At some point everyone needs a pep talk

Professional athletes are lucky, they get pep talks regularly. Now I say lucky loosely because they earned it. No one got to the pros sitting on their butts playing play station and eating twinkies all day. But, at some point they had something that sparked them to action and lit a fire inside them to make them go for it all.

I've seen this before but it wasn't until today that I decided to do something about it. First of all share it and second of all challenge you. Watch and read on.

1. Personal Goal
2. Career Goal
3. Social Contribution

When he says that what pops into your head? I'm honestly asking you too. In fact I'm calling you out. I want you to write exactly what you feel below in the comments section for everyone to see. Reasons being:

1. People are much more inclined to act when they tell other people of what they plan to do. So you want to lift 600lbs off the ground, you tell everyone around you. You want to break your smoking habit, you tell everyone you know. You want to lose fat, and I guarantee you that if everyone knows you'll be more likely to keep your hands off the cookies and other crap.
2. We learn through our relationships and interactions with others. One goal, experience, phrase, gesture can be that helping hand. Relationships are pivotal. It's just like he says, at the end we'll always know we could've done more. Give back.
3. I'm purely curious (and you are too). I want to know what drives you, gets you out of bed in the morning, what makes you stand up and act as if you just got done watching one of the first four Rocky movies?

So, I told you I list mine so here you go:

1. Personal goal: One is that I want to take 600lbs off the floor. Second is relationships man, all of them. To be the best friend that I can be, and life hasn't called on me to be a husband or father yet but when that time comes I want to be the best that I can (both of those can wait as long as they like). But, when I look back at my life, I'm going to ask what kind of friend was I, what kind of husband, what kind of father, and I want no doubts in my mind.
2. Career goal: I want to be in a position where I can provide for myself very comfortably, without debt, and full peace of mind. I really have no interest in living a stardom life style or anything to that affect. But do I wanna take a trip to Hawaii at some point? Hell yes!! and more than once. But then I also that I'm comfortable enough to give back.
3. Social contribution: I want the programs that I run to reach and help hundreds and thousands of kids to give them a way to learn and grow with each other. Things like character, work ethic, relationships, and how to be their own success. That's why I do what I do, period.

Now it's your turn. Go ahead the box is waiting for you.

Sad day at High Impact Training

Yesterday was a sad day at High Impact. We lost a very integral part of our success, particularly my training success. See, I had to retire a couple olds friends. They were my first but they'd lifted their last days. It even hurts to say but I had to retire my first pair of Chucks.

As you can see they were well worn.

If you know anything about me, you may know how attached I get with my shoes. It's kinda weird, but you put a lot of miles (experiences) on (with) your shoes. But it does seem almost fitting how the last week/2 years has gone.

I originally bought these shoes in Minneapolis where I had my first job in this exercise industry (the commercial gym will remain nameless). Chucks are great for lifting and I had wanted a pair for a long time, but being as broke as I was these were what you might call a "splurg". I bought them for $25. They were way more than worth it and I've been lifting in them since.

Last week I was in minneapolis and while there I lifted with a friend. Just so happens it was at the same commercial gym where I'd started. This would be the place of me and my chucks first and last lift together. It was a good one. We went out with a bang.

Like I said sad day at High Impact Training.

I'd just like to say, thanks to my chucks. We've had some good times. We pulled 440 the first time for what seems like not too long ago. I'll always remember the early mornings, the foam rolling, the sled pushing, and the weird looks we used to get before everyone saw how much weight we were lifting. Even though you're retired from lifting but I'd still like you in my casual life. Thanks for being there. You'll always be my first pair of chucks.

If I could only pick 2.....Top 2 exercises

Who would win, Superman or Flash?

Conan the Barbarian or Conan O'brian?

The Rock or Barack?

And the real question would be, The Incredible Hulk or Hulk Hogan???

Well that one's no contest. Hulkamania forever

But really, if it came down to a winner takes all exercise, what would I pick? Well this is very tough, and very general, and I actually consider it pretty stupid to boot. Who cares, you'll always be able to use other stuff. But anyway, just because I can I decided to ponder this query. Here you go.

If I had to only pick 2. They would be

1. Reverse lunge
2. Renegade Row

Both are ground based, compound movements that use a ton of energy (calories) and are completely functional. Both are great for the core and can be loaded to meet anyone at any level. Don't underestimate their difficulty either. They'll knock the shit out of you.

These two can meet Reggie Bush as well as your junior high athlete.

