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
Showing posts with label Rants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rants. Show all posts
Friday, October 31, 2008
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
R.I.P. - Remembering our Prowler
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
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
Thursday, September 25, 2008
It's on YOU
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
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
Monday, June 23, 2008
Random thoughts from the weekend
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
- 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
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Operator Error
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
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
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
The "Fudge" Factor
If you've been following my training log for a while, you'll see that my training can be somewhat helter skelter. The ultimate goal would be to get 6 sessions in per week - 4 strength, 2 Krav Maga. Unfortunately, that doesn't always work out.
Instead, I'm a little bit more realistic about what can be done - I generally get in between four and five training sessions per week, which is more than enough to stay in shape and shed some body fat. The key here is that I have a fudge factor built in.
While I'd love to get in six sessions, I understand that it's not imperative for me to do so. In fact, I could probably continue to gain strength and shed body fat while only training three or four times per week. However, by planning for six sessions, I allow myself some freedom with regards to scheduling and such. Right now I'm working on several projects, including opening a gym, selling a home, and a host of other things. Quite simply, things come up and need to be addressed when I least expect it.
By allowing myself a little freedom with regards to my training schedule, I can continue to see progress. If I have to skip a session, I know it's not the end of the world because I've got something else planned later on to help make up for it.
What happens to most trainees is this: They have a schedule planned, and they're too rigid with it. Instead of understanding that things come up and interfere with their workouts, they compound the issue by thinking that they're "failling," and thus start a downward spiral. One missed workout turns into a bad meal later that night. That leads into another missed workout the next day, and you can see how things get out of control from there.
Remember that with all things there's "optimal" and then there's "real life." "Optimal" is great when/if you can make it happen. Unfortuantely for most of us, that's not all that often. Allow yourself a small fudge factor and you'll be happier with your training and the resulting success.
Stay strong
MR
Instead, I'm a little bit more realistic about what can be done - I generally get in between four and five training sessions per week, which is more than enough to stay in shape and shed some body fat. The key here is that I have a fudge factor built in.
While I'd love to get in six sessions, I understand that it's not imperative for me to do so. In fact, I could probably continue to gain strength and shed body fat while only training three or four times per week. However, by planning for six sessions, I allow myself some freedom with regards to scheduling and such. Right now I'm working on several projects, including opening a gym, selling a home, and a host of other things. Quite simply, things come up and need to be addressed when I least expect it.
By allowing myself a little freedom with regards to my training schedule, I can continue to see progress. If I have to skip a session, I know it's not the end of the world because I've got something else planned later on to help make up for it.
What happens to most trainees is this: They have a schedule planned, and they're too rigid with it. Instead of understanding that things come up and interfere with their workouts, they compound the issue by thinking that they're "failling," and thus start a downward spiral. One missed workout turns into a bad meal later that night. That leads into another missed workout the next day, and you can see how things get out of control from there.
Remember that with all things there's "optimal" and then there's "real life." "Optimal" is great when/if you can make it happen. Unfortuantely for most of us, that's not all that often. Allow yourself a small fudge factor and you'll be happier with your training and the resulting success.
Stay strong
MR
Monday, April 14, 2008
Clean it up
Sorry, it's been a little while since I've blogged, but hopefully this little rant will help make up for things.
As an industry, we need to clean things up. Whether we're talking about training, fitness on the 'net, or anything in between, I've reached a boiling point with regards to how people portray themselves.
First, an admission - I watch "The Biggest Loser." My clients watch it, therefore I watch it to diffuse whatever crazy notions they have from watching the previous weeks shows. First of all, that is NOT how most trainers train their clients. I can get in somebody's face and have them do walking lunges on flipped over bosu balls, but that doesn't mean it's right. Just because it looks cool on TV doesn't mean it's efficient or correct. I also have a tattoo, but I don't feel the need to have it blazing every time I train someone. It gets old, fast - at least try and look respectable.
And then we have the 'net. I understand there's a resentment towards the one-page sales copy ads to sell products, and I get that. I'm not a huge fan, although I still use them on some of my sites. BUT, there's a fundamental difference in many of us out there. You may not like my sales copy, but I do a lot of things FOR FREE to help improve the industry. I write articles. I post from time to time on my blog. I answer tons of e-mails daily. I even put up video clips to help people improve their exercise techinque.
Now don't take this the wrong way - I'm far from perfect in every aspect of my life. I'm not a perfect coach, author, or athlete by any stretch of the imagination, but I do take my job seriously. I want the people who read my articles to learn something. I want my athletes to get better at their respective sports. And most importantly, I want to enjoy the journey that makes all of that possible.
So this is a plea to all my fellow trainers, coaches, and internet gurus - take your job seriously. Does this thing THE RIGHT WAY. I realize this post may make me a lightning rod, but I'm ok with that. I have no regrets when I go to bed at night - I'm very cognizant of my imperfections and what it's going to take to get to the next level.
But until we start to take our jobs and our livelihoods seriously, we're always going to leave ourselves open to criticism.
Stay strong
MR
As an industry, we need to clean things up. Whether we're talking about training, fitness on the 'net, or anything in between, I've reached a boiling point with regards to how people portray themselves.
First, an admission - I watch "The Biggest Loser." My clients watch it, therefore I watch it to diffuse whatever crazy notions they have from watching the previous weeks shows. First of all, that is NOT how most trainers train their clients. I can get in somebody's face and have them do walking lunges on flipped over bosu balls, but that doesn't mean it's right. Just because it looks cool on TV doesn't mean it's efficient or correct. I also have a tattoo, but I don't feel the need to have it blazing every time I train someone. It gets old, fast - at least try and look respectable.
