High Volume Training while “Bulking”
I just started a new training block, as well as a shift in my physique goals. As we say goodbye to summer, having ripped abs is no longer priority numero uno. I made a facebook post last week saying that I am starting “bulking season.” Then, Mark Young yelled at me. What an a-hole, can’t he let me gain weight in peace!?! Just kidding, he didn’t really yell at me. He just stated that he is not a fan of the word ”bulking,” when gaining size becomes a trainees priority. And I can see where he is coming from. This is true because for many people, “bulking” season simply equals an excuse to become fat.
Just because the number on the scale goes up, it doesn’t mean that you are putting on quality weight. Mark said he prefers that it was called “lean mass accretion season.” Ha, that is funny! It is a actually true, as adding lean mass rather than fat mass is what we are looking for. I’m just not so sure that phrase will be one that sweeps the nation anytime soon. Good try though, Mark! 
Anyway, I accept that some fat mass will accumulate with my attempt to add muscle this lean mass accretion season (there you go Mark, it’s already catching on). But my main goal is to add muscle without becoming a fat, softy. In going from six pack emphasis to hypertrophy (muscle gain) emphasis, I’m taking a bit of a different approach than I usually do. To gain muscle, we must have a balance of intensity (heavy weight that is close to our 1 rep max) and volume (the amount of reps in a session). But all of the volume in the world is not going to do much for you if you haven’t spent many years under the bar working on your strength. In other words, if I’m going to do a high volume of bench pressing in a session (lets say 8 X 12), but my 1 RM (rep max) is only 95 pounds, I have no right to go to a high volume approach.
The light weight for 96 reps (8 X 12) won’t do a thing for me in attempt to add size to my pecs, shoulders, and triceps. So, if you are newer to training, spend some time (years) getting stronger before you ever think about using a high volume approach in your training.
With the said, my idea of high volume is different than what some others may consider high volume training. My friend and Physique Coach, Dr. Clay Hyght and I have had a number of discussions about the benefits of high volume training. Dr. Clay is convinced that to achieve as much as size as possible, high volume training must be used (or at least incorporated throughout the training year). And I’ve also seen some of the programs written by another Coach that I respect, John Romaniello. I usually have to do a double-take and I say to myself, “wow, that is a HUGE amount of sets/reps!” So, when I wrote up my current program last week, I had to keep telling myself, “more, more, more,” in regards to amount of sets/reps I programmed in for myself. Again, high volume to me is a little different to some of these other successful coaches. But I decided that I’m going to go for it. And all of the calories I am taking in will go along well in turns of helping with recovery.
A few of you have asked me what the program looks like. I don’t want this post to drag on too long, so I’ll be back in a couple days to show what the program entails. Maybe I’ll include a few pictures in a couple weeks as well, so we can see if all these calories and reps are doing me right. Stay tuned…
Recipe of the Week
September 27, 2010 by danny · Leave a Comment
It has been awhile since I have shared a great new recipe for you to try. So I think it is about to give you another one. I’m just sitting here enjoying some football on this hot (in the 90’s today) Sunday afternoon. And my lovely wife asked me if I would like a “Berardi meal” from Dr. John Berardi’s Gourmet Nutrition cookbook. Um, yeah – I’d have to be a fool to turn down this offer. So we flipped open this great book, and decided to to give “Turkey Sausage and Yam Hash Browns” a try. And it did not disappoint! We both LOVED it.
Note from the book – If you’re looking for a great breakfast alternative to eggs, look no further. Complete with lean turkey sausage, carotene-rich yams, and just the right combination of herbs and spices, this meal can serve as a delicious breakfast, lunch or dinner.
Ingredients
Turkey Sausage (170 g) 6 oz
Water 1 cup
Turnip (medium diced) 1/2 cup
Yams medium diced 1 cup
Butter 1 tbsp ***
Fresh garlic (minced) 1 tsp
Cinnamon 1/8 tsp
Salt 1/8 tsp
Pepper 1 pinch
Paprika 1 pinch
*** Per Brian St. Pierre’s recommendation, we go with Pasture Butter by Organic Valley, which we get from Whole Foods.
Instuctions
Cook turkey sausage in large pot of simmering water for 10-20 minutes depending on thickness. Remove from water and then preheat a non-stick pan on medium heat. Lightly coat with spray and then add the turkey sausage. Saute the sausage until lightly browned all around. While the sausage is cooking, preheat a large non-stick frying pan on medium heat. Add water, turnip, and yams. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain water and return to heat. Add butter and saute until nicely browned. Add garlic, cinnamon, salt, pepper and paprika and cook for 1 minute more. Serve turkey sausage and hash browns together on a plate. Serves 1 large or 2 small.
Very tasty, and very healthy.
A few suggestions:
#1) this meal (any meal) tastes especially good if you can get your significant other to make it for you, so choose your partner wisely.
Noooo! C’mon people, Shondra’s cooking skills are not the only reason I married her.
#2) Go out and buy the ingredients for this meal and prepare it before the Bears/Packers game tomorrow night. You won’t be disappointed! Well, hopefully Packer fans will be disappointed, but not because of the taste of this healthy meal. 