The reverse lunge is (if done correctly) post chain and hip dominant. Works through a large range of motion of which should stretch out the entire hip region, hip flexors and gluteals. It's unilateral so you're taking care of your bodies asymetries (problems caused over time by repeatedly using only one side of your body, or due to compensations). Balance is going to come into play as well here, of which will improve greatly with strength. Developing strength in this manner has been proven multiple times to improve balance and therefore also decrease injury rates and improve performance. This is why sitting on your wuss bosu ball isn't doing you any good.

This girl does a decent job. I don't enjoy her choice of shoes nor do I agree with the depth but you get the idea.

The renegade row is a true look at bracing through the core, but that's not all it's great for. You're also building strength through your entire back. The pulling motion is excellent for building strength through the upper back and healthy shoulders. Then there is also the stabilization that the opposite shoulder and arm is having to perform. Overall great exercise.

There you have it. Go try em out.

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Can you write me a Workout Routine??

To be honest this the reason why I have a Program Design service listed on my website. In order to spread good training habits further than one person at a time I enjoy the gravitation toward 'consultant'. This lets me train many more people, at a distance you could say, and it allows them to train with a program designed specific to their needs for a much cheaper price that they can sustain/afford throughout the year. Unlike the leapfrogging that usually happens with 1-1 training. But this situation happened to be a little different. It was my dad...d-d-d-d

So this is what I get from my mom,

"You're dad needs (I think she said wants but I'm sure she's full of it) a workout routine. His knees and shoulders bother him. Could you make a very short routine he could do that would help?"

At first three things came to mind.

1. If I write this program it'll never be followed. (stubborn, old farmer)
2. I'd be making this without a real assessment, and he wouldn't do that either. (stubborn, old farmer)
3. I wont be able to include any warm-up, or activation activities (cause he wont do them) and it's gonna have to be 3 exercises or less. What am I gonna pick?

Just these three alone are enough to make me puke. I get asked this kind of question daily, and I usually have many reasons why I don't just hand out programs anymore.

1. They are written with great thought and effort, but never get used. This took me about 10 programs to figure out and it hurt equally each time. Big waste of time.
2. People are much less likely to devote themselves to such a thing when they don't pay for it. Because psychologically there is no value to it, whether that be a subconscious or conscious outlook.
3. I spent alot of time, $, and effort earning the knowledge I have and a program should be valued somehow. In this case it's $ for a program that has the potential to help live a stronger, healthier, better life. (Make no bones about it, I'm not in this for the money. I'm in this to help people. I guess part of me would also really like to rid the world of all the a-holes that are the other.)

But this was my dad. So, with this all in mind, I went ahead and gave her the first 3 exercises that came to mind. I figured well, quick and dirty and they'll help. I said, everyday do:

1. Swings 1x15
2. pullups 1x5
3. pushups 1x5

This lady (Mom) is SO cool that she happens to have a whole set of kettlebells (respect) and a swing set outside where the pullups could be performed..............Equipment? Check and Check.

But I decided to change my mind. There was no unilateral work, which is way to important. I wouldn't be around to teach a proper lunge. Adam cannot stand improper lunges. Drives me NUTSO. Plus, 3 exercises was probably too much. So....

1. Sinlge Leg Box Squat: 1x5/leg (performed barefoot)
2. Pullups: 1x5

This is something almost anyone can do. Maybe you can't get five pullups that go through a complete concentric, eccentric and isometric contraction but almost everyone can perform the eccentric and/or isometric. Just jump up, hold and let yourself down slowly.

I should be honest though. If I had to pick two exercises based on every exercise that I know I wouldn't pick these, but they'd be extremely close to the top, at least top 5.

Soon, probably tomorrow, I'll give you my two top exercises. Don't be afraid to leave a comment below. I love to hear feed back and check in tomorrow. I'm sure you'll be glad you did.

Workout splits for High School Athletes

I told you I'd write on workout splits and here it is.

Truthfully if a high school athlete has any kind of off season he/she needs to be splitting workouts. In season is an absolute must for this as well, you don't want/need to be using valuable practice time on lifting and conditioning. I encourage almost every high school coach to split workouts. The athletes are on a set schedule everyday, and the timing works out great.

Typically when setting up a daily split you want 8 hours in between your workouts. In any case, when designing programs you always want your fastest movements first. This is a common error among high school and collegiate coaches, and I'm guessing it's due to time constraints, but that just means that they didn't plan well. The way I've found splitting to be most effective is taking this programming guideline to heart. Doing your speed work in the morning/before school and your strength and/or conditioning work after school.

For Example
Wk 1, Day1: Lower body/linear day
Am:
1) Warm-up: SMR (6min), Dynamic Mobility(2min), Activation+Dynamic Flex (6min)

2) Explosive ground work
3) Plyometrics
4) Movement based speed work
Finish) SMR/static stretching and post nutrition

Then go to school.