And then we have the 'net. I understand there's a resentment towards the one-page sales copy ads to sell products, and I get that. I'm not a huge fan, although I still use them on some of my sites. BUT, there's a fundamental difference in many of us out there. You may not like my sales copy, but I do a lot of things FOR FREE to help improve the industry. I write articles. I post from time to time on my blog. I answer tons of e-mails daily. I even put up video clips to help people improve their exercise techinque.
Now don't take this the wrong way - I'm far from perfect in every aspect of my life. I'm not a perfect coach, author, or athlete by any stretch of the imagination, but I do take my job seriously. I want the people who read my articles to learn something. I want my athletes to get better at their respective sports. And most importantly, I want to enjoy the journey that makes all of that possible.
So this is a plea to all my fellow trainers, coaches, and internet gurus - take your job seriously. Does this thing THE RIGHT WAY. I realize this post may make me a lightning rod, but I'm ok with that. I have no regrets when I go to bed at night - I'm very cognizant of my imperfections and what it's going to take to get to the next level.
But until we start to take our jobs and our livelihoods seriously, we're always going to leave ourselves open to criticism.
Stay strong
MR
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Random thoughts...
Today has been totally random so far, so here are some random thoughts on my end:
- Congrats again to the UHS girls b-ball team. They gave a gutty performance in game 1 of their regional, falling behind 27-14 in the second quarter. The other team simply could not miss from three point range! They weathered the storm, made a few key runs of their own, and won the first game 61-53 (or something like that).
I didn't get to attend the evening game (I went to IU vs. MSU), but it wasn't even close - I heard it was a 20 point win. Congrats ladies!
The next opponent is a good one - the 4th ranked team in 1A, but I feel like our girls are coming together at the perfect time. More importantly, they can play at a speed and intensity level that wears on girls over the course of the game. Good luck this weekend girls, and if you win I'll be at state!
- No one should ever travel with me; every time I try to get on a plane there's a delay.
- I think people are starting to figure out this whole warm-up/mobility thing, now if they could only fix their programs!
We all know the first exercise may be the most important; here are some first exercise selections I saw in the gym today:
Curls on a bosu ball
Seated hip abductor machine
Machine preacher curls
Hell, I'd rather see someone bench - at least it would be a compound movement!
That's it for now. As many of you know I'm on my way to Australia today, so I'll do my best to blog from the road. I even have the digital camera to help chronicle my trip, so we'll see if I can't git-r-done!
Stay strong
MR
- Congrats again to the UHS girls b-ball team. They gave a gutty performance in game 1 of their regional, falling behind 27-14 in the second quarter. The other team simply could not miss from three point range! They weathered the storm, made a few key runs of their own, and won the first game 61-53 (or something like that).
I didn't get to attend the evening game (I went to IU vs. MSU), but it wasn't even close - I heard it was a 20 point win. Congrats ladies!
The next opponent is a good one - the 4th ranked team in 1A, but I feel like our girls are coming together at the perfect time. More importantly, they can play at a speed and intensity level that wears on girls over the course of the game. Good luck this weekend girls, and if you win I'll be at state!
- No one should ever travel with me; every time I try to get on a plane there's a delay.
- I think people are starting to figure out this whole warm-up/mobility thing, now if they could only fix their programs!
We all know the first exercise may be the most important; here are some first exercise selections I saw in the gym today:
Curls on a bosu ball
Seated hip abductor machine
Machine preacher curls
Hell, I'd rather see someone bench - at least it would be a compound movement!
That's it for now. As many of you know I'm on my way to Australia today, so I'll do my best to blog from the road. I even have the digital camera to help chronicle my trip, so we'll see if I can't git-r-done!
Stay strong
MR
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
How to spend $60 on a training session WITHOUT a trainer
I was reminded of a funny story yesterday - my first experience with "commercial" gyms.
While at Ball State, and then later while I lived in Ft. Wayne, I had always trained in powerlifting facilities. However, when I first moved to Indianapolis I didn't have a place to train, so I set out to find the most "normal" commercial facility that I could. After checking out several places, I finally ended up at Gold's Gym. They had decent equipment: a squat rack, a place to deadlift, etc. Basically, everything I thought I'd need.
So I go in on a Tuesday and sign my paperwork. I remember the total was ~$60 for the first month. Tuesday's for me (at the time) were squat days, so it was all business when I entered the gym. I go through my dynamic warm-up, and I'm feeling pretty good. I throw on my knee sleeves and squat shoes, and next thing I know I see the gym attendant walking my way. I'm thinking to myself, "What could I have done - I just friggin' signed up and I haven't even trained yet?!?!?!" Here's how the conversation went:
Attendant: Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave.
Me: Ummm, why?
Attendant: Well, this isn't my real job. I actually cut meat at Meijer for a living. The guy who was supposed to come in next cancelled so I have to close the gym. (Note: A guy in the back is now turning off all the TV's.)
Me: So I just paid $60 to sign-up for a gym and I can't work out?
Attendant: Yes, I'm sorry.
So as I start to pack everything up, luckily the next guy shows up and I get my squat session in. But it gets better.
Fast forward one day - I go back in on Wednesday to do my bench session, and there's a big sign on the door. It read something like this:
"We're very sorry, but Gold's Gym is now officially closed. Thank you for your patronage over the years."
And that's how I spent $60 on one training session WITHOUT a trainer.
Stay strong
MR
While at Ball State, and then later while I lived in Ft. Wayne, I had always trained in powerlifting facilities. However, when I first moved to Indianapolis I didn't have a place to train, so I set out to find the most "normal" commercial facility that I could. After checking out several places, I finally ended up at Gold's Gym. They had decent equipment: a squat rack, a place to deadlift, etc. Basically, everything I thought I'd need.
