Exercise of the Week: Dumbbell Floor Press

There are certain times I'll work floor pressing into a training program:

1. Coming back from a shoulder injury. The limited range of motion caused by the floor places less stress on the shoulders. The next progression from here would be to a slightly declined or flat bench
2. Having trouble with the lockout phase of the pressing motion. The floor press overloads this phase and hopefully will assist in the full range of motion press.
3. As a triceps exercise. The limited range of motion is primarily a triceps dominated movement. Far more effective than kickbacks or any other wussy triceps exercise.
4. As another horizontal pressing variation. Watching some guys in the gym you would think there's only one horizontal pressing exercise, the bench press, when in fact there's many. Adding in some new variations every 3-4 works keeps your training from getting stale and decreases the likelihood of an overuse injury.

Things I Like

Some of things that I give my stamp of approval to:

1. Nike Free's. Picked up my first pair of Nike Free's a couple of weeks ago and I love them. I barely even notice them on my feet. They just slip on. The laces are aligned to the natural shape of your foot. And they allow your foot to work the way it's supposed to work.
2. Carbohydrate Timing. Carbs may not be as evil as you think they are if you just ingested them at the right times which is when your insulin sensitivity is greatest: when you wake up and postworkout. Load up on carbs at breakfast with some rolled oats and then throw in some carbs again in that one to two hours after your workout. All other times of day, try to limit your carb intake if you're looking to drop some bodyfat. Or on days that you're working out cheat a bit more with your carb intake. On days that you're not working out watch your carb intake a bit more.
3. Not so normal training. I can see part of the reason why people hate going to the gym. It gets a bit monotonous. You lift some dumbbells. You do a bodyweight exercise or two. You do three sets for tens reps on just about every exercise because that is what you were told to do. Yes, the basic stuff works and will always work. But sometimes you need to bring a bit of an edge or competitiveness or just some plain old fun to your training. This is part of the reason why strongman type training has become more popular over the last couple years. Dragging and pushing sleds. Doing farmers walks. Swinging sledge hammers. Something about this type of training brings out a bit more in people.
4. Trap Bar Deadlifts. Getting a client to do deadlifts with a trap bar is a whole lot easier than trying to get a client to do a deadlift with a barbell. Yes, you may say this is the easy way out. I don't care. They're still deadlifting. They're still moving some decent weight. And they're still getting a whole lot more out of it than using the butt blaster.
5. Foam Rolling pre-workout. Some are going to say I should be doing it post workout. Personally, I like it pre-workout. I notice a huge difference in my movement patterns when I foam roll before a workout and when I don't. Foam roll, static stretch overly tight areas and then some dynamic flexibility pre-workout. That's my preferred method.
6. The beginning of NFL training camp. I don't know what it is about the Red Sox this year, but I have absolutely no interest in them. Could be the fact that they're using a minor league roster. Or it could be that the toughness of guys like Josh Beckett and Jacoby Ellsbury could seriously be questioned. I need some sports in my life. I need some passion about sports in my life. I need the Patriots. I need fantasy football. Knowing that the Pats are about to be sweating it out down in Foxboro brings a smile to my face.
7. Advances in Functional Training. This basically a compilation of strength coach Mike Boyle's works over the years. It's a great resource to have around and something to go back to now and then if you have questions about your training. The best part of his stuff is that he presents it all in pretty simple terms. You don't need a manual to read the manual, if you know what I mean. Plus this there's some pretty good program templates in there if you're looking for new ways to design your own programs.

What do you guys like?

Attention All Runners

If you've been running for some period of time, whether you're on the local 5k circuit or just do it to stay in shape, I bet you've been hurt at one time or another. The joke is to never ask a runner how they are doing, because you're going to get a long winded answer. Just get to the point and ask them what is hurting. And what most people do not realize is that those who are new to running are more likely to incur some type of injury compared to those who have a history of running.

From personal experience, I never felt worse physically than when I could be called a runner. Something always hurt. I thought I was doing something good for myself, but I was just beating myself up. My back ached. I had shin splints numerous times. I developed a stress reaction in my hip. I strained each calf numerous times. My flexibility was worse than ever. My strength levels were low. And I carried more bodyfat than I currently do.

The last time I logged over a mile on a consistent basis was about three years ago. Well, I've never felt better physically. The last time I suffered any sort of injury, overuse or acute, was....the last time I trained and finished the marathon on a torn calf muscle.

So who cares about my running experiences, right? One guy is not enough evidence to change your thoughts on running. Well, this newsletter arrived in my mailbox today and something I think you should take a look at if you're one of these recreational runners are thinking running is good for you. The author of the newsletter, strength coach Mike Robertson, provides some good studies about the incidence of injuries occurred and might change your mindset if you're one of those who's always hurt.

