Sunday, March 30, 2014

Stuff You Should Read Because I Said So - 3/30/14



I've said this before, but there is sooo much information out there.

As a "Life Long Learner" (aka nerd), I am constantly looking at research and new sources of knowledge through books, journals, articles, and blogs. Fitness is my passion, so it's easy to want to learn as much as possible for my own benefit and to apply that knowledge to help others.

That being said, it's a little overwhelming. There's a lot of conflicting information and opinions, so its hard to wade through all the proverbial bullshit and find good information. I suppose at the end of the day, you just have to hold true to your own values and methodologies and take everything you read with a grain of salt. I do the best I can with the the knowledge I have.

After all, we are all just winging it anyway right? 

This is why these types of posts are becoming a little more infrequent. I'm trying to place more emphasis on quality over quantity.

These are the best I have come across over the last couple of months. I found some great stuff about nutrition and strength here.

Relax and enjoy a little Sunday reading!

Block Periodization for Powerlifting with Jamie Smith - Part 1

Block Periodization for Powerlifting with Jamie Smith - Part 2

Addicted to Fatigue

The Dirty Truth Behind Emphasizing "Good Fats" in Your Diet

Get Strong First: Your Goals Depend On It

Recovering Your Metabolism: Do You Need to Decrease or Increase Your Calories? (Part I)

Recovering Your Metabolism: Do You Need to Decrease or Increase Your Calories? (Part II)

The Truth About Squatting Deep

How “Clean Eating” Made Me Fat, But Ice Cream and Subway Got Me Lean

4 Reasons You're Not Getting Stronger 

Are You Tucking or Flaring? (Great bench press read)

You Don't Know How to Breathe


Tuesday, March 25, 2014

What Deadlifts and Free Throws Have in Common



You gotta love college basketball this time of year.

March Madness is in full swing and guys and gals everywhere are blowing off work to drink beer and watch the madness unfold all day. I am no exception.

While I didn't blow off work and sit on my ass from Thursday to Sunday, I definitely watched my share of hoops.

As someone who played the sport since I had the strength to shoot a ball, I understand the value of repetition. I used to spend hours upon hours in my backyard shooting hoops as a kid.

I remember watching my dad putting up the hoop on our garage. I stood there and watched him carry this heavy as shit basketball hoop up the ladder, hold it in place, and screw it into the side of our garage. Yeah, my dad was a pretty strong dude. I still wonder how he managed to do that all by himself. Anyway, I was sooo excited!

I grew up in the country, so I didn't have a lot of neighbor kids to play with. As a result I spent most of my free time outside shooting and chasing down rebounds. At first, I didn't even have a concrete slab to play on. Just a level space of uneven dirt. I suppose this explains why my shooting skills were so much better than my ball handling skills. Our property was on an incline too, so if I badly missed a shot, I usually had to chase the ball down the driveway before it rolled into the woods. Fun times.

I also had to walk to school, uphill, both ways, barefoot.

Through this repetition, I developed into a pretty decent shooter. What does this have to do with deadlifts you ask?


Repetition builds efficiency. 

If you want to be great at something, you need to do it over and over again. I've heard Dave Tate say it takes 10,000 repetitions to master a particular movement. I actually think it is much more than this, but you get the point.

A lot of popular programming out there pays no attention to this law of repetition. "Muscle confusion" is a term used quite often these days. Random, myopic programming is everywhere. Why? People have no patience anymore. They have to do something different every time they go to the gym because they get bored. Instant gratification at its finest. Few look at the big picture anymore.

Lets say you have a goal to deadlift double your bodyweight. Well, if you only deadlift once a month, you don't have a very good shot at accomplishing that goal. The same can be said of any other movement or skill. Some level of mastery must be achieved to have success.

Sticking with our basketball theme, lets use free throws as an example. Anyone who has watched or played the sport for any extended period of time understands the importance making free throws down the stretch. Often times this is the difference between winning and losing. As one might expect, we spent A LOT of time shooting free throws at practice. If you ever played organized basketball, I'm sure you did too.

Deadlifts (or any skilled movement) should be approached the same way. Most of your results will come from high skill, multi-joint movements like squats, deadlifts, swings, snatches, cleans etc. The more proficient you become with these movements from a strength and technique standpoint, the more successful you will be. Just like free throws.

Taking this all into consideration, you should be doing these movements A LOT.

As Dan John would say "If it's important, do it every day." Just like brushing your teeth or buckling your seat belt.

While you don't have to do it every day, if you want to hit that double bodyweight deadlift you had better be doing some variation of this movement AT LEAST two times per week. The same goes for any other movement. I am a firm believer you can't serve two masters. Meaning pick ONE THING you want to improve and focus on that for a set period of time. Anything else is a waste of time and energy.

Practice Makes Perfect

Everything you do should have a purpose. Improving the big lifts comes from patience and LOTS of repetition.

