Getting Clients To the Elusive Intermediate Level

It is not very hard to get beyond the beginner stage of strength training. Start doing any series of exercises, even with less-than-desireable technique, and if you are fairly consistent you can provide an adequate overload stimilus. After a few months of training you will likely see positive changes in your body and your strength.

Although, reaching an intermediate or an advanced levels is another story. There are several reasons why the majority of people training at your gym never even make it to the intermediate level. That is, for a female: deadlifting or squatting your body-weight, performing a pull-up unassisted, and bench pressing 100 pounds (or more than 10 body weight push-ups on the floor). Those numbers are 1.5x and 2.0x higher for lower and upper body exercises respectively for men.

1. Technique, technique, technique- It is imperative that you develop proper technique before your body can handle greater loads. It amazes me how many "active" and "fit" clients that I start working with that have no clue how to perform an exercise properly. These are not newbies to the gym, but people that have been working out for years with poor technique. It is not surprising that they don't make any progress.

2. Failing To Sure-Up Weak Links- We all have weak links that limit our performance. But part of the process of moving from a beginner to intermediate trainee is to identify and work on these weak links. It is very common to have use supplemental exercise to increase torso stability, shoulder mobility & stability, and hip mobility and stability. Just about all of my beginner trainees get a healthy dose of exercises to address these weak links. It is challenging to safely and effectively progress the bigger, compound exercises with a trainee that has so many weak links.

3. A Proper, Logical Training Program- As I mentioned earlier, it is not hard to get someone moving and make some progress. But, random exercises without an appreciation for stress, progression, adaption, and recovery will keep you from reaching the levels of an intermediate trainee. Somewhat-more sophisticated planning is important. With greater training stresses comes the need for appropriate recovery intervals. These variables, in addition to exercises selection, order, loads, volume, and tempo need to be planned in a proper intermediate training program.

Simplicity In Training

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."

-Leonardo Da Vinci

I was reading through the recent fitness equipment supplier catalog that came in the mail today.  It is 75 pages long. I realized that fitness has become too complex.  Check out the picture of a typical commercial gym below.

Too much!  In fact, it reminds me of the book Paradox of Choice by Barry Schwartz.  In it, he explains that we desire options, but if we have more than a few, it causes anxiety, stress, and less happiness.  He used examples of consumer goods, but it also applies to fitness and gyms.  How many pieces of equipment are in the picture above?  No one uses all of that, ever.  

In my opinion, all of these fitness options are distracting.  We can act busy, but are we really being productive?  I use less than 10% of the equipment at the gym where I currently train.  I keep it basic and simple.  It is much easier to focus on the your goals.  I prefer using barbells and kettlebells.  Even using just those, there is still a ton of options: the load, reps, sets, rest periods, speed, and several other subtle variations. 

There is a lot of redundancy in your typical commerical gym, mostly to woo new members.  Ironically, the most versatile pieces of equipment, like a power rack, are the least prevalent.  Performing basic movements on solid ground (like we live our lives and play our sports) has been supplemented with hyper-stable environments such as machines that you lock your body into.  Or, hyper-unstable like exercise balls and BOSU balls. 

Once we strip away all of the bells and whistles, it comes down to understanding how the body works.  If you have a good understanding of how the body works, then exercise programming gets simpler.  As the saying goes, "the best athletes just do the basics better than lesser athletes."  I think that is what Da Vinci was getting at!

Bridging the Gap Between Fitness and Medicine, the Importance of Movement Proficiency

Fitness and medicine are often viewed as two separate realms of health and wellness.  We view exercise as a way to improve our body composition, strength, and/or endurance.  But, if we have joint pain, then seek medical attention to get it fixed.  Fixed usually means medical or surgical interventions to alleviate the pain.  Once our joint pain is fixed, then we go back to our fitness training. 

In my opinion, fitness and medicine are not two separate realms of health and wellness.  The dichotomy that has evolved is a huge misconception.  What is viewed as fitness and what is viewed as medicine (not including trauma) are simply part of a larger movement continuum.  Moving efficiently should be the basis for health, fitness, and performance.  It should be the foundation for our general physical preparedness (see picture on right).  However, the vast majority of people working out never even consider it.

Often, joint pain and injuries are the final manifestation of chronic muscular-skeletal deficiencies and compensation.  But, we never know if we have any deficiencies and compensation because movement proficiency is never assessed or even considered.  What is movement proficiency?  Movement proficiency is how we choose (or can) move.  For example, how do you get up from a chair?  Do you set your feet, balancing the pressure evenly through both feet, lean forward slightly, maintain your knees in line with your toes, and rise up with a smooth combination of hip and knee extension, and torso stability?  Or, do you throw your torso forward, shift your weight to your toes, squeeze your thighs together, extend your knees prior to your hips fully extending?  The first description is an efficient movement pattern and demonstrates adequate: mobility, stability, coordination, and strength.  The second pattern demonstrates an inefficient movement pattern.

The inefficient movement pattern would more likely be associated with lower back, knee, and foot pain.  If you displayed these inefficient movement patterns and have joint pain, what do you do?  Do you seek medical intervention?  Do you just work around it?  What model do you fit into, a medical or fitness model?
Both models may fail to help you.  They both view and address your problem from different perspectives.  Although, a movement continuum model would help you detect inefficiencies and give you a starting point for intervening. 

My training philosophy is based on moving efficiently.  Whatever your goal is, fat loss, increased strength or performance, or just get healthier, it all starts with addressing your movement proficiency.  All training is in the context of improving or maintaining movement proficiency.  It takes more time to individually assess and evaluate each client, but it is worth it.  More than ever, the average adult presents with poor posture, mobility, stabiity, strength, and/or endurance due to their sedentary lifestyles.  I estimate that one out of every two clients I work with has at least one or more issues.  Luckily, the movement continuum model is a powerful tool to improve your movement efficiency, alleviate joint pain, and help you reach your fitness and performance goals.

