Females Lifting And A Little Randomness
May 9, 2012 by danny · 2 Comments
I got a couple of my female clients on video the other day during one of their lifting sessions (sisters, as a matter of fact). I wanted to share this video with y’all for a couple reasons. So let’s get to it…
This first video is of Paige. I taped her doing RDLs for the first time. The reason I think this video is so interesting, is because she keeps her neck neutral (in line with her spine) throughout the set. I’ve been training people for over 10 years and I don’t think I’ve EVER had anyone “instinctively” do this right from the get-go. When doing hip-hinging patterns people usually hyperextend their neck, like this…
Notice how her head is up and NOT aligned with her spine.
Ideally, the individual will “pack” their neck in this situation. Packing is a combo of cervical retrusion and capital flexion. Check out the video that I provide at the bottom of this post. In the video Bret Contreras will elaborate on packing the neck and tell us why we should care about it.
Now, Paige could probably improve that whole capital flexion thing a bit, but overall, her head is neutral throughout.
I usually don’t cue people to pack their neck (or “tuck” their chin) the first time performing lifts such as RDLs. Well, if it’s important, then why don’t you include it, Danny? Good question. And here’s why; I’ve found that giving too many cues when performing “complicated” lifts like RDLs ends up causing more harm than good. In other words, if the individual has too many things to think about when learning a new lift, it can end up turning into paralysis by analysis and they have a hard time even getting into the proper position. I think the most important things to learn at first when performing a lift like the RDL is…
-Learning the hip-hinge pattern
-Bracing the core
-Keeping the shoulder blades retracted/depressed and the spine neutral
That right there is PLENTY to think about right off the bat (for most people, but not for Paige apparently 
).
So, good instincts Paige. Nice work!
Lil’ Sis
Now, I can’t include a video of Paige without including a video of her younger sister, Paityn. Here is Paityn performing 155 pounds on the rack pull for reps…
Later in this session, she hit an easy 165 pounds. She could have done a lot more but I always like to be certain a newbie (her 2nd time performing rack pulls) is completely comfortable with the lift before REALLY loading it. I used to train Coco in California. She worked up to a 300 pound rack pull before I moved back to Illinois…
You better watch your back Coco, because Paityn is coming after you! 
Ut oh, I hear the twins starting to stir. Time to go change some diapers, wipe some booggers, and other AWESOME stuff like that!
But before I go, here is Bret’s video talking about neck packing. If you are a lifter, make sure to check out this helpful video…
Motivation…
May 7, 2012 by danny · Leave a Comment
If you’re in a rut or just need a little pick-me-up, hopefully this helps…
-As I stated in this blog post, I’m currently working around an injury. No need to stop training when injured (in 99% of the cases). There is always something you can do. Stop the excuses!
-Just Do It!
-Physiques that make your realize you can always do better…
Guys…
Ladies…
-“Commitment leads to action. Action brings your dream closer.”
Marcia Wieder
-THE key ingredient while training is HARD WORK! …
-“The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses – behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.” – Muhammad Ali
Now go make it happen …
Working Around An Injury
May 1, 2012 by danny · Leave a Comment
If you missed my post from the other day (Saying Goodbye To My First True Love), you know that I tore a muscle in my calf. Yeah, it sucks. But I’m not going to hang my head and sit around on my butt. There is still PLENTY of work that can be done in the weight room. Here is my leg training session from yesterday…
Despite being limited in exercise selection, I still was able to get a few things in … 1-Leg Hip Thrust for my glutes; Ski Squats for my quads; 1-Leg RDLs for my left leg – I tried 2-Leg Swiss Ball leg curls and 1-Leg RDLs for my right leg (the side that I tore my calf), but those both bothered it so I decided it was smart to be patient and not force it. And then I finished up with the battling rope for my cardio.
Nothing special, and not exactly my usual exercise selection, but there is no way that I’ll allow myself a major set-back from this injury.
Ouch!!!
