Quick Tips: Training and Nutrition – Episode II
October 15, 2012 by danny · Leave a Comment
If you missed Episode I of this series, be sure to go back and check it out. You can find it HERE.
My buds Marci Nevin Curtis and Michelle Adams both made great contributions to the previous Quick Tips post. Today it will be just Michelle and I. Marci just got married, so she gets the week off.
Marci showing off the guns!
My boy Jason, looking smooth!
I will admit, I was a little hurt that she put her wedding day over my blog. But whatever.
Tips from Michelle…
#1) Remove all tempting foods from the house. Or hide them! Peanut butter is a major trigger food for me. But, I like to have it for when I need to give my dog her supplements. I put it in the back of the fridge so that I don’t see it every time I go in there. It really helps.
#2) Deal with your emotions another way other than eating. Anger, loneliness, boredom, etc., all make people want to eat. One of my clients was reading 50 Shades of Grey and she stopped binging! Seriously! Find what works for you.
#3) Always have food pre-cooked. I regularly have chicken and ground turkey cooked and ready to go. I am hooked on Rosie’s organic free range chicken at Costco.
#4) Get clear on what your goal is. Then, attach a strong reason for wanting to reach that goal. So many people say they want to lose fat but ultimately they are really happier staying where they are. It’s got to be something that gets you outside of your comfort zone. Raise the bar! I said Yes to doing a fashion show benefit. The idea of walking down a runway in front of people is scary. I want to look good! But on a day to day basis, my mentality is I expect myself to be a role model for my clients. Change your mindset and your expectation of who you are and your behavior will change. Remind yourself daily of the expectation of the new you. Write it down!
Tips from Danny …
#1) Set up for success! This means something different for everyone. Maybe this means you set your breakfast food out on the kitchen table the night before so when you wake up, it is sitting there calling your name. Don’t do this, and it may mean that you throw a quick and convenient (but so not so healthy) food in the toaster – like a pop tart.
This is what’s often waiting for me on the kitchen table…
-Oats
-Bowl
-Spoon
-Protein Powder
-Walnuts
And then I grab some blueberries and natural peanut butter (or almond butter) out of the fridge while the oats are cooking. And I’m good to go. The day has begun on a good note!
#2) Find ways to succeed. A little slip up here. A little mess up there. It all adds up! For example, have you ever done a great job of packing leftovers in the fridge that you planned on grabbing before heading off to work… only to walk out the door, hop in the car and not realize that they are still sitting back in your fridge ’til you get 1/2 way to work? Well, I have – and PISSES ME OFF! So, to make sure I avoid this, quite often I’ll put my keys on top of my fridge so I can’t help but remember to ALSO grab my food before I walk out the door.
It works for me! This may seem dumb to you (but it’s not, so if you think it’s dumb, you’re wrong! 
), but we all have little flaky things that we do in life. So, if you find some of these little things are holding you back from reaching your goals, adjust accordingly.
Alright, that’s all I have for today. Thanks for the great tips again, Michelle! And Marci, I’ll let it slide this time, but don’t let it happen again. Just playin’! You looked lovely at the wedding! The weights, cardio, and clean eating definitely paid off!
October Training Videos Inside – A Look at My Clients and I Getting After It!
October 9, 2012 by danny · Leave a Comment
Hola friends. Today I’m going to share some videos of my clients and I working hard to build stronger, healthier, and more bad ass bodies. So, let’s get to it…
This first video is me getting my cardio in. If you’ve read much of my work, you’ll recall that “traditional cardio” (i.e. jogging on the treadmill) is mind-numbing to me. So I prefer to get my fat loss on in non-traditional ways. Plus, as I often mention, I try to keep my cardio low(er) impact whenever possible. Sure, if you are currently competing in sports like cross country, basketball, and football, high impact is a part of the sport – nothing you can do about it. BUT, if you no longer compete, try to choose exercises that are more joint-friendly. Burn some fat WHILE being nice to your joints… sounds like a win-win to me!
Here, Bryan performs cheated barbell curls to make his gunz look even more gunny! And yes, there IS a time and place to use a little body english on some exercises. As long as it is planned and not the norm. And YES, there is a time and place to perform curls in the squat rack… like when you train at a semi-private training facility when there is no one “in line” waiting to squat.
And here is Bryan’s wife Mandy, performing Rack RDLs with chains. Work those hams and glutes, Mandy!
