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 – 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.
If you have friends that could benefit from this post, please share it with ALL OF THEM!
Embrace the Process: By Christian Thibaudeau
May 23, 2012 by danny · Leave a Comment
I wanted to share this for you all to see, because I think it is brilliant. Christian Thibaudeau wrote up this piece over at t-nation.com. Below is a copy and paste of Christian’s article…
“Embrace the Process
There are two kinds of people in the gym:
1. Those who are training to get results.
2. Those who are training because they love it.
Who builds the best body in the long run? Those who train because they love it!
I'm sure this guy fell in love with "the fitness game."
Don’t get me wrong, those who train merely to get results will sometimes get short-term results, usually the inevitable “newbie gains.” But they never achieve true, long term success.
Why? Because once you’re past your beginner gains, progressing in physique and strength is hard. If you’re only in it only for the results, they’ll never come fast enough. So when you’re passed that beginner stage and you have to work much harder for your gains, you simply won’t make it far if you don’t love the process.
I’ll be honest with you. If somebody gave me a pill that would stop my strength and body comp progress forever, I’d still train hard and train often because there’s nothing I’d rather do.
When it comes to long-term results, understand that:
1. Progression is never linear. I’ve had guys gain 5-6 pounds of muscle in 10 days then stabilize for six weeks. I’ve had others lose 4 pounds of fat per week for four weeks then only lose a pound per week for two months. I’ve had people increase their strength by 10% over a two-week period then struggle to gain 5 pounds more within the next six weeks. That’s how the body works!
But when that happens, people freak out. They expect the quick gains to last forever. But the truth is that you cannot maintain that rate of gain all the time. On top of that, you never know when that will happen! The only thing you can control is to keep training hard.
2. Because of the non-linear aspect of progression, people who are in it only for the results open themselves up to “solutions” that are actually counterproductive:
A) They change their program too often, thinking that it’s the program that doesn’t work. Changing your program too often only gives you an illusion of progression because of quick neural adaptations; it doesn’t give you more actual muscle gain. And it could very well limit the amount of growth you’re getting in the long run.
B) They get discouraged and turn to anabolic steroids. When I see dozens of teens without much muscle turning to drugs (and often using higher doses than some pro-bodybuilders), it makes me sick. Not so much because of the steroids themselves, but because of the underlying attitude than lead to their usage.
These guys never learn to train and eat properly. They don’t know how to make gains themselves, so they become slaves to anabolic steroids.
C) They stop training altogether because they feel it’s not worth the effort.
The real secret to getting long term progress is:
Fall in love with the process.
Let training become one of your passions. That way you’ll approach every session like it’s a privilege to be there; you’ll be excited and motivated to train hard and, as such, you’ll get more results. It will also bulletproof you to any stagnation period that might come your way. You’ll be able to blast through that and resume your gains afterwards.
If you’re in it only for the results, you won’t get them!”
And back to Danny…
Very well said Christian! No matter what it is in life, if you don’t enjoy it, you’re not going to stick with it.
There are many ways to make training more enjoyable. Such as…
-Getting a training partner that you can trust (i.e. Someone that always shows up. Someone that is always there to pick you up).
-Hire a trainer to help hold you accountable and to design a program that fits your needs.
-Find a way to make it more exciting. I think everyone should incorporate weight training into their fitness routine. But if being “cooped-up” inside a gym all summer DOES NOT EXCITE YOU ONE BIT, get outside for part of your training.
Hell, you could get some TRX Straps and take them to the park (seriously) on a nice sunny day.
The main point is that it’s not JUST about results. Yes, I’d be pretty frustrated if my personal workouts led to a flabbier me, and I’m sure you would too. So, results DO matter. But remember, it’s not JUST about the results. EMBRACE THE PROCESS.
My Newest Toy – Chains!
May 15, 2012 by danny · Leave a Comment
When I was a kid I couldn’t sleep the night before Christmas. The thought of Santa and Rudolph up on my roof, about to deliver a bunch of presents, are you kidding me!?! Nothing could be more exciting to a 15 year old 5 year old!
