How Many Times Can I Deadlift My Body Weight? …
January 29, 2011 by danny · Leave a Comment
I just finished a training program (“training block”) on Thursday and will be starting a new one on Monday. So, for whatever reason I became curious as to how many times I could deadlift my body weight. I thought with this little break between programs, that today would be the day to try. I’ve never really done high rep deads (never above 15), so I honestly had no idea what I could get. I was thinking that I could get 35 maybe 40, and possibly even a touch over 40.
I decided to make a post about my upcoming test on facebook to see what others thought I would get. The range I received from my FB friends was anywhere between 35 and 54. Actually my friend Matt Brewer predicted 642 reps. But #1) he’s not very bright, and #2) he’s high on life right now because his Steelers are playing in the Superbowl. Therefore, he really doesn’t know what he’s saying on any topic in life right now. My buddy Jamie Connelly even came up with a formula that looked like this…
“35 is my number. I had to think about it in terms of elasticity, fatique, etc. Everyone is different, but you are in excellent shape. I factored with each lift, it is increasing those factors above by 5% on avg. So 5% of 165lbs = 8.25lbs…8.25lbs * X(#of lifts) = Xlbs + 165 starting weight means the last lift should feel like 471lbs. Lets see how close I am with my BS math 
”
As you see, he did say “my BS math” (with a smiley face). So I think he was just messing around with this formula, but who knows, maybe he was onto something.?. Now, lets get to the test…
I finished training the high school team in the weight room earlier today, and luckily I had a few of the guys hang around afterwards. One person to tape, the other to cheer me on. And the results…
So there it is, 56 reps with 165 pounds. Not easy! Actually it was exhausting. 56 was definitely more than I thought I would get. But, as I started to get closer to the highest prediction from FB (54 reps), I thought to myself; I have to beat that – c’mon, I can get 55! Then, as you heard in the background, Coach Dwayne Norfleet yelled out, “55!” So of course, I had to beat that! So 56 it is.
Surprises
I figured either my, not-so-strong grip, or low back endurance (or lack of) would be the limiting factor. But, I’m happy to say that neither really came into play, as far as holding me back. My grip did slip just a touch, but I was able to quickly re-grip and continue on. And I didn’t feel my low back at all. There was a HYOOGE burn in my hams and glutes though! Which was perfect, as a properly performed DL will hammer the hammies and booty.
A couple reminders, plus something that I learned today…
Reminder # 1: Setting the bar high is very important. If the number of the top prediction from my friends was 38, who knows, maybe I only get 39 reps.?. But when 55 became the number to beat, there was no way that I was not going to beat it!
Reminder #2: High reps on compounds movements (you know, chin-ups, squats, push-up, deadlifts, etc), are brutal! Whoever said that weight training doesn’t give you a cardio-like effect, was smoking something. Try to do any compound lifts (especially involving the legs) for 20 + reps and tell me your heart doesn’t feel like it is about to bust right through your chest (as long you choose the appropriate weight)!
What I learned: My new deodorant is NOT working very well. Actually, it’s not working at all! I apologize to anyone that walked in my path after this test. It’s already time for a new purchase! 
To my friends who made the predictions, and to my friends that pushed me – muchos gracias! (I think I spelled that right? But I don’t speak or spell Spanish muy good)
And Nick Erbe, you didn’t know there was a prize, but you win for closest prediction! Congratulations, you win um, um, a drink on me! How ’bout that? And Brewer, I’m just kidding, you are very intelligent young man. Go Steelers
Peace…
To The Parents and Athletes That I Work With…
January 19, 2011 by danny · Leave a Comment
I’ve gone over the importance of nutrition with my clients/athletes many times over the years. But this particular post is intended for the basketball players that I coach/train at Dougherty Valley High School. After a recent conversation that I had with a few of the players I realize our, “the importance of nutrition,” conversations just aren’t sinking in. Parents, I know each and every one of your kids clean up their room the very first time that you tell them to. But for some reason they haven’t applied the nutrition information, even though we’ve talked about it a number of times… go figure!
For the record, the majority of our players need to add strength AND size. So this blog post is geared to those goals, rather than the “fat loss” clients I train (although some of the principles will apply to anyone, regardless of their goals).
