The Coaches That Have Influenced Me The Most
August 2, 2010 by danny · 4 Comments
Then one day at Gold’s there was a flyer that was put up at the front desk. It said something like, “Cy Willson will be holding a seminar, talking about nutrition and supplementation.” I couldn’t wait to attend, as Cy had a reputation around the gym as a very smart guy. Plus, I could now get some of my questions answered, and most likely confirmed (so I thought). I pulled up a chair to listen to Cy speak. I couldn’t wait to learn a few new things, and again, confirm that my training and nutrition “plan” was pretty much on the money. By the end of the seminar, my head was spinning, and I realized that I didn’t know sh*t about sh*t! I learned a bunch of new words, like whey and casein, heard about nutrient timing for the first time, and listened to Cy dispel a bunch of myths that I didn’t even know were myths. When I walked out the door of the room the seminar was being held in, I was very frustrated, and a little embarrassed that I ever offered even a single bit of training and nutrition advice to the people that had asked me for help over the years.
At the time, Cy was writing for a website called testosterone magazine. In the seminar, he told us that we could all become experts if we started to follow it and to soak in as much of that information as possible. So I got home, hopped on the computer, and started to read some of the articles. I read articles by John Berardi, Cy, Ian King, and Charles Poliquin. And I had no idea what they were talking about. Wait, what is this “hypertrophy” word they keep bringing up? And are hormones like insulin and testosterone really that important? According to these experts, it seems like they are. But why? I just don’t get it. I started to think, maybe this whole personal training thing just isn’t for me. After all, the only reason I ever got better than D’s and F’s in school, was so that I could stay eligible for basketball. Everyone knew school and studying wasn’t really important to me. I’d much rather be lifting weights, playing basketball, or going to the beach. But I knew lifting/working out would be a big part of my life for a long time. I loved it. And I couldn’t go to the gym and “not really know what I was doing.” So I decided to buckle down and really try to learn from these people at that website. I went up to Cy at the gym and asked him if he’d meet me so I could ask him some
nutrition questions. He was very nice and said, “sure, no problem.” So I headed back to testosterone magazine and spent hours reading his articles, as well as articles by the other authors. I took a bunch of notes and was going to be prepared for the day when Cy and I were to meet.
I still remember, I had a list of 18 questions put together for him. I thought to myself, “if I can just get Cy to help me understand these questions, I will basically have this whole nutrition thing down.” And let me tell you, these questions weren’t the most advanced questions by any means. The average question looked something like this; “in one article, it says that beef is good for you, but in John Berardi’s article, he says that we should avoid burgers. What’s the deal?” Cy said something like, “John is probably referring to greasy burgers, like the ones you find at McDonald’s. If you eat a lean cut of beef, it is good for you. Especially if it is grass fed.” I was like, “great, I can check that off of my list. Only 17 questions left and I will know all I ever need to know!” Anyway, as I got deeper into the field, I found out that the more I learned, the more I realized I didn’t know. It was about at this time, that I became obsessed with learning as much as I could. So much so that I quit teaching and started training full time. My dad was shocked. For him (back in middle and high school), trying to get me to turn off ESPN in order to get me to study, was like pulling teeth. And now, I was spending more time with my face in the books than ever before… and then some.
My journey as performance coach, personal trainer, strength coach (whatever you want to call me) began with Cy Willson, and it continues today. Below, are the people that have influenced me the most. They are grouped in chronological order. The first group is the first wave of experts that I learned from early on. As you move down the page, you’ll see the next wave of people that I learned from, all the way down to the most recent coaches. Just because Charles Poliquin (for example) is in the first group, it doesn’t mean that I don’t still learn from him. He is listed in the first group only because that is the time when I first started reading his work.
Cy Willson – you heard about Cy above. Even know that I’ve thanked him for helping me learn in my early days as a trainer, I don’t think he knows how thankful I truly am for all of his help. Besides attending two of his seminars at Gold’s, and that time that he met up with me to help answer those 18 questions, he also responded to every one of the countless e-mails that I sent him over the years. I’m VERY appreciative of this!!!
