"Athletes Need Olympic Lifts for Power Development" From strong-athlete.com How many times have you heard that line? Probably a lot....The NSCA indoctrinates everyone with it.......and I used to repeat it.... Then I got educated, thought about it and realized...that's some dogmatic BS. First things first: What is Power? Other than A kick-ass magazine about all things STRONG.... It's a measure of work done over time. Power= Work/ Time So the faster you can do work...ie. create the displacement of an object relative to a fixed point, the more powerful you are. Ex. A. 225lbs bench for 3 reps in 3 seconds. B. 225lbs bench for 3 reps in 6 … [Read more...]
What’s Your Excuse?
October 29, 2013 by
I have a personal theory opinion: We live in an Excuse Based Culture. Most people have a list of Want to Do's/ Have to do's/ Should do's that's a mile long. This list usually includes, "I should exercise more" and "I should eat better" But for some reason a lot of people today would rather grow old quickly, live in pain, be reliant on medications, move like the tin man, be depressed, be physically weak, be overweight, be fat, look like shit and generally feel like shit. Than be responsible ADULTS and spend 4% of their day (or less) to alleviate most of those ills. It's Easier to make Excuses than Results I’m too busy/No time I’m too old I … [Read more...]
The Tabata Myth: It’s Just Interval Training, Not Magic
October 16, 2013 by
Tabata This Tabata That Tabata Here Tabata There Tabata Everywhere From Tony Gentilcore "Tabata Training" Has Become THE Thing of the Minute..... Classess, workouts, even certifications So what is Tabata? The generally accepted definition: "Eight rounds of ultra-high-intensity exercises in a specific 20-seconds-on, 10-seconds-off interval." That means all out for 20 seconds, rest and go at it again for four minutes straight. That's REALLY hard. But it's not magic, it's just interval training. Think about it.... Why eight and not nine rounds? Or 16 or 100? Why are people doing 30 minute Tabata classes when the study was 4 minutes of … [Read more...]
CrossFit: My Take, Once and For ALL
October 4, 2013 by
I DO NOT Hate CrossFit. I just hate ON CrossFit, cause it's just too easy... Before the handstand pushup/ double unders/ kipping pullup/ wall ball, nut huggers set out to crucify me let me heap some praise. There are In fact there some things that ANY ONE who is in this business should thank CrossFit for. #1. More People are Doing Worthwhile Things in the Gym A lot of people have gotten away from the old back and bi's, chest and tri's body-builder workouts and machine circuits. That's something strength and conditioning luminaries like Mark Rippetoe, Louie Simmons, Mike Boyle and Charlie Francis were not able to do. CrossFit made Squats, Deadlifts, Pullups … [Read more...]
10 Instant Workout Upgrades
September 17, 2013 by
#1: Stop Wearing a Dri-Wicking Shirt to Squat In. These shirts are slick to begin with, so the bar slides down your back, but then they push the sweat to the outside of the shirt and making it even slicker. Heavy Bar + Slick Shirt = Moving bar From http://www.jerzees.com #2: Use Dumbbells or Pushup Handles Instead of Hands Flat on the Floor for Pushups. Putting the hands flat on the floor puts a LOT of pressure on the wrists and is uncomfortable as hell, so quit doing it. Use the damn pushup handles or dumbbells (especially if they're the hex kind). Using handles allows you to keep the wrists straight and crush the handles. This takes pressure off of the … [Read more...]
Pushup? Yeah, That Isn’t a Pushup…
September 5, 2013 by
Fun Fact: TV personalities, fitness celebrities, and hell, the Army, do miserable "make your eyes bleed" pushups. Here's how this goes: http://youtu.be/_3NnWasBz00?t=35s Starts at about 35 seconds... Then everyone in the audience claps and the people on stage go... "Ohhhh, you guys are so great!"... http://youtu.be/SPMbzRlP4Oc Starts at about 8 seconds..... But....Ummmmm, theses "Pushups"....well, they suck. Even "Army" or "Military" style pushups suck these days: Pic Stolen from Army.com Point is: There are LOTS of REALLY Sh@TTY pushups being passed off as good ones.... Sometimes the movement is just too difficult and someone lacks upper body and … [Read more...]
Fitness “Professionals”: Snake Oil, Charlatans and the Willfully Ignorant
August 22, 2013 by
Fitness "Professional" Sadly this guy and his "health elixir" would fit right in today. It implies that someone who works in this field is a "professional"....right? From Merriam-Webster: a : of, relating to, or characteristic of a profession b : engaged in one of the learned professions c (1) : characterized by or conforming to the technical or ethical standards of a profession (2) : exhibiting a courteous, conscientious, and generally businesslike manner in the workplace So why the hell is the industry and the people in it so disparate when it comes to "professional" practices? There is no standard operating procedure, it's just a miss-mash of … [Read more...]
