The Blog of The IRON LOUNGE

Where've I been you ask?

2009-07-06T22:29:00.007-04:00

As you can see it has been a little over two months since I last made a blog post. To be quite honest I was just sick of all the online information overload and just needed to take a break from this side of things. And not going to lie, since I am not really marketing my training business yet (as it will be opening in fall 2009) I just didn't have the motivation to keep coming up with new blog posts. It seemed like everything I could think of was already covered in the past. So here's what I've been up to:

May 2009:
-started training cycle for the July 25th PL meet
-Went and saw a few of my favorite bands play live in Detroit, Michigan. This included a full headlining show by Mastodon who played their entire new masterpiece of an album "Crack The Skye" followed by 10-12 of their blistering hits (support was by the very impressive Kylesa). The next night I drove down to Harpos in Detroit to see the almighty Devil Driver slay the crowd once again.
-The next morning (Sunday), I assisted two good friends of mine from Pow(R) Performance (Ben Knapp and Shane Rickman) in a youth training seminar at a very small high school in the northwest Ohio
-The following wednesday I drove to the Fillmore in Detroit to see my favorite modern day band Lamb of God. I hyperextended my thumb so bad in the pit that my palm was bruised for about 10 solid days!
-The very next morning I boarded a plane by myself to head to New York City for the Poliquin International Certification Program Level 1 strength coach certification. The course was held at http://www.peakperformancenyc.com/ which is owned by a great guy named Joe Dowdell. (EliteFTS sponsored lifter Matt McGorry also works their and I got to meet him as well) This course lasted three days and was a great learning experience. The course focused on structural balance of the upper extremeties and we also dabbled in some exercise demos and program design. Very good time and worth the money spent. I also made it down to the official Reebok NHL shop in Times Square which was awesome.

Other than that I've been putting in 20-30 volunteer hours with my schools strength and conditioning program just trying to immerse myself as much as possible.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention: I've been spending less time reading about training and just getting after it! (it actually works). I've been smashing in the gym records and feel as though I'm really going to take a step ahead of my previous bests once I get on the platform.
Some of my max effort records from this past cycle are as follows:
Reverse band bench: 405, 1 board bench: 375, swiss bar pin press: 365x3 reps
Reverse band squat: 635, Contest stance squat: 555, cambered bar squat: 525
Snatch Grip Rack Pull: 585, DL against dbled minis: 505
(check the youtube vids on the right side of the homepage)

In the last month and a half I've put on about 12lbs and am just as lean as usual. I've been playing around with adding different carbs at different times. Here are some sample days:

Sample Max Effort Squat day:
Wake: 1-2 liters of cold water
Breakfast: 6 whole organic eggs w/chopped peppers, onions, spinach, mozzarella cheese, 4-5 slices uncured turkey bacon, 1 apple or orange, 5g fish oils
Snack: bowl of horizon organic cottage cheese, spoonful almond butter, pineapple (all mixed) -5g fish oils

60m Pre-Workout: Stimulant of some sort (not necessarily recommended) Spike Shooter or Black Coffee
30m Pre-Workout: Biotest's Surge Workout Fuel 2 scoops
While warming up: 2 scoops of Biotest's Surge Recovery w/5 g micronized creatine
Half-way through training: 1 scoop surge workout fuel
Post workout: 50-60 grams of champion chocolate flavored whey w/5g creatine

Next Meal: 1/2 lb grass fed or extra lean ground beef, whole avocado, bowl full of greens, balsamic vinegarette (all mixed together)

Snack: bowl full of Fage greek yogurt w/ frozen blueberries and handful of cahsews (all mixed together\

Next Meal: Same as post workout meal

Next Meal: usually on the go or at work: 6 oz. of turkey breast deli meat wrapped with provolone or mozzarella, handful of cashews, orange, some fish oils

Next meal: usually the greek yogurt or cottage cheese concoction

I usually knock down 3/4-1 gallon of water during training and another gallon throughout the day. Some other supplements I use are: Chelated multi at breakfast/dinner, theanine serine before bed which also contains magnesium glycinate, some other herbal adaptogens throughout the day such as Rhodolia Rosea Extract and Holy Basil. Nothing groundbreaking, just consistent...

Just some brief updates, I'm busy in the trenches and I'll get back to ya'll once i come up with something new and groundbreaking...

Real People, Real Methods, Real Results...Part 2: Pick Your Battles

2009-04-29T00:58:00.005-04:00

John: December 2008

To reach your ultimate goal you must have smaller goals or steps you must reach along the way. Great military leaders don't try to win the entire war in one day but try to win all of the smaller battles that comprise a war along the way. Well how many of you out there deep down inside really want to wage a war on body fat? With only about 10% of the United States population under 10% body fat, I'm going to assume it's pretty much all of you.

John (who you're familiar with from part 1) came to me in 2008 wanting to wage a personal war on body fat. We set up MANY small battles along the way. These battles included: Dietary changes day by day, week by week, meal by meal, training changes day by day, week by week, set by set. We started out with very small changes and PROGRESSED the entire time in one way or another. We progressed with the following:
-food selection (commercial meats to organic to grass fed), vegetables/fruit instead of processed carbs and starches
-one cucumber per day progressing slowly to 4-5 full salads/vegetable platters per day
-almond milk instead of skim milk
-nuts/jerky for snacks in place of cereal, etc.
-one multivitamin per day progressing all the way to 2 chelated multivitamins, chelated zinc and magnesium, high quality fish oil, and various herbal adaptogens (holy basil extract, theanine serine, cordyceps)
-drinking plenty of water during training progressing all the way to consuming 50grams of bcaa's around training

What can you learn from John's war? Pick many small battles:
-ONE meal at a time add a solid protein, fat, and vegetable source
-Replace ONE beverage per day with a big glass of water
-Replace your workout carb drink with bcaa's or plain water
-Worry about food changes before purchasing the "magic pill" (there isn't one)
Putting this together: If you make a new subtle change every day then after a few weeks you've completely changed all of your habits and will be closer to winning your personal war!

John: April 2009

To Be Continued: Stay tuned for a full synopsis of John's training leading up the the contest which will include his full program and a video compilation of his fat loss workouts.

Real People, Real Methods, Real Results...Part 1

2009-04-14T22:58:00.008-04:00

All of you are probably pretty familiar with all of my beliefs in regards to training, eating and living. But i'm not sure how confident you may be in their ability to produce results. This is understandable because I've mainly used myself as an example. And for those of you who know me you know that I take things to the extremes. Well, i've now got an example other than myself to model some of my principles for optimal body comp. A client and friend of mine John came to my in July 2008 seeking out some advice to obtain optimal body composition by April 11th, 2009 (the day of the annual Kalamazoo Bodybuilding Championships here in SW Michigan).

John had played 5 years of college football so he was already in pretty good shape don't let me kid you. I'm not going to try to take credit for the most impressive transformation of all time but I'd like to show what it takes to go from an athletic look to completely shredded! If you're looking to get anywhere near 10% body fat (for guys) and 15% body fat (for women) then you might learn a thing or two from John.

We started in July of 2008 just making changes in his food selections (not portions, timing, or anything else). We made small changes at a time such as: meat and/or eggs for breakfast instead of cereal, water/almond milk instead of skim milk, fruits and veggies in place of refined sugars and starches, based every meal around an animal protein source, started to include fish oil and/or nuts with most every meal, etc. This led into the full on contest prep in the middle of December 2008. We got a little more specific on meals (selections, amounts, times, etc.).
We kept training real heavy in the gym on our main lifts. 6 reps and under with squats, front squats, dead lifts, push presses, bench presses, chin ups, etc... With the rest of our work being in either the 6-8 rep range or 8-10 for some accessory movements.
I didn't allow John to get on any piece of cardio equipment. He adhered to a regime of 2 moderate to high intensity cardio sessions outdoors per week for the first couple of months. This included all of the stuff you've seen in my videos (prowler, sled, sandbag, body weight drills). This progressed up to three prowler sessions per week and even a few 10-15 minute sled drag workouts on his own at his house several hours after lifting sessions.

I'll get into much greater details on each aspect of the transformation later, but this should get you thinking about the basics of attaining a better body composition.

Short summary of my recommendations:
-Eat real food (animal proteins, oils, nuts, vegetables, fruits, limit dairy, grains and sugar)
-Drink water and lots of it
-Lift weights, and use big compound lifts such as squats, dead lifts, over head presses, bench presses, dips, pull ups, dips
-Use short rest periods and still use
-Get off the treadmills and elipticals and get outside. Use prowlers, sled, kettlebells, kegs, tires, ropes, bands... These make for killer fat loss circuits and are lot funner and effective than walking on a treadmill!

John did very well for this being his first contest. He took 3rd place out of 11 competitors in the light heavy weight class. He was a drug free 198.6 pounds!

Take a look at the final product, I'll have some before pics in another post:

TO BE CONTINUED!...

"No Treadmill? This can't be cardio..."

2009-03-25T14:01:00.002-04:00

Obviously I'm being sarcastic in the title (i'm a major smartass, give me a break I work at a bar on the weekends). As most of you already know, I get a group of 8-10 people together 1-2 times per week for some "Cardio".

Most of these sessions revolve around drills with the prowler, sled, kettlebells, jump stretch bands, sandbags, med ball, sprinting and body weight calisthenics (look out for my new tug of war rope this coming week though).

These tools are great for competitive athletes, but for athletics I need to break down the energy system requirements in greater detail in terms of the work to rest ratio's, weights used, songs played, etc...

I'm gearing this call to action to the recreational lifters (& power lifters who are out of shape), fitness enthusiasts, bodybuilders and figure competitors. There is no better way while having minimal time to encinerate body fat and build your work capacity than with these types of drills/circuits that you're about to see. Might I add, these can make you want to cry to your mother after 10 minutes if I so feel the need to make them THAT challenging. But generally they'll last 15-30 minutes (usually with a 5 minute intermission to change out equipment).

Have a look at the video and if you're in Michigan and want to participate with yours truly them shoot me a message. If you like them but don't live anywhere near me then shoot me a message and I"ll tell you how to set these up on your own.

2-3 sessions per week of this "Cardio" on top of 3-4 Strength training sessions and you'll be a "Bronzed God"

Interview for Colosseum Training

2009-03-23T00:30:00.002-04:00

Hey guys, here's a small interview I did for a strength coach out of Oklahoma named Lucius Tirey. Check out his website as he's got lots of cool training articles/videos/pictures etc. and seems to have something really unique going on. (http://www.thecolosseumtraining.com/)

Interview with Dan Allison; A Strength Coach, Powerlifter and founder of
"Garage Training" in Michigan.

I found Dan through mutual friends in the strength world. He isn't just someone off the street
with beach muscle who got certified and trains at your local gym. He is a true student of the
field and someone who doesn't just "talk the talk" but "Walks The Walk!!" Those of us who
aspire to learn more and get better know how important it is to share thoughts with one
another and pick each others brains. This is what makes "us", our athletes and our lives
better. Enjoy!

LT- First off I want say thank you for talking the time and sharing your style and beliefs
towards training. First question is around what age did you start really training and studying
the world of strength and conditioning?