PM:
1)Warm-up: SMR (6min), Dynamic Mobility(2min), Activation+Dynamic Flex (6min)
2) Explosive post chain dominate movement (clean, KB snatch, swing, med ball work)
3)Unilateral/bilateral strength exercise: max strength, max speed, or max effort depending on macro cycle
4) Post chain dominate exercise
5) Unilateral lift: 1leg squat, 1leg RDL, or lunge variation
6) Core: bracing, antirotational, or compound (absolutely NO sit-ups or crunches)
Finish) SMR/static stretching and post nutrition

Some Strength Coaches advise literally cutting all the sets and reps in half and doing half in the morning and half after school. Personally I don't agree. Your athletes are gonna get bored, worn down and there are much better options.

Doing all the speed work in the morning means a shorter workout and allows the coach and players to not have to wake up insanely early. If you've ever coached a bunch of high school athletes early in the morning (especially junior high girls) you know how important that is. I heard a lot about cloths when I first started. It also means they're more likely to eat breakfast, which is a big deal.

It also gives there bodies time to rest between bouts. Allowing for increased performance in each. Rest is extremely important at this age and this will allow them to be fresh for the each workout able to put more in, leading to better results.

They are getting 2 very active sessions during a day. I'd say kids probably average less than one hour of activity a day. Can you say pathetic? You can only imagine the sources of food they're getting when most of todays' schools are ridden with sugar vending machines full of "psuedo-healthy" and truly "death" food. bye working out 2x/day they'd be in a carb storage state for a much longer duration of each day (storing less fat). Leading to a healthier, stronger, and less likely obese/overweight athlete. Less fat also means they're faster, due to less dead weight to carry.

In my humble opinion I can also see academic and psychological benefits as well. Getting up for something they want to do (get better as an athlete) vs. something they have to do (go to school). And I'm not saying all kids have this outlook on school but all the ones I've known do. They're also waking up and being active, getting the blood running. Therefore not falling asleep in class all day. Learning work ethic and the importance of preparation. Building pride in their sport and a healthy lifestyle through the work they've put in.

The Awesome'st....

Lately I've noticed that at some point I started sounding like one of those meatheads that only uses about 3 different adjectives to describe everything: awesome, kick ass, and sweet (not my personal use). Mine happened to be awesome, beautiful, and nice with an heavy emphasis on the "n" and "i" of nice. So, I've started working on it. But it lead me to what are some of the things that I think are pretty awesome.

Design your own protein literally you get to choose your own concoction.

Vitamin D is a pretty cool little vitamin. There seems to be new research coming out on the benefits of extra intake all the time.

Meatcards.com What else can I say. It's simply awesome. Business cards made of beef.

Possibly the funniest video I've ever seen. Also one of the best uses of a stability ball that I've seen.

I also have to give massive props out to my pal Zach. We've been working together on and off for about a year now and he's shown up every time ready to do what's necessary to be his best. I'm really impressed with this kid. In the last year Zach has taken off a considerable amount of fat while still gaining twenty pounds. We didn't do body fat testing so there's no real way to know how much muscle he's gained. The best part is, he is now the fastest kid on his football team and still one of the biggest. So of all the receivers and backs he's now moved to the top and playing fullback and linebacker.

One of many things Zach's been doing this year to get faster and stronger.

And that's pretty good considering that last year he was just a big kid that moved okay, a good linemen on his 7th grade football team, and he was also only about the 2nd or 3rd fastest of all the linemen. So of the slow kids he was one of the fastest. He also couldn't do one single leg squat, or a pullup, and could maybe get 2 good pushups in. Pretty crazy. Now, just the other day he rack pulled 265x6reps on his last set. His single leg strength is great and can do pullups on the spot.

That's what happens when you show up, work and listen. He also has a great dad that really cares about what his kid is getting from athletics but doesn't push anything on him. Zach has worked hard, it shows physically and I have no doubt he's gonna really make some plays this year.

Strong women strength train

I continuously hear how women wont lift at the gym because of the overbearing amount of testosterone coming from that area. Keeping the ladies from feeling comfortable in the place that is so vital to their success, health, and well being. What's the result? The majority of girls churning away on faulty training tools like ellipticals and treadmills, and joining spinning and aerobics classes right and left. Is it really that fun to step on a box and turn around repeatedly, I really doubt it. And I know people say they love to spin, but really? Really? You're not going anywhere. I guess I just don't get it.