So I go in on a Tuesday and sign my paperwork. I remember the total was ~$60 for the first month. Tuesday's for me (at the time) were squat days, so it was all business when I entered the gym. I go through my dynamic warm-up, and I'm feeling pretty good. I throw on my knee sleeves and squat shoes, and next thing I know I see the gym attendant walking my way. I'm thinking to myself, "What could I have done - I just friggin' signed up and I haven't even trained yet?!?!?!" Here's how the conversation went:
Attendant: Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave.
Me: Ummm, why?
Attendant: Well, this isn't my real job. I actually cut meat at Meijer for a living. The guy who was supposed to come in next cancelled so I have to close the gym. (Note: A guy in the back is now turning off all the TV's.)
Me: So I just paid $60 to sign-up for a gym and I can't work out?
Attendant: Yes, I'm sorry.
So as I start to pack everything up, luckily the next guy shows up and I get my squat session in. But it gets better.
Fast forward one day - I go back in on Wednesday to do my bench session, and there's a big sign on the door. It read something like this:
"We're very sorry, but Gold's Gym is now officially closed. Thank you for your patronage over the years."
And that's how I spent $60 on one training session WITHOUT a trainer.
Stay strong
MR
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Q&A - Program Design
Mike,
I was reading a recent article of your "10 Reasons You're Still Jacked Up" and was wonder why you thought the Push-Pull-Leg split was so idiotic. How different is it from a functional split such as:
Horizontal Push
Horizontal Pull
Vertical Push
Vertical Pull
Quad Dominate
Hip Dominate
I agree with most of your ideas on training. For example I focus on compound lifts, I incorporate unilateral movements, and keep my workouts short and intense. I respect your opinion and have read a lot of your articles and books, but I have found that when I lift hard I need 4-7 days recovery and the push-pull-leg system allows that recovery because you avoid muscle overlap. Some times I use a two on one off, other times I use a one on one off. I guess I just don't agree with the assertion that only an idiot living in the 80s and sporting a mullet would use the split. If there are some studies that support your assertion, could you please refer them to me.
Thank you for your time and thank you for all the great articles you write to dispel the myths about strength training.
You bring up some valid points, and here are my thoughts on the topic.
First off, the trainer I was eluding too was stating that this split was optimal for everyone. We all know that NO PROGRAM is ideal for everyone. Along those same lines, no split is ideal FOREVER. I believe the saying goes something like this:
“Everything works – but nothing works forever.”
So that was my first issue.
The second issue is focused on recovery, and this part may get long-winded. In my experience, the only reason people can’t train a muscle group more than one time per week is because their GPP/recovery capacity is atrocious. If you have a legitimate recovery issue (increased age, testosterone levels equivalent to an 80 year old female, etc.), then those need to be addressed and/or understood.
Before going forward, please understand the difference between wanting and needing to train a specific body part multiple times per week. A 50 year old who does this for fun doesn’t need to train lower body multiple times per week. But, if that’s your goal, or you want to optimize your progress, then you need to examine why you can’t currently do that.
Here’s an example: You perform the same total sets, reps, etc. of your typical leg workout, but you split it up over two days instead of one. You should theoretically be able to recover from this, right?
Now what if you added one set, or even one repetition, per week. Would this cause you to overtrain, or exceed your body’s recovery capacity? It shouldn’t, right? So why couldn’t you use this approach (or one similar to it), to slowly but surely build work capacity? The key isn’t to thrash your body at each and every workout; even the really smart bodybuilders out there will tell you it’s about stimulating growth, not annihilating every possible motor unit in your body. If you can’t recover without 7-10 days of rest between workouts for a specific body part, I’d seriously examine what you’re doing in those workouts first and foremost. You must remember there’s a difference between what you can do and what’s optimal.
When we look at amazing work capacities, look no further than elite level powerlifters or Olympic lifters. These guys can incur a massive amount of fatigue at each and every workout. Yet, amazingly enough, powerlifters often train lower body at least twice a week. Even still, Olympic lifters train their legs 2, 3 and even up to 4 or 5 days per week! I have no clue about your current level of training, but I’d imagine you probably aren’t at a level as elite as these athletes. That’s not a knock on you, it’s just the truth. (I’m not at that level, either, for what it’s worth – I’m just making a point).
You have to keep in mind two things when discussing athletes at a high level:
1) Are they “supplementing”? If so, this will improve their recovery (Duh!)
2) It has taken them years to develop the work capacity necessary to train like this.
So quite simply, if you are incurring so much fatigue from one workout that you can’t recover for an extended period of time, I would examine what you’re doing within that workout and address it first and foremost. I’d much rather split that volume up over two workouts and improve the quality of said workouts than continue destroying every muscle fiber one time per week.
This may just be my opinion on the topic, but hopefully its food for thought. Good luck with your training.
Stay strong
MR
I was reading a recent article of your "10 Reasons You're Still Jacked Up" and was wonder why you thought the Push-Pull-Leg split was so idiotic. How different is it from a functional split such as:
Horizontal Push
Horizontal Pull
Vertical Push
Vertical Pull
Quad Dominate
Hip Dominate
I agree with most of your ideas on training. For example I focus on compound lifts, I incorporate unilateral movements, and keep my workouts short and intense. I respect your opinion and have read a lot of your articles and books, but I have found that when I lift hard I need 4-7 days recovery and the push-pull-leg system allows that recovery because you avoid muscle overlap. Some times I use a two on one off, other times I use a one on one off. I guess I just don't agree with the assertion that only an idiot living in the 80s and sporting a mullet would use the split. If there are some studies that support your assertion, could you please refer them to me.
Thank you for your time and thank you for all the great articles you write to dispel the myths about strength training.
You bring up some valid points, and here are my thoughts on the topic.