What We Can Learn From Butler Basketball

Saturday evening, the Butler Bulldogs continued one of the most improbable runs in the history of the NCAA men's basketball.  They beat Virginia Commonwealth University to return to the title game that they lost by one shot, just last year.  This year, at least 28 teams were more favored to win the tournament than last year's runner-up, receiving an 8th seed in their region.  But, they are back!  It is a fascinating story, though after watching just about all of the tournament games so far, the reason why is becoming evident.  Butler basketball knows how to win (not in the Charlie Sheen way, but the impressive way).  That sounds cliche.  But, at this point in the tournament, so many talented teams have failed because they lacked the mental, emotional, and team characteristics that Butler possesses. 

We could all learn a few things from how Butler gets things done and apply them to our fitness training.  Here are a few:

1.  Be Smart:  Most of Butler's success is because of Brad Steven's coaching.  He is a smart guy who knows how to put his team in the best position to win.  Most people don't have a smart coach helping them.  Sure there are a number of fitness enthusiasts willing to give you their two cents.  But, high-quality experienced coaching is harder to find, but invaluable.

2.  Do the Little Things Well:  Butler does a great job of consistently executing  fundamentals of basketball.  They run their offense well, box out, rotate on defense, rebound, etc.  These things are often overlooked as we get caught up in talent and athleticism, but usually the team that executes the fundamentals, wins.  How about your training?  Are you executing the fundamentals?  Do you have some basic goals?  Are you consistent with your training?  Is your technique solid?  Do you work on your weaknesses or go straight to your favorites?  If not, then don' ask about fancier training programs or nutritional supplements.  Master the fundamentals, they will take you further than anything else.

3.  Determined and Committed:  Butler demonstrates determination even when they are losing.  They were losing during several games in the tournament and at critical points, but never gave up.  Their body language said it all.  They fought for each possession and never hung their head.  Many other teams gave in before they did.  Are you determined and committed in your training?  Or is training the first thing to go when something else in life comes up?  Are you starting over every six months?  Do you give up because you aren't getting the results as fast as someone else? 

4.  Talent is Overrated:  Don't get me wrong, I do think Butler has many talented basketball players.  Though, they have played against many teams in the tournament with bigger, stronger, faster guys, and still won.  Many teams have lost with NBA lottery draft picks on their roster.  Just proving the point that talent, alone, is not enough to succeed.  You need all the other intangibles.  In fitness, talent is like genetics.  Some people were just dealt a great genetic hand.  They have great bodies and fitness in spite of their less-than-desirable training and nutrition.  Often, we can get frustrated when we compare ourselves to these people.  Though, most people can go very far with their genetic hand and smart, consistent, focused training.  Combined with a supportive environment and caring people, you will be surprised what you can accomplish.

5.  Passion:  Butler basketball is very passion-filled.  Watch a game at Hinkle Fieldhouse and you will agree.  The environment is electric.  The players don't talk a lot of talk, they simply play their hearts out for the love of the game.  How about you?  Is fitness a necessary chore to keep you somewhat healthy?  I am so surprised how many people talk like going to the gym is a chore.  They joke all the time that they would rather be somewhere else, and they are only there out of guilt.  If that is your case, you will never achieve much.  I speak for myself, many clients, and friends.  I love going to the gym to workout and relish the chance to work hard and improve myself.  I am passionate about what I do.  That is why I have been training for the last 18 years and plan to forever.  If you are not passionate, you won't get far.  You need to find a training program you are excited about, find a supportive environment, and surround yourself with great people- like we have at Hubbard Training Systems.   Good times, great results.  That's our new motto.

Don't Follow the Hype: What the New Client Needs and Doesn't Need.

"Early Specialisation at an intense level does not seem to produce an enduring athlete..."

- Yuri Verkhoshanksky, sports scientist

Hype sells in the fitness field.  I know, but refuse to give into it.  That is not how I have run my business over the last five years, and don't intend to change that.  Every month, I am contacted by someone selling some supplement/energy drink.  And, I tell them all the same thing.  I don't endorse any supplements.  Yeah, a few may be helpful, but most are at minimum a waste of your money; while some can even be dangerous.  For most people, lack of nutritional supplementation is not the crux of their problem, anyway.

Exercise training is also very hyped.  So many programs are marketed as "Intense", and "Killer" workouts, ironically to the most out-of-shape individuals.  They promote sweat, fatigue, soreness, and vomiting as barometers of effectiveness.  Workout programs like "Insanity" and "Bootcamps" are ubiquitous.  Not to mention the prime-time television reality show, The Biggest Loser.  They give the impression that if you aren't dying every workout, then you are wasting your time.  While intensity is an important principle of exercise training, it must be applied appropriately.  It is often not.

So many of these programs (again geared towards sedentary people and those with little training experience) incorporate advanced exercises like plyometrics, easily push people to extreme fatigue, rarely teach proper techniques (many instructors don't even know proper technique themselves, let alone coach properly).  It is a recipe for disaster.  And, I should know.  I see so many clients AFTER they have participated in these programs. 

"One workout is not going to make an athlete, but one workout can break an athlete."
-Vern Gambetta, Functional Path Training

So, what does your average, sedentary beginner need?  Often, they come to me with a main goal of weight loss.  Body weight is their main indicator of health and fitness.  In their minds, decrease the number on the scale to a desired level (by any means possible) and now you are healthy and fit!  Not so fast.  That is the message we are spoon-fed from the media.  That is what the doctor can measure.  Though, that mentality will only send you to the orthopod before the cardiologist. 
As, I teach my apprentices, the trainer needs to explain that for any long-term exercise program to work, the primary focus needs to be on moving well.  Weight loss can't be the sole/primary goal. The trainer needs to take the new, motivated client and teach them proper exercise training, not beat them into submission. 

