A Breakthrough Day For Me!
September 20, 2011 by danny · 2 Comments
This is my second blogpost in one day. I don’t think I’ve ever done that. But I am so pumped about this “breakthrough,” that I had to share it with y’all! My brother in law, Tom Matus, and one of my brothers, Chad, taught me how to “do fancy stuff” on YouTube yesterday. That’s easy you say? Psst, NOT for me!!! I struggle with all things computer/technology. I don’t have that gene that, “gets it.” When I finally figured out e-mail, I thought I was the sh*t! Then I figured out facebook, and twitter, and how to do a few things on my website. And now, I’m starting to OWN YouTube.
Check out what Tom and Chad taught me so far…
Huh? Huh! Did you see that? I included words in the video. How badass am I?!? Before you know it, I’ll go from being terrible, to bad, to below average with this editing thing. #1) If you’re not impressed, there’s something wrong with you! #2) I learned how to juggle in about 3 minutes and you didn’t… so there!
Anyway, thanks for sharing in my breakthrough day, look for more “advanced” YouTube editing in the near future! 
Thanks Tom and Chad!
P.S. The leg “finisher” in the above video is no joke. Try it at the end of one of your leg days, and then limp to your car!
Changing Exercises Isn’t Enough
September 19, 2011 by danny · Leave a Comment
Here’s a look back at an article that I wrote sometime ago. In case you missed it when it was originally published, give it a look. I think it’s a great reminder for many people that are still stuck in the 3 sets of 10 reps at every training session, rut.
Changes Exercises Isn’t Enough
Too many people in the gym get caught in a rut. A typical trainee has been doing 3 sets of 10 reps with the same exercise for the last 5 years. This is a sure fire way to get burned out. Number one, performing the same exercise over and over and over again becomes really boring, really fast. And number two… KEEP READING
Things I Like (or maybe even LOVE)
September 14, 2011 by danny · Leave a Comment
If you read yesterday’s “Things I Hate” post, you know I had good reason to be a little moody. Well, last night I got better sleep and am in a better mood today. So it’s time to change gears to the positive. Things I like/love…
#1) The pump. All of us guys that make training a big part of our lives have a little meathead in us. I’m no different. It feels great to get after it and see your muscles temporarily swell up. Just don’t make “chasing the pump” too big of a goal in your sessions. Lifting heavy (with good form) will pay big dividends – it will allow you to lift more weight when you do your higher rep, “pump sets.” Again, the pump will happen, just don’t make getting a good pump the sole purpose of your training session.
#2) Watching a girl throw some BIG weight on the bar and seeing her getting pumped when she hits a PR (Personal Record). Here is one of my former clients Coco (I trained her in California before I moved back to Illinois), hitting a PR of 300 pounds on a “rack pull.” …
And what do you know, she still looks as feminine as ever. i.e. heavy weights will NOT turn a female into a dude.
#3) Da Bears! Great start to the season. Now, I’m not saying that they’ll go 16-0, but I loved what I saw in week one. (although they’ll probably go 16-0 
)
#4) The WHOLE egg, yolk ‘n all. In short, a lot of the nutritional benefits come from the yolk. So do NOT throw out your yolks. For a more complete report on why I prefer the whole egg over just the whites, check this out… “Are Whole Eggs or Whites Better for You?”
Also, check out BSP’s blogpost on, “The Best Eggs”
#5) The grocery store bill in Rockton/Roscoe Illinois compared to San Ramon/Danville California.
#6) The Jim Rome show.
#7) People who choose exercises that are VERY difficult; exercises that test your wo/man-hood; exercises that make you wanna cry; exercises that build character like no others. For example, Anderson Front Squats…
Yep, we all like performing curls for the girls (I’m no different, see #1), but sometimes you have to man-up and KILL IT with the most difficult exercises even if they are not as fun!
#8) The lacrosse ball. By now, most people have found out just how beneficial a foam roller is (if not, get one and use it daily – life changing!). To take it a step further, get a lacrosse ball (tennis ball is cool too) and use it to hit the areas that the foam roller just doesn’t “get at,” like the LAX ball will (namely the hip flexor area, glutes, calves, feet, pecs, upper back/rear delts).
Here’s a good blogpost with all the benefits of “self myofascial release”
#9) My dad’s Swedish Pancakes! I haven’t had them yet since returning home, but I can’t wait!
