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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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.

Using what you have

Typically I buy groceries on Sundays, but I don't go until about 9pm due to the ridiculous amount of people shopping at the same time. See I'm one of 'those' people that goes grocery shopping and even though I don't have to I still find myself going through each isle. I'm also not the most patient person in the world when it comes to standing in line so for me it's a much better experience to go later.

Not a good time to go for groceries.

The trouble usually comes at the end of the week when I'm running low. Usually I have some back up plans and go to's for when I get in a bind but the past week food was running short for sure. For one of my last meals of the day I ended up trying to use what I had. Which happened to be: my last 6 eggs, 1 green pepper, 1 tomato, and the last of a bag of spinach.

This is what came out.

I ripped up the spinach, cut up the pepper, and scrambled it together with the eggs and about 1tbsp of evoo, some salt and a lot of pepper. I love tomatoes so I left that out of the skillet to add later. I actually planned this cause I like contrast and the cold tomato vs the hot eggs is really good.

I had this and after I was done happened to find some almonds to chew on. It was really pretty perfect for what I needed. I wasn't working out that day, and my activity level in general wasn't real high so I needed to take in fewer carbs, of which the tomato was my largest source. There's about 37-40 grams of protein and a solid micronutrient content. The only thing in question would be the amount of arachadonic acid (very inflamatory acid) intake from the eggs, of which is not a huge deal for me since I have a large intake of EFA's daily in the form of fish oils, Evoo, pumpkin and flax seeds, as well as a large vegetable and fruit intake. Plus, eggs are great. They're a very inexpensive protein source and have many healthy benefits.

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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Welcome back: Updates, Nicknames, and Shoulder health

Welcome back. You may have noticed the recent hiatus from the blog. Things are starting to come back to normal speed with High Impact and at NDAC. I truly enjoyed the spike in number of people we've been able to help, but it was fairly hectic to program and train that many hours.

To give you all some updates, we were able to help out some really great kids in West Liberty this summer, and at North Dodge Kettlebell classes and Personal Training went through the roof. It's been a blast working with everybody. There was quite a range as well. 35 athletes in West Liberty where the main sports were football and volleyball. At north dodge I've been seeing people needing help getting ready to hike mountains, lose fat and live healthy, some triathletes joined the Kettlebell class (very exciting), and even helping one female prepare to pass the physical tests for the army. It's been a great and challenging time.

Here's a few of the younger kids from the West Liberty camp. They were awesome. Tons of fun to work with.

By the end almost everyone at the West Liberty camp had a nickname. This is Sally, Amitha, and Goatcheese (from left to right). I wont go into how they earned their names.

To get on with the rest of the blog I wanted to cover an issue/epidemic that I'm seeing more and more recently, and it has to do with PULL-UPS.

Okay, the first problem I see with pull-ups is that people are not doing them enough. Shoulder problems are one of the most common complaints and problems I see on a regular basis and I'm sure there are many dr.'s and physical therapists that would say the same thing. The prime mover (muscle that does the most work) during the pullup is the Lat (latismus Dorsi), and it has huge implications when it comes to shoulder and back health.

It attaches from the lumbar spine to the humerus (upper arm bone). I talk about depression of the shoulder all the time, and this is one of the areas where I see that people are the weakest and many times the tightest. So their shoulders are left out to the wind and anything could happen.

The Pullup also requires requitment of the mid and lower traps which are also huge with shoulder health and scapular stability.

The trapezius is another area I see that is incredibly weak and many times stiff (which is different than tight, and is not good for the area at all).

The last place of functional anatomy I'll get into is the aspect of the core. I already hit on the lower back but with the pullup you'll also see a synergistic contraction through the anterior portion of the abdominals. Mainly obliques and rectus firing. I routinely get feedback that this is the area that hurts worse the day after doing this exercise.

These are just three areas, really it works your entire upper body. How many people do you know doing bicep curls every time they go to the gym? I'm just guessing but they're probably trying to make their biceps bigger when really a pullup is going to do way more for them in less time, make them much stronger, and look tons better than that bicep curl ever will.

For those that don't know me or have ever seen me, I haven't done one bicep curl or isolated type exercise like that in years and I weigh 230 lbs and sit somewhere around 9% body fat.

To get to the point I wanted to make in the beginning. What I'm seeing in the few people who do pullups is the lack of range that they get. Depth is important. Going down half way is not doing you justice. You must go down to lockout, which is when your arms are straight at the bottom. Like this,

This is actually one of our West lib high school athletes doing a very good job of locking out

If you are unable to do this and return to the top that is not a big deal. The majority of the people I work with are unable to do this at the beginning as well, it just takes time and effort. So start by lowering yourself slowly and jumping back up to the top with your legs. Working the eccentric (muscle lengthening) portion of the contraction can actually be more effective and safer anyway.

A proper Pullup should start at the bottom with the arms locked out, and should end with pulling the body as high as you possibly can, most of the time to the lower portions of the chest. Otherwise the pullup does not count. just getting the chin above the bar does not constitute a proper pullup. Pulling as high as you can (or starting as high as you can) ensures you are getting to most out of all the muscles.

High Impact Tshirts

Putting in a note about shirts. Not to be given or easily bought, but to be earned. Get through a class with me and you'll have earned it. The only investment for your first class is sweat and effort. 

Cast Iron Balls Long Sleeved T: 

$20, If you can make it through

(these are a really nice quality fabric and fit that I really enjoy. Plus it'll mean something to wear this around.)

Training short sleeve T:

$15, same deal, gotta make it through. Good luck.

Here's one in Action:

Nice moves

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."