NFL Roundtable – 2010
September 9, 2010 by danny · Leave a Comment
Tonight it all begins. The NFL is back. There aren’t many things in America that make us more crazy than the NFL! With that said, I had to reach out to a few of my buddies to get their thoughts on all things NFL. In today’s roundtable we have Matt McKenna, Matt Brewer, and Jeff Rinaldi. McKenna and Brewer were playing football at the same time I was playing basketball at the University of Nebraska @ Omaha. We met there at UNO and we’ve all been good friends ever since. Jeff and I attended Hononegah High School together back in Rockton, Illinois. Over the years we have shared many, many laughs and have had countless conversations regarding all things sports. Jeff previously did an interview with me before the NCAA basketball tourney last March, and McKenna was part of the pre-season MLB Roundtable. They both did such a great job, that I decided to invite them back for some more. Brewer is the new kid on the block, so we’ll see if he can hold his own with this crew. Knowing him, I’m sure he’ll do just fine. Alright, with that out of the way, lets see what this panel of experts has to say about the upcoming season in the National-Football-League (as Chris Berman would say).
Bias Alert! Bias Alert!
Danny McLarty: I’m going to start this whole thing off with each of the guys giving me their Cliff’s Notes version of what we can expect out of the teams that they love so much…
Matt McKenna on his Patriots- The Patriots are going to be one of the most exciting teams in the league. Offensively 
they are just loaded and have a chance to be the best in the league. The usual suspects are still around but some new additions and guys ready for the “leap” will make this team a nightmare for D-coordinators. Julian Edelman is going to cause huge match up problems and hopefully keep Wes Welker healthier because the ball will be spread around more. The rookie to watch is going to be Rob Gronkowski, he is a beast and will finally give Tom Brady a TE to look for over the middle. Something that Belichick has been trying to acquire for years. If gambling were legal I would look to bang the over the first couple of weeks of the season. Defensively this team has a lot of holes and already have lost two key starters for the season, but with Belichick at the helm they will get a stop or two every game and with the Patriots offense it should be enough to win ten plus games.
Matt Brewer on his Steelers- The Steelers, despite being the greatest franchise in the history of football, have been a team known to face adversity. The years that ended with them hoisting the Lombardi Trophy have been the years they 
were able to overcome that adversity. This year is no different. Prior to week 1, they have already been faced with losing their top wide receiver (Holmes to the Jets), their top lineman (Colon to injury), and their top two QBs (Leftwich to injury, and Big Ben to a college chick in Georgia). On the other side of the ball, it is a different story. The D-line gets Aaron Smith back from injury (the most underrated end in football) and Ziggy Hood will show much improvement from his rookie campaign. The linebacking corps is the best in the league, and the secondary gets a huge boost with the return of Bryant McFadden (back to Pittsburgh from Arizona) and Troy Polamalu (back from injury). With Dick Lebeau as d-coordinator, look for the Black and Gold to field the toughest D in the league this year. If the defense can produce shutouts and a short field for the offense, I like the Curtain’s chances of getting back to the playoffs where they belong.
Jeff Rinaldi on Da Bears- I must say it is hard to rave about a team that decided they didn’t want to win a game in the pre-season. However, 2010 will be a win/win situation. Either Da Bears make the playoffs or dirty Lovie and Jerry Angelo get canned. I almost prefer that to be honest. 
On the offensive side it comes down to that jello offensive line we have. If they continue to block like Pee Wee players, Cutler/Forte/Chester/Johhny won’t be able to shine like they are capable of and that is a shame.
Defensively, it’s all about staying healthy. Talent is there no question. Look for Peppers to dominate and Major Wright (rookie) to explode onto the scene.
Bottom line is I don’t see much hope with Lovie in charge. 8 wins would be the ceiling I think.
Danny’s Note: What do you know, a Bears fan is the only one that is being realistic here. Once again, an Illinois boy shows that he has a good head on his shoulders. Just kidding McKenna & Brewer (but not really).
DM: Anyone have anything to say about the other’s predictions? McKenna, you and Brewer are usually up for a few good jabs at one another. What do you think McKenna?
MM: If you are a NFL QB with two Super Bowl rings who is single you should be doing what in the off season? a. In Vegas enjoying all the glamour and glitz while staying in shape for the season. b. Hanging out in Miami bringing your own personal talents to South Beach, or wait for it………. c. In some dump allegedly harassing women who haven’t heard of e-mail let alone tweeting in the back woods of Georgia. Well the Steelers QB went with c, thus leading me to this conclusion; The Steelers play-caller is not confident and even worse, lame! Therefore my expert analysis predicts no playoffs for the Steelers this season.
DM: Whoa, them’s fightin’ words! Brewer, I know you have something in your back pocket for McKenna in regards to his Pats prediction.
MB: McKenna , like usual we disagree. The Pats organization should have focused less on getting a decent tight end and more on drafting a camera man who can keep a secret. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt that the Pats will put up some points; any team with Brady and Bellacheat can score quickly and often. But if the Chowdah Heads wanted to quit being sponsored by AARP they didn’t do themselves any favors by picking up Tory Holt. Unless they can average 50 pts per game, they might struggle this year getting to 10 wins. Who is playing D this year for New England? I don’t think anybody knows. You have a starting linebacker with a name that sounds like a cure for cold sores – seriously, Tully BantaCain? Where do you find these people? The Pats will be lucky to beat out Miami for 2nd in the AFC East and they will struggle to make the playoffs.
DM: No he didn’t! This is getting good, BUT… before this gets out of hand, I must switch gears. I’ll throw a few “quickies” at you, and you let the readers know your thoughts.
Tebow’s Rookie Year; Will he be starting by week 6? If so, how does he fare?
JR: I don’t have a lot of faith in the Broncos winning this season so I don’t expect to see Tebow and his new haircut out there by this time period. He is quite popular with the fans/media/players already from what I understand so it would be the best move to keep Denver interested in the season. I’m pretty sure Brady Quinn isn’t gonna put butts in the seats. I expect Tebow to up and down when he does play. However, his leadership ability will keep winning people over.