DA- I started really training the summer before going into 9th grade to prepare myself for
the upcoming football season. I was a scrawny 150lb’er who could barely bench and squat
115 lbs. To be honest, I had never heard of a strength and conditioning coach until
probably my sophomore year of college. I stumbled across guys like Charles Poliquin and
Chad Waterbury and T-nation and immediately knew that was what I wanted to do. This led
me to choosing the major of exercise science/physiology and into being the strength coach
for a high school football team, private strength coach (working on getting my business
“Garage Training” going this summer), and being a volunteer strength coach at Western
Michigan University.

LT- Who would you say as far as “GURU” do you look up to and study the most?

DA- Charles Poliquin is my favorite coach that I look up to. I was introduced to his work by
Chicago based strength coach Chris Grayson. Chris is the next guy that I immediately go to
for advice. Other than that, I really enjoy hearing what all of the guys at Elitefts have to say
(especially Dave, Jim, and Harry Selkow), Elliott Hulse, Joe Hashey, etc. I like to hear what
everyone has to say.

LT- Tell us a little bit about yourself and your style of training? What kind of split do you use
(conjugate system, 5-3-1, sheiko ect) and why?

DA- When I’m preparing for power lifting competition (3/4 of the year usually) I generally use
a conjugate template. The reason I choose the conjugate method is because it is just so
user friendly in the different ways you can manipulate your program design. I like the
changing of exercises and rep schemes every couple of weeks and the excitement of trying
to break records week to week. It brings out a competitive spirit in everyone.

The other time of the year is spent taking a break from the stresses of max effort weights
and dynamic effort movements and getting reps in and messing around with different
training methods. Right now I’m in that ¼ of the year where I am messing around. I’ve been
experimenting with some of Coach Poliquins German body composition principles in the gym
and out of the gym. I have been getting great results in terms of gaining lean mass and
being extremely well conditioned.

LT-I’ve seen from following your logs and videos you like to do a lot of conditioning style
circuits. Why is that and how do you fit them into your training schedule?

DA- The why on this sort of goes along with the last question in that I’m in that ¼ of the year
where I simply experiment with various training methods on myself before putting others
through the same type of program. I’m using full body German body composition style
training in the gym right now. I’m doing this to get as lean as possible, build work capacity,
and to take a break from max effort work before I start preparing for power lifting again. It’s
somewhat of a little break on my joints and mind to help to re-kindle the fire I’ll need to prep
for this year’s meets. The cool thing about this recent fully body scheme is that with all of
the 6-8 rep max dead lifting that I’ve done, my max dead lift has increased about 10lbs
without even training to directly.

As for the outdoor conditioning sessions that I have lots of videos of; it probably seems like I
do a lot of these because recently it’s all I have taken video of. I train at the universities
public weight room and I usually just get in and get out and don’t feel like bringing my
camera in there. So what ends up happening is over a period of two weeks I’ll have three
videos of outdoor conditioning but no videos of the six or seven in the gym sessions. We
typically do the conditioning circuits on Sundays and maybe one day in the middle of the
week. On Sunday, the people I get to come out are usually just your average Joes looking
to shed some body fat. None of them are competitive athletes (a couple bouncers, two
strength coaches, and one pre-contest body builder who use the prowler for fat loss) and
then I just jump in to get my hands dirty and try to “practice what I preach.” These sessions
generally last 20-30 minutes maximum. Everyone has a great time and with the lack of
eccentric movement, all attendees generally feel pretty refreshed the next couple of days.

I’ve used these type of circuits you see in the videos with athletes who compete in anaerobic
based sports. The movements are generally the same but the loads used and work to rest
ratios are structured quite differently. With the fat loss guys we just get out there and try to
kill ourselves once or twice a week. I’d be glad to elaborate later on some conditioning
circuits geared for a particular sport.

LT- It seems like anytime I have a new athlete come in and I bust out the foam roller they
look at me like “What the hell are we doing?” kind of sad cause I’ve found that most of the
high school programs have no sort of recovery sessions, just the all or nothing principle so
to say. What kind of things do you like to do for a recovery and how important do you feel it
is towards your training?

DA- I think recovery should be taken as seriously as the training sessions or games
themselves. The faster you can recover, the faster you can get back out there and make
some sort of progression. Look at some lifters who are 300 lbs and can only get two
training sessions in per week versus a 220lb lifter who has the recovery ability and work
capacity to train 4 times per week. The 220 lb lifter is going to make progress at a much
quicker rate.

My personal favorite things for recovery are:
-foam rolling, my range of motion is much better after rolling and my muscle soreness
almost splits in half after a good foam rolling session. I feel that you need to be aggressive
with the rolling to get the most out of it though.
-dynamic stretches, five or six stretches in a row usually does it for me. Something like:
warrior lunges, lunge w/twist, toe touches, high kicks, and some fire hydrants for the hips.
-band work: I like to take the mini jump stretch bands and do pull apart, press downs, good
mornings, and various stretches for the lats/pectorals/shoulders.
-Quality food, I’ll let this lead into the next questions.

LT- To the million dollar question “Strength Coach Dan, What do you take?” I’m sure you
get that from time to time. How do you feel about supplements? Do you believe in all the
hype that places like GNC try to sell you?

Oddly enough I get this million dollar question all of the time. Since I’ve managed to stay
around 200-205 lbs at 10% body fat or under for almost 2 years now since being a 250lb’er
a lot of people wonder how I stay so lean. So of course they just assume it’s all the hot
selling GNC stuff. Well it’s pretty far from the average GNC regimen. I actually made a blog
post on this yesterday so I’ll let the detail unfold there: http://strengthcoachdan.blogspot.
com/2009/03/answering-age-old-question.html

But to sum things up:
-Poliquin Twice Daily Multi-Vitamin
-Zinc Supreme (by Designs for Health) 90mg per day
-Magnesium Glycinate Chelate (by DFH) 1 gram per day
-Fish Oil (usually PFO, DFH, or Barlean’s) on average 12-15 grams per day
One’s I didn’t mention in the blog:
-Champion Nutrition Whey Protein: 2 scoops post workout or for a meal replacement mixed
with a greens powder and some flax meal
-Scivation’s Exxtend BCAA powder: 20 grams during training, 10-20 grams post training.
Usually only for sessions lasting longer than 25 minutes
-Glutamine Powder (when I feel like buying it or when I’m trying to get really lean) 20-50
grams in a post workout shake to bring down cortisol and replenish glycogen

LT- During my boxing career I watched others go to extreme measures to cut weight and
how they ate fueling their bodies. I always found it easy to make changes up or down with
adjusting my nutrition and eating well. What is your diet like and how do you feel it affects
your lifts, energy and recovery ect…?

DA- Nutrition is life and death. This comes from a guy who used to be 250lbs and was
weaker than I am now at 200-205lbs. My training was generally the same, but my eating
has gone from one spectrum to the other. I was first sold to the bodybuilding/ animal pak
mumbo jumbo of “Just f’ing eat”. So I followed this motto from my senior year of high school
to my sophomore year of college and went from 210lbs to a peak of 270lbs at one point. I
ate fast food and dorm food every day ALL day. I was tired ALL of the time, always sick, the
only motivation I had was to lift 4 times per week. The rest of my life was so lazy and
unproductive. Then I was introduced to Charles Poliquin and Dr. Jonny Bowden’s methods
of nutrition by Chris Grayson and his colleague Ben Knapp who were working in Detroit at
the time. I started following these principles (eating real whole foods, mainly protein, fats
and vegetables, in large quantities I might add) and in six months I went from just under 30
% body fat to 6%. I entered two bodybuilding contests for the heck of it at this time as well
to motivate the fat loss. I wasn’t really hooked on the whole bodybuilding thing but I have
fallen in love with the “cave man” eating methods I learned at this time. I’ve eaten following
these principles for a couple of years now (but have made the diet even better) and my
strength training, body composition and general well being have never been better. I eat
mainly organic foods and when I can’t I eat foods that are as raw and as unprocessed as
possible. (Minus the artificial sweeteners in the bcaa and protein drinks, but hey the
lemonade bcaa’s are like candy)

Here’s a sample food log from this week:

(not listed: I use a lot of Mustard, Balsamic Vinegar, and Organic Ketchup as well. If I’m
trying to lean out, I usually emit the ketchup)

Cheese, Mozzarella, part skim

171 11.4 2.2 14.7

Whole Egg

280 16.0 0.0 25.2

turkey breast 2oz.

330 2.4 0.0 69.0

Fage Yogurt

260 20.0 6.0 14.0

Spinach, raw

14 0.2 2.2 1.7

Broccoli, raw

90 1.0 17.5 7.4

Cucumber, raw

24 0.3 4.3 1.2

Turkey Bacon

120 2.0 0.0 24.0

chicken breast

220 2.0 0.0 50.0

raw almonds

510 42.0 15.0 18.0

Raw Cashews

156 12.0 9.0 5.0

Whey (champion)

500 6.0 6.0 104.0

Fish Oil

150 15.0 0.0 0.0

flax meal

188 12.0 8.0 8.0

Twice Daily Multi

0 0.0 0.0 0.0

Zinc Supreme

0 0.0 0.0 0.0
Total 3,013 142.3 70.2 342.3

LT- As many of us know from watching some of your videos you compete in Power lifting.
What are your best lifts in competition?

DA- Best lifts are:

198lb class unequipped (aka Raw)
Squat: 555
Bench: 355
Dead Lift: 515

LT- What are your plans as far as future competitions?

DA- I plan to compete in two meets so far this summer in Michigan. One USAPL meet and
one ADFPF meet and am planning on another two next fall. I’ll probably compete at 198lbs
one last season before I move to 220. I’d really like to break the 600 mark on the squat
before I move to 220. That would have to be my biggest goal at the moment for this string
of contests.

LT- I know I am always learning and looking back at some of the things I do or did and think
“why the hell was I doing that” What are some of the mistakes you’ve made in your training
and what kind of advice would you give to others who are starting to work out or looking to
get into Powerlifting, Bodybuilding or Strongman for example?

DA- I mentioned earlier that I competed in bodybuilding; I would have NOT trained like a
bodybuilder for those contests. I lost a good deal of strength during that time and it took me
awhile to get it back. Anyone that has eaten correctly for body composition knows that the
diet takes care of the fat loss. I would have trained to get stronger and just ate to lose body
fat. I probably look like more of a bodybuilder right now from power lifting style training,
strongman type conditioning, and some awesomely delicious primitive style eating habits.

My advice to others who are looking to get into Powerlifting or Strongman? First off, choose
a few main compound lifts to really improve your strength in (1-5 rep max type
improvements) and then use the rest of the workout to get your reps in for whatever other
strength qualities YOU need. If you’re underweight, then some hypertrophy work would be
for you to make a desired weight class. If you’re extremely de-conditioned then you should
choose a couple compound lifts rotate back and forth with them with incomplete rest periods
to get in shape. And most of all, don’t be afraid to compete. If you think “I’m not ready yet”,
then there will never be a point when you’re “ready”. You just have to sign up and immerse
yourself. You don’t really learn anything about yourself or how your training is really helping
you until you actually compete.

