Things I Have Thinking About...

It's been awhile since my last post, but I have been busy this summer. There are somethings that I have thinking about recently that I thought might be fun to write about. Nothing special, but maybe more of my usually rants and tips for people. Keep in mind that I am person that is here to help not criticize. Most of the time people just don't want to hear the truth so they take it as negative criticism.

- what once worked for you probably won't work again
- the older we get, the more important it is to train....not exercise
-training is a system...not a bunch of exercises listed with sets and reps in a random order followed by your cardio work
- boot camps are dying...once size does not fit all...group exercise is dying...one size does not fit all...people are more screwed up than ever
-bodybuilding is still a method...not physiology
- I have a client who is a former bodybuilder...has never in his life ever performed full body workouts..until now..which is why he pays me
-you probably need help...don't be afraid to ask
- at home workout dvd's were great..then people started to realize that it sucks sweating on your living room floor
- you're still fat because of you...the failure to make a change
- my personal workouts are becoming shorter and more intense...
- crunches still don't do anything...except destroy your posture
- my wife yelled at me at the gym for performing AMRAP in a deadlift finisher...i know how to push her buttons
- your body will not change unless you make it change...
- you on the elliptical...you're still not working very hard
- there is NOT a special supplement shake, NOT a magic pill, there is only one answer...eating quality food, training with consistency following a system, and a constant want to keep getting better. There is no magic product or formula...just the execution of a program, plan, system
- 99% of the protein supplements are the same...the 1% of them work because they are used the way they are supposed to be used..NOT because they are the best
- saw a trainer working the other day with a client...wow people still pay for someone to watch them do "ab" workouts
- saw a gym manager trying to sell people a membership by trying to sell them on how awesome the machines were....club owners still don't get it...it's not about the equipment anymore, but the results you can deliver them
- calorie counting might be one of the worst things someone can do...try learning about quality food first
- low calorie alcoholic beverages are no different that full calorie alcoholic beverages..alcohol is alcohol...the consumption of alcohol elevates your levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) which tells your body to burn fat..considering alcohol affects the central nervous system and how your bodies hormone function is run either way you are screwed...its not about calories, but how your body is affected from the food and drink you consume...my suggestion, drink a dark beer and do some more squats on monday


That's all I have time for today! Hope to be back soon...

JP

Something To Look Into?

Good Morning. It is a bright and early on a Monday and I had some quick thoughts I wanted to share. Yesterday while my wife was at the library working on her paper for school I had a some time to kill while I was waiting on the laundry to be done. What I decided to do might be a shock to some of you...I decided to go for a run. Yes..a nice long run. I had set a goal of 3 miles. Mind you I have not taken one jogging stride in over 8 months. I'll say that one more time. I have NOT  run more than one step in over 8 months. I only know that because the last time I ran was before my wedding in early September.

This is more of a project for me. It is my hands on research that I like to do. So my research I decided to do was to see how long I could go before I decided I wanted to do a long steady state endurance workout. Well, I went 8 months. I'll say 8 months to be on the safe side, but it was easily beyond 8 months since I performed this activity. Again, my goal was to complete 3 miles in or around 30 minutes. I completed my goal of 3 miles right at the 30 minute mark according to my watch.(Which is average of 10 minute mile...which is about average..nothing special) Another reason why I decided to do this activity was because I have already completed my 3 resistance training sessions this week and I had some extra time to kill to add some other activities in. I did not do this because I am trying to get into shape. I only did it because I was that bored and it was for my own research.

While on my jog I started thinking to myself around the half way point of this run...I was thinking that this is rather easy. Now running is not an easy task if you have never done it before...but the reason I am thinking it is easy because I know for the past 8 months I have demanded so much more from body during my training sessions. I started comparing my mindset during my run and my mindset during  a set of Turkish Get Ups. Mindset during running...I am thinking about the blog that I am writing right now.  I was thinking how bad the Cubs are getting blown out by the Cardinals.. I was thinking what I might want for dinner.. I was thinking how awesome Fitchburg is..I was thinking about my golf round next weekend. My mindset during a Turkish Get Up....Laying on my back w/ 35lb kettle bell....Crunch and punch...Drive Hips to the ceiling and squeeze my glutes..Feet switch to get my hips underneath me..Drive through my heels and punch to the ceiling again to a standing position. Then I have to repeat those exact same steps in the opposite direction to get back to the starting position just for one rep. Each rep could take anywhere from 30-60 secs. One rep leaving me gassed. I usually do 3-5 reps per side to complete one set.