Joie working her glutes with some hip thrusts…
Amy performing feet elevated push-ups with FULL range of motion…
Me, torturing myself with high rep trap bar deadlifts to finish off my leg session. Torture… nah, more like fun. Yeah, I feel like I’m about to die on those last couple reps, but it builds character. 
Savanna performing ass-to-grass goblet squats. And Chris in the background learning how to goblet squat to the box. Chris has since “graduated” to barbell box squats. She performed them last night for the first and her form was flawless!
Capri and Daxton learning two very important words… “hi Daddy.”
How does this one relate to training? Well, it makes me laugh. And laughter is good for our health. It reduces stress and helps us build a better, healthier body. So, remember to laugh/smile as much as possible on a daily basis!
I think it’s always cool to see what goes on in the walls of different gyms. So, there is your little sneak peak of what’s-a-happenin’ in the walls of my gym.
I’ll try to make this a monthly thing where I include videos of my clients and I killing it!
See you soon…
Guest Post by Jamie Vanderheyden: “It’s All About Performance”
October 2, 2012 by danny · Leave a Comment
Today’s article comes from my good buddy, Jamie Vanderheyden. This is a great article, and I have to say that I definitely agree with him. Enjoy…
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On the V-tip.
At a strength and conditioning clinic, I had the rare opportunity to sit down and talk with Charles Staley. Charles is perhaps one of the most respected voices of reason, and his knowledge seems so logical and profound. He has the ability to see the answers, and sift through all the information overload/confusion many of us experience (Internet forums, bodybuilding magazines, locker room babble, and TERRIBLE advice from random YouTube and Google searches).
Coach Staley knows a thing or two about performance!
After speaking with him, I began to inside out my thinking, and almost go against the grain in some cases. His philosophies were very unique. Then, I had an AH HA moment.
Performance. It’s ALL about Performance. Who cares if I’m not a competing athlete anymore.
Let’s be honest, most women go to the gym because they want to lose X pounds, or fit into size X. I understand the goal, but it is ultimately a pass/fail system. It burns people out, and it makes women ecstatic in success, or it makes them irate in failure. So they lunge, squat, take step classes, diet, and then hop on the scale. All their efforts come back to that one… dreaded… moment. No offense, but that system sucks for long term commitments and a healthy lifestyle. That is very short term thinking and halts people again and again. It may have merits, but I have a new way of thinking for the long haul.
Let’s ask our female Olympic athletes why their bodies are so incredibly fit. Lean mid sections, tight glutes, and their firm and lean shoulders are often reflecting in the sun. Their answer will simply revolve around the fact that their PERFORMANCE in their event is the ULTIMATE goal, not their jean size.
Their rocking bodies are a side effect of wanting to increase and better their PERFORMANCES. So their goal is not to look good, that just happens as a side result of perusing goals in PERFORMANCE. In addition, drinking dollar drafts and eating takeout food 3 days a week would hurt their PERFORMANCE as well. They are not thinking about getting fat, they are thinking about getting slower, or less efficient in their event.
Yes, but none of us are competitive athletes, and certainly not an Olympic one, Jamie.
Correct, but does that mean that you cannot set PERFORMANCE GOALS, or set them with your trainer.
Imagine if you said,
“I can’t wait to get to the gym today because I want to do 8 push-ups this time instead of the 5 I did last workout.”
“I just know I can hold my plank for 15 more seconds, and I’m not wimping out this time.”
“I am not going to let that battling rope control me, I will slam that thing relentlessly.”
“I am going to lunge down and back with a 25 pound plate this time.”
That is having a “Performance Mindset”, and it certainly more motivating than getting on an elliptical, and seeing the total calories burned was equal to the coke and pop tart you ate for breakfast.
Then you say,
“I have to go to the stinking gym and ride the elliptical for 30 minutes so I can lose 2 pounds.”
If you are on the V-Tip, start thinking about pursuing and crushing some performance goals that are appropriate for you.
Trust me, shoot for achieving performance goals in the gym, eat so that the performance is possible, enjoy your workouts, and then strut your stuff!
Best of Luck,
Jamie Vanderheyden
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Boom! You nailed it, Jamie! Nice job. Are you all setting performance goals for yourself? If not, as you can see from Jamie’s article, it’s time to start!
Quick Tips: Training and Nutrition – Episode I
September 25, 2012 by danny · Leave a Comment
Throughout the course of each week, I make sure to find time to read nutrition/training related articles/blogs. However I only have so much time in my day, so reading long article after long article can become too time consuming or just start to get old after awhile. Therefore, I really like articles that can provide quick, easy to apply information… kind of like this blog post I made a few months back. Or, like the series Eric Cressey has going over on his blog.