LT- I want to thank you for your time and sharing your philosophy towards strength training
in general. What does the Future hold for Dan? Is there anywhere where others can keep
up with you? (Youtube, Blog ect)

DA- I am honored to be a part of this and really appreciate you taking the time to choose me
for an interview. The future is bright, I’m heading out to NYC in May for a Charles Poliquin
seminar, heading to the Perform Better Summit in Chicago this June, and am applying for
graduate assistant positions as a university level strength coach. Keep up with my daily
grind at http://www.strengthcoachdan.blogspot.com , http://www.youtube.
com/strengthcoachdan , or feel free to email me anytime at dannya5199@yahoo.com as I
love to answer anyone’s questions.

Basics of Leg Training

2009-03-22T19:15:00.002-04:00

What should we keep in mind when training the lower body?

-Hamstrings are predominantly fast twitch in nature (force production ability is very high and they take better to several sets of lower reps)
-The quads rate of force production is a bit slower and they take better to fewer sets of higher reps
-The glutes and calves can swing either way. Some muscles in each region play a major role in stabilization and are in an isometric contraction most of the time (slower twitch) while some muscles play a major role in force production (faster twitch)

-Faster twitch muscles should be trained with heavier weights and lower reps due to their force production abilities
-These heavier weight/ lower rep movements should take priority in the beginning of a training session

-Slow twitch muscles should be trained with higher reps (8 or more for example) with slightly lighter weights.
-These lifts should be completed after the fast twitch muscles or second in super set fashion.

Proper Exercise/ Muscle Group Pairings:

Hamstrings/Glutes (trained with heavy loads 1-6 reps for example)
Dead lifts and all variations
Wide stance squats
good mornings
glute ham raises
leg curls

Spinal Erector/Glute/Hamstring exercises (6 reps or higher)
good mornings
back extensions
reverse hypers
kb swings
pull throughs
romanian dead lifts

Quad exercises (usually 6 reps or higher)
front squat
close stance back squat
step up
lunges
tke's
sled dragging

That's it for now... How to set up a whole session to come later

Exercises You Should Try

2009-03-12T02:29:00.004-04:00

Do me a favor and WARM UP first!
-start with some foam rolling over the major muscle groups and then get a movement warm up like shown in the video in.

Snatch grip dead lift:
the grip comes from the olympic lift "the snatch" it is a very wide grip in which you would use in the snatch or over head squat. You must use a double over hand (pronated) grip. Keep this a heavy lift in which you attempt to move the weight with as much force as possible. This outta be performed at the beginning of a workout since it is highly demanding of the central nervous system. Keep it under 6 reps, some examples would be: 4 sets of 6 reps, 5 x 5, 6 x 4, 8 x 2, etc... Rest for at least 2 minutes between sets. Keep the shoulder blades pulled down and together, chest high, weight on your heels and power it up with your butt and hamstrings.

Face Pulls:
attach a rope to a cable stack. take a few steps back, lean back, with your arms fully extended with a neutral spine and big chest pull the weight towards your face while pulling your shoulder blades down and together. This will strengthen the generally weak and underused lower traps and generally undertrained rotator cuff. This will help with stabilization of the scapula which will pay big dividends to your bench and squat set up (and jack up your upper back in the mean time).

Neutral Grip Chins:
Grab a pull up bar with your palms parrallel to each other. Hang in a fully extended position, pull yourself up as high as you can go, return the the fully extended position, you just did a chin up. If chins or pull ups aren't a part of your program, why NOT?

That's it for now, I wanna hear about some people APPLYING information... get it done!

Answering an "Age Old Question"

2009-03-12T01:52:00.002-04:00

No it's not "how much do ya bench bro?"

It's the other fan favorite: "dude what do you take?"

I'll list my basics and give you the rundown on why the hell I consider these important.

1.) Chelated Multi-Vitamin
2.) Fish Oil, from a quality source
3.) Magnesium Glycinate Chelate
4.) Chelated Zinc

Anything else is just wasted money on quality food... Or not, but most people are buying bull shit like N O xplode or Ass Mass.

Why Chelated Vitamins & Minerals?: In the chelated version, they are at their purest form and it can be absorbed you're "getting what you paid for" so to speak.

Why Zinc?:

-Zinc is present in every part of the human body
-about 60% is found in muscle, 30% in bone, and the remaining found in our skin
-The body does not have zinc storage sites and it only contains about 2-3 grams on average at one time, hence a continual intake of foods containing zinc or a zinc supplement are of importance
-Zinc is especially important for males because: there is 100 times more zinc in the semen than in the blood in males. It is very important for male reproductive health and/or the weekend warrior looking to boost their test levels.
-Not much zinc is absorbed by the body with the modern human diet containing grain and processed products (see my old post on grains/ phytic acid) so again, supplementation is of importance
-Zinc plays a major role in protein and dna synthesis
-Improves liver function and insulin activity

How do you know if you're zinc deficient?

-duh duh diarrhoea, fatigue, delayed wound healing, under performing immune system, skin problems, sleep disturbances, etcetera

Magnesium, Why dude?:

-Helps make up our bones and is found in all body cells.
-On average humans contain about 25 grams of magnesium. Most of it is found in our bones and is essential for the normal metabolism of calcium AND potassium
-It is ANTAGONISTIC to calcium, even though these calcium commercials are probably government B.S. we can still improve our calcium levels by keeping magnesium levels sufficient.
-Magnesium activates a TON of enzymes in the body, helps with sugar metabolism
-Reduces catecholamines (calms us down by brining down stress hormones, this has helped my sleep quality tremendously)

CHELATED Multi Vitamin, why?

-For many of the same reasons as the last supplements.
-Chelated because you can ensure that you're using most of the vitamins that claim to be in the product
-with the modern day poor quality of food and high levels of toxins everywhere, this is a fair insurance plan.

Fish Oil, Why? Hasn't this been put to rest yet?

Here's what Strength Coach Charles Poliquin has to say about it:

1. Cell membrane health: EPA and DHA insure that cell membranes remain healthy. This means that the membranes are flexible and contain larger numbers of insulin receptors that are more receptive and responsive to circulating insulin. This results in decreased fat storage in the adipocytes (fat cells).

2. Fish oils turn on the lipolytic genes (fat burning genes).

3. Fish oils turn off the lipogenic genes (fat storage genes).

4. Fish oils diminish C-reactive proteins, a newly identified risk factor associated with various inflammatory diseases, including atherosclerosis, angina, coronary heart disease, heart attack, stroke, congestive heart failure, and diabetes. The DHA fraction of the fish oil seems to be one most responsible for that protective effect. DHA also has the best ability to reduce blood pressure.

5. Increase utilization of fat stores from the adipocytes.

6. Preferential utilization for energy production once stored in the adipocytes.

7. Reduced inflammation from physical training.

8. Pain management from the reduced inflammation.

9. EPA regulates blood supply to the brain which is essential in maintaining focus in weight training sessions. DHA is important in brain membranes, memory, and cognitive function.

10. Fish oils increase serotonin levels (the happy neurotransmitter). Therefore, fish oils will decrease incidence of depression, anxiety, panic attack, and reduce carbohydrate cravings.

11. Fish oils will improve your cardiovascular risk profile by lowering VLDL, triglycerides, homocysteine, fibrinogen, and increasing HDL levels. Combining fish oils with plant sterols will improve lipid levels even more than either alone.

12. Fish oils can also decrease blood pressure by several mechanisms. These include increases in the vasodilatory compound, nitric oxide, reducing vascular inflammation, blocking the constrictive elements in the vascular wall such as the calcium channels reducing blood viscosity, and inhibiting a blood vessel constrictor (thromboxane). Lipoprotein (a) is another CVD predictor that can be lowered by fish oils (a 19% reduction was seen with natural, stable fish oils and just 4% with a highly purified fish oil).

13. Fish oils are a great stress fighter. Supplementation with n-3 fatty acids inhibits the adrenal activation of steroids, aldosterone, epinephrine, and norepinephrine (catecholamines) elicited by a mental stress, apparently through effects exerted at the level of the central nervous system. Therefore, for the same amount of stress, one will produce fewer stress hormones if consuming fish oils on a regular basis.

12 grams or so a day should be a good start

Where can you find these products:

Jonny Bowden comes through once again:
http://www.jonnybowden.com/vitamins-supplements.html

"I'm Thinkin..."

2009-02-25T00:02:00.004-05:00

Random thoughts, all regarding to this particular realm.

1: The "80/20" rule. With training 20% of your lifts/drills will account for about 80% of the results. I've cycled countless assistance/ fad exercises into my programming but I've only gotten stronger, more conditioned, or leaner (these are all at separate times respectively) when I based my programming around squat and dead lift variations, bench presses, over head presses, pull ups and heavy rows. Worry about the basics first.

2: When training to lose body fat, pair a compound lower body exercise (front squat, lunge) with one for the upper body (presses, pull ups, rows) and use moderately heavy weights (8-10 reps maxes) and perform multiple to a few sets with a minute or less rest between sets. The rest period is the key to fat loss. I'll have some videos of this next week.

3: If you think your technique is perfect on a lift it's not. Technique can always get better. Have someone video tape your lifts so you can pick apart any flaws. Even if you're not a power lifter or strongman, this can go a long way in preventing muscular imbalances and future injury.

4: Only wear a lifting belt for the REAAALLLY heavy shit. For myself I never put it on unless it is a squat or dead lift over 85% of my max. By adhering to this rule over a few years, I've developed a pretty strong set of spinal erectors and abdominal muscles. If you rely on a belt to create maximal tension in these areas, how are you going to get as strong as possible? When you wear a belt, wear it a notch loose and push your belly out against it (by sucking air DOWN into your belly). Push out against the belt on the concentric portion of the lift (i.e. coming up for a squat or dead lift). I believe Eric Cressey said something along the lines of "wear a belt to win a competition, not to train for the competition" (not exact words but something close).

5: Stop prioritizing on exercises that don't have a great ROI (return on investment)! Stop stressing over cable flyes and focus your efforts on bringing up your incline bench press or some other big pressing movement. (another example: focus on squatting over leg extensions if you want some tree trunks in your landscape.
Stop doing 20 minutes of crunches and "core" work if you're not: front squatting, over head squatting, good mornings, prowler pushes, glute ham raises.

6; And if you're going to do some "core work" go do some anti-rotational movements instead of crunches. I know I sound like one of those "core" haters and that some people think that you can't just train the "core" with squat variations, etc.. but I beg to differ. In the last body building show I competed in I had one of the most jacked sets of abs out there and what did I do for them? front squats, overhead squats, barbell rows, weighted chins, etc. No "core" work at all. Now for you people saying "well that's just for appearance, you have to train the "core" for performance." Well, I beg to differ again. How in the heck could I hold 555lbs on my back at a body weight of 198lbs in a power lifting contest? Had to be from extra "core work" right? Nope. Just a lot of heavy ass box squats, band resisted dead lifts, front squats, good mornings, glute ham raises. "Well you're not working anti-rotation", well yeah I am: Tell me that when Walking Out 500 plus lbs from a squat rack that there aren't any rotational forces you have to resist.

How I developed my "core strength"

-get under a bar!

-as you can tell I hate the word "core" as it's thrown around like the girls that get with Bret Michaels. But believe it or not, I do have some "core" exercises I think are pretty badass
-med ball slam (as seen in the outdoor condtioning videos)
-cable wood chops
-garhammer raise (check Chris Grayson's youtube for this)
-roll outs

7: Meats, nuts, vegetables, water. All I need and all you need.

