Review: Eric Cressey's Max Strength

Lately I've decided to outsource my personal program design. I'm seeing the need to NOT do everything myself now that I've started the gym, bought a house, and still trying to attempt some type of social life....yeah right. But some where along the line I've seemed to run low on the time/energy I'm willing to program for my own workouts.

I read Eric Cressey's book Maximum Strength awhile back and enjoyed it. For the most part I tend to agree w/ Cressey's views on training. They're logical and the research and conclusions I've come to are along similar lines.

However, the book was published in 2008 and publishing and print take awhile. There are a few things I would've totally done in 08 that I wouldn't do today.

So, what did I change about MaxStrength? Basically I just changed it around to fit me better and leave out some stuff that I don't use in my programming anymore.

• Changed some core stuff (I don't use any lumbar flexion work)
  
  • No reverse crunches
  • No dragon fly's
• Added some plyometrics, sprinting and medicine ball work
• Increased the horizontal pulling volume (rows to be specific, especially unilateral cable rows)
• Increased psoas work
• Changed the bilateral jerks to unilateral
• Along w/ some of the post workout stretching

All in all though, I really think this book would be a great read for someone in their first 5 years of the lifting realm or that have never gotten out and seen what other coaches are doing w/ their programming.

Unfortunately too many people who work at gyms are outstanding at being dumb and don't continue their education past college (which doesn't teach you even close to enough), or they get sold on all the wrong stuff b/c they lack any type of critical thought process. Sad and pathetic. So hopefully they all pick up a book worth reading this year so they can stop wasting their clients time, $, and health.

Maximum Strength would be a great start.

Tweet

Shoulder Health: Protraction vs Retraction

For some reason shoulder misunderstandings tend to annoy me. For instance protraction and internal rotation of the shoulder are not the same thing. It's common that one follows the other but definitely not the same thing.

In this picture protraction would be the arrow pointing fwd/up. Retraction would be the arrow point away from the back.

The shoulder can protract w/o internally rotating, and just b/c a shoulder sits in extreme internal rotation does not mean that it is sitting in protraction. As far as that goes not all internal rotation or protraction is a bad thing. If it were we wouldn't press anything. Try telling that to Mr. Mon Wed Fri Bench Press guy.

You need a certain amount of each and it's the balance between retraction and protraction, same as internal and external rotation of the shoulder, that creates health and performance. Messing w/ this too much can actually mess w/ arm movement in overhead athletes that could be detrimental to their performance. Flying blind is dumb, and that's where assessments, attentiveness, and simply knowing what's going on w/ an athlete's day to day comes into play.

Exercises that protract the shoulder also direct/indirectly internally rotate the shoulder. Not all exercises that work on retraction will externally rotate the shoulder. That's why direct external rotation work should be programmed in for just about everyone and their mothers. Besides the fact that our bodies already gravitate towards protraction and internal rotation.

Mike Reinold's Shoulder W exercise is a great exercise for most athletes. "The exercise combines shoulder external rotation with scapular retraction and posterior tilt, definitely a great combo and advantageous for many people as it recruits the posterior rotator cuff (infraspinatus and teres minor) and the lower trapezius." -Mike Reinold

We need to be strong and healthy up front, that's not the problem in most athletes, but we're setting ourselves up for lots of problems if we don't take care of the opposing side.

Tweet

USDA Retires Food Guide Pyramid....!!!

Big news:

The USDA finally retires the food pyramid. This is a very good thing, though I don't agree whole heartedly w/ the new propaganda at least it's a step in the correct direction.

As governed people we think of the government to be and have the most advanced and well rounded technology, programs and information, but this is not the case most of time. The real advancements happen in the private sector where creativity and in the trenches thinking can take place w/o being staved by studies and procedure. Sadly the last place of change is where it should be the first.

Though I do think the government has had a little bit more to think about than nutrition, for example a war and a supposed recession. But this blog is not about politics, of which I know nothing, but about being an informed and free thinking person. So if I've offended anyone, I'm sorry, get over it.

The Gov's new deal is the "Plate". Saying to keep portions small, and that protein, grains, vegetables, and fruits should make up equal parts of each meal, and then a small portion of dairy on the side.

Which is great compared to what it used to when it was eat tons of grains, protein as you want, and fruits and vegetables ah....no big deal. So as idiotic as the "pyramid" was the "Plate" almost seems genius.

All in all I'd really like to give the government a nice backhanded compliment for this one. Emphasis on the backhand. But really, eating protein every meal, more emphasis on fruits and vegetables, decreasing grains and dairy, well done USDA.

At least we're moving the right direction. Maybe 50 years from now when 80% of the population is diabetic, bald, blind and on a dozen different medications that the government finances we'll see a shrink in the grains, an increase in the vegetables and fruits, and change the milk to greek yogurt.