Here is what I feel people, who have been sedentary and out of shape, need to learn/address during their first six months of training:

1. You Can't Out-Run A Donut:  The main variable for achieving fat loss is your diet.  Exercise, sleep, hormones, and stress, influence your body composition significantly.  Though, what and how much you eat is still the main factor.  You won't see a continued, significant fat loss without improving your diet somewhat.  You don't need to start an extreme diet, but small changes do make a large difference over the period of months.  That I why I use my Food Rules to educate clients on smart, effective, long-term nutrition strategies for fat-loss.
2. Your Posture is Bad and You Move Poorly: The average adult spends more time than ever sitting.  This seemingly benign activity causes a gradual negative cascade of soft-tissue stiffening, muscle-weakening and inhibition, and creep into poor joint alignment.  Fixing many of these posture and movement problems should be a primary focus.  You should be assessed by a trainer so he/she has an idea where you are starting.  Mobility exercises, stretching, foam rolling, and other light exercises are appropriate for most people before more strenuous exercises can be implemented. 
3. Lots of Time To Master The Low-Level Basics:  Basic exercises (like push-ups, pull-ups, rows, squats, step-ups, lunges, bridges, etc.) are good exercises if performed correctly.  Most often, people really don't know how to properly perform these exercises.  This is where I spend most of my time with a new client.  It is very coaching-intensive, but important for long-term success.  Though, I see people (and trainers) by-pass this all the time.  Some clients need many weeks and months to gain proficiency, especially if they have not formally exercised or played sports.  Amazingly, even among people who have exercised for years and decades, most have never been properly instructed or critiqued on their exercise technique; and it shows!
4. Appropriate  Intensity: Beginners can make significant improvements without heavy resistance or high-intensity exercises.  Running and jumping (often used in boot camps)  present the body with a huge stress it often can't handle.  It is not uncommon to see a "Bootcamp" class having over-weight individuals jumping on boxes and running extensively (usually without proper instruction or regard for fatigue).   Beginners can continue to get stronger with intensities as low as 40-60% of their maximal strength (more advanced lifters need more), and should perform exercises that enhance joint stability, body control, and strength over ones that put 2-6 times their bodyweight forces onto their joints (like running, cutting, and jumping).
5. Keep It Simple:  So often clients (and trainers) unnecessarily makes things too complex.  Clients need time to develop movement proficiency, stability, and strength.  You will need to "practice" exercises often and only need to progress one factor (reps, or duration or resistance) at a time .  Not uncommonly,  I will see someone performing a deadlift with a couple light dumbells, then the next thing you know they are performing circuits with a heavier barbell, on one leg, on a BOSU ball, with burpees in between. 

If you are a beginner, invest your time in building your body so it can handle more vigorous exercise.  Don't follow the hype.  Even though a more vigorous exercise will burn more calories, it often is just short-term gain, long-term loss.  Proper exercise training for a beginner shouldn't be very intense.  It should be carefully taught and performed consistently.  Gradually, the intensity can increase over time for positive adaptation, enjoyment and long-term success.

Adjusting Your Training After the Honeymoon

I call the initial 6-12 months of strength training the Honeymoon for new clients. During the first 6-12 months, clients can simultaneously improve their technique, get stronger, build muscle, increase conditioning, and lose body fat. All without even much change in their diet. Life is good. But, then their bodies' adaptations diminish. If they keep up their beginner training program beyond the Honeymoon, they notice little improvement in strength, conditioning, or body composition.

Most often, few people train consistently for more than six months. Though, if you do, then you need to focus on one goal and design your training/diet/recovery program to accomplish that one goal. You can maintain mutiples fitness components, but you must decide which ONE component you want to improve. Do you want continued body fat lose? Greater strength? Your training/nutrition/recovery will need to be modified accordingly. If you want to lose more body fat, your nutrition will have to improve, but you will still strength train. The main diiference will be your mediocre strength gains (mainly due to less available energy to bulid muscle). If your goal is to get stronger, you may have to decrease the amount of endurance exercise you are doing. If you do cut back (even by 50%, but maintain intensity), you can still maintain your endurance, but have more energy/recovery to build strength.

Personally, I have been focusing on building strength over the last six months. I have not focused on fat loss, in fact, eat probably 30% more calories now to help provide adequate energy for building muscle. Additionally, I have limited my conditioning exercise, and replaced a couple conditioning workouts each week with naps to help with muscle recovery. The result? I am the strongest I have ever been in my entire life.

How Do You Choose Which Exercises to Use? The Art of Exercise Programming.

I was asked this question a few times, just today. So, I thought it would be a good idea to review how I choose which exercises I use when training various clients. Like a carpenter or surgeon, an experienced trainer has many, proven tools in his/her training tool box. What tools end up in that tool box are a result of their experience and training philosophy.

Tools (exercises) work in the context of a training program, which is a specific plan customized to an individual to help him or her achieve a training goal. A workout is just a random selection of exercises without consideration of an individuals short or long-term goals. You should have good reason why you are selecting an exercise. How does that exercise fit into your training program?

Many new trainers and those new to exercise training are at a disadvantage because of their limited experience. It takes time to see all the pros and cons of each type of exercises on various clientele. Often the inexperienced trainer or new exerciser will simply choose what they see others using, or what the gym has to offer, or the latest fitness gizmos. Most commerical gyms are not outfitted with the best tools. They are outfitted with what will attract the most people to join the gyms.

My training philosophy has been shaped over the last 14 years. It can be summarized in a couple sentences: Get people moving well by developing adequate joint range of motion, stability, and control. Then build a maximal strength foundation, as it improves all movement capabilities and tolerance. Then, develop specific needs. Make the process enjoyable. I use exercises that allow for free-motion. That is, the client needs to know how to move properly and must maintain that form. Free weights, such as: barbells, dumbells, kettlebells, and body weight (calisthenics), along with the free-motion cable column are my tools of choice. Fixed-path machines allow you to move the lever in any manner, not emphasising ideal biomechanics.

Additionally, there are some other basic principles that must be known. First, there are a lot of good tools (exercises), but they must be applied appropriately, or they become less than ideal tools (exercises). Second, always assess the client so you know their specific needs/deficits. Third, know the client's goal and keep them moving in that direction.