8: Well.... I lied, this concoction is like candy to me. Try it out:
-2 cups of Fage Yogurt
-Jam a bunch of frozen blueberries in it
-Douse with cinnamon
-mix it all around
-enjoy it

9: Train FOR something, i.e.
-Athletic reasons (not to gas out in mma, be able to deliver blocks for 4 quarters)
-Fat loss goal (drop 4% body fat in 1 month)
-Muscle mass goal (gain 15 pounds of lean mass in the body building off season)
-Power lifting total (add 15 lbs to your squat and dead lift and 10 to your bench by the next meet)
-GPP (get yourself in shape for the following training cycle of whichever sport you train for)
-Health (have a plan to drag the sled for 30 minutes every other day to help bring blood pressure down)
-Many more...

10: Better quality food isn't too expensive. It's just that you spend too much money on meaningless bull shit such as: the bar, fast food, trendy clothes, an over priced car, a girl friend/boyfriend (HAH, crack myself up), trendy supplements, etc... Sit out a friday night at the bar and save yourself $50 for a purchase from tallgrassbeef.com.

That's it for now, digest this and apply it... I dare ya!

Get Outside and COMPETE!

2009-02-18T00:37:00.004-05:00

Most people I talk to are bored to death with their "training". I won't go off on a rant but most people confine themselves to what they hear is correct by the so called "fitness experts". Obviously I'm referring to the middle aged guys who are walking their lives away on the treadmill bored outta their skull thinking that their athletic/ competitive days and juices are looonnnnggg gone. Also steering away from lifting heavy because you're "supposed" to get weaker as you age. Same goes for the women. Women have a primal and competitive edge to them as well. So why are the pink dumbbells and bosu balls being used as staple pieces of equipment? So how do we avoid being bored out of our minds and unleash the competitive spirit that seems to be lost in most us now of days?

Get some big toys and set them up outside
such as:
- A prowler
- Kettlebells or Dumbbells
- Resistance Bands
- Jump Rope
- Weight plates
- Dragging Sled
- Sand bags

You can replicate any in the gym workout with the afforementioned tools. Don't believe me, here are two examples

example 1: full body "max effort" lift
Lift A: Low handle prowler sprint: work up to a 4 step max in weight
Lift B1: Kettle Bell Clean & Press: 4 x 6 rest: 1:30
Lift B2: Backward Sled Dragging: 4 x 6 steps per leg, rest: 1:30
Lift C1: Kettlebell Swings: 3x12 rest: 60s
Lift C2: Push Ups against light band: 3 x 15 rest: 60s

example 2: full body conditioning workout (anaerobic lactic capacity)
A1:kettlebell front squat: 10 reps
A2:kb row: 10 reps
A3:kb lunges: 10 reps
A4:kb push press
A5:kb swing
rest: 2 minutes after A5, repeat 4-5 times

B1:sprint 60 yards to 2 kettlebells
B2: pick up kb's and over head walk them back to the start
repeat twice

Let's get away from hanging out on the treadmills, doing curls in the mirror and waiting for "your song" to come on your ipod to do your cable crossovers. Grab dirty/heavy shit and get to work.

Still don't understand, check this out...

P.S. I'm guessing everyone thinks I don't train inside anymore. I just haven't brought my camera inside recently. I'll have some "in the gym" stuff shortly (snatch grip deads, front squats, weighted chins, etc.)

Short on Time, High in Body Fat?

2009-02-14T20:01:00.003-05:00

Well let me help ya out. The battle on body fat shouldn't make you have to spend countless hours on cardio equipment each day. We all have responsibilites like work, school, families, etc. and being on a treadmill for an hour a day is just downright not practical (or the best tool for body fat reduction).

There's plenty you can do without cardio machines. Everything from:
Body weight circuits, interval circuits, sprints, prowler pushing, sled pulling, loading odd objects, etc... You can use just about whatever tool you can think of just so you implement the work periods to rest periods properly and manage the intensity of the work out.

Here are a couple examples of 10-20 minute fat loss work outs:

If you don't have access to any of these tools, NO BIG DEAL! like I said there are many household items/ body weight exercises that you can use for this type of training. Let me know what you have access to and I'll get you lean and mean!

Stick To The Basics Series Videos

2009-02-09T14:31:00.001-05:00

The Secret's Out: Stick To The Basics!

2009-02-03T22:12:00.007-05:00

If you know me, you know I don't like to wade in the B.S. the world has to offer. I want to know the quickest most effective ways of doing things. This especially applies to training..

I've informed you guy's on the different ways to get stronger, bigger, leaner, and properly condition for your goal. But you're probably wondering what exercises to use for these programs. So today, I'm going to show you some exercises that can and should be applied for every and any training goal (pending you're injury free and don't have any structural balance issues to hold you back from these exercises). Today I'll touch upon the conventional dead lift, dead lift against bands, trap bar dead lift, tire flip, reverse lunge, box squat, anderson front squat, glute hamstring raise, push press, fat bar bench press, swiss bar bench press, dips, and pull ups.

If you're confused when I say these can be applied to all goals let me clarify

Lets use the conventional dead lift for example:

Use of the conventional dead lift if we're training for MAX STRENGTH:

weight: 85% of 1rm sets: 5 reps: 3 speed: fast as possible from the ground, controlled coming back down rest periods: 3-5 minutes

Use of the conventional dead lift if we're training for POWER

weight: 50% of 1rm sets: 6 reps: 1 speed: fast as possible from the ground, controlled coming back down rest: around 1 minute

Use of the conventional dead lift if we're training for HYPERTROPHY (muscle size)

weight: 70& of 1rm sets: 4 reps: 8-10 speed: fast coming up, very controlled coming down rest periods: 2 minutes

Use of the conventional dead lift if we're talking Muscular ENDURANCE

weight: 60% of 1rm sets: 3 reps: 15 speed: steady tempo rest periods: 60 seconds

These principles can be applied to most all of the lifts that you'll see in the video I've included in the post. Use your head though ( I wouldn't necesarrily apply the max strength protocol to a lunge or dip, these should be used in the 5 rep range and up). It's up to you but that's my opinion.

Here's what my friend/colleague Mike Coval has to say about these bang for your buck lifts and training modes:

"Up until a few months ago I trained like 99% of the population. Same boring, monotonous, stale routines that got me nowhere. Then I hooked up with Dan (not like that you demented perv), and he introduced me to a the conjugate method of lifting. I stopped caring what I looked like (ok I still cared, but with much less emphasis), and started to worry about what was on the bar. The type of training is nothing fancy. No balancing on one leg while on a Bosu Ball with your thumb jammed in your butt or any of that B.S. Just hard work, the goal of getting stronger, and keeping it simple. Squats and their variations, deadlift and lifts that assist the deadlift, bench work, and lots of pull ups/ rows. And throw in a couple days of energy system conditioning and that would pretty much be the general make-up of the program. Since starting this type of training I have experienced a 20 lb increase in the bench, 10 lb increase in the deadlift (been a couple months since I last tested it), and a 40 lb increase in the squat. This all since mid-October. I even had my first strongman experience over Xmas break, and that as definitely the most fun training session I have ever done."

Mikey / Prowler

On another note: " In the last month I have changed up my diet (whole foods, nothing that is boxed up or in a package) and quit drinking alcohol. I have been at this for about a month now and already have seen significant progress in my body composition (especially my umbellical region which was my worst body comp. site)."

(hmmm, maybe diet and performance go together????)

P.S. I'll add the video when youtube cooperates with me... stay tuned

Dietary Fats for Quick Energy

2009-02-02T13:01:00.004-05:00

Do you want quick energy without the crash 3o minutes later? Then I suggest you listen up. I'm not talking about some sugar infused drink or some bran muffin or bagel. I'm talking about short and medium chain fatty acids (mainly saturated fats). Yes, saturated fats, don't get your under armour compression shorts in a bunch! I'll explain in a different post why saturated fats are good for you and not the cause of heart disease. For now we're talking energy for performance.

Unlike longer chain fatty acids, short and medium chain fatty acids DON'T needed to be acted on by bile salts to be broken down. This means that they are directly absorbed for quick energy much like glucose but without the blood sugar fluctuations.

What are our best sources for these short and medium chain fatty acids?

-Organic butter from cows and goats

-Coconut Oil

Unlike sugars which are an immune system suppressant, these fats are an immune system enhancer. They have many antimicrobial properties that protect us from viruses, yeasts and pathogenic bacteria in the gut.

Use these two sources to cook with or simply have a serving with a snack or meal at any time you're seeking some energy.

Grains: Healthy or Hoax?

2009-02-02T12:44:00.002-05:00

Next time you turn on your tv pay attention to the commercials. I bet you'll see at least one commercial pushing a supplement or prescription drug containing calcium, zinc, magnesium, copper, iron, etc. It's usually some washed up actress whining about her calcium levels and some cheesy family on a swingset playing with their centrum multi-vitamin.

What could it be that is causing all of these mineral deficencies in Americans? It's the damn 10-12 servings of grains recommended we eat per day by the governments food guide pyramid! They're telling us to eat endless amounts of grains for a reason; to make money! Let me show you how they're using the recommendation of grains to make a quick buck out of us by explaining what happens when we ingest grain products. Grans contain a bran, the bran contains phosphorus, the phosphorus is coupled together with phytic acid. What the hell does this mean? Phytic acid competes with the intestines for absorption with the afforementioned minerals and ends up combining with them and blocking their absorption into the body.

Now, do we really need to support this big pharmaceutical and supplement companies by buying their bull shit? No, we don't.

How can we eat grains and minimize the negative effects?

-Soak or ferment the grains to neutralize these phytates and enzyme inhibitors
-these processes include: sprouting, overnight soaking, and sour leavening

And folks, there's no good way to prepare white flour and sugar products so that they are beneficial for our health. So just toughen up and give it up.

"IT'S ALL PART OF THE PLAN..."

2009-01-20T06:34:00.002-05:00

This is a quote from the Joker in the latest Batman flick. I like this quote because it's a great answer to many training and diet questions. I find a lot of people have training and or diet attention deficit disorder (including myself at times). Everyone is always looking for a new program or new diet plan to jump right into before finishing the program they're currently following (i'm assuming that you have a program or some general principles at the very least in the first place).

Well, let me tell you something folks; you have to stay the course to reap the benefits of your current program. If you're training for maximal strength with 4 strength training workouts per week you're probably not going to be as strong as you possibly can if you jump to another program or try to combine a westside split with a body composition program. If you find another program you are interested in, I suggest you ride out the one you're currently using and then devote your full attention to the new one when it's completed.

The same thing goes for diet; if you're using my rather primitive eating principles to shed body fat then stick to the plan until you reach your desired percent body fat and then go try this other plan you've been interested in. Stay the course people!

Affliction T-Shirts Annoy the SH** Outta Me!

2009-01-19T17:23:00.007-05:00

(Zach this is dedicated to you, my friend Chris Grayson is the authority on this as he trains guys at Gracie Barra in Chi-town, but here is my two sense to help spread the word.)

