Exercise of the Week: Spiderman Lunge

The Spiderman Lunge is one of my favorite dynamic flexibility/joint mobility exercises for a few reasons. One, it promotes hip flexibility and mobility with emphasis on lengthening the hip flexors. Two, it promotes thoracic mobility as the emphasis is on forcing the chest up in the bottom position of the lunge. Three, it promotes ankle mobility.

In the following video I give you three different versions: the basic Spiderman Lunge, the Spiderman Lunge w/Hip Extension and the Spiderman Lunge w/Thoracic Extension. Try a set of 5-6 reps on each leg on each as part of your next lower body warm up.

Exercise of the Week: Slideboard Body Curl

I saw this exercise done by strength coach Mike Boyle, decided to give it a shot, liked it and will now it include as another option for a posterior chain strength exercise.

Random Thoughts...

.....as I sit here downing some turkey meatballs.

• I had two parents in the last week ask me to write up a training program to get their 11 year old's ready for a 5k. Sorry, not going to happen. If an 11 year old wants to go and run 5k fine. Let them run where ever whenever. But in my mind to put them on a distance training program is a recipe for disaster. At that age, these kids are right in the middle of their athletic development. At this time they should be sprinting, moving in different directions, jumping, etc. unless I wanted to turn them into a crappy athlete. Then I would suggest they do some distance training
• It's funny to hear what people think their actual "core" is. Some will point to their abdominal area. Some will point to their abdominal and low back area. In actuality your core is really more than that. I heard strength coach Nick Tuminello give a good definition of what your core really is. Take away your limbs. What's left is your core.
• Now that you know what your core really is, do you know what the function of your core is? If you're the Situation, I guess it's function is to pick up chicks.

But if you're anyone besides The Situation or anyone who roams the Jersey Shore, the actual role of your core is stabilization. It's real functions are: anti-rotation, anti-flexion, and anti-extension. Is your core training program factoring in these functions?

• By the way, next time you tell me you want to work your core, we're not going to do it until you can tell me what the core's role really is.
• It's pumpkin season, so I thought I'd try some canned pumpkin in my yogurts, shakes, and cottage cheese blends. I read about how it was high in carotenoids, didn't have too high of a glycemic load and contained a good amount of fiber. I tried it for a week, that was it. I do not know if I'm going back. I know some tastes have to be acquired, but I do not think that is a taste I will ever acquire. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin beer, pumpkin coffee...different stories.
• Are your actions matching up with your goals? If your goal is to lose 5-10lbs and cutting calories and doing low intensity aerobic training is not getting it done, why are you continuing to do it? From Albert Einstein, who i think was a pretty bright guy, comes the definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
• Two buzz words that drive me crazy: "cardio" and "functional". Thrown around loosely with having any thought of what they actually are.
• One final thought. It has to do with that Thanksgiving dinner you're about to woof down. Sitting around the dinner table I'm sure you're going to hear someone mention how tryptophan from the turkey makes people drowsy. Turns out the tryptophan might not be the real culprit. The real culprit might be all those other blood sugar surging, insulin jacking foods. The mashed potatoes, the rolls, more potatoes, the corn, and so on. Combine those with your three plates of turkey and a slice of every pie on the table and of course there is no way you're going to make it through the Patriots game with your eyes open. But, if you back off on those foods, load up on some greens and eat a modest amount of turkey you might have a better chance.

Now Offering Online Training

I know what happens. You have a trainer write up a training program for you. You take it home or get an email with a nice looking Excel spreadsheet with a list of all your exercises, sets, reps and rest periods. You look at the first exercise and ask yourself, "What the hell is a rear root elevated split squat?". You pass on that one and go to the next exercise, "Alternating dumbbell bench press? How am I supposed to do that?". I know this happens. I know this happens with my own clients no matter how many times I repeat the name of an exercise or describe the movement pattern.

Problem solved. At Accelerated Fitness we are now offering online training where there is no more guess work about what you're supposed to be doing. With your online training program you will get a detailed workout program complete with the exercises, the order they're supposed to be done in, the number of sets and reps that should be completed AND a video of each exercise so there is no more guess work involved. All the confusion is removed. It's the next closest thing to having a trainer at home or at the gym with you.

By signing up for our online training program you will get:

• A month of workouts laid out for you with progressions from one workout to the next.
• Variability between workouts so that you're not repeating the same workout over and over again.
• The ability to track your workout so that we can check in and see the progress being made
• A detailed plan of exercises, sets, reps, suggested stretches, etc. all geared to each individual. No cookie cutter workouts.
• Access to a nutrition tracker so that you and we can see if your nutrition is supporting your exercise program.

Basically it's all laid out for you and at your fingertips in a few clicks of the mouse. For more information or for pricing please email rich@acceleratedfts.com or call 781-538-6664.

Exercise of the Week: Bent Over DB Row

Watch most people do a bent over row, whether it's a dumbbell or barbell version, and what you'll usually see as the set goes on is that it turns into less and less of a bent over row. By the end of the set you'll see some people in an almost upright position. The last rep hardly looks like the first rep.

To combat this change in body position, I picked up this head supported version from strength coach Eric Cressey. Focusing on keeping your forehead in contact with the bench the duration of the set will keep you in check and keep you from rising up. Take a look.

