I know I am going to get a lot of crap for this blog...guess what I don't really care. I said this in the past and for people that know me they know that I am not a huge fan of endurance and marathon training. In the training world we are so far beyond this roller coaster of a training method. Not very efficient. Not very safe. Also, who wants to waste their time for hours on end each week trying to break a plateau in your workouts. I am more convinced then ever before that if you want to become a better runner I would advise you to STOP running.
Here's my most recent story...
Dr. Dhillon, a client of mine for a little over 2 months shared some news with me yesterday evening prior to our training session. Prior to working with me Dr. D had informed me that he had done a lot of running and biking for his workouts. When he was in his his phases of running for pleasure he would run 3 miles in an average of 35-36 minutes. Not too shabby. During times of Dr. D trying to pick up the pace for a races and some other training he would be able to get down to about a 31 minute 3 mile pace. That was with him "panting" and him getting what he calls his "altitude sickness." He loves using the altitude sickness phrase because he knows that the brain does not receive the oxygen it should for you to be able to function when you are in the mountains or when you put your body through demanding exercise. Kind of an inside joke.
Anyway, no matter how hard he pushed and trained for running he could never break the 31 minute 3 mile pace. I don't know if he was really frustrated with this, but I think he started to think outside the box a little bit. That's when began our relationship.
Now, the information that I have just stated above, I knew none of it even before we started working together. I only knew that Dr. D biked occasionally and lifted some weights for his workouts. I had no idea that he tried this roller coaster method of training. As our training program started I assessed him and his wife (Rubal) with a movement screen that I use to determine their progressive training program. The main focus our training program was to work on mobility, total body strength, and metabolic conditioning because they were both looking to lose a few pounds. There was not peep from either of us about stepping foot on a treadmill, going for a run, or a bike, ride, or using an elliptical...not one peep.
For the past 2 months our training sessions look something like this..
10 Minutes of Movement Prep
5 Minutes of Core Activation
15-25 Minutes of Total Body Strength- Push,Pull, Lift, Squat, Twist, Lunge, Single Leg Stance
3-6 Minutes of Metabolic Conditioning/Metabolic Finishers
As I said earlier, Dr. D shared some information with me yesterday about something he had done over the weekend because he had some time to kill. Prior to this past weekend he had not stepped foot a treadmill for an endurance run. He had not even attempted to run at all. He had completely eliminated it for over 2 months. I actually think it was longer than that, but I am going to go on the safe side and say that it he had no attempted running for at least 2 months. On Sunday he decided to go for a run. He opted to run barefoot also because his running shoes flared up his plantar fasciitis. The result of his run was pretty remarkable. He finished his normal 3 mile run that he been doing previously to working with me in 27 minutes. Not only did he beat his 31 minute best time, but he shattered it by 4 minutes....barefoot!. The best part of it was that he said he could have kept going and was not getting his normal "altitude sickness." Opting to run barefoot he knew that he could not perform this kind of exercise wrong. Running barefoot his body would also auto correct the movements in the terms of self limiting exercise. Making him use his natural senses to adjust his running form to avoid any sort of unnatural pattern.
In the end Dr. D shaved 9 minutes off his 3 mile run WITHOUT running. But why? Here's why. When running in a straight line to nowhere you could be fingering a playlist on your ipod or watching tv. There is ZERO nervous system activation required in running forward . That right there should tell you that it is not demanding enough on your body. Because your nervous system isn't engaged in the movement the demand on body is not great enough to keep getting better as a runner. What we did is changed his programming by adding movement prep to clean up his movement patterns. This segment alone without the strength training would have made him a more efficient runner. With good body function and alignment his running pattern would be more efficient allowing him to run more smoothly and at ease. What really puts everything into overdrive is the demand we put on his body through total body strength and metabolic conditioning. We have been performing conventional and non conventional lifts and movements in a metabolic fashion. Basically, we do these lifts and movements with incomplete rest. Because these movements and exercises require engagement of the nervous system where you have to engage your mind with your body it automatically creates that greater demand for your body to work. Giving you more bang for your buck in your workouts with the energy that is being demanding to use everything at once.
This is real life stuff. If you want to make a change in the way you move, think, and look you have to create a disturbance. If you are comfortable doing something you will not make anymore changes. Because the nervous system is not being activated you will not see anymore results. I know that people will say back to me that running has gotten them to lose weight before of whatever it is that you did. My response to you is...just imagine how much time and energy was spent that you could have avoided if you did things differently in a more logical manner.
So face it...running, long aerobic workouts, walking, biking are mindless activities that do not take a lot of engagement to perform.. Fat people run marathons...tells us again that it's not going to change the way you look or the way you move.Run because you enjoy running. Not because you are trying to get into shape or lose weight. Bike because you enjoy biking. Do these leisure activities if you have extra time to kill in your week after you have gotten your 3-4 full body strength and metabolic workouts in like Dr. D did. He became a BETTER runner without even running! So awesome. Put your priorities in line!
Shoot me your non justifiable response!
JP
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
Thursday, February 9, 2012
Workout No No's!
I hope everyone is having a good week. I got behind a little bit on my training this week with a long weekend of eating and staying up too late. Hey...it happens! Anyway, I am right back on track after a great training session yesterday. While I am sitting here in my down time of the day I usually sit around and watch things people do in the gym. What I usually see people do are what I consider "Workout No No's." Now I have never told anyone what they do is wrong, but I would say what 99% of the people you see in your gym do are classified as my "Workout No No's"
What my services are set up to do these days are to provide people with solutions and answer for what they have been trying to accomplish for so long. So essentially I am just showing people a "better" way of doing things. Mainly my clients are trying to achieve some sort of fat loss goal, so that is the area that I will mainly be speaking about. I don't mean to offend anyone, but here are the "Workout No No's" that you are going to want to change.