Once I know where a client is starting and where they want to go, the next step is to apply a training program template.
A basic template that I use has six categories:

A. Leg/Hip Bilateral Strength

B. Pulling

C. Pushing

D. Single Leg Stability

E. Shoulder Stability

F. Torso Stability

Within each category, I have a list of many possible exercises. I try to pick the most appropriate exercise (or modification of that exercise) in each category. This template makes it quick and easy to develop a program for a new client. Once this program is started, I can always make some minor changes as I see appropriate. I use this new training plan for 4-6 weeks. I want a client to get comfortable with each exercise and be able to progressively overload (add more weight or reps) their body before changing the program significantly. While variety can be good, a good program makes only subtle changes (you were choosing the best exercises, so some exercises will be done for a long, long time).

How much weight, how many reps, how many sets, how often, and how much rest are other important variables that will have to be addressed in separate posts.

If The Bar Ain't Bending, Then You Are Just Pretending

I love this saying. It may be viewed as some testosterone-fueled powerlifter mantra, but I think it is very simple and profound for anyone wanting to derive the extensive benefits of strength training.

Strength training is the process of
gradually and progressively overloading the musculoskeletal system to increase muscular strength. It is as simple and straight-forward as that. Though, I see the majority of people in the gym, especially females, not gradually and progressively overloading their musculoskeletal systems and not getting stronger.

It is very easy to see whether your training is working or not; you get stronger. You can gradually add more weight to the bar. As simple of a concept that may be, so many people don't improve their strength much at all.

Most people I see in the gym are not getting significantly stronger with their training. Here are three common reasons:

1. Failing To Progresively Overload: You need an appropriate, progressive stimulus to increase strength. Whether you don't know that principle, simply just neglect it, or have poor technique, you will never give your body the stimulus to build significant strength without a gradual, consistent, progressive overload.












2. Exercises and Techniques Used Don't Allow You To Adequately Load Your Muscles: Today, many trendy exercises are used for strength training, such as unstable surfaces (Bosu ball). While these exercises may be challenging to perform, they also severely limit safe loading of the target muscles, thus limiting strength-building stimuli.












3. Too Much Stimulus/Too Little Recovery:. If three days per week of lifting provides good results, then five days must provide even better results, right? Wrong. To build strength, you need an adequate training stimuli, but your body needs to also recover or you will be chronically sore and never build much strength A lot of people who love to workout and are at the gym everyday (overall, a small minority) fall into this category. While the excessive strength training may help keep body fat levels low, it will also keep strength levels low.

If you want to receive the well-documented, positive effects of strength training, then you have to actually train to get stronger. Gradually, progressively overload the bar so it starts bending, or you are simply pretending to be strength training!

Interesting Observations from the Feats of Strength Training

Over the past six and a half weeks, most of my clients have taken part in training for my annual Festivus Feats of Strength Competition.  This fun competition will take place on December 23rd.  The training gives clients specific and objective goals in a defined time frame just when most people are forgetting about exercise all together (from Nov 1-Dec 23rd).  I am very excited and proud of how much progress all of my clients have made, and there is still over a week to go.  I wanted to share some interesting observations from, what I consider, a very effective training program and what should be an impressive showing on December 23rd.

1.  Technique, Technique, Technique:  I spent a lot of time at the beginning of this eight week period really working on clients' techniques.  This is important, because the exercises I chose (deadlift, pull-up, push-up, and kettlebell clean and jerk)  depend on good technique.  I am proud to say that most clients are now pretty solid in their techniques, even with fairly heavy weights.  Not only has this kept injuries away, but performance has been taken to a new level because of it. 

2.  Less is More:  Often, training programs can be extremely aggressive and not allow for adequate recovery.  With four exercises (which do complement each other) clients were able to train adequately, without over-training.  Appropriate training stimulus and maximal training stimulus are often confused.  Clients trained two to three times per week for 45 minutes on average.  I continue to see a steady improvement over the last six and a half weeks. 

3.  Goals are Great:  Everyone needs goals.  More specifically, you need clear, objective goals with a definitive time frame to motivate you.  Going to the gym is, as they say, 'better than nothing."  But, if you really want to see a significant improvement, you need clear, objective goals with a definitive time frame.

4.  Everyone Needs Support:  One of my main goals is to create a community among my clients so everyone can derive the support of not just me, but also of many other clients.  Thanks to group trainings, interactions in the gym and social media, I have been able to develop a network of support for clients.  Often clients will discuss their experience and personal bests with each other, further motivating each other.  We all have times when our motivation wanes, but when you have support, you get swept right back into your training without missing a beat.

Is Your Training a Grueling Chore or an Invigorating Passion?

The other day I had a great conversation with a female client of mine about training.  She is an avid runner and is regularly in the gym five to six days per week.  She admits that her frequent training is for managing the stress of her busy life, but also fear.  She fears that if she doesn't keep her training frequency up, she will surely lose strength and gain body fat.  However, I had to explain to her, that she also was hurting her body.  Physically she was suffering chronic injuries, and psychologically she was suffering fear, anxiety, and a lack of self confidence.  I tried to explain to her that there was an optimal training stimulus to improve her strength and fitness, and she was beyond that.  After all, exercise training is a stress and your body has to be able to recover from that stress.  If not, you are not improving your fitness or health (but your weight on the scale may stay down). 