A recent conversation I had with a couple of the players after one of our weight training sessions;
Me: So, what did you have for breakfast this morning?
Player: Nothing
Me: What!!!???!!! And what about you?
Different Player: Nothing.
Me: Are you kidding me!?! What is the most important thing to getting bigger and stronger?
Them: Food.
Me: I’m not sure what to think.?. You know the answer, which is a good thing, but that means you are consciously deciding not to eat the way you need to, to achieve your goals?
Player: Well, I was tired when I got up, and I didn’t have time and blah, blah, blah, blah, blee.
Me: Well, I have similar goals as most of you players – to gain size and strength. Do you know what I typically have by 11 a.m. every day (which was about the time of our conversation)? It looks something like this…
-7 a.m. – a bowl of oatmeal with berries + protein powder + almond butter (plus a fish oil capsule + 1000 I.U.s of vitamin-D)
-10 a.m. – a serving of sweet potatoes + grass-fed beef + veggies + an apple (or similar)
Right when I finish this lifting session, I’m going to go home and eat again. Then, I do the same thing every few hours throughout the course of the day. And here we are at 11 a.m. and you haven’t even had one bite to eat. Add to that the fact that you just practiced for 2 hours running up and down the court. Then we lifted after practice, and now here we are (a few of the guys stayed in the weight room after our lifting session to talk - and support me while I showed them how it’s done, with my lifting session) . All of this while on an empty stomach?!!!!!!!? I’d rather put a fire out with my face than to go through all of that without a single bite of food in my body! And you wonder why you are having a hard time gaining weight?
Player: I know coach, I know. I eat breakfast sometimes. I’ll try to do it every morning for now on. But what about during school? How am I going to eat every few hours when I have class all day?
End conversation.
After reading the above conversation you can see it is pretty clear that these athlete’s nutrition is sub-par, to say the least. I’ve found this to be true across the board with high school athletes (with rare exception). But I can hear it already; “not my kid, he eats so much it is not even funny!” Well, a couple big meals and a bunch of missed meals throughout the day is not even close to enough. Especially when he is running up and down the court for a couple hours nearly every single day. The players are always saying this to me; “geez Coach, you’re eating again?! Every time I see you, you are eating something!” Well yes, when you have a hard time gaining weight (and even maintaining weight), you have to go OUT OF YOUR WAY to get enough calories in.
Since the bar is currently so low, I’m not asking for perfect nutrition. I’m just looking for baby-steps. So here is what I want…
Carbohydrates List
Whole wheat pasta, rice, quinoa (pronounced keen-wah), whole grain bread, any potatoes (red potatoes, sweet potatoes etc), organic milk, almond milk, yogurt (preferably Greek Yogurt)
Protein List
Grass-Fed Beef, Chicken, Fish, Eggs, Turkey (not processed deli meat), Quality Protein Powder
Fats
Fats that come from the animals you eat, nuts (not just peanuts), fish oils, flax oil, extra-virgin olive oil, coconut oil (great to cook with), natural peanut butter, almond butter
While the above is not an exhaustive list, it still gives you plenty of options. I try to do most of my shopping at Whole Foods or Trader Joes (not as expensive as Whole Foods) so that the majority of my food is hormone free, organic etc. If you are new to this whole “improve your nutrition thing,” just make sure your kids are consistently getting foods from the above list, and worry about the organic/free-range stuff later.
So, what I want you to do at each meal…
-pick one food the carbohydrate list and eat it at each meal
-pick a food from the protein list and eat it at each meal
-incorporate healthy fats whenever you can throughout the day.
-drink a “ton” of water
-include at LEAST 2-3 servings of fruit per day, and 2-3 serving of veggies per day
Follow this most of the time and allow yourself “cheat meals” from time to time. You know, pizza and stuff like that. This is acceptable, as long as it is not the staple.
We don’t need to make it any more complicated than this. I’m hoping that the parents (after all, you’re the one that is going to be buying the food) and players will both read this post and work together to ensure better nutrition, which will go a long way to a healthier, more successful athlete/person.
The recipe for a stronger, more explosive athlete = hard work in the weight room + consuming a lot of high quality calories all day every day. Let’s make sure we do NOT leave any ingredients out of this recipe!
