Guest Post by Jamie Vanderheyden: “It’s All About Performance”
October 2, 2012 by danny · Leave a Comment
Today’s article comes from my good buddy, Jamie Vanderheyden. This is a great article, and I have to say that I definitely agree with him. Enjoy…
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On the V-tip.
At a strength and conditioning clinic, I had the rare opportunity to sit down and talk with Charles Staley. Charles is perhaps one of the most respected voices of reason, and his knowledge seems so logical and profound. He has the ability to see the answers, and sift through all the information overload/confusion many of us experience (Internet forums, bodybuilding magazines, locker room babble, and TERRIBLE advice from random YouTube and Google searches).
Coach Staley knows a thing or two about performance!
After speaking with him, I began to inside out my thinking, and almost go against the grain in some cases. His philosophies were very unique. Then, I had an AH HA moment.
Performance. It’s ALL about Performance. Who cares if I’m not a competing athlete anymore.
Let’s be honest, most women go to the gym because they want to lose X pounds, or fit into size X. I understand the goal, but it is ultimately a pass/fail system. It burns people out, and it makes women ecstatic in success, or it makes them irate in failure. So they lunge, squat, take step classes, diet, and then hop on the scale. All their efforts come back to that one… dreaded… moment. No offense, but that system sucks for long term commitments and a healthy lifestyle. That is very short term thinking and halts people again and again. It may have merits, but I have a new way of thinking for the long haul.
Let’s ask our female Olympic athletes why their bodies are so incredibly fit. Lean mid sections, tight glutes, and their firm and lean shoulders are often reflecting in the sun. Their answer will simply revolve around the fact that their PERFORMANCE in their event is the ULTIMATE goal, not their jean size.
Their rocking bodies are a side effect of wanting to increase and better their PERFORMANCES. So their goal is not to look good, that just happens as a side result of perusing goals in PERFORMANCE. In addition, drinking dollar drafts and eating takeout food 3 days a week would hurt their PERFORMANCE as well. They are not thinking about getting fat, they are thinking about getting slower, or less efficient in their event.
Yes, but none of us are competitive athletes, and certainly not an Olympic one, Jamie.
Correct, but does that mean that you cannot set PERFORMANCE GOALS, or set them with your trainer.
Imagine if you said,
“I can’t wait to get to the gym today because I want to do 8 push-ups this time instead of the 5 I did last workout.”
“I just know I can hold my plank for 15 more seconds, and I’m not wimping out this time.”
“I am not going to let that battling rope control me, I will slam that thing relentlessly.”
“I am going to lunge down and back with a 25 pound plate this time.”
That is having a “Performance Mindset”, and it certainly more motivating than getting on an elliptical, and seeing the total calories burned was equal to the coke and pop tart you ate for breakfast.
Then you say,
“I have to go to the stinking gym and ride the elliptical for 30 minutes so I can lose 2 pounds.”
If you are on the V-Tip, start thinking about pursuing and crushing some performance goals that are appropriate for you.
Trust me, shoot for achieving performance goals in the gym, eat so that the performance is possible, enjoy your workouts, and then strut your stuff!
Best of Luck,
Jamie Vanderheyden
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Boom! You nailed it, Jamie! Nice job. Are you all setting performance goals for yourself? If not, as you can see from Jamie’s article, it’s time to start!
Quick Tips: Training and Nutrition – Episode I
September 25, 2012 by danny · Leave a Comment
Throughout the course of each week, I make sure to find time to read nutrition/training related articles/blogs. However I only have so much time in my day, so reading long article after long article can become too time consuming or just start to get old after awhile. Therefore, I really like articles that can provide quick, easy to apply information… kind of like this blog post I made a few months back. Or, like the series Eric Cressey has going over on his blog.
