Mike Robertson's Blog

The NEW Website is ready to rock!

2008-12-20T19:14:00.003-05:00

All right everyone, I've been hyping it up for a while now, and the time has finally come!

I'll no longer be posting blogs on this site, so please make sure to change your RSS feeds accordingly!

Check it out HERE

Stay strong
MR

Coming Events and Randomness

2008-12-19T13:59:00.003-05:00

This is going to be a collective effort today - some updates and some randomness to boot. I hope you enjoy it!

- Did you know if you Google the word "Random" the pic to the right comes up on the front page? I thought it was fitting, given the holiday season....

- Still need NSCA CEU's? All Robertson Training Systems products are approved for CEU's, and if you use the discount code "NSCA" you get an additional 10% off your order!

- Speaking of the NSCA, I actually took care of my recertification last night, and it was surprisingly easy. Kudos to the NSCA for getting something right!

- We still have openings for our January 24th KB seminar with Brett Jones at I-FAST. We'll be covering the basic lifts such as swings, snatches, windmills, Turkish get-ups, etc. Cost is $175 and the seminar will run from 10 am - 5 pm. If you're interested in attending shoot me an e-mail at indyfast@gmail.com.

- I hate my laptop. It randomly turns caps lock on and won't turn it off. The only way to correct this is to open a new file and just randomly hit buttons until it stops. Other times, I'll actually hit the ultra-sensitive directional pad while typing and sponataneously erase all of what I just wrote. It's a month or two away from enduring the 5 foot drop test.

- Did I mention I can't wait until the new site is up?!?!?!?! We're in the process of migrating it now, and my web guru extraordinaire Jason Lengstorf is doing all kinds of fancy computer things to make it work. I'm glad I hired this one out!

- Last but not least, I'm doing an interview with Leigh Peele for her site next Monday. Stay tuned for details and I'll shoot you a link when it's done. And BTW, Leigh Rocks.

Have a great weekend!

Products I Like: Combat Core

2008-12-18T15:54:00.002-05:00

I was going to write a whiny, half-assed post today because, well, that's the kind of mood I'm in.

Two words for that: Weak sauce.

Instead, I'd like to chat a little bit about the low back and core training. In lieu of my upcoming projects and seminars, I've really been digging deep on low back information. I mean, who else in their right mind curls up for bed at night reading text books? Okay, other than Eric Cressey?

The answer - me. Yes, I'm a geek. Sue me.

I could go on and on about the biomechanics of the lumbar spine - I'm not as geeky about backs as I am about knees, but it's getting close. The scary thing is that the more I read, and the more I think I understand, the stronger my resolve is to get people healhy. I don't care what anyone says, I still think repetitive flexion and rotation of the lumbar spine is not only bad, but a pretty sure-fire way to get injured. But that's a post for another day.

Regardless, while going over all these materials, I remembered what a great resource Smitty's Combat Core training really is. Smitty takes all the basic principles that should be adhered to with core training, and finds about a million and one cool ways to do it. In all reality, Smitty has more creativity in the nail bed of his pinky finger than I do in my entire body.

If you want to kick your core training up a notch, definitely pick up a copy of Combat Core. I promise you won't be disappointed!

Stay strong

I-FAST featured on Fox 59 Morning News

2008-12-16T14:56:00.004-05:00

Well it was a day later than expected, but here's a link to our fitness segment on Fox 59.

http://www.fox59.com/pages/fitness_works

In this segment we wanted to show the viewers that there are tons of ways to have "metabolic" workouts without stepping on a treadmill or recumbent bike. I was a little disappointed in my pulling technique on the keg cleans, but then again I wasn't really expecting to do it in a full winter coat either! Let me be the first to tell you, it was NOT warm yesterday when we were filming.... ;)

Stay strong
MR

Sport-specific training for kids?

2008-12-15T16:01:00.002-05:00

(Originally published at www.IFASTOnline.com)

I love the term "sport-specific." Not because it's a hot buzz word, but because it's so overused nowadays. It seems as though if you aren't talking about sport-specific programming, sport-specific exercises, etc., you obviously don't know what you're talking about.

The key with sport-specificity, however, is the context within which you're applying it. Especially with younger athletes, the goal should be to have some sport-specificity to the programming (deceleration work for team sports, scap/rotator cuff stabilization for overhead athletes, etc.), but not a ridiculous amount. After all, a 14 year-old athlete may be awesome at baseball, but his long-term potential is seriously compromised by letting him play the same sport year round. Wouldn't he learn more sports and motor skills by also playing basketball in the winter? Or soccer in the fall? The goal should be to develop a broad athletic base that can be built upon in the future.

Beyond the physical advantages to playing multiple sports, there are mental advantages as well. Firstly, you learn to adapt to situations in which you are uncomfortable. If you aren't as great physically at soccer, you learn other ways to be competitive. Maybe you get better technically or tactically in your sport. The bottom line is you learn how to adapt.

Secondly, you don't run the same risk of burnout. How many great young athletes have you heard of that quit early because they were burned out? I'm all for teaching our kids lessons like competition, teamwork, camraderie, etc., but we have to draw the line at some point and allow them to have fun.

Quite simply, sport-specificity is great, but it's not the be-all, end-all of training. At I-FAST, especially with our younger athletes, our goal is to build ATHLETES first and foremost. The more athletic they are, the more potential they have to succeed in any sport in the future.

Stay strong
MR

Flu-ridden Friday

2008-12-12T15:03:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the slow blog menu this week, but there have been better weeks for Team Robertson. I've had the flu off and on for the entire week, with Thursday being an amazing day where I spent an astounding 19/24 hours in my own bed! Even by my own standards, that's impressive.

With that being said, let's have a few quick hit thoughts for the blog and call it a weekend, okay?

- Tuesday night my wife had to work late, so I got to refamiliarize myself with one of the greatest movies of all-time: Conan the Barbarian. I mean does it get any better than bloodshed, mayhem, and Arnold all in one movie? I don't even consider myself an "arms" guy, but Arnold was one proportional, well-built mofo.

- On Monday our gym will be featured on the fitness segment of Fox 59's newscast. Obviously, this is pretty cool! We'll mostly be discussing the gym and the non-traditional cardio workouts we use (Prowler, dragging sleds, kettlebells, med balls, etc.)

- I plan on doing absolutely nothing this weekend, just in case you cared ;)

I told you it was quick hit today - we'll be back in action next week with some serious content. Have a great weekend!

MR

Random thoughts - 12/9

2008-12-09T15:55:00.004-05:00

I can't muster up a solid performance today, so here are my random thoughts for the week.

- Everyone knows I'm a huge football fan. One of my favorite players (even though he's not a Colt) is Marion Barber of the Dallas Cowboys. If you like hard-hitting, smash-mouth football, you have to like MB3. As many have noted, the guy "runs angry."

However, has Jerry Jones lost his mind? He recently called out Barber for - wait for it - for being soft because he couldn't play with a dislocated toe and calf injury!

Now maybe it's just me, but it seems as though the ability to plant, cut and run effectively might be important for a running back in the NFL. And it also seems to me that your foot and calf are kind of important for all of these. Call me crazy, but this is one guy on the team I wouldn't want to call out in that regard.

- NSCA CEU time is rolling around again, and we offer CEU's for all of our products. Be sure to check out our products page if you need last minute CEU's for this 2008 reporting period!

- The web update is getting closer every day, and I really think you're going to enjoy the look and feel of the new site. You'll obviously have all the same great content, but we've incorporated some much needed functional changes so that you'll never have to go randomly clicking for articles/posts again!

- I'm officially out of my fantasy football league as of this past weekend. Without Barber, and Clinton Portis playing poorly, I really didn't have a shot. All well, maybe next year!

Stay strong

Great blogs from others...

2008-12-08T14:43:00.003-05:00

I'm kind of a 'net-head, so I love reading people's blogs. I generally take 10-15 minutes every day to follow my favorites, and I've compiled a few that are quite good.

Here are some great blog posts that I've read in the past week or two. I hope you enjoy them!

Take Action - Alwyn Cosgrove

This is one of my personal favorites. AC always has insightful commentary, but I really liked this one because it inspires people to take action. It also reminds me of the saying, "Ready, Fire, Aim" - basically, get started immediately and work out the details later. Good stuff.

Empty Your Cup - Nate Green and Craig Weller

Nate is a great writer, and in this edition Craig Weller talks about the process of learning. Basically, get around really smart people and open up your mind. The story that he tells is great as well.

Sex, Lies and Photoshop - Jonathan Fass

Sure, those LA types look great - but what's their secret? We all hear about people being Photoshopped, but this really sheds some light on how easily it's done. A must-see, especially if you work with female clients.

Stay strong
MR

Bench Press Updates....

2008-12-05T15:02:00.004-05:00

As always, I like to start these posts off with a little inspiration. Pictured to the left is my good friend and former Ball State University powerlifter Matt Wenning. I'm assuming this pic is from ~2002 or 2003. At the time, Matt was benching in high 400's, maybe low 500's. I got word (via the latest PLUSA) that he recently benched 815! Matt is an inspiration to a lot of people and I wish him the best going forward.

After last week's post I figured I better keep everyone in the loop with my bench press training. Don't expect anything too huge, yet; my goal is simply to get healthy and back in the groove, then start pushing my numbers from here. Last night I trained later in the evening, which generally leads to sub-par training sessions. I'd love to train in the morning all the time, but lack of training partners and other commitments sometimes get in the way.

Regardless, I kicked off the session with some serious soft-tissue work using the Starr tool. If you have soft-tissue adhesions/scar tissue, you need to get your hands on one of these things. They rock! After about 5 minutes my pec was feeling better than it had in quite some time. I warmed up using the I/O drills, and then began the benching.

Again, keep in mind that the weights are not huge. Like I said, the goals are:

- No pain

- Clean, crisp reps

- Develop connective tissue strength

Luckily my boy Justin was in last night, and I've also made another promise to myself that I am going to get a hand-off for everything 135 and over. Can I lift it off myself? Sure. But when I do, I compromise my stability and I can't get my right scapula back into place. Lack of scapular stability = shoulder/pec problems.

I started with 185 for 8, and that felt pretty good. I honestly would've been happy to stay there, but with some goading I moved up to 195. Again, nice and smooth. I went up to 205 for my last set and the final rep was a struggle, but still clean.

Honestly, the biggest difference between tonight and other training sessions was the soft-tissue work before hand and the lift-offs.

All in all, this was a good session. Now the key is to string together a couple of weeks like this, and then eventually a couple of months. Only time will tell, but this was exactly what my body and mind needed.

Have a great weekend!

Stay strong

BTW, if you like my bench chronicles, let me know as I've considered doing this with my squat as well. It's more jacked up d/t surgery and the ensuing compensations, but I really have no idea if people want to hear me ramble on about my own lifting week in and week out.

Old School Article of the Week

2008-12-04T11:13:00.003-05:00

In this week's edition, we return to some simple yet effective ways to get more out of your workouts. Whether you're a strongman, powerlifter, Olympic lifter, or just someone who likes to lift heavy things for fun, you should be able to pull a nugget or two out of here.

6 Keys to Killer Workouts

Enjoy!

Stay strong

Q&A: Lunging properly

2008-12-02T13:33:00.003-05:00

Mike -

I have a problem when I lunge. Too often, my toes want to turn out - why does this happen?

Thanks!

First off, thanks for the question. I actually got a very similar question from one of my online clients, so I figured I'd address it here in the blog.

We know the gluteals (and in particular posterior glute medius) is often weak; this is really important when we are discussing frontal/transverse plane movements. Essentially, if your posterior glute medius isn't up to the task, you'll see an increase in adduction/internal rotation of the femur in single-leg exercises. In non-geek speak, your knee caves in.

To help improve your balance/stability, your body looks further down the kinetic chain. One of the primary lines of defense is to turn your toes/foot out, giving you a wider base of support. So while you'd think the issue was the foot, it's typically more of a hip problem.

If this is the issue you're suffering from, I'd incorporate either some x-band walks or band resisted clams into your program. These can be performed pre-workout, or even better still, immediately prior to the affected exercise. This will engage/facilitate the appropriate musculature in a lower level setting, and help it re-groove it's appropriate role in a motor integrated setting as well.

(Video clips can be found on my website if you are unfamiliar with the above exercises.)

Good luck and good training!

Stay strong

Cyber Monday Sale

2008-11-30T14:56:00.004-05:00

I didn't know this, but evidently, the Monday following Black Friday is called Cyber Monday. So for all the people who can't get their shopping fix over the weekend, they can always go online and pick up some product the next week!

With that being said, Eric, Bill and I decided it would be a good idea to offer up a quick sale on all of our products. Not only can you get 15% off everything in our store, but you ensure yourself that it will be on your doorstep before Christmas rolls around!

Here's all you have to do to get the discount:

1 - Pick out the product(s) that you want from our online store and add them to your shopping cart.

2 - Proceed to checkout.

3 - BEFORE YOU SUBMIT YOUR PAYMENT, input the coupon code "CYBER" in the box on the right-hand side of the screen and click on "Apply."

4 - Complete your order and get 15% off!

This offer will ONLY be available on Monday, December 1st.

Have a great day and enjoy Cyber Monday!

Stay strong

Old-School Article of the Week

2008-11-25T17:19:00.002-05:00

Tired of having a weak deadlift? The following article should help - originally featured at Elite Fitness Systems.

The Intermediate Deadlift Cycle

Stay strong

Bench press introspection, Part II

2008-11-24T16:22:00.005-05:00

Sorry for the delay in getting this up, but well, I've been freakin' swamped lately!

So without any further ado, here's what I'm going to do to bring my bench press up to par. Motivational picture of bench press beast Scott Lade included, too.

- I've had an on again/off again pec issue that is currently "on" again. The only thing that has provoked the issue in the past is unstable, open chain pressing exercises like blast strap push-ups. It's not the exercise, as much as my stabilization patterns on my right side. For now, they're out.

(And FWIW, check out a copy of Eric Cressey's Unstable Surface Training manual if you want to learn the proper application of these techniques.)

- Along these same lines, I'm going to bust out my trusty Starr Tool out and get to digging around on my pecs, specifically the clavicular portion. I know they're ratty, I just need to man up and get this done.

- As far as training goes, I'm going to do several things to not only get healthy but develop a base:

* First, I'm going to incorporate more movements for my diagonal pattern connecting my left hip and right shoulder. After some testing and evaluation, I have some weakness in my left glute and right lower trapezius. Essentially, years and years of throwing baseballs and spiking volleyballs off people's faces has shortened that fascial line. To open it up, I'm going to be incorporating some total body PNF drills, chop/lift variations and other exercises to open up this line.

* I plan on re-incorporating my DB fly EQI's post-workout. This really helped the first time around and I assume it will do the same again.

* With regards to actual bench training, I'm going to have two horizontal pressing days per week. One is going to be a bench day (duh), and another will incorporate a push-up variation as the primary movement. Both will be done for high reps initially to help re-develop the connective tissues. Once I get this base built back up, I'll incoporate either a speed day or lockout day, based upon my needs at that point in time. Push-ups will still be incorporated as a secondary exercise.

- Finally, I need to be consistent with some old-school static stretching for the pecs, lats, and posterior capsule. It's not hard and it doesn't take much time, I just need to remember to do it.

So there you have it, my initial game plan for training. I'm leery of setting a goal at this point in time with regards to weight, as it's dependent upon how I feel. Instead, my goal is to feel 100% by the time the new year rolls around and I'll set mini-goals from there.

One final thing, I'm going to purchase the new Elite Fitness bench manual as well. I figure if nothing else it will provide motivation and give me some new tips

Stay strong

Old-School Article of the Week

2008-11-20T16:37:00.002-05:00

Okay, okay, I lied - didn't get the bench press introspection done today, so it will have to wait. Hopefully tomorrow, as I'm getting programs done, creating powerpoint slides, and getting ready for the wedding of the century this weekend.

In the interim, here's this week's old-school article - enjoy!

Hips Don't Lie - Fixing Your Force Couples

Stay strong

Mike

Bench press introspection, Part I

2008-11-19T14:46:00.004-05:00

Yesterday was a weird one. Typically I train first thing in the morning, but I had an early client and thus found myself at the gym early. I proceeded to work until 6 pm, and then realized I needed to get my bench press session in for this week. Allow me to step back for a moment.

Let's be 100%, brutally honest here - I suck at bench pressing. Yes, I realize this is negative self-talk, a self-fulfilling prophecy, whatever. All I'm trying to do is call a spade a spade.

When I first started powerlifting I hit ~250 pounds for my first 3 or 4 meets at 181. I felt like I got stronger during my training cycles, but when it came time to hit a PR something was amiss. This changed prior to collegiate nationals, as I realized my set-up was absolutely atrocious. Once I learned to get tight, I immediately allowed my body to realize those strength gains in the form of a 36 pound PR.

Over the next couple of years, I really focused in on my bench press training. Obviously, moving up from the 181 to 198 pound weight class helped as my leverages improved. My bench slowly grew, and over the next 3 years I made some decent gains, taking my bench from 286 to 335 in competition.

It was during this time that I was playing around with a new bench shirt in training, and I really focused my efforts in on improving my lockout strength. In fact, with a shirt that I never actually used in a meet, I locked out 365 in the gym. A gym lift is a gym lift, though, and I really wasn't comfortable using a shirt that required a PR weight just to touch my chest! Regardless, I felt like I was on the right track.

Back to yesterday. I got a nice warm-up in, crank up some 2Pac and get to work. Unfortunately, things just aren't where they need to be and my session totall sucked. Granted, this could've been due to the fact that I worked 10 hours prior to training, but it shouldn't be this bad. I feel like my upper back strength is better than ever, but my bench just isn't going back up.

Tomorrow, I'm going to outline my plan to get my bench back up to a (somewhat) respectable level.

Stay strong

Tuesday's Random Thoughts

2008-11-18T14:18:00.004-05:00

Sorry everyone, but this is the best I can do today! When it's only halfway through Tuesday and it already feels like it should be Thursday, you know you're in for a long week!

- Bill and I had a kick-ass distance client in the past two days, and I'm hoping to do more of this in the future. It was essentially an "intensive" two-day session as she had an assessment and two training sessions all within about a 15 hour time frame. Needless to say, I think she's going to be very happy with the progress she gets going forward!

You can find out more by checking out the new I-FAST home at www.IndianapolisFitnessAndSportsTraining.com

- The big project I've been working on is kicking my ass. It's a legit 150 pages as of now, and I still have several chapters left. My goal is still to get it completed by the first of the year, but we'll have to wait and see on that.

- I'm also in the process of pulling together my Aussie seminar presentations. Needless to say, this is no small feat! 5-6 hours of lecture content in the form of Powerpoint slides take a little time ;)

- I'm prepping for the world's most grandiose wedding ever (I think) this weekend. I'm actually in the wedding, and we've got several couples staying at our house this weekend. In all honesty, I'm not sure who's more stressed - me and my wife, or the couple getting married! Regardless, it should be a great time and I'm really looking forward to catching up with some old friends.

I think that's it for today - hopefully I'll be refreshed and ready to go for tomorrow's blog. Have a great day everyone!

Stay strong
MR

Interview Part I

2008-11-17T13:23:00.002-05:00

Here's Part I of an interview I did with strength coach Kevin Neeld for his site.

MR Interview Part I

In this portion of the interview we discuss my background, how I've developed my training philosophy over the years, as well as continuing education.

Part II will be posted on Wedneday, so stay tuned and I'll try to post a link for that as well.

Stay strong
MR

Q&A: Low back position and squatting

2008-11-14T15:32:00.003-05:00

Hey Mike, after reading your article yesterday on T-Nation I had a question. My low back always rounds when I squat deep. How can I fix this?

Thanks!

You know this is a simple question, yet the answer is quite complex. Very simply, it's always going to depend upon the specific limitatations of that person. Here are just a few of the issues that could be hindering their performance:

- Short/stiff hamstrings
- Short/stiff gluteals
- Weak back extensors
- Stiffness imbalance between hips and back extensors
- Poor muscle coordination of the "core"
- Poor technique

Those are just a few of the reasons I can come up with off the top of my head. Generally, the people Bill or I evaluate who can't squat deep have one or more of these issues going on.

So since I can't evaluate you, what can I help you with? Quite often, we see a stiffness imbalance between the hips (glutes, hams, etc.) and the spinal erectors. When we examine the properties that constitute stiffness, one of the key attributes, quite simply, is cross sectional area! A bigger muscle will be stiffer than a smaller oner. So how do we fix this? Get the appropriate area stronger!

While I'm not a big fan of back hyperextensions, I think basic back extensions should be a part of your program if you have this issue. After all, Olympic lifters have included back extensions in their programs for years and they have arguable the best squat technique. Obviously this isn't the only contributing factor to their squatting prowress, but I think it plays a role. Low back strengthening/hypertrophy work, coupled with mobility work for the hips should take you a long way.

