On your own two feet...

Make the most of it...

So I was jamming some Spearhead today and it reminded me of a couple quotes I had been meaning to put up here:

"One of the greatest gifts is that you are going to die someday."
―Gary Gray

"You will die eventually."
―Peter Ralston

I am not trying to be a downer here, just making a simple reminder to keep things in perspective. Remembering our time is finite is helpful in creating a sense of urgency to get the really important things done and to not sweat the trivial stuff.

Honestly, people spend so much time and energy fretting over things that will have absolutely ZERO importance to them when they are taking their last breaths.

It won't last forever (as much as we think it will), so make sure you are really living the life you love and let go of everything that will detract from that.

If you are not living the life you love, maybe now is a good time to ask yourself "Why not?".

PS> Here is that Spearhead track that prompted this post:

The Push-up Machine

I was with one of my clients the other day checking out the gym in his new residence. He was showing me the equipment available to him there, and I was so proud when he pointed to the Smith Machine and said "There's a push-up machine."

You see, he has never worked with anyone other than me for his conditioning, and during our entire time together he has never done anything other than push ups (and to a lesser extent inverted rows) on the Smith Machine at the facility we train at. He doesn't think of the Smith Machine in terms of doing squats, split-squats, presses of any sort, and certainly NOT for deadlifts...we do all of those lifts with proper free moving bars.

"Push-up machine"...I still chuckle when I remember it. It's funny...it's funny because it's true...it is a push-up machine.

3 Mistakes When Beginning Kettle Bell Training

Kettle bells (KB) are all the rage these days.

Actually they have been the rage for a couple years now, which makes it disheartening and surprising that most people don't understand the basic fundamentals about KB training.

Whether it is someone attempting KBs on their own, or even under the guidance of a trainer (most shocking), I usually notice at least one or more of the following errors.

1) Failure to understand the KB Swing

By far the most commonly seen exercise is the Double Arm KB Swing.

In theory that should be a good thing, because that is where KB training all begins. It is imperative to master this as a foundation for other KB progressions.

However, most people fail to grasp that this is a HIP EXERCISE! It is not an arm/shoulder exercise. You are not trying to do forward arm raises for your shoulders.

It is all about HIP EXTENSION, i.e. your butt. And believe me your butt can and should be able to move more weight than your shoulders can forward raise.

The KB elevates in front of you because of the momentum and power generated with the KB and your glutes. Sure, your scapular retractors will get some work by keeping your shoulders back during the exercise, but the main focus is HIP EXTENSION.

Also, you are not doing squats! The mechanics of a KB swing are more closely related to a Pull Through exercise. Hinge at your hips, and keep the KB close to your groin as it passes between your legs.

More like a Pull Through...

2) Your KB is WAY TOO LIGHT for Double Arm KB Swings!

Since the KB Swing is a hip exercise, you need to get a weight that will actually challenge the hips.

It should be so heavy that you are not physically able to forward raise it in front of you with arm/shoulder strength.

Once you have gotten an appropriately heavy KB (you're probably still too light...go get a heavier one!), you can work on hip extension mechanics by swinging the KB.

Raising a 4kg KB up over your head with your shoulders while squatting up and down does not constitute a KB Swing...it is actually just a waste of time.

The KB only needs to reach chest height during a swing, and if your KB is heavy enough it will take some serious hip explosion in order to reach that height...that is what you want.

How heavy is heavy enough? I begin most of my women clients at 16 kg and quickly move them to 20 kg. Actually their form often gets better when they use 20 kg. Why? Because it is too heavy to even think about moving it with their arms, so they figure out real fast how to use their butt for the exercise.

Those 4 kg KBs? They aren't for Double Arm Swings or even Single Arm Swings...they are much too light for those activities. They are better suited for learning the Turkish Get-Up. But before you jump on those, consider the third mistake...

3) Trying to progress too fast

Everyone knows the old adage that you need to walk before you can run. Well with KBs, you have to swing before you can pretty much do anything else.

KB training is a highly skilled and technical activity. Developing the appropriate skill and technique takes A LOT of practice, and it means doing Double Arm Swings for several months before you will really have a firm grasp of the exercise.