An All Too Common Issue

Just want to relay a situation I had recently. A client of mine had her sixteen year old son taking part in this strength and conditioning program at another facility. Well, one day her son comes home from a training session all distraught. Apparently he had difficulty with barbell squatting. It wasn't that his squat technique was bad. It was just that he didn't have the shoulder mobility to get the proper placement of the bar behind his head. So what does his trainer say? "There must be something wrong with you. I think you should go see a doctor". So now this kid thinks there is something wrong with him. He feels like a mutant. And he feels a bit ashamed. My client gives me the lowdown and asks me what she should do. I suggest bringing him in to take a look at him and go from there.

So I meet with him. We'll call him Tom. When Tom walks through the door it's not surprising why he has difficulty with bar placement during the barbell squat. He's a bit timid and in turn carries a bit of a kyphotic posture. Not an all too uncommon issue with someone his age and it's somewhat of an easy fix. Get him foam rolling through the thoracic spine. Give him some static stretching for the internal rotators. Give him some corrective exercise such as scap wall slides or thoracic extensions. And get his confidence up so he carries himself a little taller. And if he keeps up with this stuff, I'm sure his shoulder mobility gets a bit better and he's able to place that bar behind his head.

The problems with Tom are not solely his fault. They're are also the fault of the nitwit trainer he's been working with. Rather than making Tom feel like the oddball of the bunch, this trainer should should have been patient with him and given him some corrective work so not only will he be able to barbell back squat but his chances of a shoulder injury down the road lessen.

The second issue I have is that there is always another exercise. Not just with Tom, but with anyone who is having difficulty with a particular exercise. Don't have the mobility to back squat? Go to the front squat. Still having trouble there? Go to a goblet squat. Yet, this other trainer pigeon holes one exercise into the workout for every individual no matter what issues these kids may be having. There is always an alternative rather making someone feel like crap, or worse putting them in at risk position.

The third issue I have has nothing to do with the physical well being of Tom. It has to do with his mental well being. Here's a kid who's bit shy and a little unsure of himself in the first place. Now you're going to tell him there is something wrong with him for an issue that is not even that big of a deal? A better approach is to have patience with the kid. Tell him you like his effort or the work he's doing, but lets work on fixing his technique a bit.

The situation I detailed above is not all that uncommon unfortunately. More kids than ever are doing some type of training. But more kids than ever are also getting beat down, mentally and physically. We don't want kids getting beat down. We wants kids getting better. Getting better takes proper coaching. Getting better takes time.

Exercise of the Week: Barbell Roll Out

Mixing It Up: The DB Bench Press

My Top Five.....

.....exercises to get your ski legs.

This post probably should have been written about four weeks ago, but with the temperature hovering around the 70's in October the idea of getting ready for the ski season never crossed my mind. All that changed this morning when I saw the early morning temp of 27 degrees. It will soon be time for some of you to be hitting the slopes which means it's time to get pre-season ski training under way.

A lot of the muscular qualities that are important for downhill skiing are also important for other sports: single leg strength, posterior chain strength, hip stabilization, core endurance and strength endurance. So if you're existing training program focuses on these qualities, great. If not, I'm going to suggest five exercises to work into your training program that stress these qualities:

1. Low Box TKE. One of my favorite exercises in regards to knee health. Not only are you strengthening the quadriceps, but working from the unsupported position brings your hip and foot stabilizers into play.
2. Trap Bar Deadlifts. Posterior chain strength is crucial when it comes to maintaining knee and low back health. Plus the positioning of the trap bar deadlift looks close to that of the tuck position during a downhill run.
3. Low Cable Split Squat. Any split squat variation is great to work out any left to right asymmetries. Left to right asymmetries are a good predictor of future injury. Using the low cable position also brings in an anti-flexion and anti-rotation core component.
4. KB Swings. Another posterior chain exercise. I'd suggest performing these in the higher rep range (20-25 reps) or for timed sets to increase the time under tension for the set and bring in more of a conditioning component.
5. Bulgarian Squat Holds. This exercise serves two purposes. One is to create that burning sensation in your legs you may get after a hard downhill run. Two, to help open your hips and increase your hip mobility. Poor hip mobility leads to knee and low back injuries. To perform, get into the bottom position of a Bulgarian Squat (some refer to it as a rear foot elevated split squat) and hold for 30-60 seconds on each leg. A great way to finish off your leg workouts.

For other ways to get those legs ski ready shoot me an email or call (781)538-6664.

Accelerated Athlete Program

On November 8 we will be starting up our newest program, the Accelerated Athlete. The Accelerated Athlete Program is an in-season and off-season training program to help high school athletes with their sport performance. Walk into any high school weight room and you're going to see a lot of bench pressing, barbell curls and whatever else Johnny can do to impress his buddies. But little does Johnny know that what he's doing is not doing much to help him on the field or court. His focus should be on: dynamic flexibility and joint mobility, core strength and endurance, lower and upper body strength training, linear and lateral movement and injury prevention. All parts of the Accelerated Athlete Program.

The Accelerated Athlete Program will run from start at 3pm on Monday-Friday with each training session lasting 75-90 minutes. All training sessions will be limited to 4-6 athletes, so to reserve a spot please call (781)538-6664 or send an email to rich@acceleratedfts.com.