Saving Your Shoulders

There was a really good article written by Andrew Paul for EliteFTS (a GREAT website in its own right) about common shoulder issues seen by strength coaches and what to do about them. So if you aren't well-versed in anatomy and don't care to know what the "kinetic chain" is, this is for you. And I got a lot out of it too, so if you do are at all "in the field", you should still find it very useful. Check it out:

Dealing With Shoulder Pain

Oh, and now that my hometown Lions are 0-12, I have to believe if they can manage to lose their last four games, they have got to be the worst team in the history of the NFL. Hey, at least they'd be the best at something, right? 

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all my loyal readers. I definitely appreciate it. Stay tuned because you can be sure more great, free content is on its way. And enjoy your feast tonight. I know I will!

Setting and Reaching Goals

In training, goals are key. You should always know what it is you're trying to do. It seems so obvious and simple, but a LOT of people just don't do it. If you start a new training program with no goal as to what you're trying to accomplish, what makes you think you would actually accomplish it? If you needed to drive from New York to California, and hopped in your car from NY and just started driving around, with no thought given to direction, you would be just as likely to end up in Bangor, Maine as you are to end up in Cali. It's the same thing with training. If you don't know and specify exactly what it is you're trying to accomplish, why would you think you're going to accomplish it? Why would you accomplish anything? Truthfully, the end goal should probably be the first thing you figure out in your training, before sets, reps, rest intervals, frequency, training attire, straight whey or whey+casein+egg protein post workout, taking a million or two million BCAAs peri-workout, etc. (Ok, the last three are obviously unimportant, but you get the point). 

So what should you do with this information? If you don't already have a specific goal regarding what it is you're trying to accomplish with your training, figure it out and get one. Then, put together an INTELLIGENT plan that will get where you want to go (what constitutes a plan as intelligent? Well, that's what I'm here for! :)  Once you have your goal and plan of action set-up and good to go, put it to use. Go do it. If your goal was something that you wanted, your plan was based on solid principles and you followed through with it, you will have no choice but to, if not completely reached your goal, be a lot closer to reaching it. And all this of simply because you knew you wanted to get to the sunny land of California, instead of the frozen tundra of Bangor, Maine.

Shut him up!

Today's post isn't going to be entirely about training, but it DEFINITELY relates. But even more importantly is if you can take what I am about to tell you and apply it to the everyday happenings of your life.

I was at a presentation last week and I got to hear Molly Fletcher speak. For those of you who don't know who she is, she is widely regarded as the top female sports agent in America (and she's only 37!). She just released a new book, Finding Your Dream Job, and has big-name clients such as Tom Izzo, John Smoltz and Doc Rivers, to name a few.

In her speech, she gave me several great nuggets of information and useful tips I could immediately apply to my life. But none of those have had the impact of one, special thing she said. Plain and simple, it was: 

                   "Ignore the little guy in your head. Whenever he second guesses you or tries to dissuade you, ignore him. You don't need him."

Now, the presentation was free, but I would have paid a lot of money for that tidbit. Her example was when you're at the bar, and see the pretty girl sitting down, are you going to go talk to her or are you just going to sit there, afraid of what could happen and regret it for the rest of your life? Think about it. What's the worst that could happen? She says she's not interested? So what. Big f'ing deal. At least you tried. And, obviously, that's the worst case scenario. There are several other possibilities that could turn out much better.

So, if you see someone who could give you the job of your dreams on the street, will you go up to them and introduce yourself, or listen that inner voice saying it's just too scary and not do anything? 

I've said it here before. I do not want to live with regrets in my lifetime. You shouldn't either. Ignore that inner voice in your head and follow your instincts. He isn't helping you at all. He just wastes time and/or prevents you from doing all the things you truly yearn for deep down. 

I'm going to keep my blog PG-rated, but next time you hear that voice pop-up in your head, tell him to pipe down and go right ahead with your gut.

Close Call

I had a close call today: I almost went for a jog (Yeah, yeah, I know). But it really did almost happen. Today is a cold, but pretty nice day out. It's not too windy, it's not snowing, it's fairly sunny. And as I was walking back from class, I saw a pretty attractive girl jogging (where she was running to I don't know, but that's for another post on another day). And right there, I literally said to myself, "You know, I think I'll go for a run today." And I was totally serious. For a second.