Bill and I actually have an entire piece in the works on this topic. Our goal would be to make it a manual/DVD combo. Hopefully once I-FAST settles down a bit we can pull it together. This would include assessment techniques, training strategies, the progressions we use with clients, etc.

In the interim, get that low back stronger and get your hips as mobile as possible. Good luck!

Stay strong
MR

New AND Old-School Article of the Week

2008-11-13T14:30:00.005-05:00

In this week's installment of the Old-School Article of the week, we're featuring an oldie but a goodie.

Plateau Busters!

If you can't break through your plateaus after reading this, you're screwed!

Nah, just kidding - but it should help quite a bit.

As well, I had a new article run at T-nation today. Here's the link:

Fix that Weak Link

In this article, I discuss ways to improve your low back health and strategies to keep you lifting heavy for a lifetime.

Stay strong

The Angry Biomechanist, Part II

2008-11-12T10:26:00.003-05:00

In our second installemnt of the Angry Biomechanist, we're going to discusss the rotator cuff and why it's so important.

We hear all the time about how so-and-so has torn their rotator cuff, or that we need more rotator cuff strengthening in our programs. My goal for you here today is to see what exactly the rotator cuff does in real-life.

When we lift our arms overhead, we get movement from both the scapulae (shoulder blade) and the gleno-humeral (shoulder) joint. As the humerus rotates upwards, the scapulae also upwardly rotates to help you achieve full flexion or abduction of the shoulder.

The problem herein is when one of three things happens:

- You lack extensbility in the thoracic spine

- You fail to have good upward rotation of the scapulae

- Your rotator cuff is weak and fails to depress the humerus

In any case (and most definitely if ALL THREE are occuring), you get impingement of the rotator cuff tendons. Now keep in mind you ALWAYS have some impingement; you always have some friction. The issue is when you go from a normal amount of friction/compression to something greater due to mechanical dysfunction.

If you lack scapular upward rotation, I'd highly recommend checking out Bill Hartman and I's "Push-ups, Face Pulls and Shrugs" article featured previously at T-Nation. This, combined with the Inside-Out warm-up, should get your scapulae moving much more efficiently. And while I didn't discuss it in-depth in this blog post, addressing your T-spine is critical as well. If you lack T-spine extension, your scapulae will never get into the appropriate positions.

If you lack 'cuff strength, you could do a lot worse than checking out Eric Cressey's first feature article at T-Nation, "Cracking the Rotator Cuff Condundrum." I'm sure there are a few things he'd remove now (like the muscle snatch, as I recall) but it will get you started with some basic 'cuff exercises. I also wrote a piece that focuses on external rotation movements titled "Shoulder the Load."

Finally, I think we all agree that those who have stiff posterior shoulders and lack internal rotation ROM would benefit from some dedicated internal rotation work that focuses on the subscap, but that's a little off topic in regards to this post.

Remember, when looking to optimize upper extremity function you have to know how all the separate components work. Once you've isolated things out, though, the goal is to bring up the deficits and re-integrate them into functional, real-world movements. Good luck!

Stay strong

Random blog updates

2008-11-11T11:56:00.002-05:00

There have been some really great blog posts lately, so I wanted to link to them here in case you missed them.

- Nate Green discusses our training in his blog post below; check it out:

http://thenategreenexperience.com/blog/A+Peek+Into+My+Training+Schedule

- In Eric's blog yesterday, he discusses how far the mainstream media is behind the current literature. It's almost like we know what we're talking about. Or something like that.

http://ericcressey.blogspot.com/2008/11/mainstream-media-lag.html

- Strength coach Mike Boyle discusses his views on pundits and criticism here:

http://mboyle1959.wordpress.com/2008/11/11/the-man-in-the-arena/

These are just three of the blogs I follow, but I think you'll find them all interesting for different reasons. Enjoy!

Stay strong
MR

BTW, we're updating the I-FAST site as we speak! Be sure to check it out at www.IndianapolisFitnessAndSportsTraining.com

Q&A from Friday's Post

2008-11-10T11:34:00.004-05:00

This was originally posted as a comment but I figured I'd throw it in here...

Hi Mike. I currently have neck soreness and tightness all the time. It definitely affects my ROM, but some days are worse than others. What would you recommend?

Do you cover how to deal with this in "Inside Out"?

Thanks, Paul

Thanks for the question Paul! While we don't cover neck pain directly in Inside-Out, we cover a lot of fundamental relationships that could be producing your neck pain.

Now keep in mind there's a lot of speculation going on here, especially since I've never seen you or evaluated you in person. But here are some issues I typically see in people who have neck pain. Some, if not all, may apply to you.

- Terrible thoracic spine posture. Generally, these people have a wicked thoracic kyphosis, which forces the head/neck forward to balance the body's alignment. Obviously, anything that deviates from the norm is probably going to put undue stress on the body. Basically, your neck is forced to keep your head level and eyes up, which is very taxing on the posterior neck musculature.

- Poor alignment throughout the day. Quite simply, your body gets very "efficient" at sitting in a slouched or hunched over position. If you sit at a desk, clean up your posture throughout the day! We actually cover this in-depth in the "Behavior Modification" section of Inside-Out. For sleeping, an orthopedic pillow could make a big difference, too.

Again, this comes back to improving your t-spine alignment and getting your neck back in a neutral alignment.

- Downwardly rotated scapulae. Assuming your neck/thoracic spine are in good alignment, I often see excessive downard rotation of the scapulae in people with neck pain. The rhomboids and the levator scapulae work synergistically to promote downward rotation, and there seems to be a definite cause/effect between a tight levator scapulae, neck pain and even headaches.

In this case, definitely check out Bill and I's article featured previously at T-nation titled "Push-ups, Face Pulls and Shrugs." This will cover the training aspect w/regards to getting those scapular upward rotators stronger and lengthening the short/stiff levator scapulae. A good soft-tissue specialist could play an integral role as well.

Again, a lot of speculation without examining you in person but I'd take a closer look and see how much of this applies to you. Good luck Paul!

Stay strong

No more neck pain?

2008-11-07T14:59:00.003-05:00

I was working with one of our new clients today, and he mentioned something that I felt the need to blog about. Let me back up for a moment, first.

The whole "joint-by-joint" approach seems to take a beating from time to time. I discussed this to some extent in my "Mobility-Stability" continuum article on T-Nation; it's not perfect, but you can take those basic concepts and build upon them to have a pretty darn good idea of how the body functions, and how to improve your training.

Back to my client. We were taking him through his warm-up, and he remarked how little his neck had bothered him since we started his training 3 weeks ago. This is no small feat, considering he sits at a desk anywhere from 8-16 hours per day, 5 or more days per week! You read that right - he works 16 hour shifts all next week!

The recipe for him was simple, though. He didn't have a neck problem as much as he had issues surrounding his shoulders and thoracic spine. He was assessed by Bill and his routine has included foam rolling, static stretching, mobility drills as we discussed in Inside-Out, and a comprehensive training program geared towards improving his upper extremity alignment.

The result? Virtually no neck pain, and his shoulder (which was also an issue) is coming around too. Not bad for three weeks work.

The bottom line in this industry is results. But, that's a blog for another day! ;)

Stay strong

Old-School Article of the Week

2008-11-06T15:06:00.002-05:00

Today's edition is an article I wrote for T-Nation several years ago titled Single-Leg Supplements. In it, I discuss all kinds of single-leg exericses and their variations. Enjoy!

Stay strong
MR

A Kick Ass Monday

2008-11-04T13:16:00.004-05:00

How often can you say that? ;)

In all seriousness, yesterday was a great day. We had our typical morning guys and gals in, who are all getting bigger, stronger, and leaning out.

In the late morning, Dan "The Doctor" New came in and had a great workout. I'm sure he's disappointed with his last fight, but I would NOT want to be the next guy that gets in the ring/cage with him. He's had 4 or 5 weeks of really solid training and looks stronger and faster than I can ever remember.

With Dan, Jim and Deb came in and absolutely killed their latest fat loss workout. I don't know where Bill came up with their workout, but it looked straight evil!

In the afternoon I got a bunch of writing done - the obvious blog updates, along with a solid hour of work on my next project. I'm doing my best to just keep chipping away at it, but I really think it has the potential to be something special.

In the evening we had our night crew in. My buddy Justin (who I blogged about yesterday), not only looks leaner and more athletic, but I can't describe how much better he's moving. It really doesn't even look like the same person.

Heather (the bride to be) is still killing her workouts and is now only 2.5 weeks out from d-day. Should anyone remind her that the guy she's going to marry is a total clown? Just kidding buddy!

And finally, Walter is making huge strides. Decreases in pain, more efficient movement, and a much better overall posture and alignment. Most importantly, he's starting to look and move like an athlete. Very cool indeed.

So yesterday kicked ass, but here's a few more updates in the interim:

- New article up at Figure Athlete today. I don't typically do the "body part" type article, but when you're writing on assignment you'll take whatever your editor gives you!

- I never thought I would enjoy the whole social networking style site, but I really enjoy Facebook. I love how easy it is to keep in touch with friends, family, and professional colleagues alike. If you haven't already, send me a friend request!

- Last but not least, go out and VOTE TODAY!

Stay strong
MR

Random updates

2008-11-03T14:06:00.003-05:00

It's been a while since I gave a random posting, so here goes!

- My good friend and I-FAST trainee Justin Ware is doing big things. He's really buckled down since August and is moving and feeling better than I can ever remember. He can deadlift from the floor pain-free and while maintaining a neutral spine. This boy has some of the stiffest hips I've ever seen, so that's no small feat. And his chronic shoulder pain is clearing up as his upper back and serratus are really coming around.

This past week, we got him started on the Warp Speed Diet, and I paired it with programming to help him lose body fat while continuing to improve his movement and alignment. I got a text from Justin this morning that he's already down 9 pounds. Stay tuned for the end result.

- Since I haven't been keeping up the training log, I figured I would post some updates here. My training is going quite well, and the body is feeling good. I'm pretty sore today from Saturday's workout; I pulled a PR reverse band deadlift of 675 pounds, so I'm feeling pretty good about that. It wasn't pretty, but then again, most PR's aren't. I have no clue what that translates to in the real world, so I'm thinking about throwing on a cheater suit sometime soon to see where I'm at. I need to get to work on my hamstrings via some glute-ham raises first, though.

- While I just updated the website a little over a year ago, we're going to do it again as I'm still not really happy with the layout. I've hired on a kick-ass designer, and I think the new look and feel is going to be really sexy. I'm hoping to have this up by the first of the year.

- Dave Tate mentioned on his Facebook page that he's going to be offering a one-day business seminar in Ohio on December 13th. If you are in business, you should attend. I think this is going to be a great event.

- I have some really good interviews coming in, so be on the lookout for some kick-ass newsletters in the near future. If you need to sign-up, just go to my home page at www.RobertsonTrainingSystems.com.

I think that's it for today. Have a great Monday and train hard!

Stay strong
MR

N=1

2008-10-31T12:00:00.000-05:00

I know I used a blog post with this same title in the past, but I think some of the concepts need to be reiterated.

N=1 proves very little. When I say N=1, I'm talking about a sample size of one - this could be you, your cousin Vinny, your sister's boyfriend's aunt, or just about anyone else.

In research, N=1 is a case study. Unfortunately (as we were discussing the other day at I-FAST), a case study can prove damn near anything. And since it's not applied to a larger sample size, the researched modality or method could even be determined to work or not work off the results of the case study alone!

In the real world, the same thing happens. Someone who only coaches one athlete, one client, etc. gets results doing things a certain way and assumes that everyone out there should be doing the same thing. In contrast, when you work with a large number of clients/athletes, all with different backgrounds, goals, injuries, etc., you have a much better perspective on what things work, as well as what doesn't. The goal of programming is always to provide optimal stimulation while attempting to shed away the "fluff."

When applying information to your own training or coaching, do your best to reference the people that are working with (or who have worked with) a wide variety of clients. No two clients are ever the same; two baseball players may have their sport in common, but everything else could be totally different. You should strive to apply the basic biomechanical principles, while simultaneously accounting for their individual tendencies. Doing so will give you the best chance for success, regardless of who it is you're working with.

Stay strong
MR

The Angry Biomechanist, Part I

2008-10-30T12:34:00.007-05:00

Since I've been slacking on the blog this week, I figured I better write something halfway decent today ;)

One thing that's starting to become annoying are the pundits who feel the need to go against the grain, just for the sake of doing so. To be totally frank, if you want to call out a respected expert in the field of biomechanics, you better bring your A+ game to the table. (Please note I am not espousing myself as one, but others who are performing research and writing textbooks themselves.)

Now don't get me wrong here, I'm all for critical thinking - I firmly believe you should not only read textbooks by the experts, but the original studies they cite as well. This is going to take your knowledge and understanding to the next level. Finally, think about how it all comes together - who are they testing? What are the methods? What are the biases of the researchers? Take everything into account.

One topic that is always hotly debated is the idea of spinal rotation, specifically at the lumbar spine. Stuart McGill, Shirley Sahrmann and others have discussed this at length. To summarize, they state how little rotary capacity the lumbar spine has, especially when compared to the thoracic spine.

In an effort to strawman the argument, many will state that if there wasn't supposed to be movement at the lumbar spine it wouldn't be a joint at all! While I see where they're going with the argument, no one said that there shouldn't be ANY rotation at the lumbar spine. However, when you contrast the rotary capacity at the lumbar spine (which typically allows for ~2 degrees of rotation per segment), it pales in comparison to that of the thoracic spine (which allows for 7-9 degrees of rotation at the uppermost segments). In essence, all they're saying is that most people already have maxed out their rotary capacity at the lumbar spine and instead should focus their rotary training on the thoracic spine instead.

To take it a step further, I recently finished reading Bogduk's Clinical Anatomy of the Lumbar Spine. I don't have the exact page in front of me, but Bogduk states that with as little as 3 degrees of rotation at the lumbar spine, you start to see microfailure of the lumbar disc!

Look, everyone is free to believe what they want and to train their clients/athletes in any manner they deem suitable. The bottom line is results - if you get them, then stick with what you're doing. I've seen nothing but positive results since I've focused more of my training (and that of my clients) on getting rotary capacity at the thoracic spine and hips, while stabilizing the lumbar spine.

So until someone proves to me that this thinking is inherently flawed, this is one of those "big rocks" I'll be keeping in my jar.

Stay strong

Testimonial: Bulletproof Knees

2008-10-28T11:26:00.001-05:00

Back in town and back in action next week. For now, here's a testimonial I received the other day.

Mike,

Thanks to your BPK program along with some serious ART, I'm happy to inform you that I've avoided meniscus surgery and my knee is at least 70-80% better! My ART practitioner freed up some of the scar tissue that I had on the front of my knee and behind it, bringing me close to pre-pain levels. While there is still some pain, I'm going to resume my ART treatments in a few months to really hammer away at the remainder of the problem, but in the mean time I will continue foam rolling and mobility work outlined in your BPK manual and M2 DVD.

Seriously Mike - thank you. I thought my dreams of being a competitive athlete were over before they even got started, but now that I'm relatively pain free I'm going to continue pushing towards my goals.

All the best,
Roger Lawson

Old School Article of the Week

2008-10-23T11:47:00.002-05:00

In this edition of the Old-School Article of the Week, I've rehashed an article for T-Nation titled "Designer Athletes".

This was written several years ago as an off-season program to help guys transition back into strength work in the off-season. My goal wasn't to include plyos, running, etc.; rather, I just wanted to lay a foundation with strength work before getting into multi-faceted training down the line.

Enjoy!

Designer Athletes

Stay strong
MR

Who is this guy?

2008-10-22T15:17:00.003-05:00

When looking to get with a potential trainer or coach, this is a great question to ask. Now that we're firmly planted in the Internet age, virtually anyone can proclaim themselves an expert or world-class coach. I'm the first to admit that my status in the industry has been highly elevated due to the fact that I've written for sites like T-nation for quite some time. If I'm actually worthy of that status or not is up to you as a consumer to determine!

So how do you cut through the BS and really determine if someone is good? Here are a few options you can employ:

- If they have a website, thoroughly review it. Do they have articles, blogs, and/or other informational materials that help demonstrate their competence? Keep in mind there's more to sounding smart than bashing others! What techniques do they use to achieve success? What are their philosophies on training/coaching? This will give you a better idea of how they train and if their thoughts/philosophies mesh with your own.

- What is their current status as a trainer/coach? Are they actually training people themselves? Don't be surprised to find out that many internet personalities actually train very few people!

At I-FAST we offer a 14-day trial membership - anyone can come in off the street and get assessed, get an individualized program produced, and train for free to determine if they like the program and us as coaches.

- Finally, and possibly most importantly, ask the other clients/athletes that train with this coach/trainer. Are they delivering results? Do they educate them? Are they achieving their goals? You can talk a big game, but the bottom line is if you deliver to your clients. I'm confident that anyone who works with Bill, myself or any of our future employees will be able to vouch for our competence.

If you're interested in hiring a trainer or coach, doing a little research can go a long way to helping you achieve your goals. Good luck!

Stay strong
MR

New Stuff from MR

2008-10-21T08:36:00.004-05:00

I've got a ton of programs to write today, so I'm going to keep this brief. Here's some new material from moi that you might not have seen yet.

Bulletproof Your Knees - An Interview with Inga Yandell (located on pages 66 and 67)

This interview is geared toward a more lay population, with an emphasis on women's knee health.

Foundational Fat Loss - Published at FigureAthlete.com

A bare-bones, stripped down fat loss article. Don't expect anything revolutionary, just some of the basic rules and principles that need to be applied to get the ball rolling.

I hope everyone is having a great week. Enjoy!

Stay strong
MR

Q&A: Knee issues

2008-10-20T09:35:00.002-05:00

Mike-

I've written you before, but this time I'm nervous and need some advice. I have an MRI scheduled for Monday, and have been told I most likely have a torn meniscus (left knee, medial meniscus) and possibly a partial tear of the ACL.

I know the exact moment I noticed a problem, but there was no trauma or pain to speak of. I was playing a volleyball tournament on 9/28, had played 3 matches and was finishing my dynamic warmup for the 4th match. The only thing I did different was a hamstring stretch with my foot elevated on a wall (slightly above hip height) - kind of dumb and pointless, but in any case...I went to walk onto the court and my left foot was almost being pulled out to the side as I brought it forward in my gait. I was reticent to do hitting lines because I felt like I would collapse after a jump. The feeling subsided and I played the rest of the match, having absolutely no problems. Later that night into the next day, my knee was swollen and stiff.

I finally was able to be seen by the orthopedist last Thursday. He did the test (I forget the name) for the ACL, and found a great deal of laxity in both knees, but the left did not "lock" at the end range of motion. He was surprised that I had never injured or had surgery on my knee - I think he didn't believe me. Of course, I broke my elbow and had a doctor twist it all over the place and tell me it was fine, so I'm not sure what my pain tolerance is.

My questions are two-fold (and I'm going to buy Bulletproof Knees right away, to be sure!!) - any advice on questions to ask the orthopedist about my ACL/meniscus to ensure I'm getting the whole story, and is it possible to forgo ACL surgery (if it's indeed torn) and just work on strengthening the leg? The degree of laxity in both knees (which I think I've had all my life) has opened up the possiblity that my ACL wasn't doing a whole heck of a lot - and the right one still isn't. My main sport is volleyball, playing competitively once a week and a couple tournaments a month, attending nationals and playing beach doubles in the summer.

Any other advice or suggestions you could give me would be much appreciated. If Bulletproof Knees would have most of what I'm looking for, I'll start there.

Thanks for your time - and counsel!

First off, thanks for your question!

When going to your ortho, here are the following questions I would want to know:

- What's the degree of the ACL tear? A full-thickeness tear (Grade 3) would need surgery; anything below (1 or 2) can be treated conservatively in most cases.

- What is the location and size of the meniscus tear? I would then ask you, is there any feeling of locking and/or giving way? Does it cause pain or a decrease in function?

Here are some thoughts, FWIW.

If you don't have a Grade 3 tear, then you'll most likely be able to avoid an ACL reconstruction. That, in and of itself, is good news. I would definitely be taking some time off from volleyball, though, and when you return you may want to wear a brace for a period of time until you're comfortable again with explosive tri-planar movements. As you may remember, this is what Dallas Clark did for the Colts a few years ago - they thought he had torn his ACL, when it fact it wasn't a full-thickness tear. A few weeks of conservative therapy and he was back on the field.

Now I'm all for conservative therapy, but if you DO have a Grade 3 tear surgery is probably your best option. Those that go without a reconstruction are more likely to have rapid onset of osteoarthritis, so even though surgery/rehab would suck, it should give you a better long-term outcome.