#10) Sleeping babies!!!!!!!! I’m only on #10 but I’ve had to stop to go “tend to them” 47 (ish) times so far. Hush little baby don’t say a word, daddy’s gonna……..”
#11) This picture of my wife on the day we got married…
#12) Eric Church
#13) Jay-Z
#14) Justin Bieber, err, ah, um, I mean Pearl Jam
As you can see, when it comes to genres of music, I don’t discriminate.
#15) The fact that my brother (Chad) made a highlight video of me on my birthday…
#16) A protein shake made with; chocolate whey protein, almond butter, water/ice, Superfood (veggie powder), and organic blueberries.
#17) The first beer I consume after not drinking for a month. You should try it, it makes it taste so much better and THAT night much more fun; saves you money; your 6-pack doesn’t turn into a keg; tests your discipline, etc etc. Join me in the, “pick my spots,” lifestyle.
If you have any likes/loves that you wanna share, let me hear them.
That’s all folks!
Things I Hate
September 13, 2011 by danny · 2 Comments
It’s 3:52 a.m. right now and I’m up tending to both babies. Their crying just woke me… AGAIN! I’m feeling a little ornery right now, so I decided to vent and share, “Things I Hate.” I just gave them each a bottle, so for the time-being they are happy and I have a few minutes to get a few things off of my chest…
Things I Hate
#1) Guys that have big upper bodies, but legs that resemble Spongebob’s. C’mon dude, real men squat, deadlift, perform lunges, etc.
#2) People that spend months putting together the “perfect” workout plan, yet don’t move an inch ’til they get it juuuust right. There is no such things as the perfect plan guy, so in the meantime, just hit the weight room and get SOMETHING done!
#3) Celery
#4) People that don’t re-rack their weights.
#5) People that walk REALLY slowly across the street (when I’m driving the car). I get that you have the right of way, but c’mon, pick up the pace juuust a touch please. Pretty please?
#6) The fact that the first question out of a guy’s mouth is ALWAYS, “how much ya bench?” There are other exercises, you know. See #1.
#7) The fact that the ref that goes to the replay booth has to a) stop and tell us what he is going to review, THEN b) run WAY over to the replay booth, THEN c) run all the back to the field of play to announce the result of the play. Why doesn’t another ref just describe what they are looking while the other ref goes and checks out the verdict? C’mon NFL, be more efficient with your time (ok, I have patience issues).
#8) Red lights. I CAN’T WAIT for the light to turn green! (again, I need help – I’m more antsy than a 1st grader).
#9) Women that are afraid to move from the 8 pound dumbbells to the 10 pound dumbbells because they are afraid that they are going to get too big. C’mon, throw some weight on the bar, your curves will thank you!!!
#10) Mosquitos! My move from California to Illinois has brought mosquitos back into my life. Nope, still not a fan of those little bastards!
#11) People talking on their cell phones… DURING their sets! What a joke!
#12) Snakes
#13) High rep squats. If you’ve ever busted out a set of 20-25 rep squats and really gave it your all (full ROM!), you’ll know what I’m talking about!
#14) The fact that reese’s pieces are not good for us. Damn! I shared a pack the other day with Carson and said a little prayer afterwards; “God, if you could grant us one thing, please make reese’s pieces healthy.”
#15) People that use their right hand on the left side of the hoop to finish lay-ups… when they are practicing. Don’t your realize that every time you do this you’re missing an opportunity to get better with your left!?!
#16) When my shoe comes untied. Don’t know why, but this always pisses me off! I’m mean, it only takes me 2 seconds (I’m fast) to tie it back up, but still, it REALLY annoys me!
#17) Entourage’s series finale was only 35 minutes? What! Although I thought it was as great send-off episode, they could have at least made it an hour.
#18) High schools that place records on the wall in the weight room, yet form and range of motion are COMPLETELY ignored on “max out day.” Alex can get 92 push-ups? Really? I think not! Get your chest down to the floor on EVERY rep! Oh, and get your ass down on those squats. And by the way, you look like you are having a seizure while doing those “chin-ups.” And… the list goes on and on and on.
Alright, I’m getting really tired. The babies are sleeping again and I feel a little better now. Thanks for listening!
P.S. Yes, the twins have contributed to some REALLY LOOOOONG nights over the last 15 weeks and 4 days (who’s counting?), but they are definitely worth it…
Smart Planning For a Better Body
September 5, 2011 by danny · Leave a Comment
Every now and then I like to bring back an old article of mine for you to see, in case you missed it the first time around. If you are BRAND NEW to training, then a lot of the information from this article is probably unnecessary for the time being. All you have to do is get in the gym consistently and work your ass off (and clean that diet up!).