Because a second after that apocalyptic-esque moment, the planets re-aligned, Rose O'Donnell was once again really annoying and my brain started functioning again. I know this because I started to list off all the reasons why running is god-awful. Just for fun, let's list them:

• Overuse injuries galore (shin splints, stress fractures or wrecked knees anyone?)
• Much smaller overall calorie burn compared to anaerobic activities (tell me who's carrying less bodyfat, marathoners or sprinters? 'Nuff said.)
• Basically kills all the hormones that make life fun and increases all the ones that eat away at your muscle and make you look emaciated
• BORING! (how often do you see people jogging outside or on a treadmill? A lot, right? Now, tell me how many of them look like they're enjoying it? BOOM. I rest my case.)

Yea, this looks like a great time. 

So, what did I do instead? I went to the gym and worked on my b-ball game for an hour (anaerobically!). And if you ever want to do take part in fun, calorie destroying basketball workouts, I recommend you check out The Effective Ball-Handling Program.

The PR Song

When you train, what music do you listen to? Do you find yourself listening to the same artists or songs, or are you more of a rebel, who likes to change it up and vary the music you train to?

Listening to music while working out has been proven on numerous occasions to enhance your training session, whether it's lifting more weight, going longer or just upping the intensity and going harder. Finding the right music to keep you on your game, especially on the days when inspiration is lacking, can be huge. 

Personally, I have set songs that I use for certain situations. Most importantly, I have a certain song set aside for when I go for PR's (personal records). I only listen to this song when I am attempting a PR. (The song by the way, is Click, Click, Boom by Saliva) As amazingly motivating as it is, if I were to listen to it all the time, from back squats to bicep curls, it would lose the effect it has on me now. It would get stale. I have other, less crazy songs I use for the easier to stuff, like bicep work. By saving my song for the big attempts, its effect is consistent and awesome.

There is no doubt when I throw on Click, Click, Boom, my strength levels increase. I can literally feel the goosebumps, the increase in adrenaline and other stimulatory neurotransmitters running through my veins when it starts. My focus, my breathing, my motivation, they all hit supra-maximal levels. And in turn, I hit PR's. 

So, if you don't already, find yourself a PR song, use it sparingly, and watch yourself continually progress.

The Vertical Jumping Secret

Recently, someone wrote me a question asking about a vertical jumping program they had gotten from who knows where, wanting to know if it was good, and would have them soaring to the sky.

Here were my thoughts: (unfortunately a little vague, but hey, 1)that's kind of the point (you'll get it once you read further) and 2)it's a blog my dude, not a manual!

 You can't see it as a program, you have to see it as principles. There are a few principles which are tried and true. All the effective jumping programs are based on these principles. They include being strong relative to your bodyweight, have the ability to move efficiently i.e. being light on your feet and being able to absorb and develop forces in a very rapid manner. Instead of me telling you the efficacy of a certain program, take what I just told you and try to figure out how to become very good at those three things. Kind of a teach you how to fish instead of get the fish for you. (NOTE: Although  if you REALLY want some fish, leave a comment or e-mail me and I shall help you out)

My guy Kelly got there because of principles, not some generic program!

Recovery!

People love to talk and discuss different training methods, and sets and reps and different exercises and a million other things. But what a lot of them fail to realize is that you only spend maybe 3-7 hours a week training. There are 168 hours in a week, and at least 160 of those are spent not training, but RECOVERING! So, what's the message? Spend more time figuring out your recovery strategies and less time worrying about the actual training instead of just doing it. 

There are a ton of different recovery modalities including contrast hydrotherapy, ice, meditation, foam rolling, massage, ART, static stretching, dynamic stretching, tempo work and on and on and on. They are all viable options at different times, depending on what you've been doing and where you're at in your training and experience. It's taken me a while, but I've been able to figure out what to use when to use it for best results by listening to my body and being aware of how its operating. I recommend you do the same, apply what you are learning, and see your recovery (and in turn your gains) shoot through the roof.

And now, here's what not to do when taking a contrast shower:

Contrast Shower

Getting Outside the Box...

