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
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Thursday, July 28, 2011
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.
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.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
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
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
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.
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.
[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.
Monday, July 25, 2011
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.
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