10 Performance Training Tips

But not from me today. I found this great piece to share since I won't get a chance to write any new material today or Friday. (and Monday's post took a lot of time to write so this is an official cop out)

Carmen Bott's blog posts are always gems and this latest one is no exception. Her 10 tips should be the essentials of anyone's fitness lifestyle and I couldn't agree with them more - although I don't use chalk regularly, if ever.

I've copied & pasted the post below, but you can check out the original here.

Enjoy!

Coach Bott’s 10 Performance Training Tips

"1. Your attitude and character will determine everything. Be authentic, and have integrity. Do what you say you are going to do and do it with purpose and conviction. I have trained enough high profile athletes and CEO’s to know they have those traits in common. Expect nothing less than excellence from yourself and enter each training session with a goal to achieve.

2. Your warm-up / movement prep for your strength sessions should take approximately 25 minutes if done thoroughly.

Your warm-up order should be as follows:
a. Raise core body temperature without stressing the joints (ie: 20 pike arches) = 3 min
b. Foam Roller for myofascial release = 6-8 min
c. Follow joint mobility drills for hips, groin and T-spine = 5 min
d. Include static stretched at this point if you have tight spots = 5 min
e. Follow dynamic warm-up with increasing velocity and muscle activation drills = 5 min

3. Always treat each rep as if it were an entity in itself – DO NOT be in a rhythm like a step-aerobics instructor. Instead – use “breath”, “brace” and “drive” as your 3 keys to explosive strength. Initiate reps with purpose and precision. Even if some lifts are grind lifts and some are more plyometric in nature. Always set the body to execute a perfect ’shot’ like a basketball player would at the free throw line. Repping out sloppy lunges are for the weak.

4. Block out distraction and welcome a tranquil mind. Good lifters and those who can execute complex skills are beyond focused; they are also incredibly patient. Do not let your mind wander during a rep – be in the moment and pay attention to your body.

5. Do not train to failure, do plyometrics under fatigue or speed work for high reps. This is the North American flaw I see in S&C coaching. Strength is a skill and needs constant tinkering and refinement, not crappy reps with poor form and severe fatigue. Power and speed require split second deliverance of energy. We can only do this by resting long (10-15x the work length) between sets and doing very little volume – speed work is NOT conditioning work and vice versa and no, you cannot train the two together in their infinite forms.

6. Load and unload the body over 3 week mesocycles. This is basic human physiology and the science behind adaptation. The human organism can handle 3 weeks of abuse and then it needs a week to unload. The Russians have proven this time and time again that this is the best loading/unloading scheme in terms of timing. So, go up for three, down for one.

7. Let pain be your guide. Please do not succumb to the adage – “No pain, no gain’ If it hurts, please do not do it. You are given only one body in this lifetime and we must cherish it.

8. Fuel yourself with nutrient-dense foods. Avoid white food – white rice, white flour, white sugar etc. All of this is garbage and garbage in = garbage out. Aim for protein with every meal, vary your veggies, eat only whole grains (quinoa, spelt, oats, wild rice) and get your liquids from water and herbal teas.

9. Focus on the process. This means to focus on the execution of the task/exercise etc, versus the result of it. It has been proven time and time again that those who focus on the process get better results and achieve their goals more consistently than those who are focused on the outcome or result.

10. Use chalk. Your grip takes approx 8 times to recover from a lift as compared to the rest of your body. You can improve your grip very simply by using chalk to train with. Yes, it is messy and yes it will get on your clothes, but for an extra 20 lbs on that deadlift, or 2 more pull-ups on that set – it is well worth it!

Happy training!"

Troubleshooting the Squat

Either she's doing a front squat

or she just cleaned the weight.

Mimi commented on Friday's post asking,

"That girl's squat was hardcore. Any tips for getting that low? It's embarassing, but I have to fight to just get parallel, even with a lighter weight."

Originally, I thought what could be the issue. The more I thought about it the more I realized the amount of factors that have to be taken into account. I'm better at an in-person evaluation due to the fact I can examine a few reps, change variable X, see a few more reps, and repeat until there's marked improvement.

What I'm going to resort to is what my History professor called the shotgun technique. It's where all of us wrote as much information - or anything we remembered from the class - for our exams in hopes of getting something right. Hence the name "shotgun."