My good friends from back in Cali are here to drop some quality tips that can help you get one step closer to reaching your health and fitness goals. Both Michelle Adams and Marci Nevin have already made some great contributions (found HERE and HERE and HERE), and today they’re back for more…
Tips From Michelle…
#1) Stay busy! Don’t plop down on the couch at night and eat in front of the TV. Eat with the TV off. Clean up. Move on. One of my clients gave me a tip. She schedules something to do right after she eats, like fold the laundry. (Note from Danny: Oh, me likey! Great idea… Michelle be sure to give your client props for me. What a great idea!
2) Keep your list of food choices small. Stick to foods you like and don’t force yourself to eat foods you don’t like. I love oatmeal. When I was dieting for a show it was my carb of choice. Are sweet potatoes better? Yes. But when I was dieting it satisfied me. Feeling deprived just leads to overeating. I enjoy more food options now but I go back to my narrow food list when I need to tighten up. Caveat is #3.
#3) Get obsessed with vegetables. Explore new veggies and see how many colors you can eat it one day.
#4) Have tea at night after dinner. That is a tough time for me. I make a doctored up lemon ginseng tea, heating up a 1/2 c unsweetened almond milk and water and adding some liquid vanilla stevia. It’s very satisfying and hits my sweet tooth.
#5) Follow someone on Facebook that inspires you. I love Jamie Eason. Who doesn’t?! Just going to her page, reading her posts and looking at her awesome pics motivates me to stay on track.
Jamie Eason
Tips from Marci…
#1) In the wise words of Dr. John Berardi, “If it’s in your house, eventually you will eat it.” This is a simple way of saying, dont bring your trigger foods into your home. There are certain foods that I just cant buy, even healthy ones, as I know I have the ability to eat the entire box/jar in one sitting. There is bound to be a time when you lose your self control and cave to these foods, which often sets off a cascade of negative emotions and can cause you to blow your diet for the rest of the day.
#2) Some of my best workouts have come on the days when I felt the worst or was the least motivated. If a time comes when you really don’t feel like training, just get yourself to the gym (or where ever you train) and at least go through your warm up and a few sets. 99% of the time you will get into the zone and end up completing your whole workout.
#3) Stop program hopping if you don’t see the results you want within the first week. There is no perfect diet or training plan. The results you get are determined by how well you execute it. Find a plan and stick to it. Just make sure it is one that you enjoy and will be consistent with, as you will be much more likely to succeed.
Tips from Danny…
#1) Similar to tip #4 from Michelle above…
When I start to get a craving that I know I have no control over (i.e. my hand reaches for my phone to dial up some pepperoni pizza from the local pizza joint even though my brain is yelling, “PUT THE PHONE DOWN!”), I have 3 things that have worked for me to beat these STONG cravings..
A) Brush my teeth. Because who feels like eating after getting that “clean mouth feel?”
B) Chew a piece of gum.
C) Drink tea (like Michelle mentioned).
Those incredibly strong cravings aren’t going to last that long, so if you can get rid of them for even a few minutes, they usually don’t come back.
#2) Make sure you have regressions and progressions for every exercise that you perform. For example, let’s look at some single leg exercises, going from easiest to hardest…
Static Lunges with dumbbells (DBs) < Reverse Lunges with DBs < Walking Lunges with DBs < Static Lunges with a barbell (BB) < Bulgarian Split Squats with DBs < Reverse Lunges with a BB < Walking Lunges with a BB < Bulgarian Split Squats with a BB.
Barbell Bulgarian Split Squats
Now, I know I didn’t list EVERY POSSIBLE single exercise imaginable. And you may disagree with the order in which I ranked the difficulty level of each. But I hope you get the point. And that is, if you are struggling to keep good form on one exercise, regress and master another one before “moving up the ladder” to a move difficult one.
Alright, that’ll wrap it up for now. I’ll be back with some more great and easy (in theory) to apply tips from some of my friends in the fitness biz.
Now get out of here and go stock up on some tea and colored veggies. Now!