Ever notice that most guys who wear Affliction shirts are NOT fighters. They're usually some fat boner that hangs out at the bar 4 nights a week and does a dumbbell press/ cable fly routine three times per week. Most of these guys talk a big ball game and end up getting their ass kicked or not even fighting at all (this is what I've observed at the bar I work at anyways). Well, they would get their ass kicked because they're not strength training properly for MMA and are not training the right energy system for MMA.

Here's my general thoughts on developing a well thought out plan to get into fighting shape:

1.) control body fat with your food choices primarily (you should use your training to improve relative strength and improve the body's ability to remove waste products, also known as conditioning... you can't out train a bad diet to lose body fat)

2.) train to improve relative strength. this means various sets of 1-5 reps using big compound movements (squats, deads, cleans, presses). For this use weights 80% of your one rep max or above for "max effort" work and use roughly 30-55% of your one rep max weights for "dynamic effort" work. For more details on these strength training methods read my old post at the bottom "methods of madness" If you can move up a weight class, do a higher volume of repetition effort work. If you are trying to make a lower weight class, focus on the max effort/dynamic effort work and lactic acid conditioning.

3.)Include the correct type of conditioning work. The volume and duration of the conditioning can be determined after examining the actual mma skill practices themselves. I'm not too familiar with the actual skill practices but I know they're is a great deal of conditioning going on here. So once we know how much more we can condition without over training we'll set that up. Aerobics are totally unncecessary for MMA. The long runs you hear wrestlers, boxers and mma guys doing are completely worthless and a waste of time. MMA is anaerobic (without oxygen) primarily. It relies and short intense bursts of energy over and over again. This means we need to be strong and able to recover quickly to display this strength again and again on your opponent. So you want to focus your efforts on intense intervals of oh lets say 30 seconds all the way up to 75 seconds (this is not precise, just a general guideline). Some activities you could use to do this are: sprints, prowler pushes, sled drags, tire flips, hill sprints, body weight circuits, jump ropes, heavy bag flips, "death" circuits, etc... The key to this is to keep the rest periods rather short between sets (i.e. 30-60 seconds) to allow lactic acid to build up rapidly. Start with a longer rest period and every couple of workouts decrease the rest period 10-15 seconds.

That's it for now, if you're going to be a tough guy in an Affliction t-shirt please train correctly...

http://strengthcoachdan.blogspot.com/2008/11/methods-of-madness-basics-of-building.html

Recent FAQ's

2009-01-19T16:31:00.002-05:00

I've gotten a few requests since the new year has began. Guess what they ALL deal with? You guessed it, BODY COMPOSITION! A desired improvement in body composition is a concern of many individuals because they're so many great benefits. The first reason is why most people have this desire; to look better in the flesh, duh... The next reason is to be more "mobile, hostile, agile" (Remember the Titans) in your sport since you'll be carrying around less bull shit weight, and the third and probably most important reason is the great health benefits (such as improving insulin sensitivity, blood pressure, thyroid function, adrenal gland function, etcetera). These question's have come from 3 different walks of life; a hopefull mma fighter in 8 months, a body builder who is 10 weeks out from the Kalamazoo Body Building Championships, and a regular joe (he's a bad dude though). So for the sake of this post we're going to focus on the common things these guys all need to do in order to reduce body fat. And some of these things are repetitive from my previous posts but sometimes you need piece information together in different ways for different people to understand. This may seem very basic and at times sarcastic but here we go with my recommendations (follow them and get ripped, or half ass it and make no progress!):

-Don't drink anything besides water (and not just a few glasses, keep a bottle on you all day) and tea(not the pre-made sugar filled ones, but one's you brew yourself)

-Eat a shit load of protein (I'm sick of all of these so called "experts" saying that eating a shit load of protein is unnecessary and dangerous. The studies that say lots of protein is harmful to your kidneys were performed on people with pre-existing kidney problems. I'm all about trying methods out for myself and keeping what works, and eating a rather large amount of protein keeps me pretty damn lean and energetic year round compared to the FDA's recommendations of whole grain asshole, salomenilla jiffy peanut butter and prescription medications. Sorry for the rant, eat protein every time you eat and eat as much of it as you want.

-If your protein source does not contain some quality fats in it (i.e. grass fed beef, wild game, whole eggs, salmon, etc...) then have some raw nuts, extra virgin olive oil, coconut oil, or organic butter (not that smart balance hoaxy shit). It also goes without saying that you should have fish oil with all or most feedings besides your post workout drink. My friend Chris Grayson recommends about 12 grams of fish oil per day for most individuals and says to divide that by how many meals you'll be having. So if you eat 4 main meals besides your post shake then you'd have 3 grams per meal. I've also learned from Chris that mega doses of fish oil can be very beneficial but 12 grams is a good starting point and keeps people faithful to the plan.

-I haven't met anyone that is overly carbohydrage tolerant yet. By this I mean that they're skinfold reading of the subscapularis (below the shoulder blade) and the suprailiac (love handle) is usually relatively high. These two sites are correlated with insulin resistance and determine what type of carbs you should eat and how much. These guys should avoid wheat, grains, most starchy foods basically, dairy, etc... (all foods that have a major effect on insulin secretion) and focus on green leafy and cruciferous vegetables (for this I like making salads with romaine and baby spinach). After they've cut out of these insulin promoting foods and followed a regimen of mainly greens for awhile, they can now have some berries and other fruits like apples and oranges here and there.

-Basic supplementation: We've already touched on fish oil (if you aren't familiar with fish oil I'll assume you're living under a rock). I'd recommend some vitamins and minerals such as a chelated multi-vitamin, chelated magnesium, and chelated zinc. I say chelated because it ensures that these products are actually being absorbed (so stay away from the gnc mega man or the meijer vitamins). You can obtain these from Jonny Bowden's webstore or preferrably from my friend Ben Knapp at Power Nutrition in Westland, Michigan (shoot me a message for contact info). I'd recommend some drinks for around your training to keep stress hormones at bay and keep muscle glycogen full. This would include a branced chain amino acid (bcaa) powder, glutamine powder, and a whey concentrate powder. Split your bcaa drink into 3 servings: 10 grams pre-workout, 10 grams to drink during your workout, and 20 grams post workout with your protein. Add anywhere from 25-60 grams of glutamine post workout (this is converted to glucose by the liver and acts likea carbohydrate to replenish muscle glycogen). And then mix in 2 scoops of a whey concentrate powder.

-Stop eating about two hours before bed. Have the last meal or snack of the day consist of lean protein and some fish oil. This will ensure proper growth hormone secretion while sleeping (the more growth hormone secreted, the more body fat being used).

I'll be back with my training guidelines for these three different endeavors...

Choose Your Environment Wisely

2008-12-30T23:40:00.005-05:00

For the sake of this conversation we're going to be talking about training. But, keep in mind that these principles can be applied to ANY endeavor.

It doesn't matter if you're training for football, hockey, mixed martial arts or strength sports; the environment you train or practice in makes all the difference in the world. If you want to be the best at what you do then why not surround yourself with like minded individuals who have the same desire and intensity that you do??? If you want to be a top conditioned hockey player, go train under Charles Poliquin. If you want to be a top conditioned football player, go train under Elliot Hulse or Joe Defranco. If you want to be an MMA "Endurance Machine" go train under my friend Chris Grayson in Chicago, Illinois. You get the picture.

Two individuals could be training for football using a similar conjugate periodization model. But I'd be willing to bet my lunch money ($10 at Whole Foods)the person with the better environment is going to get quite a bit more out the program than the other guy.

My reason for this post is pretty simple. I am currently home in the Detroit area for the Hollidays and have a chance to train at Ben Knapp's Powr Performance in Westland, Michigan. The place is not very big, but what it's lacking in size compared to nearby commercial gyms it makes up and then some in Attitude and Positive Environment. The couple weeks leading up to coming to Powr Performance I took it somewhat easy knowing that all hell would break loose when I got to the Detroit area.

Eight like minded individuals got together this past saturday for a heavy lifting session at PPerformance. None of us are world class athletes or lifters but we all have a burning desire to get stronger and in better shape. With all of these like minded individuals together you could really throw some fears out of the window of training by yourself or in a commercial gym (not having a spot, not having someone coach you on a lift, d-bags staring at you from the tread mills while reading men's health, etc...) Basically you can "disconnect" yourself from everything you know and focus on the task at hand. I'll let the video do the rest of the talking (these lifts are not ground breaking in the strength sports world but they're personal improvements for everyone involved due to the environment that was created)...

Kevin and Mike here in the video hit squats close to 100lbs more than they've every gotten I believe

(until next time, re-evaluate your goals and ask yourself "am I putting myself in the right environment to reach these goals?" if not do something about it)

Survey Category: Maximal Strength/ Sport Conditioning

Training Log 12-23-2008

2008-12-24T11:52:00.002-05:00

Lower body lift: Band resisted dead lifts, anderson front squats, glute-ham raises, sled drags

I'll get better at making these more entertaining as I learn how to use the camera and computer program better.

Video Training Log 12-22-09

2008-12-23T13:03:00.001-05:00

I Don't Make This Stuff UP...

2008-12-20T15:19:00.005-05:00

I just wanted to display and describe these photos to show you guys/girls that I don't make this blog information up and I'm not some dill-weed who reads a muscle magazine or men's health. I don't have many books since I'm a college student who works at a bar and spends all his money on good food (see older posts). But I believe the books that I have are some of the better resources out there. From Dr. Jonny Bowden to Dr. Verkhoshansky to Tim Ferriss I don't have a lot but I have quality material. Why make stuff up when you can learn from the experts and interpret the information for your own use?

If you read the linked blogs by Chris Grayson and/or Ben Knapp they always make a point that "what gets measured gets improved." I took this advice about two years ago and have a record of every single training session I've put myself or others through. You may not think so, but writing your plan and results down can really take your progress to the next level. If you put a training goal down on paper and formulate a map to get there, you're more likelely to progress at a quicker rate. For instance, if you're supposed to hit a 300lb training bench press in two months according to your plan, you're going to be more apt to do what it takes in those two months to get there. And if the 300lb bench press does not go up then you can look back at your training logs and see what may have prevented you from getting there and fix it in the next training cycle. This could go for other things besides training. Some others that come to mind are: Eating regimen, business notes, finances, and logging which pick up lines work at the bar and which ones don't.

Here's another view of my logs, time for a new binder!

Here we've got another shot of coaching/physiology books and books from a couple of my favorite authors. I highly recommend "The Edge Effect" by Dr. Eric R. Braverman which is about eating and adjusting activity for optimal brain chemistry. I also recommend all books by Dr. Jonny Bowden especially his brand new book "150 Most Effective Ways to Boost Your Energy" as this kind of combines a lot of information from his previous books and puts it together in a fashion that is highly applicable to anyone's lifestyle.

Here we've got some physiology text, strength training journals and russian strength training manuals (the base of lots of today's most successful strength training methods, that's why the Soviets kicked everyone's ass in the Olympics for so long)

Books of varius topics of strength, pathophysiology, motivation, brain chemistry, coaching, and "ROMO" NFL linebacker Bill Romanowski's story. It sounds funny but "ROMO" is packed with alot of behind the scenes info on the strength and conditioning scene in the NFL.

