My Cardio Session From 10-10-11…
In the below video you’ll see 2 rounds of the cardio session that I performed yesterday. I went with the “Inverted Ladder.” I’ve written about the inverted ladder in previous blog posts (again, props to Tony Gentilcore as he’s the person that
I learned the inverted ladder from).
Basically, you choose an exercise and perform 10 reps. You then move on to the second exercise and perform 1 rep. And you finish off round 1 with a third exercise that you perform the same amounts of reps of on each round (the “constant”).
In round two you take off one rep of exercise number one (so you go from 10 reps down to 9 reps), and you add one rep in exercise number two (so you go from 1 rep to 2 reps). And once again, keep the reps for the third exercise the same (you’ll see that I did 3 reps on the hang clean in every round, as my constant).
Keep taking away a rep on each round for exercise number one until you go down to 1 rep. And then add a rep every round to exercise number two until you hit 10 reps. So, you’ll end up performing 10 rounds. Complete these 10 rounds as fast as possible. Mark down your time, and the next time you repeat it, try to perform the entire inverted ladder (with the same weight) in less time. To see what a couple rounds look like on video…
As you can see, I went with…
-TRX Jump Squats (10 reps working my way down to 1 rep)
-Plank-Ups (1 rep working my way up to 10 reps)
-Hang Cleans (3 reps on every round)
I finished in 7 minutes and 9 seconds. Next time my goal will be to get 7:08 or better.
If you watched my recent YouTube video, “Why I’m NOT a fan of distance running,” you’ll realize why I prefer to set up my cardio sessions like I did in this inverted ladder… because there is less repetitive stress and for whatever joint stress there is, it is spread more evening throughout the body (compared to running miles and miles).
Now, if you’re a student of the game, you may be thinking; “wow, every time you finish the rep on those hang cleans, the weight comes crashing down. That doesn’t look too joint friendly” This is true, and if you were thinking this then you get a gold star! This is actually the reason that I don’t have my clients perform cleans unless they have bumper plates and they can just drop the weight to the floor on each rep. I mean, it basically takes the entire body to get the weight up to your shoulders, and then as the entire load comes crashing down we are asking our shoulders to take on the brunt of the load as the weight “yanks” on the shoulders as we catch it down by our quads. BUT, when you using cleans in cardio sessions the weight is typically light enough that this is NOT an issue. However, if you perform cleans as their “usual” purpose (using heavier weight to develop power), I recommend using bumper plates and dropping the weight on every rep – like THIS.
When setting up my cardio sessions for myself and my clients, I also try to make sure they are as joint friendly as possible. So, give the inverted ladder a try. If you are anything like me, you’ll think that this is way more fun than a 3-mile run. By the way, for your 3 exercises, just choose any 3 that are big compound movements that really challenge you. For example; Jump Squats (10-1 reps); Kettlebell Swings (1-10 reps); Jumping Jacks (always 5 reps).
If you missed my reasoning for not being a fan of distance running (for MOST people), you can check out the video below…
Why I’m NOT A Fan Of Distance Running
October 3, 2011 by danny · 4 Comments
I have already shared the reasons that I am not a fan of distance running for the majority of people. I have previous blogposts on my site where I talk about some of those reasons. But just the other day, I received another question from one of my readers on the topic. This reader wanted to know if I could elaborate some of my feelings. So I thought it would be best to just record a YouTube video.
Hopefully you listened to the entire video. After listening, let the information sink it, and then make a sound decision as to your “cardio plan.” A) Continue as is? B) Make a few modifications? C) Completely revamp what you are doing?
Let me know what you think!
Don’t forget, you can find me on twitter – @DannyMcLarty
“Cardio” To Perform When Sore…
July 13, 2011 by danny · Leave a Comment
A number of years back Eric Cressey came out with an article called Cardio Confusion. Since that article, I’ve been incorporating “active recovery circuits” on my off days. Now, I don’t do them NEARLY enough, but whenever I do, I feel much better as they 1) help speed recovery, and 2) help improve mobility (which most of us need to improve). And a nice little “side effect” is some low impact calorie burning to help us with our health and fat loss goals.