Today, the UPS truck has replaced Santa. Whenever I order a new piece of equipment for my home gym, I’m like a little kid – looking out my window waiting for the UPS truck to deliver my new equipment. The newest arrival? Chains…
In the video above, I’m using them to perform a drop set. But the “main” use of these bad boys is “accommodating resistance.” As I talked about in this blogpost, bands and chains help match the strength curve. They increase the intensity of an exercise by allowing for maximum loading at every point of the range of motion.
Picture doing a bench press. Usually when you lift the bar off your chest, it can be very difficult. But when you get near lockout, the weight actually feels lighter/easier. By adding chains, the top portion of the lift can be just as difficult as the bottom portion of the lift. Here’s an example video…
Notice that when he brings the bar down to his chest, most of the chains are on the ground. Therefore they basically add no weight. But as he approaches lock out (the top of the lift), the majority of the chains are now off the ground, therefore making the top of the lift heavier than the bottom portion of the lift. Voila – the strength curve has been matched.
Chains added to the deadlift.
So, I’m excited to play around with these and incorporate them into my own training, and the training of my clients.
But, the take-home message is (or should be): Never stop being a kid. Find something that excites you in life! Even if it’s as simple as the UPS truck.
Motivation…
May 7, 2012 by danny · Leave a Comment
If you’re in a rut or just need a little pick-me-up, hopefully this helps…
-As I stated in this blog post, I’m currently working around an injury. No need to stop training when injured (in 99% of the cases). There is always something you can do. Stop the excuses!
-Just Do It!
-Physiques that make your realize you can always do better…
Guys…
Ladies…
-“Commitment leads to action. Action brings your dream closer.”
Marcia Wieder
-THE key ingredient while training is HARD WORK! …
-“The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses – behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.” – Muhammad Ali
Now go make it happen …
Working Around An Injury
May 1, 2012 by danny · Leave a Comment
If you missed my post from the other day (Saying Goodbye To My First True Love), you know that I tore a muscle in my calf. Yeah, it sucks. But I’m not going to hang my head and sit around on my butt. There is still PLENTY of work that can be done in the weight room. Here is my leg training session from yesterday…
Despite being limited in exercise selection, I still was able to get a few things in … 1-Leg Hip Thrust for my glutes; Ski Squats for my quads; 1-Leg RDLs for my left leg – I tried 2-Leg Swiss Ball leg curls and 1-Leg RDLs for my right leg (the side that I tore my calf), but those both bothered it so I decided it was smart to be patient and not force it. And then I finished up with the battling rope for my cardio.
Nothing special, and not exactly my usual exercise selection, but there is no way that I’ll allow myself a major set-back from this injury.
Ouch!!!
Finding A Way
There is always a way to get something in. I really believe those that are happiest with their physiques are the ones that avoid big set-backs. I’m nowhere near perfect, but I’ve NEVER had a bad month of training. Maybe a few days, but I’m always sure to get right back on track. Does one of these scenarios sound like you…
-You’ve been working out consistently for a number of months and you’re feeling and looking good. Then you take a vacation, do no working out, but swear to yourself that you’ll get back on track once you get back home. But before you know it, 2 months have gone by and you STILL haven’t touched a weight or gotten a cardio session in.
–You’ve been working out consistently for a number of months and you’re feeling and looking good. Then you get sick and miss a week of training. You’re excited to get back to training once you feel better. But when the time comes around you just can’t quite find the motivation to start back up. A year has passed, you still haven’t gotten back into it, and you feel like a piece of poop.
-You suffer an injury and promise yourself that once you’re healthy you are going to come back better than ever. But you missed a bunch of workout sessions while injured, and this has now turned into a habit. You never get back on track!
Remember, it’s not how you respond when things are going well, it’s how you respond to adversity that counts.
In the case of getting injured, there really is a ton that can still be done. Getting hurt has taken me on a bit of a detour. I completed four weeks of my chest specialization training block and was about to start up weeks 5-8 (that would take me to late May, then the plan is going to be getting “beach ready” … you know, get as lean as possible for the summer). But I’m adjusting on the fly. I now plan on doing weeks 5-8 of my chest program next week. And will have to continue to tinker with my leg workouts as the injury heals.