If you think these tips can help a family or friend out, be sure to share it on FB and/or twitter…
Good Articles From Around The Web (Fish Oils/Paleo/Vegan) …
September 18, 2012 by danny · Leave a Comment
Hope everyone is having a good week. I’ve been busy with training at the new location, giving basketball lessons, and hangin’ with the family. If you haven’t already heard… if you live here in the Rockton area, I’ve started running a cardio-based, fat loss bootcamp every Saturday morning at 7:30 a.m. If you haven’t attended yet, but are interested, just let me know if you have any questions. Ok, on to today’s post…
Omega-3 Madness
A recent mainstream media report called into question the benefits of supplementing with fish oil. This caused some of my friends and family members to say this kind of thing to me; “Danny! When you told me to supplement with fish oils 5 years ago, I haven’t missed a day. Now this report tells me that they are not beneficial. What’s the deal!?!?!?! You’re a liar, a loser, and you should be locked up for life!”
Well, Eric Cressey had a great blog post in which he had Dr. Hector Lopez in to make a guest post. If you saw the fish oil report and are starting to think that maybe you should stop supplementing with fish oil, give this a read.
The moral of the story is, to always be skeptical. Just because you read something in a newspaper or hear it on the news, it doesn’t mean it’s true. Among other things, this report was a classic case of “cherry picking.”
In other words, they took a bunch of information and only used the information that fit into their agenda… to have a controversial headline that got many people to visit their website, even if it is full of misinformation.
A cherry picking analogy: let’s say that 1000 people graduated from Harvard this year, and 994 of them went onto run successful businesses (I know, “success” can be defined in many ways, just go with it), and 6 of these Harvard graduates went on to become drug dealers. If I were to report that those that attend Harvard are likely to become drug dealers, I’d be cherry picking in order to meet my agenda (presumably to sell more newspapers), because I conveniently didn’t mention the successful 994 individuals. I didn’t tell the whole story, because if I did, that would be boring and wouldn’t support my stance that Harvard grads like to slang cocaine. Anyway, onto the next one…
Oh, and by the way, I exaggerated about what some of my friends and family members were saying about me. No one really called me a liar, a loser, and wants me locked up for life. At least not that I know of. 
Paleo vs Vegan
Talk about a heated debate! Like usual, there is a middle-ground. Here is a good read to discuss some of the potential pros and cons of each side of the fence. In case you are interested in my personal view (and I’m assuming you are, since you are visiting my website)…
Too often vegetarians say that “their way” is way healthier. That is the case MAINLY because they are comparing a vegetarian diet to a typical diet that consists of Burger King, Pizza Hut, oreos, and beer. OF COURSE a vegetarian diet is healthier than THAT. Although I think a vegetarian diet can be healthy, I don’t think it is ideal. I recommend eating meats, plenty of veggies, fruits, and healthy fats.
Carbohydrate sources can be mixed in there, and depending on the goal, increased or decreased to match this goal (as a general rule, consume more carbs/calories when trying to add a little size, and reduce [but not necessarily eliminate] carbs/calories when trying to drop some weight).
I want to say one more time, ALWAYS be skeptical when you hear about a new report that comes out. If doesn’t mean it is not true, but it certainly does NOT mean that it is true. Do a little investagating on your own. And if you don’t know what to look for, just ask me. Since I’m not very smart, I probably won’t know the answer either… so I’ll just ask those that are smarter than me, and get back to you.
Have a great week. Work hard, but make sure to mix in a little fun!
Saying Good Bye To The Old Gym and Hello To The New Gym (videos inside)
September 4, 2012 by danny · Leave a Comment
In my last blog post, I mentioned that my gym has changed to a new location. Well, I thought I’d give you some videos to show some of my peeps working hard. I don’t have a whole lot on video yet at the new facility, so this is just a sneak peak. But, before I get to the videos at the new space, I thought I’d include a video of me training at the old place (my old basement). This was my last training session there. Thanks basement, you we’re good to us, but it was time to move on. 
