Reality to the Core

As I walk around the gym day in and day out I too often see people hoarding the crunch machines. More often than not the average gym-goer walks through the door, scans his/her id, heads up the stairs for 30 minutes or so on the elliptical, and finally beelines straight to the abdominal circuit on the machines downstairs. Even the more “advanced” members spend the last 20 minutes of every workout performing crunches in a myriad of different positions, assuming that the change of the leg height will put more emphasis on the obliques.Why do people insist on doing so many crunches? To get a six pack of course, because that is how it’s done. Well, not really. If you don’t get rid of the fat on top of those muscles, then they will never be seen, and no girl will ever love you. Seriously though, the abdominals are there and will be seen as long as you take care of your nutrition and get to work burning some fat.Crunches super-setted with crunches will not magically make you beach ready. Not to mention there is no functional carryover with crunches, so why not do some work that will help the rest of your body?

Before we get into specific exercises and ways to train, let’s explore the core and how it works. Most people focus on abdominals, but in reality, this is only one component of the core. In my opinion, the “core” is not just the trunk muscles, but also all of the muscles that stabilize the center of the body during movement. This would include the muscles of the shoulder girdle, the hip, and also those of the trunk. In addition to the more well known muscles, the trunk also includes some lesser known deep stabilizers. These muscles include the miltifidus and transverse abdominis. For a long period of time it was thought that the function of the core was to flex and extend the spine. However, an increasing body of evidence suggests that the actual function of these muscles is to stabilize the spine (lumbar specifically) and prevent movements such as flexion and extension. There is also a need for force transfer from the lower body to the upper extremities during movement, whether it is sports or just someone standing up from a chair. So instead of training for flexion and extension, training should be done to improve stability in multiple planes.

Now that we know what the purpose of these muscles is and what we need to improve, we can look at exercise selection. When selecting exercises, keep in mind that the body moves in multiple planes, so we must train each plane of movement. Additionally, keep in mind that we are including the shoulder girdle and hips into this equation. Now to the exercises. Over the past couple of years I have picked up on some great exercises from great names around the training world and implemented them into my own programming. I have also modified a few and have been experimenting with some of my own. Below are some exercises to try out and implement into your own training:

Plank
Birddog
Plank With Knee Drive
Waiter Walk
Half-Kneeling Cable Chop
Chance Press
Cable Rotational

Just like any other part of a program design, we must remember that there has to be a specific progression. We can’t just start with the most explosive core exercise without developing a stable spine and strong base. A progression would start with exercises that involve little, if any, movement (such as planks or birddogs) and moving into more dynamic efforts where movement around the core is present, and finally evolving to explosive-type exercises where force transfer through the core is maximally utilized. The first stage of training is going to improve neuromuscular efficiency (making sure the core muscles are being activated) as well as spinal stability. As you progress, the stability of the core is going to be challenged during movement, such as with plank walk-ups, cable chops, etc. With explosive movements such as medicine ball slams, throws, or wood chops, the core is not only stabilizing the spine and center of the body, but it is also taking the force produced through the ground and transferring it up the body to the arms for maximal velocity of whichever movement you may be performing.

When adding these exercises into your workout, make sure you incorporate rotational stability as well as flexion and extension-based stability (remember, multiple planes of motion). Work up to 30 seconds on the holds and to rep ranges of 8-15 on the movement-based exercises, while completing 3-4 sets per exercise. With improvement in core stability there will also be improvement in many other lifts such as squats, deadlifts, bench and so on. As an athlete, core stability is very important for performance, as every movement on the field or court must transfer force through the core. For the weekend warrior or your average gym buff, improved core stability will help with daily life, from movement to alleviation of joint pain. Also, as we age, posture is the first thing to go, and this leads to numerous health issues. Creating a strong core and a stable spine will help prevent-or at least postpone-this degradation of posture, thus creating a healthier, more mobile life.

When it comes down to it, ditch the crunches, avoid the machines, and start adding in some core work that will benefit, not harm you. You will be amazed by the improvements in the rest of your life.