DM: Will guys from “Hard Knocks” live up to the arrogance, err confidence that they displayed in the popular HBO show?
MM: I know everyone has been screaming about how good the Jets are all pre-season but I think they are the third best team in the AFC East. I think Sanchez is garbage and in the NFL, QB play is the number one key to success. I mean he walks around trying to be Joe Namath but he is barely a league average QB. I think this team is going to be its own worse enemy. They should run the ball and play good D, but in pre-season they look as if they think they are the Colts. I predict a mediocre season for J-E-T-S JETS JETS JETS. Also I hate the Jets just like I hate all New York teams and that is enough reason for me.
DM: Brett Farve; does he play anywhere near the level that he played last year?
MB: I don’t think it is a stretch to say Favre will have success this year; however, no where near the level of success he had a year ago. That’s not a knock on the future HOFer, its simply the fact that at 40 he had one of the best years of his career. He still gets Adrian Peterson to help shoulder the load, but loses Sidney Rice. He’ll be throwing to 4 receivers that average 5′2 and 137 pounds each. Seriously, you’d think the Vikings drafted their receivers from the Mahtomedi Pop Warner league. Favre is also 41 and is always a question on whether he’ll hold up for the entire season. Ok, he hasn’t missed a game since 1992, but with the ankle problems he had in the off-season, the fairly tough schedule, and another potential threat of retirement by October – I just don’t see him coming close to what he did last year.
DM: About a month ago I made a few bold predictions on Facebook. I had a few people COMPLETELY disagree with me. But hey, I’m not gonna make obvious predictions. You know, like – Peyton Manning will throw for over 2000 yards. Or, T.O. and Ochocinco will score a TD and act like they’ve been there before. Anyway, here’s what my predictions were;
-Jay Cutler will throw for over 4000 yards and put up BIG numbers (don’t know if it’ll translate to a lot of wins however???).
-Vince Young has a breakout year
-Aaron Rodgers has a HYOOGE year (HATE to say it!)
-Devon Hester once again goes off in the return game, and is more than solid as a receiver
With that said, how ’bout each of your hit us with a few not-so-obvious predictions:
MM:
-The Lions will be a good team this year.
-Jahvid Best will be the Offensive Rookie of the Year.
-Ndamukong Suh will be the Defensive Rookie of the Year.
-Peyton Manning will audible out of a play a the line of scrimmage.
-Tom Brady will dance after his 40th TD pass leading people to think he is Justin Bieber with that haircut.
JR:
-Julius Peppers will lead the league in sacks with 18.5.
-Ochocinco and T.O. brawl on the sidelines by week 7.
-Rex Ryan eats a brat and drinks a cold one on the sidelines during a throttling of the Dolphins.
-Ref Ed Hochuli beats up a kicker before the season ends and flexes his guns in the CBS camera.
-Tony Siragusa eats a goal post.
MB:
-Dennis Dixon will be compared to Vince Young 27 times on national tv before week 2.
-Rashard Mendenhall rushes for over 1500 yards if he avoids injury.
-Sam Bradford wins Offensive Rookie of the Year.
-Tom Brady and Petyon Manning each throw for 4,000+ yards 35 TDs, but neither wins MVP.
-Aaron Rodgers will win MVP and Favre will retire in the same year (poetic justice?).
DM: You dudes are some funny S.O.Bs. And Brewer, good stuff in regards to that poetic justice thought! No wonder I love hanging out with you all! Alright, it’s time to move on to the BIG stuff. Who plays in the NFC Championship game?
MB: It is hard to bet against the Saints on paper – but it is even harder to repeat as SB champs. I think the Saints fall early and the Packers will face the Giants.
MM: The Giants?? Brewer you are hilarious, they are going to be home with the Steelers come playoff time. (Danny’s side note – McKenna is a Red Sox fan and Brewer is a Yankee fan – I think that hatred is spilling over to this roundtable) It will be Green Bay and Minnesota. Pepsi and Coke will trip all over each other for commercial time. Joe Buck will be boring as always.
JR: I see the Cowboys vs the Packers this year. I think the Cowboys finally put it together and win this game in a shootout.
DM: The AFC Championship game?
MM: Go ahead and book this one, it will be Baltimore and New England.
JR: Ravens and Colts with the Ravens “D” prevailing.
MB: The obvious prediction here is the Steelers. But my bold prediction for the AFC is the Ravens and Colts.
DM: Finally, what two teams make it to the Superbowl, and who comes out on top?
JR: Cowboys win in their home stadium against a touch Ravens D.
MB: As much as I hate to say it, I think the Ravens youth and tenacity on offense and viciousness on D will overcome Rodger’s MVP year – Ravens 24, Packers 17. (Danny’s note: if you said the Packers here you would have been permanently banned from this website! Good choice, my friend. Good choice)
MM: I may be bias but New England will beat Minnesota in the most watched sporting event ever. Brett Favre will not only play in the game but he will perform at halftime with Ringo and Paul for the highly anticipated Beatles reunion. It’s going to be awesome!
DM: With the surprise pick of the year, McKenna goes with the Patriots to win it all! (can you hear the sarcasm oozing out of me?!)
Great job guys. You gave the readers your smarts, brought the passion, and once again, made us laugh.
Thanks again for being a part of this year’s NFL Roundtable!
I’d love to hear your thoughts. Agree or disagree with this panel? Have your own bold predictions? Who is your pick to hoist the Lombardi Trophy? Let us know if the comments section below.