- Weight Machines- My wife asked me the other day when we were going to stop seeing machines in gyms. Well, I said once people get the hint that these isolated single joint machines "don't" do anything then we will stop seeing them. Weight machines were designed for the muscle bound steroid freak body builders back in the day. They is no logical explanation for us to be using them in the form of physical fitness. My advice get off the machines and use you own body.
- Long Slow Traditional Aerobics- Get it through your heads. This method again will only make you slower and fatter. You are not demanding enough from your muscular/energy systems for this to change your body. Yea you might burn a couple of calories, but it will not elevate metabolism. Fat people perform marathons so it tells you right away that it will not do a whole lot on changing the way you look...next question. PS- take a look at the cardio area in your gym...I would guess that you don't want to look like those people.
- Single Set Exercises- Traditionally we were always told to do one set of an exercise and then wait a good minute to perform the next set of an exercise. Again, not good enough. Why rest when you could be performing another movement while another part of your body is resting. Performing alternating sets while allow more work density.. Giving you more bang for you buck in your workout. Example...Front Squat followed directly with a set of Chin Ups or Lat Pulldowns. Get something accomplished and don't be like the person sitting next to you.
Train Movement., Not Muscles- Probably the biggest mistake people make is not training movement first. By developing a quality movement pattern you are only going to set yourself up for success. If your squat pattern sucks then your only going to set yourself up for injury, lack of strength, lack of muscle growth, or lack or fat loss. Again, people want to start training muscles before movement. Ass backwards concept. If you neglect to train movement you'll end up like an immobilized body builder who can barely touch his toes. Another reason why machine and isolated exercises are not going to get you stronger and leaner.
-Not Having a Game Plan- People walk into the gym and say to themselves. Today I might do some of this, this and this. Not a good idea. Have something in written down with a daily goal. If your goal is to lift a certain amount of weight have that written down and make it happen. When you people try to wing a training session that's when you'll find yourself heading right to the treadmill.
-Stick To The Recipe- I love the guys that have these awesome new routines they found in Muscle & Fiction magazine that they do for 3 days. I suggested to a guy awhile back to buy the "The New Rules of Lifting" by Alwyn Cosgrove. He read the book and I helped clear some things for him with some of the questions he had. He proceeded to add in extra arm work and cardio sessions in there and said that he thought it would help him out. I'm pretty sure if those extra things were suppose to be in the program, they would have been written in the program. Stick to the recipe and allow the program to do it's job. Programming is meant to followed step by step for the duration. If it's not followed then you are not doing the program.
-Movement Prep (Warm Up)- A couple of minutes of walking, jogging, or biking is not going to cut it. It is not good enough to prepare the body for load. A calf or hamstring stretch will not prepare you for anything. Stretching is meant to relax a muscle if it is too tight. If you stretch cold muscles you will actually tighten your body up. Get moving with skips, hops, squats, lunges, or inchworms and prepare the body for load in a more dynamic fashion. You must improve the quality of your tissue to help the mobilizing process. Flexibility is mobility at the joints. The best way to become more flexible is to improve mobility through dynamic movement. Also, get a foam roller!
Split Body Part Routines-Probably the most ridiculous ideas people came up with are split body part routines. Do this....lay flat on the ground...then proceed to get up off of the ground and stand tall. You tell me if only your biceps are working! Get real. This method makes no sense. Why is it that our triceps and shoulders need two hours of attention each week? If this is the case then we should designate another two hours of working on our muscles in our hands and feet. You probably asking yourself why would you need to train your muscles in your hands and feet? Same thing,why do you need to spend hours on training your arms and shoulders? It doesn't make sense. Training one or two body parts a day is simply illogical and people don't even realize that less than one percent of the population this method works for...guys who are pumping needles in their asses. Perform everything all the time...Push,Pull,Lift,Squat, Twist,Lunge, Single Leg Stance.If you want bigger arms...do more deadlifts. If you want bigger shoulders...do more front squats. Muscle growth is a systematic response. It happens all at once. If you decrease your volume you should then increase your intensity and your frequency in your workouts.
Word Up!
JP
What my services are set up to do these days are to provide people with solutions and answer for what they have been trying to accomplish for so long. So essentially I am just showing people a "better" way of doing things. Mainly my clients are trying to achieve some sort of fat loss goal, so that is the area that I will mainly be speaking about. I don't mean to offend anyone, but here are the "Workout No No's" that you are going to want to change.
- Weight Machines- My wife asked me the other day when we were going to stop seeing machines in gyms. Well, I said once people get the hint that these isolated single joint machines "don't" do anything then we will stop seeing them. Weight machines were designed for the muscle bound steroid freak body builders back in the day. They is no logical explanation for us to be using them in the form of physical fitness. My advice get off the machines and use you own body.
- Long Slow Traditional Aerobics- Get it through your heads. This method again will only make you slower and fatter. You are not demanding enough from your muscular/energy systems for this to change your body. Yea you might burn a couple of calories, but it will not elevate metabolism. Fat people perform marathons so it tells you right away that it will not do a whole lot on changing the way you look...next question. PS- take a look at the cardio area in your gym...I would guess that you don't want to look like those people.
- Single Set Exercises- Traditionally we were always told to do one set of an exercise and then wait a good minute to perform the next set of an exercise. Again, not good enough. Why rest when you could be performing another movement while another part of your body is resting. Performing alternating sets while allow more work density.. Giving you more bang for you buck in your workout. Example...Front Squat followed directly with a set of Chin Ups or Lat Pulldowns. Get something accomplished and don't be like the person sitting next to you.
Train Movement., Not Muscles- Probably the biggest mistake people make is not training movement first. By developing a quality movement pattern you are only going to set yourself up for success. If your squat pattern sucks then your only going to set yourself up for injury, lack of strength, lack of muscle growth, or lack or fat loss. Again, people want to start training muscles before movement. Ass backwards concept. If you neglect to train movement you'll end up like an immobilized body builder who can barely touch his toes. Another reason why machine and isolated exercises are not going to get you stronger and leaner.
