Picks of the Week – 8/17/15

Our lifts aren’t going to look perfect all of the time.  There’s no way around it.  Being able to realize when something needs to be corrected is a big part of getting better though.  I was a bit hesitant to show this video because it’s a bit cringe-worthy, but I wanted to highlight a couple things I was doing wrong so other people could learn from it..

First of all, the platform was too high.  Because I couldn’t get into a good starting position, I should have reduced the deficit.  I also need to focus on keeping my chest up, weight back, and setting my lats.  A good cue that helps me set my lats is trying to put my shoulder blades in my back pockets.  This will help me prevent my shoulders from rounding and maintain more of a neutral spine.  We’ll see if I can transfer these corrections to my deficit work this week.

12 Ways to Know if You Should Include an Exercise in a Strength Training Program via Eric Cressey

Exercise selection is arguably the most important variable to consider when constructing a strength training program.  The points posed in this article will help you understand whether or not an exercise is appropriate for your clients’ or your own goals.  Everything that’s included should be for a specific reason.

The Best Answers to Your Clients’ Top 10 Nutrition Questions via Precision Nutrition

Beginning a new nutritional program can be overwhelming if you aim to make a complete overhaul.  If you’ve ever wondered where to begin, if you should count calories, or if Paleo is the answer to your weight management goals, I highly recommend checking out this article.

Strength Training Program Design: The Definitive Guide via Syatt Fitness

If you write your own programs or even use ones that you find online, this post is a great tool to help you audit your routine and ensure you’re setting yourself up for success.  Jordan covers everything from assessments, to exercise selection, training frequency, and different types of splits.

List of Lower Body Progressions via Bret Contreras

Progression and regression (and lateralization) are paramount to being able to coach a client through basic movement patters like the hip hinge, squat, and glute bridge.  This guide is a great reference for new trainers and anyone struggling with a certain movement in their programs.

Why Working Out Causes Weight Gain via Precision Nutrition

Do you ever feel the need to reward yourself with an unhealthy treat after a hard workout?  I’m not adamantly against it, but it could be a part of why your efforts have stalled.  Believe it or not, our mentality when working out can have a huge impact on our desire to indulge afterwards.  Thinking of it as a chore can yield vastly different results than going in with a positive mindset.

Have a great week!

Picks of the Week – 8/9/15

This past week I’ve been battling a minor sprain in my toe and I’ve actually been using it to my advantage in my training. While I recommended not training through injuries in my previous article, I also mentioned that there’s a smart way to train around them.  Because your weight should be kept back when squatting and deadlifting, I’ve been using my toe as a form of biofeedback to remind me to position my center of gravity properly.  Below is a clip from my training this past week.

Block Pulls 8/6/15

Avoiding Cardio Could Be Holding You Back via Strengtheory

Cardio can be a very useful tool to add to your training, even if you’re someone who trains for strength gain exclusively.  The old adage that cardio kills all your gains simply isn’t true, if you use it in the correct way.  Aside from the obvious benefits like improved cardiovascular health and conditioning, cardio can help your recover from your lifts more quickly in between sets and in between workouts.  This article is the single-handed reason that I’ve added cardio to my training.

Get Uncomfortable to Succeed via Allostatic Athletics

This piece discusses how one must get outside of their comfort zone in order to truly learn and succeed. With familiarity comes complacency and diminished growth. One must challenge themself in order to move forward in life and become better at whatever they choose to pursue.

Lifting Career Mirroring a Relationship via Eric Dawson

Eric discusses the parallels between a personal relationship and a lifting career and delves into the various stages that one will go through as he relates it directly to his journey to becoming a strongman competitor.  There will be ups and downs just like in a relationship with a significant other, but it’s moving through those dips that makes you stronger as a couple.

Training to Muscle Failure: 5 Hacks for Serious Lifters via Syatt Fitness

Taking a set to failure has been a highly debated topic in the fitness community for a long time.  Some say that it’s the most significant way to achieve strength and hypertrophy gains, while others say that it will lead to burn out and injury.  Training to failure can have its place in a program, and Jordan breaks down when and how to incorporate it based on your training goals and experience.

3 Bang-For-Your-Buck Mobility Exercises for Bigger Lifts via Mobility 101

Warm ups are an extremely important part of your training program for many reasons, but they should be efficient and specific to your workout.  Taking too much time on your warm up will cut into your training time and eat away at your performance.  This article discusses efficiency and specificity in more detail and offers catch-all examples that you can use to help mobilize your entire body before a training session.

Have a great week!

Picks of the Week – 7/26/15

This week’s recommended reading is heavy on hip hinge technique (a staple for proper squats and deadlifts) and efficiently managing dieting efforts.

10 Deload Week Mistakes That Are Hurting Your Recovery via Bonvec Strength

Deloads are a reduction in training volume, frequency, and/or intensity that are designed to allow you to recover efficiently while maintaining a training stimulus.  Tony goes over ten things to consider when implementing a deload.

This is What Flexible Dieting Actually Looks Like via Sohee Fit

If I haven’t mentioned it already, I’m a strong advocate for flexible dieting.  I believe it’s the best way to achieve weight loss without losing your mind.  There are no restrictions on what you can eat and it’s a sustainable way of eating for the long-term.  In that regard, it technically isn’t a diet (in my mind, the word “diet” implicates something temporary).  This is a great article that covers the basics of flexible dieting and debunks some associated stereotypes.

7 Big Rocks of Fat Loss via Bryan Krahn

There are literally hundreds of things you can do to lose weight, but should you be doing all of them?  This article puts things into perspective and highlights some of the bigger things that you should be focusing on in your dieting efforts.  Eliminate the noise and focus on what matters most before worrying about the minutia.

Expert Shows Exercises for Training the Hip Hinge via PTDC, Dean Somerset

The hip hinge is a very important movement to master if you want to be good at squatting or deadlifting, but it’s not the easiest of movements.  Many people tend to initiate the hinge by going into spinal flexion while they should be sitting back with their hips and maintaining a neutral spine.  This article covers a basic progression for teaching/learning the hip hinge and provides numerous video examples.

Stronger in 60 Seconds: Increase Your Deadlift via Adam Pine

The previous article is a great segue into this one.  In this post, Adam gives some quick tips on how to properly set up for the deadlift and build tension in your hamstrings through a proper hip hinge.  Many of these tips have had a big effect on my own technique.

Have a great week!