Is Distance Running Healthy?

Still want to run? Fine. But understand what you're getting yourself into and what you must do if you do not want to be one of these running injury statistics.

Exercise of the Week: Tall Kneeling Belly Press

Anti-rotation training before actual rotational training should be the progression you follow when it comes to core training. An example of an anti-rotational exercise is the Tall Kneeling Belly Press. The key here is to resist rotation back towards the weight stack as you press the cable handle outwards. Done right, you should really feel this in the obliques. Yes, it looks like an upper body exercise and your arms may feel some of the stress, but this is really a core exercise.




The next progression here? Go to a standing position.

Fixing Your Push Up

Exercise of the Week: Plate Push w/Sled Dawg

One piece of equipment that I would love to have as part of Accelerated Fitness is a Drive Sled or Prowler. Maybe in the near future or when new clients start banging down our doors. So for now, I've come up with my own Drive Sled. Load a plate or two on the Sled Dawg and away you go. A great conditioning option and a great way to teach leg drive.




Not really ideal since the hand position is a bit to low placing my back in a rounded position, but sometimes you got to work with what you got.

Working Out Smarter, Not Longer

The number one reason I get from people why they are not exercising regularly is that they just do not have the time. Time with the family cuts into that exercise time. Time at work cuts into that exercise time. Time spent shuttling the three kids around in the Honda Odyssey cuts into that exercise time. Time spent glued to the couch and gasping at shocking developments while watching The Bachelor cuts into that exercise time. All justifiable, even watching The Bachelor. But I think a lot of people misunderstand how much time they really need to get a productive workout in a couple of times per week. Or I think people misunderstand that they have to add time or exercises to their current workouts if they're not getting the results they're seeking.
It's really not about how many hours extra you're logging or how much extra you did for the average person. It's really about what's taking place over the course of your workout that's going to make the biggest difference. Sometimes I watch people's workouts and think they're probably better off not doing anything at all. I really don't care how much time was spent in the gym if the workout was at an intensity level of zero and the only meaningful thing you did was set up long term low back issues. You went an extra ten minutes on the treadmill for what reason? To burn an extra 20 calories? You did 450 crunches for what? That remaining spare tire?
What I'm trying to get at is that time is really not the determining factor that is going to determine your success or lack there of. It's more about what was done during that time period. Some people are scared off from working out because they think they have to spend two hours in the gym in order to make it meaningful. Programmed right, a good strength training workout should take you no more than 45-60 minutes for the average person. And believe me, a lot of us are average. There's not too many advanced exercisers out there (Is "exercisers" even a word?)
And what about your cardiovascular training? Last time I checked my heart was jumping through my chest after a superset set of squats and chin ups or some other grueling superset or circuit. Even doing 12-15 minutes of some interval training may be more productive than pounding the treadmill for 60 minutes.
So if you're not going to workout longer, you're going to have to workout smarter in order for your workouts to be productive. How do you that?

1. Select the right exercises. This really has to do with common sense. What requires more work? A set of squats or a set of leg extensions? Which one of those involves more muscles? Multi-joint exercises should form the bulk of your routine. They usually require more work. They usually require more stabilizing muscles. Any squat variations, lunge variations, press,variations and chin up variations should form the bulk of your workout


2. Push the intensity. Every one has different intensity levels, but everyone should be pushing through their workout. A 5lb dumbbell bench press may be intense for an 80 year old man. Great. He's pushing it. The problem is I see 23 year old girls doing the same dumbbell bench press and wondering why their arms are not "toned". If you want your body to change, if you want to get stronger, you have to push the intensity. The hormonal changes that occur because of the increased intensity level are the ones that are going to make the changes in your body. High reps, low weight is another way of saying "I just wasted five minutes in the gym".


3. Get off the elliptical. Not once, have I seen any one push themselves hard on the elliptical. It's the number one used piece of equipment in the gym for one reason: it's easy to use. You want to use it for some recovery work, fine. But the evidence is there. And it's not scientific evidence. The same people are using the elliptical everyday, usually the same exact elliptical. And the same people are not getting any results from it. They're not getting results, so what do they do? They add more time. How much more time can you honestly add? Remember, we're trying to cut back on your time here. You're probably much better off doing a bodyweight circuit than using that mind numbing piece.


4. Use supersets. I use to spend hours in the gym years ago. And that was only on chest day. Do a set of bench presses. Rest three minutes. Do another set of bench presses. Rest three minutes. And the cycle would repeat with every exercise all the way down to decline chest flys. That was until I came across a much better and efficient way. Hey, if I pair up opposite muscles groups or lower body and upper body exercises, I can do just as much work in a shorter period of time. My rest periods come down. My training density increases. I get out of the gym much faster. And what do you know? My results are better.