A Couple New Drills to Improve Your Dribbling Skeelz…
August 31, 2010 by danny · Leave a Comment
You’ve been doing your “traditional” ball handling drills… crossover dribble, figure-8 pass, figure-8 dribble, reverse spin, single-leg dribble, etc. etc. You have a million options. And most of them are great drills. Continue to use your more traditional moves/drills to keep working on your handles. But once you feel completely comfortable with them, it’s time to step it up and take your handles to the next level. This is where I start to add in “combination moves,” and some more advanced “speed dribbling” drills.
The first one is “between the legs/drop-off behind the back” (as opposed to the “wrap-around” back the back dribble)…
This move (when there is a real live defender in front of you) works best when starting the ball in your left hand, and going between your legs to your right, and then bringing from right to left (the drop-off behind the back part) into your “shooting pocket.” And vice-versa if you shoot with your left hand. Some keys to making this a successful move in attempt to create space between you and the defender in order to get your shot off;
-POUND the ball into the ground (well, this should always be done anyway, but is especially important in this move as you need to get the ball to your shooting pocket quickly before the defender has time to recover).
-When you go between your legs, lean to the right (if you are right handed) as you want the defender to think you are about to make a “single move” (as opposed to a combo move), going hard to your right.
-Finish the move. On the two dribbles think, “POUND, POUND!” But that is not good enough. You must then bring the ball QUICKLY to your shooting pocket (think of “slapping the ball,” when bringing it to your shooting pocket). Do NOT get lazy on this part. You don’t want to get the defender on skates, and then slowly bring the ball to your shooting pocket, giving him time to recover.
-Practice it at game speed, as if the quickest guy/girl on the court is guarding you. BUT, start at your own speed, and over time step it up to game speed.
-Start the drill back by half court (or further) in order to get a bunch of repetitions in, before getting into shooting range.
And what it looks like when watching from the front…
Next, a new speed dribbling drill for you, called “1-2s” …
As you heard in the explanation, start off at your own speed and work your up to, as fast as possible – while keeping complete control of the ball.
As I noted in the opening, keep working on the fundamentals. Once you build your “ball handling foundation,” start to incorporate these two, very effective drills. Happy handling!
Should Your Max Always Be Your True Max?
August 23, 2010 by danny · Leave a Comment
The other day I worked up to a 2 rep max (RM) with trap bar deadlifts. After I finished the 2RM, I could have “easily” (ok, not easily, but I certainly left some weight on the table) added more weight and gotten a higher 2 RM for the day. And no, I’m not acting like the typical internet forum hero and making claims that have no truth. Here’s the video for proof…
That is 405 pounds X 2. *** While certainly no world record, it is not bad since I currently weight just under 160 pounds (“bulking season” is just around the corner however ) After I finished rep #2, I felt as if I could have done another 2-3 reps, or done another set and added at least another 20 pounds to the bar and continued working up to my 2 RM for the day. I decided to do neither. At this point in my life, in my opinion, it is not worth it. I’m 34 now, and my main goal is to have a buff, healthy body. If I were to continue working up to a higher weight, only to round my lumbar spine and herniate a disk, I’d be very pissed at myself. If I continued to work up to a heavier weight for the next 4-5 weeks in my program, and hit 450 X 2, or 475 X 1 (or whatever), would I really be healthier and more buff? Maybe, maybe, maybe a touch bigger. Every exercise we do in the weight room has a risk:reward attached to it. Going for a number considerably bigger than 405 X 2 on deadlifts to me, is riskier than what the reward would bring. When doing deads, my goal is to go as heavy as possible while having perfect, or near perfect form on every rep. If you look at the video, I think my form is good for lifting a weight that is more than 2.5 times heavier than I am. But it is not perfect. (And how much sloppier would it get if I were to continue working up to a higher max?) I slightly extend my neck as I lift the bar off the floor. And my hips rise SLIGHTLY before my shoulders but overall, I’m happy with the lift. Certainly much better than many deadlift attempts that you’ll see out there…
Your Goals, Your Call
If you think I’m being a big wuss for not really caring too much about not getting my deadlift up considerably higher, that is fine. And if your goal is to deadlift as much weight as humanly possible, I am completely cool with that. I get it. Lifting heavy weight is definitely an important component to having a muscular body. That is why I have worked up to deadlifting over 400 pounds. But I am not competing in powerlifting and again, adding some lbs to the bar in this lift won’t do a ton to making me more jacked. Even Eric Cressey, a former competitve powerlifter who has a deadlifted over 600 pounds has stated this in an article…
Category 1: Weekend warriors who deadlift to improve functional capacity and correct or prevent imbalances.
Category 2: Athletes who deadlift to improve performance and bulletproof themselves against injury.
Category 3: Powerlifters who deadlift to get better at deadlifting.
Logically, I’m willing to take more chances in category #3 than I am in #2, and certainly #1. Weekend warriors don’t get aggressive loading parameters (singles over 90%). And while athletes might get to pull heavy singles, they only get to do so in a controlled environment (elevated trap bar deadlifts, pulls against chains).
A veteran athlete would blur the line between #1 and #2, and a more resilient up-and-coming athlete would be more of a “true” #2.
According to Eric’s categories of deadlifting, at this point in my lifting “career,” I put myself in category #1, merging with category #2, as my competitive juices get flowing sometimes and I can’t help but “really going for it!” But I’m certainly not willing to go into category number 3 just to add a few pounds to the bar.