 

The Importance of Balanced Exercise Programing

Exercise programing or what types, duration, and frequency of exercise training you are doing must be balanced for optimal results and to keep your joints healthy.  The biggest issue I see among people who workout regularly (without my supervision) is the blatant imbalance in exercise programing (180 minutes on the elliptical trainer or 20 sets of anything on a BOSU ball).  What we decide to do when we exercise regularly has a positive and negative impact on our body.  Here are a few examples:

• A 45 year-old male former powerlifter and regular (five days per week) weight lifter was complaining to me the other day that he has been bothered by pain in both shoulders.  He asked me if he should supplement with glucosamine.  You know how I feel about supplements.  But, I have seen this guy train week in, week out.  I noticed a severe imbalance in his exercise training programing.  He performed a lot of curls, chest presses, and shoulder lateral raises.  He is very muscular, but I am sure he would be hard-pressed to move his arms through a full range of motion through the shoulder joint.  He never performs any flexibility or mobility work.  And his job is fairly sedentary.  I recommended to him to work on his shoulder mobility every time he trains to balance out the tremendous volume of upper body strength training.  It would also behoove him to cut down the frequency and volume of his current training and also add some more scapular stabilization and rowing exercises to balance the forces and demands on the shoulder joint.

• A 33 year-old female runner with history of knee surgeries continues to run as her predominant mode of exercise training.  While her overall mileage is down from years past, she continues to suffer from her imbalanced training.  When I got a chance to work with her, I found many deficiencies.  She had poor single-leg stability, a loss of knee range of motion, and hip weakness.  Exercises like body-weight step-ups and single-leg hip bridges were extremely challenging and sometimes painful.  I recommended that she spend her limited training time on knee, hip, and ankle range of motion, single-leg stability, hip strength, and shelf the running for the time being (this is wishful thinking, as runners will run no matter what). 

These are two of many, many examples that I see. Training regularly is good, but as they say, you can have too much of a good thing (especially if it means you are ignoring other aspects of your training).  You need to always move well.  That means developing and maintaining adequate joint mobility, stability, strength, power, agility, balance, endurance, and coordination.  We need to consider our individual background and needs, along with our goals.  Then, program accordingly.  Unsure, of what you need?  Consult a knowledgeable trainer to help you develop a balanced exercise training program. 

The Value of Training Goals

Training goals are important.  Without them, we lose direction, motivation and focus.  Our training then becomes less effective and less consistent.  I feel that is the value of the personalized training program I write out for my clients.  They have a plan (that is specific and appropriate for them) that gives them a center of focus, raises motivation, and improves consistency.  These intangibles provide the mental basis for which specific, physical, objective goals can be pursued.  Your mind and your thoughts are a powerful determinant of your success. 

I spend a good part of my week writing out programs to help clients pursue and achieve their goals.  I sometimes lose focus in my training and end up just doing whatever I can.  I know better.  I know specific goals will help me stay focused and improve my motivation.  Yes, even I lose motivation time to time. 

An important component of effective goal-setting is to make the goals as specific and objective is possible.  Also, goals should include not only outcome-orientation (losing twenty pounds), but also process-orientation (training four days per week, for 45 minutes).  You can read more about outcome and process-orientated goals here. 

So, one of my goals is to improve leg strength, power, mobility, and single-leg stability (I partial tore my left hamstring two years ago).  I have pursued maximal strength lifts in the past (barbell squat and deadlifts), but want to stay in my philosophy of "moving well."  While I still see value in training the "big lifts" and use them as part of my program, I want my goal to be more specific to my needs.  I figured out my new training goal, yesterday.  The Pistol (single-leg squat)-Lateral Hop complex is it.  I was able to perform six good reps yesterday and in the past have done 8-10 Pistols in a row.  However, single-leg stability and endurance (my heart rate was 160 bpm after only 6 reps) are challenged more with a 48" Lateral Hop.  Check out the video.  My new goal is 30 good reps of the Pistol-Lateral Hop Complex without falling down.

Have You Ever Seen A Dog Stretch His Hamstrings? A New Perspective In Exercise Training

We have made significant progress in exercise, sport, and rehabilitation science.  We are slowly finding out many interesting things.  But, it still seems we are missing the big picture with exercise training.  If you look at a basic book on exercise training, multiple components of fitness are mentioned.  Cardio-respiratory capacity, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and body composition are common components of fitness.  Often, we are instructed to make sure you do some cardio, do some weights, and don't forget that all-important stretching at the end of your workout.  Oh, and balance training and some fat-loss training, too.  We have such a myopic view of exercise it is laughable.

Though, have you ever seen your dog stretch before or after he runs?  Does he ever do any strength training?  Yet, he can, at the sight of a squirrel, sprint, cut, leap, stop, reaccelerate, pee on a plant (my dog at least) then jog for many minutes.  How does he do that?  He doesn't follow any of our modern fitness principles, but can easily outperform us.  I don't know about you, but this is eye-opening.  Are we missing the big picture? 

I think we are.  It is often said that you find what you are looking for.  Is that what is happening here?  When we look through the lens of specific fitness components that is what we find.  We need to take a step back and see the big picture.  Exercise is all movement.  Movement is very complex.  We need to appreciate that basic neuromuscular patterns are the basis for everything that we do.  The ability to move is only partially conscious.  How we actually move is modulated by our nervous system, which is constantly receiving internal and external feedback, and adjusting muscular contraction.  Our expression of strength, stability, flexibiltiy, even endurance is predicated by how our nervous system functions.  I know this seems so weird, but it is only hard to fathom because we can't perceive its sophistication from our vantage point, like we can the components of fitness.  Once we appreciate that motor control patterning is the basis of our movement, and the components of fitness are simply manifestations of that, we have a more powerful understanding of rehab and exercise training.  Training movement patterns, properly, enhances the efficiency of that movement (like a golf swing).  As a consequence of those patterns (swinging a golf club) , flexibility and strength change.  In the case of the golf swing, flexibility and strength increase in the golf swing pattern, but not in others.  Swinging the club the oppoisite way is not just awkward, but physically hard to do.  You are working against muscles whose lengths have been set by the patterning of swinging a club one way.  Stretching the muscles that we perceive as tight temporarily increases flexibiltiy, but it resets back to its 'patterned' length rather quickly.  Similarly, sprinters who statically stretch before sprinting are actually slower than if they didn't stretch.  You are interfering with the rapid contraction of the muscles with long, slow stretches.  Alternatively, core training on a ball or the ground doesn't improve torso stability in other positions because it is motor pattern-specific.