However, if you’ve been doing the same exercises for 3 sets of 10 reps for a couple years now with changing it up, then this article is just for you! Although this article, “Smart Planning,” was published on Olesya Novik’s website – “Olicious Life,” which is primarily a female website – many guys out there will definitely find the info beneficial as well.
If you’re looking to improve the set-up of your program design, then check out Smart Planning.
Must Try Bar (YouBar)
September 2, 2011 by danny · Leave a Comment
I came across the YouBar on Brian St. Pierre’s blog awhile ago. While I’m a big believer that most of what we put in our body should come from whole foods, there is a time and place for a protein bar here and there. Plus, unlike most bars, the ingredients in YouBars ARE real ingredients.
This is not usually the case with the typical protein bar. Here’s an example …
Marshmallow Cream Layer (Maltitol, Milk Protein, Sorbitol, Palm Kernel Oil, Nonfat Dry Milk, Lecithin, Salt, Natural Flavor, Calcium Carbonate), Chocolate Coating (Maltitol, Fractionated Palm Kernel Oil, Whey Protein Concentrate, Cocoa (processed with alkali), Calcium Carbonate, Natural Flavor, Soy Lecithin, Sucralose), Hydrolyzed Collagen, Protein Blend (Whey Protein Hydrolysate, Whey Protein Isolate), Glycerin, Soy Crisps (Soy Protein Isolate, Tapioca Starch, Salt), Maltitol Syrup, Water, Natural Flavor, Marshmallow Pieces (Sugar, Corn Starch, Fructose, Soybean Oil, Corn Syrup Solids, Natural Flavor, Salt, Soy Lecithin), Milk Chocolate Drops (Sugar, Whole Milk Powder, Chocolate Liquor, Cocoa Butter, Milk Fat, Soy Lecithin, Natural Vanilla Flavor), Canola Oil, Peanut Flour, Calcium Carbonate, Vitamin and Mineral Blend (Ascorbic Acid, Tricalcium Phosphate, d-Alpha Tocopheryl Acetate, Niacinamide, Zinc Oxide, Copper Gluconate, d-Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Palmitate, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid, Biotin, Potassium Iodide, Cyanocobalamin), Salt, Sucralose, Soy Lecithin, Milk Protein Isolate, Wheat Germ, Almond Meal.
That is over 60 ingredients, most of which you don’t want in your body. Anyway…
I bought my first box of YouBars just before my drive from California to Illinois… great timing! I ate a couple a day, which made it not only very convenient while traveling, but obviously much more healthy than a quick Mickey D’s run.
When you go to YouBar’s website, you can create your own bar, or just do what I did, and go to an “already proven” bar that is healthy AND tasty. I went with Tim Ferris’ “Training 33” bar found HERE. Although I plan on doing a little mixing and matching in the future to see if I like and other combo better.
An added bonus, you can type “dmc” into the coupon code and receive 10% off!
I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!
Crossfit for Athletes – Really?
August 15, 2011 by danny · Leave a Comment
I get Crossfit questions all the time from people. I usually just forward them a link or two and tell them that these articles basically echo my thoughts. For example … The Truth About Crossfit
This saves me time.
But I thought I’d make a Crossfit post right here on my site. So, in the future I will be able to just forward this link onto those that ask me their Crossfit questions.
You could just read the above article, but in case you are not in the mood to do so, here are some of my thoughts.
-I do not think that Crossfit is all bad
-The camaraderie is great! This can’t be overlooked as working with a group of motivated people can by HUGE in getting great results. But this does not mean the program design is smart, safe, or optimal.
-If you are just a person that is looking to drop a few pounds and, “get in shape,” Crossfit certainly can “work.” They use big compound movements, work hard, and each workout presents a challenge in which they try to outperform previous performances. But again, this can be done with a program designed to meet the individuals needs - rather than randomly doing a little this and a little that, with no regard to the individuals goals, health history, training age, etc. etc.
Crossfit For Athletes
Now this is where it can get a little ridiculous. Eric Cressey wrote a great blogpost awhile back titled, “Crossfit For Baseball?” Even though he highlights baseball, the theme of his post holds true for all sports. This morning I went out for breakfast (second breakfast ) and sitting right next to me was a former MLB player (I’ll keep him nameless). I overhear him telling another guy that they just opened up an AWESOME training facility. He tells the guy that it is over 15,000 square feet and as he starts to describe it. I’m thinking wow, this sounds pretty kick ass! He then goes on to say, ~ “we’re going to be training softball players, baseball players, and athletes from various other sports. We’re using Crossfit, blah, blah, blah.” NOOOOOO!