Other Lifts
There are plenty of other lifts out there where going ALL OUT with weight carries a much smaller risk. And on those lifts I often work up to a true max (and have my clients do the same), whether that means a 1 RM, 8 RM, or any other rep range that I am working in. For example, the other day I worked up to a 1 RM with chin-ups. I hit 100 lbs X 1…
Later on in that same training session I did some hammer curls…
If I ended up picking a weight that had me falling a little short on that chin-up (missing a lift – rarely, if ever a goal), I think my injury status would still = healthy. Same thing with exercises like curls.
Moral of the Story
I hope you don’t think I am saying that you should not try to get stronger in certain lifts, like the deadlift. Getting a big(ger) deadlift will do wonders for your physique. But with certain lifts, I want you to ask yourself how important it is to really go for a true max. While in other exercises, pushing it to a true max is probably worth it. Only you can answer the importance of what category you put each lift in within your training goals. As I get older, I get smarter and am comfortable of knowing when to hold back a touch, and when to completely go for it.
*** Like I mentioned, 405 X 2 is not a world record. But it is a world record for the most weight ever lifted while listening to John Mayer. What the hell was that!?!
How Do You Handle Adversity?
August 16, 2010 by danny · Leave a Comment
Below is an older article that I wrote. I thought it would be good for you to check out… for basketball AND non-basketball players. Like I always tell my clients, “when we are training, we’re not just building muscle, we’re building character.”
Amazingly Sad – Cubbies!
August 13, 2010 by danny · Leave a Comment
For Carson’s 10th birthday yesterday, we went to the Cubs/Giants game in SF. My wife’s b-day gift to him 
was a meet ‘n greet with the Cubs player while being served lunch. I made 3 rounds through the buffet, thank you very much . Sean Marshall turned out to be the player that we got to meet and hang out with. He did a great job during the Q & A with all the Cubs fans… the majority flew in from Chicago for the event. We also received a tour of AT&T Park. The tour guide was excellent and he gave us many interesting tidbits about how AT&T came to be, as well as some great stories about this beautiful ballpark. If you’ve never been, I highly suggest you make the trip at some point in your life. The only field I like more, is Wrigley. Although I still haven’t been to Fenway as that stadium may bump AT&T to 3rd on my list.
I obviously love going to watch the Cubs when they come into town. But I wanted to punch every Giants fan in the face last night. Every time the Cubs scored a run, us Cubs fans would get up and cheer, like any fan would do for their team. And Cubs fans (like Red Sox and Yankees fans) travel really well. We were all over the stadium last night dressed in our Blue. But whenever we got up to support our Cubbies, the Giants fans would yell at us; “SIT DOWN CUBS FANS! YOU HAVEN’T WON IN 102 YEARS. 102 YEARS, 102 YEARS, 102 YEARS!” Again, I wanted to punch them in the face, but damn it, they were right. So all I could do was cry a little bit inside (I couldn’t show it on the outside of course) and act like they weren’t bothering me. It was torcher. But I guess sometimes I like a little torcher. I’ve been on a little torcher kick this week. My new training program has Anderson Squats in it…
Those feel like torcher while doing them. My new program also has Trap Bar Deadlifts. I start off working up to a max double, followed by 2 higher rep sets…
Deadlifts can feel like tourcher. Especially when you do the higher rep sets.
I also went to the dentist and as it turned out, they had to numb my mouth. It took much longer for my mouth to regain any feeling than I had anticipated. I couldn’t eat or drink anything (including a protein shake) ’til after 2 p.m. and I hadn’t eaten since 8 a.m. Yes, that was tourcher for me. But much more so for the people around me. If I don’t get food in me every couple hours, I start to resemble a tired, cranky 4-year old girl. No wonder my wife rushed out of the house when I got home after my dentist appointment. Good call Shondra, I don’t blame you!
With all that said, nothing torchered me more than typing the below numbers…
1908 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1918, 1919, 1920, 1921, 1922, 1923, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1955, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010.
Now that was torcherous. And it took waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too long to type!
I colored some noteable years;
-1915 – this is the year my Grandpa was born. 2006 was the year this great man died. He NEVER got to see the Cubs win a World Series ring. Are you kidding me? That’s really messed up!!!
-1945 – this is the last time the Cubs played in the World Series.
1976 – this is the year I was born. I’ve lived 34 years without seeing a championship from the Cubs. This pales in comparison to my Grandpa’s experience, but it’s still too damn long!
But here’s what I am thinking; Something has to reverse the billy goat curse. We need 10 (or more) people to type into their computer, every year from 1908-2010 as I did above. It may or may not help to color-code a few personal meaninful years – I’m not sure about that part yet. There has been just over 10 decades (hence the reason we NEED at least 10 people to follow through with this de-cursing) since we last won that ring. We do this, and we WILL be getting that World Series Ring really soon here. C’mon Cubbies fans, step up and help out. We can do it!
I can’t wait ’til next year!!! …
Some Thoughts on Periodization
August 10, 2010 by danny · 7 Comments
The scary P word. I’ve known many people that would prefer to spend the entire day at the dentist rather than talk (or think about) periodization. Most people just want to go lift and turn their brain off for one hour, 3 to 4 days out of the week. To a certain point, I can see why this is the mind-set of many trainees. After all, you don’t have to look very hard to hear one trainer make a particular suggestion (no matter what the topic – reps, sets, form, tempo, etc), only to read 5 other trainers give 5 different opinions. Well, I’m here to help simplify.
I’m not going to get into a 12-month periodization plan that involves in-season, early off-season, general off-season, and pre-season planning. If you train athletes and are looking for a great resource, check out Eric Cressey’s, “The Ultimate Off-Season Training Manual.” This is a must for your coaching library!