I guess a dog never stretches his hamstrings because there is no reason.  If he is running and sprinting regularly, his motor patterns allow him to lengthen and shorten his muscles appropriately in that pattern.  We could learn a lot from a dog. 

Cleaning Up Movement Faults and The First Rule

One of the most important traits I emphasize with clients is to develop quality movement patterns.  This important trait is so often overlooked and undervalued.  However, it keeps coming up again and again with everyone.  If you don't move well, you are putting yourself at risk of an overuse injury (plantar fasciitis) or traumatic (rotator cuff strain, or tear).  Or just limiting your potential and progression.

You don't see many people in the gym with this hip mobility

We all have some movement faults, some more prevalent or significant than others.  Our bodies adapt to the demands we impose on them.  For most of us, that includes 8-12 hours of sitting per day.  Simply jumping on a machine to workout does nothing to improve your movement faults.  Nor does running or grabbing a weight to lift.  Most people don't know that they have  movement faults, therefore don't know how to fix them.  An experienced trainer or therapist can pick up on even very subtle movement faults and compensations.  Several 'screening' exercises can be done.  Personally, I like the Turkish Get-Up and Windmill exercises (I use many others, too)  to assess full-body movement quality.  It can be done with just body weight for beginners, then the resistance can be increased to discriminate with more advanced clients.  These two exercises provide a great amount of information.  Below, I perform the Turkish Get-Up and Windmill with a 70lb (32kg) kettlebell.  Again, it is not just about doing the exercise, it about how you do the exercises. 



A very simple way to gauge whether you are doing any movement correct is to apply my

First Rule: Stay Out of the Fetal Position.

A submissive, weak, and tired, posture

The fetal position is a very weak, submissive, and tired posture both metaphorically and physically.  Due to the effects of gravity on our bodies and the extensive amounts of time we spend sitting, our bodies gradually end up in a fetal position unless there is an intervention (an appropriate exercise training program to reverse these effects).

When the physical demands are increased on our bodies (the exercise intensity or duration increases) we default back to the fetal position.  We can't continue with the appropriate technique, so we devolve into these compensation patterns.  The compensation patterns (fetal position) are characterized by: internally rotated arms, a rounded back, and flexed hips.  These joint positions are not ideal for handling physical stress and usually are associated with shoulder, lower back, and knee pains.  See picture below.  Why would you want to reinforce these faulty movement patterns?  Your training program should correct these faults, not add to them.

Notice the devolution into the fetal position (head forward, arms rotated inward, spine flexing) as she fatigues.

Reader Question

"Hey Dan. I hope you are doing well. I really enjoy reading your blog and I try to keep up a good fitness regimen. We have a class at my gym called body pump. I'm sure you have heard of it. We work each muscle group for 5 minutes or the duration of a song. The weight used is not super heavy, but by the end of the song it is torture. Do you think this is beneficial or is heavy weightlifting and smaller reps better? I'm looking to lose body fat. Any advice is so appreciated!"


First of all, the most important factor to be successful with any strength training program is to be consistent. A group exercise class like Body Pump is popular, especially with women, because of the motivation provided by a good instructor and comraderie of a large group. That helps consistency. Combined with a healthy diet (like using my Food Rules), most people should see some improvement in body fat levels. And diet gets more important the leaner you get.

A group strength training class like Body Pump does have many limitations which may or may not be evident to most people. These include: lack of individualization, low-level progressive overload, and ineffective training stimulus for non-beginners. Classes simply are 'keep up with the instructor'. Exercises are predetermined and may not be effective or safe for you. The instructor does not have the ability to provide feedback more than simply encouragement to keep up with her. I work with each client one-on-one or in a small group to teach them, assess them, and correct them. In fact, this is a large part of what I do during each session. Clients who I have worked with more than a year still may need some verbal cues or reminders from time to time to ensure they are using good techniques. Also, based on a client's history or assessed needs different exercises or progressions are put in their programs. This is fairly common. None of this can be done in a large group or bootcamp setting.

Progressive overload is key to continually improving with any strength training program. Group strength training classes usually use lighter weights (2-15 pound dumbells or barbells). While beginners can see strength improvements with lower-moderate levels of resistance (40-60% of the maximal weight they can lift one time, termed one-repetition maximum), non-beginners (more than six months experience) will not see any improvements (though, you may be able to maintain) in strength, muscle mass, and metabolism. You must use heavier resistance (60-90% of your one-repetition maximum) to reach long-term strength training and body fat goals. HEAVY STRENGTH TRAINING WILL NOT MAKE YOU DEVELOP BULKY MUSCLES- that is nonsonse. I have measured hundreds of women and they all have seen a decrease in body circumferences. In fact, some of the leanest and lightest women are the strongest. Those 15 pound weights may actually be only 10% of your one-repetion maximum for some exercises like squatting, deadlifting, rowing, and pressing. I have women, on a daily basis, deadlifting and squatting over 100 pounds and pressing more than 50 pounds overhead and some are doing dips and pull-ups with their bodyweight! And the best part is that they are asking for the heavier weights.

Group strength training classes focus on motivating beginners to strength train. This is good. These classes can help you lose body fat if combined with a healthy diet. But, the class is geared to helping beginner women make short-term gains (one to two months). They don't prepare you for long-term success. I imagine most women drop in for a month or two at a time and then drop out (we know the statistics of exercise adherence is extremely low). They never get beyond that beginner level. They are always starting over. In order to be successful (strong, lean, and healthy) long-term you have to build a strong foundation. This includes assessing an individual (watch them perform basic exercises and how they move and walk, or run), teaching them proper technique, progressing a client appropriately, and varying exercises, resistance, sets, reps regularly (periodization). This prepares individuals make long-term (body fat or strength and performance goals).