By then Suzanne Sommers will have taken over everything and we'll all live forever and no one will remember what a baby looks like.....

There's some crazy shit out there, and I don't mean crazy in a don't think some of it could be theoretically possible. I guess we'll see.

Tweet

Nutrition: Fridge vs Cupboards

It's easy to list what's in your fridge. If you have the basics of a healthy diet then your fridge probably has a variety of plant based products, multiple lean protein sources and a few natural/organic condiments.

These could include, but not limited to:

Pickles (I prefer clausen's)

Sauerkraut (same)

Greek Yogurt (Fage, Chiobani, Oikos are good. I wouldn't eat the Greek Gods brand)

Kale

Spinach

Asparagus

Brocoli

Tomatoes

Cucumber

Strawberries

Grass fed Beef

Free Range Poultry

Free Range Eggs

Almond Milk (unsweetened)

Coconut Milk (unsweetened)

Pomegranate Juice

Horseradish

(for me this comes from a patch at my parents house, and I'm a very lucky guy for this)

Minced Garlic

(You're supposed to cut it as you use it, but if you're like me then you prefer doing it all at once)

Tobasco/Cholula

For me cholula almost always wins.

Natural organic ketchup

Personally I really like Annie's but making your own can be interesting on occasion as well.

Stone Ground Mustard

I prefer Boetje's Mustard. Theirs is simply the best.

This is actually what happens to be in my fridge right now but I also just went to the store yesterday. There's also some beer, different cheeses and I'm sure rotting food that I don't yet know about.....

The freezer is pretty boring, there's some random frozen meats and vegetables, but I usually keep some Ezekiel bread around too. Oh, and I'm a sucker for corn bread and ice cream (not at the same time). Everyone has their vice, and that's mine, so I have a couple mixes and a half gallon of mint chocolate chip ice cream, that I try to make last a very long time.

Where I feel people really go wrong is the crap in their cupboards.

Cupboards are usually where you stack the junk that wont ever go bad which usually means candies, pastries, chips, pastas, etc. These are things that wont help our waistlines, our performance goals, or quality of life.

I'd rather have this....

Than this....

You don't think it would've been cool to have a miniature little native american friend when you were that age? I do

The following is a short list of some of the foods that'd be good to keep in your cupboards.

It's actually what I keep stocked in my cupboards on a regular basis.

-Steel Cut Oats (always buy in bulk)

-Quinoa (same)

-Brown rice

I use brown rice sparingly. Mainly just pre/post workout on occasion but that's about it, should probably throw it away, it's getting old

-Almonds
-Walnuts

-Chia Seed(that I grind w/ a coffee grinder)

-Flax Seed (grind those too)

-Protein Powder (whey+casein)

-Barlean's Greens
-Vitamin D

I really prefer Carlson's they make a great product for an overly reasonable price.

-Fish Oil
-Magnesium

-Zinc (used as necessary)

-CoQ10
-Multivitamin

-Melatonin (rare and random usage for whenever I want to go comatose for about 12 hours)

My spice rack gets used a ton but I run out of Turmeric and Watkin's Cinnamon all the time.

-Garlic

-Onion (yep, they're not even supposed to be refrigerated until you cut them)

-Sweet potato (same)

-Real Butter from grass feed cows (no need to refrigerate it either, in fact it'd get so hard you could barely use it)

-Extra Virgin Olive Oil

-Tarragon Vinegar

-Balsamic Vinegar

Interestingly, this is one item where paying more does make a difference, up to you.

-Dark chocolate

For my taste the darker the better but less than 70% cocoa and you're just eating candy.

-Peanut or almond butter:

I've tried alot of these and tend to enjoy Full Circle's the most, and it just so happens to be on the lesser expensive side.

Then I usually keep an assortment of tea's around. Right now it's

-Ginger Peach

-Honey Ginseng

-Earl Greyer

There's no rhyme of reason to this, I just think they taste good, except the Earl Greyer, Idk where it came from.

This usually surprises people but I do keep a good stock of canned goods in my cupboards. My mom has been canning food from her garden for longer than I've been around, and you don't go to her house w/o taking something home. It's usually tomatoes, green beans and applesauce. All of which are from soil that hasn't been depleted and the food was harvest when it was ripe, unlike the food you'd get in the store, so it's very good for you and comes in handy during the winter.

On my counter and dinning room table there are bowls of fruit that always have apples and w/e else I feel like having around at the time.

There are also things I don't keep in my kitchen on purpose.

A) I'll be more likely to eat them if they're around

B) They are so rarely used in my cooking that there's no point

C) Nutritionally they aren't the greatest choices in the world, so why give support by purchasing the stuff.

These would include:

-Wheat flour

-Sucralose (or any type of artificial sweetner for that matter)

If I want some sugar I'll have real sugar, we've been doing it for thousands of years. I think once in awhile is okay if you're living an active lifestyle and consuming 95% of your carbohydrates from better, plant based sources.

