6500-Pound Challenge

Want to end 2011 or start 2012 with a bang? Check out this challenge by Martin Rooney and then check out my go at it!

Get big or die tryin'.

Movement Is A Skill

This will be a shorter post today but the takeaway is of the utmost importance to understand. A lot of people see the way somebody moves or feel how they themselves move and assume that's just the way things are. It is clear that force production can be increased as well as rate of force production, but what many people miss is that the actual mechanics of a movement can be improved, as well. And this isn't just limited to skills of a sport or weightlifting techniques, either. Specifically, what I have in mind are people's ability to decelerate as well as relearning movements post-injury. Each of these subjects is worthy of its own post, but for now I just want you to understand that anything your body does can be improved upon given the proper stimulus, attention to detail, and time.

The flip side to this is that proper movement can be diminished through improper training. Every time you practice a movement you are telling your nervous system that is how you want it done, regardless if that particular rep was of high quality or not. This is why, as I have written in the past, you should prioritize your training scheme for each day such that the skill of movements you care about improving the most are performed earlier in your training when you are in your least-fatigued state.

I will expand on the topics I brought up earlier in later posts, so, in the meantime, meditate on this thought and understand the importance of everything you do in your training. Comment, share, and spread the knowledge.

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.

Under The Bar: Elastic Squatting and Other Stuff

Here is a great intro article by Dave Tate regarding how to properly use bands when you squat.

Under The Bar: Elastic Squatting and Other Stuff by Dave Tate

Get big or die tryin'.

SelfMadeFitness.com: 275-pound Challenge

Here is our response to the 275 Challenge posted yesterday.

Get big or die tryin'.

TFW The 275 Workout Challenge

Looking for a new training challenge? Check this one out by Martin Rooney of TrainingForWarriors.com:

Get big or die tryin'.

Half-Pulls, Not Half-A**ed

Does your deadlift need a pick-me-up (**pun intended**)? Check out this article by Todd Bumgardner for great information on rack pulls.

Half-Pulls, Not Half-A**ed by Todd Bumgardner

Get big or die tryin'.

Programs That Work

I am honored to have one my articles featured in the 2011 Make-A-Wish Foundation "Programs That Work" e-book by EliteFTS.com. To download your copy of this manual, which contains over 30 PR-breaking training programs, click here. All articles are voluntarily written and all proceeds from the purchases are donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. This year, give the gift of strength; give the gift of hope.

Get big or die tryin'.

More 3rd World Workouts

If you've ever complained about not being able to train due to lack of equipment, you definitely need to check out this article by Craig Weller.

More 3rd World Workouts by Craig Weller

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Nine Things Young Athletes Need to Master

Check out this list by Julia Ladewski for nine movements that all kids should be able to perform if they are interested in participating in athletics.

Nine Things Young Athletes Need to Master by Julia Ladewski

Get big or die tryin'.

What Are You Scared Of?

For the past few weeks I have been practicing jiu-jitsu, or I guess more accurately I have been taking weekly beatings but trying to call my lack-luster skills jiu-jitsu. Anyways, I have been taking private lessons once a week where I am taught and practice the basic skills of the sport. After my most recent lesson, I decided that I would attend a jiu-jitsu group class taught by the same instructor early this week.

The class was at 6 AM this morning, which, all things considered, really isn't that early for me. I was only able to stay for the first hour, but it was an intense, high-energy hour. During one part of the 45-minute warm-up we would do different tumbling exercises for the length of the mats--somersaults forwards, backwards, and over each respective shoulder. Now, I haven't done any tumbling of more than one roll since my mother decided that the wrestling room in our house needed some furniture so it could become the living room. That was when I was about 7 or 8. Over a decade and a half later, it was time to revisit these movements.

Now, understand that I have been keeping myself in fairly decent physical condition, so my body can perform most tasks when I call upon it to do so. But with tumbling, I have always had some fear that I would injure myself in the process, which is exactly why I haven't tried any tumbling moves since the glory days of second grade. This morning, though, there wasn't any time to question what I was about to do. I was the new guy in class, and if that wasn't obvious enough from my abysmal skill work, I wasn't about to let it show by slowing everybody down during this drill while I pondered the possible outcomes of launching my 6'4", 238.5-pound frame over one shoulder and onto my back over and over again.