What you do with the meniscus tear will then be contigent upon the severity of the ACL tear. If the meniscus tear is asymptomatic and you don't need ACL surgery, you can probably leave it alone - more and more docs are trying to leave these kinds of tears as is. If it is causing you issues though (whether it's pain or mechanical) you may need to get it scoped. I've discussed the difference between partial meniscectomies and meniscus repairs before on the blog, so be sure to check it out here.

I hope that gives you a little ammo when meeting with your ortho this week. Keep in mind that my bias is always to stray away from surgery if at all possible, but in some cases it is warranted and will provide the best outcome.

Good luck and keep me posted!

Stay strong
MR

Tone Down the Protein Please

2008-10-17T13:07:00.003-05:00

I was going to write something profound today, but then I read the following article and blog post and had to re-post it here today.

This was written by ExSci student and I-FAST gym member Lance Goyke. Guys like Lance are the future of the industry, and it's pretty bad when you write something so poor that a 19 year old can poke holes all throughout your article!

Have a great weekend!
__________________________________________________________________

MSN is the leader of health, right?

Ehh, I'm not so sure.

I'll a attempt to dissect this article in order.

Martica Heaner, M.A., M.Ed., has just told us that we eat too much protein. Not we as my friends in the bodybuilding community, but we as in the population. If we want specifics, the third paragraph is what set me off. She says that working out puts us in an anabolic state overnight. Night time is synonymous with catabolism! Some hardcores who don't care about sleep will wake up in the middle of the night to drink a shake or take some BCAAs to stop the muscle eating! Hell, even working out alone puts you in a catabolic state if you don't have proper post-workout nutrition (which, thankfully, she discusses later).

She mentions a study by Peter Lemon that suggests this is true. After a quick search of PubMed.com, a site that consists of fitness and nutrition studies, I've found that this professor does a lot of research work with world-renown Dr. John Berardi. Not a surprise seeing as they're both Canucks. For the record, I never actually determined what study she was referring to. I really wish she had cited the information!

"More protein can lead to more body fat"

No shit. Excess calories need to go somewhere, and if you eat too much of something, it will be stored as fat. However, protein, out of all the macronutrients, is the least likely to be stored as fat because of it's inability to make for a good energy source. She fails to mention that protein is harder to digest, and in turn burns more calories. She used a great tactic that is used when talking about statistics a lot. A journalistic lie if you will (much like what every processed food manufacturer does). It's kind of like if I were to say that only a small percentage of my body gets erect when I see things like Isla Fisher.

Sure it's true, but it's very misleading.

Ohhh, Isla...

She wants us to consume less than a a gram per kilogram of bodyweight. I am "overweight and I'm less than 80 kg. She says 65 grams a day for me.

You have got to be fucking kidding?

For the record, a cup of chopped broccoli is usually a lot more than somebody will eat in a day. Much greater than a serving that the beloved Department of Agriculture makes so popular. And she thinks the average American consumes 100 grams of protein! 100 grams!? If you look on a nutrition label you can easily find out that they base those off of 50 grams of protein a day. I would venture to guess that most people don't get that unless they have a figure in their life that enjoys cooking.

"Timing your muscle fueling efforts"

This paragraph actually baffled me. How can she read great work like that of Nutrient Timing by Dr. John Ivy and still think all of this other stuff? I do think that 4:1 on carbs:protein is a little excessive on the carbohydrate side, but I would say that you want at least 2:1.

Last line:Peanut butter on bread.

Nothing about the peanut butter being natural. Nothing about the bread being 100% whole grain. Don't even worry about the fact that there's roughly no healthy loaf of bread that you can find in a grocery store. Just throw those fats onto those carbohydrates and get a lovely, gigantic insulin spike! Speed up the fat gain, Mommy! I'm taking up sumo wrestling!

Mike's Day

2008-10-16T14:14:00.004-05:00

We'll divert from our usual blog format to give you guys a little insight as to what an average day looks like for me. Ok, maybe it's not average but it's what I've done today.

Today is a pretty light day w/regards to clients; I've founded our busiest days are M-W-F-Sa. Typically I get a session in on Thursday mornings, but I was up late last night and wanted some people to train with, so I'll get today's session in tomorrow morning.

Instead, I headed in to the gym early to get to work. I'm currently working on refining our systems, and making sure everything is in order as I-FAST is continuing to steadily grow. It's not nearly as sexy as helping someone get healthy or squat 5 bills, but it's something that needs to be done to ensure the business runs as smoothly as possible, both now and in the future. Bill and I are also working on finishing up our 2nd big marketing campaign, so that will be sent to the printer later this afternoon.

Today has also been a huge day for writing. I'm getting to the point now where if I outline something beforehand, my brain basically writes before I ever sit at a computer! This is making me much more efficient, and today I typed up an 5 page article (~2000 words) in 50 minutes.

After a quick lunch and coffeebreak I returned to work on my big project. Yes, it's big. No, I won't tell you much about it. Needless to say I would consider it 25-30% done and it's already 90 pages worth of content. And just to piss off the pundits everything is single-spaced, 12 point font, etc. I want this to be the resource of its kind. I can guarantee it won't be perfect, but I'm going to do my damndest(?) to put something special together. I hope you'll enjoy it when the time comes.

My bridal boot camp couple is coming in later this evening, and I'll be up in the early AM to get a pulling session in tomorrow. I haven't updated the training blog much lately, but things are actually going pretty well. If I weren't sitting so much lately I would like to think that I'm about the most healthy, and strongest, I've been in quite some time. I need to continue on this path and see where it takes me.

Stay strong
MR

Old School Article of the Week

2008-10-14T12:30:00.003-05:00

Push-ups, Face Pulls and Shrugs for Healthy Shoulders

When Bill and I came together to write this article, I had no idea how well it would be received. Instead of following the old-school dogma of mindlessly pairing a horizontal press with a horizontal pull, we've tried to explain why scapular movement is more important than the plane of movement when trying to create muscular and joint balance.

If you haven't read this article before, be sure to check it out now - at the very least, you'll get some cool new exercise ideas!!!

All the best

Bill Hartman Guest Blog: Stiffness vs. Shortness

2008-10-13T12:00:00.000-05:00

Today we have a guest blog from my business partner and physical therapist extraordinaire Bill Hartman. This is a key concept when it comes to designing more effective training programs and getting the intended response.

Enjoy!
____________________________________________________________________

I think it’s important to distinguish between whether a muscle is short or if it is stiff when determining a corrective plan. Treat each case the same and only half of your clients will improve.

A short muscle lacks length. It may be that the muscle is positioned in a shortened position frequently and the muscle fibers have dropped sarcomeres in series or the connective tissues have adaptively shortened.

If you actively and/or passively stabilize the proximal attachment of the muscle and move the joint into a position to stretch the muscle, the proximal attachment will move well before reaching the end range of motion of the joint.

A stiff muscle has greater resistance to stretch. This may be due to hypertrophy or a greater quantity of connective tissues. Think of two rubber bands made of the same material, but one rubber band is wider than the other. The materials would have equal extensibility but because one has greater width, it take more force to stretch it the same length as a thinner band.

In the case of a stiff muscle, if you actively and/or passively stabilize the proximal attachment and move the joint into a position to stretch the muscle, The joint will move through it’s full range of motion without movement at the proximal attachment assuming enough force is applied to stretch the muscle.

Short muscles require repetitive, prolonged stretching to encourage creep of connective tissues and the addition of sarcomeres in series to add length.

Stiff muscles can be corrected by balancing the stiffness across a joint by strengthening their antagonists and by holding the antagonists in a shortened position as they may have been adaptively lengthened over time.

Bill
____________________________________________________________________
If you'd like to learn more about the differences between stiffness and shortness, as well as ways to address each, be sure to check out the Indy Seminar DVD's. And if you need NSCA CEU's, be sure to use the "NSCA" coupon code to get 10% off your order!

Stay strong
MR

FitCast Insider on Sale!

2008-10-12T12:00:00.000-05:00

All -

Just a quick note - FitCast creator Kevin Larrabee just let me know that the FitCast Insider is one sale now. There's over 1 GB worth of information, including three interviews with moi.

Here's the line-up:

Dr. John Berardi- G-Flux Simplified

Bill Hartman- Building a Better Body

Tony Gentilcore- 5 Exercises That You Should be Doing But Aren't

Cassandra Forsythe- How to Get the Bikini Ready Body

Mike Robertson- The #1 Injury in the Top Six Sports and How to Prevent Them

Robert (Dos) Remedios- Increasing Vert and Speed (With downloadable spreadsheet)

Alwyn Cosgrove- Fat Loss Program Design and What Works

Mike Robertson- A Joint by Joint Approach (2-Parts)

Tony Gentilcore- Bulking and Program Design (2-Parts, and it includes a downloadable example

spreadsheet from Tony)

Dan John- The Extremely Popular Dan John Squat Video (600MB High quality 640x480 resolution download)

Jim Labadie- Fitness Sales, Publicity, and Mindset

Cassandra Forsythe- Ketogenic Diets and Beta-Alanine (How easy it is to implement a ketogenic diet and who should be taking beta-alanine)

Tony Gentilcore- Top 5 Program Mistakes and How to Fix Them (2-Parts)

Jimmy Smith- The Importance of Ankles

Jimmy Smith- Extreme Fat-Loss

Jim (Smitty) Smith- Grip, Program Design, Gait Analysis (Including how to analyze gait with $5 worth of materials)

Carl Valle- Regeneration

Carl Valle- Med Ball Circuits, Plyos, and Much More (seriously, it's two hours long)

Mike Boyle- CNS Intensive Training

If you're interested in picking up all these great interviews, just follow the link below.

FitCast Insider

Stay strong

The Random Weekend Post

2008-10-11T12:00:00.000-05:00

Well it's not really a "weekend" post since I'm typing in on Thursday, but you get the drift. Not as many people read blogs on weekends (yes, I've tracked this and it's a fact) so I figure if you're bored I will do my best to entertain you for a few minutes.

Here are some random things I've thought about this week:

- If I only got to listen to ONE Bob Seger song the rest of my life (which would totally suck!) it would have to be this one:

"Sometimes at night, I see their faces
I feel the traces they've left on my soul.

And those are the memories, that make me a wealthy soul."

AMAZING lyrics and it's an awesome transition between Travelin' Man and Beautiful Loser.

- A few things that have pissed me off at the gym this week:
* The Prowler thief is still on my mind - I want it back!
* Solicitors! Don't you have anything better to do during the day? No, I don't want to buy your chocolates, upgrade my phone plan, or contribute to any damn funds
* Junk plates. I won't mention where we purchased these from because I really like the people who work there, but our plates suck. They're too wide, and there are some serious discrepancies between the weights listed and what they actually weigh. That's a problem.

- Colts vs. Baltimore this weekend at home. We plan on doing some grillin' since the weather is supposed to be perfect, but I'd be lying if I said I was thrilled about this match-up. Can we get a cupcake? Please? Or at the very least a team that DOESN'T play smash-mouth football? The O-line is still beat up without Lilja and Ugoh, Sanders won't be back for a few more weeks, and now Hayden is out at least a week with a knee injury as well. Isn't it time for the forgotten Tyjuan Hagler to get off the PUP list yet?

I think that's it - if you're reading this on Saturday or Sunday, put the computer down and enjoy yourself a bit. I'll still be here on Monday ;)

Stay strong and have a great weekend!

MR

Old School Article of the Week

2008-10-10T12:00:00.000-05:00

I had started this a while back, but after vacation and the gym opening I lost my rhythm a little bit. Now that I'm back in the blogging saddle, expect an old-school article of the week.

And the selection this week is (cue drum roll please....)

10 Tips for Flawless Squattin'

I wrote this article several years ago when I was going full-steam ahead with powerlifting. Whether your goal is to get big, get strong, or just get a huge squat, be sure to check this article out!

Stay strong
MR

Do work son!

2008-10-09T12:00:00.000-05:00

Ok, the title has absolutely nothing to do with the post, but that's what happens when you spend too much time in your gym!

Here are 5 knee health tips I gave to Eric Cressey for his recent newsletter. If you aren't signed up, why not? My man is wicked smart and he's always got great content in his newsletter. Enjoy!

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5 Keys to Bulletproofing Your Knees

1. VMO specific work is currently poo-poo in the strength and conditioning industry. While I agree that we need to focus on strengthening the hip abductors/external rotators (especially glute max and posterior glute med), current literature leads us to believe that there’s more to the VMO than we might have expected.

Several studies in the past two years have indicated that there is a definite change in fiber pennation between the vastus medialis longus (VML) and the vastus medialis obliquus (VMO). Beyond that, while your other quad muscles like rectus femoris and vastus lateralis only have one motor point, the entire vastus medialis actually has THREE motor points!

We may not totally understand the VMO yet, but I’m not willing to write off its importance with regards to knee health.

2. When looking at the body as a functional unit, we can’t overlook the core with regards to knee health. More specifically, we know the rectus abdominus and external obliques work to keep us in pelvic neutral and out of anterior pelvic tilt. Lack of strength in these core muscles increases anterior pelvic tilt, which drives internal rotation of the hip and valgus of the knee. Getting and keeping these muscles strong could go a long way to preventing knee injuries, especially in female athletes.

3. Are accelerated ACL rehab programs what we need? I’m not so sure, and I think making young athletes follow the accelerated programs the pros use may do more harm than good.

Unlike the pros that are getting paid to play, we need to focus on the long-term outcomes of our young athletes, not simply getting them back on the field ASAP. Many have done an excellent job of rehabbing patients and getting them back on the field quickly, and quantifying strength and power production/absorption is critical.

Many of the leading PT’s and orthos, however, are moving back to a slightly more conservative approach to allow the graft itself more time to heal. The properties of a tendon graft slowly take on the properties of a ligament over time; this is called ligamentization. However, ligamentous changes can still be seen as late as 12-18 months post-surgery.

[Note from EC: so, if you have a patellar tendon graft for a new ACL, you might not really have what you want until 1-1.5 years post-surgery. Tendons and ligaments have different qualities.]

4. To piggy-back on the previous point, another factor that isn’t examined as often as it should is long-term outcomes of ACL rehabbed clients. Sure it’s great to get them back on the field in 6, 9 or 12 months, but what are the long-term ramifications?

We know that females who have suffered ACL tears are much more likely to develop early osteoarthritis. If we can improve long-term outcomes by keeping them out a little longer, isn’t that worth it? As a PT or strength coach, it’s our job to help clients/athletes make the best decision for their long-term health, especially if they are too young to understand the long-term repercussions of their decision.

5. When an athlete tears their ACL, proprioceptive deficits are seen as quickly as 24 hours post-injury. What’s really intriguing, however, is that we often see this same deficit carried over to the healthy knee as well! Even after reconstruction this deficit can be seen for up to six years.

To counteract this, don’t forget to include basic proprioceptive training (barefoot warm-ups, single-leg stance work, etc.), and train that “off” leg in the interim.

If you like this tips and want more, be sure to check out my Bulletproof Knees manual.

Stay strong

The "strained" right knee?

2008-10-08T08:15:00.003-05:00

Lots of knee related content this week. My good buddy Eric Cressey sent me the following link today regarding a knee injury to Washington Wizards forward Antawn Jamison. Please observe:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=281007006&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines

While I don't expect pro-level teams to divulge what's going on with all their athletes, let's be clear that there's a significant difference between a strain and a sprain.

From the Mayo Clinic website:

Sprain - A sprain is a stretching or tearing of ligaments. Ligaments are tough bands of fibrous tissue that connect one bone to another. Common locations for sprains are your ankles and knees.

Strain - A strain is a stretching or tearing of muscle or tendon. People commonly call strains "pulled" muscles. Hamstring and back injuries are among the most common strains.

Now I don't know about you, but when I see someone's knee buckle like that, it's pretty rare that it's a simple "strain." The exception would be if someone blew their quad tendon, which he doesn't appear to have done.

Instead, when buckling occurs it typically occurs due to ligament damage - possibly a torn ACL, MCL, etc. I'm no sports medicine doc, but I'd be surprised if this was a simple muscle pull and that he's out a week or so. (For his sake, however, I hope I'm wrong - he's a helluva player.)

So as I stated up front I don't expect teams to divulge all their insider secrets, but at the very least the reporting of injuries leaves a lot to be desired for an anatomy geek such as myself.

Stay strong

If you want to learn more about knee injures and how to prevent them, check out my knee manual.

Motivated Clients

2008-10-07T12:21:00.003-05:00

While I normally train first thing on Tuesday mornings, I had a consult with a potential new client this morning at I-FAST. Over the course of the conversation, we got to talking about my various experiences in the field (rehab, personal training, strength coaching, etc.) and he asked me which I liked best.

It took me a moment to process, but then it dawned on me: I like all of them! They all present different challenges. Most importantly, the real key here is the people you are working with. In the past I've almost always had a fair amount of people who were unmotivated; in all honesty, achieving their goals just wasn't their top priority. Now keep in mind not everyone was like that, but I always had a few.

Today, every member of I-FAST is 100% dedicated to achieving their goals. I can say with complete confidence that there's not one single client that I don't enjoy training. Why? They are dedicated and serious about achieving their goals. When you have dialed in clients, it makes everything you do as a trainer, coach, or therapist that much easier.

If you live in or around the Indianapolis area and you aren't gettin the results you want, please e-mail us so we can get you on the right track.

If you're a trainer, coach or therapist, do your best to align yourself with positive, dedicated and hard-working clients and athletes. You'll have better outcomes and you'll enjoy your work that much more in the long run.

Stay strong
MR

A great weekend with EC

2008-10-06T14:28:00.003-05:00

As many of you know, I spent the past weekend in Boston with my boy Eric Cressey. Even though I was smoked by the time I got in Friday night, hanging out with EC is a sure-fire way to get the juices flowing. As soon as we got to his apartment we got down to business planning some future projects and discussing business in general.

Saturday morning we were up by 6 am to attend a seminar in Andover, MA. The primary presenters on this day were Kevin Wilk and Bob Mangine, and the entire day was spent talking about knee injuries, rehab and training. Needless to say, I was in heaven! If you haven't heard these guys speak before and you're serious about your continuing ed, you owe it to yourself to hear them speak. This day alone was well worth the cash I shelled out to attend.

While I have no plans on doing PT any time soon, it really helps to understand what PT's go through on a daily basis. If nothing else, you'll refine your knowledge of functional anatomy and how it applies to the training you're doing. Taking it a step further, if you are good at what you do and have a great network, you can brand yourself as the post-rehab guy in your area - the one that takes them AFTER rehab and gets them back to 110%. Not a bad niche if you ask me.

After the seminar EC and I decided we had sat all day, we needed to train. We got a quick and dirty session in, and I got beasted by a bar only known as El Gordo. This bar is friggin' thick, and it was definitely a shock to the system. I hit 3x5 there, 3 sets of chest-supported rows superset with alternating DB bench, some face pulls, some ab work, and called it a night. I'm still sore two days later.

Later that evening we caught up with the one and only Tony Gentilcore, and Cressey Performance's newest coach Brian. It was a great meal (turkey tips rule!), but the combination of tryptophan and two Miller Lites and I was ready for bed.

The next morning started with Kevin Wilk dropping repeated knowledge bombs on us regarding shoulder health and function. Did I mention this guy is ridiculously smart? And oh yeah, his patient lists reads like a Who's Who of the NBA, NFL and MLB. I was pleasantly suprised on this day, though, that nothing he said went too far over my head. While my primary focus is on knees, I want to learn as much as possible about every joint, and I've been working hard to get my shoulder info up to snuff. It doesn't hurt when you have EC and Bill in your corner, so I don't have any excuses to lack knowledge in that regard.

The day finished up with my Colts stealing a victory from the Texans, and my alma mater Ball State has broken into the college football Top 25 for the first time ever! As I stated, it was a great weekend.

Unfortunately all good times must come to an end, and a bumpy flight home paired with a pre-6 am morning and I'm back to reality. As the saying goes, though, "You can sleep when you're dead."

In the interim, it's time to kick ass and take names. Have a great week!

MR

Download the FREE SMR E-MANUAL

2008-10-02T14:34:00.002-05:00

In case you missed it a while back, I released a 100% free e-manual on self-myofascial release. It covers why you should do it, how to do it, and throws in some functional anatomy and other miscellaneous knowledge bombs along the way.

Did I mention it's totally free?

Here's the link; just right-click, "Save As," and enjoy!

http://www.robertsontrainingsystems.com/smr1.html

Stay strong

R.I.P. - Remembering our Prowler

2008-10-01T10:54:00.003-05:00

It's a sad day today at Indianapolis Fitness and Sports Training.