Trying to learn something like a KB Snatch (or even worse a Single Arm KB Snatch) before you have fully mastered the Double Arm Swing is just plain wrong.

Take some time to ponder and appreciate this...especially if you are a trainer or coach.

More like this...

Quote of the week

This week's quote comes from Nelson Mandela and doesn't require any commentary on my part...

“Our deepest fear is not that we
are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we
are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not
our darkness that
most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be
brilliant, gorgeous; talented, and
fabulous?
Actually, who are you
not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn’t
save the world.
There is nothing enlightening
about shrinking so that other
people won’t feel insecure
around you.
We are born to make manifest
the glory of God
that is within us.
It is not in just some of us; it is in
everyone.
And when we let our own light
shine, we unconsciously give
other people permission to do the
same.
As we are liberated from
our own fear, our presence
automatically liberates others.”

- Nelson Mandela
1994 Inaugural Speech
South Africa

Making a back problem worse

A couple weeks back a client of mine told me about a friend who had thrown out his back picking a towel up off the floor. Most people might be surprised to hear that picking up a light seemingly innocuous object is how most people throw their back out. It is usually not lifting something big and heavy because people recognize that the object is big and heavy, so take the time to brace and prepare themselves for the movement. The injuries happen with the simple stuff...I have heard of guys losing it while bending over to pick up a credit card.

Why? Because they don't associate the object with any type of risk and they dive into the movement but their reflexive stabilizing mechanisms are dysfunctional and they don't get the support they need as they bend over...the weight of their own body is not controlled properly and the back gets nailed.

Anyway, I offered to help the person with his recovery (that is after all what I do for a living), but for a variety of reasons the person was not able to arrange to work with me. OK, no problem...those things happen. However, I got a bit concerned when I later learned that he was planning on going to a local gym and booking some sessions with a trainer there. Being reasonable and opened minded I can say maybe the trainer he ends up working with really knows what he is doing and can help this person with his back problem. On the other hand, there is also a very good chance that this person has no clue how to deal with back injuries and will just screw this person up more.

How can the guy tell if he is in good hands or not? The message I passed on to him via my client is the same one I will share with you all here: if the trainer puts him on ANY seated resistance training machine as part of his program then I am about 100% confident the trainer does not know what he/she is really doing and the person is at risk of getting a lot worse.

That is the simple barometer for the lay person to use when assessing whether or not they are in capable hands for back issues. Why? Because the back is having problems because the person's body has dysfunctional movement mechanics...and you can't retrain movement mechanics sitting on a machine pushing and pulling levers. Those machines are actually the anti-thesis of real live movement.

The person needs to regain the ability to stand and move on their feet with all of their joints and tissues working together with synergy. Without that, problems will never resolve.

This is also why back problems (and a lot of other problems) can't be corrected with stretching alone or forms of manual therapy. Stretching and manual therapy are very good adjuncts to a rehabilitation program...I ensure my clients do it.

BUT, unless the body is retrained to move effectively and handle load (something that stretching and manual therapy cannot do because there is no motor learning nor tissue strengthening involved), then the problem will persist indefinitely. How many people do you know who have some type of pain issue and stretch a bunch or do lots of manual therapy, but never really get better year after year? Something to think about...

Exercises You Might Be Wasting Your Time With #1

A lot of great coaches I admire regularly introduce exercises that people ought to be doing...I am going to do the opposite and help people streamline and maximize their training by removing the extraneous.

Keep in mind that I never totally write off any exercise, because depending on the person, goal and situation any exercise might become useful...however lots of exercises get abused and overused, and often don't really provide the return on investment that people expect.

I just have to begin this series with Tricep Pushdowns. For some reason this has become such a staple in workout routines, and I just don't get it. With a bar, with a rope, either way it doesn't matter...more often than not the Tricep Pushdown is really not doing much for you.

If you are a competitive bodybuilder or figure competitor and really need to dial in certain specifics in the size/shape of your triceps then you probably have good reason to do them. Or, you might do it for a few weeks as part of a specific rehab program (few weeks NOT few years). Other than that, what is the rationale for isolating your triceps like this?