-Not Having a Game Plan- People walk into the gym and say to themselves. Today I might do some of this, this and this. Not a good idea. Have something in written down with a daily goal. If your goal is to lift a certain amount of weight have that written down and make it happen. When you people try to wing a training session that's when you'll find yourself heading right to the treadmill.
-Stick To The Recipe- I love the guys that have these awesome new routines they found in Muscle & Fiction magazine that they do for 3 days. I suggested to a guy awhile back to buy the "The New Rules of Lifting" by Alwyn Cosgrove. He read the book and I helped clear some things for him with some of the questions he had. He proceeded to add in extra arm work and cardio sessions in there and said that he thought it would help him out. I'm pretty sure if those extra things were suppose to be in the program, they would have been written in the program. Stick to the recipe and allow the program to do it's job. Programming is meant to followed step by step for the duration. If it's not followed then you are not doing the program.
-Movement Prep (Warm Up)- A couple of minutes of walking, jogging, or biking is not going to cut it. It is not good enough to prepare the body for load. A calf or hamstring stretch will not prepare you for anything. Stretching is meant to relax a muscle if it is too tight. If you stretch cold muscles you will actually tighten your body up. Get moving with skips, hops, squats, lunges, or inchworms and prepare the body for load in a more dynamic fashion. You must improve the quality of your tissue to help the mobilizing process. Flexibility is mobility at the joints. The best way to become more flexible is to improve mobility through dynamic movement. Also, get a foam roller!
Split Body Part Routines-Probably the most ridiculous ideas people came up with are split body part routines. Do this....lay flat on the ground...then proceed to get up off of the ground and stand tall. You tell me if only your biceps are working! Get real. This method makes no sense. Why is it that our triceps and shoulders need two hours of attention each week? If this is the case then we should designate another two hours of working on our muscles in our hands and feet. You probably asking yourself why would you need to train your muscles in your hands and feet? Same thing,why do you need to spend hours on training your arms and shoulders? It doesn't make sense. Training one or two body parts a day is simply illogical and people don't even realize that less than one percent of the population this method works for...guys who are pumping needles in their asses. Perform everything all the time...Push,Pull,Lift,Squat, Twist,Lunge, Single Leg Stance.If you want bigger arms...do more deadlifts. If you want bigger shoulders...do more front squats. Muscle growth is a systematic response. It happens all at once. If you decrease your volume you should then increase your intensity and your frequency in your workouts.
Word Up!
JP
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
A Quick Rant of Frustration!
I was running some errands the other day before heading into work. Going to the bank and grocery store, and a quick drive thru Starbucks were the main priorities of the morning. I couldn't help but notice an outdoor boot camp that was going on. I also had realized that there was one going on during the summer months of this past year in Janesville. I don't know who was running it or where it was actually being held. Frankly, I really don't care. Anyway, I realized with the weather being pretty nice lately this boot camp was being held outdoors for the day. What I am ranting about is still to this day there are people hosting these ridiculous boot camps.
The era of the boot camp was a great start for people getting outside of the traditional gym and moving in a bit more of a functional manner. Trainers hosting boot camps were making people run hills, run marathons, do some push ups, perform some dips, do some squats and then call it a day. This traditional boot camp model was great for a short period of time. I am now here to rant about what I saw just the other day. I saw about 10 overweight deconditioned women trying to run a fricken marathon. I knew there were people still trying to do this with their clients, but to actually witness this first hand really is frustrating for people like myself who have move far and beyond these ridiculous marathon training boot camp classes.
For any trainer to have their overweight clients trying to lose those extra pounds of fat running miles on end is not only disheartening for these customers, but also puts a bad reflection on myself as a coach and all of the other trainers/coaches trying to change the way fitness is done. Not only is that a waste of time for these people, but also a waste of their money. I would never have someone pay me for me to watch them run a miles in a straight line in a park. You can run in straight line on your own and not get any results.
The biggest reflection this has a me is that people assume this is what I do. The consumer and other gym goers assume this is what boot camps and other trainers/training studios are like. That I watch people run miles and do a few push ups. When I was at the stop light watching these overweight women struggling to get to the next block it also tells me that this trainer or place that is hosting this boot camp is not running an up to date class. I'm tired of watching trainers/coaches trying to throw things against the wall to see if it sticks. I'm tired of watching people get disappointed with minimal results. I'm tired of seeing bad training. I'm tired of seeing trainers that do not want to work and engage with clients. I'm tired of trainers/coaches/or gyms not educating members of the truth of fat loss/weight loss. I'm tired of watching people get hurt by these ridiculous marathon training boot camps.
The boot camp market is so saturated it makes me sick. Not only is the corporate fitness industry competing at these absurd lost cost memberships, but the boot camps are tearing the training market down also. Trainers are hosting boot camps at $49-$99 a month to watch people run and do some god awful squats. If you are in a boot camp class and the first thing you do is go for a run....I would walk out that door so fast and demand a refund. That's not why you're paying a trainer/coach..You should be paying for the education, the experience, the client-trainer relationship, you're paying for maximum results.
It pisses me off so much to see this because I invest my time and money to go get educated on Metabolic Resistance Training, Movement Screens, Training systems and modules, Program design. I spend time and money on books and webinars. I invest in going to seminars to learn from guys like Alwyn Cosgrove and Todd Durkin. Trainers/coaches need to do everything possible to make sure their clients are set up for the best success. We need to address hip issues, knee issues, or shoulder issues. The general population is not only fat, but they move poorly and are in pain. Running around in circles and through cones is not going to improve anyone's posture or aches and pains.Hopping up and down stairs and off benches is not going to help and move more efficiently.
Sure there are some great boot camp classes, but I am going to guess right now that there are more bad ones than good ones. The bad ones make to good ones look bad too. Boot camps and trainers are a dime a dozen. If you are in the market for boot camps or a trainer you should make sure they are going to do some of the followiing....