5. Have a plan. If you don't want to spend too much in the gym you have to know what you're going to do before you even walk through the front doors. Don't waste time dilly dallying between exercises because you don't know what to do next. Or don't do an exercise just to do an exercise. Every exercise should have a purpose. Every set should have a purpose. Every workout should have a purpose. If you're not good at writing up your own training programs, there's a ton of great stuff out there now readily available on the internet. The field of strength and conditioning is continually evolving. Or if you know of a trainer who is getting results with other people, dial him up...(781)538-6664.

This all goes back to productivity just as in any other line of work or industry. What good does it do to spend more time at work, if you got nothing done? The same goes for your workouts. Don't think of time as the determining factor when it comes to your workouts. Think more about what you did during that time and how productive was that time. I'll take productivity over time spent any time, any day. Smarter, not longer.

Accelerated Fitness Tour

Take a look at the following video to see what Accelerated Fitness is like.





And just a reminder. This Saturday, July 10 Accelerated Fitness will be holding an "Open Gym" from 8:30-10:30am to all those interested. Come in and learn an exercise or two, maybe hop on the AirDynes for a few intervals or maybe get a workout in with me. I could always use a training partner.

Exercise of the Week: Elevated Val Slide Reverse Lunge w/Kettlebell

Again putting to use one of the most versatile pieces of training equipment, the ValSlides. And another single leg exercise to add to your exercise toolbox.

Random Thoughts....

....as we get closer to July 4th.

• Let's face it, this weekend is not the weekend to worry about your diet and exercise. If you've been pretty solid on both ends up to this point, this weekend is the weekend to let loose a lit bit. If you haven't been so solid, literally and figuratively, one weekend is not going to save you or make a whole lot of a difference. The time to worry was 8-10 weeks ago. So have some fun, enjoy a couple lower calorie beers and go all out on the grass fed beef.
• Opening Accelerated Fitness has been quite the process. Things have taken a bit longer than expected. There's been some unexpected costs. And there's been the stress about where my clients are going to come from. But I see good things for this facility. The facility has come out just as I had imagined. It has gotten good reviews from the clients who have started training here. And I enjoy the challenge of growing a business. Anytime you're in the area come by and check us out.

• I've come across a few clients with chronic knee pain lately and see a common issue with each one of these clients. As much as they think the issue is their knees, it's not. They all have hip mobility issues. Their hip external rotators are extremely tight. Their quad and hip flexor areas are extremely tight. In a case like this, if they can not get mobility from their hips they are going to look for mobility elsewhere. Hello knees. The knee is not a joint that wants to be mobile. It wants to be stable. So do not always look at the pain site as the pain source. Look above, look below, look behind.
• Kind of tying into the previous point, when an issue like this comes up my first suggestion for these clients is that they should be doing some foam rolling work or get some hands on work done. Most likely they have some muscular density issues in these muscles and it's tough to get mobility or flexibility from areas that are dense. Some routine foam rolling would help alleviate this issue. So after I suggest some foam rolling, how many of these people do you think take me up on my suggestion? I would say one out of five. And how many people are still having issues a few weeks down the road? I would say four out of five. A foam roller costs $15. A foam roller routine would take you a maximum of 10 minutes a day. A small investment in time and money for a large return on injury prevention and performance.
• I hate cardiovascular equipment from the standpoint of the returns it gets me and my clients...zero. It's too easy not to work hard. Why are the ellipticals always busy? Because they're easy to use. But one piece of cardio equipment I've taken to is the Schwinn Dual Action AirDyne. I picked up a few of these for Accelerated Fitness and clients are already hating them. Any time a client hates an exercise or a piece of equipment, it's a good thing. They usually hate it, because the exercise or piece of equipment requires hard work . I've already had the pleasure of watching a few of my clients crawl to their lockers after doing 4-5 minutes on these things. No frills to these bikes. No "18 Hole" program. Just hard work required.
• I've already been asked the question three or four times from a few walk bys who have come in to check out the new space, "Are you a Crossfit gym?". Just because we have one machine, which is actually a Free Motion Functional Trainer, people seem to think we're Crossfit. Crossfit gyms are not the only ones who do not have any machines. Before the advent of Nautilus machines back in the seventies, gyms were not known as Crossfit gyms, were they? Just because I do no believe in machine training, exculding cable pieces, doesn't make me a Crossfitguy. In fact, I'm anti-Crossfit. But that's a post for another day.
  
  Have a great July 4 and be safe....with your grass fed beef, turkey or chicken sausages and Heineken Lights. And don't forget to come check out Accelerated Fitness at 153 north Street in Lexington, Ma .