First off, the trainer I was eluding too was stating that this split was optimal for everyone. We all know that NO PROGRAM is ideal for everyone. Along those same lines, no split is ideal FOREVER. I believe the saying goes something like this:
“Everything works – but nothing works forever.”
So that was my first issue.
The second issue is focused on recovery, and this part may get long-winded. In my experience, the only reason people can’t train a muscle group more than one time per week is because their GPP/recovery capacity is atrocious. If you have a legitimate recovery issue (increased age, testosterone levels equivalent to an 80 year old female, etc.), then those need to be addressed and/or understood.
Before going forward, please understand the difference between wanting and needing to train a specific body part multiple times per week. A 50 year old who does this for fun doesn’t need to train lower body multiple times per week. But, if that’s your goal, or you want to optimize your progress, then you need to examine why you can’t currently do that.
Here’s an example: You perform the same total sets, reps, etc. of your typical leg workout, but you split it up over two days instead of one. You should theoretically be able to recover from this, right?
Now what if you added one set, or even one repetition, per week. Would this cause you to overtrain, or exceed your body’s recovery capacity? It shouldn’t, right? So why couldn’t you use this approach (or one similar to it), to slowly but surely build work capacity? The key isn’t to thrash your body at each and every workout; even the really smart bodybuilders out there will tell you it’s about stimulating growth, not annihilating every possible motor unit in your body. If you can’t recover without 7-10 days of rest between workouts for a specific body part, I’d seriously examine what you’re doing in those workouts first and foremost. You must remember there’s a difference between what you can do and what’s optimal.
When we look at amazing work capacities, look no further than elite level powerlifters or Olympic lifters. These guys can incur a massive amount of fatigue at each and every workout. Yet, amazingly enough, powerlifters often train lower body at least twice a week. Even still, Olympic lifters train their legs 2, 3 and even up to 4 or 5 days per week! I have no clue about your current level of training, but I’d imagine you probably aren’t at a level as elite as these athletes. That’s not a knock on you, it’s just the truth. (I’m not at that level, either, for what it’s worth – I’m just making a point).
You have to keep in mind two things when discussing athletes at a high level:
1) Are they “supplementing”? If so, this will improve their recovery (Duh!)
2) It has taken them years to develop the work capacity necessary to train like this.
So quite simply, if you are incurring so much fatigue from one workout that you can’t recover for an extended period of time, I would examine what you’re doing within that workout and address it first and foremost. I’d much rather split that volume up over two workouts and improve the quality of said workouts than continue destroying every muscle fiber one time per week.
This may just be my opinion on the topic, but hopefully its food for thought. Good luck with your training.
Stay strong
MR
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Developing your philosophy
Right now I’ve basically completed all the “content” for my Australian seminars. What I’ve done is create four PowerPoint’s that will serve as the course material. Here are the topics:
- Introduction and 21st Century Core Training
- Optimizing Upper Extremity Biomechanics
- Bulletproof Knees
- Program Design
My goal is to give all the attendees an idea of my training philosophy and the art/science behind it.
I would suggest that anyone who wants to become a better coach go through this at some point in time. As clear as I thought my philosophies were, it gives you a new level of clarity when you have to write everything out and explain it coherently to an audience. Why do you prefer certain exercises? Why do you include certain modalities? What are your core thoughts on training for the various parts of the body?
Many people on the ‘net are more than willing to poke holes in your philosophy, while they don’t even have a philosophy themselves! It may sound easy at first, but when you really try to sort out each and every step of your training program, it gives you new found perspective. Quite often we make corrections and do things on the fly, without a lot of regard as to “why” they work.
In my estimation, being able to explain the “how’s” AND the “why’s” is an integral part of your learning curve. If you can’t communicate your thoughts to others (be they seminar attendees or clients/athletes), good luck getting them to buy into your methods.
Stay strong
MR
- Introduction and 21st Century Core Training
- Optimizing Upper Extremity Biomechanics
- Bulletproof Knees
- Program Design
My goal is to give all the attendees an idea of my training philosophy and the art/science behind it.
I would suggest that anyone who wants to become a better coach go through this at some point in time. As clear as I thought my philosophies were, it gives you a new level of clarity when you have to write everything out and explain it coherently to an audience. Why do you prefer certain exercises? Why do you include certain modalities? What are your core thoughts on training for the various parts of the body?
Many people on the ‘net are more than willing to poke holes in your philosophy, while they don’t even have a philosophy themselves! It may sound easy at first, but when you really try to sort out each and every step of your training program, it gives you new found perspective. Quite often we make corrections and do things on the fly, without a lot of regard as to “why” they work.
In my estimation, being able to explain the “how’s” AND the “why’s” is an integral part of your learning curve. If you can’t communicate your thoughts to others (be they seminar attendees or clients/athletes), good luck getting them to buy into your methods.
Stay strong
MR
Monday, January 7, 2008
The Training Lifestyle
I hate the term diet.
I know, I know - "hate" is a strong word. But I seriously hate the word diet.
Why? Because it insinuates that eating healthy is something you're only going to do for a specific period of time. In other words, you'll stay on said "diet" until you lose X amount of pounds, Y amount of body fat, or generally feel the way you want to about yourself.
And after that? You fall right back into your lousy nutritional habits, effectively ending up right back where you started!
One of my pet peeves in this industry are people who condone this. It's one thing if you're a competitive bodybuilder, fitness or figure competitor - you really are dieting to get down to a ridiculously low body fat, to compete on a given day. The general population, or people who just want to be healthy, don't need to "diet." In fact, they'd be better off if they banished the word diet from their vocabulary all together!
If you want to stay healthy and be in shape for many years to come, you need to develop a nutritionally sound lifestyle; this will allow you to be successful over the long haul. If you go over to T-Nation.com, they are literally hundreds of articles on how to eat properly. If you want something a little bit more complete, check out John Berardi's Precision Nutrition or Mike Roussell's Naked Nutrition Guide - either will get you on the way to long-term success.