I feel bad though. Terrible in fact, that women don't feel as though they should be lifting beside a bunch of men. Women need strength training just as much as men. This comes from a health and physique standpoint as well. This is a message to all women out there, I'm just gonna come out and say it. Strong girls are incredibly attractive and so is lean mass. Ask any guy you know, and I bet each one of them would jump at a chance to take a fitness competitor out on a date. and fitness competitors lift, and lift hard.

I guarantee you Jennifer Stano lifts weights, and good luck finding a guy that doesn't find her attractive.

I hear excuses like, "I don't want to bulk up so I stick with the elliptical." Yeah......Because gaining muscle is so easy (especially for women). Even for most men gaining muscle is difficult, and men's bodies are set up completely different and much more suitable for gaining lean mass. Most women are literally unable to gain large amounts of "bulk", but they do have an incredible ability to build a very nice foundation of strong, attractive, calorie burning lean mass.

In fact most women would benefit from this exponentially. Not only would they be that much more empowered and confident with the strength they've gained but in the long term their bodies will be much healthier. Increasing bone density and metabolism. Along with slowing down the aging process, including decreased skin wrinkles and more balance and strength retained over time. Nice! but I tend to find that most of the time people are more concerned with the here and now, and the here and now is what you see in the mirror and are capable of doing. So, do you look great in a backless dress and can you climb a rock wall or do squats with your best guy friend on your back? Good questions I think, and I know some women that it's true for cause they put in the work.

Here's a video of Donna performing a variation of a farmers walk working on core stability through the hips, trunk and abdomen. The walk creates and instability affect up the chain, the bells offset and pull the body in differing directions forcing the core musculature to contract in a way that will support itself and stay rigid, while also maintaining the change in breathing pattern that will occur.

Don't they look great?

In the background you can also see Janet performing swings, a more dynamic exercise working the core in a different fashion. During the swing the glutes (butt) and hamstrings need to kick on more to produce the force in order to create movement but she's performing them with one arm so the trunk muscles are having to work extra hard on stabilizing at the same time. It's also an extremely heart pumping exercises.

Here's another example of a great exercise being performed by two very in shape women, that have been taking my class 3 days/week for some time now. They really get after it and it shows.

This is a great exercise for the core. Holding the bell on one side forces the trunk to stay rigid and the elevation of the box allows you to lower the hips more than a conventional reverse lunge and use the glutes more. Great for athletes and anyone else that's trying to get their bodies into better shape.

Someday, I'm gonna walk in the gym and see a bunch of ladies doing deadlifts, squats, pushups, pullups and other functional strength training lifts and I'm going to ask one of them out on a date. Just kidding, but that is going to be a great day.

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Diesel Crew worthy Core Training

Just to let you all know. Yours' truly was just featured by Diesel Crew and more specifically Jim Smith (author of Combat Core). For those of you that don't know this is a group of guys made up of some of the best minds in the nation as pertains to Strength and Conditioning but they also practice what they preach. They're all strong as hell. But this it.

A New Look at Planks

May 12th, 2009

My boy Adam Rees just posted a very important new video.  Adam takes a unique new look at planks.  It is something I explored in great detail with my Chaos Training manual.

If you consider the conventional execution of a plank there are 4 stability points, both feet and both hands.  Adam performs a conventional plank BUT takes away one stability point.

In doing so, his body must transfer the “even” tension that was distributed through each point to the remaining three.  This shift requires muscular coordination, an adjustment in breathing and a forceful bracing of the abdominals and back musculature.

In addition to this modification, Adam is performing full range side rows (pulls).  This increases the tension and improves coordination, ie. one side of his body is rigid and the other side is engaging movement.

Great job Adam, great innovation!

For more “out of the box”, innovative strength training check out my Chaos Training manual.  It is over 700 pages and took me over 2 years to write, and 15 years to discover.

Some Kettlebell Basics

Today I'm throwing out some kettlebell basics. This is a video of yours truly performing some very basic Kettlebell exercises. Kettlebells are great for the training affect you can get from them and versatility of how you can use them. 

First is the High Pull, then Cleans, and last is called a snatch. 

Notice the way the kettlebell travels back between the legs eccentrically (muscle lengthening) loading the hips and how you'd need to produce force in the opposite direction concentrically (muscle shortening) to overcome this. Perfect for corrective exercise and speed and strength development. Especially of the musculature through the core, which should include the hips, and the development of the posterior chain (low back, glutes, hamstrings).

I've written about the benefits of training the hips and the rest of the posterior chain before. But as far as tools to use this may be the most beneficial when it comes to hip and back health and posterior chain development. When I see an athlete performing a swing I see a ton of glute function, I see him/her building stability of the entire back but especially through the low back, I see the feet having to grip the ground, I see grip strength building through the hands as well, and I see a strong development of movement that they will actually use everyday as well as in competition.  