*** Just make sure not to leave the bottle in your locker over the weekend. The soccer/football client that I mentioned above did that only to return to school on Monday to a locker full of ants. EVERYWHERE!
My Visit With Bret Contreras
January 13, 2011 by danny · Leave a Comment
My friends Marci Nevin, Jason Curtis, Anthony Truck, and I headed down to Arizona a couple days ago for a couple reasons;
1) To watch Marci’s favorite team play in the National Championship Game (Anthony is a former Duck football player himself, so he loves Oregon as well). We went to an “Oregon bar” in Scottsdale to root on the Ducks. Well, they cheered on the Ducks but I quietly (I cheered in my head) cheered on Auburn, as a Tiger victory would win me some money in an office pool. I never thought I’d say this, War Eagle! And the more important reason for the trip to Arizona…
2) To get a visit in with Bret Contreras before he makes the move to New Zealand. For those of you who don’t know the “Glute Guy,” let me introduce him;
Bret is a trainer that has taken the industry by storm over the past year. He has a very popular blog and probably knows more about the glutes than any other person in the world. But, he is definitely more than just a Glute Guy. His knowledge is deep and he gets his clients results, plain and simple. Here is a picture of Bret’s clients, Karli, Katie, and Kellie…
Marci and I had the chance to talk shop with Bret and have him coach us through a few new(er) exercises for a few hours. But when you have so much to talk about, that 3 hours goes by way too fast. With that said, we still got a lot out of our visit, and it was definitely worth the trip! Below is a summary of the “highlights” (at least in my eyes) of our time with Bret in his garage gym (aka, BCSC). I’ll paraphrase (in red) what he had to say to Marci and myself. And at times, I’ll add my 2 cents …
-Which is the best way to train? Is it full body, an upper/lower split, or a body part split? None of these necessarily. Each person responds differently to training. You have to experiment to find out which is best for you. For example, if I don’t hit a muscle group/movement often (i.e. with full body training), I get weaker. But my training partner is just the opposite. He definitely gets his best results while hitting each body part one time per week (i.e. body part split).
Danny’s note: I feel that with all the different splits I’ve tried over the years, that no particular split has gotten me considerably better results than the other. For this reason, over the course of a training year, I incorporate all three “types” (full body, upper/lower, and body part split).
-When it comes to females however, I prefer full body training for the majority. They recover quicker and most likely detrain quicker. Therefore hitting a muscle/movement frequently is probably best for the majority of females (to read Bret’s thoughts on training females in more detail, check out this blog post - http://bretcontreras.com/2010/10/training-women/).
-Simply getting people stronger (in a smart, progressive manner) is not only great for athletic performance and physique enhancement, it can be very powerful in preventing injury. Awhile back, my buddy told me that he was scheduled to have back surgery in two weeks. So I asked him, ‘why haven’t you come in to see me!?!’ He decided to give it a shot and not only were we able to avoid him having this surgery, he now has ZERO back pain!
Danny’s Note: While there are a million examples of how strengthening the entire body can help prevent injury, here are a couple common that I see: Running one mile is essentially 1500 repetitions (in the same repetitive fashion) at two to five times your body weight (depending on your speed). Do you think strengthening the muscles around the hips, knees, and ankles will provide those joints some extra support to help with all of this pounding? I sure do! Another example: people that have weak glutes will call on the syngerists to perform a task (i.e. sprinting). If the glutes are not doing their job, the hamstrings will have to work overtime which could lead to a hamstring injury (this is called synergistic dominance). Getting the glutes stronger will often spare the back, which I suspect is one reason that Bret’s friend no longer has any back pain. Ahh, the power of the glutes!
-People seem to be forgetting about muscles. I know the nervous system is important, but lets not devalue the importance of our muscles.
-Band Hip Rotations…
Danny’s note: Bret went over this exercise with Marci and I. It is great because it works the hip external rotators (including the glute max as an external rotator). Marci and I also noted how much we felt it in our core. Talk about a big-bang-for-your-buck movement!
-Quite often, we set the bar way too low. Danny, if I look at you and think, ‘hey, you look like a 225 bench presser, then that is probably all that I’m going to get out of you.’ I expect big things from my clients, which has been very helpful in getting them great results!