I recently learned about this RDL variation in an article that Ben Bruno wrote. I’m definitely a fan… great ham/glute exercise. My hams were sore for days! Not that soreness is an indication of whether an exercise is effective or not, I’m just saying, walking for the next couple days was not fun!
Perform these like regular RDLs, but with this variation, rest the bar on the pins for a second and “re-start” each rep with a pause. Tough and effective!
NOTE: Regular Rack Pulls are performed with more knee flexion (like a deadlift) while Rack RDLs are performed with very little knee flexion (i.e. the legs are almost straight).
Next video is of Paityn performing Rack Pulls with chains. I’ve talked about “accomodating resistance” previously, but in case you missed it – basically we can use bands and/or chains to make the top portion (in the case of a rack pull/deadlift) of the lift harder than usual. When Paityn nears the top of this lift, notice that the majority of the chain leaves the floor. This makes the lift heavier at top than on the bottom (the chains are 30 pounds when completely off the floor). Paityn is getting good with “finishing with her glutes” at the top of movements that involve hip extension (RDLs, Deadlifts, Pull Throughs, Kettlebell Swings, Hip Thrusts, etc.). This is important for a few reasons…
1) It’ll help her with sports performance as the glutes play a key role in sprinting, jumping, cutting, etc. She a basketball player, BTW.
2) For anyone; guy, girl, orangutan, polar bear, etc, learning how to properly use your glutes helps make the glutes look better.
Powerful glutes help bring home gold medals!
3) Stronger glutes decrease the chances of back and knee injuries.
Anyway, nice job Paityn.
And finally, here is Paige performing barbell bulgarian split squats.
Paige does a great job of keeping great form on bulgarian split squats. Many people let their knee cave when performing these. This can especially be a problem with females as they have a wider “Q-angle” then men. This causes more stress on the knee, and is a big reason why women tear their ACL more than men (although torn ACLs are also a problem in men). Strengthening the right muscles and learning proper movement patterns can go a long way in decreasing the chances of knee/ACL injuries. Chalk one off for ANOTHER reason to strength train!
Alright, I have some more videos for future installments, and I’ll continue to record some here and there and share when I think they may be helpful to you all.
I’m also (most likely) going to be starting a cardio-based bootcamp on Saturday mornings at the new facility here soon. If you are interested, check back shortly and I’ll confirm in a future blog post. If you already know you are already interested, contact me here as soon as possible, or leave a comment in the comments section below. If I hear back from enough people, the bootcamp will go from, maybe I’ll run it, to I’ll definitely run it.
Have a great week!
My Gym Has Changed To A New Location
August 24, 2012 by danny · 2 Comments
We are moving to a new house this Sunday. Why is that important in regards to training? Well, I’ve been training my clients out of my basement. With the move, that will no longer be the case. As of yesterday, I started training my clients in downtown Rockton. My friend/client, Rich Spanton owns a nice building off of Main Street in Rockton that currently has space available, so with the help of my dad and my friend, Donn, we moved all of my equipment over there on Wednesday night.
About one year ago I started off with the bare-minimum as far as equipment, but have since added and will continue to do so as time goes on. Here is what the home gym looked like the 1st few weeks after moving from California back to Illinois…
And here are some pictures that I took yesterday of the new location at Rich’s “blue building” in downtown Rockton…
Daxton working on the TRX straps.
Daxton preparing for some dumbbell rows and Capri setting up for some kettlebell swings.
This location will serve as my “in-between” spot, until I find my “dream spot” as my permanent location somewhere in the Rockton area.
I’m very excited to be training out of my home, and in a space with some more room and HIGH ceilings! Anyway, I’ll be here at the location for the next few months, so if/when you walk by the “blue building” on Main Street, come and check it out.
If you know anyone that may be interested in giving me a visit, please forward them this blogpost. I appreciate it.
Have a great weekend everyone… enjoy week 1 of high school football!