My good friends from back in Cali are here to drop some quality tips that can help you get one step closer to reaching your health and fitness goals. Both Michelle Adams and Marci Nevin have already made some great contributions (found HERE and HERE and HERE), and today they’re back for more…
Tips From Michelle…
#1) Stay busy! Don’t plop down on the couch at night and eat in front of the TV. Eat with the TV off. Clean up. Move on. One of my clients gave me a tip. She schedules something to do right after she eats, like fold the laundry. (Note from Danny: Oh, me likey! Great idea… Michelle be sure to give your client props for me. What a great idea!
2) Keep your list of food choices small. Stick to foods you like and don’t force yourself to eat foods you don’t like. I love oatmeal. When I was dieting for a show it was my carb of choice. Are sweet potatoes better? Yes. But when I was dieting it satisfied me. Feeling deprived just leads to overeating. I enjoy more food options now but I go back to my narrow food list when I need to tighten up. Caveat is #3.
#3) Get obsessed with vegetables. Explore new veggies and see how many colors you can eat it one day.
#4) Have tea at night after dinner. That is a tough time for me. I make a doctored up lemon ginseng tea, heating up a 1/2 c unsweetened almond milk and water and adding some liquid vanilla stevia. It’s very satisfying and hits my sweet tooth.
#5) Follow someone on Facebook that inspires you. I love Jamie Eason. Who doesn’t?! Just going to her page, reading her posts and looking at her awesome pics motivates me to stay on track.
Jamie Eason
Tips from Marci…
#1) In the wise words of Dr. John Berardi, “If it’s in your house, eventually you will eat it.” This is a simple way of saying, dont bring your trigger foods into your home. There are certain foods that I just cant buy, even healthy ones, as I know I have the ability to eat the entire box/jar in one sitting. There is bound to be a time when you lose your self control and cave to these foods, which often sets off a cascade of negative emotions and can cause you to blow your diet for the rest of the day.
#2) Some of my best workouts have come on the days when I felt the worst or was the least motivated. If a time comes when you really don’t feel like training, just get yourself to the gym (or where ever you train) and at least go through your warm up and a few sets. 99% of the time you will get into the zone and end up completing your whole workout.
#3) Stop program hopping if you don’t see the results you want within the first week. There is no perfect diet or training plan. The results you get are determined by how well you execute it. Find a plan and stick to it. Just make sure it is one that you enjoy and will be consistent with, as you will be much more likely to succeed.
Tips from Danny…
#1) Similar to tip #4 from Michelle above…
When I start to get a craving that I know I have no control over (i.e. my hand reaches for my phone to dial up some pepperoni pizza from the local pizza joint even though my brain is yelling, “PUT THE PHONE DOWN!”), I have 3 things that have worked for me to beat these STONG cravings..
A) Brush my teeth. Because who feels like eating after getting that “clean mouth feel?”
B) Chew a piece of gum.
C) Drink tea (like Michelle mentioned).
Those incredibly strong cravings aren’t going to last that long, so if you can get rid of them for even a few minutes, they usually don’t come back.
#2) Make sure you have regressions and progressions for every exercise that you perform. For example, let’s look at some single leg exercises, going from easiest to hardest…
Static Lunges with dumbbells (DBs) < Reverse Lunges with DBs < Walking Lunges with DBs < Static Lunges with a barbell (BB) < Bulgarian Split Squats with DBs < Reverse Lunges with a BB < Walking Lunges with a BB < Bulgarian Split Squats with a BB.
Barbell Bulgarian Split Squats
Now, I know I didn’t list EVERY POSSIBLE single exercise imaginable. And you may disagree with the order in which I ranked the difficulty level of each. But I hope you get the point. And that is, if you are struggling to keep good form on one exercise, regress and master another one before “moving up the ladder” to a move difficult one.
Alright, that’ll wrap it up for now. I’ll be back with some more great and easy (in theory) to apply tips from some of my friends in the fitness biz.
Now get out of here and go stock up on some tea and colored veggies. Now!
If you think these tips can help a family or friend out, be sure to share it on FB and/or twitter…
Saying Good Bye To The Old Gym and Hello To The New Gym (videos inside)
September 4, 2012 by danny · Leave a Comment
In my last blog post, I mentioned that my gym has changed to a new location. Well, I thought I’d give you some videos to show some of my peeps working hard. I don’t have a whole lot on video yet at the new facility, so this is just a sneak peak. But, before I get to the videos at the new space, I thought I’d include a video of me training at the old place (my old basement). This was my last training session there. Thanks basement, you we’re good to us, but it was time to move on.