-A fucntional movement screen
-Talk about MRT (Metabolic Resistance Training)
-Assessments (Measurements, Body Ft %..etc)
-Solid Nutrition Plan ( Not a reduced calorie diet)
- Talk about progression of exercise
- Are they going to give you what you NEED! Not what you want!
- If you ask them a questions and they try to BS and answer..what out the door. They should go find the answer!
Now, I am not saying that I am the best. Good god I went down by friend Mark "Cibby" Cibrario the other week and walked out feeling like I knew nothing. I read what Alwyn Cosgrove and Mike Boyle write and it's like I trying to interpret Japanese. The difference in myself and most trainers out there is that I am hungry for more. I am constantly trying to improve my systems to get my clients BETTER results. You will learn something with me. I say this to all of my clients....All I want you to take from this experience is to learn one thing and understand it. By learning at least one thing different from anything in life will only make you a better person.
"Get One Day Better!"
JP
The era of the boot camp was a great start for people getting outside of the traditional gym and moving in a bit more of a functional manner. Trainers hosting boot camps were making people run hills, run marathons, do some push ups, perform some dips, do some squats and then call it a day. This traditional boot camp model was great for a short period of time. I am now here to rant about what I saw just the other day. I saw about 10 overweight deconditioned women trying to run a fricken marathon. I knew there were people still trying to do this with their clients, but to actually witness this first hand really is frustrating for people like myself who have move far and beyond these ridiculous marathon training boot camp classes.
For any trainer to have their overweight clients trying to lose those extra pounds of fat running miles on end is not only disheartening for these customers, but also puts a bad reflection on myself as a coach and all of the other trainers/coaches trying to change the way fitness is done. Not only is that a waste of time for these people, but also a waste of their money. I would never have someone pay me for me to watch them run a miles in a straight line in a park. You can run in straight line on your own and not get any results.
The biggest reflection this has a me is that people assume this is what I do. The consumer and other gym goers assume this is what boot camps and other trainers/training studios are like. That I watch people run miles and do a few push ups. When I was at the stop light watching these overweight women struggling to get to the next block it also tells me that this trainer or place that is hosting this boot camp is not running an up to date class. I'm tired of watching trainers/coaches trying to throw things against the wall to see if it sticks. I'm tired of watching people get disappointed with minimal results. I'm tired of seeing bad training. I'm tired of seeing trainers that do not want to work and engage with clients. I'm tired of trainers/coaches/or gyms not educating members of the truth of fat loss/weight loss. I'm tired of watching people get hurt by these ridiculous marathon training boot camps.
The boot camp market is so saturated it makes me sick. Not only is the corporate fitness industry competing at these absurd lost cost memberships, but the boot camps are tearing the training market down also. Trainers are hosting boot camps at $49-$99 a month to watch people run and do some god awful squats. If you are in a boot camp class and the first thing you do is go for a run....I would walk out that door so fast and demand a refund. That's not why you're paying a trainer/coach..You should be paying for the education, the experience, the client-trainer relationship, you're paying for maximum results.
It pisses me off so much to see this because I invest my time and money to go get educated on Metabolic Resistance Training, Movement Screens, Training systems and modules, Program design. I spend time and money on books and webinars. I invest in going to seminars to learn from guys like Alwyn Cosgrove and Todd Durkin. Trainers/coaches need to do everything possible to make sure their clients are set up for the best success. We need to address hip issues, knee issues, or shoulder issues. The general population is not only fat, but they move poorly and are in pain. Running around in circles and through cones is not going to improve anyone's posture or aches and pains.Hopping up and down stairs and off benches is not going to help and move more efficiently.
Sure there are some great boot camp classes, but I am going to guess right now that there are more bad ones than good ones. The bad ones make to good ones look bad too. Boot camps and trainers are a dime a dozen. If you are in the market for boot camps or a trainer you should make sure they are going to do some of the followiing....
-A fucntional movement screen
-Talk about MRT (Metabolic Resistance Training)
-Assessments (Measurements, Body Ft %..etc)
-Solid Nutrition Plan ( Not a reduced calorie diet)
- Talk about progression of exercise
- Are they going to give you what you NEED! Not what you want!
- If you ask them a questions and they try to BS and answer..what out the door. They should go find the answer!
Now, I am not saying that I am the best. Good god I went down by friend Mark "Cibby" Cibrario the other week and walked out feeling like I knew nothing. I read what Alwyn Cosgrove and Mike Boyle write and it's like I trying to interpret Japanese. The difference in myself and most trainers out there is that I am hungry for more. I am constantly trying to improve my systems to get my clients BETTER results. You will learn something with me. I say this to all of my clients....All I want you to take from this experience is to learn one thing and understand it. By learning at least one thing different from anything in life will only make you a better person.
"Get One Day Better!"
JP
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Workout of The Week!!!!
Hello All,
Just wanted to shoot a quick blog for this week. Things are booming and clients are tearing the gym down. Don't have too much time to blog. I have some good things coming out soon though. Keep an eye out for "The Biggest Mistakes People Make When Working Out." Should be one of my better articles and one of my most controversial!
Anyway, here is a workout of the week. If you think you think you have things figured out then I dare you to try this one. It will blow your socks off.
The goal is work density.. How want to get as much work done as possible in your work periods. This will allow you to get more accomplished and give you that "bang for your buck" workout. So for those of you who claim they do not have time to train.....I don't believe you. This will also make you think twice about hopping on that ridiculous treadmill.
Here you go...