While a Body Pump workout can be challenging, it is because of its endurance/metabolic demands. That is, light weights are used ( which I mentioned doesn't provide a good strength, muscle, or bone mass-building stimulus to non-beginners) with higher reps and little rest. This actually will help your endurance as much or more than your strength if done consistently for a while. Still the elevation in metabolism wouldn't be close to heavy resitance training. Group training classes get people exercising, which I am all in favor of, but to reap the full benefits of long-term strength training you really need to invest in learning proper strength training principles and free-weight techniques. Once you do, you will see that there is no comparison between a group fitness class or bootcamp and proper, scientifically-validated, strength training. I feel, regular, heavy strength training is the best way to fight aging and the body fat gain everyone experiences with aging. Also, like many of my female clients you will enjoy it, look forward to it, and miss it when you don't get to do it on a regular basis.

Born To Run

I just made it home after a long, 11-hour ride back from visiting famIly and friends in Georgia. 1600 miles and two books on cd later I am back in Indiana. I had a great time visiting family, celebrating the Fourth of July, and visiting a friend I haven't seen in a year and half. I also made a point not to think about or do anything work related. But, after almost completing "Born To Run" by Christopher McDougal I had more blog material churning. I Recommend "Born To Run". The book is a story and an interesting investigation into the question "were we born to run?" If so, why do 80% of runners end up injured each year. The book is a little slow at the beginning, as McDougall sets the story, but if you stick with it, it gets pretty interesting in the second half. I was even inspired to run for a half-hour tonight partly from sitting all day in the car and partly by this book.

I put on my Vibram Five Fingers at dusk and hit the park next to my home. I started off slowly on the grass with my some warm-up drills. Then, moved to 100-yard sprints. As the sun was going down and after a handful of sprints my legs were loose and feeling good. I felt light on my feet, like I weighed 110 pounds, not 210 pounds. I did five more 100-yard sprints and decided to hit the road with my Five Fingers (essentially barefoot). I had only run once on the road with the Five Fingers and went rather slow. Tonight, I was feeling good and was inspired by the book. So, I set off and kept my mental check list while I ran on the road:

Stand tall
Back straight
Drive with elbows
Feet under my center of gravity
Pull heels through
Land on outside of mid-foot and use the foot and legs to disperse forces.

I moved along smoothly and effortlessly. I gradually upped my pace as I kept reviewing this checklist. Soon, I was at 8-9 mph, but felt like I was simply power-walking. I glided over the ground without any bobbing up and down, thus minimizing the impact on my feet and legs. I was feeling great, running effortless with only 7mm of rubber between me and the road.

McDougall concludes that there are many factors to why we get injured, inspite having a body that is designed to run long distances. The big two are biomechanics and musculoskeletal strength. Both of which are severely affected by modern lifestyles, running shoes, and our 'quick results' mentality. I agree with him on all of these points.

We all knew how to run when we are five years-old. We were all good runners and regularly ran at top speeds. However, a sedentary lifestyle with lots of sitting and weight gain have led most people to have an atrophied and weakened body (especially the muscles of the foot). These bodies can't handle the extreme forces driven through our feet and legs with each stride, especially with improper running mechanics.

Modern running shoes (invented by Nike in 1972) have allowed many runners to use improper running biomechanics (long strides, significant heel strikes, and lots of bobbing up and down). Rarely do people learn proper mechanics to minimize driving forces over 1000 pounds through their joints with every step. Unfortunately, we are under the false presumption that cushy, engineered running shoes will absorb this force. In reality, and I love the way he puts it, the feet are "searching for stability." They will hit the ground harder with the cushy sole versus barefoot, thus causing higher ground-reaction forces.

The last point I think is so true of not only current-day running, but of all current-day fitness. The "quick-results" mentality is a recipe for disaster. We want everything to happen quickly. We have no patience. We want to run a half marathon, but have been sedentary for years and have poor biomechanics. Twelve weeks is not enough time to expect to train for this race. You are fooling yourself. Another line that I liked, that was used in this context was "expect nothing from your running, and you will get more than you ever imagined." Great line.

The human body, with it's rubber band-like achilles tendon, arched foot, efficient cooling system, and large lung capacity, is designed to run. We are born to run, but unlike cheetahs and horses, we are not designed for speed, but endurance. Unfortunately, the most basic exercise for humans ends up being the most problematic. Not because it is a foreign movement, but because we attempted to fix something that wasn't broken.

Fat Burning Zone Myth

The fitness world is full of myths that never die. The "fat burning zone" is one of those. This irritates me because it is blatantly wrong. It seems like every piece of 'cardio' equipment has a little chart showing people what heart rate to exercise at to burn fat. Kind of like the body has a switch to shift into burning fat or not. It doesn't.

At rest, you get about half of your cellular energy from fat and half from carbohydrates (there are other sources but they are insignificant). If you are on a very-low carbohydrate diet, even more of your energy will come from fat. These ratios usually hold true for exercise at low-intensities (such as walking), thus these lower heart rate levels (50-65% of your heart rate max) are termed the "fat burning zone." Exercise at higher intensities results in a shift to a greater percent of energy from carbohydrate and a lesser percent from fat.

Ironically, research shows that people that follow a low-level (HR in the fat burning zone) exercise program (without diet modification) lose little fat. This exercise is not very metabolically demanding (total energy expenditure), is easily compensated for by a slight increase in appetite, and does not impact resting metabolic rate.

Exercise that has an impact on fat mass (even without diet change) is actually high to very high intensity exercise. This includes high-intensity sprint-type intervals, circuit strength training, and heavy strength training (squats, deadlifts, presses, rows, etc). These exercises actually produce heart rates higher than 60% of heart rate max, and can be up to or higher than your max heart rate (that is working at levels, briefly, higher than intensities that cause maximal heart-rate levels). Ironically, they all use mostly carbohydrates as a main fuel source. How can that be? The irony. How can burning high levels of carbohydrates result in fat mass loss?