Here's what people don't understand. Take a look at the 2 mindsets that I have just given you. Tell me which one is more intense??? What people do not take into consideration is what your mind has to be doing during your workout. If you are not engaged in what you are doing...I am convinced that it really might not be doing you any good.My running session felt good to break a bit of a sweat, but I know it wasn't stimulating enough for me to get a true training session out of it. Whether it be strength gain, fat loss, trying to gain some size...you have to stimulate the nervous system. If you are able to finger through you play list, flip channels on the tv, or worry whether or not the Cubs scored a run your chances of improving yourself are minimal. I say that because I just ran 3 miles in 30 minutes without even thinking about it. Again..I am not bragging about how good of a runner I am because 3 miles is not really a whole lot. The problem lies that people consider a 3 mile run a good training session and they're thinking that it is enough to make them lose weight,get healthier, run faster, or get stronger.

One last thought I had during my run...I am able to run 3 miles and I could have easily gone a bit more (I had to get back to the laundry) without even attempting this in over 8 months..Does this really improve someone health who does it everyday?  It is demanding enough on the body to make it stronger? It is demanding enough to make you healthier? Is what people have been doing all these years really necessary? Well, my conclusion that your conventional aerobics is not good enough. Your conventional weight training is not good enough. If it was....shit...we would not be the most obese nation ever...people would not be going to therapy..people would not be going to the doctor...people would not be getting hurt at work...runners would not be getting hurt every 100 miles. These are things that I think should be researched more. If your doctor tells you to exercise more. If you hear on TV you need to start exercising. If you need to lose 20lbs..ask yourself..What does that mean? What do I do? What is actually going to benefit me? Is doing exercise good enough? Things we need to consider because the stuff you have been hearing about really isn't working!


Just some things I was thinking about during my run...

Happy Monday!

JP

What I Love??...or Hate??? A Must Read

These are the things I love or hate....take your guess if I hate it? or I love it? or if I just think you're an idiot!

- I love it when people say they are committed to a program and stop after 2 weeks

- I love it when people think ZERO calorie foods are good for you

- I love it when people want to start on Monday

- I love it when you do your "ab" workouts....People still do those????

- I love it when people still think "cardio" is the best way to lose the weight...good lord

- I love watching this idiot do tricep extensions standing on a bosu ball....cause that's a functional movement

- I love it when people drink coke zero during their workout

-I love watching people do an hour of curls..so awesome

- The hip adduction and abduction machines do not do anything..sorry

-It's called a Kettle Bell.....not a "Kettle Ball"..and you don't know why or how to use them

- Crunches don't do anything...try again

- Long distance running will destroy your body...I know I will get crap for this one, but I don't care

- Squat rack is for doing squats...not curls

-I love the 2 man bench press...One guy benching and the other one deadlifting it off of his chest

- Side Bends don't do anything...sorry again

- Drink regular beer and do some more fricken squats

- You did NOT do intervals for an hour and a half...you'd be dead

- I love it when I talk to an overweight person who says  that what worked for them last time is what they are going to do this time.....If it worked why are we having this conversation...good lord

- I love the split body part routines...please..there's no such thing

- You're not allowed to grunt doing arm work....I'm sorry, but I don't buy it that you're working that hard

- Weight Machines do more harm then good

- Zumba is a JOKE...sorry but you're not a fitness professional if you teach Zumba

-Crossfit is awesome...but someone is going to get hurt if they are not coached

- You're fat trying to walk backwards on a tread...can you walk forward????

- No I will not design a program for you unless you pay me!

- Calories don't make you fat

- More then likely you're fat because of you...so it is your fault, but you can listen to the tv commercials

- Overweight people need a better program....skinny people need better nutrition

- Squatting on a Bosu Ball is not a functional exercise

- Corporate fitness is a joke

- Body building training will have no impact on athletic performance

- Mit Romney will not be our next president

- The Smith Machine is hands down the most worthless piece of equipment

- Leg ext machine might a close second

- Leg press can be thrown out too

- If you want to age faster you will do aerobics

- I love these rants and I know I will have some more coming soon!

JP

What People Still Aren't Getting

It's been awhile since my last post. I have been busy moving and getting settled in to our new place, while adjusting to a new schedule. So things have been a little out of place. I still have managed to continue on with my training as scheduled. Things are looking good. I am currently doing a hypertrophy phase going into the spring here because I am looking to pack on a little size. However, the program I am doing is still not your conventional bodybuilding crap that you see every single person do! Which is exactly what this post is about. People still are getting it. For as much as it drives me insane to watch people waste countless hours on doing arm work, I still just sit back and laugh a bit. EVERYONE you see at your gym works out the same way. My training these days has also been to do the opposite of what everyone is doing.