5 Minutes Movement Prep- Skip, Lunge/Twist, Squat-to-Stand, Inch-Worm, Jumping Jacks (30 secs of each for a couple of Rounds)
Zone 1- 7 Minutes- Going for Sets. Get as many sets in as possible in 7 minutes. 10 Reps for each exercise
Goblet Squat, Inverted Rows, Push-Ups
Zone 2- 7 Minutes-Going for sets. Get as many sets in as possible in 7 minutes. 10 reps for each exercise
DB or KB Romanian Deadlift, DB or KB Push Press, Lat Pulldown
Zone 3-7 Minutes- Going for Sets. Get in as many sets as possible in 7 minutes. 10 Reps of each exercise
KB or DB Swing, Rope Slams or Jam Ball Slams, Squat Jumps
Total Workout Time- 26 Minutes. Good luck and Train Hard!
JP
Just wanted to shoot a quick blog for this week. Things are booming and clients are tearing the gym down. Don't have too much time to blog. I have some good things coming out soon though. Keep an eye out for "The Biggest Mistakes People Make When Working Out." Should be one of my better articles and one of my most controversial!
Anyway, here is a workout of the week. If you think you think you have things figured out then I dare you to try this one. It will blow your socks off.
The goal is work density.. How want to get as much work done as possible in your work periods. This will allow you to get more accomplished and give you that "bang for your buck" workout. So for those of you who claim they do not have time to train.....I don't believe you. This will also make you think twice about hopping on that ridiculous treadmill.
Here you go...
5 Minutes Movement Prep- Skip, Lunge/Twist, Squat-to-Stand, Inch-Worm, Jumping Jacks (30 secs of each for a couple of Rounds)
Zone 1- 7 Minutes- Going for Sets. Get as many sets in as possible in 7 minutes. 10 Reps for each exercise
Goblet Squat, Inverted Rows, Push-Ups
Zone 2- 7 Minutes-Going for sets. Get as many sets in as possible in 7 minutes. 10 reps for each exercise
DB or KB Romanian Deadlift, DB or KB Push Press, Lat Pulldown
Zone 3-7 Minutes- Going for Sets. Get in as many sets as possible in 7 minutes. 10 Reps of each exercise
KB or DB Swing, Rope Slams or Jam Ball Slams, Squat Jumps
Total Workout Time- 26 Minutes. Good luck and Train Hard!
JP
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
A Day With "Mark Cibrario"
I spent this past weekend back in Kenosha catching up with my friends who I haven't seen in awhile. Let's just say that we did not get much accomplished as I spent most of the weekend on my friend's couch (Muddog Portilia) playing Tiger Woods golf and playing ping pong. Prior to sitting around and not moving I did get the opportunity to go down and see an old friend of mine Mark Cibrario. Mark and I played baseball together for many years with the Kenosha Kings. During my high school and college days we knew Mark as the "old trainer" on our team and not really understanding what he does. Turns out that Mark is one of the most respected trainers in the country. For many years now he has been listed from Men's Health magazine as one of the countries top 55 best trainers. He is the owner of the "Trainers Club" in Northbrook, IL and a consultant for many other fitness products/companies. His new product that he is advertising is the "ultra-slide" (slide board). Mark has also launched his new website fivetoolpt.com.
With all that being said, you can probably understand why I was going to hang out with him for the day. I wanted to just see how he operates his gym, clients, and learn more about training. His gym is really unique. It is about 5,000 sq ft of all open space. There are also about 25 other trainers that work out of his gym. They pay Mark $15 a session for them to use his space. ( Easy stream of money coming in for him) Anyway, I get there and there are about 8 other training sessions going on while Mark was working with his clients. It is totally a different atmosphere than what everyone is used to seeing. This is not your ordinary gym. This strictly for people who want to accomplish something. Nothing but training. All good training.
Why is Mark so good at what he does? Well, there are a number of reasons why he is good. This is what I saw. Mark had about 5 different sessions during the time I was there. Every person had some issue or limitation. Something needed to be fixed. Or someone needed to be activated a different way. Mark knows every little thing that is wrong with his clients. He knows why something isn't working, He knows why something isn't activating. He knows why someone is having a hard time completing a movement. Not only does he know what is wrong with his clients, but his clients know what is wrong with them. They understand what he is trying to do them and why they are doing everything that they are doing. More often than not most trainers try to throw something against the wall and see if it sticks with their clients...that doesn't work. You need know what is wrong with people and how to fix it.
All the sessions began with his clients doing some soft tissue work/ activation and some movement prep. His flow of a session was alternating between an strength move and then a mobility work.Ex-Deadlift paired with a resisted leg raise. The corrective strategy is in place to get the movement (deadlift) perfected. He then has a core stability exercise at the end of each circuit. He likes firing the core in short active/dynamic movements. Ex-side plank w/ knee tuck.
Mark also has a huge wall that is covered with boards for medicine ball and power training. Mark believes as well as myself that the stimulation of the central nervous is what keeps us getting stronger, faster, and leaner. The medicine ball and power training he incorporates in each session is what keeps your body young and powerful. When it comes to fat loss training, which is mainly the type of clients I that I deal with, I have found that to be the missing link in a lot of people's programming. The majority of the med ball training he did with his clients was to do movement in the opposite direction of what they usually do on a daily basis. Ex- Mary Claire is a tennis player. Tennis players strike the ball by swinging the racket forward(Overhand). He had her do reverse underhand and overhand med ball slams to counteract that movement. While doing these slams she was either standing on one leg, hopping on one leg, moving side to side, or reversing in the transverse plan. The activation of the nervous system and good dynamic/power movements is what will prep her to perform.So awesome to watch.
Every single person was dripping wet at the end of their session and they did not step foot a treadmill, elliptical, and they did not even pick up a weight.(I was instantly sweating myself when I did some core activation when we worked out together) Mark is on a whole different level than anyone I can think of. He literally puts everyone to shame because there is so much more to this fitness thing. It's so much more than lifting weights, running, walking, or zumba classes. I would be confident in saying that it has to be embarrassing for Mark to know that he is associated in the same industry with fat ass memberships salesmen, zumba instructors, the same boot camp on every corner, and every other jamoke person that thinks they are a trainer.