Seriously, what is this really doing for this guy?!?!

For most people this exercise is a colossal time waster...especially since most people who do this don't even perform it correctly. Hunching over and pushing a bar/rope down...what has that really gotten you? Improved athletic performance? Hardly. Improved metabolic rate for weight loss? Nope. Improved function overall? I highly doubt it.

You would be far better served by learning how to do proper pushups with elbows tucked in close to the body. Not only would your triceps be challenged, you would also be stabilizing your shoulder and scapulae as well as developing your anterior abdominal wall (proper pushups are like doing planks for a minute or two).

OK, spinal posture is a bit off, but at least her arms are in the right place...

This is especially true for women interested tightening up the underside/back of their arm. Correct pushups are about 100x more effective than Tricep Pushdowns and their equally misused cousin the Tricep Kickback.

Just wasting time...and with bad form I might add...

Actually, my argument against the the Kickback is essentially the same for the Pushdown, so rather than write a separate post I will just include it here as a time waster you are probably better off dropping.

99% of the people I see in training facilities doing either of these exercises are clearly wasting their time and could be doing much more useful activities...don't be one of them.

Quote of the week

"The first and most important step towards success is the feeling that we can succeed."
―Nelson Boswell

Though it may seem obvious, people very rarely succeed to any degree if they don't in fact believe they can do so. Sure, some lucky breaks may occur unexpectedly along with some small victories. But in the long run if we don't believe it is possible, if we don't feel we can succeed, then our failure is pretty much guaranteed.

On the other hand, history is ripe with examples of success against all odds, and the individuals involved generally share the common trait of truly feeling that success was possible...no matter how improbable the situation may have seemed.

Quote of the week

"You'll never be a loser until you quit trying."
―Mike Ditka

More and more I come to realize how true this concept really is. Like the old adage of "6 times knocked down, 7 times get up", ultimate failure and loss occurs when people give up all together...when they don't get back up, when they give up on their dreams.

Sure there will be small losses and setbacks along the way, but when we stop trying...well that is when it truly ends.

Recovery & Regeneration

This is a follow up to a post last week regarding higher intensity training.

Many years ago when reading Lee Parore's Power Posture, one concept really caught my attention: how well you recover is more important than how hard you workout. This was a real eye opener for me. Coming from a background of martial arts training where every session involved pushing as hard as one could...I carried that mentality in the gym, with little thought about what happens afterward.

I am a bit older and wiser now, and the reality is training is just another stressor to your body. We get stronger and enhance our performance by recovering from that stress to a level slightly higher than what we had before. However, this assumes that we actually create an environment for recovery and regeneration to occur. Interestingly, this seems to be a point where many people are lacking. Poor sleep, poor nutrition (including excess alcohol and stimulants), lack of hydration, and pushing too hard too frequently ALL hinder the body's attempt to repair and heal itself.

Having an intense training session like I described last week isn't a problem if you then create an environment for your body to repair and super-compensate (hence increase strength, function and performance capacity). Furthermore, it should be easy to grasp that if time between training sessions is filled with late nights (sleep deprivation), drinks with friends, low quality food, etc. then improvement will be minimal if at all.

Personally, I feel time outside the gym is even more important than time in the gym. Because how you conduct your lifestyle between workouts determines your ability to actually do the workout AND the return you will get on your workout investment.

Yesterday I was back at it in the gym with a similar workout as last week...used more weight and stepped up the energy system a notch, and it felt relatively easy...that is the effect of recovery and regeneration. How well are you recovering?

Quote of the week

"I do the very best I know how, the very best I can, and I mean to keep on doing it to the end."
―Abraham Lincoln

Much easier said than done.

I will take Mr. Lincoln's word on it that he lived up to that statement...personally, though I strive for such a level, I find it difficult to actually live in that state all the time. Kudos to those who can honestly say they do, and encouragement to those (like me) who are reaching for that.

Tea at Cicada

Yesterday was Kaori's birthday, and after a fun filled day of working out in the park and shopping for her present, we headed over to Cicada for some dinner and relaxation.