I am going a little off the charts tonight with this post but hang with me. I want to discuss a topic that I truly believe in after experiencing much of it throughout the past decade. The topic I am referring to is the Law of Attraction. For those who are not familiar with this term let me elaborate. The Law of Attraction is a theory that one's thoughts and feelings can influence the things that happen around that person. The belief is that thoughts have an energy, therefore that energy can attract other energies.

I promise I am not completely crazy, but I do feel that this holds some truth. I believe that if a person is always positive and truly thinks positively, then positive things will come that persons way, and in the opposite sense, negative thoughts will bring negative actions. I had heard about theories like this when I was younger and always saw them as bogus but after a number of years of life experience I have come to truly believe the way we think affects what happens to us. I relate this a lot to religion and "miracles." Within a church or religion there is a large number of people looking up to a higher power. If there is a problem and such a large number of people truly believe that this higher power will fix that problem, the positive energy from such a large group of thoughts brings along positive results, thus creating a miracle.

Another way to look at it is the saying "When it rains, it pours." A person has one bad thing happen to them, they start to feel and think negatively then another bad thing happens, then it builds and more bad happens. When it rains it pours. The energy from the negative thoughts brings negative actions.

To relate this to sports, think about a position player in baseball who makes an error. If he lets it get to him and starts thinking negatively, it's almost a guarantee that he will make another error if given the opportunity. In basketball, a shooter who misses a few shots may start having bad thoughts and the next thing you know he is 0-20. This is why they say a good athlete must have a terrible memory. Negative thoughts cannot come into play because they hold a greater power.

Basically, what I am saying is this: if something bad happens, you can't let it get to you. Continue to stay positive no matter what. Have a confidence about yourself and your surroundings. It also helps by surrounding yourself with positive people and positive things. If your best friend is Debbie Downer, you will probably be seeing a lot of negative things happen and you may not reach your full potential. Stay positive, stay confident, and great things will come your way.

Strong Man Bootcamp

Today at the gym we had a little fun outside with a bootcamp. We tend to have one or two bootcamps every month but this was the first bootcamp that we were able to take everyone outside this year. The weather was amazing and we had a nice little group of guys show up to partake in the festivities. The bootcamp included three stations, one being med ball work, the other two made up of things such as tire flips, sledge swings, farmers walks, and sled pushes. Quite a challenging bootcamp and a fun one to run as well. Check out the videos below for some of the action and feel free to leave your comments on your bootcamp experiences, whether ones you have participated in or ones you have run.

After the bootcamp my training partner and I decided to have a little fun with the equipment outside as well. We completed our lift then went outside for a finishing circuit. The circuit included 3 rounds of 10 single arm tire flips with jumps, 10 med ball wall throws on each side, and a sled push with 5 plates. It was fun but a bitch.

Lift Heavy to Lose Weight

For years now people have claimed that the way to get big and "bulky" is to lift heavy weights, therefore a woman should not lift heavy but instead lift light weights many, many times. This is why so many women are scared to lift heavier weights for less reps. The issue here is that majority of women want a "toned" look. Well that "toneness" comes from muscle. You have to have muscle to have shape. And to build muscle, or even maintain muscle, you need to lift heavier weights to create a stimulus to the muscle. However, with a fear of getting manly, women usually won't do this. This is the thing though: there are two things that these women are missing that prevents them from getting "big". One being large amounts of testosterone and the second being a high calorie diet. Therefore, the larger muscle recruitment from lifting heavy weight will burn more calories as well as develop some shape and "tone", which is exactly what most women are looking for.

In the New York Times this week an article was published addressing just this. It explained what many of us strength coaches/trainers have been trying to preach over the past years, that lifting heavy weights will have better results than endless hours of cardio and pink dumbbells. Try doings sets of 6-8 reps with a challenging weight for a little while and see the changes that occur. Not only will body composition improve, but you will be a lot more functional for daily life, whether it be as a mother, a worker, or a weekend athlete.