We'll be focusing on the low bar positioned back squat in 2 respects: set-up & execution followed by troubleshooting problem-causing areas.

Set-up & execution

A bad set-up can hinder performance and the ability to produce solid reps. I'll be brief with this since there are quite a number of articles on the subject.

First and foremost before you even get under the bar, you need to tighten your entire upper back. This means pulling your scapulae - shoulder blades - together hard. This can be done by moving your arms back and bringing in your elbows close to your torso & glutes.

The end pose will have your chest sticking out, elbows pointed down to the floor, hands near shoulders, and your forearms curled in from the sides towards your armpits*. How close your hands get to your shoulders will depend on how good your shoulder mobility is. For this reason, it's advantageous to incorporate scapular wall slides in your dynamic warm-up.

Another good example here. Notice
how he's pulling his elbows in and down.

The end result is a "shelf" created by your trap muscles for the bar to rest on, indicated by the red line:

This image is used to describe the bench press, but you get the idea.
The elbows should be closer to the waist if this were a back squat.

With upper body tightened up, you're ready to get under the bar. Fit the bar to rest on your trapezius shelf and lift it upright. Now what?

With a stance roughly shoulder-width and toes slightly flared outwards, you're ready to squat. I always say break or hinge at the hips, but apparently no one knows what I mean by that. So think of it like this. Imagine someone with a disgustingly gross hand comes-a-reaching at your crotch and you want to avoid it - and for the sake of this cue you can't move side-to-side smart asses.

Squatting straight down a bit or bending at the low back doesn't really move your pelvis away from the creeper. However, pushing your hips backwards does. This is what I mean by "breaking" at the hips.

After you initiate the movement, squat as low as comfortably possible. If your lower back begins to round or you feel pain then that's where you stop. When you descend (the eccentric portion), don't simply drop down, but instead have control and keep muscular tension. The speed itself doesn't necessarily have to be slow or explosive. Rather, just work hard on moving the weight as efficiently as possible.

To squat back up, push through the back of your feet and lock your hips out by squeezing your glutes hard (example here, notice how his butt isn't protruding after each rep). Also "push" your legs outwards to the side. This keeps your legs from caving in on each other.

The last thing I'll mention is where you should think about pushing through your feet. I tend to say the back and outsides of the foot. The back because you won't end up on your toes and rounding your lower back. The outsides to effectively push your legs out to the sides. To be more specific, here:

Blue indicates where to focus driving through your feet.
And my paint skills ain't no joke.

Alright maybe that wasn't a brief description, but it definitely was thorough. That about covers the basics so let's move on to the second half.

Troubleshooting

There can be a couple of issues preventing you from getting a deep squat. I'll go through them one-by-one in order of easiest to try out. Try each with either your own bodyweight, an empty barbell, or some light weight on the bar.

Shoes

• What's your footwear like? You tend to want a flat shoe to be able to lift on an even surface. Running shoes are the least ideal. They're very soft and cushioned making it feel like you're pushing your feet into a mattress. It fights your push back.

• Solution: Either squat barefoot or go for the cheapest gym-friendly alternative to purchase - a pair of low top Converse. Last I recall they run around $40. There are cheaper shoes, but I doubt your gym would allow them. (ballet slippers & cotton martial arts slippers)

Ankle mobility

• Grab either two 5, 2.5, or 1.25 lb. plates. 2.5 is right in the middle so if that's available grab those first, but if not the 5's will suffice. Set-up like you normally would squat, but this time put each heel on top of one the plates. Now squat.
• Has your depth improved? If so, your ankle mobility is restricting your squat.

• Solution: Rocking ankle mobilizations - 1 set of 4-6 reps for a full one-thousandth count (he goes for 2 in the video) to start with if your ankle mobility is poor. When you become more proficient you can do 2 sets or 8 reps. After that, it's best to move on to a more challenging drill. You can continue to squat using plates as your mobility improves. Choose smaller plates every 4 weeks until you can squat without them.
  

Drill A is the one I referred to.
Hey look at that, Converse!