I recently learned about this RDL variation in an article that Ben Bruno wrote. I’m definitely a fan… great ham/glute exercise. My hams were sore for days! Not that soreness is an indication of whether an exercise is effective or not, I’m just saying, walking for the next couple days was not fun!
Perform these like regular RDLs, but with this variation, rest the bar on the pins for a second and “re-start” each rep with a pause. Tough and effective!
NOTE: Regular Rack Pulls are performed with more knee flexion (like a deadlift) while Rack RDLs are performed with very little knee flexion (i.e. the legs are almost straight).
Next video is of Paityn performing Rack Pulls with chains. I’ve talked about “accomodating resistance” previously, but in case you missed it – basically we can use bands and/or chains to make the top portion (in the case of a rack pull/deadlift) of the lift harder than usual. When Paityn nears the top of this lift, notice that the majority of the chain leaves the floor. This makes the lift heavier at top than on the bottom (the chains are 30 pounds when completely off the floor). Paityn is getting good with “finishing with her glutes” at the top of movements that involve hip extension (RDLs, Deadlifts, Pull Throughs, Kettlebell Swings, Hip Thrusts, etc.). This is important for a few reasons…
1) It’ll help her with sports performance as the glutes play a key role in sprinting, jumping, cutting, etc. She a basketball player, BTW.
2) For anyone; guy, girl, orangutan, polar bear, etc, learning how to properly use your glutes helps make the glutes look better.
Powerful glutes help bring home gold medals!
3) Stronger glutes decrease the chances of back and knee injuries.
Anyway, nice job Paityn.
And finally, here is Paige performing barbell bulgarian split squats.
Paige does a great job of keeping great form on bulgarian split squats. Many people let their knee cave when performing these. This can especially be a problem with females as they have a wider “Q-angle” then men. This causes more stress on the knee, and is a big reason why women tear their ACL more than men (although torn ACLs are also a problem in men). Strengthening the right muscles and learning proper movement patterns can go a long way in decreasing the chances of knee/ACL injuries. Chalk one off for ANOTHER reason to strength train!
Alright, I have some more videos for future installments, and I’ll continue to record some here and there and share when I think they may be helpful to you all.
I’m also (most likely) going to be starting a cardio-based bootcamp on Saturday mornings at the new facility here soon. If you are interested, check back shortly and I’ll confirm in a future blog post. If you already know you are already interested, contact me here as soon as possible, or leave a comment in the comments section below. If I hear back from enough people, the bootcamp will go from, maybe I’ll run it, to I’ll definitely run it.
Have a great week!
My Gym Has Changed To A New Location
August 24, 2012 by danny · 2 Comments
We are moving to a new house this Sunday. Why is that important in regards to training? Well, I’ve been training my clients out of my basement. With the move, that will no longer be the case. As of yesterday, I started training my clients in downtown Rockton. My friend/client, Rich Spanton owns a nice building off of Main Street in Rockton that currently has space available, so with the help of my dad and my friend, Donn, we moved all of my equipment over there on Wednesday night.
About one year ago I started off with the bare-minimum as far as equipment, but have since added and will continue to do so as time goes on. Here is what the home gym looked like the 1st few weeks after moving from California back to Illinois…
And here are some pictures that I took yesterday of the new location at Rich’s “blue building” in downtown Rockton…
Daxton working on the TRX straps.
Daxton preparing for some dumbbell rows and Capri setting up for some kettlebell swings.
This location will serve as my “in-between” spot, until I find my “dream spot” as my permanent location somewhere in the Rockton area.
I’m very excited to be training out of my home, and in a space with some more room and HIGH ceilings! Anyway, I’ll be here at the location for the next few months, so if/when you walk by the “blue building” on Main Street, come and check it out.
If you know anyone that may be interested in giving me a visit, please forward them this blogpost. I appreciate it.
Have a great weekend everyone… enjoy week 1 of high school football!
Recipe of the Week from Marci Nevin… Greek Salad with Avo-Ziki Dressing
August 14, 2012 by danny · 3 Comments
My good friend Marci, who has already contributed to my website HERE, has a great recipe for all of us to try (including me, as I haven’t gotten to it yet, but plan on making it later on the week). This will help me get on track after my donut burger gaffe from last weekend. I’ll let Marci take over from here…
Marci Performing Weighted Chin-Ups
August in California is HOT. While the heat of the summer has never swayed my eating habits, I know plenty of people who don’t like eating heavy foods this time of year. My fiancée is one of them, and as a result he has eaten a big salad for dinner every night for the past few months.