Regardless of what path you choose, understand that a "diet" is a short-term band aid. Instead, choose a path that will give you the greatest possibilty of long-term success.
Stay strong
MR
I know, I know - "hate" is a strong word. But I seriously hate the word diet.
Why? Because it insinuates that eating healthy is something you're only going to do for a specific period of time. In other words, you'll stay on said "diet" until you lose X amount of pounds, Y amount of body fat, or generally feel the way you want to about yourself.
And after that? You fall right back into your lousy nutritional habits, effectively ending up right back where you started!
One of my pet peeves in this industry are people who condone this. It's one thing if you're a competitive bodybuilder, fitness or figure competitor - you really are dieting to get down to a ridiculously low body fat, to compete on a given day. The general population, or people who just want to be healthy, don't need to "diet." In fact, they'd be better off if they banished the word diet from their vocabulary all together!
If you want to stay healthy and be in shape for many years to come, you need to develop a nutritionally sound lifestyle; this will allow you to be successful over the long haul. If you go over to T-Nation.com, they are literally hundreds of articles on how to eat properly. If you want something a little bit more complete, check out John Berardi's Precision Nutrition or Mike Roussell's Naked Nutrition Guide - either will get you on the way to long-term success.
Regardless of what path you choose, understand that a "diet" is a short-term band aid. Instead, choose a path that will give you the greatest possibilty of long-term success.
Stay strong
MR
Friday, November 2, 2007
Free Stuff
I’m constantly amazed at how many people want “free stuff” on the ‘net nowadays.
Free stuff is great; I personally love free stuff. I guess for me, though, it comes down to value. If I’m willing to pay for something, I’m that much more willing to really utilize and apply it. It has a higher value to me than something that’s free. It’s not that free stuff can’t be quality, because it absolutely can. But most people don’t associate “free” with “value.” It’s just a fact of life.
Take for instance my Bulletproof Knees manual. If you dug around, listening to all my audio interviews, reading all my articles, and even attending a seminar I spoke at, you might get most of the key nuts and bolts to my program. The problem is, it’s impossible to have the same depth in any of those formats. It’s impossible to convey everything you know into a one-hour talk, let alone a 2-3000 word article – it’s just not possible. A good article or presentation gives you a few key points, but lacks the necessary depth.
It’s information outsourcing, in a sense – how much is your time worth? Do you want something “for free”, knowing that it’s going to take extensive time and effort on your part to do so? I’m not saying its right or wrong, just understand that nothing is “free.” If nothing else, it’s going to take time to assimilate and compile all the information that’s out there on a topic. Many would much rather purchase a manual or DVD that gives them the tools necessary than spend inordinate amounts of time doing the research themselves.
Still want free stuff? Sign up for my newsletter, keep reading my blog on a daily basis, and check out all the articles I have on my website. I love doing what I do, so I’m going to continue providing free stuff as long as I’m around.
Free stuff is great – just don’t expect to get everything an author can offer for free!
Mike Robertson, M.S., C.S.C.S., U.S.A.W.
Free stuff is great; I personally love free stuff. I guess for me, though, it comes down to value. If I’m willing to pay for something, I’m that much more willing to really utilize and apply it. It has a higher value to me than something that’s free. It’s not that free stuff can’t be quality, because it absolutely can. But most people don’t associate “free” with “value.” It’s just a fact of life.
Take for instance my Bulletproof Knees manual. If you dug around, listening to all my audio interviews, reading all my articles, and even attending a seminar I spoke at, you might get most of the key nuts and bolts to my program. The problem is, it’s impossible to have the same depth in any of those formats. It’s impossible to convey everything you know into a one-hour talk, let alone a 2-3000 word article – it’s just not possible. A good article or presentation gives you a few key points, but lacks the necessary depth.
It’s information outsourcing, in a sense – how much is your time worth? Do you want something “for free”, knowing that it’s going to take extensive time and effort on your part to do so? I’m not saying its right or wrong, just understand that nothing is “free.” If nothing else, it’s going to take time to assimilate and compile all the information that’s out there on a topic. Many would much rather purchase a manual or DVD that gives them the tools necessary than spend inordinate amounts of time doing the research themselves.
Still want free stuff? Sign up for my newsletter, keep reading my blog on a daily basis, and check out all the articles I have on my website. I love doing what I do, so I’m going to continue providing free stuff as long as I’m around.
Free stuff is great – just don’t expect to get everything an author can offer for free!
Mike Robertson, M.S., C.S.C.S., U.S.A.W.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
N=1
I’m always leery of this. Always.
What am I talking about exactly? I’m talking about trainees and coaches whose experience and frame of reference is limited to one person. Whether that one person is them, one client, etc. is irrelevant.
You’ll quite often hear people say, “I did X with Y client and it worked great.” Or, “I do A and got B.” The inherent problem is this – would you get that same result with another person? With multiple people? With an entire training group?
What I’m getting at here is using the “I do this because so and so says so” pisses me off. Could that person be correct? Sure. For example, I’d accept just about anything that Stuart McGill has to say about low back care, simply because he has a huge frame of reference. He’s worked with an infinite amount of people, and thus has a huge frame of reference.
Contrast this with Johnny Trainer or Internet Warrior, who used a 6-day split routine (with two arm days) to add an inch to his guns. His N=1; it worked for him, but it may not work for everyone else. His frame of reference is quite small.
Whenever you try to take in and assimilate new information, you need to think about the author’s level of credibility, his experience, and the number of people he’s trained to draw his conclusions from. Critical thinking is imperative if you really want to understand any topic.
N=1 doesn’t cut it any more. The key is consistent results with a large number of patients, clients or athletes.