Recipe of the Week from Marci Nevin… Greek Salad with Avo-Ziki Dressing
August 14, 2012 by danny · 3 Comments
My good friend Marci, who has already contributed to my website HERE, has a great recipe for all of us to try (including me, as I haven’t gotten to it yet, but plan on making it later on the week). This will help me get on track after my donut burger gaffe from last weekend. I’ll let Marci take over from here…
Marci Performing Weighted Chin-Ups
August in California is HOT. While the heat of the summer has never swayed my eating habits, I know plenty of people who don’t like eating heavy foods this time of year. My fiancée is one of them, and as a result he has eaten a big salad for dinner every night for the past few months.
Last week, one of my clients gave me 6 pounds of frozen, wild caught halibut that I’ve been eager to eat. Since we typically eat dinner at with my parents on Sunday night, I thought it would be a good time to grill it up. I was trying to find the right type of side dish to accompany the fish, and I came across this salad, which looked delicious. It ended up being the perfect summertime meal for a very warm evening. Jason got his salad fix and I got to enjoy the halibut, so it was a win-win.
While this may look like your typical Greek salad, I promise you that it is much more. This Avo-Ziki dressing is incredible, and it truly transformed the dish. It’s almost more of a sauce, really, thereby making it very versatile. I ended up putting it on my fish as well, but it would also go great on top of a burger, chicken or other type of meat/fish, or as a dressing for a different type of salad. I hope you enjoy as much as we did!
Greek Salad
- 4 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
- ½ cup cucumber slices
- ½ cup Kalamata olives, halved
- ¼ cup Avo-Ziki dressing
- 2 T (or less) extra-virgin olive oil
Mix romaine, tomatoes, olives, and cucumbers in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix avo-ziki sauce and olive oil. Top the salad with the dressing.
Avo-Ziki Sauce
- 1 ripe avocado
- 2 T extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ c grated cucumber
- Juice of one lemon
- 1 clove grated garlic
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 t fresh dill, finely chopped (I left this out as I didn’t have any on hand)
Combine all ingredients by hand or with a small food processor or hand blender.
It sounds great, Marci! Thanks for sharing this with everyone. I can’t wait to try it!
NOTE: This recipe comes from the Diane Sanfilippo’s book, “Practical Paleo.” You can find the book HERE.
Mid-August Randomness… Daxton’s 1st Time Bowling; The “Donut Burger” etc etc…
August 13, 2012 by danny · Leave a Comment
Here we go…
Daxton’s 1st Bowling Experience
Yesterday we celebrated Carson’s 12th birthday party at the bowling alley. A lot of fun! Here is Daxton’s 1st attempt…
Don’t Try This At Home (or at the fair)
So I went to the Boone County Fair to support some of my friends/clients that were showing their pigs/cows ‘n all that. Definitely interesting. Anyway, as I was walking back to the car to head home, I see this sign…
A heart attack waiting to happen!
Now, as you know, I’m a pretty healthy dude that also believes in enjoying life and splurging from time to time. But a donut plus a greasy burger rolled into one sandwich is probably about as bad as it gets. With that said, I just couldn’t pass it up. If I saw a sign for a six-legged duck, I’d probably have to stop and look just because I may never have that opportunity again… same thing with this donut burger – a once in a lifetime opportunity. ;)
What they did was cut a glazed donut in half and use it for the top and bottom half of the bun. I honestly don’t remember the last time I ate a donut, let alone combined with a burger. It turned out to be very tasty, very greasy, and very sticky for my fingers. It’s now crossed off my bucket list, and I can move on in life knowing that I owned that donut burger.
Torn Calf
A few months back I tore my calf while playing basketball. I then considered “retiring” from playing hoops anymore because of the fact that I make my living training others and demonstrating moves/drills while giving basketball lessons. And getting hurt makes both of those tasks VERY tough! I’m still up in the air as to whether or not I’ll join my friends when our b-ball league rolls around next winter. And when they ask me to play a little pick up hoops here and there, I’m not sure if I’ll keep saying no thanks… or will I say, “screw it, I’m in!”