Danny’s note: I wasn’t sure if Bret really thought I was a 225 pound bench presser. So after he finished making his point, I quickly chimed in, “by the way, my bench is 300!” Marci and Bret thought it was funny that it was important for me to let him know that me maxing ONLY 225 pounds was NOT TRUE!
-Let me show you two what my life is like. Come take a look in my bedroom. You see ALL OF those bodybuilding magazines on the floor by my bed? I’m always reading bodybuilding mags. We can learn a ton from this group! Too many coaches/trainers dismiss the methods of bodybuilders. I think that is a huge mistake. Believe me, I also learn from the powerlifters, olympic lifters, and athletes. But we can take a little something from each group and use it to optimize the training of our clients, and for our own training. The key is to know how and when to implement these different methods.
-Over the years, I’ve read a ton of bodybuilding magazines. When I hear over and over and over again that the pump has been very important to them in achieving unbelievable results, there HAS TO BE something to it.
Danny’s Note: In my opinion, to achieve optimal results, a lot of it comes to how you interpret information. And more importantly, how you apply this information. If I had three guys tell me their opinion on “da pump,” it may sound like this.
Person 1 – “The pump is everything. If you don’t go to the gym and achieve a BIG pump, then you’re wasting your time!”
Person 2 – “The pump doesn’t mean anything. Getting stronger is all you need to achieve size.”
Person 3 – “To achieve maximum hypertrophy (muscle size), it is important to get stronger. But it is also important to get a good pump. This combination will yield optimal results.”
Person 1 and 2 are only speaking in half-truths. While person 3 “gets it.” He/she knows how to interpret and APPLY information! I like person #3 and would like to play dodge ball with him (I don’t know, first thing that came to mind).
-Too many people in this field get so emotional with training. If you and I disagree on something, that is ok. I’ll still have no problem hanging out with you. I’ve seen people that literally hate someone because they disagree with them on something regarding training. Ridiculous!
-Trainers/coaches need to “palpate” their clients glutes. How else are we going to know if they are getting them firing the way we want? I’m not saying that we should molest them, but get in there and push into their glutes to see if they are firing during various exercises.
-Static assessments are important and can give us some indications. But watching them move is way more powerful.
Danny here again: There was more to this visit, but above are some of the things that stood out to me. I want to reiterate, the above is me paraphrasing what I took from our conversation. Bret, if I misrepresented you in any way, feel free to call my glutes soft and squishy on your website – although we all know that is NOT true.
What Else?
Bret talked to us quite a bit about crunches and sit-ups and how he believes that they are being thrown under the bus a bit. The research of Stuart McGill has made many of us stop (or greatly reduce) performing crunches/sit-ups. For the most part Bret doesn’t buy into the research but admits that a lot more research needs to be done. I played devil’s advocate with him and said something like; “since we all sit way too much (with rounded-back posture and shortened hip flexors) crunches just reinforce that poor posture. And as McGill has pointed out, it seems we have a fixed number of flexion/extension cycles on the lumbar spine before we herniate a disc (although this thought process may be flawed since this study was done on dead animals that do NOT have the recuperate abilities that us live humans have), I prefer to error on the side of caution and strengthen the rectus in other ways” (i.e. ab wheel rollouts). Bret said that he wouldn’t blame a person for thinking this way and has no problem with that. This is one thing that I really like about Bret; he is open-minded enough to listen to many different ideas and is not married to one philosophy.
Since crunches/sit-ups were one of the first topics Bret brought up, I got the impression that he is passionate about this subject. So stay tuned to get his thoughts in future blog posts on his ’site.
Bret’s client, professional baseball pitcher Steve Hammond came into train while we were there. While he was training I took a video of him doing a single-leg hip thrust. It was his first time trying it. His first comment was that he felt the “up leg” (this is supposed to be the non-working leg) working quite a bit (too much). But after getting the hang of it he started to rip off reps while fully activating the working glute (the down leg). Here is the video…
Repping out 225 on his first day of trying these is not bad. Especially considering that there are many people that can’t do one single leg body weight rep properly!
