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.
My Fat Loss Program
July 18, 2012 by danny · Leave a Comment
For the past four weeks I’ve been performing a program that I wrote up with fat loss in mind. Another way to look at it for an individual that is already lean, this is a program design to help take someone from lean to ripped. Either way, it’ll help a person shed away some unwanted fat.
In this blogpost, I’m not going to get into the specifics about my program. I’ll save that for the next post that I make. Today, I want to talk a bit about program design as it pertains to a “fat loss program.”
Nutrition is King
The training god of the world could write up the “perfect” fat loss program for any of us, but it wouldn’t do us much good if we didn’t pay special attention to our nutrition plan. I mean, I could actually gain fat on a fat loss program if I consume too many calories. Likewise, if I were on a plan designed to add muscle mass, I could actually become skinnier/smaller if I consumed too few calories. So really, the program is only as good as the nutrition plan that goes along with it.
Not too long ago I had a few “fitness pictures” taken so that they could be used when I write for various fitness websites.
To prepare for this “photo shoot,” I did ZERO cardio. All I did was lift hard, and most importantly, tighten up my nutrition in the days leading up to the shoot.
Does the Training Program Even Matter When Trying to Drop Fat???
After reading what I just wrote above, you probably think, “well, if nutrition is THAT important, the only thing that matters is that you eat ‘right.’ Therefore we can perform any training program we want because nutrition is going to be the deciding factor in the results we get anyway.”
I almost agree with that thinking, but not completely. I definitely think adding in some cardio and designing a lifting program that is conducive to fat loss is the ideal route to take. But again, if your nutrition doesn’t compliment your cardio/weight lifting program, you are NOT going to get the results that you want.
Then How Did you Get So Lean for Those Photos?
I can get very lean without performing cardio and/or a lifting program designed for fat loss. This makes me one of the “lucky” ones I guess. But don’t get it twisted, I work my ASS OFF in the weight room, and this goes a long way in one reaching their physique goals. BUT, just so you know, I am also “cursed” when it comes time to adding muscle mass. Another words, I can easily get lean, but have a hard time adding size to my biceps and calves and shoulders, etc, etc. We all have weaknesses when it comes to physique development. It sucks, but it is what it is. All we can do is do our best and not stress too much about it… as excess stress will just lead to more problems.
My Fat Loss Program
For my fitness clients (the non-competitive athletes), I spend the majority of my time designing programs designed to help them lose fat/weight. But for the reasons mentioned above, for my personal programs, I don’t usually write up and perform “fat loss” programs for myself. However, I decided to do something a little different a spend some time training with fat loss in mind. This involved a weight training program with higher overall reps than I am used to; less rest intervals between sets than I am used to; and more overall suckiness than I am used to.
Most people make the mistake of making their weight training session turn into a cardio session. While my heart was pounding through my chest for much of these workouts, I MADE SURE to also include some heavy, low rep sets to make sure I don’t turn into a weak and skinny looking human being.
GREAT actor! Poorly muscled.
Final Thought
Now, in order to lose fat/weight, you do NOT need to turn into a miserable person that can only eat broccoli and plain chicken breast day-in-day-out. I definitely make sure to enjoy the finer things in life like beer, pizza, and cookie crisp cereal. I just try to make sure that those types of foods are NOT the staple in my nutrition plan. AND, if you are serious about making a “significant” fat loss run, you will probably have to give up those foods for a month or so. I think that is a great thing to do… live a “mostly clean life” (but not to strict) as your way of life, and then from time-to-time go on a ~ 30 day “strict” run.
Anyway, in my next post I’ll include my current “fat loss” training program, so you can see how I set it all up.
I’ll see you then…
The Week That Was: July 1st-7th…
July 9, 2012 by danny · Leave a Comment
I thought I’d take this time to go over some of the highlights of the past week in my life. So, let’s get right to it…
I) For the 4th of July we had some friends invite us over to their lake for some fun. I needed to be near water as this heat wave has been brutal! Here are some pictures…
Capri Foam Rolling her adductors on the beach.
Daxton and I in the water.
Capri "swimming."
Great time had by all! The water was perfect, and the brats, brownies, and EVERYTHING tasted great. I DID make sure to get in plenty of fruit and some veggies, however. ”Damage control,” I guess you could call it. Which leads to my next point…
II) I continued performing my training program which is geared towards “fat loss,” “get lean,” “get ripped,” or whatever you want to call it. I’ve been working my ass off and it hasn’t been easy (the training program hasn’t been easy, that is). That’s where the damage control comment came from up above as it wouldn’t make sense to go kill it in the weight room only to go out and eat like crap. I’m still going to detail what my “fat loss” program has looked like over the last couple of weeks, so stay tuned (should have it up next week sometime).
III) I went to watch a bunch of my basketball clients play in a tournament yesterday. It’s always fun to see them play 5-on-5 against live competition. I usually only see them working on their skills with no one else around (as in a 1-on-1 session), or with a couple of partners (as in 2-on-1 or a 3-on-1 session). Therefore, it’s hard to evaluate if some of the moves that we work on are “game-ready” yet.
Overall I was happy with the progress that they have been making. Still a lot of work to do, but they’re heading in the right direction!