Many of our clients have one goal: To lose body fat and kick some ass. Yes, I realize that's two goals. Whatever. We take great pride in pushing our clients to the limits, and in the end helping them break through perceived limitations when it comes to their body/physique.

While every component of our fat loss programming is somewhat metabolic in nature, we love finishing people off with energy system work at the end. As many of you know we aren't huge fans of overpriced treadmills and recumbent bikes; they take up too much space and cost too damn much. We much prefer alternative methods like med ball or body weight circuits, kettlebells, Airdyne sprints and everyone's favorite, the Prowler. They're more fun, and our clients really enjoy the workouts.

As we were training clients today, Bill turned to me and asked "Where's the Prowler?" We have a great strip out back where our clients pay their body comp dues, so we immediately walked back there to find it. Unfortunately, the shady dumpster people got the best of us today and stole our Prowler. We had been training out there numerous times when the following discussion had gone down:

Shady Dumpster guy, leering at our Prowler - "Is that scrap?"

Us - "No!"

So to whomever decided that our $500 Prowler would make a nice piece of $25 scrap metal, thank you. We appreciate your willingness to steal our stuff to make a quick buck.

RIP Prowler #1 - you will be sorely missed.

MR

Random Thoughts - 9/30

2008-09-30T14:53:00.003-05:00

In case you missed my newsletter yesterday, it was a doozy! All kinds of good info but here's a short recap (and more!)...

- I was on the FitCast this past weekend; we discussed mobility, knees, and the fallacies surrounding corrective training. You can check it out at www.thefitcast.com

- I had a new article go up today at FigureAthlete.com titled "Breaking into the Industry." If your goal is to become a personal trainer or strength coach in the future, you owe it to yourself to read the article.

- I'm headed to Boston this weekend for a weekend with those freakin' studs from Cressey Performance - you know, Cressey, Gentilcore and Larrabee. And oh yeah, I guess I'm going to a seminar too :(

In all seriousness, the seminar sounds sweet - you know you're a dork when the thought of two-days worth of talk on spines, shoulders and knees gets you excited.

- I also expect some serious brainstorming between Eric and myself this weekend. It's hard to get us together, but whenever it happens we get serious work done.

- Training is going really well right now, and I feel like I'm in a good place overall. I haven't updated it in a while, but I'm going to update the training log ASAP.

That's it for today; have a great day!

Best
MR

It's on YOU

2008-09-25T13:29:00.003-05:00

Ok, I have to blame this little rant on Leigh Peele - it's all her fault!

You see, I read her blog post here a few days ago and it was so damn good I had to e-mail her about it. And it also got me all worked up thinking about goal setting and achieving things in your life.

A few days ago, I was in a little mini-slump; jet-lag, sleep deprivation and a little bit too much fun in Vegas will do that to a guy. Now I could've easily hung out in this state for days, weeks, months, or even years, but luckily for me whenever something like this happens I "wake up."

No, there's nothing spiritual or wacky about this; quite simply I realize that I control what goes on in my life. If things are good, I made them that way. If they aren't? Well, I did that too. Basically, it's on me to make my life what it can and should be.

I think far too often we forget about how much control we have over our own lives. We're far too quick to blame bosses, spouses, kids, and other external influences on our current state of being.

Take a second to really think about this stuff, ok? I promise, it will be worth it...

- What is going right in your life right now? What have you done to create this environment? Don't play around! Write this shit down - it could be with regards to your training, financial status, relationships, whatever. It all comes together, so whatever is really important to you write it down.
- What is going wrong in your life right now? What have you done to create this environment? Write this down as well for future reference.

All that I ask is that your honest with yourself. And let's be realistic here, sometimes we're the best at kidding ourselves versus others. When you tuck yourself into bed tonight, think about where you're at and if it's really where you want to be. If not, how can you go about getting yourself back on track? Or if you're on the right track, getting yourself to the next level?

Self-evolution and improvement definitely isn't an easy thing. If everyone could key in on this stuff with a laser-like focus we'd all be 6% body fat, freaky strong, ridiculously wealthy and living the life of our dreams. I'm not there yet, but that definitely won't stop me from trying.

If you're not doing the things you want, the bottom line is this: Ask yourself if what you're doing now is in-line with your long-term goals and dreams. If it's not, figure out a way to get yourself going ASAP.

The arm chair psychologist is now out of the office - that will be $200 ;)

Stay strong
MR

Perspective

2008-09-23T12:00:00.001-05:00

Everyone who reads this blog knows what a fan I am of sports, and football in particular. This story hit really close to home:

Injured Ball State receiver likely out of football

In case you know nothing about him, this Dante Love was an absolute stud and one of the best NFL prospects our school has likely ever had. Watching him play earlier this year, you could tell how special he was. While I never met Dante (I'm getting old and somewhat out of the BSU loop) I'd heard nothing but great things about him.

In the end, though, we have to remember that football is a game. At least Dante will have the opportunity to live a normal, healthy life, even if football isn't a part of it. Please keep Dante and your family in your thoughts and prayers.

MR

Q&A: Hip Flexor Stretches

2008-09-22T13:26:00.002-05:00

Mike,

I finally saved up enough money to get the Bulletproof Knees Manual and DVD and I'm excited about starting b/c I've been dealing w/ knee issues now for 6 months.

I have anterior knee pain (likely chondromalacia patella) and all the hip flexor stretches you describe are in a half kneeling position. This aggravates my pain b/c my patella is being compressed into the ground and I've tried using a towel and a pad but it's still aggravating.

Do you have any suggestions for effective hip flexor stretches where I don't have to be in half kneeling position?

Thanks a lot,

Nolan

Nolan -

That's a great question; here's a stretch you can use to get at those hip flexors without putting you in the half-kneeling/split-stance position.

You'll need to lay on either a massage table, bed, or something of a similar height. Pull one knee to your chest, while allowing the opposite leg to hang down over the table. Make sure to keep your stomach tight, and it may help to think about using your glute to "pull" your hip down.

I hope this helps - good luck with the program!

Stay strong

Thursday Treats

2008-09-18T10:32:00.003-05:00

- I'm heading to Las Vegas tomorrow, so have a great weekend!

- Eric Cressey had a great blog post about pitchers today; be sure to check it out HERE.

- Along those same lines, Nate Green talks about how awesome I am HERE.

- Speaking of Eric Cressey, I'm in the process of reviewing his latest product and it's going to be really good. I love the fact that he's not only combining the latest research on the topic, but real-world application as well. Stay tuned...

- In other Vegas-related news, I heard through the grapevine that Heidi Montag of "The Hills" fame could be sharing the PURE VIP room with us Saturday night. Evidently, it's her birthday. Don't think I won't try and get this ugly mug on camera ;)

- This past weekend I got to visit the Bodies Exhibit in downtown Indianapolis. If you have any desire whatsoever to learn about the body, I would highly recommend you attend. You can find tickets online at www.bodiestickets.com.

- I shouldn't have jinxed us in my previous post; Bob Sanders is out 4-6 weeks. Get healthy quick Bob!

Sorry, but that's all I can muster today - I'm already dreaming of slot machines, poker tables, and roulette. I'm not much of a gambler at all, but Vegas is always interesting....

Stay strong
MR

Mike's Random FOOTBALL Thoughts

2008-09-16T14:19:00.003-05:00

What can I say? The ADD is kicking back in - so I'm going to throw it down on the topic of everyone's favorite sport, FOOTBALL.

- Come on, you know I'm going to talk about the Colts first! If we can get our lines healthy this will be a team to be reckoned with. Peyton pulled together a gutsy performance down the stretch, and some of those throws (and catches) were sick!

- Adrian Peterson is a beast. Yes, everyone knows this - but most people would run around all the bodies on the field, this guy just jumps over them! If he goes to the Marion Barber school of stiff-arms in the off-season, he could re-write the record books. Seriously.

- Did anyone else watch the Dallas - Philly game last night? Talk about exciting! There was more action in the first half than the entire Indy-Minnesota game!

- Speaking of the Philly game, DeSean Jackson just missed out on ultimate goat status - get the ball in the endzone and then do your little jig!

- The Patriots just find ways to win. It could be because (*cough*) they (*cough cough*) have the best (*cough*) coach in the league.

Yeah, it hurts to say that, but they always seem to impose their will on other teams. Indy - New England just won't be the same without Brady in the lineup, but I still expect a helluva game.

- There is no worse feeling in Fantasy Football than outscoring virtually other team in the league except the one you are playing. Damn you Anquan Boldin!

- More fantasy related news - how can your kicker and your tight end collectively score you zero points? Damn you Shane Graham and Vernon Davis!!!!

- How deep was San Diego at tailback last year? Ok, you have LT - great. But then Michael Turner goes to Atlanta and rushes for 200+ his first game as a starter. LT goes out this past weekend? No problem, we have Darren Sproles who will slice-and-dice your entire D. That's just not right.

- If you are a Rams fan, I'm sorry. That's all.

- I think some teams are really kicking themselves for passing on Jay Cutler. He's had two really good games thus far and may very well turn out to be the best quarterback in that draft.

- Indy is home to our division rival Jacksonville this weekend. Unfortunately, I won't be attendance because I'll be finishing up my weekend in Las Vegas, but this is a dangerous game. 0-2 would suck, but 1-2 isn't much better - and I can guarantee Jacksonville will be playing with a sense of urgency because 0-3 could be catastrophic to their team. If Saturday and Clark are back, we should be fine. However, we still don't have any updates on Sanders or Ugoh, so we're all hoping those injuries are minor.

Ok, that's enough from me for today - here's to a great weekend of football and GO COLTS!

MR

Training to get lean

2008-09-15T09:23:00.002-05:00

I had a pretty full morning today at I-FAST - Monday mornings are quickly becoming one of our busiest times.

After getting through everyone's workouts, I found myself very hungry and decided to head to one of my favorite breakfast joints, Cafe Patchou. They use free-range eggs, have all kinds of exotic fruits, and their yogurt/granola is simply out-of-this-world. But this post isn't about my gluttony and love for breakfast.

As I was driving, I saw several overweight people walking along a path here on the northside of Indy. Now I'm not a slave to any dogma, and I know that walking can be beneficial to your health and well-being. But, since they were overweight I can only assume they were doing this to lose weight - and it's simply not the most efficient way to do things.

One of the first questions I'm asked when people tour our gym is "Where are your treadmills?" I always explain to them that the way we structure their strength and energy system workouts makes the need for treadmills irrelevant. Not that they can't be useful - but for $3,000 (the minimum you're going to pay for a decent commerical-grade treadmill), I could buy several Prowlers, Airdyne's, and a whole set of kettlebells!

In fact, all of our clients did energy system training this morning, considering body comp is a priority to all of them. Instead of slaving away on the treadmill they pushed the prowler, performed KB swings, or did interval sprints on the Airdyne. I've found thus far that our clients really enjoy this kind of EST much more than "traditional" means - it's quick, efficient and brutally effective.

I'm not saying that intervals are the only way to get someone lean, but they certainly can help if integrated appropriately into a program. If you yourself are looking to get lean, be sure to check out Leigh Peele's Fat Loss Troubleshoot or Alwyn Cosgrove's and Mike Roussell's Warp Speed Fat Loss programs.

Stay strong
MR

Q&A: Cybernetic Periodization

2008-09-12T12:00:00.000-05:00

Mike,

Love the blog!

Can you talk a little bit more about what you mean by 'cybernetic programming', and give us some examples of how you use that?

Thanks!

Yudi Kerbel, NASM-CPT

First off, thanks for the question Yudi! If anyone else has questions they want me to cover, please leave them in the "Comments" section.

The term cybernetic periodization was first coined (as far as I'm aware of) by Mel Siff in his textbook Supertraining. The essence of the concept is that you need to be able to adjust your training on the fly dependent upon how you're feeling. Here's an example:

My MMA fighter Dan came in for his workouts this week looking beat up. Now, this is to be expected - he's training at a new facility with better fighters, AND he's peaking for a fight next weekend. While I still would've liked for him to get a few heavy/explosive lifts in this week, it wasn't really in the cards as I had originally programmed.

If I were a slave to the program as originally written, he would've lifted heavy regardless - but in all honesty, that would've been stupid. I would've beaten him up worse, his lifts would probably have looked terrible, and I'd risk getting him injured. Also, in case I didn't mention it before, Dan is an MMA fighter - I have no desire to be arm-barred or choked out in my own gym!

Instead, we focused on getting a good lift or two in each day and then really geared back his assistance lifts. This gives him extra recovery time and, in the long run, will allow him to be at his best come next weekend.

That's the essence of cybernetic periodization - lift hard/heavy/fast on the days you feel really good. On the days you don't, gear things back so that the next time you hit the gym you're ready to go. It really comes down to listening to your body and doing what it's capable of on any given day.

I hope that helps - good luck!

Stay strong
MR

Remembering September 11th

2008-09-11T15:13:00.002-05:00

The blog is going to be a little bit more somber today, and for good reason.

I think every one of us remembers September 11th, 2001 a little differently. I was a young Masters student, and I found out about the terrorist attacks while heading into the BSU athletic weight room. We couldn't peel our eyes away from the TV, watching something that none of us could imagine unfold before our very eyes.

But after last year, I have another reason to remember September 11th. One of my best friends, Ryan, took his own life. I can't put into words how it made me feel, when I first heard the news for myself. I mean, how do you respond? What's a normal reaction?

Ryan and I weren't "best-friends" close, but we were close enough. We lived together for a year in college. We enjoyed each other's company, and he was someone I could always talk to with ease and candor. Quite simply, he was a good friend and someone that I think fondly of all the time. He will always be missed.

Whether it's due to the 9/11 attacks, because a friend or loved one is down, or simply because it's long overdue, take the time to tell you friends and loved-ones how much you care about them. In this day and age it's very easy to get caught up in your work, your life, whatever - but at the end of the day, there's no worse feeling than knowing you didn't get to say goodbye to someone you love.

Stay strong
MR

MMA Training

2008-09-08T14:33:00.003-05:00

As promised, I'm working on making the blog a little bit more oganized. You'll see some housekeeping on the right side (at least half of the other blog links didn't work!), and hopefully the content will be a little bit more streamlined as well.

Today, I'd like to discuss the training of MMA athletes. As many of you already know I've been working with Dan New here at I-FAST, and Dan has a huge fight coming up in two weeks against Jason "The Human Weapon" Chambers.

One of the primary reasons I took up Krav Maga a while back was to better understand what it's like to actually train for MMA. I've played nearly every sport imaginable in my life, and I feel that makes me a better coach when working with those athletes. You don't have to be an all-star, mind you - rather, it puts you in your athletes shoes so you have a better idea of how to program for them. I wanted to have a better idea of Dan's training so that I could be a better coach for him.

I quickly learned that when training for MMA, you need a lot of different physical qualities:

- Flexibility/mobility
- Endurance
- Strength
- Power
- Agility

And beyond these separate physical qualities, you also need a blending of them as well! In other words, you not only need power and endurance, but you also need power-endurance if you want to knock someone out in the 3rd or 5th round. Therefore, writing programming for an MMA athlete can be very challenging.

If you're working with an MMA fighter, the first thing you need to do is assess them. This could be a static assessment, a dynamic assessment, or simply watching them spar or fight. From there, you need to talk to the athlete and determine what he/she feels their weaknesses are. Obviously conditioning is always going to be important, but if they're weak as a kitten for their bodyweight/class, you need to improve upon that. Bill talks a great deal about assessments in our Indy Seminar Series.

With Dan, we've put a real premium on improving his strength and power while maintaining, or even improving slightly, his conditioning. This would be easy if I only had him training in the weight room, but when you add in specific training for Muay Thai, BJJ and just general mat/conditioning work, that's a lot of hours in the gym! The best thing you can do is try and learn about your athletes - how they're feeling on any given day, what kind of loading they'll respond best to, etc. This is cybernetic periodization at its finest.

The bottom line is preparing someone for MMA is not an easy gig - at the very least start with a needs analysis to determine strengths/weaknesses and begin your journey there. As training progresses, don't forget to re-evaluate and determine how physical qualities have changed, and how the training regimen should change to help them be at their best on fight night.

Stay strong
MR

How do you train minus two knee ligaments?

2008-09-05T14:17:00.003-05:00

For those of you who follow professional football you've no doubt heard about Shawne Merriman; he's quite possibly one of the most dynamic defensive players in the league. (Just understand that it pains me to say that considering he plays for the Chargers, but I digress).

In case you've missed it, Shawne had off-season surgery to repair torn cartilage in his knee, but hadn't felt good in camp. He recently had 4 surgeons evaluate him and tell him that he needs reconstructive surgery because he has torn the PCL and LCL ligaments in his knee. Obviously, this would effectively end his season.

However, no one said that young men think about the long-term; Shawn has gone against the docs recommendations and decided against surgery even though he risks a "career-ending injury." So how could he possibly play in this state? Let's take a quick step back to examine how we create stability around our joints.

In your joints, you have what are called active and passive stabilizers. The passive stabilizers include cartilage structures (menisci in your knee, labrum in your shoulder, etc.), ligaments, and joint capsules. They are passive in nature because they don't contract and relax like muscles do. In essence, they just kind of keep things in place.

In contrast, your muscles are active stabilizers - you can use them to contract and improve stability around a joint. In the case of your knee the primary active stabilizers include the hamstrings, adductors, gluteals, and quadriceps.

So what happens when you tear two of the four ligaments in your knee? First off, you become very unstable - you've essentially lost half of your passive stability. If you asked for my opinion, I would tell you that he's assinine for trying to play. I have an infininte amount of respect for playing through the pain and giving yourself to your team, but I definitely worry about the long-term ramifications of doing so. With that being said, however, what could he do from a training standpoint to make it through the season?

The answer, my friends, is to get his active stabilizers as strong as possible. The stronger he gets his glutes and hamstrings to help him declerate, the better off he'll be. He still may not make it through the season, but it will at least give him a fighting chance. Another option would be a serious sized brace to help re-create some of the lost stability. Now keep in mind we don't know the severity of his tears, but I would assume you're looking at least grade 2 (partial thickness) if not grade 3 (full thickness) tears if all 4 docs want him to have surgery.

If you're interested in learning more about the anatomy and function of your knees, along with how to keep them healthy, be sure to pick up a copy of my Bulletproof Knees manual. Your knees will thank you.

Stay strong

BTW - Can I give myself a virtual high-five for coming up with an entire blog post that consists of one single thought? Gooooooooooooooooo me!

More random thoughts...

2008-09-04T15:21:00.002-05:00

This should be the title of EVERY blog post! But in all seriousness, look out for a more organized blog in the near future.

Regardless, here's some more miscellaneous thoughts - enjoy!

- Comments are on - if you like the blog, hate the blog, or simply have something to say, let me know!

- Bored at work? Want some kick-ass music? Check out the following station on iTunes:

Radio-->Rock--> Big R Radio: 80's Metal FM

If you grew up to the sounds of Whitesnake, Bon Jovi, Poison, Ozzy Osbourne, Guns 'n' Roses, Motely Crue and the like, you'll love this station. It's getting rocked almost daily at home and in the gym.

- Football season starts today! And just to prove to you that it doesn't pay to hate on the Colts, Eric Cressey (the most loyal NE fan I know) drafted Joseph Addai, Reggie Wayne and Adam Vinatieri in his fantasy draft. The football gods are looking down on you EC!!!

- I had a new article go up at Figure Athlete.com - while it's geared towards women, a lot of men would see good progress on this program as well:

Vixen Liftin' - The Comprehensive Program

- What's that? You want to know what's playing on Big R Radio right now? Can you say GREAT WHITE? I suddenly feel the need to grow my hair out, tease it, and blow it up with some serious hairspray.

I think that's enough rambling for today - if I don't get a post up tomorrow, have a great weekend!

Stay strong
MR

Life, updates, and more randomness

2008-09-03T16:33:00.003-05:00

Wow has this blog taken a turn for the worst! Things are pretty sporadic in my head, and so they shall stay the same in my blog (for now).

- In case, for some totally uncomprehensible reason, you aren't signed up for my newsletter, you missed out on a big week this week. Eric and I are having a sale on the BTEA DVD series, and I released a free soft-tissue e-manual for you to peruse. You can find it here:

http://www.robertsontrainingsystems.com/newsletter/september12008.htm

- Following up on that e-manual, I think Leigh Peele likes it:

http://avidityfitness.net/2008/09/01/mike-robertson-self-myofascial-release-aka-he-gave-away-a-whole-freaking-ebook/

Yes, I have a disease - it's called sexy.

- I-FAST is continuing it's rapid growth. We've had new clients joining every week, with no end in sight! I can honestly say this is the most fun I've ever had training (i.e. torturing) people in my life.

- You think life is good now? Just wait 'til tomorrow - football season is about to begin!