Marci and I both got a chance to try Bret’s invention – the Skorcher! It is great for putting you in proper position to really activate those glutes! Plus, with the deep stretch that it allows at the bottom of the movement, you can really feel your hammies firing. For some reason, I didn’t get tape of Marci and I using the Skorcher. But am I happy to say that I got 445 pounds for 10 reps! (or was it just single leg body weight reps that I did – can’t remember)
For those you that haven’t seen the Skorcher in action, here you go…
Well, that will just about rap it up. Thanks again Bret for letting us invade your garage. I’ve learned a ton from you and look forward to continue learning from you! In true Bret Contreras fashion, I’ll close with a picture of his favorite girl on his website. Enjoy…
This post is brought to you by Sears Fit Club.
My Favorites of 2010
December 23, 2010 by danny · Leave a Comment
The year is almost over and it has been a tough one for many. But I’m hoping we can all stay positive, work really hard, and do all we can to help one another out. I’m feeling pretty good going into 2011. Below, I’m going to randomly put down some of my favorites from this past year. Now, I’m sure I ate some of these foods in 2009, but for whatever reason, they became my favorites in ‘10. I have not put much thought into this list, so these are the first things that pop into my head…
Favorite Carbohydate Of The Year (OTY) – Sweet Potatoes. I never really disliked sweet potatoes, but until this year, I never realized how much I like them. I especially like them with a good meat source…
Favorite Protein OTY – I’ve been all over grass-fed beef this year! I love it and it goes great with sweet potatoes and some veggies. I usually pick up mine from Trader Joe’s.
Favorite Cooking Oil OTY – Organic Extra Virgin Coconut Oil. This stuff handles high heat well and adds a nice flavor to many foods. 
My Favorite “Type” of Cardio OTY – “Inverted Ladder” – I learned this from Tony Gentilcore and me and my clients have been “loving” it! An example of this can be found here. You can find a description of how to set up the sets and reps of an inverted ladder in this article.
My Favorite NBA Player To Watch In 2010 (and beyond I’m sure) – Derrick Rose. We all knew he’d be good, but I don’t think many thought that he would progress this fast! If he doesn’t win the MVP this year, he will definitely be in the top 5.
Favorite Sports Roundtable OTY – Though I loved the MLB Roundtable, the NFL Roundtable just beat it out as #1 for 2010.
Favorite Danny McLarty Basketball Youtube Video OTY – Even know the Youtubers seemed to like this video the most, as it has nearly 26,000 hits, I like this video more because it takes the move and then has me finishing with a basket – which is the end goal anyway!
Favorite Fitness Article That I Published This Year - ”The War on Fat Loss“ An assist goes to Marci Nevin on this one!
Favorite Basketball Article That I Published This Year – I’m taking the easy way out… tie. Tie between “Take Your Ball Handling Skills To The Next Level” and “Get OUT of Your High-Top Shoes“
Favorite Country Performer OTY – Eric Church. I really didn’t know who he was until my good friends Ryan and Sarah Hoffman told my wife and I that we have to go see him when he comes to town. So we did. We went down to San Jose and I was floored! You can tell that he loves what he does… and he is very good at it. If you don’t know him yet, check him out!
Favorite Blog OTY – Bret Contreras’ Blog.
Favorite New Place To Post Training Info – Sears Fit Club
Favorite Movie OTY – I guess this will go to, “The Town” – at least I can’t think of anything better off the top of my head. Am I forgetting an obvious one?
Favorite TV Show OTY – No doubt, “The Office” – Sometimes when I’m watching it I think to myself, “this can’t get any more funny!!!”
Favorite Game OTY – Da Bears beating the Packers a couple months back. Face, burn, ‘n all that schtuff Packer’s fans! You know I love you GB fans – just not when we step between the internet lines!
And My Absolute Favorite Thing OTY- After 3 in vitro attempts my wife and I are finally pregnant … with twins! It has been a difficult couple of years on this front (especially on her, with all the needles, and weight gain, and sickness, etc.), but it seems to have paid off. Even know we have a long way to go, we are cautiously excited. Today we are exactly 16 weeks in. Let’s hope everything continues to go well!!! Here’s a picture of her baby(s) bump starting to make its appearance…
Everyone finish the year strong and lets make 2011 a great one!
Cardio Quickies Part II
November 22, 2010 by danny · Leave a Comment
I’m back to finish you off for a quickie cardio workout or two. As a reminder, in part I I mentioned that many people say that they are too busy to get their training sessions in over the holidays. So I provided you with a couple quick, but effective lifting sessions that will allow you to get in and out of the gym in as little time as possible.