So here’s what we have; a big name MLBer that probably contributed to putting together this beautiful facility, and they get to use his name to attract many clients/athletes… to use Crossfit to train their athletes.?. Yeah, this MLBer had skills on the field, but this does not qualify him to make sound decisions (including the trainer(s) to hire) when it comes to program design to best meet the needs of their athletes.
Now, some Crossfitters may read this and say that they modify the program to meet the needs of their clients. That’s all good and dandy, and here’s my response; then you are not doing Crossfit. You are writing up an individualized program for your client. And again, if you are doing Crossfit with your athletes, then you are doing them a disservice (go read Eric’s article from above if you haven’t already).
Once again, I want to reiterate, Crossfit is not all bad. My advice is to take the good from Crossfit (and the good from other philosophies/methods) and use it all to give your client’s programs (or your own programs) individualization… especially if they are athlete’s that are expected to complete at a high level where improved performance and injury prevention is paramount.
Ah, done. Now I can just forward this blogpost to all the people that ask me about Crossfit. You feel free to do the same.
I know this is the kind of post that will probably bring the hate mail. That’s ok, I just hope posts like this will at least make people take a step back and consider their training methods/philosophies. If I made you think then I did my job.
50 Commandments, A Smarter Way, and a Great Looking Gym!
August 12, 2011 by danny · Leave a Comment
The 50 Commandments of Commercial Gym Etiquette by Bret Contreras - This is a hilarious read. But those of us that have spent any time in a commercial gym can relate to pretty much each and every commandment. There should be a handout that each new gym member receives when starting their membership at a commercial gym!
Nick Tumminello is known for NOT settling. Here, he takes a basic leg swing and makes it more effective (and making it safer by reducing torque on the lumbar spine).
Mike Robertson and Bill Hartman just moved their gym, IFAST, to a new location. Here’s a picture of the finished product…
I think it looks great! If I end up opening a gym in Illinois I’d want my place to have a similar look - squat racks, dumbbells, barbells, and a few fun “extras” like chains, the prowler, a glute-ham raise, and some battling ropes, to a name a few.
Speaking of Illinois, I better stop the post right now as my wife is giving me the evil eye – and that means I better get back to packing…
Female. 300 Pound Rack Pull. Studette.
August 9, 2011 by danny · Leave a Comment
My client, Coco, nailed a 300 pound rack pull earlier today. She’s a studette.
That’s all.
You can also find me on facebook and twitter.
The McLarty’s are moving Back To Illinois…
August 8, 2011 by danny · Leave a Comment
Yes, that’s right, the McLarty’s are heading “home.” After nearly an 8 year run in California, we’re going back to Illinois. This is something that we’ve been thinking about for a number of years now, and we’ve just recently made it official. For those of you who don’t know, we have a big family back there, and well, we miss them… as well as our old friends. And when the twins were born, that pushed us over the edge from thinking about moving, to, it’s time to move. We really want them to grow up closer to their Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
With that said, there is quite a bit I’ll miss about the Bay area…
My Experience In California
-Of course, I have to bring up how nice the weather and beautiful scenery is! When I had my friends and family visit from Illinois and Nebraska, they were always blown away with how nice everything is out here.
-I’ll miss…
The relationships that I’ve made with friends…
More beautiful views…
Some of the great memories…
Training my clients/friends/athletes…
And the list goes on. As much as I’ll miss all of the above (and more), I am that much more excited to be close to family again. I can’t wait to get together for holidays with having to fly across the country; I can’t wait to drive just a couple miles down the road to get together with everyone for Bears games; I can’t wait to watch my babies grow up with their cousins; and again, this list goes on and on…
So, my Illinois family and friends, I can’t wait to see you all again!
As for work, I continue my work as a freelance writer, and as far as training goes, that is up in the air right now. I’m considering opening up my own training studio, but that probably won’t happen (if at all) for a couple years. Therefore, just to get started, I’m considering my options working at a local gym or putting equipment in our new house and training people right there. I’ll also continue with basketball lessons. So coaches, parents, and athletes, I look forward to whipping your butt into shape here in the near future!
Just a week away – Illinois here we come!