For the purposes of this post however, I’m not going to be giving my thoughts on periodization for athletes (although some of this information can be useful if you are an athlete or train athletes). I’ll be speaking more to the trainee just looking to improve his or her health and physique.
-For the most part, you don’t need to plan more than a month in advance. Don’t get me wrong, I do think it is smart to look down the road for more than a month at what you are looking to accomplish. For example, I don’t recommend doing three straight blocks focusing on hypertrophy, then move on to a fat loss phase for a month, only to go right back into a hypertrophy phase. Just randomly throwing a fat loss block in there doesn’t really fit, and probably would hurt your chances to maximally put on muscle. But the bottom line, don’t sit on your butt for a month straight trying to figure out the perfect macrocycle when you could have been in the gym getting closer to your goals during that time.
-Psychology/motivation is huge! Yeah, full body (FB) training is great for fat loss. But let’s say that you just spent your last two training blocks (8 weeks total) training FB and you CAN’T STAND the thought of going into another FB block. After all, it can be very draining to know that you are going to be doing a deadlift or squat variation AT EVERY SINGLE session, EVERY SINGLE week. Even if a body part split may be less than perfect for fat loss purposes, it can be very motivating to know you are about to head to the gym, and NOT have to squat or deadlift. “Today’s back and biceps? Sweet, I can’t get to the gym soon enough!” Be sure to keep this in mind as you head into your next training block (or a block sometime down the line).
-I’ve tried just about every combination of fluctuating volume over the course of a training block (4 weeks). I’ve tried the Cressey Performance way (at least this is the way they typically set up a block the last time I checked), which is;
- Week 1 – High Volume
- Week 2 – Medium Volume
- Week 3 – Very High Volume
- Week 4 – Low Volume (Deload)
Then, there is a the Results Fitness way (again, last time I checked);
- Intro Week
- Base Week
- Overload Week
- Shock Week
Coach Alwyn Cosgrove sets it up so each week is harder than the next. Essentially, you build up each week so by the last week you are hitting your highest loads of the block and maybe setting some PR’s in the process. Then the next week you will start a new block, with the lowest volume (basically, your deload week).
There are other ways to set up this week-by-week fluctuation in volume/intensity. But right now, here is what I have been doing for some time now…
- Week 1 – Intro Week; Volume is lower than week 2 and 3 and I stay a little further from failure on this week. Basically, when bar speed is slower than rep 1, I stop the set. This isn’t set in stone, as I’m not really too scared about overtraining if I am doing some curls. So if I “grind” out a few reps on certain exercises, I’m cool with it. But I doubt you’ll see me doing multiple sets to failure with front squats, for example.
- Week 2 – Volume goes up and I may have a few more of the “grindy” reps than on week one. Still, I never go ’til I purposefully miss a rep
- Week 3 -Similar to week 2
- Week 4 – Deload week; volume is similar to week 1, maybe even a little lower (for the females, check out this article that I wrote awhile back – something to think about)
Justification
When I was doing the Cressey Performance set-up, I personally didn’t like to go into a high volume week when starting a new block. In week one of a new block, you are switching up exercises, sets, and reps. This greatly increases the chances of soreness. And then add to the fact that it is high volume week, I found this to be a recipe to have me limping around for days (especially on exercises that tend to make us sore anyway. i.e. RDLs). This is why I have since switched to week 1 being a low(er) volume week. I figure, I am going to be sore anyway on week 1, why make it even worse.
The Results Fitness way is great, but here I found I didn’t like the psychological aspect real well. By the time week 4 of the same program roles around, I’m actually getting a little bored. The last thing I want to do is make this my hardest week. A slight mental break, by going low(er) volume, is nice here. Plus, it helps to keep my feeling fresh going into the new block in the week to come.
For the above reasons, I’ve settled in on liking the approach that I am currently using. I am also a fan of “cybernetic periodization” (going by feel). So, if week 2 or 3 calls for 5 x 3, but I am feeling like superman, I may do 7 sets of 3 that week. On week’s 1 & 4 I try to fight this temptation as I don’t think my superman-like feeling would be worth it as it would negatively effect the week to come (risk:reward = not worth it). I must say however, that although I do like cybernetic periodization, I am not a big fan of just winging it (although on rare occasion this can be good psychologically… there’s that word again). I am fan of having a training template, but giving yourself a little freedom to adjust according to how you are feeling on that particular day.
I definitely do NOT think that the Cressey Performance and Results Fitness plans are wrong. You can probably look at ANY 4-week set-up and find something imperfect about it - including the model I am currently using. When I work with a client long enough, quite often I will have him/her try a few types of 4 week set-ups. I will go over the potential pros and cons with them, and get their thoughts after trying each plan. Together we then go with a plan that gets them the most fired up and motivated to train. Thus far, “my” current 4-week plan has been the most popular with my clients. This doesn’t necessarily mean anything, I’m just sayin’.
Finally, if you are reading this and are in your first year of serious lifting, you should look at most of the above as a bunch of mumbo-jumbo. BUT, I want you to save this, study it again after a year, and consider my thoughts as far as which training split to use (answer – use them all ), and which 4-week plan to go with. Remember, consider both physiological, and psychological factors. Happy planning!