Now that the weight lifting portion is covered, lets get into the cardio portion.
Inverted Ladder
I got the concept of the “inverted ladder” from Strength Coach, Tony Gentilcore. You can use almost any exercise while using the inverted ladder as your cardio “finisher” (right after your lifting session) of the day. You can also do this on your non-lifting day. Here is what an inverted ladder is;
-You choose 3 exercises (BIG compound movements, not like exercises like curls for the girls)
-The first exercise you perform just 1 rep. Then you move onto the next exercise and perform 10 reps. And finally, for the 3rd exercise you pick a constant number of reps and stick with it until you finish the ladder (as you’ll see below, my constant in the first video was 5 push-ups, and my constant in the second video was 3 chin-ups). When you come back to the first exercise, you add one rep (so you are now doing 2 reps), when you go back to the second exercise, you are to do one less rep than you did in round one (so 9 instead of 10). And finally you finish off round two with the 3rd exercise and stay with the constant number throughout (5, in the case of the push-up video). So, it will look like this in video #1:
Medicine Ball Slams X 1 rep
Box (or bench) Jumps X 10
Push-ups X 5
Medicine Ball Slams X 2
Box Jumps X 9
Push-ups X 5
Medicine Ball Slam X 3
Box Jumps X 8
Push-ups X 5
Continue with this until you are up to 10 reps on the medicine ball slams, and down to 1 rep on the box jumps. Time yourself and then try to beat it the next time you do the same exercise sequence.
And the next video with the 3 exercises … 1) Kettlebell Swings (use a dumbbell(s) if you don’t have a kettlebell 2) Broad Jumps, 3) Chin-ups (3 reps as the “constant” in this circuit)
Do you think I taped only a portion of the entire session because;
A) I didn’t want to show off?
B) I was too tired to do the whole thing?
C) I didn’t want to make you bored by watching the entire session?
If you answered “A” then you are wrong – I didwant to show off, I was just too tired. So, the answer is B + C. If that was your answer congratulations, your major award will be shipped to your house on December 23rd (and Ralphie will be delivering it).
I’ve been using the inverted ladder with my clients over the last few weeks and they’ve been loving it! Well, maybe “love” is a little stong. Their enjoyment of the ladder has been somewhere between the enjoyment of a relaxing 90-minute massage and a punch to the stomach… that means they kind of like it, but don’t love it. And it also means they like it WAAAY more than running on the treadmill for 30-minutes although they also seem to like a punch to the stomach more than a 30-minute jog on the treadmill. But I digress.
Exercise Selection
As mentioned above, pick BIG compound movements. After all, this is the cardio portion of the workout. So “isolation” movements like calf raises or I don’t know, blinking, just won’t cut it. Also, thinkof this as using weights to get your heart rate up to make your cardio session harder. Do NOT think of the inverted ladder as your lifting session. I had one of my on-line clients tell me that he used 40 pound dumbbells for one of his exercises (push presses) and said that he could barely finish. Well duh, his 10 RM (rep max) is about 40 pounds. I suggested next time he tries , to go with about 25 pounds. Again, that will be more than enough to get his heart to feel like it is going to fly out of his chest, but not too much weight that the shoulders become the limiting factor (rather than his heart ‘n lungs).
One more thing, if you are going to use a body weight exercise as one of your 3 exercises, make sure that it is one that doesn’t get you too close to muscular failure after 3-5 reps. I chose chin-ups in one of the circuits because if I only had to do one set of chins, I could get over 20. Therefore chins are a good choice for me. If you can only get 4-5 chins, I’d go with another exercise if I were you. Something like inverted rows would be a great substitute.
So there you go. Your lifting session (again, from the routines I gave you HERE), plus the finisher will get you in and out and on with your day… just leaner than you were before!
Quickies
November 19, 2010 by danny · Leave a Comment
The other day I made a post in hopes that it would help you get your mind right going into the holidays. You can find it HERE. In that I post I also brought up the fact that many lazy people often say that they are too busy to workout during this crazy time. Hogwash! Even if you have to deviate from your usual routine (or if you don’t have a routine at all), below I’m going to give you two sample routines that you can get done in minimal time.