One of the girls that I train in the weight room and on the basketball court, is heading to college in about a week to play basketball. She’s coming off of knee surgery and has not gone up against live competition in months. So during a portion of our last couple lessons, we’ve played a little one-on-one and my calf has responded pretty well. No injuries, BUT I still do feel a little “twinge” as I push off of it. I don’t know how much of it is my head and how much of it is “real.” Injuries are a tricky thing. Wish me luck in keeping this calf healthy and help give me the strength to not push it too far and re-injury it! Please, I need you!
Quads/Squats
Speaking of my calf injury, when I was hobbling around, I couldn’t do a whole for my quads (although I still got quite a bit of posterior chain work in … you know, hamstrings and glutes). But since I’ve returned to going full force with quad dominant movement again, my quads have responded really well. I used to think my legs were my weakness, but my quads have actually become one of my more developed body parts. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same thing for my calves. But, back to the positive…
This last month and a half or so, I’ve been mostly using 2 quad dominant exercises – Back Squats and Bulgarian Split Squats. But mainly back squats. Here’s a picture of my current quad development…
John Alvino posted this on facebook the other day and I shared it. In case you missed it, here it is again…
C'mon dude, find a squat rack!
Don’t be this guy. Be a man and work your legs!
Ladies, you like it when a guy has nice legs and glutes, right?
What do you think of Daxon’s 1st attempt at bowling? Is he the next Roy Munson? Or should I just keep him on the basketball courts?
Finally, would you dare try the donut burger? Or just too frightening for you?
First Time Front Squatters and Squat Progressions
August 1, 2012 by danny · 8 Comments
If you want to improve your strength, power, and performance for a sport, squats are great! If you want to lose fat or gain muscle to help make you look sexier, squats are great. If you want to improve your mobility and stability, squats are great. The problem is, most people don’t take the time to learn how to perform them correctly.
My progressions with newer lifters usually look like this…
#1) Learn the goblet box squat
#2) Learn to goblet squat without the box to sit on (if that is “not working” go to #3, then come back and master #2).
#3) Learn to barbell box squat with the bar on your back
#4) Learn to front squat
#5) Learn to back squat
Goblet Squats
These phases are not set in stone and some people may never get to back squatting while others may be ready to back squat pretty much from the get-go.
This past week I had a few of my athletes (all basketball players) learn the front squat (and one is now just learning how to goblet box squat). It may take weeks or even months before going to the next step. The key is NOT to rush things. You’ll have plenty of time to get more advanced and add load. But MAKE SURE to learn how to squat the right way FIRST… then worry about adding load later.
The first video is of Liz and Michael…
Liz is preparing for her freshman year of basketball at Lehigh. We actually did barbell box squats today for the first time. Although she still has a little work to make them better, for her first time, she did very well. By the time she leaves for school in a few weeks, we’ll have barbell back squats down and I’m sure her Strength Coach at Lehigh will be pleased (as back squats are in their training program).
This was Michael’s very first set of front squats, and I thought he did very well. He is mobile/stable enough to get a couple inches lower (as I’ve seen him get that depth with goblet squats), but I didn’t want to force the range of motion on his very first set of front squats. Soon, he’ll be adding weight to the bar and be a stud!
Next up, Paige and Paityn…
Paige has already goblet squatted, back squatted and front squatted. She’s a pretty “natural” squatter. I took a little longer with Paityn because she has had a tendency to let her knees cave. So I didn’t want her front squatting and performing any more difficult squatting variations until she started to “nail” goblet squats and box squats. Well, she has gotten good at those variations, and for a first time front squatter, she also did very well. Like Michael, she has a couple inches of depth in her, and we’ll get to that next week.
Once you are ready (if ever) to deep back squat, John Alvino has a very good video with all the tips/cues necessary to become a good squatter…
There are so many benefits to squatting, but make sure to take your time progressing.
