John Berardi is one of the smartest nutrition people I know (he’s worked with athletes in every major professional sport: NFL, MLB, NBA, and NHL). I got an email from him the other day with a link to this article. If you’re a young athlete who is looking to gain weight, this is a great read. All too often we make it complex; if you want to keep it simple and effective, read this now: www.precisionnutrition.com/6-scrawny-mistakes.
Enjoy the read!
“Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experiences of trial and suffering can the soul be strengthened, vision cleared, ambition inspired, and success achieved.” – Helen Keller
Character is about who you are as a person. It takes time to develop, and it’s not always easy to show. No matter what you’re goals are in fitness, sports, or performance training, keep in mind that it’s not always going to be easy. As a matter of fact, from my experience great things often happen after periods of challenging events. Character is what will keep you strong through this push. If you find yourself struggling with injuries; stagnant in strength improvement; or struggling with your skills; make sure you hang in there and persevere as you continue to pursue your ultimate goal(s). Remember, you are developing your character during those tough times but that’s what makes people great. The ability to adapt, grow, and push on for greatness.
I’m fortunate in that everyday I get to work with motivated young athletes. The one question that always comes to my mind is what drives that person to succeed? All too often I see kids who “like” a sport, or want to play at a certain “level” because of what that brings in other areas (accolades, prestige, etc.). What most people miss and what I feel is the most important ingredient in truly being successful is one thing: passion. Pursuing a goal has to be something that you not only want, but more importantly something that you truly desire. You have to have a burning passion, deep down inside you, to truly bring that out. I hear a lot of kids say they want to be division 1 athletes; the question then becomes, what are they willing to do to have that chance…will you practice on a Friday night at 10 o’clock while your friends are going out? Will you pass up fast food in place of something that may be a more healthy option? Maybe you kind of want to do those things, but in order to actually do them you must have something inside you that makes you want to do it when no one else is around and the awards aren’t there. I spend everyday in the weight room. Kids don’t get awards for lifting weights and improving daily. They get the satisfaction that what they’re doing is part of a bigger picture. Getting stronger is a means to an end for these athletes.
What’s your passion?
One of the most common questions that I get from parents, athletes, and coaches has to do with setting up a proper program. Often people think it’s as simple as showing them the “magic” program which consists of the magic formula to get them hy-uge, ripped, and “Usain Bolt-like” fast, all while scarfing down some $5 footlongs and 5-hour energy’s (for the early morning workouts of course). It’s not that simple, and to be honest, it’s simple and at the same time, not all that simple…make sense? Great.
It’s often said that the best program for you is the one you’re not doing. Because the body changes and adapts so quickly to new stimulus, it means that your program should be adapted or adjusted frequently (every 3-6 weeks, I prefer 3) so that your body can keep progressing. The trick with this is that you must change it, but not stray too far away from what your main goal is. Don’t think that ditching squatting is going to suddenly help you achieve your goal of packing on 30lbs of new muscle-won’t happen. What you should do to figure out your program is look at what you did before and what you may do after. That’s what really matters.
What did you do previously? What will you do next phase?
Each phase is a progression and stepping stone to work to the next phase. That means that if you’re in phase 2 right now, you need to know what you did phase 1 and what you “plan” on doing in phase 3. Since your phase 2 plan will bridge the gap between 1 and 3, it’s important to keep in mind that you need to get there. Your planning can start with something as simple as outlining the major goal: size. Then you must map out a given macro cycle or period of time (3 months). In those 3 months I will go through 12 weeks of training or 4, 3-week phases. I would outline it like this: phase 1: Movement Quality, phase 2: intensification, phase 3: volume, phase 4, volume. This is just a simple example, but from there I would start choosing sets and reps, and then fill in lifts one phase at a time.
Remember, it’s important that your training build on each successive phase.
As I sit here and watch us get hit with this lovely snowstorm, I have a few minutes to get up a quick blog post. Just the other day my wife brought home a great piece titled “Rules for Being Human.” I have no idea who wrote them or where they got it, but I’m just passing it along because it’s one of the best short pieces I’ve read. I decided to print it out and hang it in my office so I can read it frequently. Enjoy the reading and enjoy the snow.