Hip flexors

• Christine already recommended stretching the hip flexors. Sitting for long periods leaves them in a flexed position and as a result they become tight. We want to lengthen them to allow ourselves to stay as upright as possible during the squat. Their tightness contributes to use of lumbar spine throughout the movement.

• Solution: Lunge stretch - Simply go into a long stride lunge and with the side of the leading leg, push your pelvic bone forward while squeezing the glute of that side and hold for 15s. Repeat for the other side.

You can simply hold the position for 15s per side instead of multiple reps.
Hey check it out, Converse again!

Hip Mobility

• Poor hip mobility in the bottom position of the squat is another problem. If your body's not able to go that far down it can be practiced outside of squatting.

• Solution: Kneeling rockbacks - Keep your torso parallel to the ground and use your arms to push back as far as possible. Don't let your lower back round and don't aggressively force the stretch more than you should.

Lance demonstrating the starting position.

Core Strength

• If your abs aren't strong enough then you'll lose rigidity in your torso and lean forward.

• Solution: The planks progression I outlined here is a great start.
  

And that folks is me shotgunning the squat. Hope that helps Mimi.

In the words of Boris Bachmann, good squatting!

Further reads & resources:

• Mike Roberton's 10 Tips for Flawless Squattin' & 6 Tricks for a Sexy Squat
• Bret Contreras analyzes faulty squat assumptions here.
• Boris's Youtube squat tutorial series.
• Krista Scott-Dixon's Learning the Squat [1, 2, 3, 4] & Squat Progressions
  

*If you flail your hands around you look like a retarded T-rex.

Fresh New Moves

Certainly not the push-up I had in mind.
...Or was it?

I've talked about glute activation, ab exercises, and thoracic mobility.

Today we combine all of them into "bang for your buck" movements and in doing so, we'll get a whole lot of things accomplished at once.

It's no doubt that the push-up is a great exercise. The problem becomes that the standard version becomes to easy once proficient at it. However, how many of us can do a 1-handed push-up? It's tough, but the top position before lowering isn't. And that's what we'll be using to our advantage.

The purpose of the dynamic warm-up is to lengthen muscles that are in a flexed position more than they should be (like hip flexors), activating muscles used infrequently (glutes, certain trap muscles, serratus anterior for instance), and is very specific to mimicking motions in the proceeding training session. A key point to making sure the dynamic warm-up is effective is to increase the difficulty of the movements. Instead of a glute bridge, you might elevate your shoulders* or add light resistance to make it more difficult (Bret Contreras answered my question here). After all, you've most likely become stronger and accustomed to whatever you were doing the past 1-2 months.

What we're going to do is make the push-up more challenging and incorporate it into the warm-up. First behold, the bird dog from a push-up position!

I believe that's Kris Aiken.

I came across this a while ago over at Precision Nutrition's exercise library. I gave it a shot at first sight, but bombed doing it. On the bright side, this forced me to work with regressions (aka easier variations).

Something else I noticed was that I could translate other exercises into this push-up position. And thus, a semi-original idea was born on the blog!

Now, which exercises can you do from this position? 2 thoracic spine mobility drills and a few glute activation ones. I would have made video demonstrations, but the life of lifting alone doesn't help this blog. So of course I'm opting for youtube. Let's begin with t-spine work:

Work it Mr. KevLar.

Straightforward, but I'll elaborate just in case. To perform from the ground push-up, both are done similarly with the free hand or elbow going behind the supporting arm's elbow. The latter is almost like a T push-up, but less opening/rotation of the hips.

For the glutes I'll refer to this,

What qualifies from the video/can be done from a push-up:

• Donkey kicks
• Donkey whips (but less range of motion compared to what's shown)
• Fire hydrants
• Knee circles
• Bird dog mentioned earlier
  

While holding the push-up, your posture should be:

- Chin tucked in & not protruding forward.

• To prevent hyper-extension of the neck.
  

- Scapulae/shoulder blades protracted by pushing your hands into the ground thus separating them apart.

• To activate serratus anterior.
  

- Glutes and knees squeezed & locked out to prevent hips rising or sagging

• To activate the glutes, avoid movement in lumber spine (as opposed to what's shown in the videos)* and brace the core by expansion.