- There's no better way to learn how to train a client for their sport than to do it yourself. For instance, I've been playing a little golf lately, and you learn really quickly how important it is to have good stability around the core/lumbar spine, good hip rotation (especially internal rotation), and good thoracic mobility to boot. If you're unsure about the best way to train a client, try training for their sport a bit - it should make a huge difference in your outlook.

That's it for now - I'll be back again soon (I hope!)

Stay strong
MR

Eating healthy while eating out

2008-08-26T12:00:00.000-05:00

This past weekend I had the chance to catch up with some old friends in Chicago. One thing I always come back to when traveling is trying to make solid food choices while "on the road."

Luckily, if you arm yourself with a little knowledge it's generally pretty easy to be successful. Here are some things I try and do to eat well on the road, regardless of the situation:

- Pack small snacks. My wife and I are really good about packing mixed nuts, water, protein bars, protein shakes, etc. If you're in a pinch, these items can substitute for a meal. Along those same lines, it will curb your appetite so you don't binge on the 8 lb. burger (yes, one of the restaurants we ate it really did offer it up!)

- Always order a sald and/or extra fruit. If your only goal is to consume copious amounts of calories, then by all means forget about this tip and get that fried appetizer sampler platter and double dessert. If you are in the least bit concerned about your health (not to mention your waistline), adding a sald or fruit to your order helps ensure that you get more nutrients and fiber from your food.

- Opt for extra virgin olive oil or vinagrettes instead of "traditional" salad dressings. Not only do they taste better (assuming your palette isn't dead), but they typically have better fatty acid profiles.

A few more quick hits, without all the explanations:

- If you are looking to shed pounds or body fat, say no to the pre-meal bread and get double-veggies for your sides.

- Drink water vs. calorie-laden beverages.

- Be reasonable with your meat selections. I'm all for a huge slab of beef from time-to-time, but eating a 10 or 12 ounce steak every night probably isn't necessary.

- Whenever possible sub a salad, veggie or even a soup instead of fried side items. They may taste good but there's minimal nutritional value in fried foods.

- I won't ever tell you that beer is bad - at the very least, drink light vs. normal beers.

While eating out or on the road may never be optimal, performing some damage control can go a long way to helping you achieve your health and fitness related goals.

Stay strong
MR

'Tis the season...

2008-08-25T14:38:00.004-05:00

...for knee injuries.

If you're a football fan like me, you love and hate this time of year. The pre-season is winding down, and it's time for us to enjoy the best time of the sporting year - football season.

Unfortunately, it's a double-edged sword - we've waited for 6 months for our favorite teams to take the field, and quite often, our whole season can go down in flames with one key injury.

And you know what I'm talking about - when we're talking football, we're talking knee injuries. In the past month or so we've lost Peyton Manning (surgically removed bursa sac), Shawn Merriman (torn PCL and LCL), Jason Taylor ("sprained" knee) and Osi Umenyiora (torn lateral mensicus) for various lengths of time. Some will be back this year - others won't. Last year the Colts lost three starters to season long knee injuries (Booger McFarland - torn patellar tendon, Rob Morris - torn ACL, Marvin Harrison - ruptured bursa sac).

Football is hard to prepare for physically when compared to other sports. In basketball, soccer, and volleyball you typically see non-contact injuries. Essentially, these people have weak or faulty active stabilization patterns - typically the glutes and hamstrings are either inhibited or flat out weak, and smooth deceleration of jumps and cuts isn't possible. When you lack active stability, your body is forced to rely on the next source - passive stabilizers like menisci, tendons and ligaments. Obviously, if you can get stronger and improve activation patterns, you go a long way to staying healthier.

In contrast, football players are exposed to both non-contact AND contact based injuries. As I mention in my Bulletproof Knees manual (and the lecture as well), you could have the most orthopedically healthy knee known to man, but if you get caught in the wrong position, or hit with enough force in the right area, your knee is probably going to go.

So if it were up to you, which option would you choose?

1 - You figure there's nothing you can do to protect your knees, so instead of playing you curl up in the fetal position on a remote corner of the sideline? Or
2 - Take as many steps possible to reduce, and possibly even prevent, a major knee injury?

If you're a competitive footballer, whether at the Pop Warner or Pro Bowl level, you owe it to yourself to check out Bulletproof Knees - it may be the only thing between you and a knee injury.

Stay strong
MR

Life is good - plus updates

2008-08-22T10:08:00.002-05:00

Things have been really crazy since returning from vacation - opening a new gym, moving into a new house, etc.

Regardless, I wouldn't have it any other way - I'm loving what I'm doing right now and feel like I'm really creating something awesome with Bill. There's nothing more powerful than helping people feel better about themselves.

With that being said, here are a bunch of updates...

- I had a new article go up at FigureAthlete.com; you can check it out here:

The Top 5 Reasons You're Not Succeeding

- For those of you who've asked, the gym is going REALLY well. We're generating more and more interest, and getting tons of interest and new clients in the door. If you want to learn more, check out the website www.IndianapolisFitnessAndSportsTraining.com

- Over my Alaska trip I read "The Omnivore's Dilemma" - if you are interested in health and nutrition, you owe it to yourself to read this book. I'm actually in the process of finding a good local butcher, and Jess and I are planning on hitting the local farmer's markets as well. While I always figured I ate "well" or "clean," this book kind of smacks you in the face as to how screwed up our food is here in America.

- Expect some updates soon on the Justin Ware project. Justin is progressing nicely, and I think in the next 2-3 months he's going to see some massive changes in the quality of his movement and his physique.

- The next project that I've been toiling over is almost completed - my good friend and editor Lisa Holliday has done a great job of cleaning up my messes, and the best part of this is it will be 100% free! In fact, if you like it, I'd ask that you pass it on to a friend or loved one who you feel can benefit from it.

- This weekend should be interesting - we're driving up to Chicago for a Cubbies game, but hitting the Dan Ryan expressway at rush hour. Wish me luck ;)

Have a great weekend!

MR

Thinking Long Term...

2008-08-19T15:55:00.003-05:00

So this blog post is going to essentially be my "newsletter" for the week - I hope you enjoy it!

Last week, Bill Hartman and I were having a discussion in between clients at the gym. Essentially, we were talking about the long-term health/repercussions of playing sports at an elite level. I was reading an article about Greg Oden, quite possibly one of the most talented basketball players to come out of Indiana. In case you've been living under a rock the past year, Greg had microfracture knee surgery in the off-season last year and missed his entire rookie year.

As we were discussing things, I started thinking about the long-term effects of the microfracture procedure, and knee surgeries in general. If you're unfamiliar with it, here's the jist of what they do: When hyaline cartilage wears down (or is removed) you essentially have a bone-on-bone contact area. This bone-on-bone isn't good as it wears down the joint surfaces, and as you move plant and cut, lift heavy things, etc., it leads to the progression of osteoarthritic changes in the knee. Certain forces are more injurious or damaging to the knee, but to prevent this bone-on-bone doctors will go in and drill directly into the bony areas. The goal of a microfracture procedure is to make the bone bleed out; the ensuing hole is filled in/covered with fibrocartilage. Unfortunately, while hyaline cartilage (i.e. your meniscus) is very resilient, fibrocartilage isn't nearly as resilient.

If you follow the NBA, you know that quite a few big name players have undergone the microfracture procedue - Jason Kidd, Chris Webber, Greg Oden, Amare Stoudemire, Zach Randolph, Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway, etc. As well, if you followed their careers post-surgery, the results were very different. Kidd and Stoudemire returned with great success, while many of the others (most notably Hardaway and Webber) were robbed of their trademark explosiveness and had their careers cut short.

So what does all this have to do with you? That's a great question - and after my long-winded preface, here's what I want you to remember: Always think about the long-term. What effects do the things you're doing right now have on your future health and well-being?

Now please understand I'm not trying to sway you one way or the other. I remember a while back being in Dr. Klootwyk's office (he's the knee surgeon for the Colts), and there was an autographed picture of a Colts player with this message inscribed:

"Doc - Thanks for fixing the money maker!"

My goal isn't to sway you one way or the other - if your goal is to squat a 1000 pounds or rush for 1,500 yards in the NFL, great! Just understand the long-term effects that might have on your body. I can tell you this: If I had to choose between being set financially for life at the age of 26 or 27 and possibly having a knee replacement later on in life, I can tell you which one I would choose without a doubt!

I think sometimes we fail to appreciate the health and well-being of our bodies; my goal is to have a strong, healthy, and resilient body for many years to come. Having had a knee surgery myself, I understand what I am capable of, and the repercussions that certain things have on my body.

That's also why I created my Bulletproof Knees manual - I wanted to figure out the things that I could do to stay healthy and strong as long as possible. I've had a lot of questions lately from young people whose knees are beat to hell, and that's part of the reason I'm typing this right now. If you take the steps to get yourself healthy RIGHT NOW and stay that way, you'll be so much better over the long haul, regardless of your long-term goals.

Stay strong and have a great week!

MR

Random Olympic thoughts...

2008-08-14T14:56:00.002-05:00

Since the Olympics are on in my house pretty much 24/7, I thought I'd give it some blog time today. Enjoy!

- Michael Phelps is a beast - 'nuff said.

- No, just because Michael Phelps can eat 8000-12000 calories of pretty much anything he wants doesn't mean you can. Unless, of course, you're willing to train 2-5 hours per day to do so.

- Gymnastics may not be "cool," but you can't help but acknowledge their skills. I think the most impressive event must be the balance beam, considering it's hardly wide enough for most of their feet!

- It's good to see the USA Men's Basketball team playing as well as they are. They might get burned now and again because they gamble on 'D', but they more than make up for it with all the easy lay-ups and dunk they're getting. Plus, it's just nice to watch LeBron swat shots all over the arena.

- Like gymnastics, men's volleyball may not be "cool" - but again these guys are uber-athletic. Imagine a guy that's 6'8" or 6'9" that can touch 12' or higher. Or a jump serve barreling at you at around 65 mph.

- Has anyone else ever seen a guy get knocked out in Olympic Boxing? I hadn't either - until the other day. He got the standing 8 count, only to collapse after that. I think that has to be a first.

- I don't care how good they are, table tennis is boring to watch.

Stay strong
MR

Interesting article on overhead throwing...

2008-08-12T10:54:00.003-05:00

So last night I come home, and lo and behold my wife was given a "free" subscription to the Training and Conditioning journal.

Jackpot! I will read anything training related.

The article that caught my eye in this case was a piece on overhead throwing athletes. While I assumed I would read the traditional drivel, this article was really well written - they discussed the various phases of the throw, along with the specific muscle groups that were working as well. Needless to say, I was impressed that they were at least mentioning the role of the scapula and upward rotation as well!

But then I started thinking about it, and if I had one critique it was that the article focused solely on the shoulder, and not the entire unit when it comes to throwing. I guess I'm a little spoiled, but when I can talk to someone like Eric Cressey on a daily basis, I have high expectations. If you haven't seen Eric's talk on overhead throwing athletes, you owe it to yourself to see him. He does an excellent job of breaking down the functional anatomy involved, as well as how the shoulder, hip, and entire opposite limb all work together to produce a smooth, fluid movement.

I guess this wasn't too exciting of a post, so to sum up remember that nothing is done in isolation. If we really want to take our assessment and training techniques to the next level, we need to understand and respect how the body moves not only in isolation, but in integrated movement patterns as well.

Stay strong
MR

Soft Tissue Work

2008-08-05T13:48:00.004-05:00

I've got to admit, I'm shocked that everyone isn't getting some kind of soft tissue work. Some people even think it's BAD.

Now granted, I'm biased - I think I'm a soft tissue whore. Ok, maybe not a whore but at least an addict; foam rolls, ART, massage, I think it all has its place.

After working with Bill for the past couple of weeks, I'm even more convinced at how integral it is in a holistic training program. Watching someone's posture and movement improve almost instantaneously is pretty darn cool in my opinion.

Now, what I'm NOT saying is that soft-tissue work is the be-all, end-all of modalities. It has it's role, just like every other modality - stretching, mobility work, activation, prehab, strength training, etc.

It's just a component - but it's a big component. And if you're not using it to your advantage, you're missing out.

BTW, I've got a sweet little project I'm working on that covers a lot of different soft-tissue techniques; if you're not signed up for my newsletter, you may want to do that soon. Other than a subscription to my newsletter, it will be completely free.

Stay strong
MR

Miscellaneous Randomness

2008-08-04T15:11:00.004-05:00

Been a while since my last blog post, but that's what you get when you go on vacation for two weeks. Here are some random things that I've thought about since we last crossed paths...

- There's a lot of TERRIBLE information being passed around out there. Spending two weeks around poor fitness facilities and trainers will make that reality quite evident.

- No matter how well you eat, there are still a ton of people that have no clue what's good and/or bad for them to eat. Sure, they may know that a baked potato is better for you than potato chips, but that's where it stops. I think we fitness enthusiasts out there may forget how the rest of the world operates from time to time.

- Wow, Alaska is cold year round. I don't care what anyone says, 60 is not warm!

- And it rains there. A lot. One city gets rain 290 days out of the year!

- I like my job way too much; I couldn't wait to return and get back into the swing of things!

My boy Justin just came in, so this will be short today - more to come tomorrow!

Stay strong
MR

Old-School Article of the Week

2008-07-16T14:43:00.002-05:00

From time to time, I'm going to re-post an old article that many of you may be unfamiliar with. Today's article, 10 Tips for Flawless Squattin', is one of my all-time favorites. Enjoy!

10 Tips for Flawless Squattin'

Stay strong
MR

My Training Philosophy

2008-07-10T13:36:00.003-05:00

Here's an article that I'd throw up on the blog - I'd throw it up on the site, but I'm having major issues with my desktop.

I hope you enjoy it - and don't forget, the Indy Seminar DVD's are on sale this week only! Check them out here:

www.IndyPerformanceSeminars.com

As always, thanks for your support over the years - I couldn't do it without you!

Stay strong
MR

___________________________________________________________________

My Training Philosophy
Mike Robertson

In the midst of the Internet craze, anyone and everyone can be an expert on training. You can write articles, blog, or just tell everyone on an internet forum how you’re squatting 7 bills for reps. In fact, you’re so jacked that your username is “Squatzilla 5000.” If anyone should dare challenge your thought processes, you’ll quickly flame them into oblivion.

While I enjoy writing, speaking and developing products, the thing I enjoy the most is actually training people. I’m the first to admit that I’m not perfect, but I will always strive to be the best coach or trainer my clients can work with.

I really started focusing on my training philosophy while developing content for my Aussie Seminar Series and my Indianapolis Performance Enhancement Seminar. I asked myself, what are the guiding, big-bang thoughts that constituted how I train people? And not just what I believed in, but why I believed it to be true as well. The same words kept coming up in every presentation, and I soon began to realize how important they are to my philosophy.

Let’s be honest: It’s really easy to sit behind a computer screen, take someone’s words out of context, and talk about how little they know about training. It’s a whole different ball game when it comes down to what you really know and believe in, and being able to explain or defend it to other coaches, trainers and therapists.

Whether you’re a personal trainer, strength coach, physical therapist, or just someone who likes to hit the iron, you’ve to some degree developed your own philosophy with regards to training. What works, what doesn’t, etc. But what are the key components of this philosophy? And how did you come to those conclusions?

Here are four of the key components that I keep coming back to. I hope you enjoy it!

Component #1 – Rationale

Rationale is the basis for your program design. Quite simply, how bulletproof do you believe your programming to be?

Think about it like this; let’s say you’ve written a program for yourself, and I sit down right next to you to look things over. Could you tell me exactly why you chose:

- A specific exercise?
- A specific set/rep scheme?
- A specific time under tension?
- A specific rest period?

To take it a step further, in what instances would you choose a front squat over a back squat? In what cases would 5x5 be superior to 3x8 or 3x10? For which athletes would a 5-10 minute rest between sets be necessary? The point I’m getting at is we need to understand all the variables associated with creating a program, and then understand how manipulating any (or all of) those variables can either improve upon or detract from the quality of the program.

In the case of a powerlifter, a 5x5 program may be ideal to help them build their squat. But if you put them on a 60 or 90 second rest period, you’re going to kill them.

3x8 or 3x10 set/rep schemes may work perfectly in a fat loss setting, but if you allow them 3-5 minutes rest between sets you lose a lot of the training effect.

As you can see from the above examples, you have to think big picture – how all the variables involved influence each other.

As well, far too often we put unnecessary or unneeded “filler” exercises into our programming. Nothing that we do should be arbitrary. If you can’t explain why you do something, why are you doing it?

Component #2 – Progression

Good programming is imperative to long-term success. Progression is one component of good programming.

When starting with a new client or athlete, the first thing we do is assess them. Whether it’s taking their body fat, doing a 1-RM squat, or just watching them play their sport, we have to know where they are starting from first and foremost. As they saying goes, “If you’re not assessing, you’re guessing.”

The assessment is absolutely critical with regards to progression – if you don’t assess them, how do you know where to start? If everyone starts on the same program, it will be just right for some. However, for the vast majority that same programming could be either too easy or too damn hard.

But more importantly, once we know where to start from, the real key is knowing how to get them from where they’re at to where they want to go. Again, whether their goal is to get from 20% body fat to 15% body fat, or to take them from a 275# bench press to 300#, the key is in progression. We all know that what helps you lose the first 20 lbs. won’t help you lose the last 20. Thus, progression is critical.

With that being said, however, I don’t want to imply that the only way to incorporate progression into a training program is to add weight to the bar. Even though I haven’t competed in a while I still have a powerlifters mentality; in more cases than not, more weight on the bar is a good thing. However, they are tons of different variables that we can “progress” upon throughout a training program. Here are a few examples:

- Stability Demands

Beginners generally have poor stability in single-leg stance. We can give them more stability up front (via a split squat) and then progress them into exercises with greater stability demands (reverse lunges, forward lunges, and even walking lunges).

- Exercise Difficulty/Complexity

With the Olympic lifts, it’s much easier to teach the lifts in small chunks or phases versus having someone clean from the floor on their first session. Start with basics like the hang pull or power clean, and then progress in difficulty from there. If even the basic Olympic moves are too difficult, you can regress back to a med ball throw or KB swing to begin the progression.Another example would be to start clients out using a box to learn how to squat; once they’re comfortable with the torso position and “sitting back,” you can progress them to a traditional back squat from there.

- Decreased rest periods

If someone is doing metabolic based resistance training, a “progression” would be to decrease the rest periods between sets.

- Increased repetitions per set

Again, using a metabolic based resistance training program you may keep the weight on the bar the same, but add repetitions to the set.

- Increasing the time under tension (TUT)

A set of squats performed at a 2-0-1 tempo is much different than that same set of squats performed at a 4-0-1 tempo.

- Increasing the density/pressure of a soft-tissue implement

By moving from a white foam roller to a black one, or from a tennis ball to a lacrosse ball, you increase the intensity of the soft-tissue work.

As you can see, there are various methods of progressing or increasing the intensity of a training program without manipulating the weight on the bar. Adding load isn’t a bad thing whatsoever, but I want you start thinking about how you can apply the concept of progression throughout all the components of your workouts.

Component #3 – Efficiency

Efficiency isn’t a word that we use a lot in this industry, and I hope it will change in the future. Quite simply, if we can complete the same athletic task using, A) more energy, or B) less energy, which sounds better to you?

When it comes to efficiency with regards to training/competing, I phrase it like this:

- The right muscle(s)
- Working at the right time
- With an appropriate level of strength

When we have all these things working together, we not only improve our performance but decrease the likelihood of injury. As Bill Hartman has noted numerous time, we shouldn’t look at these as separate and individual outcomes – rather, they should be looked at as one and the same.

Efficiency, however, is one elusive property to get your hands on. In our “Building the Efficient Athlete” DVD Series, Eric often talks about the difference between inefficiencies and pathologies. Inefficiencies are those minor “hiccups” when it comes to our performance. However, enough of these “hiccups” eventually lead to injury, or at the very least sub-maximal performance.

This is where people need to understand the roles of both activation/motor control work and strength work. Intelligent program design will incorporate activation/motor control to get those little muscle groups firing (i.e. low traps, serratus, gluteals, psoas, etc.). However, once you’ve learned how to utilize them, the key is to get them stronger and working within normal movement patterns.

One thing that pisses me off is when people try and say I do “too much” activation work. Look, you can call it activation, motor control, facilitation, whatever. The bottom line is this: If someone can’t recruit a muscle group in isolation, then how in the hell are they going to recruit it in a multi-joint movement pattern?

Answer: It doesn’t happen.

So if your glutes don’t fire in a bridge, you can do pause squats in the hole until your fucking blue in the face and they aren’t going to turn on, either. Sorry.