October-December Training

2008-12-18T07:10:00.002-05:00

After a power lifting meet in September I needed a new training goal since I'm not planning to compete until late spring/ summer 2009. Since I'm becoming OCD with what and when I eat as it relates to human performance and body composition I came up with a goal for this training period. I haven't been in the low single digit body fat range since last september so I figured I'd get back down there WHILE maintaining or increasing my max strength on the big three lifts. Here's a base of the program and the results:

October 2008: 210 lbs at 14 percent body fat
December 5th, 2008: 201 at 7 percent body fat
(according to brozek 7 site skin fold equation done by exercise physiology professor)

Training Protocol:
disclaimer: this training program is not specific to any particular sport, so don't get your panties in a bunch. This was for the sole purpose of recruiting lots of muscle twice per week and training anaerobic glycolysis 2-3 times per week. If you're not familiar with anaerobic glycolysis, you may have experienced it after running a few sprints or playing drop in hockey for the first time in a while and felt some flegmy waste products build up in your throat.

Weekly Split:
Monday: Heavy Bench/ Upper Body Strength
Tuesday: Heavy Squat or Dead Lift/ Lower Body Strength
Wednesday: Off or recovery drills
Thursday: Barbell Complex Workout
Friday: Off or Recovery Drills
Saturday: Full Body Circuit Lift
Sunday: Off for the first few weeks/ DB Complex starting mid November

Sample workouts:
Upper Strength
A1: Bench Press: work up to 3 rep max
A2: Pull Ups: work up to 3 rep max with added weight
B1: Dumbbell Floor Press 4 sets of 4-6 reps
B2: Face Pull: 4 sets of 10-12 reps
C1: Dips: 3 sets of 8-10 reps
C2: Hammer Curl: 3 sets of 8-10 reps

Lower Strength
A: Barbell Back Squat: work up to 1rm
B: Knee high step up: 4 sets of 6 reps
C: Back Raise: 4 sets of 8-10 reps

Barbell Complex sample
A1: over head squat x6
A2: military press x6
A3: good morning x6
A4: high pull x 6
A5: bent over row x6
A6: romanian dead lift x6
done in a row with no rest, used between 85-115 lbs
This did not tap into my recovery much if at all and I usually came out feeling better

Full Body Lift
A1: Squat or Dead Lift Variation x 10-12 reps (heavy as possible)
A2: Weighted Chin Ups 8-10 reps (heavy as possible)
A3: Lunge variation x 8 reps
A4: Standing DB Push Press x 8 reps
I rested between 30-60 seconds between subsequent sets and rested 1-2 minutes between sets. Ten minutes of this will have you breathing harder than a spinning instructor flipping a tire for the first time.

B1: usually a walking lunge or pull through x 10-15 reps
B2: bodyweight chin ups x as many reps as possible
B3: usually a pull through x 10-15 reps
B4: push ups x as many reps as possible

Lifts:
Squat: Maintained a 505lb 3 rep max
Bench: 330 3 rep max (10 lb increase)
Sumo Dead Lift: 510 training max (pulled 507 conventional style in september)

Diet:
The diet was/is pretty much what I've outlined in previous blog posts. My breakfast and first couple meals consist of dark meats, eggs, nuts, oils, cheeses while the meals later in the day consist of lighter colored meats, salad greens, brocolli, greek yogurt, cashew butter, occassional apples and blueberries

sample day:
Breakfast: 10 oz. burger patty, small bowl of cashews, fish oil
Snack between class: Roast Beef, Walnuts, Mozzarella Cheese
Lunch (usually pre workout meal): 4 eggs w/turkey and chopped veggies, fish oil
Post workout drink: 50grams whey concentrate, 30g bcaa/glutamine, 10-20g glycine
Dinner: Turkey or Chicken, large salad
Snack: Greek Yogurt, Cashew Butter, Blueberries (all mixed together w/cinnamon on top)
Last Meal: (i work late at night so I'm up for this usually) chicken or turkey at work with a large plate of broccoli, walnuts or cashews on the side and fish oil capsules.

Not to mention plenty of water ALL day long.

I'll post some pictures next week of the body composisition progress from the training experiment.

Get Fired Up!

2008-12-18T06:42:00.002-05:00

I'm not about getting fired up All of the time, but when it's time, it is time. Jim Wendler made a post on Elitefts the other day about albums that you need to train to. That got me thinking about what I would list for this. One of the only things I enjoy as much as training is music. I've got a binder of a few hundred ticket stubs of concerts I've been to since I was 14 years old and have well over a couple grand spent on cd's. I know not everyone has the same musical taste as me and that is fine, this is just what fired ME up.

In no particular order:

Pantera- Official Live 101 Proof
Life Of Agony- River Runs Red
Bloodbath- Resurrection Through Carnage
Devil Driver- Self Titled
Fear Factory- Demanufacture
In Flames- Clayman
Snapcase- Progression Through Unlearning
Superjoint Ritual- Use Once And Destroy
Sepultura- Live: Under A Pale Gray Sky
Soilent Green- Confrontation
Tomahawk- Mit Gas
Strapping Young Lad- City
High On Fire- Blessed Black Wings
Dream Theater- Images And Words
Lamb of God- As The Palaces Burn
Anthrax- Stomp 442
Cannibal Corpse- The Wretched Spawn
Gojira- From Mars To Sirius
Machine Head- The More Things Change
Mnemic- Passenger
The Red Chord- Fused Together In Revolving Doors
Seemless- What Have We Become
Sevendsut-Home
Trouble- Manic Frustration

These are just some that came to mind. I'm interested in what you guys like, so if you wouldn't mind post your suggestions in the comments section.

Things to Come...

2008-12-13T16:05:00.000-05:00

I plan on putting this blog on steroids within the next couple of weeks as I have a three week break from school. Here's a brief summary of what to expect:

I will either be getting my camera fixed or purchasing a flip cam

-Video training log of what I do week to week
-"Back to Basics" lifting and conditioning series with Mike Coval. This is going to be a series of videos and logs of Mike's progress in strength, conditioning, and body composition from October up to his current progress. Mike's a volunteer strength and conditioning coach with our basketball team (WMU) and has an unquenchable thirst to get stronger.
-A series of questioning authority in America (health policies, big pharma, mainstream fitness, etc...)

If anyone has anything they'd like to see please post or email me at dannya5199@yahoo.com or SCDgaragetraining@gmail.com

Struggling Economy: Putting Good Food On The Backburner?

2008-12-13T14:55:00.000-05:00

This video here is what gave me the idea for this brief post. Note: I'm not condemming these people in the video as they admit that what they did is not healthy one bit (i.e. Tang for vitamin C, losing 14lbs in one month without the help of a badass strength coach, etc.)

With the economy the way it is, most everyone is looking for the most affordable ways to survive. I totally agree with this principle for the most part. The one thing I cannot compromise on is; buying nutritionally empty foods just because they are "more affordable." Why would you want to compromise your health in an already stressful financial time period? These piss poor food choices will just add more stress to your body.
As I'm a 2-3 time per week grocery shopper at a local farmer's market and Meijer here in Kalamazoo, Michigan I witness alot of peoples food selections. Not to brag but I'm a full-time college student who works part time as a bar back and door man at a local bar (we have a playmate coming in tonight!!!) and I still find a way to purchase quality foods to put down my throat. If I can do it under these circumstances, I think most people could if they really put a decent effort forth.
If you care about the health of yourself and loved ones, then here's some ideas to help you afford quality foods in a financially tough era (warning: lots of sarcasm, you may feel stupid after reading this):
-Buy the Ford instead of the Hummer!
-Walk or ride a bike instead of driving short distances!
-Buy an elitefts t shirt instead of Affliction!
-Save on a gym membership and set up a garage gym with homemade equipment
(unless you're training under a badass strength coach like Chris Grayson at Grayson Training Systems or Ben Knapp at Power Performance)
-Don't go to the bar 5 nights in a row (for my college peers)
-Don't buy shots for the girls that you're NOT going to get any from anyways (for my college peers again)
-Shave your head instead of buying your metrosexual hair gel!
-Cancel the tanning membership!
-Buy Chuck Taylor's instead of Diesel brand shoes
-Build a garden
-Raise your own cows and chickens
-Punch yourself in the face everytime you want to go get fast food because it's "more affordable"
-Get a better Job!
Those are just a few tips, but i'm sure with applying 1-3 of them you'll see fantastic results!

A short list of "economically practical foods"
Whey Protein Powder (comes out to be about 35 cents per serving!)
Nut Butters
Eggs
Cottage Cheese
Baby Spinach
Carrots
Apples
Oranges
Steel Cut Oats
Olive Oil
-Once again "Real Food" (seems to be an ever occuring theme ehh?)

My point is, your health is alot more important than the kind of car you drive, brand of clothes you wear, or how impressive you are to girls (or guys for you hot ladies that follow my work)... If it's not important to you, its probably pretty important you family and friends. So think about it and let me know this makes sense or if I'm just pissing people off.

No Excuses! Busy as Hell & Getting It Done!

2008-12-04T02:34:00.000-05:00

A good friend and former football player of mine, Max Sall is in his freshman season of wrestling at Ohio State (Nice work!). If you know anything about wrestling then you know that there are weight classes and that practices are frequent and grueling.
Max came to me today saying that practice and lifting is "kicking his ass." He would never admit to this during football so this must be for real! He said he is ingesting some bcaa's around training time and his helping him a little bit. He also says he's considering consuming a post workout shake of 15-30 grams of whey protein. His breakfast consist of a "detour" bar, a banana, and some nuts. Other than that he's not eating too much in fear of not making weight. He also say's that he'd like some help eating to maintain energy levels and ultimately his weight class.
I gave Max some simple advice on how to eat properly and fairly inexpensively while competing very hard at wrestling and devoting the rest of his time to classes. Here's a summary of what we decided on, and so far it's working pretty well:

-Nut Butters (cashew, almond, peanut)
-Raw Unsalted Nuts
-whole hard boiled eggs
-Fish Oil
-olive oil
-Organic Honey
-Ezekiel Bread
-Coconut Oil
-Whey protein powder
-Berries
-Greek Yogurt
-baby spinach
-steak
-chicken
-any "free range" meats Max can find locally
-I'd get a "Greens" powder such as Designs for Health's Paleo Greens or Biotest's Superfood to drink with breakfast and dinner to keep your immune system up during the physiologicaly stressful wrestling season since eating tons of veggies won't be too practical.

We then came up with a meal plan using these foods that I'm not going to detail as much. We made breakfast, lunch and his two mid meal snacks mostly consisting of protein and fats to keep blood sugar stable and keep Max mentally ready for a grueling practice session. His snack after lunch about 90 minutes before practice I alotted a space for some carboyhdrates such as berries, honey and ezekiel bread. We couple this with some hard boiled eggs, nuts, and greek yogurt. Max makes a branched chain amino acid drink to drink before and during practice. He uses 10 grams before practice, 10 grams during practice and another 15-20 after practice. Max says this has helped sustain his energy levels during these 2-3 hour sweat-a-thons. After practice he'll have a whey protein drink of about 40-50 grams and follow that up with a meal when he gets back to the dorms. This meal he takes down a meat source, a bowl of fruit and some vegetables. He'll then have a protein/fat snack later in the evening before bed.