Finding A Way
There is always a way to get something in. I really believe those that are happiest with their physiques are the ones that avoid big set-backs. I’m nowhere near perfect, but I’ve NEVER had a bad month of training. Maybe a few days, but I’m always sure to get right back on track. Does one of these scenarios sound like you…
-You’ve been working out consistently for a number of months and you’re feeling and looking good. Then you take a vacation, do no working out, but swear to yourself that you’ll get back on track once you get back home. But before you know it, 2 months have gone by and you STILL haven’t touched a weight or gotten a cardio session in.
–You’ve been working out consistently for a number of months and you’re feeling and looking good. Then you get sick and miss a week of training. You’re excited to get back to training once you feel better. But when the time comes around you just can’t quite find the motivation to start back up. A year has passed, you still haven’t gotten back into it, and you feel like a piece of poop.
-You suffer an injury and promise yourself that once you’re healthy you are going to come back better than ever. But you missed a bunch of workout sessions while injured, and this has now turned into a habit. You never get back on track!
Remember, it’s not how you respond when things are going well, it’s how you respond to adversity that counts.
In the case of getting injured, there really is a ton that can still be done. Getting hurt has taken me on a bit of a detour. I completed four weeks of my chest specialization training block and was about to start up weeks 5-8 (that would take me to late May, then the plan is going to be getting “beach ready” … you know, get as lean as possible for the summer). But I’m adjusting on the fly. I now plan on doing weeks 5-8 of my chest program next week. And will have to continue to tinker with my leg workouts as the injury heals.
We can always find a way! Even in tough times, make sure to get at least a little somin’ somin’ in, in order to avoid BIG set-backs. I mean even something like 3-4 sets of push-ups + 3-4 sets of a lunge variation 2-3 times per week (come on, that’ll take you ~15 minutes to complete!). THEN, when life settles down, you won’t be starting from such a big deficit.
Get er done!
Saying Goodbye To My First True Love
April 30, 2012 by danny · Leave a Comment
No, I’m not talking about the first girl that I fell in love with. I’m talking about basketball. I think it’s time to say goodbye…
This past Thursday night I headed up to Hononegah High School for open gym. I hadn’t played full court b-ball since the tourney I was in about a month ago – I gave the tourney highlights, HERE. The first game of open gym was all good. We won and I wasn’t rusty at all. I probably went 4-5 from the floor. And in the second game, I started the game off pulling up from the top of the key and hitting a 3. I thought to myself, man I feel good, pretty damn tired, but good! One of my teammates even said to me; “Geez, do you ever miss!?!”
We then had a couple more trips up and down the court. When we headed back down to our offensive end, I came off a screen, pushed off with my right foot, and then it happened!!! I felt a POP in my right calf. It felt like someone shot me!
The aftermath...
I hobbled over to the sideline in excruciating pain. I knew something was wrong and I couldn’t walk so I called up my dad to pick me up (he only lives a 1/2 mile from the school) and take me over to immediate care to get it checked out. It turns out I tore a muscle in my calf. Damn!
What’s Next?
Ever since I was 8-9 years old, I basically lived with a basketball in my hand… always dribbling around the neighborhood, on the bike path, while walking over to a friend’s house, etc etc. But I think it’s time to say goodbye to my first true love. Not goodbye, as in I’ll never shoot or dribble a ball again. I mean goodbye as in, I’m done playing in tournaments, pick-up games, open gyms, etc. I depend on my body to make a living. If I’m hurt, I can’t effectively demonstrate dribbling moves when giving basketball lessons, and I can’t effectively train people if I can’t demonstrate how to perform a certain lift.
I have given a few basketball lessons and trained a number of people in the weight room since last Thursday’s incident. And let me tell you, it’s not the same! Now, I don’t think that if I continued to play that every time I stepped onto the court I’d walk away with injury. But the risk:reward just isn’t there anymore. If I’m hurt, I can’t do my job optimally. Because I play full court hoops so infrequently nowadays, I’m always VERY SORE the next day or two… which is no fun. In order to get rid of this soreness, I’d have to play a few times a week until I got accustomed to it. And that would just kill my body/joints.
So, on one hand I’m sad that I’m saying bye to playing competitively. But on the other hand, I’m ok with it. I mean, I’ve played more basketball in my life than most people would play in four lifetimes.
Making a Comeback?