The problem is you may be lacking the strength to hold this posture while executing whichever movement you choose. The plan is twofold to tackle that problem . First, I'll share the plank progressions scheme I used to become strong enough to tame this beast.

Plank variations
1) Floor plank
2) BOSU ball
3) Swiss Ball
4) 1-arm floor plank
5) 1-arm BOSU ball plank
6) RKC plank (scroll down to "Surprises")
7) Repeat from step 1 with RKC plank

- Within each variation: Perform with feet on floor, then elevate feet once with stackable platforms or a 45 lb. plate, finally elevate feet a 2^nd time before moving on to the next level.

• For example, the floor plank should have been performed with your feet on the floor, elevated once, then elevated again before progressing to the BOSU ball plank.

- Perform sets of 30 seconds.

I outlined a thorough plan to bring up ab strength, but I personally was strong enough after step #6 so you may not need to move on to #7 - although it would give you a pretty strong core.

Second, to make yourself comfortable with performing the movements you can do them against an incline such as stairs or the safeties in a squat rack. Every 3-4 weeks, you can lower yourself and once you know it you'll be able to perform them from the floor.

That about sums it up. I recommend making use of these moves since I haven't found the slightest mention of them anywhere else.

But!

Take it easy. Falling flat on your face hurts.

Trust me.

*I asked Bret for some feedback and he said the shoulders, not the feet, elevated increases glute activation as well as pointing out the excessive lumber spine movement.

Exercise Cues: Grip

...I don't think she needs my advice...

Last week - #2 specifically - I mentioned how certain exercise cues aren't really that obvious. On the bright side, this gives me more material for posts and a new label & series to create.

First in this installment is how to grip any implement you use. Whether it be a dumbbell, barbell, kettlebell, or small child, where it rests in your hand can change how the action is executed. Additionally, proper gripping minimizes callus formation.

Some of this is copied & pasted from the document I wrote here since it's a good description. I originally learned this through Mehdi over at StrongLifts.

Hand shows which way your moving the weight
in opposition to which way the weight wants to move.

That indeed is my hand. Now optimal position on the,

Left – Where to grab the bar in exercises which involve pulling the weight towards the body.
Right – Where to grab the bar, possibly lower, in exercises which involve pushing/pressing the weight away from the body.

Hand direction is shown when force is being exerted upon the bar. This is during the concentric portion of the lift. During this part, the bar will be going against the movement of your hand (shown by the 2 arrows coming out of the bar).

If you’re doing a pushing exercise, such as the bench press, but improperly grab the bar high in your hand, as seen on the left, the bar will move down while you perform the exercise. Gravity works like that. As a result, skin will get rubbed and folded upon itself while the bar slides down. It not only forms calluses, but is inconvenient and irritable while you perform a set. Lastly, this could contribute to your wrists bending backwards instead of remaining straight.

For pressing exercises, I put the bar in my hand as close to the bottom of it as possible. When your fingers close, that bottom part (the palm pretty much) actually creates a mini-platform/cushion for the bar to sit on.

For pulling exercises, I take my four fingers and create a sort of "hook" with my hand and fit the bar in that area. It gives me an idea of where the bar will be during a set. I may adjust a bit here and there, but for the most part it's accurate enough. All that's left to do is close your thumb around the bar.

One problem in positioning your grip is what does the exercise fall under, press or pull?

Presses: Typically work front shoulders, triceps, and/or pecs.
Pulls: More focus on the forearms, biceps, traps, and/or lats.

There are a few caveats to this. Farmer's walks work the forearms, however gravity is pulling the weight downwards so you would want to use a pulling grip (position near the fingers).

Also, this is hard to apply to lower-body exercises. Back squats and overhead squats fall under pressing while deadlifts, snatches, & cleans are more pulling.

Overall, this post is a thorough explanation on how you want to position your grip.

Next time: The excitement of scapular retraction! Stay tuned!

Because They're Just That Good

On the right side of this blog, if you click "View My Complete Profile" you will see a ton of other blogs I follow. Without clicking every single one and browsing for yourself, you really don't know what each is like.

Luckily for you, I can highlight a few that are of exceptional quality. I'll go over each one in alphabetical order as well as recommending a post or two and, if the description interests you, you can visit them to get a better idea of their blog.