Mike Robertson
What am I talking about exactly? I’m talking about trainees and coaches whose experience and frame of reference is limited to one person. Whether that one person is them, one client, etc. is irrelevant.
You’ll quite often hear people say, “I did X with Y client and it worked great.” Or, “I do A and got B.” The inherent problem is this – would you get that same result with another person? With multiple people? With an entire training group?
What I’m getting at here is using the “I do this because so and so says so” pisses me off. Could that person be correct? Sure. For example, I’d accept just about anything that Stuart McGill has to say about low back care, simply because he has a huge frame of reference. He’s worked with an infinite amount of people, and thus has a huge frame of reference.
Contrast this with Johnny Trainer or Internet Warrior, who used a 6-day split routine (with two arm days) to add an inch to his guns. His N=1; it worked for him, but it may not work for everyone else. His frame of reference is quite small.
Whenever you try to take in and assimilate new information, you need to think about the author’s level of credibility, his experience, and the number of people he’s trained to draw his conclusions from. Critical thinking is imperative if you really want to understand any topic.
N=1 doesn’t cut it any more. The key is consistent results with a large number of patients, clients or athletes.
Mike Robertson
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
My Thoughts: Personal Trainers
While at the gym the other day, I had some mixed emotions while watching one of the “trainers” take a client through a workout. Let’s examine both the pros and cons:
Pros
I have a lot of respect for anyone who does this for a living, especially if they got into it for the right reasons. Most trainers are going to work long hours, get paid an average (but not outstanding wage), and probably be in and out of the industry in a few years. It’s definitely not the easiest job in the world.
As well, people often think of all the glitz and glory of working with highly functioning people or strictly elite athletes. I hate to tell you, but it’s not always all that glamorous, especially when starting out. In the beginning, you take whomever you can whenever you can to make ends meet. You don’t have the ability to pick and choose who you want to train. Especially if you have other people underneath you within the business, it’s not just about you making money – you are responsible for your other coaches and their lifestyle as well.
It’s easy to criticize trainers if you’re not in the industry, or if this isn’t your sole means of employment. But making a living as a trainer? Well, let’s just say it’s not the easiest thing in the world.
Cons
While I can appreciate the hard work and dedication these people put in, there are certain things that just flat out piss me off. First off, I’m pretty sure one of the guys had little or no training experience, let alone a certification. The “training session” consisted of weighted lunges (she didn’t need any extra weight, believe me), ab machine crunches, and a host of other poorly chosen exercises. So while the exercise selection sucked, the coaching wasn’t any better. The people who lose in this equation are the people paying for the sessions, and the good trainers out there who get a black eye from being associated with this trainer.
Now, couple this with a total lack of professionalism when it comes to attire. A polo shirt is fine, but take the time to at least tuck it in. It’s no wonder why people think trainers are total idiots; if you look the part, people will assume it to be true.
If we want this profession to be elevated to a higher level (whether it’s strength coaching, training, therapy, whatever), not only do we need to act the part but we need to look the part as well. Get your education up to par. Read articles and books. Listen to high quality CD’s and DVD’s. Attend seminars. You get the point.
But once you have the education and the know-how, take the time to look the part as well. Shaving from time to time, dressing appropriately, and keeping yourself in shape all help to raise the bar.
If we want to be paid like professionals, it’s time to look and act the part!
Mike Robertson
Pros
I have a lot of respect for anyone who does this for a living, especially if they got into it for the right reasons. Most trainers are going to work long hours, get paid an average (but not outstanding wage), and probably be in and out of the industry in a few years. It’s definitely not the easiest job in the world.
As well, people often think of all the glitz and glory of working with highly functioning people or strictly elite athletes. I hate to tell you, but it’s not always all that glamorous, especially when starting out. In the beginning, you take whomever you can whenever you can to make ends meet. You don’t have the ability to pick and choose who you want to train. Especially if you have other people underneath you within the business, it’s not just about you making money – you are responsible for your other coaches and their lifestyle as well.
It’s easy to criticize trainers if you’re not in the industry, or if this isn’t your sole means of employment. But making a living as a trainer? Well, let’s just say it’s not the easiest thing in the world.
Cons
While I can appreciate the hard work and dedication these people put in, there are certain things that just flat out piss me off. First off, I’m pretty sure one of the guys had little or no training experience, let alone a certification. The “training session” consisted of weighted lunges (she didn’t need any extra weight, believe me), ab machine crunches, and a host of other poorly chosen exercises. So while the exercise selection sucked, the coaching wasn’t any better. The people who lose in this equation are the people paying for the sessions, and the good trainers out there who get a black eye from being associated with this trainer.
Now, couple this with a total lack of professionalism when it comes to attire. A polo shirt is fine, but take the time to at least tuck it in. It’s no wonder why people think trainers are total idiots; if you look the part, people will assume it to be true.
If we want this profession to be elevated to a higher level (whether it’s strength coaching, training, therapy, whatever), not only do we need to act the part but we need to look the part as well. Get your education up to par. Read articles and books. Listen to high quality CD’s and DVD’s. Attend seminars. You get the point.
But once you have the education and the know-how, take the time to look the part as well. Shaving from time to time, dressing appropriately, and keeping yourself in shape all help to raise the bar.
If we want to be paid like professionals, it’s time to look and act the part!
Mike Robertson
Monday, August 27, 2007
I Reserve The Right...
…to market myself and my products.
A while back, someone was calling me out for “marketing” myself. I hate to tell you, but each and every one of us is being marketed to every second of every day. If you don’t believe that, you’re quite naïve.
Driving down the road the other day, I was repeatedly “marketed” to: Advertisements on the radio, billboards on the road, signs alongside the street, etc.