This is the whole premise behind isolation to integration. Teach them to use the glutes in an isolated setting. Once they’re working, then take them to a “bridge the gap” type exercise like a mini-band resisted squat or RNT based lunge. I discussed these previously in my Hardcore Lunge article. Once you’ve learned to activate the muscle group within an exercise like this, it’s time to re-learn the exercise in its original fashion.

The bottom line is this: I’m all for optimizing training. It may take three sets or none when it comes to activation drills, and the truth it I don’t care. The only thing I’m focused on is the end-result or outcome. Efficiency is a moving target, just like the goals of your clients and athletes. The sooner you release yourself from training dogma and black and white thinking, the better off you’ll be.

Component #4 – Symmetry

The final component of my training philosophy is striving to achieve symmetry. The more symmetrical we are, in my opinion, the less likely we are to get injured.

But “symmetry” is very vague; what exactly are we looking for symmetry in? And no, I’m not talking about balancing your inner thigh “sweep” to your outer thigh bulk, or developing your inner vs. outer pecs.

Instead, I’m looking for symmetry in three regards:

- Mobility/Movement Capacity
- Motor Control
- Strength

Let’s look at each individual factor a little bit more in depth.

We know that mobility is important, but what about symmetry of movement between sides? Doesn’t it make sense that we should have the same amount of ankle mobility from side-to-side if we want a symmetrical squat? What about hip mobility? Or thoracic spine mobility? The things we do in the weight room are generally symmetrical in nature – so why wouldn’t we want symmetry with regards to our mobility and movement capacity?

Next, we have motor control. Quite often, we’ll see asymmetries with regards to someone’s ability to recruit their serratus, low traps, gluteals, etc. Again, knowing that what we do in the gym is inherently bilateral in nature, it only makes sense to have those “right” muscles working for us.

Finally, we come to strength. Guys like Eric Cressey, Michael Boyle and myself have been talking about the need for single-leg work for years. But it goes beyond just single leg work – what about single arm upper extremity work as well? Or core development? Just some things to start thinking about.

One thing I’d like to mention here is this: Sports are inherently asymmetrical. What makes a pitcher really good at throwing, or what makes a basketball player really good at jumping off one leg leads them to built-in asymmetries. If you’re a strength coach or personal trainer, your goal in the weight room (or on the field) is to keep them healthy and at the top of their sport. Rather than subscribing to the dogma that “every athlete must squat” or “every athlete will bench 300 pounds,” do your best to keep their asymmetries under control, while not taking away the natural skills or traits that make them a great athlete. This article is geared more towards the weight-room enthusiast, however, so I’ll step off my soap box now.

Being as “symmetrical” as possible may not take us very far with regards to immediate gratification and adding weight to the bar. It will, however, keep us healthy over the long haul. After all, you can’t push the limits if you’re always injured. By working on asymmetries you allow yourself the possibility of getting stronger, over a longer period of time, than you ever dreamed.

And that, my friends, is pretty darn cool.

Summary

Developing your own philosophy is one of the most important things you can do as a trainer, therapist and coach. Do your best to define not just what you believe in, but why as well. And finally, realize that this is an ongoing process.

About the Author

Mike Robertson, M.S., C.S.C.S., U.S.AW., has helped clients and athlete from all walks of life achieve their strength, physique and performance related goals. Mike received his Masters Degree in Sports Biomechanics from the world-renowned Human Performance Lab at Ball State University.

Mike is the president of Robertson Training Systems and the co-owner of Indianapolis Fitness and Sports Training in Indianapolis, Indiana.

I-FAST #3 - Unconventional Fitness

2008-07-09T16:01:00.005-05:00

One aspect of training that I feel is going to be unique to I-FAST is our energy system work.

Now I'm a powerlifter at heart, so I hate anything that's remotely related to lactic acid. Add in a stationary bike or treadmill, and I'm on the verge of poking my eyes out.

And unless you just have a want or need to punish yourself, I think there are many alternative ways to skin that cat.

With regards to energy system work at I-FAST, let's put it this way - we don't even have a treadmill. That's not to say we will never own a treadmill, but we don't own one as of right now.

What do we have, you might ask? All kinds of fun stuff...

- Kettlebells
- A Prowler
- An Airdyne bike
- Med balls
- Open space for bodyweight circuits
- We'll soon have a sled, heavy bag, keg(s) and tractor tires

Not to mention countless barbell and dumbbell complexes that we can concoct. Quite simply, there are TONS of different ways to challenge your energy systems without ever stepping on a treadmill. And it's our goal to not only get our clients into kick ass shape, but to hopefully have some fun along the way.

If you're interested in training at I-FAST, check out the website:

www.IndianapolisFitnessAndSportsTraining.com

Stay strong
MR

BTW, don't forget that the Indy Seminar DVD's are on sale this week ONLY! Be sure to pick up a copy by following the link below.

2008 Indy Seminar DVD's

If you're not assessing....

2008-07-08T16:33:00.004-05:00

...you're guessing.

I've said it time and again, but I'm constantly shocked at how many trainers STILL don't assess their clients.

Look, if you want to get more out of your clients - giving them better health, longevity, and performance - you need to be assessing them from the get go.

However, just like a program shouldn't be cookie cutter, neither should an assessment. For example, would you use the same assessment to evaluate the following clients?

- An 85 year old woman with low back pain
- A 50 year old corporate executive who wants to lose body fat
- A 22 year old minor league baseball player

In this case, I'm hoping you said no, and this is what Bill Hartman talked about extensively in our 2008 Indy Performance Enhancement seminar.

The key to getting the most out of an assessment is to make it specific. For example golf, tennis and baseball are all rotational sports - but there are a lot of unique qualities to each. One of the best things you can do is to actually watch your client play their sport; you can notice mobility issues, stability issues, and even asymmetries in their performance. From there, you can break it down further into more isolative tests. But the key is specificity.

Here's another example - let's use a powerlifter in this case. He performs an overhead squat, but can't break parallel and there's a small loss of his lordotic curve in the process. Is this a cause for concern?

It depends - is he training this movement under load? And if not, can he squat down below parallel with a bar on his back and NOT lose his lordotic curve?

I hope you see what I'm geting at here. Everything in your assessment should be specific to your client - their needs, goals, sporting activities, etc.

If you want to learn more about developing the ideal assessment, be sure to pick up our 2008 Indy Performance Enhancement Seminar DVD series, on sale for this week only! Click on the link below to find out more.

2008 Indy Performance Enhancement Seminar Series

Stay strong
MR

Great info from Dave Tate

2008-07-03T13:20:00.003-05:00

I'm not sure how many of you read T-Nation, but if you don't you owe it to yourself to check out the two part article series that they've recently posted by Dave Tate.

I've cut/pasted an excerpt here, as it was something I was thinking about myself just the other day.

Here goes...

____________________________________________________________________
Do the Stuff You Suck At

You ever wonder where your weak points come from? They're a combination of your strengths overpowering the rest of your skills, and you simply not doing the stuff you hate to do.

Think about it, if your abs and core stability are your weak points, is it because you're training them too hard or too often? Not on your life. Show me a weak point, and I'll show you a movement that isn't being trained because the athlete doesn't like to do it.

Is this something you hate to do? Then do it.

Let me tell you about how I discovered this secret.

It was at the IPA Worlds (a.k.a. the York Barbell Hall of Fame), my first meet after a nine-month hiatus. I had taken some time off to heal up, regroup, and push my bodyweight up higher. I was looking forward to this meet, because my training was going very well, and things seemed to be going my way. My warm-up for the squat attempts felt great, fast, and very explosive. I was definitely getting jacked up about the meet.

I was on deck, next up. My wraps were on, tight as hell, and I was ready. The moments right before I hit the chalk are the best moments of my life. The anticipation, the aggression, the work it took to get to this moment are unmatched.

Finally, over the loudspeaker came the words I'd waited nine months to hear, "Load the bar to 860 pounds for Dave Tate." It was a weight I'd squatted several times before, and it was to be my opening attempt. Full of rage, I began chalking my hands.

This is the moment with every big lift that I "detach" from myself, and go on autopilot. Rarely do I remember anything from the time I leave the chalk box until after the lift.

However, this lift I do remember, because I couldn't get it out of the rack.

I remember trying to stand up with the weight, but I couldn't budge it. It felt welded to the rack. I tried a few times and still nothing. This pissed me off to no end, so I stepped back and increased my rage as high as I could, got back under the rack, and nothing.

My helpers stepped in and pulled me from the rack. Needless to say, this was not a good moment for me. Nine months of training and I couldn't get my damn opener out of the rack.

Just then, I heard Louie Simmons call out, "Dave, you're done. Pull out." I glanced back at him, figuring he was just trying to piss me off. But he looked straight at me and said, "I'm serious, Dave. You're done. Pull out, and we'll talk later. It's not worth what could happen right now."

Now, Louie Simmons is one of the best coaches in the world, and I was part of his team, the Westside Barbell Club. This club is known to be the strongest gym in the world and I was one of Louie's boys. I respect this man and trust him with my life.

So I pulled out, and spent the rest of the meet watching the rest of my team lift well, sitting there eating hot dogs and wondering what the hell my problem was.

On the drive home, I told Louie, "I don't understand what happened today. My training went well. I was strong as hell on everything in the gym."

Just then he stopped me and said something I'll never forget: "That's exactly your problem."

As we turned onto the Interstate, I sat there thinking that Louie was out of his mind. How could being strong in the gym be a bad thing?

How can being strong as hell in the gym be a bad thing?

"You know what you need, Dave?" Louie continued. "You need to do those things you suck at. You're at a point where your weaknesses are killing you, and you're doing nothing to address them. Your legs and upper back can easily squat a grand, but your abs and lower back can't squat 860 pounds. Which do you think you'll squat, 1000 or 860? What you need to be doing is reverse hypers and standing ab work!"

The simple truth hit me like a half-ton of iron. Louie was exactly right. In training, I hated doing reverse hypers and standing ab work. As a matter of fact, I hated alllower back and ab work, so to be honest,I skipped it most of the time.

Once again: your weak points are caused by doing what you hate to do. And this is the difference between competitive athletics and "working out." You can always get into better shape by doing things that you like to do, but to excel at a sport, you have to master doing the things that you hate to do.

So, for the next six months I trained my lower back and abs four days a week: once at the beginning of every session, and at the end of each session. At the Nationals in November, I squatted 900 pounds for the first time. For the next meet, I increased my torso training to six days a week, with three days being very heavy and three days being light.

In July, I went back to the IPA Worlds, the same meet I had to pull out of the year before. I squatted 860 pounds, then 905 pounds, and onto an easy 935 pounds.

While training for the 935 pounds, my main gym lifts that I had bragged were so strong were actually down 15 percent from the previous year, however, my torso strength was the strongest that it had ever been.

Thanks, Louie.
__________________________________________________________________

Whether you're a powerlifter, Olympic lifter, strongman, physique competitor or just someone who wants to look and feel better, this is great advice. Quite often, the things we hate doing in training are the very things we need to do the most.

Start training your deficiencies now and you'll see what a difference it can make.

Stay strong and have a great 4th!

MR

Q&A: 5x5 Article

2008-06-30T13:28:00.003-05:00

Hi Mike,

I liked your 5x5 article on elitefts.com. You reference moving to a more intensity based routine if you meet certain criteria. Are you referring to a program such as Westside?

Rick

Absolutely Rick - while I have no doubt that Westside can get you super strong, some people simply aren't ready to train in this intensive of a fashion.

In his book "Science and Practice of Strength Training," Zatsiorsky mentions that trainees should focus on repetition method work for 3 years before seriously employing the maximal effort method. Now, this doesn't mean you have to be doing 12's the entire time, but I wouldn't be doing heavy singles in the beginning, either.

You need this "base" for several reasons:

- Development of connective tissue strength
- Development of optimal technique
- Development of confidence

I think the guys who have probably seen the best success with Westside have exhausted their success using other methods. I think most lifters follow a path like this:

Beginner - High rep stuff (8's, 10's, etc. basically newbie gains)

Intermediate - Moderate volume with increased intensity (i.e. 5x5 or 3x3 methodologies)

Advanced - Sheiko, Westside, etc. - basically high intensity stuff. I could get into how Sheiko and Westside are different w/regards to how they go about intensifying the workouts, but that's a whole 'nother blog post ;)

I hope this long-winded answer helps you out!

Best
MR

Q&A: Patellar Tendonitis

2008-06-26T09:10:00.002-05:00

Hi Mike,

I've been reading your articles on T-Nation, purchased Magnificent Mobility/Inside-Out and am beginning to incorporate both into training and non-training periods.

I have recently been diagnosed with patellar tendonitis in the right knee and was wondering if you could give any recommendations as to how to treat this. Should I be looking into your "Bulletproof Knees" book, or should something like Magnificent Mobility be sufficient (over time)?

Thanks for your time.
James

Thanks for contacting me James. I'm glad you're finding the products useful, and hopefully this post will help you get that knee 100% again.

First of all, you should know that true tendonitis is pretty rare - and if it is what you have, then high-dose NSAID's for a couple of days should clear it right up. What you probably have it patellar tendinosis.

While I think Bulletproof Knees would help, it's more of a post-rehab protocol. If you do in fact have patellar tendinosis, current research seems to indicate that eccentric decline squats seem to help clear it up pretty well. I would meet with a qualified PT, or at the very least do a thorough search on Pubmed to help you figure out the best protocol.

As I recall (and it's been a while since I read through the research, so don't hold me to this!), two to three sets of 15 repetitions on at least a 15 degree decline worked quite well over the course of several weeks. You have to perform these twice a day, and it's probably going to be pretty uncomfortable in the beginning.

The bigger question is - why did this happen in the first place? In my humble opinion, people who develop patellar tendinosis tend to be in a greater degree of anterior pelvic tilt on that side when compared to the unaffected side. What does this mean from a training perspective?

- You need more rectus/external oblique work on that side.

- You probably lack glute activation/strength on that side.

- One or more of your hip flexors on that side are either short/stiff.

So once you've cleaned up the tendinosis, work to iron out the side-to-side imbalances that most likely created it initially. This is where Bulletproof Knees would be the most beneficial - to help you get back to 100% after you've dealt with the pathology.

Good luck!

Metabolic Momentum

2008-06-25T13:04:00.003-05:00

Before I begin this blog, I must give complete and total credit for the term Metabolic Momentum to Bill Hartman - if he's smart, he'll trademark it ASAP ;)

All I know is this - for the past 2-3 months I've trained pretty hard, consistently, and ate reasonably well. My diet hasn't been 100% perfect, but pretty good overall. However, the other day I had a light training session but my diet was pretty darn bad - I don't remember what all I ate, but I know it wasn't healthy and I finished the day off with a small Blizzard from Dairy Queen (conveniently located less than 1 minute from my house).

So I put on 3 pounds at least that day - right?

That's what I would've figured - but in fact the opposite was true. I actually LOST a pound that day, bringing me to a current low of 204 pounds.

Essentially, metabolic momentum occurs when you've trained your ass off and ate really well for an extended period of time. John Berardi refers to this (or something along these lines) as G-Flux.

In fact, it's not rocket science at all - the phrase "Eat Less, Move More" comes to mind immediately. There's nothing wrong with eating carbs, or having a dessert from time to time - the key is that these are considered "treats" and don't occur on a daily basis. Couple this with a regimented and reasonably hard training program and you're good to go.

I'm not going to drone on and on about this, just understand that the further you are away from your goal, the more dialed in you have to be to accrue some Metabolic Momentum. Your metabolism is slow as molasses and you need to do everything in your power to get it rolling. Get strict about your diet and training to really crank things up.

As you get closer to your goal, you can (but don't need to) slow down and enjoy the process a little bit. I've essentially hit my goal of being in the low 200's, so unless I want to take it a notch further I'm okay with where I'm at. My metabolism is cranking pretty good, so I have a little bit more leeway in my diet now than I did over the past couple of months. In essence, it's my reward for being a good boy for a while now.

I hope this all makes sense - dial in your diet, train hard, and develop some Metabolic Momentum to help get (and stay!) in great shape!

Stay strong
MR

Random thoughts from the weekend

2008-06-23T14:27:00.003-05:00

Sorry, but there's not going to be any real rhyme or reason to this post. Just a bunch of stuff I've thought about over the weekend.

- Golf is hard, but I definitely get why people enjoy it. The feel you get from a good shot is definitely alluring. Luckily for me, I had more than one or two good ones - but not enough for me to play consistently. Yet.

- When you're 6'7", you can drive the ball REALLY far.

- Moving a cable crossover piece-by-piece into a gym isn't all that bad.

- Moving a cable crossover piece-by-piece out of a basement really sucks.

- You have a turn signal on your car for a reason. PLEASE use it.

- If you have to ask the service tech at your cell phone store how to make a call, you have no business bothering them with questions about texting, e-mail, or checking your account balance online.

MR

Anyone need an Indianapolis Personal Trainer?

2008-06-21T12:00:00.000-05:00

Well, the I-FAST site is really coming around! Mike Roussell has been hard at work over the past couple of weeks to bring it together, so be sure to check it out below. If you're interested in personal training, sports performance training, or simply an open gym membership, you owe it to yourself to check us out.

Stay strong
MR

Indianapolis Personal Trainer

A quick lesson in knee stability

2008-06-18T12:21:00.006-05:00

Last night I had my blog for today planned - I was going to talk about the training and mental resolve it takes to be a champion. Unfortunately for KG and the Celtics, they're going to have to wait a day!

We saw mental toughness at its finest this week when Tiger Woods won his 14th major in the world of golf. Even though he was playing on a bum knee and needed an extra 19 holes to get the job done, he persevered and outlasted the underdog Rocco Mediate to win the US Open.

Unfortunately today, we found out the true scope of his knee injury. You can find the entire story here:

Tiger Woods to have season-ending knee surgery

It turns out Tiger had torn his anterior crucicate ligament (ACL) llate ast year. In an effort to play this year, he opted against surgery - which lead to him tearing his meniscus and developing two stress fractures in his tibia.

The ACL is one of the major passive stabilizers of the knee - without an intact ACL, the knee is much more "loose." This is why people who don't have their ACL's repaired have an expedited onset of arthritic changes in the knee. You need that stability for optimal function in the knee, as well as throughout the kinetic chain.

Unfortunately for us, this means no more Tiger Woods on the golf course this year. However, just think about how much more amazing this makes his recent victory - even with a reduction in his knee stability AND a loss of proprioceptive ability due to the ACL tear, he still won a major golf tournament. I'm sure that like the rest of you, we're crossing our fingers that the real Tiger will be back next year and better than ever.

If you are having knee issues, or have torn your ACL in the past, I'd highly recommend picking up a copy of my Bulletproof Knees manual to help get you back to 100%.

Stay strong

Guest Blog: Leigh Peele

2008-06-17T12:00:00.000-05:00

Today we have a guest blogger on the board. As I was reading Leigh Peele's Fat Loss Troubleshoot last week (a great read, BTW), near the end she has this amazing story about one of her clients. Far too often we use excuses to explain why we can't achieve our goals. This guy had about a million and one excuses, but he still got the job done.

Enjoy!

Stay strong
MR

____________________________________________________________________

I am a big believer in things not being very black and white. I am one who believes in the ability of people to change, perhaps because I myself have changed so much. I seem to find often those who don’t believe in others ability to change are those who are afraid or do not attempt to do so themselves. I change, I change everyday. I constantly try to face things I fear, to stand up to the person I know I can be, and to self educate to become a more informed person in the future. I am human, I am flawed, but I try because I care.

That is the difference. That is where it becomes black and white. You either care or you don’t about something. There is no half way when it comes to caring about something. You don’t kind of care. By the very definition of the word it is a pretty extreme emotion, much like love. You love or you don’t.

You have heard of the saying I am sure, “I fell off the wagon”. Usually associated with drinking, it is basically rooted in trying to achieve a goal of abstaining something that isn’t good for us and failing to do so. The origin of the saying varies but it is largely believed to have come from the days of prohibition where those who denied alcohol were said to be “on the water wagon”. A water wagon carried water that sprayed the roads to calm the dust of travel. As if to say “I would rather drink the muck of the passing wagon than liquor”. To fall of the water wagon was not ideal. To say the alcohol is all good or bad is a bit extreme for my liking but I like the phrase.

The reason I like the phrase is because to fall off the wagon is to imply that you have a) been on the wagon at some point and b) can get back on it. In one classic saying you can combine a world of hope for yourself. You can take stock of the negative effects of failure and the positive of getting back on to ride a less mucky journey. I will try to resist being too poetic and spare you my drivel. I want to move to the rude awakening which is…

You either care or you don’t.

You either do what you have to do to achieve something or you don’t.

Does this mean that if you aren’t perfect that you don’t care? No, not at all. I can assure you that you can mess up left and right and still care. This whole thing is about trying to help you understand if you do care and the accountability that comes with doing so.