Anyway, I walked out of Mark's place feeling stupid. Which is a good thing because you realize again that there is so much more information that needs to be gathered, learned, and implemented. For me it is such an awesome feeling to be confused about information. The confusion is made clear by guys likes Mark. He will continue to be a resource for me in years to come. So if you think you know it all and if you think you are in shape, I dare you to go train with Cibby! You'll be shut up real quick.
Cheers,
JP
With all that being said, you can probably understand why I was going to hang out with him for the day. I wanted to just see how he operates his gym, clients, and learn more about training. His gym is really unique. It is about 5,000 sq ft of all open space. There are also about 25 other trainers that work out of his gym. They pay Mark $15 a session for them to use his space. ( Easy stream of money coming in for him) Anyway, I get there and there are about 8 other training sessions going on while Mark was working with his clients. It is totally a different atmosphere than what everyone is used to seeing. This is not your ordinary gym. This strictly for people who want to accomplish something. Nothing but training. All good training.
Why is Mark so good at what he does? Well, there are a number of reasons why he is good. This is what I saw. Mark had about 5 different sessions during the time I was there. Every person had some issue or limitation. Something needed to be fixed. Or someone needed to be activated a different way. Mark knows every little thing that is wrong with his clients. He knows why something isn't working, He knows why something isn't activating. He knows why someone is having a hard time completing a movement. Not only does he know what is wrong with his clients, but his clients know what is wrong with them. They understand what he is trying to do them and why they are doing everything that they are doing. More often than not most trainers try to throw something against the wall and see if it sticks with their clients...that doesn't work. You need know what is wrong with people and how to fix it.
All the sessions began with his clients doing some soft tissue work/ activation and some movement prep. His flow of a session was alternating between an strength move and then a mobility work.Ex-Deadlift paired with a resisted leg raise. The corrective strategy is in place to get the movement (deadlift) perfected. He then has a core stability exercise at the end of each circuit. He likes firing the core in short active/dynamic movements. Ex-side plank w/ knee tuck.
Mark also has a huge wall that is covered with boards for medicine ball and power training. Mark believes as well as myself that the stimulation of the central nervous is what keeps us getting stronger, faster, and leaner. The medicine ball and power training he incorporates in each session is what keeps your body young and powerful. When it comes to fat loss training, which is mainly the type of clients I that I deal with, I have found that to be the missing link in a lot of people's programming. The majority of the med ball training he did with his clients was to do movement in the opposite direction of what they usually do on a daily basis. Ex- Mary Claire is a tennis player. Tennis players strike the ball by swinging the racket forward(Overhand). He had her do reverse underhand and overhand med ball slams to counteract that movement. While doing these slams she was either standing on one leg, hopping on one leg, moving side to side, or reversing in the transverse plan. The activation of the nervous system and good dynamic/power movements is what will prep her to perform.So awesome to watch.
Every single person was dripping wet at the end of their session and they did not step foot a treadmill, elliptical, and they did not even pick up a weight.(I was instantly sweating myself when I did some core activation when we worked out together) Mark is on a whole different level than anyone I can think of. He literally puts everyone to shame because there is so much more to this fitness thing. It's so much more than lifting weights, running, walking, or zumba classes. I would be confident in saying that it has to be embarrassing for Mark to know that he is associated in the same industry with fat ass memberships salesmen, zumba instructors, the same boot camp on every corner, and every other jamoke person that thinks they are a trainer.
Anyway, I walked out of Mark's place feeling stupid. Which is a good thing because you realize again that there is so much more information that needs to be gathered, learned, and implemented. For me it is such an awesome feeling to be confused about information. The confusion is made clear by guys likes Mark. He will continue to be a resource for me in years to come. So if you think you know it all and if you think you are in shape, I dare you to go train with Cibby! You'll be shut up real quick.
Cheers,
JP
Friday, January 13, 2012
Life Is Like A Sport!
Happy Friday to all. It's been a very busy start to the new year and all of my clients have been rockin with all of their training sessions. I always appreciate people who want to put the work in to make changes in their life. Which is what this post is about. People who want to make a change need to know that the need to put the work in.
Life is like a sport. There are many obstacles and roads bumps along the way that need to be overcome to keep moving forward. It baffles me everyday about the weight loss journey for people. We today as a society are so damn lazy. Everyone wants the easy way to out to make more money, lose the weight, or get stronger and leaner. You're overweight because of your own lifestyle. It's not genetics. Your metabolism is not slow because you were born with a slow metabolism. It's slow because more than likely you made it slow. You're not getting stronger because of you. You're not getting leaner because of you. You're not getting smarter because of you. You're making more money because of you.
I've learned these past few months that my own fate is in my own hands. The life that I want to live is up to me. If I want to make more money, I need to go find more clients. How do I get more clients? I need to master my craft. I need to invest my own time, energy, money in myself to help pay myself back. The better and better I get at what I do, the more money I will make. It's that simple. If I refused to continue my education I will not make anymore money. If you refuse put the time in at your job...you will not get promoted. If you do not go get a master's degree..your odds decrease of making more money. If Tom Brady does not put the extra work in studying film..he would not be Tom Brady.
The same thing applies in someone's own fitness journey. If you do the same thing over and over. You will not get any better. If you do not invest in your own health you will not become any healthier. If you are comfortable in your own workouts...your body will not change. Why would you hire a lawyer? A lawyer would do the work for you in half the time then what you could do it in. Same thing here.. why would you hire a fitness professional? Because they guide you in the right direction in half the time you would by trying to do it on your own with you sitting on machines all day long.