Get away from the normal thoughts of female training and avoid the group fitness classes and get in a squat rack and move around some heavy weights. You won't get manly and big (unless you are taking something) but instead you will see some results you have been waiting for for years.


Juliet Deane...she is a powerlifter, who lifts heavy weights as you can see. She is not what I would call manly by any means.

Project 190 Results

This week wrapped up my self-project, Project 190. If you don't remember, the goals of this project were to get stronger in all aspects and increase my body weight to 190lbs. The project was a 12-week program, consisting of a 4-day lifting split. During the final two weeks I got a head cold and my appetite was hurt during that time. Needless to say, that pissed me off quite a bit. The end results were not where I had planned on being but I still made some nice gains. Overall, I gained about 5-6 pounds, 187.5 being the peak of my weight gain during the 12 weeks. I also gained a total of 5 inches and my body fat stayed just about the same (although I don't trust the Omeron hand held tester). My strength went up on all lifts and my test numbers are below:

Vertical: 30in. - no gain
Squat: 405lbs - up 20lbs
*Bench: 300lbs - no gain
Deadlift: 425lbs Sumo - didn't test before
3RM Pullup: +125lbs - up 45lbs

*Benching was up and down the whole time due to having a spot or not as well as the last two weeks being affected by the head cold.

Overall, I am pleased with the results and the program but far from satisfied. I am now onto a program by Eric Cressey called Maximum Strength. This is a 16-week program working towards developing strength. I have built my strength back up to where it was this time last year so now it is time to blow my old PR's out of the water. Gotta keep building and growing.

Stay Mental

Throughout my work as a trainer I have used various methods, new ideas, and old tricks to help people get in shape, whatever their goals may be. All of these are great but there is something way beyond any superset, circuit, or explosive training. What I am talking about is the number one determinant to success. It not only sets the pace for training and body transformation, it also creates a path for our life long endeavors in health. What could be so important? Mentality.

You can go into the gym and go through the motions all day, every day. But if your not focused, intense, and there with a purpose then you will not accomplish the things you're there for. I have seen it many times. Lady A comes to me, we sit down and determine her goals, how to get there, and what to do once we achieve that. We set a path and start on our journey. After a couple weeks, she is not excited about it anymore, work is getting busier, she doesn't care about the gym, and she shows up to her training sessions just because there is an appointment. She goes through the motions, breaks a sweat, gets tired, and then goes home to another day of normal life, with no attention to those goals we made that first day. Goals will never be reached this way and something has to be done. You can't get where you want to be if you don't have some passion and put some thought behind it.

When starting up in training, a new job, a new relationship, or whatever, you must have goals, plans, and actions. This is the mentality part I am talking about. It is not about just going to the gym. It's about purpose. It's about a mission. You are there for a reason...to get thin, to get sexy, to life 500lbs. That reason is the number one thing on your mind every time you step in that door.

What I want you to do is sit down and get a pad of paper and a pen. Write down the things you want to accomplish. Now write down sub-levels of those end products. Example: Lose 100lbs. would be your end result. So losing 10lbs a month might be a sub-goal. Now for each smaller goal, write down actions you can do to achieve those goals. For instance, avoiding fast food and soft drinks. Once you have these actions down, put them in play. Start keeping in mind these actions and goals every time you leave the house. Every training session should be motivated and purposeful. Every meal should be in line with your goals. Everything should help you get one step closer.

Mentality is the best tool you can have for training. Train intensely and with a passion. Surround yourself with people who can bring this out of you. Listen to some music that motivates you. Read books that keep you moving forward. Whatever it takes to keep you on line with your goal and moving at it with that insanity that will get you there. Stay focused and you WILL achieve.