Excuses, Excuses.

I had a case client that was by all accounts a tragedy but he made Rocky’s ambition look wimpy. He had no money, no real family, worked two jobs, in massive debt from bad past financial decisions, divorced, recovering from a bad knee injury, no workout equipment, extremely out of shape, and about 75 pounds overweight. His one job was in a factory plant where he got a 30 min break in 10 hours. His other job was a graveyard shift job he worked 3 days a week. Some days he got 4 hours of sleep. A challenge for me to say the least as I had to work around time, money, no training equipment, injuries, and more. He could only contact me twice a week because his internet access was at the library only as he lived 6 states away from me.

Doesn’t matter though because you do what you have to do, so we got at it.

Training? Bodyweight, poles at work, on the way to work, park near his apartment.

Diet? Condiments and Splenda taken from his cafeteria at work. Bulk chicken breast and tuna buys at market. Dented cans of food, discounted meats, and veggies. I had 40 bucks a week to work with, that is it. Cheats were sample days at supermarkets, and bang for your buck calories came from smarter fast food decisions.

Supplements? Weren’t any, he couldn’t afford them.

Rest? He didn’t get a lot, but we did what we could.

Eating times? He packed lunches, he mashed foods together to make bars, he ate stuff cold, but he ate as often as he could.

Aerobic training? He acquired a used bike and started riding it to work. He started doing some drills outside, and when his knee got better he found one hill and went up and down it.

End result? I would like to tell you he lost all that 75 pounds, but he didn’t. Instead he lost 54 pounds, gained a some muscle and is about 11% body fat. In the best shape of his life and just got hired to be a personal training after saving 400 bucks to get the certification. He just wants to train people, just wants to make a few bucks doing something he now loves.

Now to be truthful this didn’t have a thing to do with me. I barely talked to him or inspired him. I didn’t get to see his form, all I could really do was point him in the right direction, provide a program and cross my fingers. I tried to help him get creative to make his life easier, but that is about it. It was how much he cared about achieving that did it. I was just an education source.

Have you picked up anything yet? I have a few questions for you now.

What are your excuses?

What are you whining about?

What is so bad that is keeping you from achieving your goal?

More so, what are you telling yourself to make yourself feel better about not sticking to your program?

Hold on, don’t get upset. This isn’t about beating you down so let me explain further.

Do you think I am that perfect? That I never screw up or have my weak moments? Of course I do. I will admit it isn’t often and when I have a goal I really try to do my best at it because I am a perfectionist, but still I am a emotional creature. I have my physical limits and certainly my mental ones. The difference is, if I don’t do what I need to do, I know it is because I choose to.

That is it. That is the lesson to be learned here.

If I am running late for a meeting it is because I chose to sit 5 mins longer than I should have. I chose the night before to lay down early instead of laying out my meals for the next day and that put me behind. My weakness isn’t so much in training and food by the way, but man can I make organizing mistakes. I am working on it. I DO CARE. I progress because I am real with myself about what I don’t do, about what I haven’t done.

You can honestly tell me that you had to eat at a restaurant and at that restaurant you had to eat an oil smothered roll? Crap. You didn’t have to do anything, you choose to do it. You could have…

-Eaten before you got there
-Asked for a healthier selection
-Taken a meal replacement bar with you in your pocket
-Not eaten there at all

Tons of choices. You chose to take the direction you went. There are no excuses, only choices.
People hire me and dislike me because I take away their excuses. Whatever you can come up with, I have it in spades for what you could have done better. Am I faulting you for lack of imagination? Yes I am. There are billions of dollars in books, software, magazines, information, whatever that can provide you methods of making better choices. Even if you make the wrong choice, at least you thought you were making the right choice.

No Food? Pack it.

No Time? Find it.

Too Tired? Sleep more.

No Equipment? Find Some.

No Support? Support yourself.

Here are some of my favorite excuses.

#1-”It was in the house so I had to eat it.”

No you didn’t have to eat it. Also the number one rule to trying to cut the fat is to make your home a safe ground. If it isn’t in the house you can’t eat it. However, to that you will turn and say…

#2-”Why should I punish my family? I can’t control what they bring in.”

Not having unhealthy food in the house is hardly punishment and you need to rethink how you look at food. Give your kid an apple not a ding dong. You making a statement like that is like saying “I care about my body and how I look, let them worry about theirs”. What happens when your spouse starts to feel the effects (mentally or physically) of that lifestyle? Worse, what about your kids becoming obese and setting a tough course for their life to follow? Newer surveys from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that about one-third of U.S. children are overweight.

Lastly, does your family really have that little respect for you that they can’t make some sacrifices for you? If you really can’t get the husband or wife to stop bringing home bad foods then you need to look at what that really means and how much you are being supported and respected.

#3-”I need some time for me and I just can’t spend my whole day packing, shopping, and cooking.”

Well you don’t have to. A tiny bit of planning and organizing and it can be done easily.

You can eat out as well if you take the time to do it the right way. Do you have a favorite tv show of late? If you can talk to your friends about the new Lost episode or who is winning on American Idol, then you have time to pack your meals for the next day. You find the time to do the things you want to do.

Let me repeat.

If you care, you make the time.

If you care, you will deal with a fight.

If you care, you will demand respect.

If THEY care, they will help you.

If you care you will commit right now to do the most important thing you can do for yourself in this life. STOP MAKING EXCUSES.

If you ate the cookie it happens yes, it doesn’t mean you don’t care. It does mean you CHOOSE to do it. It was your choice. It was your failure or success. When you do well it just doesn’t happen, you earned it, and you chose your path. Well as with success the same comes with failure. If you fail to comply it was your choice to do so. It isn’t because life is unfair, your didn’t want to look like a stick in the mud, your husband brought home a pizza, your kid wanted the ice cream, you didn’t have time to pack for work, etc.

All excuses. All failures that you are trying to soften and make something they are not. Don’t. You can’t now anyway because I have called you out on it. You can try to convince yourself all you want but now I have nagged you and my words will haunt you in that weak moment. Remember still that it is okay and normal to have weak moments, just accept them for what they are. That is all I am trying to teach you.

In the end it boils down to this. You are either a Wagon Rider or Pedestrian.

A Wagon Rider can fall off, they may let it pass by them on the street, they may get scared of the ride and the journey over and over again, but they care. They spend more time on the wagon than walking. They will get to their destination faster.

The Pedestrian just keeps walking and aren’t ready to make any changes. They don’t care and it doesn’t matter to them right now. This may have been you, it may be your now. It can be a lonely and a selfish life being the pedestrian but the choice, as always…

is yours.

Leigh Peele

Reader response to "Operator Error"

2008-06-16T12:01:00.001-05:00

After my blog post titled "Operator Error," I got this amazing e-mail from reader Todd Stark. Todd (like myself) obviously has an interest in the psychology of training, and he's allowed me to reproduce his e-mail below. Enjoy!
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Hi Mike,

Just to stay psychological for a moment, I agree completely with you about locus of control and its importance. There’s also this thing called “cognitive dissonance” that is a huge and pervasive effect on how we explain our own behavior. It has various consequences, but I think one of the big ones for training is that the more we legitimately invest in something, the more we see it as useful -- in order to prevent the uncomfortable inconsistency that failure would represent to our self-image of intelligence, etc..

So if we don’t get the results we expect, we tend to either blame someone else for “tricking” us or blame the program for “not working” in some way that we could not have predicted. It is much harder to reason that we didn’t follow instructions or that we didn’t adapt the program suitably or that we picked the wrong program or wrong level of intensity to use, because these things are more likely to signify that “*I*” made a mistake. It is easy to admit mistakes so long as they aren’t our own, then it becomes very, very difficult to admit them. The more something seems like a mistake on my own part, the less likely I can actually attribute the failure to my own actions, especially if I see myself as intelligent and relatively free of error, as most of us do.

Recognizing and compensating for this is (I suspect) a big part of shifting our locus of control.

If you are interested in this psychological stuff, one of the original researchers into cognitive dissonance and another very good psychologist wrote a recent book about it that’s pretty good, with provocative current examples. Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson, “Mistakes Were Made (but not by me)”. It probably won’t teach you anything completely new, since you seem to have some background in psych, but it is a great read.

Kind regards,

Todd
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Stay strong

MR

Q&A: Core Training

2008-06-13T12:00:00.000-05:00

This was recently sent to me by a client and fitness enthusiast regarding core training; his friend was trying the following exercise and wanted to know if it was dangerous or not. First, here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Are-ApIH27Q

Now, before all the Crossfit people out there go nuts on me for saying this, understand that I'm only going to critique the EXERCISE, not Crossfit as a whole. In fact, I used to subscribe to this kind of core training myself, so I'm definitely not beyond reproach.

The fact of the matter is that repeated flexion and extension of the lumbar spine probably is not a good idea. Sure, there are people out there who have done exercises like this for years and never been injured. However, there are also people out there that always pull deadlifts with a round back and never had a back injury. Keep in mind, these people are quite often exceptions to the rule - just because they haven't been injured doesn't mean they're right.

Here's a little quote from one of Eric Cressey's recent blog posts from a similar vein:

“Repetitive flexion-extension motions with low magnitude compressive forces have been shown to be an effective mechanism for causing disc herniations.”

(Note: You can check out Eric's entire blog post here: Herniating a Disc 101).

Unfortunately, we're still very caught up in the idea of moving our lumbar spine during core training movements. Whether it's excessive flexion, rotation, extension or even side-bending, the muscular make-up of the core region, coupled with the lack of rotary capacity at the lumbar spine, leads me to believe that work to stabilize or spare the spine should be our primary goal. And keep in mind, too, this is only focusing on the region we're working, while the body works as a functional, integrated unit. Excessive shortening of the rectus abdominus can also wreak havoc on the rib cage, pulling us into an excessively kyphotic posture and beating the hell out of our shoulders.

Since my first article on core training, I've written two more that reflect my current stance on core training; you can find them here:

Core Training for Smart Folks

High Performance Core Training

The exercises outlined here not only train the core in appropriate postures (i.e. the ones we're in every day), but teach the surrounding muscles to resist movement rather than promote it.

I hope this helps answer your question.

Stay strong
MR

Operator Error

2008-06-12T12:00:00.000-05:00

I must admit, I'm constantly intrigued at how people interpret things.

For instance, I was reading a while back about someone who was re-living their fat loss experience. They claimed that "X" program didn't work. They only lost Y amount of lbs., and therefore the program was a bust.

However, if you read the whole post, they discussed how they missed some workouts, didn't stick to the diet 100%, and otherwise had a few lapses in judgement that could have affected the results.

Excuse me - huh?

If I can get all psychological on you here for a second, there's this little thing called your locus of control. Some people have an internal locus - basically, they understand that what they do has a direct influence on the results they receive.

In contrast, others have an external locus of control - while they understand their actions to some degree influence their results, they are very quick to blame outside factors for the good or bad that comes of them.

There's an old quote that goes something like this: "You're exactly where you deserve to be in life." In other words if you have the body you want, a great job, family life, etc., it's because you've worked hard to achieve it. If your overweight, out of shape, have a crummy job or crummy relationships, well, you've done something to achieve that result as well.

This is a key concept: You have to understand that YOU have gotten yourself to your current state. YOU have direct control over the future. Your relationships, your body, your career - the key constituent in all these things is YOU. Sure, outside influences play a role, but the second you stop blaming outside influences the better off you'll be.

With regards to your body, blaming anything on a program or diet is weak. Sure, there are some programs and diets out there that are better than other, but step back and look at the big picture. You control how hard you train, your recovery, and what you put in your mouth. The sooner you realize that you control what goes on with your body, the sooner you're going to make some wholesale changes and truly enjoy the body that you have.

Stay strong
MR

Black and White

2008-06-11T12:00:00.001-05:00

In the 80's, high carb diets were all the rage. Now, it's low carb all the way baby!

For strength building, you have to use 5x5.

Unless you use Westside.

Or Sheiko, that might work too. The Russians are kind of strong, after all.

What am I getting at here? The longer I do this, the more I realize how assinine black and white statements are. They might garner headlines or attract attention to yourself, but very rarely are they correct over the long haul.

Instead, we all know that real truth lies somewhere in the middle - it's not just low carb diets, or low fat diets that work, but generally something in between.

More importantly, it's ALWAYS individual. If you want to get all Devil's Advocate on someone, take the opposite stance and figure out ways in which it might be applicable and argue like your life dependend on it.

This is really prevalent in all the fat loss materials out there nowadays. You can get products like Warp Speed where everything is done for you - diet, training, the works. Now some people bash the product because "You're not teaching the person to fish." But what if they don't give a damn about fishing? Maybe they'd rather spend time at work to make more money. Or spend more time with their familiy. After all, who are you to tell someone else what's better? If you want to learn more about the topic, buy Leigh Peele's Fat Loss Troubleshoot instead.

The same goes for strength training - a specific program might work great for you, but not work as well for someone else. Does the program no longer hold value? Is it suddenly a worse program for you? These are just some points I keep coming back to.

Most importantly, I think it's critical to find out about what works for you. Do you want to know the inner workings of a program or fat loss method? Then you better buy the appropriate product. Maybe 5x5 works best for you for getting big and strong - great! But don't assume it will work the same for your buddy.

In contrast, there's nothing wrong with being on the other side of the fence. I spend a ridiculous amount of time learning about training, nutrition, and a host of other topics because it's my job. I don't care how the stock markets work - I can pay someone manage my IRA's. As well, I'd much rather pay an accountant to deal with my mess than me take the time out of my life to deal with it. Don't be ashamed to have a professional do the work for you.

Figure out what works, for you, and then apply it consistently. If you're a trainer, do you best to educate yourself on all the various methodologies respective to your field. The second you become entrenched in dogma and one-way thinking, you're behind the curve. As the saying goes, "there's more than one way to skin a cat."

One final note: I really feel that the reason many programs work is because people believe in them. For myself, a modified 5x5 approach consistently produced gains in my squat, and I believed in the program. The same could be said for those successfully applying Sheiko or Westside methodologies. If you believe that a program will net you results, you're much more likely to train hard enough to elicit those changes.

Find something that is consistent with your beliefts, work your ass off, and the results will come. But don't be surprised if the answer isn't black and white.

Stay strong
MR

I-FAST #2 - Personal/Group Training

2008-06-10T12:00:00.000-05:00

Let's be honest - personal training and performance coaching isn't cheap. Most people out there simply can't afford to pay $80/hour (or more) multiple times per week to work with you.

So what's an alternative that works as a win-win for everyone involved? Small group training. In fact, we'll be offering almost all our training sessions in a small group format versus a one-on-one setting.

Small group training is superior in several regards:

- As mentioned above, not everyone can pay $80/session multiple times per week. However, a lot more people can pay $30-$40/session (Duh!). Quite simply, you open yourself up to a much larger market because you're more affordable than the competition.

- A small group setting gives trainees a chance to work out with other clients who have similar goals. Whether you want to lose body fat, get stronger, or become more athletic, there's nothing better than being surrounded by other motivated people.

- As a facility or trainer, it makes more sense because you can have more trainees working out at any given time. The one-on-one method leads to a lot of down time; chatting about last night's TV shows or the latest gossip. Sure, as a trainer you're going to work harder in a group model, but you're much more efficient with your time in the gym. After all, who wants to work with a trainer at 7 pm when he's been in the gym since 6 am?

The goal is to cater to two primary demographics: the everday Joe/Jane that's interested in losing bodyfat or getting into better shape, and athletes who want to take their performance to the next level. When you think about it, the rules of training don't change all that much between the two groups:

1 - Use compound, big bang exercises
2 - Eat a wholesome, nutritious diet
3 - Recover properly

Sure the programming will be different in certain aresa, but most people need to train more "athletically" to get to their goals anyway!

The group training model is a defining difference between I-FAST and the competition. Remember our primary goal: To help YOU achieve your goals.

www.IndianapolisFitnessAndSportsTraining.com

Stay strong
MR

I-FAST #1 - Open Gym Memberships

2008-06-09T12:00:00.000-05:00

Over the course of the following days, I'm going to blog about the new gym that Bill Hartman and I are opening. I think it's fair to say that opening a gym is a dream that both of us have had for quite some time, so in these blog posts I'm going to do my best to describe what will make Indianapolis Fitness and Sports Training (I-FAST) unique when compared to other fitness facilities.

In this blog we'll discuss open gym memberships at the facility.

When you join your "typical" commerical facility, a few things will probably happen:

- You'll sign some sort of contract
- You might get a brief tour of the facility
- You might get someone to "show you how to use the machines"
- If you're really lucky, they may do some sort of fitness testing on you

Whether you think of it this way or not, you're basically renting machines from your current gym. You will get little or no guidance. To boot, you'll probably get little or not support.

You're a cog in the wheel.

At I-FAST, our #1 goal is to ensure that our clients see results. After all, each and every person who trains at your gym is a walking billboard, whether you want to believe it or not. Our open gym membership will be vastly different from others in several regards.

First, EVERY PERSON who trains at our gym will be assessed to help determine their starting points and issues that need to be addressed. This could include body composition, joint specific mobility/stability testing, gross motor movements, etc. Obviously, it's going to be very dependent upon your current level of training, your goals, etc. but everyone will be assessed.

Next, EVERY PERSON who trains at our gym will be on an individualized program to help them achieve their goals. You won't see someone doing 30 sets of curls, bench presses, or front raises. After all, how many people in your current gym work hard enough to have success, but have terrible programming? Or programming that doesn't fit their current goals? If you combine hard work with quality programming, good things happen.

Another common issue with most commercial facilities is a lack of the big bang equipment such as racks, platforms, plates, etc. Just to start out we're going to have four platforms and three racks so you don't have to deal with this madness. Beyond that, we'll have tons of the other stuff you know you need - dumbbells, strongman equipment, etc.

Finally, our goal is to create a community within our members so that you'll actually enjoy the people around you when you work out. A positive and supportive environment can taken even the most average trainee to amazing levels of strength and fitness, so we'll include all kinds of events and outings to make sure that you "know thy neighbor."

In the end, even our open gym memberships aren't so much members as they are clients - people we've assessed, programmed for, and set on a path to success.

In Part II, we'll discuss the various training programs that I-FAST has to offer.

Stay strong
MR

www.IndianapolisFitnessAndSportsTraining.com

Rebuilding the squat

2008-06-06T12:00:00.000-05:00

My first squat workout consisted of 8 repetitions at 185 pounds. I can still remember it to this day, as one of the football players made some wise-ass comment and called me "Squatasaurus."

Jerk.

In my first official powerlifting meet, I squatted a whopping 336 at a bodyweight around 176. Needless to say, I didn't know squat.

Over the years, I tried tons of different programs - clusters, wave-loads, bands, chains, 5x5, Russian squat cycles, the works. I also tried tons of different squatting styles; I started out narrow, then moved ultra wide (ala Westside), and then settled on something in between. All I knew was the squat was the most difficult lift for me, but I wanted it to be my best.

Over the years, I slowly built my squat. I think the numbers went something like this:

Meet #1 - 336
Meet #2 - 380
Meet #3 - 407
Meet #4 - 385 (yeah, this one sucked - that's another story!)
Meet #5 - 385 (this REALLY sucked - welcome to a National meet!)
Meet #6 - 424?
Meet #7 - 446
Meet #8 - 473
Meet #9 - 490 (couldn't eke out the big 5 bills)
Meet #10 - 515
Meet #11 - 530 (I think I could've gone 545-550 this day, but a miscue on the opener wrecked that notion)

I'm not 100% on all the numbers, but that looks pretty darn close. First meet was in December of 2000, last meet in May of '05. I did approximately two meets per year, except for '01-'02 where I did at least three.

Let's be honest: I was never a pretty squatter. I have a short torso and long limbs, so it's more of a squat/good morning hybrid. While I'm nowhere near their level, my squat looked a lot like a Brad Gillingham or Nick Tylutki. Being an athlete growing up, I inherently knew the best way for me to squat big was to squat fast. The slow, controlled thing just didn't work for me.

I think the thing that consistently drove my numbers up were hard work, a laser-like focus on my goals and always refining technique. I had a video clip up here last year where I was squatting again and the "stroke" has never felt quite the same after the surgery. The knee feels fine, but training has been inconsistent at best and without coaching getting dialed in is very hard to do.

My goal right now is to get the technical aspects back, and then to start driving the poundages back up. If you want to grow your squat, I think I've written some decent articles on the topic - be sure to check these out:

10 Tips for Flawless Squattin'

6 Tricks for a Sexy Squat

The Modified 5x5 Program (this is the routine I used to go from 420ish to 530)

Olympic vs. Powerlifting Squats

While it's not a quick and easy process, take the time and dedicate yourself to growing your squat. Whether your goal is jakt legs, aesthetics or just a big squat, your hard work will be rewarded over time.