I met a gentlemen this week who is looking to do a 120 day "Restore His Health Challenge." He has reached out to me and asked for guidance. He will documenting his research during his journey and will be publishing it for other research studies. He is a professor at the University of Wisconsin Whitewater and is in the Communications department there. He is willing to step outside of the box and ask for help because he is smart enough to figure out that there is someone out there that has a strategy in place to help him achieve success. In sports, players have to buy into a coaching system for that system to work. If you do not buy into that system...you will have one hell of a season. Aaron Rodgers would not be Aaron Rodgers if he did not buy into the system. He would not be where is today if he didn't overcome adversity and challenge himself to get better each day. I give this professor a lot credit because he could have said I know what to do and tried to do it on his own. He is investing in himself to make himself better. He wants to get stronger, leaner, healthier and to make changes in his life.
The journey to true health and fitness is so much more than going for a walk, or jog, or lifting weights. Ask a matter of fact I could careless how much someone benches, or how far you can run, or that you have lost 30lbs on your own. What I think is matters the most is...What did you get out of your experience? Did you accomplish something that you haven't accomplished before? Did you get yourself stronger than you already are? Did you put yourself on another level? Did you make yourself a better person? Did you get back up after you got knocked down? Did you truly make yourself better? What can you do next to improve upon what you already have done? That's the mindset of an athlete. Someone who is involved with athletics shouldn't settle for mediocrity. You shouldn't settle for just getting to playoffs. You want to win the whole damn thing!!!
The problem that most people run into is that once they think they have reach their fitness goals, then they have achieved true health and fitness. Wrong mindset...You mindset should be...What am I going to accomplish next? Will I step outside the box to make myself better this year? Once Drew Brees won his first Super Bowl, I'd be willing to bet that he didn't say, I am comfortable with what I did this past year to win a a championship, so I am going to do the same thing this next year! Yea right....the game plan will surely be changing. If you accomplish 40 push-ups..your strategy will not be the same to get to 80 push ups. It won't work. The body is too smart.
Whether you are lifting weights, doing marathons, on weight loss journey...never be satisfied. Always want more. If you stop feeding your brain..you will begin to crumble! Take a challenge. Invest your time and your money into something else. Get knocked down and get your ass right back up! Brett Farve didn't get knocked down...that old dude wanted to keep coming back and shove it right down Green Bay's throat! (Spoken like a true Bear Fan!)
Train Hard and Get Better!
JP
Life is like a sport. There are many obstacles and roads bumps along the way that need to be overcome to keep moving forward. It baffles me everyday about the weight loss journey for people. We today as a society are so damn lazy. Everyone wants the easy way to out to make more money, lose the weight, or get stronger and leaner. You're overweight because of your own lifestyle. It's not genetics. Your metabolism is not slow because you were born with a slow metabolism. It's slow because more than likely you made it slow. You're not getting stronger because of you. You're not getting leaner because of you. You're not getting smarter because of you. You're making more money because of you.
I've learned these past few months that my own fate is in my own hands. The life that I want to live is up to me. If I want to make more money, I need to go find more clients. How do I get more clients? I need to master my craft. I need to invest my own time, energy, money in myself to help pay myself back. The better and better I get at what I do, the more money I will make. It's that simple. If I refused to continue my education I will not make anymore money. If you refuse put the time in at your job...you will not get promoted. If you do not go get a master's degree..your odds decrease of making more money. If Tom Brady does not put the extra work in studying film..he would not be Tom Brady.
The same thing applies in someone's own fitness journey. If you do the same thing over and over. You will not get any better. If you do not invest in your own health you will not become any healthier. If you are comfortable in your own workouts...your body will not change. Why would you hire a lawyer? A lawyer would do the work for you in half the time then what you could do it in. Same thing here.. why would you hire a fitness professional? Because they guide you in the right direction in half the time you would by trying to do it on your own with you sitting on machines all day long.
I met a gentlemen this week who is looking to do a 120 day "Restore His Health Challenge." He has reached out to me and asked for guidance. He will documenting his research during his journey and will be publishing it for other research studies. He is a professor at the University of Wisconsin Whitewater and is in the Communications department there. He is willing to step outside of the box and ask for help because he is smart enough to figure out that there is someone out there that has a strategy in place to help him achieve success. In sports, players have to buy into a coaching system for that system to work. If you do not buy into that system...you will have one hell of a season. Aaron Rodgers would not be Aaron Rodgers if he did not buy into the system. He would not be where is today if he didn't overcome adversity and challenge himself to get better each day. I give this professor a lot credit because he could have said I know what to do and tried to do it on his own. He is investing in himself to make himself better. He wants to get stronger, leaner, healthier and to make changes in his life.
The journey to true health and fitness is so much more than going for a walk, or jog, or lifting weights. Ask a matter of fact I could careless how much someone benches, or how far you can run, or that you have lost 30lbs on your own. What I think is matters the most is...What did you get out of your experience? Did you accomplish something that you haven't accomplished before? Did you get yourself stronger than you already are? Did you put yourself on another level? Did you make yourself a better person? Did you get back up after you got knocked down? Did you truly make yourself better? What can you do next to improve upon what you already have done? That's the mindset of an athlete. Someone who is involved with athletics shouldn't settle for mediocrity. You shouldn't settle for just getting to playoffs. You want to win the whole damn thing!!!
The problem that most people run into is that once they think they have reach their fitness goals, then they have achieved true health and fitness. Wrong mindset...You mindset should be...What am I going to accomplish next? Will I step outside the box to make myself better this year? Once Drew Brees won his first Super Bowl, I'd be willing to bet that he didn't say, I am comfortable with what I did this past year to win a a championship, so I am going to do the same thing this next year! Yea right....the game plan will surely be changing. If you accomplish 40 push-ups..your strategy will not be the same to get to 80 push ups. It won't work. The body is too smart.
Whether you are lifting weights, doing marathons, on weight loss journey...never be satisfied. Always want more. If you stop feeding your brain..you will begin to crumble! Take a challenge. Invest your time and your money into something else. Get knocked down and get your ass right back up! Brett Farve didn't get knocked down...that old dude wanted to keep coming back and shove it right down Green Bay's throat! (Spoken like a true Bear Fan!)
Train Hard and Get Better!