So I went for it. No hesitations. No second thoughts. I was actually one of the first in line so I only had a couple of demonstrations to see how it was done, but nevertheless I did somersault after somersault, forwards, backwards, and over each respective shoulder, all the way down the length of the mats without any hiccups. It made me wonder what I was really even afraid of in the first place. It also made me wonder in what other areas of my life I have been holding myself back due to some type of fear.

What are you scared of? What are you holding yourself back from doing, for whatever reason? In church this weekend the pastor said during his sermon that 85% of the negative outcomes that Americans fear will happen never materialize. 85%. Is your fear one of them?

Mark Twain once said, "I have been through some terrible things in my life, some of which actually happened." Don't let the fear of what could be stop you from enjoying what is and what will be if you dive in head first.

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.

Quantifying the Farmer's Walk

If you are interested in performing farmer walks, check out this article by Shon Grosse for a great look at one of the most common technique problems with the exercise.

Quantifying the Farmer's Walk by Shon Grosse

**Side Note: I think a great point is brought up the article regarding a technique problem, but I'm afraid the remedies are too "one-size-fits-all" for my liking. The hurdle walks would be worth progressing towards, though.

Get big or die tryin'.

How Bad Do You Want It?

When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe, then you will be successful.

Get big or die tryin'.

The Biggest Training Fallacy Of All

Perhaps the title is a bit dramatic, but there is still an important takeaway here. Read more from this article by Mark Rippetoe.

The Biggest Training Fallacy Of All by Mark Rippetoe

Get big or die tryin'.

Increasing Your Vert: The Warm-up

A lot of questions I get from people revolve around ways to increase their vertical jump. There are many training techniques I use to improve this for both myself and others, but one of the simplest things I have found is something I have implemented into my warm-up over the last few months.

After I perform my ground-based warm-up, I follow it with this jump-rope routine:

It's not terribly complicated and when performed flawlessly takes under two minutes, but adding this in to my daily warm-up routine has really helped me keep up my ability to move over these past two months while I have put on 17 pounds and haven't done plyos for the last four weeks. It is low-key enough to be implemented while an athlete is in season or deloading, but, over time, the cumulative volume is enough to help you jump better.

So, if you are looking for something you can do every day to help you jump and move better, add this jump-rope routine into your warm-up. You won't gain eight inches in eight weeks, but you will be able to noticeably improve how you move.

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 Company You Keep

“It doesn’t matter what kind of training you do, whether it’s HIIT or Olympic lifting or Westside or whatever...The people you train with is the most important factor.”--Jim Wendler

What type of people are you surrounding yourself with? Check out this article by Jason Ferruggia to discuss further.

The Company You Keep by Jason Ferruggia

Get big or die tryin'.

Are You Daily or Occasionally?

You know where you want to go, but how often do you do the things that will get you there? Check out this article by Martin Rooney for more discussion.

Are You Daily or Occasionally? by Martin Rooney

Get big or die tryin'.

SMF

If you are like most meatheads, conditioning really isn't your thing. You can lift for hours on end, but as soon as it comes to raising your heart rate outside of leg day, you call it quits and head for your protein shake. For a number of months I was finding it difficult to motivate myself to do conditioning outside of or in addition to my lifting. Subsequently, my lifts became worse as my overall work capacity decreased due to my deconditioned state. That's when I developed SMF.

SMF is that Self Made Finish to your training session; the final burn for the day. Essentially, it is 5 to 20 minutes of high-intensity, anaerobic or aerobic training done in an interval fashion. (I will not use the term HIIT to describe SMF because of all the negative connotations I derive from that word due people's misuse and misunderstanding of the concept.)

Examples of SMF include:

• Bike Sprints
• Plate Pushes
• Boxing
• Stairwell/Hill Sprints
• Battling Ropes
• Track Sprints
• Medicine Ball Circuits
• Jump Rope Circuits
• Kettle Bell Circuits
• Body Weight Circuits

It is an "easy" way to get your conditioning in every day without killing yourself or your lifts or having to set aside a separate time to train for conditioning.

If you are struggling to keep up your conditioning or want to improve it without sacrificing your lifts, I would highly recommend the SMF format. Set your watch for five minutes and get as much work done as you can in that time. Add 30 seconds to your watch each week and feel the improvement in your conditioning and overall training.

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.