If this post has been beneficial to you, please hit the “like” and “tweet” buttons. Thank you!
Words of Wisdom from Coach Boyle…
July 24, 2012 by danny · Leave a Comment
Strength Coach Mike Boyle sent out his newlsetter today, and this is what he had to say…
“No one has ever gotten better lifting light weights.
Light weight is an oxymoron. A weight should be appropriate to the
goal but, rarely, if ever, intentionally light. The load should be
based on the strength level of the person. The reality is if you
are lifting a weight ten times, numbers nine and ten should be
difficult. If you can lift a weight 20 times but choose to do only
ten, you are wasting your time. Period.
The essence of effective strength training is a concept called
progressive resistance exercise. This means that that even if
the resistance may be light to begin with, it should not stay
that way.
I go crazy when someone tells me about the routine they’ve been
doing with their eight-lb hand weights. (P.S. Call them dumbbells.
Calling them hand weights is a dead giveaway that you are clueless.)
My first question is this. How long have you been doing this?
Often, people respond with something like, “I’ve done this three
times a week for three months.” The doctrine of progressive
resistance says that the first two weeks were beneficial and
th at 10 weeks were wasted. It’s no wonder people stop working out.
Heavy kettlebell bulgarian split squats.
Once you have passed the first three weeks of training, you
should lift a weight that is heavy but allows perfect form.
Be wary, however, of another all-too-common mistake. When we
say the load should be heavy, people begin to cheat. We are
not encouraging cheating. Strive for perfect technique in all
exercises AND progressively increase the resistance. SportBlocks,
from PowerBlock, are perfect for this as are the Bowflex Dumbbells.
SportBlocks are a small version of the popular PowerBlock dumbbells
that increase in three-pound increments. If you don’t want to buy
SportBlocks, get a good selection of dumbbells. Beginners will
need 2.5-, 5-, 7.5-,10- and 12-lb dumbbells in order to progress.
Point 4 – Work on basic strength in basic exercises. If your trainer
has you practicing your golf swing with a dumbbell in your hands,
get a new trainer. Do not wave dumbbells around and call it strength
training. Learn to bodyweight squat, learn to do a push-up. Good
basic training should strongly remind you of the calisthenics you
used to do in high school.
Here’s the truth. The secret is, there is no secret. If you want
to hit a golf ball further, you need to get stronger. You will not
get strong lifting a five-pound dumbbell.”
Well said, Mike!
Even though some of your sets might be light relative to your 1-RM (Rep Max), do not purposely lift a “light” weight that doesn’t challenge you. That is dumb. Don’t be dumb. Ok, so Coach Boyle’s words were more eloquent than mine, but you get the point.
Have a great week!
My Fat Loss Program – Part Deux
July 20, 2012 by danny · 4 Comments
In case you missed it, yesterday I gave some of my thoughts on the importance of nutrition and how training comes into play when attempting to drop fat. Check it out HERE. My friend Jason Leitner mentioned on facebook that he enjoyed that post, but was looking forward to seeing my next post, which I said I’ll go over the program that I am using. Now, I didn’t plan on doing today’s post until sometime next week as my twins and basketball lessons and training sessions keep me extremely busy. But he then called me out on FB… he called me names, made me cry, told me “no excuses, Danny!,” and threatened to slit my achilles tendon (on my left leg), if I didn’t get this out asap!
So, rather than get abused by Jason, here we are…
Day 1
A1) Neutral Grip Pull-Ups – 1 X 2, 2 X 6 (that is 1 set of 2 reps, and 2 sets of 6 reps) – Full Recovery Between Sets
A2) Scap Push-Ups – 1 X 10-12, Ys – 1 X 10 (these are low-level exercises designed to help with scapular stability/long-term shoulder health… also known as “fillers.”)