JP
Friday, January 6, 2012
A Friday Rant...
Ok..here is another Friday rant. I've had a hell of week with meeting new clients, members, and other wanna-be body builders. So I need to let off a little steam from some of the things I have seen and witnessed this week. Don't be a offended if this is you...or maybe you should get the hint???
Ever walk into a gym on Monday?? I did again this week and witnessed international "Chest Day." Absolutely hilarious...another Monday and the same chest routine being done by everyone. bench, db bench, fly, incline, and some more machine chest press....god forbid you do an inverted row!
Had a lady come up to me and say that she wants to lose 11lbs in 2 months. I did a movement screen on her, did some movement prep, core work, metabolic strength work, and some conditioning in a 30 min killer workout. She was sweaty, got dizzy, light headed, and was completely depleted of energy (not that I try to do that to people..she just has never moved with a purpose). Did not even sniff a piece of equipment. She tells me after the workout that she wants to lose 11lbs by roller-blading with her daughter so she doesn't have to feel like its working out. Told me she could do it on her own...yea..you're a middle aged women who refuses to do any sort of resistance training...see you next year when you;re 22lbs over weight.
It was a Tuesday and I saw all of the same guys who did their chest workout on Monday doing their arms the next day...sweet life! Maybe mix a lunge or a pivot movement in their next week? We'll see....
Watched the Michelle Bauchman get creepier this week...
Ever look at the cardio section any day of the week...I do....everyone is fat! Because that's what you should be doing...does your traditional cardio work for fat loss or weight loss? If it did I wouldn't have 30 clients.
I witnessed about 4,000 crunches and sit ups this week from all people back on their new year's resolutions....Only about 250,000 more until someone burns 1lb of body fat! Keep it up
Watched one dude do curls for over an hour...because that will improve your health!
Squat rack is there for squats,....not curls
Dude with the headphones on.....there is no need to grunt when performing tri extentions....not that demanding on the body ..sorry
I got to tune in to the season premiere of the Jersey Shore with my wife...got forbid Ronnie does a squat...
I've said this before also...if you are looking to make a resolution this year with fitness or weight loss, or whatever and the first thing you ask is...How Much Does it Cost? You;re head is in the wrong place. Don't be a cheap skate...fork over $100-$200 bucks a month and get some fricken help. You have the money...you just blow it on stupid weight loss products, going out to eat, drinking, or unnecessary trips. Go ask for help from a young fitness professional who has his head on straight. The gyms aren't going to help their Join For $1 this week or their awesome $19 a month. Get the hint...Make an investment in yourself and in your health. Pay $400 now or spend 20,30,or $40,000 later in medical/surgery/therapy bills later because you thought you could do it on your own.
Saw a baby sitting in a car by herself at 9pm at night...sweet parenting.
Had one my clients buy me a 12 Pack of Chobani greek yogurt....awesome!
I'm out of here..Have a great weekend...and guys drink some regular beer (Sam's Adam's Boston Lager preferably)..Maybe you'll it will actually get you to do a chin up next week...but I wouldn't want you to exert that much energy so you could stick to your curls...it's cool.
JP
Ever walk into a gym on Monday?? I did again this week and witnessed international "Chest Day." Absolutely hilarious...another Monday and the same chest routine being done by everyone. bench, db bench, fly, incline, and some more machine chest press....god forbid you do an inverted row!
Had a lady come up to me and say that she wants to lose 11lbs in 2 months. I did a movement screen on her, did some movement prep, core work, metabolic strength work, and some conditioning in a 30 min killer workout. She was sweaty, got dizzy, light headed, and was completely depleted of energy (not that I try to do that to people..she just has never moved with a purpose). Did not even sniff a piece of equipment. She tells me after the workout that she wants to lose 11lbs by roller-blading with her daughter so she doesn't have to feel like its working out. Told me she could do it on her own...yea..you're a middle aged women who refuses to do any sort of resistance training...see you next year when you;re 22lbs over weight.
It was a Tuesday and I saw all of the same guys who did their chest workout on Monday doing their arms the next day...sweet life! Maybe mix a lunge or a pivot movement in their next week? We'll see....
Watched the Michelle Bauchman get creepier this week...
Ever look at the cardio section any day of the week...I do....everyone is fat! Because that's what you should be doing...does your traditional cardio work for fat loss or weight loss? If it did I wouldn't have 30 clients.
I witnessed about 4,000 crunches and sit ups this week from all people back on their new year's resolutions....Only about 250,000 more until someone burns 1lb of body fat! Keep it up
Watched one dude do curls for over an hour...because that will improve your health!
Squat rack is there for squats,....not curls
Dude with the headphones on.....there is no need to grunt when performing tri extentions....not that demanding on the body ..sorry
I got to tune in to the season premiere of the Jersey Shore with my wife...got forbid Ronnie does a squat...
I've said this before also...if you are looking to make a resolution this year with fitness or weight loss, or whatever and the first thing you ask is...How Much Does it Cost? You;re head is in the wrong place. Don't be a cheap skate...fork over $100-$200 bucks a month and get some fricken help. You have the money...you just blow it on stupid weight loss products, going out to eat, drinking, or unnecessary trips. Go ask for help from a young fitness professional who has his head on straight. The gyms aren't going to help their Join For $1 this week or their awesome $19 a month. Get the hint...Make an investment in yourself and in your health. Pay $400 now or spend 20,30,or $40,000 later in medical/surgery/therapy bills later because you thought you could do it on your own.
Saw a baby sitting in a car by herself at 9pm at night...sweet parenting.
Had one my clients buy me a 12 Pack of Chobani greek yogurt....awesome!
I'm out of here..Have a great weekend...and guys drink some regular beer (Sam's Adam's Boston Lager preferably)..Maybe you'll it will actually get you to do a chin up next week...but I wouldn't want you to exert that much energy so you could stick to your curls...it's cool.
JP
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