Watching the TV, we’re constantly marketed to via commercials; unless you have a DVR or TiVo, it’s part of the price you “pay” to watch TV.
Selling my products and services is a big part of how I make a living. I hate marketing myself, but it’s a necessary evil. If I don’t market myself, who else will? People don’t magically know when a product is released or a service is offered. Someone (and typically the person who created it) has to let people know.
Here’s the trade-off I offer with people who read my articles, my blog, or my newsletter – I promise to consistently deliver great information, essentially, FOR FREE. Will I plug my products and services from time to time? YES! I feel like this is a small price, though. On my website and blog alone I have over 70 free articles and around 100 blog posts for your consumption.
Most importantly, remember that you don’t EVER have to purchase one of my products. You can read every article, every blog post, and every newsletter and no one will ever make you buy a product – just like watching TV. Just understand that its part of my job to let you know that said products and services are out there and available, should you so choose.
I appreciate each and every person who takes the time to read my ramblings. Hopefully you can get past the “marketing” and enjoy the information I’m trying to disseminate along the way!
Stay strong
MR
A while back, someone was calling me out for “marketing” myself. I hate to tell you, but each and every one of us is being marketed to every second of every day. If you don’t believe that, you’re quite naïve.
Driving down the road the other day, I was repeatedly “marketed” to: Advertisements on the radio, billboards on the road, signs alongside the street, etc.
Watching the TV, we’re constantly marketed to via commercials; unless you have a DVR or TiVo, it’s part of the price you “pay” to watch TV.
Selling my products and services is a big part of how I make a living. I hate marketing myself, but it’s a necessary evil. If I don’t market myself, who else will? People don’t magically know when a product is released or a service is offered. Someone (and typically the person who created it) has to let people know.
Here’s the trade-off I offer with people who read my articles, my blog, or my newsletter – I promise to consistently deliver great information, essentially, FOR FREE. Will I plug my products and services from time to time? YES! I feel like this is a small price, though. On my website and blog alone I have over 70 free articles and around 100 blog posts for your consumption.
Most importantly, remember that you don’t EVER have to purchase one of my products. You can read every article, every blog post, and every newsletter and no one will ever make you buy a product – just like watching TV. Just understand that its part of my job to let you know that said products and services are out there and available, should you so choose.
I appreciate each and every person who takes the time to read my ramblings. Hopefully you can get past the “marketing” and enjoy the information I’m trying to disseminate along the way!
Stay strong
MR
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Myth Busting: Mobility Training Doesn't Work
I was on a forum yesterday (yes, this was my first problem!), but I read a post where a guy stated that “mobility training didn’t do anything for him.” It didn’t improve his mobility OR his lifts.
HUH?
As all of you know, I’m a big proponent of mobility work, and not just because I’ve devoted two products to improving it. I believe that as you age, if you don’t use your mobility (or improve it, if you’re already immobile), you lose it. That lack of mobility is also a big reason why people have a greater tendency to get injured as we get older. But, I digress.
Saying mobility training doesn’t work is a lot like saying strength training doesn’t work. About the only time strength training doesn’t work is if you’re applying it incorrectly.
If you aren’t getting the most out of your mobility training, I’d suggest you ask yourself the following questions:
- Where am I most immobile?
For instance many people complain of “tight” hamstrings,which is in fact the result of an anterior pelvic tilt – so they fail to stretch/mobilize the appropriate areas. If they focused on the quads/hip flexors, they’d probably see better results.
- Am I working hard enough to address this area?
If you are ridiculously tight and/or immobile in certain areas, 4-5 repetitions of a drill twice a week isn’t going to cut it. Increase your repetitions per set.
- Am I getting in sufficient volume?
Many think that mobility drills can only be done on training days. However, most mobility training can be done daily to reinforce and “groove” better mobility. When I start out with new clients, many will have daily mobility drills to get it up to snuff before engaging in more intense training.
- Am I doing any soft-tissue work to coincide with the mobility training?
Mobility training is great, but only one small part of a program. By adding in tissue quality work such as ART, foam rolling, or deep tissue massage, you’ll get a better return of investment. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
Granted, these are “Readers Digest” answers to a big question, but saying mobility training “doesn’t work” ignores the basic tenets of physiology. Instead, figure out why your mobility training isn’t working and come up with a better plan.
Stay strong
MR
HUH?
As all of you know, I’m a big proponent of mobility work, and not just because I’ve devoted two products to improving it. I believe that as you age, if you don’t use your mobility (or improve it, if you’re already immobile), you lose it. That lack of mobility is also a big reason why people have a greater tendency to get injured as we get older. But, I digress.
Saying mobility training doesn’t work is a lot like saying strength training doesn’t work. About the only time strength training doesn’t work is if you’re applying it incorrectly.
If you aren’t getting the most out of your mobility training, I’d suggest you ask yourself the following questions:
- Where am I most immobile?
For instance many people complain of “tight” hamstrings,which is in fact the result of an anterior pelvic tilt – so they fail to stretch/mobilize the appropriate areas. If they focused on the quads/hip flexors, they’d probably see better results.
- Am I working hard enough to address this area?
If you are ridiculously tight and/or immobile in certain areas, 4-5 repetitions of a drill twice a week isn’t going to cut it. Increase your repetitions per set.
- Am I getting in sufficient volume?
Many think that mobility drills can only be done on training days. However, most mobility training can be done daily to reinforce and “groove” better mobility. When I start out with new clients, many will have daily mobility drills to get it up to snuff before engaging in more intense training.
- Am I doing any soft-tissue work to coincide with the mobility training?
Mobility training is great, but only one small part of a program. By adding in tissue quality work such as ART, foam rolling, or deep tissue massage, you’ll get a better return of investment. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
Granted, these are “Readers Digest” answers to a big question, but saying mobility training “doesn’t work” ignores the basic tenets of physiology. Instead, figure out why your mobility training isn’t working and come up with a better plan.