Cicada is one of our favorite restaurants in Tokyo. Great food, fabulous ambience, and reasonably priced (considering the aforementioned qualities). There are several elements of Northern Africa and the Middle East on the menu...all excellent. As far as beverages go, since I don't drink much alcohol, I am particularly fond of the Moroccan Mint Tea.

In Paulo Coelho's The Alchemist (incredible book by the way), he writes about how different it is to drink tea from crystal glasses rather than porcelain cups...and though I am not sure if Cicada actually uses crystal for their small tea glasses, it is still an entirely different experience.

Putting the work back in work out...

Yesterday was one of my higher intensity training days, and though I was looking forward to the challenge of seeing if I could go a bit heavier, about midway through I found myself asking why I do this to myself. Between sets my legs were wobbling, heart was pounding, sucking air...and not in a good way. During the energy system training at the end, I felt somewhere between wanting to puke and pass out...sounds like fun right? Again, why do I do this to myself?

Now, I am not saying this happens every time I train, but it does happen from time to time and though I risk sounding a bit too macho, I got to say that having those types of experience is what lets one know that they are challenging their body enough to make real progress.

Keep in mind I am not in any musculoskeletal pain whatsoever...feeling pain and pushing hard into it is just worthless as it actually regresses. But pushing through general discomfort and mental barriers and challenging your body to go past your perceived limits is what really yields results.

Far too often I see people training well within their comfort zone. Though they may be sweating, they are nowhere near that state of questioning their capability and resolve to finish the work out they started. Again, it is not necessary to experience every session in this manner, doing so may actually lead to overtraining, but to feel that periodically gives one a real gauge of their work capacity and potential, and invariably leads to them training seriously enough to get real results.

If you resistance train regularly but haven't seen any results in months or years, you might want to look into whether you are really working hard enough. When doing resistance training, when you finish your final rep (whether your goal is 6, 8, 10, 12, 15 or 20x) you should only be able to do about 1 or 2 more before failing completely. Lots of people finish their final rep, but their body could still do about 5-10 more so they really haven't worked hard enough to accomplish anything. I see this with a lot of women who have been lied to by popular media and think that working hard with weights is going to make them look like a pro bodybuilder (it won't!!). As a result they stay far below their potential and far from the figure they dream of.

If you do work hard enough to periodically have the experience that I described here and still aren't getting results then you have a great work ethic (I commend you!) but something wrong with your long term programming and supporting lifestyle factors. Get those things sorted out and your hard work will create the results you desire. I would be happy to help...drop me a line.

I love New Zealand...

New Zealand is one of my favorite places. I just vibe so well with the people there, the country is beautiful, food is excellent...overall fabulous.

Every time I hang with some Kiwis they always seem to put me on to something hilarious. When I was visiting in 2008 it was Flight of the Conchords, and if you don't know these guys then you MUST check them out. BRILLIANT!

During my recent visit to the Cheng Hsin center in Texas, a couple guys from New Zealand put me on to these vids to have a laugh at New Zealand accent and slang. The first one I posted previously when describing the Cheng Hsin workshop, but have put it up here again to group the two together:

On a more serious note, Tiki Taane is putting out some SOLID music from Aotearoa. Got his album Facing Future back in 2008 and I am eagerly awaiting the next release. Always gets me moving, and seriously good in the gym.

TANAGAROA

FADED

THIS IS IT

Quote of the week

"When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."
―Franklin D. Roosevelt

OK, so maybe I am not at the end of my rope, but I am definitely feeling some stress as I have returned to Tokyo after nearly 4 weeks traveling and I am looking at catching up with my clients, GIFT work, personal and corporate administration work, projects with several products, etc. etc. etc. essentially a ton of things...

Though I intend to be a bit more proactive than just "hanging on", I can definitely relate to the feeling at the moment.

Hope this is a great week for everyone out there!

Easy 6-pack abs!

Natalie Tran from the Community Channel demonstrates practical tips to accentuate one's abdominal musculature and even create the appearance of 6-pack abs without any exercise whatsoever.

HYSTERICAL!

Natalie is totally awesome and I hope to see her in film or on TV some time in the future. Her channel is currently the only entertainment channel I subscribe to on YouTube. Enjoy...