-Candy:

chocolate bars, twix, snickers, jolley ranchers (of which I don't even like hard candy), m&m's, chex mix. etc.

-Falsely marketed "healthy", "high in protein/fiber" stuff either.

You wont find a Fiber One Bar, Cliff Bar, Zone Bar, or anything else like that in my house. They're just candy too.

-Cold cereal's:

Cheerios, frosted flakes, Lucky Charms, Kix, sorry to burst your bubble these suck too. They're simply candy, and hold little to no nutritional value.

-This goes for the ones marketed to be "heatlhy" as well.

There's absolutely not one Kashi product in my house, nor Total, or anything else like that. They all suck, eat some real food.

And that's that. Really, in the end the basics get you by, most everyone just tries to make it complicated. Eat 5 big cups of vegetables every day and that'll go along way by itself.

Tweet

Olympic Lift Variations Worth Doing: Part 2

What variations of olympic lifts would I use?

1) Unilateral Dumbell Snatches.

It's much like the kettlebell swing. Quick learning curve. Athletes learn how to load their hips. It's unilateral so your strengthening and reinforcing good movement patterns. The gripping hand and the opposing hip are having to work synergistically to move the weight in an explosive manner. It's plain and simple a great exercise.

2) Unilateral Dumbell Jerk

I wouldn't use this as a max effort movement, I'd think of this exercise as more of a core exercise. Being on one side displaces the lift so you load your hips differently providing a change in stimuli.

3) If I were to do Snatches w/ a barbell

I have a client I've worked w/ for a long time, and he loves doing cleans and snatches. So like I said in Part 1, if your main goal is a PR in cleans and snatches then great, do them.

But I'd make one little change. Bring your hands in. The only reason a wide grip is to decrease the distance the bar has to travel and so the catch is easier when sitting deep underneath. That's it.

See what I mean? Grip width doesn't really matter until you start maxing out.

So make your hands the same width as your shoulders, just like a clean grip. You'll go down in weight a bit but this will really save you and your shoulders a ton of headache.. Then once a month whether it's just to practice or actually max out take your normal wide grip again.

Tweet

We Don't Do Olympic Lifts: Part 1

I've said it before and I'll say it again. We do NOT do olympic lifting. This is not to 'try' and be different or to create some kind of separation from other coaches. I simply feel that the affect produced by the movement is not worth the process/learning curve and that there are other movements and lifts that do a better job and have a faster learning curve.

Simply put the juice is not worth the squeeze.

And neither was she in that movie....just sayin.

Just to be clear and for those that are not familiar w/ the olympic lifting game. I'm referring to barbell:

-Cleans

-Snatches

-Jerks

Just as a side note:

I realize just how ludicrous it seems to hear and how quickly this post will be dismissed by many but after years of arguing w/ myself this is the conclusion that I have come to. I'm willing to bet that a lot of people will be surprised in a couple years when enough studies have been done that come to the same conclusions as I have, mark the date it's Wednesday, May 11, 2011. I'm sure they'll be able to convey a much more scientifically based message as well.

If you are unwilling to give up your clean that's fine, it's your program but I at least hope that:

A) you can keep an open mind throughout this post and

B) I hope your not a coach/trainer/person that emphasizes the 'shrug' while teaching/doing cleans, that is not what the lift is about.

Cleans

Sure the clean is great. And the process for teaching it can be great as well. Everyone knows it:

1. Teach kids how to hang pull quick w/ stiff arms

2. Teach a high pull from hang clean position

3. Teach hang clean

4. Teach power clean

This is a hang clean, much like a power clean you just don't take it all the way to the floor and it's extremely technical. Your main pull is only about 5"-8" and momentum should carry it the top. I also don't like messing w/ the wrist in/flexibility.

But this process takes an entire month. My athletes don't have an entire month, and neither do I. I consider myself a very patient person, but I hate waiting on things (and I realize how much that might not make sense at first). But an entire month to get a lift?

Mainly I don't feel the "product" of a clean and snatch are all that great.

Yeah they're post chain dominant, triple extension, explosive movements but the affect we get from them is not enough to program them above other exercises. I'd rather get my athletes going on swings and trap bar deadlifts and do it the first day. I feel like they get a better training affect, can control and feel through the motion better, and athletes pick both up extremely fast, I'll go into more detail about this later.

A closer look at Snatches (not a joke)

Now the reason I or my athletes don't do barbell snatches is a different deal. To me it seems that if you'd like a shoulder impingement then snatches would be a good decision.