Who knows, maybe I’ll miss it so much that I’ll make a Michael Jordan type of comeback. ”Retire” again. Then make another comeback. But I doubt it. I think for now on, all of my cardio is going to be the low-impact kind. Just like I preach to my clients that are 35 years old or older. I can still do battling ropes, use the prowler, do some barbell complexes, etc. etc.
If I do make a comeback, you’ll have to come back to this blog to find out. Because I’m pretty sure ESPN won’t be covering it. Although I wonder if I can get ESPN 8 The “Ocho” to air it?!?
Do you know what movie this is from?
Ok, I guess this it, the time to say goodbye has arrived… Goodbye basketball. Thanks for all that you’ve given me. You’ve changed my life. Thank you and I love you.
True Love
Have any of you made the tough decision to “retire” from a physical activity you love that was beating up your body? If so, how tough was it and did you stay with it? Please, let me know…
Demanding Great Execution vs. Over-Coaching … a Fine Line!
April 24, 2012 by danny · 3 Comments
Lee Taft is a very smart strength coach/movement coach/speed coach (whatever you want to call him). Anyway, I was reading one of his articles earlier today, and really liked this part of his article:
“Always remember the brain is programming the patterns. If they are sloppy that is how they will be programmed in the brain. Demand great execution.”
This is great advice! If you work with clients in the weight room, or athletes on the field/court/ice, keep in mind that the brain will remember poor movement patterns. So, do not let your clients/athletes get sloppy with their form. Once that poor movement pattern is repeated, it will be much more difficult for them to get it right later on. Be strict from the get-go so you set up for future success once you get more advanced down the line (i.e. add more weight to the bar in the weight room, or increase the speed of a drill on the playing field).
If you're training this guy, NEVER let him perform another rep like this again!
However…
If you “over-nitpick,” the client/athlete can get really frustrated that they are not “getting it.” So there is a fine line between demanding great execution and over-coaching. Knowing your client/athlete’s mental make-up is important. You can’t always treat everyone the same way. Some will respond really well even if they are getting frustrated that are having a hard time learning the new skill. They may have the attitude of, “BRING IT! I’m GOING to this. Let me try again!”
While others may need some extra positive reinforcement and encouragement or they’ll start to tune you out and get so frustrated that nothing gets accomplished during the training session or practice.
Having a bunch of regressions and progressions in your arsenal can be very helpful.
As a trainer/coach… some of this can be learned in a book. Some of it can only be learned “in the trenches.” This is why internet coaches/trainers that don’t work with people in person will always be a step behind coaches/trainers that have experience working with people right there in front of their face.
If you are a trainer or a coach, do you treat everyone the same? Or do you make modifications based on the individual that you are working with? Discuss below…
Early Off-Season Training For Basketball Players – Skill Development Is King
April 17, 2012 by danny · 4 Comments
I’ll let the video below provide the majority of the information. But briefly…
Quite often athletes get too caught up in, “harder is better.” i.e. “if I don’t put in 3 hours on the court working on my game, I’m not going to be the best player that I can be.” OR, “if I don’t leave the court feeling like I’m about to puke, I didn’t go hard enough.”
I like this mindset, as I know you are thinking, “I’ll do WHATEVER it takes to be the best player that I can be.” BUT, there are many aspects of your game that help you to become a great player – skill, heart, discipline, conditioning, strength, staying healthy, coachability, etc. etc. And let me tell you, right now in mid-April, conditioning is NOT very important. I’m obviously not saying that you should sit on the couch all day eating doritos and turn into a slob. But when you head to the gym to work on your game, emphasize skill development. Conditioning will become a higher priority as tryouts in October approaches. But for now, focus on improving your skeelz! And oh yeah, get in the weight room, will ya. Check out the video below as I go over two very important factors in getting the most out of your game: Efficiency and the “hierarchy” of off-season training for basketball.
Let me know if you have any questions or thoughts in the comments section below…
Now, go get in the gym and work on those handles, your pull-up J, and work to expand the range on your shot. And remember, do everything with a purpose! For every dribble, every shot, and every move, I want you to visualize that you are being guarded by the best defender in your conference. Go get it!
