://selfmadefitness.com/) in Chicago, IL. He has worked with competitive and everyday athletes of all ages and ability levels, from 9-year-old kids to NFL MVP's. He can be reached via e-mail at charlie@selfmadefitness.com.

This article may be reproduced with biographical information intact.

Top Five Squats: Part 1

You've heard of the Westside Barbell system and the results they get. Now look into the detail of this system in this article by Louie Simmons.

Top Five Squats: Part 1 by Louie Simmons

Get big or die tryin'.

The Interval Training Myth

Interval training is all the rage today when it comes to fat loss. High-intensity interval training, in particular, has become such a buzzword among fitness addicts and gurus that the actual exercise prescription is a very, very far cry from the original intent of the training means. Between boot camps, group-ex classes, and cardio equipment all claiming to provide “interval training for fat loss”, a very effective training style is being twisted into another fad of the fitness industry.

Interval training is a training method used by competitive and everyday athletes to both burn fat and improve cardiovascular function. The idea is that you have a working period of intense, all-out movement followed by a recovery period of little to no movement. The biggest factor when using interval training effectively is the intensity level of both the working and recovery periods. This one aspect alone dictates the time of the working and recovery periods, the total time of the training session, as well as if an external resistance should be added to the athlete during the movement. The intensity of the working periods when used for fat loss or conditioning purposes is to be maximal, i.e. an all-out, gut-busting effort. Recovery periods where the intensity is near zero, i.e. standing or light walking, follow this.

Today, the majority of “interval” training is performed at a sub-maximal level, often times just above the point where the person could have a conversation during the working period and only slightly less intense during the recovery periods. Essentially, people are fueling their aerobic exercise addiction by continuing to perform lower-intensity training exercises for longer durations. With high-intensity interval training, you want to stay as anaerobic as possible. Not only will this lead to a rise in testosterone and growth hormone, but there is also evidence that proves training anaerobically has a very high transfer to aerobic performance.[1]^,[2] Compare this to the more standard interval training of today where people spend most of the set in an aerobic state, which, if done too often, has been shown to spike cortisol, resulting in muscle degradation and power reduction.[3]

What does this mean for those who are staying aerobic? Well, for one, you could be furthering the problem you are trying to solve if your goals are fat-reduction related. Muscle is a metabolic regulator, and its degradation that is brought on by the cortisol spike leaves your body with little to go on once the stimulus (the training) has been removed. A perfect example of this is people who only do spin classes. As long as they keep going to the classes, they look and feel all right. However, once they go on vacation for a week or can’t make it because of work, they put on weight very, very quickly and often times regress three weeks or more because they don’t have enough muscle to sufficiently regulate their metabolism once they’ve stopped going to the spin classes.

In order to stay anaerobic during interval training, you must keep your working periods to 30 seconds or less and allow your recovery periods to be at least one minute. If you feel that a 30-second working period is too short, you are not exercising at the intensity level that is required for high-intensity interval training to be most effective. Remember, you are trying to perform all-out maximal-effort movements, so after 30 seconds of that you should want to collapse. After your working period you will have your recovery period, during which you will do next to nothing. This period is two to ten times as long, although I’ve performed exercises where the recovery period is up to 100 times as long, as the working period. This is to allow you to catch your wind and also to allow the ATP to regenerate in your muscles. Because you are attempting a maximal-effort movement for each set, you want to be almost fully recovered before you begin your next set.

The length of the entire interval training session should be no more than 30 minutes, with 10 to 15 minutes being ideal. I recommend 10 to 15 minutes sessions because most people really struggle to keep up the intensity if they try to go longer than that. I have most of my clients stop after five to seven minutes because their effort starts to decline after that. Remember, maximal-effort movements are not the most pleasurable experiences for a lot of people, so even though they may think they are going all-out, because they know it is painful, they probably aren’t pushing themselves quite as hard as they were at the beginning. This is something you have to regulate with your clients and yourself, understanding that there are times to keep pushing and there are times to end on a high note.

Interval training can be one of the most effective training tools in your arsenal if used properly. Performing low-intensity working sets of 60 seconds or more or hopping on an elliptical or stationary bike that only changes the resistance while you put forth the same relative effort are not going to get you or your clients the results you are looking for. Challenge yourself to train harder and smarter by picking up your intensity level and staying anaerobic with your training.

Get big or die tryin’.