One of the worst thing you can do (and way too many people are doing this), is say, “I am SO sore from my workout yesterday! Therefore I’m just going to veg-out on the couch all day today.” That will do nothing to speed up the recovery process, and contribute to the build-up of knots/adhesions all over your body. Going on a fast-paced walk (and moving in general) is a much better way to spend your off days. Even better though, is putting your body through a full range of motion, as you’ll see below.
There are number of ways to set up these active recovery days;
-You can perform dynamic flexibility circuits (address areas of your body that are tight).
-You can do low-intensity resistance exercises (pick a handful of exercises and cycle through them).
-Or, as I like to do, throw some dynamic flexibility circuits in WITH the low-intensity resistance exercises.
Here are the exercises I did in yesterday’s active recovery/cardio session…
I just started a new program earlier in the week. And as you probably know, when you start a new program the chances of soreness are higher. Going into my cardio session yesterday, my pecs, glutes, and adductors (inner thighs) were especially sore. So it was perfect timing to perform this active recovery day. For the purposes of not boring you to death, I only recorded an example with 4 reps per exercise. Normally I perform 10-12 reps (sometimes up to 20 reps) per exercise (6-10 exercises).
Above, you see
-Goblet Squats
-Push-ups
-RDL/Bent Over Row (hybrid)
-Wall Hip Flexor Mobilizations (to address my tight quads)
-Hip Thrusts
-Reverse Lunge with Twist
I did 3 rounds of this circuit. I also started off the workout with foam rolling/LAX ball and finished with static stretching at the end of my active recovery/cardio circuit.
Move from one exercise to the next with minimal rest and when it comes time to do the low-intensity resistance exercises, MAKE SURE you pick a lighter weight. This should NOT turn into another “regular” weight lifting session, as that would just defeat the purpose.
Remember, when you train hard, you have to recovery smart. Give this, or a similar set-up a try and reap the benefits!
My Cardio Medley Session…
June 19, 2011 by danny · Leave a Comment
For some, a 30-minute jog or “ride” on the stationary bike is a way to clear the mind. It’s a way to escape for a brief period, and “get away.” Not for me! Twelve seconds into it, here’s what my mind is saying; “I can’t believe I still have 29 minutes and 48 seconds to go. This is the worst, someone kill me!” My ADD is way too strong. I need change, and I need it quickly.
If you are anything like me, I suggest performing cardio “medleys.” A cardio medley is a great way to prevent EXTREME boredom. Medleys are also beneficial because they help prevent overuse injuries. For example…
-Running 30 minutes straight is extremely repetitive. This can be very hard on the joints… especially if you are carrying a few extra pounds.
-30 minutes hunched over a bike reinforces the posture that many of us are in all day while we are sitting on our butts at the computer; sitting for hours on end at work; driving in a our car; watching TV; etc. etc.
Anyway, to reduce the chance of these issues, and for all of us ADD people, medleys are great. I know I won’t be performing “traditional” cardio anytime soon. Here is what my cardio medley looked like yesterday…
That was:
-8 Sumo Deadlifts
-3 Chin-ups
-8 Hang Cleans
-8 Push-ups
-8 Jump Squats
Breaking it down: Deadifts with 135 pound is very easy, IF that is all I did. But it is a enough to get my heart rate up going into the next exercise… chin-ups. 3 chin-ups are very easy, but become a little more difficult after doing deadlifts. I then went onto hang cleans with 95 pounds. This would usually be an easy weight, but is quite a bit harder after doing deadlifts and chins. Next I went onto push-ups and finished with jump squats. Once again, 8 push-ups and 8 jump squats are easy as a stand-alone, but as the 4th and 5th exercises in this medley, not so much. My heart was pounding through my chest after that last jump squat. Health and fat loss made a little more fun (still kind of miserable, but not as bad as usual 
).
I then rested 60 seconds, and repeated as many sets as possible.
I purposely chose a weight that would jack my heart rate up (and make this very difficult), but not a weight that would make this session serve as “interference” for my weight training sessions. If I had performed any slow, grinding reps due to a heavy load (on the deadlifts for example), this session would just have made recovery tougher for my weight training session tomorrow. It’s all about seeing the big picture – even know I incorporated weights into this CARDIO session, it was NOT a lifting session.