Dr. John Berardi – before Dr. Berardi had ever written a book, or was in position to influence hundreds of thousands of people, like Cy, he was answering many of the e-mails that I sent him back in the day. Cy and John really are the two that got the fire burning for me.
Ian King - Ian and Charles Poliquin were the two that first got me interested in learning all I could about weight training.
Charles Poliquin - See Ian King above.
Moving on a little later in time, to the next group of trainers that have had a huge influence on all I’ve learned over the years..
Eric Cressey – Like Dr. Berardi and Cy Willson above, Eric was very generous with helping me out early on. I definitely still learn a ton from EC today!
Joel Marion - I first read Eric and Joel’s work in the old “Ruggedmag.com” website. It is no longer a ’site, but like t-nation, I looked forward to the articles they would publish each month.
Mike Robertson – Mike did a lot of his early t-nation writing along with Eric, and I learned, and still learned a ton from him.
Dave Tate – I bought the “Westside Seminar Video” many years ago, and it exposed me to powerlifting. I belive Eric Cressey referred me to this DVD set after I e-mailed him asking him where I should go to learn more about training a powerlifter that just hired me. She went on to set many personal records and it felt great helping her out!
Christian Thibaudeau – When I first read Christian’s work I loved it. He offered info and experience from the Olympic Lifting side of things, as well as a lot of great bodybuilding info.
Chad Waterbury - While I don’t agree 100% with everything Chad has written over the years, he has made me think and I definitely incorporate some of his methodology when writing client’s programs (and my own programs).
David Barr
Mike Boyle - Anyone that cares about getting better in this field has learned a thing or 257 from Coach Boyle.
Alwyn Cosgrove - Has influenced many.
Jason Ferruggia
Dr. Clay Hyght -Dr. Clay moved to Cali. a few years ago. We started working together and became friends. As you can see, I have a large number of people listed as those who have influenced me, so I obviously don’t prescribe to only one person’s training methods. But if I was maybe starting to lean a little too far to the “train movements, not muscles” side, Clay bitch slapped me back in line. While I don’t think that strictly training movements is wrong, it’s not completely right either. To me, it is about when to bring out which tool for the client. That may be using O lifts at certain times. It may mean using a powerlifting type of template, or it may mean using “bodybuilding” training at certain times. The answers always seem to be somewhere in the middle (in any aspect of life). Which is why I wrote this article sometime back… “Change it Up and Stay Motivated”
John Romaniello – I believe John was among those that were writing for ruggedmag years ago. I remember liking his work, and then didn’t hear anything from him for quite some time. Well, he’s back with a vengeance. Over the last year he has published many article and come out with a book.
Mike Roussell …
Jimmy Smith …
Nick Tumminello - Since the first NT article I read, I can’t get enough of Nick’s work. He is very smart and does a great job of clearly communicating his knowledge!
Brian St. Pierre - Great nutrition info. He gives logical reasoning for all of his opinions and never seems to go too far to one extreme or the other.
Lyle McDonald
Tony Gentilcore - I love Tony’s writing. Very informative, and very entertaining!
Gray Cook …
Mak Young…
Alan Aragon…
Bret Contreras - Bret is a going to be a name that we’ll be hearing about for years to come. And I have a feeling he’ll be on the short list of many trainers, as one of their biggest influences. If you want to build a nice booty, get to know Bret’s work.
If I had to pick just 3 or 4 from each “era” that have have influenced me the most, here’s the All-Star line-up
Danny’s “Golden Era”
Cy Willson
Dr. John Berardi
Ian King
Charles Poliquin
The First “Next Era”
Eric Cressey
Mike Robertson
Christian Thibaudeau
The, I Can’t Think of a Cleaver Name, Era
Mike Boyle
Alwyn Cosgrove
Dr. Clay Hyght
Jason Ferruggia
My Newest Breed of Influences
Tony Gentilcore
Bret Contreras
Nick Tumminello
Brian St. Pierre
I wonder what my list will look like in 2020. Thanks to everyone that has helped me over the years! I try to give as much back as I can to youngsters looking to get in the field, and/or people that are simply looking to improve their health and physique. And with the help from the people in the list above, I am now better equipped to answer the question, “bro, like what I gotta do to get some huge pecks dawg?”