Charlie Cates

Self Made®, Owner

Charlie Cates is a strength and conditioning specialist and the owner of Self Made® (http://selfmadefitness.com/) in Chicago, IL. He has worked with competitive and everyday athletes of all ages and ability levels, from 9-year-old kids to NFL MVP's. He can be reached via e-mail at charlie@selfmadefitness.com.

This article may be reproduced with biographical information intact.

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[1] Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, Third Addition. Ratamess, Nicholas A. p. 108. 2008.

[2] Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, Third Addition. Ratamess, Nicholas A. p. 112. 2008.

[3] Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning, Third Addition. Swank, Ann. p. 131. 2008.

This Past Week (7/18-7/24)

This past week was another strong training week for me. I kept the same lifting schedule I've been on since mid-June, and will continue this schedule for another couple weeks. I have added 200 push-ups and 50 pull-up variations into my training every day. This has added both size and strength to my upper body. My goal is to complete 100 consecutive push-ups by the end of 2011 and 25 consecutive pull-ups by that time, as well. My PR's for both are 70 and 17, respectively.

On Saturday I did a three-minute dip challenge with Chris Shalvoy. It was a challenge put out on YouTube by Martin Rooney, where you do as many dips as you can in thee minutes, resting as you need to. You have to get to 90 degrees of elbow flexion at the bottom and lock out the elbows completely at the top. Shalvoy did 81 in three minutes and I did 60. While this may seem like a drastic difference, if you multiply our reps by our respective body weights, he beat me by a rep and a half. My goal is to hit 75 on this by the end of 2011.

Not much else happened this past week in my training world. I spent a lot of time studying anatomy and MAT every day, and my palpations are starting to get better.

That's all for this past week. Now it's time to go live this one.

Get big or die tryin'.

Get It Right: The Deadlift

Looking for some insight as to what is supposed to happen when you deadlift? Check out this article by Tim Henriques for more info.

Get It Right: The Deadlift by Tim Henriques

Get big or die tryin'.

Get Your Sleep Right

Alright, let me start this post off by saying that there will be very little objective data included in this post, and what is included I probably won't have references for. That being said, I have noticed a significant difference in how I've been feeling since I moved out of my old apartment on July first, and I contribute that all to sleep.

Since I've moved, I haven't been groggy at all during the days, I am actually waking up refreshed at 4:00 AM, and my training sessions and lifts in particular have been SO much more intense and productive. Why? My nutrition has been exactly the same, but I've been doing a few things differently regarding my sleep. First, I've been leaving my cell phone in another room on silent. I used to sleep with it on my night stand; then I moved it to my dresser; now it's in a completely different room. If you aren't able to prioritize your sleep ahead of one of your friends drunk-dialing you in the middle of the night you have problems. Straight up, flat out, you're screwed up. I rarely call people out for their lifestyle choices, but this is going to change. You need to re-asses your entire life and figure out what is actually important to you. If chronic fatigue and illness, excess weight, and being overstressed are what you want out of life, then please, keep doing what you are doing. But if you actually want to live life, not just be alive and be a slave to Starbucks, then put your stupid cell phone in a different room when you sleep.

Secondly, I've moved my computer from out of my room to in my dining room. This happened more because of lack of space for my desk in my room, but nonetheless, the same theory applies here as with the cell phone.

Third, I got room-darkening shades. My other apartment was right downtown by the John Hancock. I had these HUGE windows in my room that provided a great view during the day, but at night all of light from other buildings would shine in, especially during the weekends. This made it very difficult to get high-quality sleep because my room was always illuminated. If you don't want to pay for the shades, put up an old quilt over your windows. Either way, try to ensure that your room is as close to pitch-black as you can make it when you try to sleep.

Fourth, I started wearing a cPRIME bracelet to bed. I'm not selling these, but if you want to know more about them, Google them and check it out. They help to block the radiation shot off by cell phones, TV's, computers, microwaves, etc. and allow your body to work as if the radiation wasn't there. I'm probably over-simplifying this description, but check them out for yourself.

Finally, I changed my schedule at work so I am now done for the night at 7:00 PM. I did this so I could get home, showered, and in bed by 8:00 PM, leaving me the opportunity for 8 hours of sleep every night. I feel best when I get 9 hours, which I normally do on weekends, but I feel really good when I get 8 during the week. Before, I would work until 8:00 PM and then not be in bed until 9:00 or 9:30. I came to the conclusion that this was bogus, that if I couldn't even give myself the opportunity to get the amount of sleep I need each night it didn't make sense for me to be doing what I do. How could preach to my clients one thing and then act out another? It wasn't sitting well with me, and I was feeling like crap because I wasn't sleeping well. So I said screw it, I'm altering my schedule and if those above me have a problem with it then I will no longer work for them. I cannot try to help other become healthy if I am not working in an environment that will allow me to be healthy, and I'm standing by that.