Setting Up For Success – A Lesson From My Wife
April 9, 2012 by danny · Leave a Comment
A little background: My wife has been joining her good friend Amy during her training sessions (I train Amy a couple times a week). My wife (Shondra) is looking to drop a few pounds of baby weight (twin weight) and has been doing a great job since joining Amy.
Shondra before the babies were born.
She is down 10 pounds and on a roll! Hooray for Shondra! Ok, so now that you know about her recent success, where does her “lesson” come into play?
Here it is: About 10 days ago, I was on the computer writing up some training programs and Shondra plops this BIG bag full of Easter candy on my desk. She said, “Hide this from me! I’ve already eating a couple pieces and if you don’t hide it, I’m not going to stop.” So I hid it. Had she not been honest with herself, who knows how many pieces of candy she would have eaten between that day and Easter Sunday.?.
This situation is just a subtle reminder of the importance of setting yourself up for success! Most people gain weight during a holiday, especially one filled with so much candy/junk food! But she took a proactive approach and continued to lose!
Whether we’re talking business, improved performance for a sport, muscle gain, fat loss, school work, or WHATEVER, make sure you are setting up for success. A few more examples in the field of fitness…
-If you’re the type of person that ends up binging at lunch when you miss breakfast, make sure to set your food out on the counter (i.e. oatmeal and protein powder) before you head to bed so that when you wake up and head to the kitchen it’s there calling your name.
-If due to your crazy schedule, the only time you have to get a workout in is first thing in the morning before work, lay your workout clothes and shoes by the foot of your bed before you turn in for the night so that it is ready to go when your alarm clock sounds.
-Put a picture of your ideal physique by the mirror in your bathroom. If you are feeling unmotivated and are starting to lean towards NOT getting in your training session for the day, this picture will remind you of what you really want. And you WILL do what you have to do to make this happen.
These are just a few examples off the top of my head. If you have any good ideas that have been working for you, please share them in the comments section below for others to see.
Have a great week!
My Chest Specialization Program
April 2, 2012 by danny · Leave a Comment
When you focus on bringing up a body part (or two), you’re dealing with a different animal. If you try to keep the same volume/intensity for the rest of your body, it’s just not going to work – something has to give! While on a specialization program, the goal for your rest of your body is maintenance.
In other words, while I’m trying to improve my chest (specifically my upper chest) with this program, I know that my biceps or quads are not going to be making great improvements in strength and/or size. So I am simply trying to maintain the non-chest areas.
IF I did try to also make considerable improvements to my biceps + quads + shoulders (for example) while on a chest specialization program, it would be pretty much impossible to maximize chest development. Think of it like learning a new language: if my goal was to try to speak Spanish as fluently as possible before heading over to Spain in 30 days (wouldn’t that be nice!), it wouldn’t make sense to ALSO take a German and isiZulu (a language in South Africa) class at the same time. Doing so would slow me down in regards to becoming as fluent as possible in Spanish in a short period of time. Same thing with my (and your) body: try to bring up too many body parts at once, and none of them will improve much at all. Now, there are some caveats to this whole “body part specialization” thing, and I’ll include them in the “notes” section below.
There Are Many Ways To Skin A Cat
When embarking on a specialization program, most people up the frequency of said body part. In other words, if you usually hit your back one or two times per week, you may increase that to 3 times per week (or potentially more if you set it up properly with smart progressions built in). Ask most experienced people, and they’ll tell you that high frequency training for an area that you are trying to bring up is the way to go. Now, once you’ve determined the frequency, you can go about the program design in a number of ways…
-Body part split where you work that body part on it’s own (i.e. chest 3 times per week) and then have a separate day where you work all of the non-chest parts of your body together (again, just to maintain those areas).
-Full body training where you work the entire body at each training session, but you make sure to have a bigger focus on the body part that you are trying to bring up.
An upper/lower split where you really hammer the area that you are trying improve on upper body day (if it is an upper body part that you are attacking). And then on the lower body days, you decrease the volume to make sure you are keeping yourself pretty fresh when it’s time to hit the intended body part again. An example of this would be: if you usually do about 20 sets for your legs, you may reduce your overall sets to 12 while trying to bring up another area.