We can always find a way! Even in tough times, make sure to get at least a little somin’ somin’ in, in order to avoid BIG set-backs. I mean even something like 3-4 sets of push-ups + 3-4 sets of a lunge variation 2-3 times per week (come on, that’ll take you ~15 minutes to complete!). THEN, when life settles down, you won’t be starting from such a big deficit.
Get er done!
Saying Goodbye To My First True Love
April 30, 2012 by danny · Leave a Comment
No, I’m not talking about the first girl that I fell in love with. I’m talking about basketball. I think it’s time to say goodbye…
This past Thursday night I headed up to Hononegah High School for open gym. I hadn’t played full court b-ball since the tourney I was in about a month ago – I gave the tourney highlights, HERE. The first game of open gym was all good. We won and I wasn’t rusty at all. I probably went 4-5 from the floor. And in the second game, I started the game off pulling up from the top of the key and hitting a 3. I thought to myself, man I feel good, pretty damn tired, but good! One of my teammates even said to me; “Geez, do you ever miss!?!”
We then had a couple more trips up and down the court. When we headed back down to our offensive end, I came off a screen, pushed off with my right foot, and then it happened!!! I felt a POP in my right calf. It felt like someone shot me!
The aftermath...
I hobbled over to the sideline in excruciating pain. I knew something was wrong and I couldn’t walk so I called up my dad to pick me up (he only lives a 1/2 mile from the school) and take me over to immediate care to get it checked out. It turns out I tore a muscle in my calf. Damn!
What’s Next?
Ever since I was 8-9 years old, I basically lived with a basketball in my hand… always dribbling around the neighborhood, on the bike path, while walking over to a friend’s house, etc etc. But I think it’s time to say goodbye to my first true love. Not goodbye, as in I’ll never shoot or dribble a ball again. I mean goodbye as in, I’m done playing in tournaments, pick-up games, open gyms, etc. I depend on my body to make a living. If I’m hurt, I can’t effectively demonstrate dribbling moves when giving basketball lessons, and I can’t effectively train people if I can’t demonstrate how to perform a certain lift.
I have given a few basketball lessons and trained a number of people in the weight room since last Thursday’s incident. And let me tell you, it’s not the same! Now, I don’t think that if I continued to play that every time I stepped onto the court I’d walk away with injury. But the risk:reward just isn’t there anymore. If I’m hurt, I can’t do my job optimally. Because I play full court hoops so infrequently nowadays, I’m always VERY SORE the next day or two… which is no fun. In order to get rid of this soreness, I’d have to play a few times a week until I got accustomed to it. And that would just kill my body/joints.
So, on one hand I’m sad that I’m saying bye to playing competitively. But on the other hand, I’m ok with it. I mean, I’ve played more basketball in my life than most people would play in four lifetimes.
Making a Comeback?
Who knows, maybe I’ll miss it so much that I’ll make a Michael Jordan type of comeback. ”Retire” again. Then make another comeback. But I doubt it. I think for now on, all of my cardio is going to be the low-impact kind. Just like I preach to my clients that are 35 years old or older. I can still do battling ropes, use the prowler, do some barbell complexes, etc. etc.
If I do make a comeback, you’ll have to come back to this blog to find out. Because I’m pretty sure ESPN won’t be covering it. Although I wonder if I can get ESPN 8 The “Ocho” to air it?!? 
Do you know what movie this is from?
Ok, I guess this it, the time to say goodbye has arrived… Goodbye basketball. Thanks for all that you’ve given me. You’ve changed my life. Thank you and I love you.
True Love
Have any of you made the tough decision to “retire” from a physical activity you love that was beating up your body? If so, how tough was it and did you stay with it? Please, let me know…
Demanding Great Execution vs. Over-Coaching … a Fine Line!
April 24, 2012 by danny · 3 Comments
Lee Taft is a very smart strength coach/movement coach/speed coach (whatever you want to call him). Anyway, I was reading one of his articles earlier today, and really liked this part of his article:
“Always remember the brain is programming the patterns. If they are sloppy that is how they will be programmed in the brain. Demand great execution.”
This is great advice! If you work with clients in the weight room, or athletes on the field/court/ice, keep in mind that the brain will remember poor movement patterns. So, do not let your clients/athletes get sloppy with their form. Once that poor movement pattern is repeated, it will be much more difficult for them to get it right later on. Be strict from the get-go so you set up for future success once you get more advanced down the line (i.e. add more weight to the bar in the weight room, or increase the speed of a drill on the playing field).