The Coaches That Have Influenced Me The Most
August 2, 2010 by danny · 4 Comments
Then one day at Gold’s there was a flyer that was put up at the front desk. It said something like, “Cy Willson will be holding a seminar, talking about nutrition and supplementation.” I couldn’t wait to attend, as Cy had a reputation around the gym as a very smart guy. Plus, I could now get some of my questions answered, and most likely confirmed (so I thought). I pulled up a chair to listen to Cy speak. I couldn’t wait to learn a few new things, and again, confirm that my training and nutrition “plan” was pretty much on the money. By the end of the seminar, my head was spinning, and I realized that I didn’t know sh*t about sh*t! I learned a bunch of new words, like whey and casein, heard about nutrient timing for the first time, and listened to Cy dispel a bunch of myths that I didn’t even know were myths. When I walked out the door of the room the seminar was being held in, I was very frustrated, and a little embarrassed that I ever offered even a single bit of training and nutrition advice to the people that had asked me for help over the years.
At the time, Cy was writing for a website called testosterone magazine. In the seminar, he told us that we could all become experts if we started to follow it and to soak in as much of that information as possible. So I got home, hopped on the computer, and started to read some of the articles. I read articles by John Berardi, Cy, Ian King, and Charles Poliquin. And I had no idea what they were talking about. Wait, what is this “hypertrophy” word they keep bringing up? And are hormones like insulin and testosterone really that important? According to these experts, it seems like they are. But why? I just don’t get it. I started to think, maybe this whole personal training thing just isn’t for me. After all, the only reason I ever got better than D’s and F’s in school, was so that I could stay eligible for basketball. Everyone knew school and studying wasn’t really important to me. I’d much rather be lifting weights, playing basketball, or going to the beach. But I knew lifting/working out would be a big part of my life for a long time. I loved it. And I couldn’t go to the gym and “not really know what I was doing.” So I decided to buckle down and really try to learn from these people at that website. I went up to Cy at the gym and asked him if he’d meet me so I could ask him some
nutrition questions. He was very nice and said, “sure, no problem.” So I headed back to testosterone magazine and spent hours reading his articles, as well as articles by the other authors. I took a bunch of notes and was going to be prepared for the day when Cy and I were to meet.
I still remember, I had a list of 18 questions put together for him. I thought to myself, “if I can just get Cy to help me understand these questions, I will basically have this whole nutrition thing down.” And let me tell you, these questions weren’t the most advanced questions by any means. The average question looked something like this; “in one article, it says that beef is good for you, but in John Berardi’s article, he says that we should avoid burgers. What’s the deal?” Cy said something like, “John is probably referring to greasy burgers, like the ones you find at McDonald’s. If you eat a lean cut of beef, it is good for you. Especially if it is grass fed.” I was like, “great, I can check that off of my list. Only 17 questions left and I will know all I ever need to know!” Anyway, as I got deeper into the field, I found out that the more I learned, the more I realized I didn’t know. It was about at this time, that I became obsessed with learning as much as I could. So much so that I quit teaching and started training full time. My dad was shocked. For him (back in middle and high school), trying to get me to turn off ESPN in order to get me to study, was like pulling teeth. And now, I was spending more time with my face in the books than ever before… and then some.
My journey as performance coach, personal trainer, strength coach (whatever you want to call me) began with Cy Willson, and it continues today. Below, are the people that have influenced me the most. They are grouped in chronological order. The first group is the first wave of experts that I learned from early on. As you move down the page, you’ll see the next wave of people that I learned from, all the way down to the most recent coaches. Just because Charles Poliquin (for example) is in the first group, it doesn’t mean that I don’t still learn from him. He is listed in the first group only because that is the time when I first started reading his work.
Cy Willson – you heard about Cy above. Even know that I’ve thanked him for helping me learn in my early days as a trainer, I don’t think he knows how thankful I truly am for all of his help. Besides attending two of his seminars at Gold’s, and that time that he met up with me to help answer those 18 questions, he also responded to every one of the countless e-mails that I sent him over the years. I’m VERY appreciative of this!!!
Dr. John Berardi – before Dr. Berardi had ever written a book, or was in position to influence hundreds of thousands of people, like Cy, he was answering many of the e-mails that I sent him back in the day. Cy and John really are the two that got the fire burning for me.
Ian King - Ian and Charles Poliquin were the two that first got me interested in learning all I could about weight training.
Charles Poliquin - See Ian King above.
Moving on a little later in time, to the next group of trainers that have had a huge influence on all I’ve learned over the years..
Eric Cressey – Like Dr. Berardi and Cy Willson above, Eric was very generous with helping me out early on. I definitely still learn a ton from EC today!
Joel Marion - I first read Eric and Joel’s work in the old “Ruggedmag.com” website. It is no longer a ’site, but like t-nation, I looked forward to the articles they would publish each month.
Mike Robertson – Mike did a lot of his early t-nation writing along with Eric, and I learned, and still learned a ton from him.
Dave Tate – I bought the “Westside Seminar Video” many years ago, and it exposed me to powerlifting. I belive Eric Cressey referred me to this DVD set after I e-mailed him asking him where I should go to learn more about training a powerlifter that just hired me. She went on to set many personal records and it felt great helping her out!
Christian Thibaudeau – When I first read Christian’s work I loved it. He offered info and experience from the Olympic Lifting side of things, as well as a lot of great bodybuilding info.
Chad Waterbury - While I don’t agree 100% with everything Chad has written over the years, he has made me think and I definitely incorporate some of his methodology when writing client’s programs (and my own programs).
David Barr
Mike Boyle - Anyone that cares about getting better in this field has learned a thing or 257 from Coach Boyle.
Alwyn Cosgrove - Has influenced many.