I am doing a bit of conventional routine as I have split up my upper and lower body days. This is not a body part split...hell...body part is a made up word. There is no such word. It was made up my the bodybuilding world. I learned that from Alwyn Cosgrove. So in my program there is no localized training...ex. Curls, flys, triceps, shoulders, As there shouldn't be. Any smart person who understands simple human physiology you should know that you simply cannot isolate a muscle group. So ex...lay flat on your back,,,and try and get up to stand on your feet...and ask yourself...is only one part of your body is working. Localized training does not make any sense.

The biggest mistake that they focus on localized training when it is a systemic response. People focus too much on muscle training that they are not focusing on the movements and not training your entire system. To add one inch to your arms you need to gain 10 lbs of muscle to your entire body. That right there tells you that muscle gain is NOT a localized one. It is the systemic gain. Localized training in my eyes is a complete waste of time. If you aren't shooting a needle in your ass your arms will not grow like you think they will by performing those ridiculous variety of arm curls.

Whether you are training to gain some size or for fat loss, you still need to train the entire system at once. Now sets, tempo, and rest period would determine what the program is for, but the training of your entire system should stay the same.  For fat loss/weight loss or whatever you want to call it...if you are sitting your ass on a chest press machine you are not expending enough energy to maximize your time. Do a damn push-up. If you are having a tough time watching your arms grow, its probably because you aren't doing deadlifts, squats, pull ups...meaning you aren't training your entire system at one time. You are doing too many split body part days(made up theory) and your frequency of training isn't to where it should be. The most forgotten thing is a full-body resistance training program. I shouldn't even say forgotten. I should say never used because people read about made up theories instead of reading physiology.

So here is a quick couple examples of what so programs could look like to make this stuff actually make sense to you people who still read Muscle and Fiction magazine...

Fat Loss- Alternating Sets (15 Secs rest Between Exercises)

3 Sets of Each 
1A DB Front Squat x 15
1B DB Rows x 15

2A DB Romanian Deadlift x 15
2B DB Push Press x 15

3A Squat to Press x 15
3B Russian Twist x 15

Hypertrophy- Alternating Sets (60 Secs Rest Between Sets)

Lower Body
4 Sets of Each
1AFront Squat x 10
1BDeadlift x 10

2A Reverse Lunge x 10
2BStep Up x 10

Upper Body

1A DB Bench Press x 10
1B Seated Cable Row x 10

2A DB High Pull x 10
2B DB Close Grip Bench Press x 10

3A Barbell Push Press x 10
3B Lat Pull Down x 10


As you can see there are no localized exercises. Everything is a compound or multi- joint movement. The greater the demand you put on the body, the great the response. I don't buy it when you're grunting as you do curls. Grunt when you are nailing a perfect front squat...then we'll talk. The fat loss programming I love pairing an upper body movement with a lower body movement. That will give you greater demand on the body in a shorter amount of time. Giving you more bang for your buck. The hypertrophy phase has a greater emphasis on upper and lower body for each training day. That is a split routine. Each movement mimics the next allowing you to not just concentrate on the lower body or upper body, but also training the entire system at once. This will also give you balance in the training ...ex Vertical Push paired with Vertical Pull, Horizontal Push paired with Horizontal Push. Front Squat paired with Deadlift. That is to avoid any possible imbalances.

In summary, people aren't doing these things because either A) They just don't know B) They think they know it all because they took a weight lifting class that was written in 1965 C) It's too hard and you don't want to be embarrassed   4) They're buddy knows everything there is no know about weight lifting with all of the variety of tricep work they do or 5) They just aren't open to learning new things.Which I think is the biggest problem. If you are not willing to try new things and stop training like the person next to you, then you're training will become stagnant.

My Ah-Ha Moments

Ever had a time in your life where something might have happened to you and you said...Ah-Ha! That's what that means or that's what I should have done. In the fitness industry that type of stuff is happening all the time. Things are constantly evolving. Here are some of my Ah-Ha Moments that have happened to me over the past few years which have helped become better coach/trainer..no particular order.


Steady State Aerobics for Fat Loss- I will continue to talk about this until people get it through their heads. This is hands down the least effective thing someone could do if they are looking to lose some weight. Your running, elliptical rides, bike rides, your walking are activities. There is not enough demand from the muscular system with these leisure activities to possibly change the way you look...let alone burn subcutaneous fat. If you're still not losing weight or changing the way you look, it's probably because you're still doing your "cardio." 

Hypertrophy is a Systematic Response Not a Localized One- This one is for all the guys that do split body part routines trying to gain some size.

Hypothetical scenario. Two friends are training for 26 weeks. They are both eating the same diet, training the same days, they do the same 4 compound upper body exercises. The only difference is that one friend adds in biceps curls and triceps extensions to the program.  After the 26 weeks both had noticed significant results in size of their arms. But guess what? There is no difference in the arm size of the guy who added in the extra arm work. The bottom line is that muscle growth is a systemic response. If you do forearm curls of course it might grow a little bit. But if you did deadlifts...everything would grow. Train the entire system. Not just one area. Just trying to save you guys some time instead of doing all those ridiculous arm workouts that you read in Muscle and Fiction magazine.