One of the players (Jake Ryan – 7th-grader) that I’ve been working with played especially well. He had 23 points and they came in a variety of ways… pull-up jumpers; getting all the way to basketball; 9-10 at the FT line; and he had a couple 3’s. More important to me, is the fact that he is taking what he learns in our lessons and “transferring” it over to the game. For example, his head was always up and he did a great job of finding the open man; he changed speed (i.e. hesitation dribble); he “smoothly” changed directions (i.e. crossover dribble/between the legs dribble); AND, I was very happy to see that he combined both the change of direction and change of speed together at the same time (i.e. in the open court he hesitated, and went right in to the crossover). Great job Jake, your hard work is showing!
For a little more advanced version of what I’m talking about, check out how many of these change of direction moves are combined with a change of speed…
Nasty! BTW, the Deron Williams play is my favorite in the video (#2). He’s underrated for his ability to make defenders look like fools!
That’ll wrap things up for now. I hope you all had a great 4th of July week, and that you continue to work hard through the rest of the summer!
Brilliant at the Basics – Episode III – Bulgarian Split Squats AND McKenna’s First Experience at Wrigley (Wrigley vs Fenway)……
June 19, 2012 by danny · 5 Comments
Today’s post is the 3rd and final installment of “brilliant at the basics.” But before we get into that, I want to quickly recap my trip to Wrigley Field this past Friday. If you read episode II of brilliant at the basics, you’ll recall I mentioned that one of my best friend’s was in town from Omaha for his first visit to Wrigley. Now, he’s a BIG Red Sox fan, so I was curious to get his thoughts on Wrigley compared to Fenway Park (a place that I still haven’t been). McKenna had A LOT of good to say about Wrigley in the days to follow his first experience in the ball park. But I’m going to let him recap Wrigley and Fenway’s similarities and differences in the comments section below. Note to McKenna, sorry about the mustard “situation” (you’ll get it when you read McKenna’s summary).
A view from our seats.
If you’ve been to both stadiums, please add your .02 in the comments section below as well. I can’t wait to join McKenna at Fenway the next time the Cubs play there, so I too can compare the two ball parks. I just hope that my first visit there will be Cubs vs Red Sox in the World Series (I know, I know, I won’t be holding my breath!). By the way, at the end of the game, we were waving the W flag! Cubs win! Cubs win!
A lovely sight for Cubs fans!
Brilliant at the Basics
Alrighty then, with that out of the way, let’s get to the last installment of brilliant at the basics. I used the bulgarian split as the exercise of choice to get my point across. But you can apply the points that I make to any exercise in the weight room. Check out the video below…
So, if you have any thoughts about my whole brilliant at the basics series, leave a comment.. And, remember to check out McKenna’s summary of Wrigley vs. Fenway in the comments section below. Is he on the money? Do you have different thoughts? If so, let us hear them…
Brilliant at the Basics (Dribbling Skills) – Episode II
June 14, 2012 by danny · Leave a Comment
In case you missed “Episode I,” CLICK HERE. I’ll include the “introductory video” again today… to get you up to speed…
When it comes to dribbling skills, things are no different than with a quality strength training program. That is, you must first build a foundation (get brilliant at the basics), before you can even think about getting “all fancy.” It’s about working toward making progressions from week-to-week (again, just like you should be aiming to do when in the weight room).
There you have it, handles 101. Ok young ballers, go get it!
On a side note. I’ll be at Wrigley for Friday’s Cubs/Red Sox game! I can’t wait! I haven’t been to Wrigley for years and this will be my first time back at my favorite place on Earth since moving back to Illinois. And to make it even better, one of my best friends, McKenna, is driving in from Omaha to go to the game with me. He’s a long time Red Sox fan and this will be his first time at Wrigley. I’m interested to see how he thinks Wrigley Field compares to Fenway Park (or is it Pok?)
Anyway, good times are ahead, and to keep with the theme of brilliant at the basics, we’ll definitely keep it simple by starting off with an Old Style and a Chicago Style Hot Dog.
I'm gonna tear this up on Friday (minus the mustard)!
But not to worry y’all… I’ll get right back on my usual clean eating/living the next day. It’s about finding that balance… and an Old Style with a dog definitely fits in the plan from time to time!
Have a great rest of your week and a great weekend my friends. I know I will!
Brilliant at the Basics – Episode I
June 7, 2012 by danny · Leave a Comment
Strength Coach Mike Boyle recently wrote a really good blogpost. In it, he quoted Coach Dewey Neilsen:” Be Brilliant at the Basics.”
In the video below, I elaborate…
I was a guest speaker at a basketball camp today, and this whole brilliant at the basic thing, was the “theme” of my speech. Far too often we are in such a hurry (in sports and/or training) to get to the advanced stuff, but we fail to “master” the basics. So my next few blogposts will be real world examples of getting brilliant at the basics. I’ll include both basketball and fitness examples. First up… push-ups.
The first question to come out of ANY young (male) trainee’s mouth is; “how much ya bench?” Well, I like the bench press, but 95% of these guys can’t even perform a proper push-up yet. So why are they worrying about how much they can max out on on the bench press? I guess it’s in our DNA… in order to become a MAN, you HAVE TO max out on the bench!
I also have some of my young high school guys asking me, “when do we get to bench press with those chains!?!”
While I LOVE that they are excited to try new things here in the weight room, there is no need for those advanced methods just yet. Let’s first learn to master a push-up!
Here are some common push-up errors that I see on a weekly basis…
So, “Be Brilliant at the Basics,” episode I is in the books. Check back in a couple days for some more examples along these lines.