Work on your CORE
There is lots of debate about the core. As a matter a fact, I hate the buzz word “core,” and often wish people would remember the concept of the “core.” The core is designed to be a transmitter of force. It is the link between the movement of the lower body (whether it’s touching the ground or not) and the movement or motion of the upper body. No matter if you’re a swimmer, football player, or dart thrower, your core functions all of the time. What people often forget is what’s so seemingly obvious: it aids in movement(s)!
This past week I saw one of my athletes (hockey player) who I started with to help rehab a spine fracture. In order to help prevent this type of an issue again, his “core” work has been hammered home. He can hold planks for minutes, pass the FMS (pain free), and pass all of his “tests” which allow him to be ready for the ice. The only issue is that when he’s been back out on the ice, he’s had some issues with tightness. This simply proves that isolated core stability is simply a baseline for human movement. His ability to stabilize with his core as he transitions back into skating is NOT great and it has shown. Some people may watch him hold planks and the like and think “man this kid has a strong core.” Well…kind of. He can hold certain positions, but as always, core comes down to being able to stabilize movement. If he were in the sport of planking, he’d be a champion, unfortunately he’s a hockey player instead.
Make sure to use movements that allow the transmission of force from the feet to the hands. This means free weight exercises (with dumbbells and barbells) where one must stabilize and balance with the feet and lower body, while at the same time transmitting the force to the arms to move. In other words, get off the machines and lift some weight! On this same note, according to a review study done by Behm, et alin the Journal of Applied Physiology and Nutrition Metabolism (vol 35, Feb. 2010), “For athletes and nonathletes at all levels, ground-based free-weights should form the foundation of exercises to train the core musculature.” They also noted that resistance exercises performed on unstable surfaces (stability balls, bosu balls, etc.) have a place in low force phases or rehab.
As we enter this new year make sure you have a good blend of strength exercises (deadlifts, squats, and olympic lifting variations) along with some instability training when it’s needed. This blend will help ensure a good balance of stability and strength so that you can perform to the best of your ability.
If you’re up here in the northeast like I am, you’re getting hammered with snow right now! Apparently the wind is just beginning and gusts are supposed to pick up too. If you’re like most people, you’re home today chillin out and relaxin with either a day off from school or possibly a day off from work. If that’s the case, great and enjoy!
I wanted to leave a quick little thought as we approach the new year; I hear from people all too many times that they are going to start something “On Monday,” or “next week,” or something kind of cliche like that. I think it’s great that you’re going to start something, and making a decision a decision to do so is the first step. However, I would rather see someone start this very moment. If you’re thinking to yourself that today just isn’t good, or this week just isn’t good, I’m here to tell you that there’s never a good time! Don’t believe me? How many times have you said the same thing over and over only to make zero progress on it? Want to start getting back in shape…was that last year you said that? Or perhaps the last 10 years?
“Successful people do what failure’s won’t.” – Tony Robbins
Remember that quote next time you want to do something better than ordinary. Normal people are just that, normal. Normal people these days are overweight and out of shape. Normal people start “next week” or “next year.” What about if you started today or tomorrow?
If you’re in the northeast, you know what this time of year brings: cold weather, wind, and snow. Why would anyone want to leave this lovely climate for sun, beaches, and warm weather? *cough* I can’t imagine why.
My workout today consisted of a lower body lift followed by 20 minutes of hill sprints in the lovely 20 degree weather. Oh and I did I mention that I was running into a headwind? That just added to my enjoyment. At this point in time I am no longer training with any specific athletic goal other than general health and a couple “lifting” related goals. Sporting/athletic success are not the reason I’m in the weight room everyday.
I came across this article on former NFL player, Shannon Sharpe; fitness is still a major part of his routine today: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704694004576019692517671966.html#project%3DWORKOUT09%26articleTabs%3Darticle If you really want to reach the highest level you can, what are doing currently to help reach your goals?
I Hope not!
I saw this video today and thought that the form so bad I needed to post it as a heads-up to people that while the turkish get-up is a great exercise–it should not look like this! This verson looks more like an athlete having a seizure than performing an exercise.
If you’re interested in form for a get-up, try this link instead: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztTOn0rSMis
Being a former high school coach I’m a sucker for motivational videos, quotes, speeches and anything along those lines. Here is a great video from an interview with Will Smith. I’m sure some of you have seen it and some probably haven’t; either way, I think it’s worth 6 minutes of your time. Enjoy.