Max is due to report back to me over the upcoming holliday break. So far he's making his weight class no problem and his energy levels are up. We may go visit BK at Power Performance so we might have some live Max training footage and diet update.
BK is the real deal with the nutrition aspect of things, give his blog a look: http://benknappgaragetraining.blogspot.com

Max isn't letting a hectic lifestyle get in his way, are you?

GROCERY SHOP FOR YOUR GOALS...

2008-11-19T21:31:00.001-05:00

This post is somewhat of a response to a lot of questions I get from my friends I attend college with. The thought is that since they have to buy their own groceries that they can't afford to make good choices for health and body composition. This could not be further from the truth. I've managed to keep my fridge relatively full with good choices working a minimum wage job on the weekends and evenings. Now some of my friends have different goals: "get ripped" , "put on mass", "hard-gain", or the crowd favorite "burn fat and build muscle simultaneously." lol

I"ll do my best here to give some examples on how to grocery shop for your particular needs:

"Getting Ripped"
-Protein Sources: Grass Fed Beef, Wild Game, Free Range Poultry/ Eggs, Fish of all sorts, Jerky, Whey Concentrate Powder

-Fat Sources: Fish Oil Liquid or Capsules, Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, Walnuts, Pecans, Cashews

-Carbohydrate Sources: Green Vegetables of all sorts (my top picks are: KALE, Brocolli, Cuccumbers and baby spinach), carrots and berries for post workout eating
-if you are "Carb-Tolerant" or a "Carbohydrate Type" and manage to stay lean and not get sleepy when eating carbohydrates then here are some other sources to consider at times: -Quinoa,Steel Cut Oats, Sweet Potatos, Wild Rices, Apples, Oranges

-Also consider some drinking water if your tap water sucks at home

For the "Mass Builder"
-I'll assume this guy doesn't necessarily care about his body fat, he should still try to keep his meals mostly protein and fat pre-workout to ensure that he's doesn't become insulin resistant

Protein: same as above, maybe add in some organic cheeses and fage yogurt (BK, 2008) if dairy isn't a problem for you

Fats: same as above, also: natural peanut butter, organic butter/ghee, almond oil, flaxseeds, hemp seed oil, macadamia nut oil, sesame oil, etc.

Carbohydrates: keep the greens flowing, mushrooms, onions, peppers, PUMPKIN, squash, tomatoes, Berries, apples, oranges, bananas, kiwi fruit, Apricots, Melons, Dates, Figs, Grapefruit, Guava, Pineapple, Raisins, Lentils, Kidney Beans, Squash, Sweet Potatos, Oats, Quinoa, Garbanzo Beans, Honey, Waxy Maize Carb Powder for post-exercise, etc...

I'll leave it at this for now and let you use your imagination to piece this information together.

To get a step ahead of the rest of the grocery shoppers, pick up a book by the name of; "The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth" by Dr. Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S.

The Answer Lies Within

2008-11-14T19:13:00.000-05:00

Being in many different training environments throughout the last few years, I always seem to get some random questions from time to time. Most of these questions are asked time and time again by different individuals. I'd like to list and go over some of these FAQ's. The reason being, the answer's end up being very simple. Nine times out of ten, if the individual really thought about it then they would answer their own question. Here we go (in no particular order):

Q1: How do I increase my bench?

A: I'll usually respond with some questions:
-Are you bench pressing 1-2 times per week? (usual answer is every monday & hit 3 sets of 8-10 reps then do 2 flye exercises) I then tell them that 3 sets of 8-10 reps may cause their chest to get bigger in size, but it won't have much of an affect on maximal strength. I tell them they need to be performing some lower reps (under 5) to increase maximal strength and I get a blank stare. Read this post on the proper methods and percentage ranges for strength development: http://strengthcoachdan.blogspot.com/2008/11/methods-of-madness-basics-of-building.html
-The second thing I ask is: Are you performing a pulling exercise for every pushing exercise you perform? The usual answer is no. I'll recommend they do some pull ups, face pulls, lat pulldowns between sets of pressing. I get a blank stare. If you're antagonist (opposite) muscles are underdeveloped compared to the agonist, how are you going to be as stable and strong as you could be otherwise?

Pretty simple thoughts, Right?

Q2: I've really been going at it for a long time (fat loss) and I just can't seem to see my abs yet, what should I do?

A: I start by asking their current training methods and dietary protocols. What do these look like 99% of the time:
-Lighter weight/ higher repetition lifting with a "bodypart or two" per day
-45-60 minutes of steady state aerobics
-High protein, Moderate Carbohydrates, No Fats
-Stimulant based fat burning pill

What are the problems here?
-The lifting sessions aren't doing much to stimulate the metabolism with such a small demand on the muscles and there's really not much effect on heart rate since rest periods usually aren't taken into consideration.
-Steady state aerobics have been written off by almost everyone in the fitness industry. I will say there is time and a place for this type of work (recovery work, endurance athlete, and maybe very serious pre-contestbodybuilders because these guys will take anything to the extreme). But with all of the research and real world proof of higher intensity cardio, shouldn't this be the obvious answer?
What in the heck did humans do before treadmills and elipticals (if i'm not mistaken hasn't obesity and annual occurence of heart attacks gone up since these machines have come out????) Go outside and Sprint, Pace Run, Drag a sled, flip a tire, swing a sledgehammer, jump rope, you could think of a million different activities that will kick your ass more than reading Muscle & Fitness on a treadmill while you're in the "fat burning zone."

-Most people in the United States are not carbohydrate tolerant, as pointed out by Charles Poliquin. With the horrible food pyramid we have in the U.S. we've got these people trying to lose fat while INCREASING their intake of breads, cereals, etc... Now they are some great carbohydrate sources out there but let's be honest, do we really need them in the excess that the food pyramid recommends? NO, so I tell these people first to watch the types of carbs they're eating (1. vegetables, 2. fruits 3. quinoa, ezekiel products, steel cut oats, wild rice) then I'll tell them to limit the amounts and the times (breakfast, post workout)... The people I deal with usually are fine with their protein intake, but I do recommend to them to lower the carbs a bit and add in some fattier meats such as steak, bison, dark meat chicken, and eat their eggs WHOLE. Then I'll usually recommend they ditch the "no/low fat" idea. Items such as fish oils, olive oil, coconut oil, raw nuts, butter are some things I recommend they add in. oh yeah and I don't care how much water they say they drink...DRINK MORE H2o

-I'll usually tell these people that the stimulants will keep their stress hormones up and keep them from leaning out to their fullest. I'll usually recommend they switch to some green tea pre training or use a different product such as Venom by ALRI

Don't think these fat loss methods work? Well let me re-assure you...
check out the posted images

These turned out to be longer than I originally planned... I'll be back with some more FAQ's at a later time. Until then, get motivated and do work!

Anaerobic Glycolysis (Conditioning) Workout

2008-11-12T23:41:00.000-05:00

Here's some footage from a conditioning workout that I conducted in October. I'll perform these for fun and body composition purposes when I am not close to a power lifting competition. These types of circuit conditioning workouts are great for fat loss, athletes needing to build anaerobic work capacity (as my friend Chris Grayson would say "Endurance Machines"), or anyone looking for a fun and challenging means of exercise. enjoy

If you're ever in the Kalamazoo, Michigan area and are interested in these, look me up...

Methods of Madness: Basics of Building Strength

2008-11-12T21:45:00.000-05:00

This is nothing new or innovative by any means. I'd just like to shed some light on the three methods of building strength specifically for those who are new to strength training or new to "non-bodybuilding magazine" type training. These methods have been explained broadly and in very great detail by the likes of Louie Simmons, Charles Poliquin, and all of the great Russian Coaches who brought the conjugate system to the U.S. Let's get to the main course:

The first method of strength development is the Maximal Effort Method
This includes loads that are 90-100% of your one rep maximum effort. So if your max bench press is 300lbs, any repetitions between 270-300lbs wouuld be considered "max effort."

Here's an example of a max effort squat workout that I performed at Chris Grayson's facility (GTS Performance) back in August: (don't use these as an example for box squats, as I was just using the box to gauge depth)

Next you have the Dynamic Effort Method. In general this is where you lift a submaximal weight as fast as you possibly can. You'll find some individuals who use percentages as low 40% (usually more advanced trainees that have higher maxes) and some individuals who will go as high as 70% (mostly beginners and sometimes intermediate trainees). On average you'll usually find people are using between 50-60%. Dave Tate recommends starting at 50% and moving this as fast as you can and then move up in small weight increments until your bar speed slows down. You would then use the higher percentage for your dynamic effort training. For lower body movements shoot for something like 8 sets of 2 reps with rather short rest periods and for upper body movements 8 sets of 3 with rather short rest periods as well. You'll see lots of experienced lifters and athletes with chains or bands on the bar to accomodate resistance as well. Let's not worry about this as a beginner, just put some weight on the bar and get it MOVING!

Last, we've got the Repetition Method. To somewhat quote former Arizona Cardinals Head Coach Dennis Green: "This is what you think it is" (I know not the same, but same idea). This is simply lifting a sub-maximal weight for reps. What kind of reps? you pick: 6-8, 8-10, 12-15, etc... They all have their place (hypertrophy, endurance, recovery, etc.)

here's a video example of some Dynamic Effort Box Squats and some Repetition Method work with Good Mornings and Glute Ham Raises:

Most programs forget the max effort and dynamic effort method and only focus on the repetion method. These are all meant to work together to compliment each other and build complete strength. See if you can piece together how to add these into your program and watch your strength and enjoyment of training go through the roof!

2008-11-05T21:44:00.000-05:00

Interview with Strength/Boxing Coach Rob Pilger of Old Skool Fight Sports and Fitness Academy in Columbus, Ohio

1.) What is your educational background?

I took the formal route for a minute getting a semester of college in but since I was paying my own way I thought learning from the experts would be the better choice. It was. I'm a CHEK Level II Practitoner, PICP Level I therory and Technical. This is a Charles Poliquin certification program. RTS theory, this is a course of biomechanics offered by Tom Purvis. I think its an excellent course. I continue to learn a lot from Louie Simmons of Westside Barbell, I see Lou every week as his gym is 10 minutes from mine and he trains at my gym as well. Louie is just not all powerlifting he has a lot of brilliant training ideas and methods. I have interned and taken seminars from the the best of in the field, Mike Boyle, Joe De Franco, Elite FTS, Eric Serrano, Charles Staley, Alwyn Cosgrove, John Berrardi, to name a few. I continue to network with many of these names and more as quite a few have become my friends. I'm also a Level II USA Boxing Coach.

2.)Do you hold any certifications?

AIFE Personal Trainer ( Big deal! ) CHEK Practitoner Level II, PICP Level I Theory and Technical, RTS Technical, USA Boxing II Coach.

3.)What made you want to switch sides from boxer to strength coach?

I didn't enjoy the bullshit buisness side of boxing, it took all the enjoyment out of it. It was a GREAT experience though. The big reason to is that a lot of fighters don't come close to fullfilling their true potential due to the lack of strength training. Strength training is frowned upon in boxing but those in the know that many fighters can greatly enhance their potential and careers by gaining many strength qualities that are left undeveloped in them. This is my goal, passion, and mission to rid this myth and demonstrate with results on why strength training is needed for success in all fighters careers.