Last week, one of my clients gave me 6 pounds of frozen, wild caught halibut that I’ve been eager to eat. Since we typically eat dinner at with my parents on Sunday night, I thought it would be a good time to grill it up. I was trying to find the right type of side dish to accompany the fish, and I came across this salad, which looked delicious. It ended up being the perfect summertime meal for a very warm evening. Jason got his salad fix and I got to enjoy the halibut, so it was a win-win.
While this may look like your typical Greek salad, I promise you that it is much more. This Avo-Ziki dressing is incredible, and it truly transformed the dish. It’s almost more of a sauce, really, thereby making it very versatile. I ended up putting it on my fish as well, but it would also go great on top of a burger, chicken or other type of meat/fish, or as a dressing for a different type of salad. I hope you enjoy as much as we did!
Greek Salad
- 4 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
- ½ cup cucumber slices
- ½ cup Kalamata olives, halved
- ¼ cup Avo-Ziki dressing
- 2 T (or less) extra-virgin olive oil
Mix romaine, tomatoes, olives, and cucumbers in a large bowl. In a small bowl, mix avo-ziki sauce and olive oil. Top the salad with the dressing.
Avo-Ziki Sauce
- 1 ripe avocado
- 2 T extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ c grated cucumber
- Juice of one lemon
- 1 clove grated garlic
- Sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 t fresh dill, finely chopped (I left this out as I didn’t have any on hand)
Combine all ingredients by hand or with a small food processor or hand blender.
It sounds great, Marci! Thanks for sharing this with everyone. I can’t wait to try it!
NOTE: This recipe comes from the Diane Sanfilippo’s book, “Practical Paleo.” You can find the book HERE.
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 New Article and Another Friend Visits Me Here In Illinois
June 25, 2012 by danny · Leave a Comment
Here is a little look at my week that was…
My New Article
I had a new article published over at FitWatch. The question was, “What Is a Normal Body Fat Percentage?” And it went something like this…
You look down at your stomach and give it a pinch. You think to yourself, I wonder what my body fat percentage is, and I wonder if it’s normal. KEEP READING…
Another Friend Comes to Town For a Visit
Last week, my buddy came in from Omaha to hit up Wrigley for a Cubs/Red Sox game. Great time! This week I had another visitor in town – Kevin Campbell. Kevin was one of my very first clients when I moved to California back in 2004. He was in 8th grade then. I trained this “kid” from that year all way until I moved back to Illinois last year! And I can now refer to him as a man. He’s currently 22 years old (turns 23 next week) and about to graduate from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo. We were laughing about it when I asked him, “man, that day back in 8th grade when you walked into the gym to first meet your new trainer, did you think you’d be visiting me half way across the country 8 years later!?!” I’m very glad that we met that day as he has become a life-long friend. A funny little side story: As we talked at dinner before I dropped him off at the airport, part of our conversation went like this:
Kevin: When I met you at our first training session, I thought you smoked.
Me: What???!!!???
Kevin: Yeah, you kind of smelled like cigarette smoke, so I thought you were a smoker.
Me: What???!!!???
Yeah, that must have been a good first impression! You meet your trainer for the first time and you think that he/she smokes! Kevin now knows that even to this day, I have NEVER even taken a puff of a cigarette! Funny stuff!
It was great having Kevin in town as I got to show him where I grew, and take him around to some of the “hot spots” here in the Rockton/Roscoe area. He even came up and shot around in my old high school gym as I gave a basketball lesson to one of my current b-ball clients. I warned Kevin that he may need to cover his head when we take our first step into Hononegah’s (my alma mater) gym as my fans may run out of the bleachers and maul me… but it didn’t happen. How embarrassing for me.
Kevin and I also got a workout in down in my basement where I am currently training clients (I may not be at this location much longer… but I’ll save that teaser for another blogpost in the not too distant future). When McKenna visited me last week, he and I also got a session in. Man, I wish these guys were around ALL THE TIME to train with… it’s so much better to train when surrounded by someone there to push you!!!
All-in-all, it was great to have Kevin in town! And by the way, to this day I continue to train Kevin on-line. Talk about one dedicated dude!
Kevin getting after it at our training session.
Alright, I’m about to write-up my new training program… a fat loss program. That’s a first for me. I’ll explain what I mean in a blogpost later on in the week or by next week at the latest. See you then…