So there you go. Incorporate medleys into your cardio plan. And if possible, try to mix both upper and lower body movements into the session. This will ensure that a particular body part does not become the limiting factor (and will help prevent soreness for that body part), rather your heart & lungs will be reason that you have to stop, when the time comes.
Finally, Happy Father’s Day to the dads out there. I am very happy to be apart of this group!
Guest Post; No Pain No Gain?
February 18, 2011 by danny · Leave a Comment
My boy Jamie V. was nice enough to let me share with you the recent newsletter that he sent out to his bootcamp clients. I think Jamie hit he nail on the head with this one! Nice work Jamie!
Enjoy…
No Pain No Gain?
Trust me, there is a fine line between a trainer structuring a tough workout that is efficient and meaningful,
and one that just beats the living daylights out of you without a clear plan. Soreness is an indicator of
microscopic muscle tears, but is total and utter soreness the ultimate goal? This topic has some debatable
components, but the mindset of the trainer and trainee is where my point rests.
I will be totally blunt with you. People eat like crap and gain poor weight. They hire a trainer and tell them
they want to lose the weight. A trainer beats the sh!t out of them (because that produces fast results
right???). The person hobbles and cusses the trainer for weeks, but thinks he/she knows what they are
doing. A month later everything is back to normal. The person is frustrated, eating poorly again, and the
same trainer is beating the crap out of someone else. The person blames the trainer for not doing their job,
and the trainer blames the person for not being tough enough or committed.
The cycle continues…and continues…and continues…
A boot camper of mine went to a personal trainer and thought she was in good shape. The trainer really
put her through the grinder and she was sore for a looooong period of time. She told me that she “thought”
she was in good shape. I told her that she was, but the trainer structured a workout to beat the living tar out
of her. The workout was not appropriate for her. I asked her if she was still with the trainer. The answer
was no. Now, I am not bashing her trainer, I am just filling you in on my philosophy here.
I will give you some straightforward information. I could take a very high level athlete and make them
vomit. It does not take much for a trainer to evaluate and push you harder beyond the norm, if pummeling
you into MUSH is the goal.
This is a disturbing fitness trend if we want people to LIVE healthy lifestyles
and exercise frequently. People want FAST results from poor eating, and they accept an a*s kicking for it.
I will tell you that what you do in a ONE-day workout is not as important as the cumulative results of a real
program. The REAL goal should be to create a workout plan that is appropriate, has challenges and
progressions, yet encourages the person to continue and strive to keep going. There is a fine line between
tough, and downright too much. A good trainer sees that and makes adjustments. Should the person be
sore from it though? Well, soreness is a side factor, but it is not necessarily the ultimate goal every time.
The trainers goal is to take you to a new level, get you out of your comfort zone, but also keep you
motivated and interested…without living in total pain and discouragement. It is a PLAN, not
PUNISHMENT.
At YOUR boot camps, you will experience some soreness, but my intention is for that soreness to become
more tolerable and evenly distributed. MY goal is to make you work HARD, but also provide a
meaningful opportunity for you to want to continue. If the soreness is not tolerable, adjustments will be
made to help you continue. The ultimate goal of mine, is to make you want to continue your health program, teach you new ways to get results, and do it in a manner that is not discouraging. You still will be pushed, however.
If I turn YOU off, then I have failed you as well. Let’s find YOUR balance of tough and challenging without tipping the scales towards the side of discouragement.
All the Best,
Jamie Vanderheyden
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…
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!