Stay strong
MR

PS I'll do my best to find a video clip of a competition squat; I know I have one somewhere!

So you want to look like him, eh?

2008-06-05T12:00:00.000-05:00

While "fat loss training" has always been part of my job description, when opening a commercial gym it quickly becomes a priority.

So what does this have to do with Rich Franklin?

With MMA being all the rage now, everyone wants to "look like a fighter." After all, 10 years ago everyone wanted to look like a boxer or gymnast, so it's only fitting to have a new aesthetic goal to shoot for.

But the question is this: Are you being realistic?

Now granted, almost everyone reading this would LOVE to have a physique like Rich's. But while watching a show regarding his life a few days ago, he talked about how hectic his life was, and how he often TRAINED 40 HOURS PER WEEK!

Think about that - most people hate working 40 hours a week; could you imagine training 40 hours a week? I don't care how much you enjoy it, that would wear on just about anyone. Rich described it as "the grind of training 40 hours per week." Granted, this includes skill/techincal work, strength work, conditioning, etc., but that's more training than most people get in a month, let alone a week!

When defining your physique, strength and/or body fat goals, make sure that you're being realistic. I'm not in any way, shape or form asking you to lower your expectations or strive for less than your own personal best, but sometimes a dose of reality goes a long way.

Stay strong

Fat Loss Troubleshoot and my own fat/weight loss

2008-06-04T12:00:00.001-05:00

Last week I finished up Dave Barr's "Anabolic Index", so I figured it's time to read something about getting lean - thus the move to Leigh Peele's Fat Loss Troubleshoot. I'm going to write up something thorough for the newsletter when I'm all done, but I thought I'd give a few intial impressions here in the blog.

First of all, I really like Leigh's writing style; she's got a witty, easy way of saying things. It makes for pleasurable reading overall. So far, she's given an overview of all the chapters, discussed calories, carbs, proteins, fats, etc. Basically, she's laying the groundwork for later chapters that get into the nitty-gritty details behind shedding body fat once and for all.

As many of you know, I just finished up my final 12 days on the Warp Speed diet. Overall, I lost approximately 15 pounds and in general I feel much better overall. My conditioning is up and everything just feels easier. While the Fat Loss Troubleshoot is there to give you the ins and outs and will most likely "teach you how to fish", Warp Speed gives basically tells you "do this and you'll get leaner."

In my opinion one isn't necessarily better than the other - it's more dependent on what YOU want to get out of each.

Do you want to learn it all and be able to write programs/diets for yourself or clients? If so, the troubleshoot may be preferable.

Do you want to be told exactly how to train/diet for the next four weeks for maximal body fat loss? Then Warp Speed may be better for you.

This is turning into a rant more than anything, so I'll do my best to summarize. EVERYTHING is individual. Some people want to learn as much as possible, and that's great. Others don't have the time/inclination, and that's fine too. After all, I pay an accountant, financial planner, and a host of other people to "do" stuff for me that I don't have the desire to learn about myself.

The bottom line here is this: If your goal is to lose body fat, pick the product that works best for you and get the job done. At this point in time, it's rarely an issue of not knowing enough - the key is in applying it properly and consistently.

Stay strong
MR

Sweet gear

2008-06-03T10:23:00.002-05:00

Jason Thompson is a friend of a friend whom I met at the Indianapolis Performance Enhancement seminar. I knew he was into the kettlebell thing, and my buddy Justin had mentioned he was developing a ton of sweet gear that revolved around kettlebells.

Always in need of new training gear, I swapped Jason some of my stuff for some of his gear - specifically a hat and several t-shirts. I threw this one on at the gym today:

When I read the back, I damn near spit out the water I was drinkin' - I thought it was pretty funny! Well, at least until I got to the gym and someone was actually doing it :(

If you want to check out more of Jason's stuff, you can find it here:

Girya Nation

Stay strong
MR

Random updates

2008-05-28T11:33:00.002-05:00

It's been an interesting week overall. For the last 3 days I've been doing some fill-in duties at the local high school; they wanted someone to come in and do a mini-course on strength training, so that's been fun. I've been trying to convince the kids that this is stuff they can use the rest of their lives, and they seem to be really enjoying it. I also forget how easy it is to teach a newbie/blank slate to lift weights, versus re-programming someone who has been taught incorrectly.

The gym is progressing as we speak. There's a rumor on the street that the bathroom/shower buildout will be completed soon, so that means we might even be able to start moving in this weekend! That would be really cool, as I'm ready to get this thing up and running ASAP. In the interim Bill and I have been working hard on the website, and I've had a recent surge of article ideas I've been trying to wrap up. Luckily for me, when inspiration hits it doesn't take too long to flesh things out. Be on the lookout for new material from me on T-Nation, Elite, and even Muscle with Attitude.

I had some good friends in town from Nashville and Ft. Wayne this weekend, so it was great to re-connect and spend time with them. I feel like overall I'm much more "balanced" now than a few months ago - like I have a greater perspective on the big picture and life itself. I know, very philosophical for a meathead like myself ;) I guess I just feel like I'm in a good place right now - mentally, physically and spiritiually.

We'll see if that "balance" can stick around once the gyms opens!

Stay strong
MR

Sam Byrd squatting

2008-05-20T10:47:00.000-05:00

Sam = Strong

Q&A: Zercher Squats

2008-05-15T08:09:00.005-05:00

Hey Mike, how are things going? Well, beyond the whole lacking sleep and stomach ulcers from stressing out for your seminar! I hope everything goes well :)

I've been listening the Strength Coach Podcast, and something that I was thinking of but never thought of asking came up...

How do Zerchers make your core work harder? There's no doubt (NO doubt!) that it DOES work your core harder, but I can't think of a good biomechanical justification. Shouldn't it work your lower back harder because the lever arm becomes longer?

Thanks!
Michael

Bah! Stress is overrated - I'm only trying to sell a condo, open a gym, and run a seminar this week. What do I have to complain about? ;)

Seriously, though, great question and it's one I've been looking to answer myself as well. Why do anteriorly loaded core exercises hit the core so much harder? Examples would be front squats, plate squats, Zercher squats, etc.

I think there are a few reasons this is true. First, I like to use the old-term by Ian King of "co-contraction." When you anteriorly load the weight, you get a natural co-contraction between your anterior and posterior core stabilizers. Unless you're an Olympic lifter or someone with a very balanced physique, co-contraction probably isn't a natural thing. Essentially you need your posterior stabilizers (spinal erectors), to keep you upright so you don't pitch forward and dump the weight - but that's the case in back squats and good mornings as well. I think the real difference is what happens to your center of gravity in these lifts, and the muscle groups you can rely upon to help develop the necessary core stability/stiffness.

We know when we squat, that the bar must stay over our feet. In a back squat with the placement of the bar (especially with a low bar placement), you can sit back much further and incur much more torso lean into the lift. While this will naturally hit the glutes and hamstrings harder, you can also rely predominantly on the spinal erectors to create your stability for you. Think about the physique of many powerlifters; they have huge erectors, but they're almost all in anterior tilt. Really strong lower backs and thighs, but more importantly not as strong in their anterior cores as they should be.

In a front squat, because the weight is loaded anteriorly you're forced into a more upright stance. This will not only have more balance on hip/leg development (between the quads, glutes and hamstrings), but on the core as well. You need contracture of the spinal erectors to keep you upright, but they are no longer your sole source of stability. You also recruit your anterior core to help you develop the "active stiffness" to stay upright and to transfer the power that your hips/legs are generating.

In a really roundabout way, I hope this is answering your question. Much like the front squat, the anteriorly placed loading of a Zercher squat forces you to maintain a more upright torso position. This, in turn, forces you to balance stiffness and stability between the anterior and posterior stabilizers of the body.

Whether my reasoning is 100% sound or not, the point is this - most people need to work on their anterior stabilizers, both with isolation and integration based exercises. Good luck!

Stay strong
MR

Q&A - Bulletproof Knees

2008-05-14T08:11:00.003-05:00

MR, I am doing the Sample Phase I Workout.

You list Static Stretching and Activation as number 2 in the Program, but in other parts of the same chapter you recommend stretching after one finishes the rest of the routines, or doing stretching before bedtime. Should I do the described stretching before number 3, Dynamic Flexibility Drills, do them after, or do stretching at two different points (before Flexibility AND another set before bed)?

I am rehabilitating a reconstructed left knee (surgery done in 1978). Can you recommend a good TFL/IT band stretch - I cannot find one in your manual. Because of said injured knee, I use the Tummiello piriformis stretch, since performing the one you give in the manual's stretching section causes me pain in the anterior left knee.

Thanks to you, I finally have a comprehensive program to get both of my wheels back on track. Keep up the good work. Larry

I can see were this would be confusing, Larry. There are various times when static stretching can be beneficial within the Bulletproof Knees program. Let me explain.

Pre-workout, we include what's called "Acute Corrective Strategies" to help re-groove better movement patterns in the muscles. For instance we would stretch your hip flexors, and then follow that up with an activation drill to enhance neural drive to the glutes. In this case, we're very specific in the stretches that we would perform.

After you've included the "acute corrective" drills to optimize neural drive to the glutes, you'd move in to your dynamic flexibility drills. Just as an aside, you can do this either before or after your dynamic flex, it's really more of a preference than a physiological law.

Now at the end of your day, that would be the optimal time to go through an extensive static stretching routine. This is where we would stretch all the muscle groups that we outline within the appendix of the manual. Most people have a very poor stretch tolerance, so this should help quite a bit.

As for your question regarding the TFL/IT Band, the IT band itself is very hard to stretch since it's not muscle tissue - it doesn't have the same physical properties. To stretch the TFL, try kneeling on a pad or pillow, activating the glutes and posteriorly tilting the pelvis. If you have a tight TLF on one side, you should get a nice stretch here. If nothing else, cue yourself to stay tight, tall, and drive the hips forward.

I hope this helps and keep me posted on your progres!

Best
MR

Q&A - Deadlift Training

2008-05-13T07:03:00.000-05:00

Mr. Robertson,

Hello my name is Andrew and I live on the westside of Indianapolis. I currently train at Next Level Gym with Josh Bolin. I had a question about deadlift training.

I have been seriously training for about a year and a half. Up until recently the majority of my lower body ME days consisted of box squats and good mornings of different variations. My DE lower body days have consisted of only box squats with different bars and resistance, and I have never pulled for speed.

I think the main reason I have not trained the DL very often is because so many people advise against it in different articles I have read. I saw that you mentioned in an article on Elitefts that one should pull more often as a beginner. I feel like I am stronger conventional and I am weak at the lockout at near or around 100%.

How would you recommend I train the DL and how often? If I pull on ME day does that mean I should not pull on DE day? I am sure my deadlift has gotten stronger from other lower body movements and supplemental/accesory work, but I bet I would gain faster if I trained it directly.

Thanks a lot for your time,
Andrew

Wow, a lot of questions in there Andrew! Here goes...

I firmly believe that in the beginning, you HAVE to train the deadlift. Sure if you're already pulling 600, 700 or 800 pounds, you may not need to train it that often. But as a beginner, you absolutely have to train it.

In the beginning, heavy sets in the 3-5 rep range would be adequate. More than anything, you need to get some high quality reps under your belt. How do you know what you need to work on technique wise if you never pull?

Once you get into the 400 and 500 pound range, I would suggest throwing in speed work and/or ME deadlift variations. Let's assume you do a ME workout on Monday and a DE workout on Thursday.

If you perform a ME deadlift variation on Monday, then I wouldn't include speed work for the DL on Thursday. Just DE squats and assistance work.

If you don't perform a ME deadlift variation on Monday, then I would definitely include speed work on Thursday.

The thing I always liked to do (and no, those who train Westside may not approve of this), was to perform a heavy squat workout on Monday, followed by assistance exercises. Then, on Thursday I would perform DE squat work and follow that up with either DE or ME deadlift work as necessary. I really feel like you can train heavy 3-4x/week in the beginning/intermediate phases; it's not until you get to the advanced/elite level that you should consolidate solely into ME and DE days. This was covered in my artice for Elite, The Intermediate Deadlift Cycle.

Regardless of my thoughts, I hope this helps. I would definitely be getting some DL training in every single week, at least until you get to a moderately high level of strength. From there, focusing on the assistance work may be more fruitful than training the DL itself.

Stay strong
MR

Q&A - Plantar fascitis

2008-05-12T08:31:00.001-05:00

Mike-

My fiance's father is experiencing a bout of plantar fasciitis. It started about 6 weeks ago and migrated from his right foot (he's right handed) into both feet. Initially it started in his heels and now is painful in both arches with no pain in the heels. The doctor had given him a cortisone shot in the heel initially and some stretches to perform. It doesn't seem to get any better - I had suggested a tennis ball for some soft tissue work on both feet, and wondered if somehow keeping the feet dorsiflexed at night would help.

I figured you've probably seen a lot more plantar fasciitis than I ever will, and might have some tricks that work. It seems that there's a lot of theories on the subject, and I was interested in what your practical experience has been.

Keep up the blogs and great interviews - you and Eric are so good at what you do - thanks!

First of all, thanks for the kind words. I hope this post will help!

There are several things I like to look for when someone is dealing with plantar fascitis:

- Soft tissue length in the lower extremity
- Soft tissue quality of the lower extremity
- Issues that may need to be resolved via behavior modification

Generally, the soft-tissue quality in the lower extremity is going to be quite poor. In this case, ART, massage and foam rolling/tennis/lacrosse ball work will all help. I'd start with the plantar fascia itself, and then work your way back up the kinetic chain like this:

Plantar fascia-->Achilles tendon-->Gastroc/soleus

Next, static stretching is really good here to help build up the tolerance to stretch. Place him in a doorway with the opposite leg flat on the ground and the affected leg up on the door frame. The key here is this - make sure that leg is straight! If he's as tight as you describe, this will be very uncomfortable. To increase the stretch further, have him place a towel over his toes to pull himself into a dorsiflexed position while stretching. This will stretch the entire posterior chain and, while uncomfortable, should eventually feel really good.

Finally, I'd look at his behaviors and determine what needs to be addressed. It sounds silly, but if the covers on your bed are too tight and constantly pulling your feet into a plantar flexed position, this isn't a good thing! It's much akin to sitting at a desk all day for your hip flexors. You're essentially telling your body to adaptively shorten those structures, which isn't a good thing. In this case a boot while he sleeps may be a great idea; this will help keep him in neutral, which I'm assumming will be a stretched position for him. Doing this for a few days/weeks should greatly resolve the issue.

I hope this helps and keep me posted on his progress!

Best
MR

Random thoughts #3

2008-05-06T12:50:00.003-05:00

While prepping for the upcoming Indy Seminar, it's been hard stringing together coherent thoughts. For that reason alone, let's continue on with some random thoughts I've been having:

- Developing a presentation, or series of presentations, really dials in your thought processes. I'm constantly striving to fill in the gaps and make the presentations more thorough. Hopefully that will be the case.

- I got a chance to check out the seminar facility yesterday as well, and it's pretty damn nice. Right in the heart of downtown Indy, it should be a great location for this and years to come.

- Heavy, deep front squats are just about the only thing that irritate my knee. My meniscal tear was in the antero-lateral region, so it isn't until the femur rolls and glides quite a bit until it hits that exposed area. After talking with Bill, he also mentioned that shear forces are greater laterally than medially, so these will be excluded from the programming for the time being.

- I think the interview with Eric Cressey yesterday was one of, if not the best, I've had on the site so far. In case you missed it, you can check it out HERE. As well, don't forget to sign-up for future newsletters so you can receive them directly in your inbox.

- Finally, Mike Roussell's and Alwyn Cosgrove's new Warp Speed Fat Loss went live today as well. Like I said in the newsletter, even if you don't purchase the product there's tons of free info to digest on the site as well. I'm always up for learning more, so be sure to check it out.

I think that's it for me right now. I'm definitely in seminar mode right now, so if I'm a little sporadic with the blog posts please forgive me!

All the best
MR

An amazing story....

2008-05-02T12:02:00.002-05:00

This is one of the coolest thing I've ever read. If you think sportsmanship is dead, read this article:

Sporting Gestures Touches 'Em All

A truly amazing story. Have a great weekend!

Stay strong
MR

Q&A 4/29

2008-04-29T12:55:00.000-05:00

Hi Mike,

I've just finished reading the Bulletproof Knees manual and I thought it was a fantastic read! It's definitely a resource I'll be using to help myself and anyone I know with knee problems (and hopefully prevent some people even having them!)

I do have a few questions from reading the manual I was hoping you would be able to help with:

1) On the double and single leg jump progressions, is it a good progression to go from wearing trainers to barefoot? I know there has been a shift towards doing warm ups and where possible train barefoot, I just wasn't sure whether it would be too much on the joints or not.

MR: While warm-ups and such are great choices for barefoot training, I really don't advocate taking this over into ballistic/high shock absorption movements like jumps and sprints. Most people's feet are far too weak to effectively absorb the shock, and while their knees might feel great they'll end up with some sort of lower extremity injury. Not good!

2) You mention that if someone suffers from compression or tracking issues they shouldn't wear the knee sleeves. Could you expand on why this is? If someone does suffer, are there any alternatives to wearing knee sleeves?

MR: People that have compression/tracking issues generally like the warmth a knee sleeve provides, but if they're too tight they only create more compression/tracking issues at the patello-femoral joint.

It's not so much that it's contraindicated, but I would definitely make sure they are loose and not furthering altering the normal biomechanics of the knee.

3) I like the idea of using the credit card to remove fluid, when you are scraping the card up the leg, do you just go around the whole knee or if you have a specific area that aches, just scrape over that area?

MR: I will actually start at the lower exremity, work my way up to the knee, and the all the way up into the thigh. If your leg is elevated and straight so that your foot is above your hip, think about working from the upper most to lower most portions.

4) Final question :-). I don't currently have any bands to be able to do the band stomps. I am currently looking to get some ironwoody ones, do you think they would be ok to do the band stomps with?

Thank you very much for your help!

Regards,

Jon

MR: I don't have any experience with the Iron Woody bands; every band I've ever purchased has been of the Topper(?) variety which can be purchased at Elite Fitness Systems (www.elitefts.com).

Thanks for the questions and good luck!

MR

Q&A

2008-04-28T12:46:00.003-05:00

Mike-

I got to your site a bit circuitously via stronglifts.com. Your “Bulletproof Knees” intrigues me greatly as I own a reconstructed ACL in my left knee and I am a sponge for good info.

I have two questions (if I may):

1) I started the stronglifts 5x5 program about four weeks ago and have been progressing slowly as I am “new” to free weights. I added Bulgarian split squats to my routine as a means of developing the posterior chain. I have no issues going past parallel with either a front of low back squat. I have no pain. I think my technique is solid (feedback from a PT on site where I work out).

My problem/issue is that I have developed a bit of swelling above the knee to the outside of each knee, with the “good” knee carrying a bit more fluid than the left oddly enough. Nothing excessive but noticeable when I fire the quads, you can see a bit of a bulge. Does this sound like an overuse issue due to the additional BSS routine or something I should go see my orthopod about? Empty bar on the BSS and I am currently squatting 140lbs front and back….like I said, just getting started.

2) Plantar Faciitis in left heel…barefoot or shoes? Is there a connection between the aftermath of the ACL issues and the plantar facilities issues? There is a good deal of size difference between the left and right leg, top to bottom. (Many years wearing a brace before the re-construction and poor maintenance during that time…I’m getting religion late in life.).

Oh, I’m 53, 175lbs and an avid squash player who can’t get off the court even when his body tells him to until it breaks down (very stubborn).

Thanks for reading and if the short answer is to “buy the book” or “go see your Doc” that’s cool. Just wanted to get a gauge as to the type of info I can expect with the book.

#1 - It's hard to say exactly why your knee is swelling without watching you perform the exercises at hand. If you haven't been training all that heavy, it could just me an instance of doing too much, too soon. If the knees aren't ready for it, a natural response is swelling until your body acclimates to the loading.

Now, one suggest I would make is that BSS's aren't an optimal choice if you're looking for posterior chain development. I would prefer a PC dominant movement like RDL's, deadlifts, etc. If you want a unilateral PC dominant exercise, single-leg RDL's would be a good option as well.

#2 - With regards to the plantar fascitis, it could be a result of the surrounding tissues "stiffening" to protect the knee joint. I would get some aggressive soft-tissue work done (ART, deep tissue massage, foam rolling) on the gastroc/soleus, Achilles tendon and plantar fascia. You may even be tight up into your hamstrings, so you'll have to explore a little. Some old fashioned static stretching may help as well. If your quads aren't firing as expected, loosening up the posterior knee musculature should help.

And when in doubt, buy the book ;)

Stay strong
MR