I usually explain it in terms of jumping. When you watch the profile of an athlete jumping, especially during broad jumps, their arm action and hip action is incredibly similar to the swing. Coincidence? Not even close. 

This type of movement is unlike the affect you can experience with a barbell or even a dumbbell. The offset center of gravity being lower than your hand allows you to perform exercises differently than these other devices. Not that barbells are dumbbells don't have their place. They most certainly do, and they are used in almost every program I write, but so are the good old KB's and anything else that will be effective and useful. 

I'll get some more information on how to make these tools more versatile in the future and how you can incorporate them to get more specific to your goals. Until then thanks for reading. 

I suppose I should start this thing.

Hi, 

I am Adam Rees, Director and Head Performance Coach for High Impact Training.  Its about time this blog gets started. Soon this will be a great place to refer to for athletic development, exercise, and nutritional information.

Just to warn you I do not see myself repeatedly spell checking this or making sure everything is grammatically correct. It'll be purely content. Please keep in mind that almost everything I say is meant in the best of ways, and not to be taken offensively as many things can be with fitness and health related issues. 

To give a little background on myself, I grew up in an athletic family that valued athletics. The majority of my earliest memories are being around athletic activities. This was most likely the source of my obsession into the confines of the human body and what it is capable of. I remember being very young and having a strong desire to increase my ability, which is not uncommon, but it always amazed me how some of us were better than others at certain things. What made them better or what made me better? Just like most kids you're told it came down to who worked 'more' or 'harder'. Looking back this obviously had a ton of merit but it was not the only answer, and this became more clear as I got older. 

As a young athlete I worked very hard to make myself better. For a 9 year old to be doing 30 push ups and 100 sit-ups before bed and then a junior high kid to do over 100 pushups and sit-ups every night before bed seems a little crazy, but that was me (that went on and off over, but looking back I think "jeez, did I really do that?".  I was actually very very fortunate to have had one coach in Junior high who really made a difference in my athletic career and he was our wrestling coach. He'd even tell me then but I didn't totally understand, he say "what is your record this year?" This is after my 9th win of the year. "I'd say 9-0." He'd say whats different about you than last year and I didnt know, couldn't tell. The year before I had gone 6-5 in duals. He'd then say,"This year you believe you can wrestle. Last year you didnt believe it." My first year I wasn't that good even though Id been a fairly successful wrestler for a few years before that, its like I forgot how to wrestle. The next year I went 11-1, zero points given up in referee's position, and 13 points given up on the year (dont ask me how I still remember that), and I beat the AAU National Champ that year also. Crazy huh? But I could barely tell you my record from the year before. This was a big step in my athletic career and why I am writing this right now. 

The potential of athletes is an obsession to me. What would happen if we could unleash all the potential of an athlete at any moment in time and then on top of that train that potential to grow and be more applicable to their sport. What if your head/thoughts never got in your way, and you never had to think about what to do, you just 'did'. Wouldn't that be amazing, think of it. Think how many times you hear an athlete say "I'm just thinking way too much". This is a problem, and a very small one compared to lack of motivation and inspiration, and other issues like that. Now, how many athletes do you know that could benefit from being faster and stronger? Every single one of them no questions asked. In every single sport ever developed speed and strength will always be factors, even games like chess, xcountry, and bodybuilding. 

Usain Bolt (by the way, if you cannot see his whole body, then take a look at the foot crossing the finish line that is Usain) just killed olympic records this year in a sport that is highly developed. The training for track and field is ridiculously highly researched, we know tons about this type of training, and we've been implementing these practices for many years, so how is he all of the sudden able to just kill these records and perform feats that no one has even gotten close to before. That is the potential that is still out there that I see. Usain bolt was once just another random boy out there that showed somebody some talent one day and go lucky it was the right guy to show it too. 

Growing up I always wanted that one person to come into my life and tell me this is what you need to do today, tomorrow, next month, etc... I researched and tore through everything I could find. What I found was a bunch of misleading junk most of the time, but really I didn't do sooo bad with all things considered. It sill could've been tons and tons better. The point is that I later set out to become that guy for the other young athletes that are now the ones dreaming of becoming the best and want someone to show them the way. 

I think that is enough for today. Train hard, refer to this regularly as there is much more to come. Next time I will be answering some of the questions I get throughout the week so if you have some go ahead and ask. Till next time.

-Adam Rees

"Life is 10% what happens to you, 90% how you respond to it."