The more I talk to people about their training, whether they're looking for performance gains or size gains or just strength gains, there are certain trends I notice continually. One of the biggest things I see is people being afraid of trying something new or something different. It's basically a fact that most people fear what's different. 

Prime example: have you ever heard of a guy going by the alias "DB Hammer?" If not, he was a training coach who created an entire training system and released a book about it called The Best Sports Training Book Ever (I kid you not, that's what it was called). Anyways, he had a lot of really good ideas that were a lot different than what people were accustomed to and he used some terminology that went over the heads of a lot of people. And because of these "differences", people seemed to strongly dislike and put down his system, without ever giving it a chance.

Personally, I've studied a lot of his stuff, and while I don't think it's the end all-be all, there's a ton of good stuff that I use to this day. But most people, because they were afraid to give it a shot or a look, won't ever know some of the things I know via DB Hammer. And that's a shame.

Don't get too carried away with it though...

You can't be afraid of what's different. You have to try new things. Give everything a shot at least once. If it turns out that it sucks, then it sucks. You drop it and move on. But if you stick with the same thing over and over, you'll inevitably end up stuck in a rut. Look at this quote I read from Fred Hatfield a.k.a. Dr. Squat today:

"If I keep doing the things I've always done, I'll keep getting what I've always gotten."

If you always do X Program, you''ll always get X results. Which might be good, or it might not be. Maybe at a certain time or place, Program Y would have been the right move for you. But because you were so used to and set on Program X, you were never able to give it a shot. I don't know about you, but I don't want to ever live with regrets, especially when it comes to training. It's way too important to me. 

I'm not afraid, hell, I'm excited, to read about or try new things in my training. Then, after, I can look back at it and see what worked and what didn't. And from there, I keep in what worked and drop the rest like a bad habit. 

This doesn't just go for training. This is applicable to all facets of life. Never be afraid to give something new a shot, if only once. If you like it, great. If you don't like it, that's great too. It's just another learning experience to add to the repertoire. You'll not only be a more experienced person for it, you'll be a better person for it.

Wow, that's a great question...

Recently, someone asked me: Generally, for athletes where it's not just about strength or vertical jump numbers, how do improvements in the weight room and speed/vertical translate to improvements in the actual sport? (Basketball was the sport he was referring to)

My reply: As for weight and vertical improvements transferring to actually getting better at the game is a very interesting question and one I'm going to write in detail about soon. But for now, I'll just say this and give you some insight to how I see it. Let's say getting your squat up 50 lbs. in an off-season could mean one less step taken in a full court sprint (totally pulled that one straight outta my ass). 

Basketball is entirely acceleration. So, when the game is based on how fast your first 3 or 5 steps are, the room for improvement is quite small. And that one less step you gained from upping your squat could be moot in the actual game. But at the same time, maybe you're also jumping 2 inches higher because of the squat gains, and now you seem more athletic and college coaches who saw you as not athletic enough now see you in a slightly different light. Plus, because of all that mental toughness you gained from those brutal squat sessions, you've thoroughly toughened up and you're aggressive as hell on the court and back down from nobody. And that's just the tip of the iceberg...there are other things like the energy demands from increasing your weight room numbers getting in the way of practicing your sport effectively or maybe getting your squat up wasn't what you, the individual, needed to improve. Maybe you could have benefitted from a healthy dose of shock jumps and sprints. Maybe you needed a break from everything in the off-season (there is a reason it's called an off-season!). 

Regardless, everyone is clearly an individual and their training should reflect this. One guy might shoot like Dirk Nowitzki and jump like Dirk Diggler (I actually don't know how high D-Diggs could jump, but he did have, uhh, some extra weight, um, holding him down :) ) And if that guy were to put 3 inches on his vert, he'd see some improvements in his game. Take another guy who can fly, but builds a house with the bricks he puts up on the court, and he won't be getting much better because of 3 more inches on his VJ (not to mention the time it would take to do it for a guy who's already soaring). Maybe that guy needs to forget the general training and get his butt in the gym putting up 500 shots a day to get better. So, while it would be great if I could confidently say, put so and so amount of weight on your "name any cliched compound movement that everyone says you gotta do"  and you'll get "x" times better, I can't. Figure out what your deficiencies and attack. That's as foolproof as I can make it.