Running Will Not Make You A Better Runner. My last blog was specifically on this topic and people think I am crazy. Yes if you are a runner you will need to keep running, but I have come to the conclusion that if you  eliminate the running from your programming for a period of time and focus on training your muscular system, your cardiovascular system has no choice but to improve. It's just an ass backwards concept that people always try to do. They want to improve their cardiovascular system by doing "cardio' ( I hate that word... still have never gotten a good definition of what it is) but what actually happens is that the muscular system is what makes the cardiovascular system work. If your muscular system is not prepared to handle those thousands and thousands of repetitions your body  will not be able to handle that stress. The only way for your cardiovascular system works is if your muscular system is working. Strength training is the only way to prepare your body for those demands. And we were taught in school that cardio training is the way to improve cardio training....my ass!

Lack of Power Training- I think one of the biggest mistakes trainers and trainees make is lack of power training. People are always training to be a safe and sound...screw that! I am a firm believer that you want to prevent aging, accelerate fat loss...you need to train with power! Training with power requires tons of nervous system activation. It requires engagement. It requires athleticism. Why I have found it to be so effective is because of the nervous system activation it requires. The more you stimulate the nervous system, the more your body will change, grow, burn fat, get faster..I mean the list goes on. This probably explains why everyone using the weight machines is still fat and is not getting stronger.

The Barefoot Running Shoe- I was a skeptic on this at first. Didn't really know what to think or believe. Until I read something written by Alwyn Cosgrove. He simply put it like this...If someone were to run barefoot and they were to over stride...what is would be the feedback to your brain? Well...Pain if you couldn't guess it. What happens then is our brain will automatically correct that running pattern. You cannot do it wrong...if you do, you will feel it. What the sole padded shoe does is block the connection to the brain. The padding will absorb the pressure making you not feel any sort of pain or incorrect pattern. Which will allow your body take more volume that it should leaving you to run will horrible form and will inevitably lead to injuries. Not very safe. I'm not a huge fan of this as many or you know, but if you do continue to do it, you might want to make sure you're doing it safely. Or just stop running all together..ha. I personally will never go back to anything else when it comes to a training shoe. My lifts, squats, and lunges are pretty sound because I feel myself when I am out of place.

Calories in vs. Calories Out-I am NOT a nutrition expert, but the whole calories in vs calories out just does not add up to me. I was first taught how to get someone to lose 1lb of body fat by totaling up how many calories someone is taking in on average each day. Ex...2500 calories is the average caloric intake. For this person to lose 1lb of fat they would need to subtract 500 calories a day from their diet for 7 days. 500 calories x 7 days = 3500 calorie deficit, which is what makes up one pound of body fat. This will make someone lose a 1 lb of fat a week. Which is true to a certain extent, but to me it doesn't add up. If you look at cancer patients. They might be going through chemo and all sorts of other tests. I can pretty much guarantee that they do not have an appetite after going through a chemo session. Which is means they are having a caloric deficit. But they're still getting fat and not losing weight???? Right there that tells you that it doesn't add up. What were finding out is that everything is about hormones. If you consume unnatural foods, that will affect your chemical make up and how your body processes food. So, people that eat the ZERO calorie foods...this is one example of what your body might do. Leptin- is a very powerful hormone that plays the role in your metabolism and appetite. It is what signals your brain to burn fat. The main things that can cause interruption of this hormone is low calorie diets and low calorie foods, artificial sweeteners, and processed carbohydrates/foods. These types of foods and diets are what cause leptin resistance. Triggering your brain to not burn fat and also eat more. To me it just doesn't add up this whole notion of eating low calorie foods or cutting calories from your diet. So people...do not say a Calorie is a Calorie. 100 Calories of Cheetos is the same as 100 Calories of broccoli?????? Get Real! There is no way our obesity epidemic would be taking place if people were overeating with 6,000 calories a day of broccoli..If you want to lose weight....EAT! Eat more frequently...Eat whole foods. Lean Proteins. Non processed Carbs, Fruits. Vegetables. Increase your metabolic rate by doing a full body resistance training program 3-4 times a week. But do not cut out quality calories!

These are just a few of my Ah-Ha Moments that I have been thinking about the past few days. I am going to guess that I will to have a few more coming up real soon! Anyway, hope everyone has a good rest of the week and weekend! I will be moving to Madison this weekend...Solid! I am still not a Badger Fan.

JP

No Need To Run?

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

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