Stay strong
MR
Monday, July 16, 2007
In case you are getting complacent....
No heavy content today; instead, I thought I'd throw a little extra motivation your way.
Just in case you've gotten complacement with your front or back squatting, check this out!
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
The Online Coaching Controversy
There’s been a lot of blowback on the web lately regarding online coaching. If you’re not familiar with the concept, it’s essentially where someone from a remote location wants more specific help with their training, so they enlist a qualified coach to write their programming for them. As I write this, I have several online clients from Europe, one from Japan, and one from China. Needless to say, without the Internet, this wouldn’t be possible.
In my case, I tend to get a lot of injured or beat-up people who need proper programming to get them healthy. At first, I didn’t really like the idea. I mean, how can you really help someone when you can’t see them? How do you know what days they should crank it up, or what days to reel them back in?
Quite simply, you don’t. It’s not THE most efficient way to train people. But, in that same vein, it’s truly helpful for those who either don’t know how to program for themselves, or simply have no desire to. There are always going to be special cases or people with more major problems than you can solve via the Internet, but these people are generally few and far between. Even in person, they’re still going to be your tougher cases.
Now, some people on the Internet will say that it’s an online coach’s job to teach that person how to program for themselves. Really? Last time I checked this person wants a program, not an education. Now I’m more than willing to explain exactly why I chose a certain exercise, set/rep scheme, etc., but quite often the people I work with don’t give a shit about what they’re doing, as long as it works. Along these same lines, you can give someone the basic tools in a few months, but it’s just not possible to give them all your knowledge in that time frame, especially when the bulk of your interaction is via e-mail.
I have had one or two clients who want me to coach them on the “art” of program design, but they are few and far between. The people that I work with view this as outsourcing on their part. I outsource my financial planning because that person is an expert/professional in their field, and even if I know a lot about the topic, I’ll probably never know as much as someone who dedicates their life to it. In all honesty I don’t care what my financial planner does with my money, as long as I get the returns that I want. The same can be said of online coaches.
So there’s my piece – hopefully it gives you an idea as to how and why an online coaching service may help you.
Stay strong
Mike Robertson
In my case, I tend to get a lot of injured or beat-up people who need proper programming to get them healthy. At first, I didn’t really like the idea. I mean, how can you really help someone when you can’t see them? How do you know what days they should crank it up, or what days to reel them back in?
Quite simply, you don’t. It’s not THE most efficient way to train people. But, in that same vein, it’s truly helpful for those who either don’t know how to program for themselves, or simply have no desire to. There are always going to be special cases or people with more major problems than you can solve via the Internet, but these people are generally few and far between. Even in person, they’re still going to be your tougher cases.
Now, some people on the Internet will say that it’s an online coach’s job to teach that person how to program for themselves. Really? Last time I checked this person wants a program, not an education. Now I’m more than willing to explain exactly why I chose a certain exercise, set/rep scheme, etc., but quite often the people I work with don’t give a shit about what they’re doing, as long as it works. Along these same lines, you can give someone the basic tools in a few months, but it’s just not possible to give them all your knowledge in that time frame, especially when the bulk of your interaction is via e-mail.
I have had one or two clients who want me to coach them on the “art” of program design, but they are few and far between. The people that I work with view this as outsourcing on their part. I outsource my financial planning because that person is an expert/professional in their field, and even if I know a lot about the topic, I’ll probably never know as much as someone who dedicates their life to it. In all honesty I don’t care what my financial planner does with my money, as long as I get the returns that I want. The same can be said of online coaches.
So there’s my piece – hopefully it gives you an idea as to how and why an online coaching service may help you.
Stay strong
Mike Robertson
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Dazed and Confused
As I was sitting here, about to type up my intended blog entry for the day, something hit me:
Why is fitness in general such a mess?
Why is it that even though we KNOW more than ever, we're fatter than ever? Or less mobile than ever? Or quite simply, less healthy than ever before?
Let's be honest - there's a ridiculous amount of training information out there nowadays, and almost everyone has access to it. I spent 2.5 hours hanging out with Bill Hartman today, and I wish I could've audio taped the entire thing.
But that's not the problem. Lack of information IS NOT the problem. Quite simply, it's a matter of willpower and motivation.
You want to eat get lean - but are you willing to eat in such a way to achieve that goal?
You want to get strong - but are you willing to train your ass off, day-in and day-out, to achieve that goal?
Are you willing to get off your duff and do some mobility drills instead of sitting like Quazi Modo in front of your computer all day?
If anything, this is a call-to-arms. Quit blaming your lack of success, both now and in the past, on extrinsic factors.
YOU have the ability to change - but it takes a hell of a lot more than "wanting" to do it.
Stay strong
MR
Why is fitness in general such a mess?
Why is it that even though we KNOW more than ever, we're fatter than ever? Or less mobile than ever? Or quite simply, less healthy than ever before?
Let's be honest - there's a ridiculous amount of training information out there nowadays, and almost everyone has access to it. I spent 2.5 hours hanging out with Bill Hartman today, and I wish I could've audio taped the entire thing.
But that's not the problem. Lack of information IS NOT the problem. Quite simply, it's a matter of willpower and motivation.
You want to eat get lean - but are you willing to eat in such a way to achieve that goal?
You want to get strong - but are you willing to train your ass off, day-in and day-out, to achieve that goal?
Are you willing to get off your duff and do some mobility drills instead of sitting like Quazi Modo in front of your computer all day?
If anything, this is a call-to-arms. Quit blaming your lack of success, both now and in the past, on extrinsic factors.
YOU have the ability to change - but it takes a hell of a lot more than "wanting" to do it.
Stay strong
MR
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