Still loving the "benefits" of stretching? It is time you check out this article by Paul Ingraham, then.
Quite a Stretch--Stretching Debunked by Paul Ingraham
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Need To Focus?
First of all, I want to apologize for how inconsistent my blog posts have been as of late. I have been spending a lot of time studying for my MAT mid-term, which has kept me from keeping this blog up-to-date. Postings should resume to a more normal schedule in the next couple of weeks, however.
Okay so today I want to let you in on a technique that I have used pretty consistently in the past that has allowed me greater focus and productivity throughout my day. I first got the idea after hearing about the wonders hypnosis was having for a friend of mine. Because I didn't want to go see a hypn0therapist, however, I experimented with another idea--silent imaging.
Essentially, what I do is I turn off all of the lights and anything that could make noise. I then set a time for ten to fifteen minutes and I lay down flat on my back in a comfortable, anatomical position with my eyes closed. I focus on breathing through my nose, and then I clear my mind of everything except what it is I want to focus on for that day. When I started, I would imagine my facility--what I want it to look like, the floor layout, the exact square footage, how all of the equipment would be aligned. Then, I pictured myself moving in the facility and then performing daily tasks.
This all happened over the course of a number of months. I would try to get as absolutely detailed as possible with every aspect before moving on to the next. A lot of times I would end up falling asleep before the timer went off. When I would awake, I would feel refreshed and very, very excited to get working on my projects. My productivity during the times of my silent imaging soared, and every day I was excited to keep grinding on my work. The silent imaging was done on a daily basis for a while, then I cut it back to a few times a week. Now I do it every once in a while, not because I don't want to, but more because I am able to get the same benefits as before with doing it less frequently because I have programmed myself into a routine and I have a clear picture of what I am trying to achieve. That being said, though, I think I could definitely use another round after the last month.
Silent imaging is a technique that I highly recommend if you are having trouble accomplishing what you want to. Think about what it is that you desire, think about every single aspect of it, and then let that image carry you and you press forward with action.
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.
Monday, October 31, 2011
The 3 Biggest Lies You've Ever Been Told
What is holding you back in your life? Perhaps it is one of these lies that has been ingrained in your brain as truth. Check out this article by Martin Rooney for more.
The 3 Biggest Lies You've Ever Been Told by Martin Rooney
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Blood and Chalk Voulume 11
It was asked, and Jim Wendler answered. Check out this article to hear him rap on plyometrics, chains and bands, safety squat bars, false grips, and accessory failure.
Blood and Chalk Volume 11 by Jim Wendler
Organizing Training Based On Transfer
How one goes about structuring their training session is often a question I am presented with. Specifically, I am often asked which should be done first, conditioning or strength training. I guess conditioning really isn't a fair word here. What they are referring to is a type of conditioning, but the goal from that work may be of more of a technical nature. For example, there is a difference between running wind sprints for conditioning and running 10-meter sprints in order to work on acceleration out of the blocks. I'm not sure if I'm conveying this difference clearly or not, so if not, drop a comment to let me know and I'll attempt to clear it up in a future post.
Anyways, the same distinctions can be made with strength training, too. Are you squatting to work the technical aspect of the squat and become a better squatter or are you using the squat as a tool to develop another skill. There, that's a better way of thinking about it. Are you training the movement because it is a primary movement of your sport and mastering it will allow you master your sport, or is training the movement a means to helping other movements progress? In other words, how great of a transfer is there between what you are doing and what you are trying to accomplish?
The higher the transfer, the greater the precedence the movement should receive when you are structuring your training. For example, a powerlifter should work the technical aspects of his squat before performing any aerobic conditioning. Likewise, a sprinter should squat after the technical aspects of her sprint are trained for the day. The reason for this is because when performing movements that require absolute precision in order for you to have the highest probability of success at achieving what it is you desire to achieve, you want the neuromuscular system to be at it's most rested state. If you try to learn or perfect movements while in a fatigued state, there is a much lower chance that you will ingrain that movement into your CNS in the way you want it performed and may, in fact, teach your body how to perform that movement in a less-than-optimal manner.
If you are not a competitive athlete and are just trying to lift and do conditioning for health reasons, then what you do first depends on what you would rather get through while feeling fatigued. Will you still do conditioning if you lift first? Will you still lift after if your conditioning gasses you? One recommendation I will give, however, is that if you are going to perform any type of explosive or plyometrics-based movement, I would strongly suggest performing these movements before you do your strength training. My reasoning is that if you fatigue yourself with squats, for example, and then do a bunch of jumps after, if the squats were too much for some of your muscles to handle and subsequently those muscles are no longer contracting as they should, when you land from the jump there will be greater eccentric forces placed on your system than there will be during a squat. If what isn't contracting is placed under the greater stress, then you will be at a much higher risk for injury.
When structuring your training for the day, take into consideration your goals from the training and give precedence to certain exercises based on their ability to help you reach your goals. The exercises which have the highest transfer to helping your reach your goals should be performed near the beginning of your training session.
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.
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