B1) Back Squats – 1 X 15, 2 X 12 – 30 second RI (Rest Intervals between sets)
B2) 1-Arm DB Row – 1 X 15, 2 X 12 – 20 second RI
B3) Slight Incline Bench Press with Chains and a 211 tempo (one second pause at the chest) 1 X 15, 2 X 12 – 60 second RI
C1) 1-Leg Swiss Ball Leg Curls – 3 X 12/Leg – ZERO RI
C2) Dying Bug with Wall Push – 3 X 10/Leg – 30 second RI
D1) Zottman Curls – 2 X 12 – 30 second RI
D2) Band Pushdowns – 2 X 15 – 30 second RI
Notes - My left shoulder has been feeling a little cranky, so the 1 second pause on the bench press makes it a little more shoulder-friendly since you can reduce the load and still get a good training effect. Too, the use of chains reduce the load when the bar is at chest level. Win-win for my cranky shoulder.
Day 2
A1) RDLs – 4 X 8 – 30 second RI
A2 ) Feet Elevated Band Push-ups – 4 X 8 – 30 second RI
B1) Barbell Bulgarian Split Squat – 4 X 6/Leg – ZERO RI
B2) TRX Inverted Rows – 4 X 8 – 45 second RI
C1) Cheated Barbell Curls – 1 X 8, 2 X 10 – RI = ALAN – (As Long As Necessary)
C2) Dragon Flys – 2 X 9 RI – ALAN
I was able to catch this workout on tape yesterday. But, for some reason the camera shut off when I was taping my RDLs. And I was using 1250 pounds during that set! I hate it when I don’t get my world records on camera!
Notes - Yes, there is a time and place to perform sets with a little body english (i.e. the cheated BB curls). I usually use pretty strict form and don’t usually recommend this style of training. But again, it has its time and place.
Day 3
A1) Reverse Band Floor Press – 3 X 6 – RI = Full
A2) Band Pull-Aparts -1 X 10, 2-Way Hamstring Mob 1 X 6 in each position (once again, these are “fillers” that I like to place along side low-rep, heavy work)
B1) Barbell Reverse Lunges – 4 X 8/Leg – 20 second RI
B2) Chin-ups – 4 X AMRAP (As Many Reps As Possible) – 20 second RI
B3) Hip Thrusts – 1 X 12, 3 X 9 – 20 second RI
B4) Slight Incline Chest Press – Neutral Grip – 3 X 12 – 70 second RI
C1) Ab Wheel Rollouts – 2 X 10 RI = ALAN
C2) L-Lateral Raise – 2 X 10 RI = ALAN
Additional Notes
Notice that on each day I have a different set-up as far as how many exercises I do before finishing the circuit or before moving onto the next exercise pairing. i.e. on Day 1 I have B1-3 (3 exercises in a row before taking a “significant” rest interval), Day 2 I have only 2 exercises paired back-to-back (A1/A2 and B1/B2), and on day 3, I have a BIG 4-set circuit (B1-B4).
I like to do this because it gives me a “different look” on each day… and my extreme ADD works well with change.
I also use “cybernetic periodization” when I train. Meaning, I use the training program that is laid out but adjust on the fly depending on how I’m feeling that day. So, I may actually have done a set or two more than what you see above.
Even though getting as lean as possible is my main goal on this program, I didn’t want to do this at the expense of losing muscle mass and strength. Therefore, I included a couple low-rep, high-weight exercises.
Summary
I definitely prefer to train the more “traditional way,” … more rest intervals between sets, with lower overall rep ranges. But this was a nice challenge (it wasn’t easy at all!). If you are someone that gets lean easily, I’d definitely suggest going more the traditional route with your weight training program. And then just use nutrition and bit of extra cardio to shed that last layer of unwanted fat.
BUT, I do train many people that have fat loss as their main goal, and outside of our training sessions together, they don’t get a whole lot of exercise in. If that sounds like you, then this type of “metabolic resistance training” could be exactly what the doctor ordered.
If you have any questions about my program design above, just leave a comment and I’ll be sure to get back to you.
Happy now, Mr. Leitner?!? The things I do for you.