4.)Could you see yourself having any other profession?

Within the boxing industry yes. Manager will soon become another title for me as will comitator down the line as well. I'm a true hybrid coach. Mastering all that I am at the same time too.

5.)What would you say your training philosophy is?

I'm a coach that has MANY tools to use depending on the goal or situation. I have learned and always will continue to do so, many training tolls and systems. So i don't follow one system, I just use what tools the goal calls for. This allows me to truly be a successful coach.

6.) What type of tests and/or assessments do you perform on new clients?

I use assessment skills that I leanrned from my CHEK training and RTS. Postural assessments, flexibility rom ( active and dynamic ), core strength, movement assessments, and lifestyle. I have been trained to assess spinal curatures as well, Also advanced assessment for people suffering back pain.

7.)What do you think is the most important attribute to being a strength coach is?

Having an open mind to learn and listen to many sources. being an intuitive coach ( having the ability to change thins on the fly ) communication and listening skills, having discipline, owning and demonstrating great assessment skills as the athletes program will only be as good as the assessment. Of course walking the walk while talking the talk, alsws putting yourself in the athletes shoes and understanding what he is experiencing and living and coming from and dealing with in his life. life style factors and mindset are sorely overlooked.

8.)What are the main things most athletes programs are usually missing?

Stability, flexibility, mobility, these is often left out as strength and power are developed way too soon. Real and optimal core strength too along with proper movement skills. Life style/eating considerations. This is HUGE as the program and success of the athlete will flow off of this. This is really the most important.

9.)How much time do invest into improving yourself as a coach?

At least an hour a day mainly 2 hours per day. This is my enjoyment as well.

10.)How far does the "knowledge" take you before experience becomes the limiting factor?

Experience is everything. You gain knowledge from experience. Certainly you want to study what you do but you have to do what you stuy at the same time!

My Own Training Sessions

2008-10-16T01:27:00.000-04:00

I've finally kicked it into gear this week training wise. Since the meet I did in September, I took about a week off and eased back into the training with a real low-moderate volume of work and a moderate intensity. Things are starting to pick back up with my goals of increasing my lifts (squat, bench, dead lift) and getting my work capacity (conditioning) up a bit as I'm a bit sluggish as of late. Here's a glimpse:

Tuesday Upper Body Workout:
A: Bench Press: worked up (45lbs, 135, 185, 245 x 3, 275x3, 305x6)
-as you can see I'm easing back into things with the intensity
B1: Incline Dumbbell Bench Presses: 4 sets of 8 with 110lbs rested: 30 seconds
B2: Seated Dumbbell Cleans: 4 sets of 8 reps with 30lbs rested: 60 seconds
C1: Close Grip Push Up: 4x12 rested 30 seconds
C2: Cable Face Pull: 4x12 rested 30 seconds
(in the next upper body workout i'll increase the pulling work and decrease the pushing)

Thursday Lower Body Workout
A: Barbell Back Squat: worked up (in 45lb increments) to 360x 3, 415x 3, and 465x3-5, used full rest periods
B: Rack Dead Lift from knee level: 4x6 w/405lbs rested 2 minutes
C: Dumbbell Split Squat: 3 sets of 8 reps rested 90 seconds
D1: Cable Pull Through: 3x10 rested 30 seconds
D2: Reverse Crunch: 3x12 rested 30 seconds

nothing special here, just slowly getting into some heavier weights and starting to push it on the assistance and auxillary exercises. I'll be playing with the sets/reps/ and rest periods on the auxillary exercises to work on bringing up my level of conditioning or work capacity. you'll also see one or two short conditioning or "extra" workouts in the logs as well.

Four Daily Steps To Eating Correctly

2008-10-16T00:45:00.000-04:00

1.when you wake up look at the clock... you have 20 minutes to get something in your system... start by consuming some cold water because you're usually mildly dehydrated upon waking... make sure your meal includes 1.)animal protein 2.) fats (the brain is made of fats & needs fats to begin optimal daily functioning) 3.) fiber, from first option -green vegetables 2nd -fruits 3rd option -grains if your skinfold readings in the Sub-Scapular region and Supra-Illiac region permit you to do so (according to Charles Poliquins Biosignature Modulation)

2. continue this meal combination every 2-3 hours... your body is like a fire, put logs on the fire frequently to keep it going. protein then fats then fiber (choose the source in aforementioned order, grains Maaaybe if you're one lean or active bastard i.e. Chris Pronger, Reggie Bush, not Joe Fratboy)

3. if you plan on training or participating in some sort of sport or even plan on going to a rock show & getting into a mosh pit then apply the following -have a meal 60 minutes before hand (this could mean a meal of steak, avocado, and cucumbers, or as simple as an apple & a bowl of nuts if time is limited- consume 10 grams of bcaas before training & 10 grams either during or after for numerous reasons. consume your bodyweight x about .25 in grams of protein, so if you're 200 lbs have 50 grams post workout (def doesn't have to be exact, but try and get it somewhere around this recommendation)-build up in dosage of glutamine using the same principle as the protein (Chris Grayson, 2007)

4. continue consuming your normal food combinations about an hour after your prescribed post workout drink & continue your meal combinations every 2-3 hours that you're up for the day

I hope this helps, maybe i'll post a list of some good food choices for meal combinations at a later time...

265 lbs- 200 and Ripped! A brief outline of how...

2008-10-16T00:20:00.000-04:00

December '06 & January '07
meal 1: 3 whole omega-3 eggs/ 3 whites, 1 apple,
1/4 cup blueberries
meal 2: shake (2 scoops blend protein, fish oil, greens powder) (in ice water)
meal 3 (pre-workout meal): 8 oz. grass fed sirloin/ 1/4 cup almonds/ green veggies
meal 4 (post w/o shake): 50 grams whey/50 grams glutamine/ 20 grams glycine
meal 5: 8 oz. hormone free chicken large serving of greens topped with other veggies (peppers, mushrooms, etc.)
meal 6: usually same as 5 20-45 grams of fish oil per day

February '07- April '07
meal 1: 3 whole omega-3 eggs, 3 whites, 3 oz. turkey breast, various veggies, sometimes 1 apple meal 2: shake (2 scoops blend protein, fish oil, greens supplement)
meal 3: 8 oz grass fed sirloin, 1/4 cup nuts, lots of greens
meal 4 (post w/o): 50 grams whey/ 50 grams glutamine, 20 grams glycine
meal 5: 8 oz chicken/ greens
meal 6: 8 oz. chicken or fish/ greens

May '06- June 22nd '06
started out at 205lbs/ 7-8% bf
2 gallons of water per day
m1: 8oz sirloin/ 1/4 cup nuts/ Greens
m2: 6 oz sirloin/ greens
m3: post shake (50g whey/50g glutamine/50 grams Vitargo powder
m4: 8 oz chicken/greens
m5: 6-8 oz. fish (salmon, tilapia, mahi mahi)/ greens
m6: 6 oz fish/ greens
every 5th night i ate a carb dinner to replace glycogen and pleasure my mind which consisted of: -lean protein source -1 large sweet potato w/cinnamon -1 cup steel ground oats -2 apples

The final week of the show i kept my diet the same just manipulated some sodium and water and started my carb re-feed friday night before the show and continued all day during the contest (competed June 21st, 2007)

Mid June-August 6th- stuck to the same basic principles but ate as much as I wanted at all of my meals. I had two cheats per week instead of one (I made sure to start the cheats with the oats, sweet potatos and fruits).

I started my next contest prep the same day I started coaching my football team for doubles, I figured it would be great motivation as I could train balls to the wall in a stripped down weight room with some high school kids who love to get fired up
-Added in sled dragging & tire flipping in the morning every other day-2 strength sessions in the beginning of the week-2 density training sessions later in the week

diet
m1: 8 oz. of red meat, fish oil, greens
m2: same for the most part
m3: usually post workout drink
m4-6: chicken or fish, greens, fish oil
every 5th day I had the refeed during the 2nd half of the day focusing on wild rices, sweet potatos, oats, milk, and other various items
water loaded/depleted week of the showkept diet the same week of the show except for I fat loaded instead of carb loaded the morning of the show & ended up looking waaayyy leaner.

Main supplements used (since most people think these are more important than the food you put into your body! hah)
-Magnesium Glycinate
-Zinc Supreme
-Twice Daily Multi
-Liquid Fish Oil
(All by Designs For Health, the highest quality pharmaceutical grade supplements)

I initially lost a lot of weight in 2006 when I was 265lbs on a traditional body building diet (lean proteins/ complex carbs) and this got me down to about 210 lbs. I ate "bulked up" until December of 2007 by eating the traditional body building foods (egg whites, oatmeal, tuna). This got me nowhere but 25% body fat. I was back up to 245lbs and ticked off.
I seeked the help of Ben Knapp and Chris Grayson (http://chrisgrayson.blogspot.com) and these guys opened my eyes to eating correctly. The human body is made out of essential amino acids and essential fatty acids (notice I didn't say essential sugar molecules). So as you can see I focused my efforts on eating quality red meats, fatty fish and fish oils, raw nuts, avocados, etc. and ate smart carbohydrates such as cucumbers, baby spinach, brocolli, apples, oranges at times, sweet potatos post workout, waxy maize post workout, blueberries, etc... The commonality between all of these foods is that they're what humans are made to eat, not a packet of maple brown sugar oatmeal or reduced fat enriched chocolate soy milk.
So keep it simple with your diet. Drink MORE water, eat quality meats, nuts, oils, and vegetables. Do this full tilt and get back to me in two weeks! I dare ya!

That's it for now, maybe i'll post a sample training week from this time period at a later time...

DO WORK

Training Session: October 15th, 2008

2008-10-15T23:44:00.000-04:00

A good friend of mine was in town for the day today and wanted to get a workout in. He's a 2nd Lieutenant in the United States Marines, so i figured he'd be up for something a little bit more challenging than a treadmill and some e-z bar curls (note the sarcasm). Anyways, here's what he did:

Warm Up:
-Warrior Lunges x 6 per leg
-Lateral Squats x 6 per side
-Walking Spiderman x 6 per side
-Cradle Walk x 6 per side
-High Knees 10 yds
-Bear Crawl 10 yds
-30 yard build up runs x 4

Segment 1:
A1: Backwards/ Forwards (alternate each set) Sled Drag w/ 140lbs on grass x 20 yards rest: 0
A2: Burpees x 8 reps rest: 0
A3: Bear Crawl x 20 yds back to start line rest: 0
A4: 20lb Med Ball Slam x 10 reps rest: 3 minutes
-Each set came out to take between 40-55 seconds

Segment 2:
A: Plate Pincher Walks(Farmers walks done holding onto a 45lb olympic plate in each hand)
-He went as far as he could in a ten minute period, breaking as needed to re-grip
-Ended up breaking six times in the ten minute period
(If you're looking to get your conditioning up along with your grip/ upper back strength, these are a phenominal exercise)

That's it for my first post, I'll have some more interesting stuff to post shortly along with some videos. For now check out my youtube page: www.youtube.com/strengthcoachdan