I know not everybody can choose when they work, but sitting back and accepting your current fate is not the way to go. I talk to my clients all the time about creating a culture of greatness around them. They always whine, "But I have to drink! It's part of my job!" or, "I'm out four nights a week with potential clients; how am I supposed to lose weight while eating that food?" You create a culture of greatness around you; that's how. You let everybody know that this is what you stand for, and you do not waiver from those values. If making a change in your life is important enough to you, you will be able to hold strong. It doesn't mean it will be easy, especially at first, but the longer the precedence is in place that this is how you do things, the easier it will become.

If your exercise and nutrition are on point but you still aren't getting the results you want, sleep is a good place to start looking. You can't out-exercise a bad diet, and you can't out-eat poor sleep. Make a commitment to yourself to sleep with the sun, and feel how amazing real health and living can be.

Get big or die tryin'.

Charlie Cates is a strength and conditioning specialist and the owner of Self Made® (http://selfmadefitness.com/) in Chicago, IL. He has worked with competitive and everyday athletes of all ages and ability levels, from 9-year-old kids to NFL MVP's. He can be reached via e-mail at charlie@selfmadefitness.com.

This article may be reproduced with biographical information intact.

Strong Legs

Want to know how the world's strongest gym trains their guys to improve their squat? Check out this article by Louie Simmons of Westside Barbell to find out.

Strong Legs by Louie Simmons

Get big or die tryin'.

A Bodybuilding Program for Athletes

Is bigger, better? Let me give you a hint...

A Bodybuilding Program for Athletes by Erick Minor

Get big or die tryin'.

Pushing Harder

It's hot right now; no doubt about that. Here in Chicago it's in the high-90's with a triple-digit heat index. Everybody, and I mean EVERYBODY, is complaining about the heat, using it as a excuse to not take action. I'm saying screw it, I'm pushing harder. Why? Because my body is telling me that it's time to go. Right now. Not next week; today, when it's brutally hot outside and everybody else is taking it easy. It's not time for me to rest right now, so you better believe that I'm not resting.

When you see something that you want, that you really, truly desire, all of these petty excuses get lost in the wave of momentum you create for yourself. Is it hot outside? Heck yes, it's hot, so I'm definitely spending as little time outside as possible. Is it muggy in the gym? You better believe it, but that is just all the more reason for me to really key in on my recovery and making sure my nutrition and hydration are more than adequate--they're borderline perfect.

If there is something in your life that is driving you, do NOT let these little excuses deter you from your goal. In these times of adversity you are not allowed to make mistakes, so instead of crying about the tough times, allow them to force you to be better, to elevate you game, and push harder.

Get big or die tryin'.

Charlie Cates, CSCS

Self Made®, Owner

Charlie Cates is a strength and conditioning specialist and the owner of Self Made® (http://selfmadefitness.com/) in Chicago, IL. He has worked with competitive and everyday athletes of all ages and ability levels, from 9-year-old kids to NFL MVP's. He can be reached via e-mail at charlie@selfmadefitness.com.

This article may be reproduced with biographical information intact.

The Equalizer

Prescribing the perfect program for every individual is about finding the right mix of everything that could possibly be incorporated, as well as keeping an open mind to things you may not have tried before or are unfamiliar with. Check out this article by Dave Tate for more info.

The Equalizer by Dave Tate.

Get big or die tryin'.

This Past Week (7/11-7/17)

This past week was a solid lifting week for me. I have been spending the past four and a half weeks in a higher rep range to give my body a change from the past 18 months of SMS. I was also hoping to be able to put on some size during this time, but because of the illness I came down with almost a month ago, I have just been trying to get back to where I was for both my body weight and strength. I dropped down to 219 during those three days I was sick, and now I am back up to a solid 227. With under 3 weeks to go in my challenge, it is looking dismal that I will be at my goal of 238 lbs, but I will give a valiant effort during my remaining time, nonetheless.

I have started adding more sprint work at the end of my strength sessions, doing about 10 minutes or so of exercises with a 2:1 to 3:1 rest:work ratio. I have also been biking to and from work--about a 15-minute ride--twice a day, 5 days a week. While the biking probably isn't the best for my weight goals, I do feel that I am much better condition now between this and the sprints. I have noticed this transfer into my lifts, as well, as I am better-able to recover between sets and therefore pack more volume into a smaller window, inducing a greater hormonal response.