If you're training this guy, NEVER let him perform another rep like this again!
However…
If you “over-nitpick,” the client/athlete can get really frustrated that they are not “getting it.” So there is a fine line between demanding great execution and over-coaching. Knowing your client/athlete’s mental make-up is important. You can’t always treat everyone the same way. Some will respond really well even if they are getting frustrated that are having a hard time learning the new skill. They may have the attitude of, “BRING IT! I’m GOING to this. Let me try again!”
While others may need some extra positive reinforcement and encouragement or they’ll start to tune you out and get so frustrated that nothing gets accomplished during the training session or practice.
Having a bunch of regressions and progressions in your arsenal can be very helpful.
As a trainer/coach… some of this can be learned in a book. Some of it can only be learned “in the trenches.” This is why internet coaches/trainers that don’t work with people in person will always be a step behind coaches/trainers that have experience working with people right there in front of their face.
If you are a trainer or a coach, do you treat everyone the same? Or do you make modifications based on the individual that you are working with? Discuss below…
Setting Up For Success – A Lesson From My Wife
April 9, 2012 by danny · Leave a Comment
A little background: My wife has been joining her good friend Amy during her training sessions (I train Amy a couple times a week). My wife (Shondra) is looking to drop a few pounds of baby weight (twin weight) and has been doing a great job since joining Amy.
Shondra before the babies were born.
She is down 10 pounds and on a roll! Hooray for Shondra! Ok, so now that you know about her recent success, where does her “lesson” come into play?
Here it is: About 10 days ago, I was on the computer writing up some training programs and Shondra plops this BIG bag full of Easter candy on my desk. She said, “Hide this from me! I’ve already eating a couple pieces and if you don’t hide it, I’m not going to stop.” So I hid it. Had she not been honest with herself, who knows how many pieces of candy she would have eaten between that day and Easter Sunday.?.
This situation is just a subtle reminder of the importance of setting yourself up for success! Most people gain weight during a holiday, especially one filled with so much candy/junk food! But she took a proactive approach and continued to lose!
Whether we’re talking business, improved performance for a sport, muscle gain, fat loss, school work, or WHATEVER, make sure you are setting up for success. A few more examples in the field of fitness…
-If you’re the type of person that ends up binging at lunch when you miss breakfast, make sure to set your food out on the counter (i.e. oatmeal and protein powder) before you head to bed so that when you wake up and head to the kitchen it’s there calling your name.
-If due to your crazy schedule, the only time you have to get a workout in is first thing in the morning before work, lay your workout clothes and shoes by the foot of your bed before you turn in for the night so that it is ready to go when your alarm clock sounds.
-Put a picture of your ideal physique by the mirror in your bathroom. If you are feeling unmotivated and are starting to lean towards NOT getting in your training session for the day, this picture will remind you of what you really want. And you WILL do what you have to do to make this happen.
These are just a few examples off the top of my head. If you have any good ideas that have been working for you, please share them in the comments section below for others to see.
Have a great week!
My Chest Specialization Program
April 2, 2012 by danny · Leave a Comment
When you focus on bringing up a body part (or two), you’re dealing with a different animal. If you try to keep the same volume/intensity for the rest of your body, it’s just not going to work – something has to give! While on a specialization program, the goal for your rest of your body is maintenance.
In other words, while I’m trying to improve my chest (specifically my upper chest) with this program, I know that my biceps or quads are not going to be making great improvements in strength and/or size. So I am simply trying to maintain the non-chest areas.
IF I did try to also make considerable improvements to my biceps + quads + shoulders (for example) while on a chest specialization program, it would be pretty much impossible to maximize chest development. Think of it like learning a new language: if my goal was to try to speak Spanish as fluently as possible before heading over to Spain in 30 days (wouldn’t that be nice!), it wouldn’t make sense to ALSO take a German and isiZulu (a language in South Africa) class at the same time. Doing so would slow me down in regards to becoming as fluent as possible in Spanish in a short period of time. Same thing with my (and your) body: try to bring up too many body parts at once, and none of them will improve much at all. Now, there are some caveats to this whole “body part specialization” thing, and I’ll include them in the “notes” section below.