My Current Training Program: Part II
June 24, 2010 by danny · Leave a Comment
Ok, I’m back to finish showing you what my current training program looks like. If you recall from Part I, my main goal right now is to be lean and muscular – since we have entered “beach season.” A side goal is to maintain my strength and size while stripping away a bit of fat. Since I am not eating a ton of extra calories, I am not looking to add a bunch of muscle or bring up lagging body parts. That will be saved for the non-summer months. Here is a recent photo taken of me…
Beware of my two vicious dogs. If you even think about breaking into my house, they will rip your head off. Without further adieu, here is day 3 and 4;
Training Program
Day 3 (This day falls on a Thursday)
A1) Neutral Grip Pull-ups - 3 X 1, 1 X 5 ***
A1) Decline DB Chest Press – 3 X 1, 1 X 7 ***
B1) Rope Pushdowns, Close-Grip Push-ups – 3 X 10 on the pushdowns, and then after the last set of pushdowns, I go right into 1 set of as many reps as possible of close-grip push-ups
B2) Farmer’s Walks – 1 X 50 seconds, 1 X 40 seconds, and 1 X 30 seconds
B3) Face Down (on an incline) reverse flyes (angle of bench set @ about 60 degrees) 3 X 10
Notes*** I do 4 sets of 3 on weeks 2 & 3 for the pull-ups (so, 4 X 3 and 1 X 5). And then on week 4 I go back to the same volume as in week one. I do 4 sets of 5 on the decline press on weeks 2 & 3 (so 4 X 5, 1 X 7) and then on week 4 I go back to the same volume as in week one.
Day 4 (falls on a Saturday)
A1) “Quad” Complex – Barbell Jump Squats X 10, followed immediately by 10 Squats, and finished up with a deep squat holds for as long as possible. I performed 2 sets on week 1. If I could walk and had anything left in my quads I have the option to do 3 sets in weeks 2 & 3. Week 4, back to 2 sets no matter what. (video seen below)
A2) Fillers – anything that is a low level activation drill and/or some extra mobility work (basically to stay productive instead of just sitting there on my butt waiting for the next set to begin).
B1) 1-Leg Back Extensions – 3 X 7/Leg
B2) Lateral Pallof Press – 3 X 5 reps with a 3 second hold on each rep (holding above head)
C) BB Glute Bridge – 2 X 12-15
Wrap Up
So there you have it, my 4-day upper/lower split. I have a higher volume light(er) upper and lower day, and a low(er) volume, heavier day for both the upper and lower body. My cardio is done 1 or 2 days per week. I either do 400 meter “sprints” (soooooo hard) or hill sprints. And most important of all to achieving my goal, is nutrition. If you are having a hard time reaching your physique goal(s), here is a great place to start nutrition-wise. If you are stuck in a rut and need some assistance designing the most effective program for your goals, check out my services page. I’d love to help you reach your goals!
My 10-Minute Vent
April 15, 2010 by danny · Leave a Comment
I’ve got an extra 10-minutes here, and I feel like getting a few things off my chest. And I thank you for being here when I need you most. I love you all. Well, except you Randy. I’m still mad at you for putting that that “kick me” sign on my butt at the school assembly in 7th grade. All the girls laughed at me and it still keeps me up at night. Damn you Randy! Everyone else, thanks for the love, and for listening…
Lucky Charms, Trix, etc. etc. etc. etc.