This idea started back in the summer of 2005. Before attending Wartburg I'd not done many snatches. After one season of Wartburg football workouts I'd done hundreds. We always dropped the weight from the top, which was a first for me, but when I lifted back at my high school over break I couldn't drop the weight and had to catch it. I don't know if I remember feeling my shoulders wrench like that in my life. I wrestled, pitched, have had one dislocation and two third degree AC seperations, and both shoulders were doing it w/ each catch.

Fast fwd one summer during my internship w/ Coach Matt McGettigan (of which I'm extremely thankful for this guy he's an incredible coach and I would suggest working under him even if just for a short time). I asked Coach McGettigan why he didn't have his athletes doing snatches, I mean we did them at Wartburg all the time. He said, "If you like shoulder impingements." And it makes sense, on the way down you're catching the weight w/ your shoulder in it's most vulnerable position and you have X lbs on the bar. Looks bad to me. Same reason I speak against upright rows.

Can you imagine catching this on it's way down?

Getting into the Jerk

We also did tons of jerks at Wartburg. I don't really feel like I should need to explain this to anyone, b/c it seems so obvious. But basically this movement really doesn't have much carry over to the field, mat, court or track. If you're a powerlifter or olympic lifter then great, you gotta do them. It's like a basketball player shooting hoops, of course it doesn't aid his/her athleticism but it definitely makes them better at their sport.

This is a clean and jerk. Obviously this guy is an olympic lifter and that's his thing so of course he should do it. But my athletes aren't going for a one rep max jerk. So we do things differently.

Outside of actual olympic lifting competition I'd say the jerk is not much more than a core exercise. But it'd be a very good core exercise. Holding that much weight above your head, you'd be bracing and stabilizing like crazy. But the jerk doesn't really take us through any range of motion.

So there's my reasoning for why my athletes don't do olympic lifting. Mainly b/c they're high school athletes playing multiple sports like football, wrestling, baseball, volleyball, etc. This requires them to move in multiple planes, and they're programming needs to reflect those needs, of which olympic lifts don't fit w/ as well as other lifts and movements.

I do use some variations of olympic lifts which I'll go over in Part 2.

Tweet

Stuff you should read: Nutrition

It's pretty well accepted at this point that w/o a solid nutritional foundation we're going to be sick, stupid, and fugly. I'd say that the majority of people know that eating at McDonalds 3x/week is not a good nutritional strategy. But I'm also surrounded by people that are either on their way to becoming more healthy or they already are extremely into nutrition.

This is a collection that comes from some of my best nutritional resources.

And it's great b/c........they're all FREE!

John Berardi

Precision Nutrition Nutrition Strategies for Success

Gourmet Nutrition Recipe Book

PN Nutrition course

Brian St. Pierre

Case against Conventional Dairy

Soda: Diabetes in a can

Supplements 101

Organic or Conventional: Is there a difference?

Jonny Bowden

The Truth About Supplements

Stuff to watch

Food Inc. was a great movie and well worth the watch. Safe to say that you'll never look at chicken the same way again.

Stuff to watch for:

Forks Over Knives hasn't been released yet but I'm excited to see it.

Tweet

4 Stretches for tight hip flexors

The average athlete walking into see me looks approximately like this.

This is almost exclusively caused by tightness in the anterior portion of the hips.

Typically a combination of all 4 hip flexors: TFL, Psoas, illiacus and Rectus Femoris. Some people don't consider the Rectus Femoris as hip flexor b/c it is actually a quad muscle, but I assure you it flexes the hip and you use it every time you pick up your knee.

Mobilization and stretching is absolutely pivotal in this situation.

Here are a few of the main stretches we use.

This is a simple hip flexor stretch however I often see people not doing the it justice.

Tightening the abdominals and glutes will increase the precision of the stretch.

This stretch will also behoove those w/ TFL and Psoas issues much more than people those w/ rectus tightness.

And it's convenient when working at a desk for continous amounts of time. Throw a pad down and switch knees every 15 minutes or so.

You can also use a box to create a deficit

Creating a deficit like this forces the hips closer to a neutral position causing the opposing muscle groups to stretch each other.

Here we're going to be stretching much more than just the hip flexors. We'll get some hamstring and adductor as well but will greatly increase the stretch and learning curve for the stretch from the above example.

The Rear Foot Elevated Hip flexor stretch can be done multiple ways. At GRIT we almost always use the wall.

If you have rectus tightness you'll know right away w/ this one. We use it w/ every athlete and every workout.

Or

The Rear Foot Elevated Hip Flexor Stretch targets the rectus femoris (not exclusively). As you can see by its attachment points. Just by elevating the back foot we greatly increase the stretch through this muscle due to its nature as an extender of the knee.

We can also group these stretches.

I feel like you get more out of the stretches this way but some people are just plain not flexible enough to get into position in order to perform it.

I call this the Rear Foot Elevated Hip Flexor Stretch from Deficit. Longest name of any stretch I've come across yet....just sayin.

Tweet