There Are Many Ways To Skin A Cat
When embarking on a specialization program, most people up the frequency of said body part. In other words, if you usually hit your back one or two times per week, you may increase that to 3 times per week (or potentially more if you set it up properly with smart progressions built in). Ask most experienced people, and they’ll tell you that high frequency training for an area that you are trying to bring up is the way to go. Now, once you’ve determined the frequency, you can go about the program design in a number of ways…
-Body part split where you work that body part on it’s own (i.e. chest 3 times per week) and then have a separate day where you work all of the non-chest parts of your body together (again, just to maintain those areas).
-Full body training where you work the entire body at each training session, but you make sure to have a bigger focus on the body part that you are trying to bring up.
An upper/lower split where you really hammer the area that you are trying improve on upper body day (if it is an upper body part that you are attacking). And then on the lower body days, you decrease the volume to make sure you are keeping yourself pretty fresh when it’s time to hit the intended body part again. An example of this would be: if you usually do about 20 sets for your legs, you may reduce your overall sets to 12 while trying to bring up another area.
Those are just a few examples. If you are really creative you can come up with other ways to set up a specialization program. For example, here is mine…
Body part: Chest
Number of times I’m working the chest per week: 3
The Rest of the body: I’m hitting one or two other body parts on the same day that I am hitting chest.
The volume of the other body parts on these “chest days” is low so as not to interfere with my main intent.
My Program
Here’s an overview of what it looks like…
Day 1 – Chest (Back + Biceps)
This day consists of 3 chest exercises, 1 back exercise and 1 bicep exercise.
Day 2 – Chest (Legs)
This day consists of 3 chest exercise, 1 quad dominate exercise (2 sets of bulgarian split squats), and 2 hip dominant exercises (3 sets of TRX Leg Curls, and 1 set of high rep hip thrusts).
Day 3 – Chest (Triceps)
This day consists of 5 chest exercises (a couple chest supersets today, which is why it seems like there are so many chest exercises), and 1 tricep exercise.
Throughout these 3 days, I also have some ab work mixed in, as well as more “scapular retraction” exercises in the program. Exercises like “Supine Band No Money.”
This is to help ensure that I stay mostly balanced in my upper body pushing/pulling – so I can maintain good posture/shoulder health.
Notes
-When performing a higher frequency specialization program, make sure to ease into it on week 1 of the program (especially the first day of the new program). If you don’t, you’ll be too sore to get a good lift in for that same body part a couple days later.
-No, I am NOT “that guy.” You know, that guy that only does chest and/or biceps when taking on a specialization program. I’ve spent MANY hours squatting, deadlifting, performing chin-ups, bulgarian split squats, rows, etc. etc. So don’t judge me!
-Make sure you are consuming ample calories when trying to bring up a body part. It would be very difficult to get my chest to grow at all if my eating resembled that of a lst grader.
-If you are newer to training and haven’t put in YEARS of hard work, don’t worry about specializing any particular areas yet. Your “newbie” gains will allow you to improve all over your body. Save the specialization stuff for the time you “hit a wall,” in a few years from now.
-I must reiterate, training/eating should have a clear focus. For example – if you are trying to drop a considerable amount of weight, your training/nutrition should reflect that. In this case it would NOT be smart to say; “I’m hoping to lose 20 pounds by summer while bringing up my chest and shoulders.” Pick ONE MAIN GOAL, and attack that goal with everything you have.
-Girls can specialize too. Getting better glutes and shoulders for example, can go a LONG way in making your body look sexier. I mention this because I know *some* females think fat loss, fat loss, fat loss (cardio, cardio, cardio) 24/7/365.
-I chose to condense the rest of my training into the 3 chest days because of my schedule… raising the twins + all the basketball lessons + training sessions + the on-line writing & social media obligations, and I’m swamped! But if I had a little more time right now, I probably would have gone with 3 chest days + 1 “rest of the body,” day.
With beach season right around the corner I thought it only made sense to pick a “beach muscle” to hit extra hard right now!
Grow chest, grow!
Wish me luck!
If you have any comments, questions, or thoughts, let me hear them in the comments section below.
You can connect with me on twitter @DannyMcLarty