It ticks me off that there are so many commercials (everywhere in the media, really) that push a food as a health food, when it is far from it. Obesity is a huge problem in our country, and this deceit is not helping. For example, cereals that get the “Whole Grain Guaranteed” seal of approval from General Mills. The majority of these cereals are nothing more than sugar in a box with low fiber and a list of ingredients that I wouldn’t want me worst enemy to eat (except for you Randy. Man you’re an a-hole!). Part of the problem? The consumer needs to be more savvy. And I’m here to help “savvy you up.” So, if your cereal (or basically any food), has a bunch of carbs, very little fiber, and sugar is one of the first ingredients in the ingredients list, then it is NOT healthy.
Don’t get me wrong, I get my cheat on from time to time. But at least I know when I am cheating and when I’m being a good boy. And that is the message here; educate yourself so you know good from bad. Then, you can make adjustments in your food plan to get to your goals. For a good place to start as far as educating yourself, check this out. End vent.
Finishing on a positive note; the sun is out and I’m about to give a basketball lesson before heading to the gym to train clients for the day. Plus, the Cubs have won 2 in a row, the Bulls are in the playoffs, and the Bears haven’t lost in 2010. Life is good. Good bye.
Recipe of the Week
February 27, 2010 by danny · Leave a Comment
I’ve got a great recipe for you this week. In a previous post, I mentioned a great cookbook for the health minded individual. As a reminder, the book is called Gourmet Nutrition. My wife and I make 1-2 delicious recipes from this book every week. Lately, I’ve been going to town on “Baked Chicken Strips.” I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to eat “regular” chicken again. Seriously, I’m lovin’ this recipe. It tastes like you are cheating, but you’re not. It’s healthy, and that good!
Baked Chicken Strips
Ingredients
- Boneles skinless chicken breast (cut into 1/2 inch strips, 170 g) 6 oz -Salt 2 pinches -Pepper 1 pinch -Paprika 1 pinch -Omega-3 egg 1 -Water 2 tbsp -Coarse whole wheat breadcrumbs 1/4 cup -Grated coconut 1/4 cup -Olive oil cooking spray ******I’ve actually found that spreading the cookie sheet with organic extra virgin coconut oil actually makes the recipe taste even better. Plus, coconut oil handles heat really well, and we now do the majority of our cooking with it.
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Season chicken evenly with salt, pepper and paprika. Add the egg and water to a mixing bowl, whisk together well and set aside. Mix the breadcrumbs and coconut together in a separate mixing bowl and set aside. Dip the chicken in the egg and toss until coated completely. Remove and allow excess to drip off for 1 or 2 seconds and then place directly into the breadcrumbs/coconut mixture. Roll until nicely coated. Lightly coat a cookie sheet with spray (or use the coconut oil that I mentioned above) and place the strips onto the tray and then into the oven. Bake until golden brown or cooked through (about 15 minutes). You can remove the largest strip and cut it in half to check doneness.
There you go, give “Baked Chicken Breasts” a try. Believe me, you won’t even notice that you are eating healthy. For more great recipes, I can’t say enough good things about Gourmet Nutrition!
Get HUGE, Ripped, Stronger, Smarter, Sexier, Mo’ Funny…
February 24, 2010 by danny · Leave a Comment
Us guys are such, well, guys. We want it all, and we want it yesterday! I want my wife to cook me 6 meals a day, bring me a beer when I get home from work, (not really, but maybe occasionally) let me watch the BIG game without getting any crap, and take the dogs out when it’s raining. *** I also want the Cubs to win the World Series, but who am I kidding! When it comes to our physique, we want to add 15 lbs of muscle while simultaneously lose 10 lbs of body fat. And while the 10lb reduction in body fat is happening, we want to increase our bench press by 25 lbs and add 2″ to our gunz!