Body Transformation by Carter Schoffer:

• Carter is easily one of the best in the field of fitness and a personal favorite of mine. If you ever visited the Precision Nutrition forums and see his posts, you'd wholly agree. Likewise, his blog on BT is a nice change of pace from the typical popular thought on training and nutrition. I have yet to find another who writes as concise and well as him. He's always dead on.
  

• Posts of interest: Dissecting barbell complexes and making tea taste better & supercharging it

ChAoS & PAIN by Jamie Lewis:

• This guy is something else. He makes the guys over at T-Nation look like gentlemen. His writing is aggressive, crude, and obscene. You may get turned off right away. But judging anything on a superficial level is silly. After I took the time to read his posts, I could definitely see he knows a lot. His methods and philosophy are unconventional and give a fresh & new view on fitness compared to concepts already extensively - and repeatedly - discussed by others.

• Posts of interest: Metabolic Typing Around the World and 5 Essential Lifts
  

My Tree of Life (Just One Step at a time) by Harry Hollines:

• I'm sure my blog resonates with the distaste I have for runners. There's nothing wrong with running, but those who take it up without proper knowledge of technique, footwear, and inadequate recovery & strength training make my brain want to explode. Enter Harry. A seasoned runner with a great deal of experience. He discusses runs, races, minimalist footwear, pacing, and anything related to running. I'm pretty sure Harry is every professional trainer's ideal runner. A well-balanced athlete listening to their body and refining it with every experience.

• Posts of interest: Concrete/asphalt surfaces, use of arms for efficiency, and strength from feet

Nick Grantham by, well, Nick Grantham:

• Nick hails from the UK and works with a wide array of athletes. Not only that, but he writes above and beyond the base information of fitness and shares his own knowledge from personal experience on working with athletes as well as being a trainer. His posts are unique, thorough, and are filled with invaluable material.
  

• Posts of interest: Reverse periodization and influence over past 10 years

Precision Nutrition by the PN team

• The wonderful folks at Precision Nutrition are consistently putting up articles on various fitness subjects and making studies understandable to anyone. They cover a lot. I enjoy their blog for the simple fact that they go out of their way to examine topics as thoroughly as possible. This truly helps any individual to be able to read it without being left confused.

• Posts of interest: Hell anything they have, but check out 7 Thyroid Issues Your Doc Likely Missed and 10 Signs You Need A New Trainer for starters.

Squat Rx by Boris Bachmann

• First, if you're not familiar with his comprehensive Youtube series on squatting, go watch them here. Not only does Boris make bad ass "Skwat" t-shirts - which I'll be wearing proudly around school - but he writes in a style that is able to connect training and philosophy creating something marvelous. He's the only one from this group - from what I can tell - who also uses kettlebells.

• Posts of interest: Mirrors, Buddhism lesson for training, and pullovers for swimming

6 quality blogs. I hope you all enjoy reading the authors' posts.

Maybe one day my own writing, after much fine tuning, will be as good as theirs.

When Not to Exercise (Beside the Obvious)

Calm down Lou!

When should you not exercise? The answer seems pretty obvious and I'm sure you're thinking "If you're feeling ill or are injured."

Correct! But, should that be the only instance? I would have to say no.

I'd like to add another time you should forgo exercising and it isn't because of any physical debilitation.

What kind of mood are you in? Angry? Sad? Frantic? Negative feelings in general? Then either calm your mind or skip the workout and deal with the current state you're in.

How come? If you don't then you're bringing those emotions to your training session. And honestly, how attentive are we when a strong feeling is bothering us? Hardly at all. The emotion is too distracting and we're never quite at 100% capacity.

Likewise if a particular emotion is constantly experienced and brought to your workout, then you'll be associating it with your training sessions. It may be subtle, but it's there.

You don't want exercise to be a downer, but instead a good experience. Lift with a calm mind that's at peace.

Make exercise a positive part of your well-being.

The Greatest Thing to Have

"I may not be clever, but I have a good heart.
That's what my mom use to say."

I was watching Futurama last night and Fry said that line at the end.

I have met many smart, brilliant, and clever people, but they don't impress me like the person with a genuinely good heart.

It is not marked by intelligence, but instead intention.

Have a good weekend everyone.