Two weekends ago I had my second weekend of the MAT Internship, so this past week I was practicing these newly-learned skills as well as studying the text.

That's all for this past week. Now it's time to go live this one.

Get big or die tryin'.

Be a Little Different than the Norm

You have the time. You have the money. You don't have the priorities. Get your priorities straight and things will start to change for the better.

Be a Little Different than the Norm by John Leyva

Get big or die tryin'.

Find Your Focus

What has become very apparent to me over these past few years is that you can have all the goals in the world and as much motivation as you can possibly handle, but, if you don’t have focus, eventually you run out of steam and leave goals unreached. One way to think about this is to imagine a bon fire. The wood represents your goals, so the bigger the pile the more goals you have and the more motivation and focus you will need. The fire itself represents motivation. You can light a match and burn some kindling, and if you are really talented you might be able to get all of the logs burning with just that. Otherwise, you will need something else to keep the fire going and allow you to continue to pursue your goals. This is focus, or in our example, oxygen.

When you first start out to achieve something you will have some amount of focus simply because the task is new and you are excited about it. But as time goes by and you continue to try to achieve your goals, if you do not allow yourself to focus and provide oxygen to your fire, your motivation will quickly go out and you will be left with nothing but a whole bunch of unfinished goals.

So how do you find your focus? Whenever I start to feel myself slipping or have a day where I am completely unmotivated to do work, there are some things I do to get myself back on track. First and foremost, you have to make the time to allow yourself to focus. It doesn’t matter how good your intentions are, if you don’t make the time to allow yourself to focus you won’t ever have the opportunity to begin to focus, and focus will never come. Force yourself to turn away from the TV or computer and put your phone away, even if it is just a few times a week. Give yourself the gift of a moment in time where you are allowed to focus on yourself.

Secondly, when it comes to focus, you have to know your optimal learning environment. Focusing, like learning, takes a huge amount of mental effort. To be able to learn something new you have to be able to focus, so create for yourself an environment in which you can learn to allow yourself to focus. For example, I am stimulated more by auditory signals than visual, so if somebody has the TV on, me trying to read or do any work is a lost cause. However, if the TV is muted or if I am wearing earplugs I am good to go. The same goes with music. I can have music playing lightly in the background so long as the music doesn’t have any lyrics; otherwise my mind only focuses on the song. If you make time for yourself to focus in an optimal learning environment you have given yourself the opportunity to focus.

Just because you have the opportunity to focus doesn’t mean that will actually happen. In my case, creating a time with nothing else to do and everything quiet sounds more like an opportunity to take a nap than to do work. So, in order to avoid falling into the trap of becoming a sloth, always have little things you can do to help you get on track. For me, it is reading. On my coffee table I always have books and magazines laid out. If I am trying to accomplish something but am lacking a starting point, I can grab one of those books and start to read or flip through the pages of the magazine. This is not intense work and it activates my brain. Plus, because the reading I do is usually related to what I am trying to accomplish, I feel like I am progressing towards that goal, which in turn makes me more excited to get going on more intense work. Just like lighting kindling helps you to start the bon fire, having simple things you can accomplish will motivate you and allow you to focus on accomplishing bigger tasks.

Finally, once you get your fire burning the last thing you need is for it to be put out, so make sure others know that this pre-determined amount of time is your time. You are not to be disturbed during this time, so if this is too much to ask during the day then make the commitment to the morning before others are awake or at night after they have gone to sleep. Silence or power-down your phone and limit all other distractions as much as possible. You have put so much effort in to finding something you want to accomplish and are excited about, you have given yourself the opportunity to accomplish this goal by creating an environment and a space in time to do so, now you have to make the most of this opportunity by extending this time as long as possible.

Like I said last month, what are you going to get done by the end of this year? If there is something you want to do, do not wait until 12:00 AM on January 1st to start. Dive in headfirst right now. Know what you want to accomplish, believe that what you are trying to accomplish is of value, and find your focus to get the job done. Here’s to faith, strength, and passion.

Get big or die tryin’.

Charlie Cates
Self Made®, Owner

Charlie Cates is a strength and conditioning specialist and the owner of Self Made® (http://selfmadefitness.com/) in Chicago, IL. He has worked with competitive and everyday athletes of all ages and ability levels, from 9-year-old kids to NFL MVP's. He can be reached via e-mail at charlie@selfmadefitness.com.

This article may be reproduced with biographical information intact.