Those are just a few examples. If you are really creative you can come up with other ways to set up a specialization program. For example, here is mine…
Body part: Chest
Number of times I’m working the chest per week: 3
The Rest of the body: I’m hitting one or two other body parts on the same day that I am hitting chest.
The volume of the other body parts on these “chest days” is low so as not to interfere with my main intent.
My Program
Here’s an overview of what it looks like…
Day 1 – Chest (Back + Biceps)
This day consists of 3 chest exercises, 1 back exercise and 1 bicep exercise.
Day 2 – Chest (Legs)
This day consists of 3 chest exercise, 1 quad dominate exercise (2 sets of bulgarian split squats), and 2 hip dominant exercises (3 sets of TRX Leg Curls, and 1 set of high rep hip thrusts).
Day 3 – Chest (Triceps)
This day consists of 5 chest exercises (a couple chest supersets today, which is why it seems like there are so many chest exercises), and 1 tricep exercise.
Throughout these 3 days, I also have some ab work mixed in, as well as more “scapular retraction” exercises in the program. Exercises like “Supine Band No Money.”
This is to help ensure that I stay mostly balanced in my upper body pushing/pulling – so I can maintain good posture/shoulder health.
Notes
-When performing a higher frequency specialization program, make sure to ease into it on week 1 of the program (especially the first day of the new program). If you don’t, you’ll be too sore to get a good lift in for that same body part a couple days later.
-No, I am NOT “that guy.” You know, that guy that only does chest and/or biceps when taking on a specialization program. I’ve spent MANY hours squatting, deadlifting, performing chin-ups, bulgarian split squats, rows, etc. etc. So don’t judge me!
-Make sure you are consuming ample calories when trying to bring up a body part. It would be very difficult to get my chest to grow at all if my eating resembled that of a lst grader.
-If you are newer to training and haven’t put in YEARS of hard work, don’t worry about specializing any particular areas yet. Your “newbie” gains will allow you to improve all over your body. Save the specialization stuff for the time you “hit a wall,” in a few years from now.
-I must reiterate, training/eating should have a clear focus. For example – if you are trying to drop a considerable amount of weight, your training/nutrition should reflect that. In this case it would NOT be smart to say; “I’m hoping to lose 20 pounds by summer while bringing up my chest and shoulders.” Pick ONE MAIN GOAL, and attack that goal with everything you have.
-Girls can specialize too. Getting better glutes and shoulders for example, can go a LONG way in making your body look sexier. I mention this because I know *some* females think fat loss, fat loss, fat loss (cardio, cardio, cardio) 24/7/365.
-I chose to condense the rest of my training into the 3 chest days because of my schedule… raising the twins + all the basketball lessons + training sessions + the on-line writing & social media obligations, and I’m swamped! But if I had a little more time right now, I probably would have gone with 3 chest days + 1 “rest of the body,” day.
With beach season right around the corner I thought it only made sense to pick a “beach muscle” to hit extra hard right now!
Grow chest, grow!
Wish me luck!
If you have any comments, questions, or thoughts, let me hear them in the comments section below.
You can connect with me on twitter @DannyMcLarty
I’m 36 Years Old Today… but I feel like I’m 86!
March 26, 2012 by danny · 2 Comments
March 26th – another year in the books for me. Why do I feel like an 86 year old fart? Because I played in a basketball tournament this weekend… 4 games! I have blisters all over my feet, scratches and cuts all over my body (thanks for “letting us play,” refs!), and my knees, legs, shoulders, and legs are killing me. I haven’t played in a tournament in YEARRRRRS! But it was a lot of fun as I got to play with my old college coach… Carl Armato, my friends “Shinny,” and “Scooter,” as well as a bunch of players that made it when they could. In other words, because of people’s busy schedule, we were never really at full strength.
For example, in the 1st game we had Todd Townsend on our team. He played on Marquettte’s Final Four team back in the early 2000’s (with Dwyane Wade). He couldn’t make the rest of the games so we were scrambling and calling people left and right to see who we could pick up. We ended up getting enough each game for a full squad, but like I mentioned, it was tough to get a good rhythm going with new guys showing up for each of the 4 games.
