Perspective

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

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

MR

Thursday Treats

- 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

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

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

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

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