The War on Fat Loss
November 1, 2010 by danny · Leave a Comment
I had a new article published last Friday. My friend Marci Nevin and I did this one together. I handled the training portion and she tackled the nutrition side. I know many of are going to have a weight loss/fat loss goal coming up as New Year’s resolutions are right around the corner. Hopefully this piece will motivate you and help you get to your goals…
“The War on Fat Loss“
Should I Run? Part II
May 28, 2010 by danny · 2 Comments
In part I I gave you my thoughts on “distance” running (20 minutes or more of non-stop running/jogging). If you recall, I mentioned that I would prefer that you more evenly spread the stress throughout your body. And that running is very, very repetitive – the same joints take on the same amount of stress in the same fashion throughout your thousands of steps at each running session. Again, this greatly increases your chance of getting a stress fracture as well as other injuries. Below you will see a couple examples of ways to mix your cardio up while sparing your joints in order keep you healthy in your attempt to reach your fat loss and/or conditioning goals.
This first circuit is very “joint friendly.” It is low impact and is great for anyone, especially those that have quite a bit of fat to lose (again, because the low impact nature of these movements, as opposed to running). In this circuit we have body weight squats, followed by hand walks on a step, and finally kettlebell swings. As you can see, the knees take on a bit of stress with the squats, the wrists and shoulders take on a bit of stress with the hand walks, and the low back takes on a little stress with the kettlebell swings. We have some, but not a ton of stress getting distributed all over the body. This is much more conducive to long term joint health.
The 3 exercises in this video are step ups with knee drive, medicine ball slams, and split squat jumps. For the overweight individual the first two exercises are great as they are low impact. I would not use the split squat jumps for someone needing to drop quite a few pounds. For everyone else, all of the exercises from both videos are great.
So, if you are looking for a more fun, joint friendly way to get your cardio in, please consider incorporating fast paced, circuit style cardio. And remember, if you LOVE running, I’m not asking you to stop altogether. I’m just asking you to consider my points as to why it would be smart to incorporate some “different” kinds of cardio. So, reduce (or completely eliminate) the repetitive stress that long(er) running brings, and have some fun doing it!
Make Your Cardio Sessions a Competition
April 21, 2010 by danny · Leave a Comment
Raise your hand if you look forward to cardio. My hand is down. Raise your hand if you are competitive. My hand is up. Actually, my hand is WAY up in the air. The idea of competing always gets my blood flowin’. I don’t care whether it is a board game, basketball, or, “I’ll give you $5 if you can name 7 movies with Denzel Washington in them in 15 seconds or less. GO!” Now that is fun, I look forward to anything that involves competition. As a matter of fact, the majority of my day involves some kind of competition… when I drive to the gym; “over/under on how many minutes it will take me to get there?” Of course, being the model-citizen that I am, I make sure to follow the rules of the road in my attempt to “win.” Carson and I play this game quite often; “Carson, over/under on when your mom will get home?” And through experience, here is how I set the line; whatever I think the normal time would be that she would be walking through the door, I multiply times 3. So, if she is coming home from the grocery store and 15 minutes sounds about right, I set the over/under at 45 minutes. Women! What? I love y’all, but you take a long time to do schtuff.
I could go on and on with examples of things that I do throughout the day that make me not-so-normal, but I think you get the point. Back to competitive cardio…
My Day At The Field
On Sunday I decided to suck it up and head to a local field to get some conditioning work in. It is a beautiful “field turf” field with lines all over the place. My goal was to find two lines that looked like it would take me about 15-20 seconds to run. So I went with two yellow lines and gave it a try. I told myself to run at about 85% intensity on set 1, and from there I just timed how long it took me to get from one yellow line to the next. 100% would be like I was running from a hungry grizzly bear.
So, this first sprint was fast, but not quite all-out. It ended up to be a 17-second sprint. I estimate it was about 300 meters .*** I then rested twice as long on every set. So, 34 seconds of rest (a 2:1 rest:work ratio). My goal was to see how many sets I could get in before hitting the 18-second mark on any sprint. I ended up getting 8 sets at 17 seconds or less, with set #9 taking me 18 seconds. I then called it a day. And I’ll tell you what, I’m actually looking forward to my next cardio session. Not because I enjoy cardio, but because can’t wait to attempt to beat my numbers.
Bottom line, there are ways to make cardio “fun.” Making your cardio sessions a competition is the best way to make sure that you, 1) actually get your cardio in, and 2) encourage you to make progress with each session, getting you one step closer to your goals. So, get that notebook out, record your results and try to beat your numbers each and every time!
***More like 150 meters.