If Santa can find time, you can find time! (just make sure your eating is juuuuust a touch more strict than his)
Routine #1
A1) Bulgarian Split Squats 4 X 6-8
A2) Push-ups 4 X 10 Pick the version that is most appropriate for you that barely has you getting 10 reps with PERFECT form. Here are a bunch of options (from easiest to hardest).
B1) Chin-ups OR Reverse Grip Latpulldowns – 4 X 6-8
B2) Swiss Ball Leg Curl/Hip Extension Combo 3 X 8/8-12 (8 leg curls immediately followed by 8-12 hip extensions)
C) McLarty Rollouts or Body Saw 2-3 X 10
Routine #2
A1) Barbell Push Press 4 X 4-6
A2) RDL or Kettlebell Swing 3 X 8-10
B1) Inverted Row 4 X 8 - Use a TRX Strap or a Smith Machine (I prefer TRX if you have access).
B2) Walking Lunges 3 X 12/Leg
C) 1-Leg Side Plank 2 X ALAP (As Long As Possible) – if you can’t get @ least 15 seconds per side, go with 2-leg side planks X ALAP
Progam Notes:
-Rest ALAN (As Little As Needed) between exercises without letting performance drop too much.
-Make sure to perform a dynamic warm-up before starting the workout (leg swings, running butt kicks, body weight squats, etc.)
That’s it for the notes. Don’t over think it, just make sure you get in, get out, and give yourself enough time to prepare that turkey for your husband and kids. We’ll (guys) make sure we give ourselves enough time to get comfortable in our favorite chair in front of the tv while you serve us food. After all, I’ve been told in order to keep a relationship going strong, it is important to make your wife feel important. And if that means I HAVE TO let my wife serve me some tasty grub while I watch football, I’m going to do it for the good of the relationship… sacrifices, someone has to do it!
And now back to reality…
If you are able to get your usual full workout routines in then more power to you. But if you find yourself “crazy busy” over the next month or so, then simply get in the above workouts for a total of 2-3 times per week. Each workout will take you about 20 minutes. We ALL have time for that. I wanted to add a couple quickie cardio routines but I can’t find my USB cord. But once I get that situated, I’ll be back with some video going over the quickie holiday cardio routines that I’m sure you all will love! :) Stay tuned…
No Holiday Blues For You!
November 17, 2010 by danny · Leave a Comment
I hope everyone is doing well as we get closer and closer to Thanksgiving week. Stay disciplined for another week and feel free to let loose a bit on Turkey Day. You have my permission (as if you need it ). The key is to get back on track asap! (as in, Friday morning after Thanksgiving) I’m confident that you won’t ruin all of your health and physique goals if you jump back on the training/healthy eating wagon sooner rather than later. Do NOT, I repeat do NOT, have this mindset… “well, I really blew it yesterday with all that gravy and extra serving of pumpkin pie and those 6 cans of Old Milwaukee (yeah that’s right, I said Old Milwaukee) and then I felt extra sick after watching yet another Thanksgiving Day Lion’s game.
I might as well kiss my goals good bye and head back to the fridge for leftovers today. Plus, Christmas and New Year’s are right around the corner. On January 2nd (because January 1st you’re still nursing your hangover and the last thing in the world you are going to do is prepare healthy meals on this day… especially with all the great Bowl games on) I promise I’ll start to be good again.” Meanwhile you, like most Americans just gained an extra 15 pounds (or whatever the national average is) over the holiday season and you’re starting your resolution from a big deficit.
Don’t be that person. Enjoy the holidays, enjoy your family, cheat a little, and make sure to get back on track RIGHT AWAY. I’m posting this a week before Thanksgiving in hopes that this will sink in and give you plenty of time to get your mind right before “going into the battle,” that is the holidays.
And by the way, I’ll be posting some sample workouts for those that “are just too lazy busy” to get your workouts in during this crazy time of the year. These workouts will take you ~ 20 minutes (honestly) and you won’t skip a beat. But your heart sure will beat! Good one? No. What’s that, you think I’m a dork? Ouch!
All dorkiness aside, check back shortly (tomorrow maybe?) with these quick, time-friendly workouts. Time is not an issue – no excuses!
Love,
Me
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.
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!!! …
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?”