It turns out that our physiology is just slightly more complicated. The reason that high-intensity exercise is more effective at helping you actually have a net fat loss is due to it's effects on hormonal control of energy regulation. The carbohydrate (mostly glycogen) that is used needs to be replaced. That process requires energy. Additionally, the high-intensity exercise stimulates the release of several stress hormones (epinephrine), and several muscle-growth/repair hormones (growth hormone), both stimulate states of higher energy use (post exercise). The net result is a loss of body fat.

Exercising in the "Fat Burning Zone" (low intensity, 40-60% of your heart rate max) does offer health benefits (improved mood, lower blood pressure, etc), but it has a very weak effect on body fat loss, especially without diet modification (for those eating a standard American Diet). Unfortunately, the myth of working in a "Fat Burning Zone" still exists. Personally, I like to think of the free-weight area of any gym as the "Fat Burning Zone!"

Body Re-Building

So often you hear people say "I can't do that, my knees... or lower back won't let me do that." Old injuries have mounted up and they become a barrier to improving your body. You want to work out, but the pain limits you to just walking. I come across many people who are in this situation. Some just use it as an excuse not to work out and improve. Others, like my client Sharon, battle back and do overcome these set-backs.

Sharon has had her share of unfortunate injuries in he last several years, including: an ACL repair, meniscectomy, car accident, and last summer a lumbar spine discectomy. She resumed her training with me about six weeks after her back surgery. She still has another herniated lumbar disk, but has worked her butt off over the last nine months. She has made steady progress and today, I realized that she actually can squat, pain-free, better than just about everyone else at the gym.

Additionally, she now has the hip mobility and torso stability to perform windmills well.

Sharon's story is pretty cool and it has taught me so much about the spine and hips. Fortunately, she has the fortitude to work hard. Six months ago she qualified for disability. I am sure most people would have chosen that path. I am glad Sharon didn't.

Fitness Foundation and Movement Competencies

This week starts my introduction to strength training camp for teenagers. The objective, over the six, one-hour sessions, is to teach basic strength training principles and techniques to kids who have never strength trained before. Some kids play sports, some don't. It doesn't matter. They are all beginners. Their 'training age' is zero. This is true for adults, too. Even if someone is 40 years old and they have no training experience, their training age is zero.

So what do what do beginners need? They need to build a movement foundation. They, like the 40-year old, need to learn and practice basic progressions of various movements. Some will be familiar and simple, some will be unfamiliar and awkward.

We won't even touch a weight or machine the first day of camp. We will spend one full hour learning how to do body weight movements properly. From my experience, very few people (beginners or even some experienced trainees) can do a proper push-up or body-weight squat. Here are some of the basic exercises we will work on:

1. Planks
2. Side Bridges
3. Bird Dogs
4. Hip Bridges
5. Single-Leg Stands
6. Push-Ups
7. Inverted Rows
8. Good Mornings
9. Down Dogs
10. Deadlifts
11. Squats
12. Lunges

All of these exercises will be done with body-weight. Once good technique is established, we will add resistance. However, most beginners can get a great 'training stimulus' with only body weight exercises. These exercises can be made more challenging with subtle modifications. In the future, this 'movement foundation' can be revisited as a warm-up or some of these exercises can be put into a conditioning circuit.

All beginners should develop a 'movement foundation' or basic exercise competency. So many people simply grab a weight or climb on a machine without any movement competency. This is largely a result of commercial gyms wanting to get as many members as possible by offering machines that dont require you to learn any new movement-simply push a lever or a pedal. While these people can improve their strength and fitness, ultimately, they are limiting themselves and increasing their risk of injuries. So, take some time to develop a strong 'movement foundation', on which you can build upon for the rest of your life.

Say It Ain't So Dr. Oz

In between sets of squats the other day, I caught part of Dr Oz's show. An overweight female asked him the following question.

"My weight loss has stalled, should I do more 'cardio' or strength training?"

Dr. Oz responds by saying you need to raise your metabolism to help burn more fat and Calories. So far I agree. Then he shows either his ignorance, or just blatant pandering to a predominant female audience. He says NOT to do heavy weight lifting, but to raise your metabolism by performing yoga and Pilates!






What! I can not believe what horrible exercise training information the doctor is spewing out to his viewers. While yoga and Pilates do offer physical benefits, their ability to raise metabolism, burn body fat doesn't hold a candle to heavy/high-intensity strength training and or interval training. I have personally used strength training as my main tool to help clients raise their metabolism and lose body fat. I have been able to help many women significantly change their body composition.

But, I do not want to feel like I am just projecting my biases either, so I did a Pub-Med search to review some original research on the topic. It is pretty well established that strength training is very good at improving body composition even without changes in nutrition and over relatively short (10 weeks) period of time. In a recent study by Ferreira, et. al. (2010), women aged 33-45, who performed a stength training circuit three days per week, lost 9 pounds of fat and gained six pounds of lean mass (which they had most likely lost over the last couple decades from being inactive).

However, Yoga (which one study showed energy expenditure equivalent to walking at 3.5 mph) and pilates are not as effective. A 2004 Observational study by Segal, et. al. showed no change in body composition after two, four, or even six months of mat pilates classes. This was a common outcome with these studies on yoga and pilates. I did come across one study where FIVE hours of mat pilates per week resulted in a small improvement in body fat in teenage girls.

Now, I have nothing against yoga or pilates. They each offer a method of improving aspects of fitness. I even use some yoga exercises to enhance joint mobility and some pilates to enhance torso stability. The issue is that neither yoga or pilates are as metabolically demanding as heavy/high-intensity strength or interval training to help you shed body fat.

So the answer to the women's question should have been: three days a week do (relatively) heavy/ high-intensity strength training and two days of some sort of high-intensity interval training. By far, that would be more effective than yoga or pilates, even added to what most people consider 'cardio' (low-mod intensity, steady-state exercise).

However, Dr. Oz was just pandering to his predominantly female audience who are heavily influenced by the media and 'celebrity trainers'. The irrational fear of lifting heavy weights and getting bulky is absurd. Especially when there is overwhelming, scientific research to support how effective and efficient heavy/high-intensity strength training really is for helping you lose body fat.