Many give very little thought to the training process. They show up, train, then proceed to completely forget about what they just did. No training log, no self-education, and not surprisingly, no results. These individuals take no ownership. You don't have to be a total nerd like me. I know you are busy. We all are. Just put forth a little effort. 

Take ownership of your program. Don't just follow it blindly. Read, explore different schools of thought and methodologies, keep a training log, and flourish.


Tuesday, March 11, 2014

5 Simple Activities that Make an Immediate Impact on Health and Performance

I think spring is finally here! At least for my Southern peeps and I....

Sorry Northern friends. I almost feel bad for you.You still have the chance to escape. It's never too late!

With the coming of spring, many of us feel much more motivated. In addition to better weather, we have daylight savings time, which gives us more time for activities!


A big part of my "mantra" if you will, is to provide simple solutions for my readers to implement that can improve their health and performance. Let's face it, life is crazy. Many of us barely have time to scratch our assess and brush our teeth (hopefully not in that order). With that being said, here are 5 simple things you can implement immediately to get more out of your daily regimen.

1. Go For a Walk

I am convinced that walking is the sole most underrated activity out there. Just about anyone can do it and it is easy as pie to implement into your daily routine. Many seem to poo poo waking because it "isn't hard enough". Well let me be the first one to say that you don't need to blow your a-hole out every time you exercise. If you drive your car 100 miles per hour everywhere you go its a pretty safe bet your car isn't going to last very long. Neither will your driving privileges.Your body is no different.

Simple aerobic exercise is excellent for recovery and overall sense of well being. I make it a point to get out almost every day with my favorite walking buddy and get a mile or two in.


Simply go for a brisk walk, 2 miles per day. You can also throw some strength work in beforehand. For example, I might do a total of 60 kettlebell swings and 20 pullups (which takes all of about 5 minutes), then we head out for our walk. Boom.

2. Drink More Water

Adequate hydration is essential for overall health. Drinking more water will help with weight loss, flexibility, and generally make you feel better.

As a rule of thumb, you should consume half your bodyweight in ounces per day.

My favorite strategies are to fill up a big jug/container and take it with you wherever you go, or make sure you drink a big glass every time you put food in your body.

3. Learn to Breathe Properly

Yet another activity that does not get enough credit. Considering that we do this on average of 22,000 times per day, I'd say its kind of important.

In my experience, most people are mouth and accessory breathers. First off, breathing should be done through the nose. This ensures an adequate amount of oxygen is taken in with each breath. Mouth breathers tend to "over-breathe" meaning upon inhalation too much oxygen is taken into the body. Ever have a stuffy nose or are constantly clearing your throat for no apparent reason? Well that is your body trying to control tidal volume by producing more mucous. The body can only handle so much oxygen at one time. Without these attempts to maintain homeostasis, blood Ph would sky rocket, sending you into renal failure. Moral of the story? Breathe through your nose.

Second, use your diaphragm to breathe. Upon inhalation the abdomen should expand and the upper chest/neck area should remain still. For more on this read my two part series on breathing HERE and HERE.

Proper breathing is essential for core function, recovery, and your movement foundation, so DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ITS IMPORTANCE.

For starters, take 15-20 deep, diaphragmatic breaths before bed every night.

 3 month breathing

 Crocodile breathing

4. Do More Pulling

Ask any lifter if he has done more pulling than pressing over his training lifetime. The honest answer will most often be NO. I am no exception (although I believe I am closing the gap).

A strong back is essential for performance and shoulder health. The biggest, strongest individuals in the world concurrently have big strong backs. You will squat more, deadlift more, and press more with less shoulder pain with attention to this important muscle group. And yes ladies, a wide back is sexy.


Shoot for a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio of pulling to pushing with exercises like rows, chins, and rotator cuff work.

5. Eat a Hearty Breakfast

I have never understood how people aren't hungry in the morning. When I wake up I am absolutely ravenous. At the risk of sounding cliche, a good breakfast sets the tone for the rest of the day. It stokes your metabolic and anabolic furnace. Energetic, well fed, and strong people will always out perform the tired, starving, and weak.

In my humble opinion, if you aren't getting AT LEAST 30 grams of protein in at breakfast (breakfast means within 30 minutes of waking), you are falling short. If you train in the early morning, some exceptions can be made here. Here are a few examples from my own breakfast:

4 whole eggs
1/2 cup of oats with cinnamon
1/2 or whole banana

Smoothie
1 cup of almond milk
2 scoops of natural peanut butter
1 scoop of protein
1/2 cup of oats
1 large handful of spinach
1 banana
Cinnamon to taste

1/2 cup of oats
1 scoop of protein powder
1 handful of walnuts or almonds
1 banana
Cinnamon

Obviously you will need to scale these up or down based on body composition and goals.

So there you have it. 5 simple activities to make your daily life a little more awesome. Give them a shot and reap the benefits!