Jason Ferruggia
Dr. Clay Hyght -Dr. Clay moved to Cali. a few years ago. We started working together and became friends. As you can see, I have a large number of people listed as those who have influenced me, so I obviously don’t prescribe to only one person’s training methods. But if I was maybe starting to lean a little too far to the “train movements, not muscles” side, Clay bitch slapped me back in line. While I don’t think that strictly training movements is wrong, it’s not completely right either. To me, it is about when to bring out which tool for the client. That may be using O lifts at certain times. It may mean using a powerlifting type of template, or it may mean using “bodybuilding” training at certain times. The answers always seem to be somewhere in the middle (in any aspect of life). Which is why I wrote this article sometime back… “Change it Up and Stay Motivated”
John Romaniello – I believe John was among those that were writing for ruggedmag years ago. I remember liking his work, and then didn’t hear anything from him for quite some time. Well, he’s back with a vengeance. Over the last year he has published many article and come out with a book.
Mike Roussell …
Jimmy Smith …
Nick Tumminello - Since the first NT article I read, I can’t get enough of Nick’s work. He is very smart and does a great job of clearly communicating his knowledge!
Brian St. Pierre - Great nutrition info. He gives logical reasoning for all of his opinions and never seems to go too far to one extreme or the other.
Lyle McDonald
Tony Gentilcore - I love Tony’s writing. Very informative, and very entertaining!
Gray Cook …
Mak Young…
Alan Aragon…
Bret Contreras - Bret is a going to be a name that we’ll be hearing about for years to come. And I have a feeling he’ll be on the short list of many trainers, as one of their biggest influences. If you want to build a nice booty, get to know Bret’s work.
If I had to pick just 3 or 4 from each “era” that have have influenced me the most, here’s the All-Star line-up
Danny’s “Golden Era”
Cy Willson
Dr. John Berardi
Ian King
Charles Poliquin
The First “Next Era”
Eric Cressey
Mike Robertson
Christian Thibaudeau
The, I Can’t Think of a Cleaver Name, Era
Mike Boyle
Alwyn Cosgrove
Dr. Clay Hyght
Jason Ferruggia
My Newest Breed of Influences
Tony Gentilcore
Bret Contreras
Nick Tumminello
Brian St. Pierre
I wonder what my list will look like in 2020. Thanks to everyone that has helped me over the years! I try to give as much back as I can to youngsters looking to get in the field, and/or people that are simply looking to improve their health and physique. And with the help from the people in the list above, I am now better equipped to answer the question, “bro, like what I gotta do to get some huge pecks dawg?”
Powerful Quotes
July 27, 2010 by danny · Leave a Comment
I’ve always loved a good quote. My senior year in high school I taped a handful of my favorites to my locker. I placed them there as little reminders and motivators. While there are 1000’s of great quotes, today I am going to share 5 quotes that have either been with me for years, or quotes that I have recently stumbled upon. Here they are …
-“A good listener is not only popular everywhere, but after a while he gets to know something.”—Wilson Mizner
It seems like we (probably me included at times) are so busy telling everyone all the things we “know” to be right, that we forget to shut up, listen and learn. I’m all for people that are willing to share a little of their knowledge and experience with others. In my opinion however, many would be wise to shut their traps so they can listen and learn from others. Out of all the things that I’ve done less than perfect in my time on this planet, one thing I give myself credit for is the fact that I have always listened to what my coaches (sport coaches) and other strength coaches (colleagues – many that are smarter than I) have had to say. I may not always agree with everyone 100% of the time, but I am going to hear what others have to say before I interrupt them and start to tell them why “my way” is right.
“The most important shot is the next one.” – my Dad
This quote from my dad has gone through my head above a billion times since he first said it to me. He first said it, reminding me that the last few shots I took don’t mean anything anymore. Even if I miss 4 straight, all that matters now is the next shot I take. This is true in so many aspects of life. If we mess up, move on, because there is nothing that we can do about it now. It is time to move on and give our next shot our best attempt.
“Consistency not novelty is the secret to uncommon results.”- Dr. John Berardi
Now, I don’t think JB is the creator of this quote (I could be wrong), but he is the first person I heard say it (write it). We need to stop searching for the magic potion and realize that good old fashion hard work and discipline are where it’s at. How ’bout we stop believing those stupid infomercials that promise us 6-pack abs in 14 seconds or less. “The ‘Rock and Go Exerciser’ now only $200! We promise if you buy our product, you’ll have the booty, and man of your dreams”…
“If you are so smart, why do you need my credit card?” – Jim Rome
I’ve heard Jim Rome say this numerous times when talking about the “expert” gamblers. They are notorious for telling 
the radio listeners that “all you have to do is give us your credit card information, and we’ll guarantee you a 14-0 week. And don’t forget the college football play of the year!” Huh? If you could go 14-0 every week, why don’t you just go ahead and place the bets for yourself and not ask me for my cc number? Snakes! Good call Romey!
“Life is a game of adjustments.” - my Dad
Poppa McLarty makes it in again! If your man keeps beating you to the right, force him left. If you are getting Cs and Ds in school - study more. Get a tutor. Hang out with smart chicks. You can’t seem to lose any weight? Maybe doughnuts every morning for breakfast should be replaced with pastured eggs, old-fashioned oatmeal, and some organic blue berries. You’re a Green Bay Packers fan and your life sucks? Stop rooting for the Packers. You get the point – make the necessary adjustments in life and you’re life will be more awesome.
It’s very easy to motivate me. All you have to do is send me a motivating quote or picture, and you’ll see me sprinting to the squat rack. I hope these quotes motivate you, make you think a bit, and help make you do good stuff. Man, how did I not include that powerful quote in my high school locker? … “help make you do good stuff.” That’s deep man, deep.