This was a unique tourney as it was 4-on-4. The games were played on an elementary court, which is considerably smaller than a high school or college court.
Alright, to recap this weekend’s games…
Game 1
We got off to a good start in the opener on Friday night. It was a hard-fought game and we pulled away a bit at the end, winding up with about a 10 point victory.
Team - We got the W, and we’re “well on our way.”
Me – I played pretty well. I probably shot about 50 % from the floor and give myself a B for the game (grading on an A through F scale).
Game 2
I woke up Saturday morning sore as sh#t! I was thinking, “how am I going to make it through 3 more games!?!” Without the foam roller, lacrosse ball, and a THOROUGH warm-up between each game, there is no way I would have survived. But I did…
Unfortunately we got our ass kicked up and down the court in this game. They had a player that played at the University of Iowa and I think he hit 47 three’s on us (give or take). We got down big early, and stayed down big ’til the end. Frustrating! Me however, I was on fire. It was one of those games where basically everything I shot wound up in the bottom of the net… pull-up jumpers, spinning moves to the basket, And-1s, etc. etc. I’d guess I probably shot about 12-15 from the field.
Team – A BIG fat L!
Me – My best game of the tourney … A+
Game 3
Once again, we didn’t play very well as a team today. And once again, we didn’t defend the 3-ball well… at all! This was a game we should have won, damn it!
Team - Loss #2
Me – I shot average, played average. C
Note: I went out after this game with Shinny and Scooter and we “got after it” a bit. We went to a bar/comedy show to drown our sorrows. And let me tell, it’s hard to keep up with guys that weigh 2 times more than me! We had a fun night, and luckily our final game on Sunday did not tip ’til 3 p.m.
Game 4
Before the game I’m thinking to myself, “if we lose this game, I’m not going to be able to sleep tonight!” And I’m happy to report that we went out with a win. We put it all together… shot well, passed well, play some good D, and finally didn’t let our opponent GO OFF from 3-point land. Good way to close out a fun weekend.
Team - We won and finished 2-2 for the tournament.
Me – Good overall game and I shot it pretty well with a couple And-1s mixed in there. B+
Well, I don’t think that I’m going to be playing in a tournament anytime soon. They take a toll on the body, especially when you don’t play as much anymore. And although I treat my body pretty well in general, there is a BIG difference between being in “general” shape and basketball shape!!!
I’m going to make today an “active recovery” day (similar to what I go over in “My Body Is A MESS!”), then start up a new training block in a couple days.
As for my birthday, I have a few more clients to train, and then we’ll all head over to my parent’s house as my mom is cooking me up a nice little b-day dinner.
My first birthday with the babies = awesome!
Stay Athletic and Bench Press with Proper Form…
March 21, 2012 by danny · Leave a Comment
In doing my usually weekly reading of all things fitness related, I came across a couple posts that I think the majority of people can benefit from…
5 Ways to Maintain or Improve Your Athleticism By Jason Ferruggia
Yes, the aging process makes it so we are not as athletic (not as fast, powerful, and explosive) as we once were. But another big reason that we lose SOOOO much of our athletic ability as we age, is because we no longer perform athletic movements. So, don’t blame everything on your age. Sitting on your butt and/or not working out like an athlete is just as big of a culprit for not being able to touch the net rim anymore. In THIS article Jason goes over 5 ways to maintain or improve your athleticism.
Bench Press Technique: Should You Keep Your Feet Up? By Eric Cressey
Every guy in the world lives to bench. And I don’t see this changing anytime soon. I have nothing against the bench press, but I DO have a problem with HOW MUCH emphasis the typical dude puts on this exercise. BUT, if you’re going to do it, you might as well do it right. EC asks the question; “Should You Keep Your Feet Up?” Short answer is, NO! To get the reasons why, check out THIS post.
Elbows Flared + Feet Up = How NOT to Bench Press
And if you are feeling lazy and don’t feel like doing any further reading, check out the video below of me benching along with some cues to ensure you are using proper bench press technique.
If any of your buddies are “Mr. Bench Press,” (you know, the guy that benches 3 times a week, 52 weeks out of the year), be sure to share this post with him. It’ll help save his shoulders in the long run.
That’s it for now. Until next time…