The past couple days here in Louisville have been some great weather. It has been in the upper 60's and mostly sunny. This is great since we have been experiencing a lot of snow lately. Being that it was such nice weather I figured I would take a few clients outside today to do some training. Outdoor training is a great way to mix it up and avoid some of the boredom that can come from being enclosed in a gym all the time. The outside is also so versatile for training. Anything from bodyweight exercises to med balls to sleds to car pushes and so on and so on. It is such a great resource and clients and athletes will love it for the break of the normal routine.

Below is a couple videos of a client of mine, J-Wow. She has been working with me for about 4 months now and has shown some great strength gains. We went through a circuit of med ball slams to side throws, walking overhead lunges, sledge hammer swings, and stairs. Check it out...

Arnold 2010

This weekend was the annual Arnold Classic and my second trip to the event. I brought some rookies to the event to share the greatness I experienced last year. We also went two days this year instead of just one. From arrival on it was just as great as I remembered it. Tons of free stuff, huge guys, and in-shape females. Talked to a couple vendors about their products, watched the Strong Man competition and deadlift competition, met some pros, and just took in the atmosphere. It's a great feeling to know that you are surrounded by like minded people loving every second of the gym consumed atmosphere.

Outside of the Arnold, my buddies and I made a 3 mile trek to go eat at Thurman's (home of the Thurmanator). We got there and realized there were 50 names on the list before us and after waiting about 2 hours with hardly any progress we decided that it was not worth a 4 hour wait. As much as I wanted to take a stab at the Thurmanator, I didn't want to wait 4 hours (especially being how hungry I was) and I wanted to catch some more of the Classic.

We finished up our visit to the Classic with the deadlift competition. Big weights being lifted...can't get much better than that. All I know is, I am ready for next year!

Brian Shaw...just 6'8 400lbs.

Jamie Eason...I love her

StrongMan Competition

These guys took this booth so seriously...pay to pose with these girls...they think your huge haha

Performance Enhancement

The world of athletics is always looking for ways to improve performance and training. As I was perusing some blogs tonight I came across a mention of some new mouth-wear claiming to improve performance so I thought I would dig deeper to find out exactly what it was. Under Armour is releasing a mouth guard that is supposed to improve balance, endurance, and overall sports performance. Check out this video describing the equipment. I am excited to see more on this and maybe some research to back it.

Need Advice?

The other day I was in the gym getting my lift in and guy approaches me. It went a little something like this:

Guy: Hey man.
Me: What's up?
Guy: Are the press machines any good?
Me: (confused look on my face as he was doing a leg workout)
Guy: The leg press machines...are they any good? I have done squats, leg extensions, and stiff legs. I was wondering if I should do those as well.
Me: Well the leg presses are ok...however, you have done all bilateral lifts meaning you are using both legs together to lift the weight. You need to incorporate some unilateral work, you know, lunges or step-ups or something of that nature.
Guy: So the leg presses aren't that good?
Me: They are ok, not the best, but you need to work some unilateral movements.
Guy: Leg Curls! Yeah, I'll go do some leg curls!
Me: Yeah, that's exactly my thought....

Here's the thing...if you are going to ask someone for advice, actually listen to what they have to say. If you are asking for advice, you are acknowledging that the person is knowledgeable about that topic. So why ask for advice and then do the exact opposite of what the person tells you. I think that getting advice from a professional is a great way to better your knowledge and your time in the gym. Just a few simple tips here and there can take you to whole new levels in your training. Don't be too proud to ask for advice in the gym. Find a trainer or someone you respect and ask them the questions you have. Have them check your form. I am a trainer and have been lifting almost a decade and I still ask for advice and form checks. I am constantly contacting different people to give me a few tips or see what their thoughts are on this or that.

I encourage you to ask for advice, take in that advice, and try it out. You never know what kind of gold mine you may find. Don't ask me why your shoulder hurts and what to do about it and then when I tell you to stop pressing for a couple weeks and work on strengthening your back tell me you are just going to stop lifting all together. That is not taking my advice, even though you will blame me when that break from lifting makes you weaker and your shoulder pain comes back immediately. Take advice and use it to make yourself better.