As they say, try to accomplish everything, and you wind up accomplishing nothing. Want to add muscle? Well, you’re going to have to go on a hypercaloric (above maintenance) diet. Adding slabs of muscle is not easy. And if you are eating more calories than you are burning off, then it’s going to be difficult to get those abs to “pop.” Want to get ripped? Then it’s time to go on a hypocaloric (below maintenance) diet. It is more complex than simply, “calories in vs. calories out.” But in general, to add muscle or lose fat, the total amount of calories you eat plays a huge role. And you can’t be on a hypercaloric AND a hypocaloric diet at the same time. (although carb cycling helps…another post for another time. I’m such a tease!) 
I received 4 different e-mails over the last week asking what they needed to do to basically, “have it all.” Here is one of the e-mails; ”Danny, I’m looking to add quite a bit of muscle. Of course, with summer right around the corner, I also want to get as lean as possible. Also, do you have a program that you recommend for helping me add size to my pecs and traps?” To that I said, “No, I don’t have a good program that will help you accomplish all of that at once. But if you come up with one, let me know and I’ll be hiring you!”
Different scenarios…
1) I want to add 10 lbs (or whatever your number is) of muscle, and get “shredded bro.” More often than not, (genetic freaks aside) you’ll end up spinning your wheels, and end up maybe a touch bigger, and maybe a touch more lean. But not much noticeable difference.
2) I want to add some muscle, (pick your number; i.e. ~6-8 lbs) keep my body fat level about the same, but if I add just a touch of fat, I’m ok with that. Good, I’m starting to like this. The majority of your focus and effort will go towards adding some size. And as a secondary goal, you are going to try to keep your body fat levels in check. And if your 6-pack temporarily turns into a 4-pack, you’re ok with that. You can always diet down a bit just in time for beach season. In the end, you end up making progress with noticeable gains in muscle.
3) I want to get as lean as possible while not losing much, if any muscle. Once again, I like this. You can focus on your goal of getting leaner by adding a little extra cardio, reducing your carbs/calories, and using lifting to help maintain your muscle mass. In the end, you’re noticeably leaner. And, quite often, even if you don’t add any muscle, you look more muscular because now your waist is smaller, your “cuts” come out more, and every girl on the beach wants you. Life is good. 
4) All I care about is adding more muscle. If I end up turning my 6-pack into a keg in the process, no worries dawg! This is the old school way of doing things. It’s basically an out-dated practice - adding size at all cost - even if you end up adding a bunch of fat in the process. Believe it or not, I still prefer this over option #1 from above. At least all of your focus can be channeled in one direction. And in the end, you will have a bunch of added muscle. Even if your physique doesn’t look unreal at the moment, you can always diet it off later. With that said, I usually suggest option #2 from above. Adding a bunch of fat in the process is not as healthy.
The Exceptions
Before you say, “but I knew a guy who…” Let me tell you, we all know a guy who… lived to 115 and smoked for 89 years…a guy who drank 42 beers in one night… a guy who beat up Chuck Norris. Whoa, I’ve taken it too far, I don’t see that ever happening, let me stop. But seriously, the genetic freaks out there may be able to accomplish some amazing things. They are not the norm. The “newbie” may be able to simultaneously add a bunch of muscle, lose a bunch of fat, and get much stronger. But when you add anything new into your life, there is always room for a ton of improvement. Just like when I learned to count from 29 all the way up to 40 during the summer before 5th grade. 11 numbers higher, are you serious?!? (I’m very intelligent, a genetic brain freak, if you will) These days it is a major accomplishment for me to add one new digit every year. I mean, when you can count up to 2041, there’s only so much one can to accomplish.
Conclusion
Don’t try to become the stud of the universe in a single training block. Spend some time training to improve one aspect of your fitness, and work to maintain the rest. And don’t compare yourself to the 1% out there that simply think about lifting a weight, and add an inch to their biceps. If you can apply this to your overall fitness plan, (weights, cardio, eating, lifestyle) I’m confident that you’ll be able to break through a rut, and start to see some much improved results!
***I’m kidding Shondra, (wife) you are very good with everything that I said in the first paragraph. Can I please get a second serving of chicken tonight?!? You’re so pretty, and smart, and nice. Pretty please?
