Womens Health

Those of you who know me, and my training philosophy, will know that the whole '10 week challenge' body transformation thing is about as far removed from what I practise as it is possible to be.

I don't claim to be a 'diet guy' or to be the one to turn to when prepping for photo shoots. I train my clients and athletes to get stronger, perform better, move more efficiently, avoid and recover from injury.

However, this time last year I took on a project for Womens Health Magazine that was exactly that.  Take a 20 something journalist still slightly living the student lifestyle, and see what we can do with her in a 10 week training cycle.   We didn't do anything mind blowing - we worked on her alignment and mobility, then once her movements were cleaned up she trained to get stronger in some basic lifts whilst cutting out the junk from her diet.   She trained hard,  lifting 4 days per week with an active recovery low intensity 'fuel burning' session thrown in.  The diet was sensible, 90% 'clean' leaving room for a few treats and cheats.

 



The reason I am re visiting this subject now is that I have been updating a training program this morning for a colleague of this 20 something journalist.  Some 12 months on from the original project.  The program is again focussing on movement quality over quantity, and improving athleticism and performance.   It is not about quick fixes, fad diets and 'transformations'.

Training for improved performance gives specific, measurable results and sustainable benefits to quality of life.  There is a reason why 12 months on we're still going.....

Read the full article here

 

Goal Setting Part 2 - Supercharge your Goals

Further to my post on SMART goal setting,  I wanted to follow up on how to really make your goals ‘stick’….

 

What makes a goal far more likely to be achieved is attaching an emotional quantity to it.  A SMART goal may be ‘I want to lose 2 inches off my waist by my summer holiday’.  Yes it is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time bound… but what is to stop this trainee falling off the wagon?

 

[caption id="attachment_61" align="alignnone" width="300"] Supercharge your new year resolution[/caption]

We can write the target down, put it on the top of their training program, even cover their work station with those annoying yellow stickies.  But…  once the New Year, new you, spring into summer or whatever other horrifically unimaginative gym promotion starts to wear off  how do we keep the eyes on the prize?

How about if we ask the question ‘what does achieving this goal mean to you?’

Asking this question brings us to start making statements like:

‘If I add 10kg to my deadlift in 4 months I will be strong enough to compete’

or

‘Losing 2 inches off my waist by my summer holiday will give me more confidence on the beach’

All of a sudden we are attaching significance to what was previously a fairly dry statement.  This goal is now charged with emotional value.  For those of us who deal with clients or athletes on a daily basis this is key.

The numbers alone may well be enough to motivate athletes through yet another grueling winter but our general fitness clients may need a little more.  They may see the value of getting stronger, leaner, or improving athleticism – however – is this enough to get them out of bed at 5.30 on a February morning?  In my experience the real, and tangible effect of hitting the target provides far more of a drive than the target alone.

 

Goal Setting Part 1 - SMART Planning

Its almost that time of year when gyms and training centres around the world are going to be full to the brim with New Years Resolutionees.  Both people new to the world of fitness and those who’s motivation has ‘lapsed’ with the winter festivities….

If you fall into one of those categories  - or even if you’re aready taking care of your health and fitness it can never hurt to sit back, take stock and figure out just what you want to achieve out of 2014.

[caption id="attachment_52" align="alignnone" width="300"] I think the word is 'cosy'[/caption]

It has been said that a dream is a dream until you write it down – then it becomes a goal.   By far the most effective way to get the most out of your training – or indeed any aspect of your life is to take the time to set clear goals for yourself and really think about what you want to achieve both long and short term.

The process of goal setting has been done to death by the corporate world – and over caffeinated, khaki chino wearing, acronym wielding, table thumping motivational speakers may seem to have no place in the world of sport, health and fitness – but  - there is a part of corporate speak that we can borrow…

[caption id="attachment_56" align="alignnone" width="300"] Say no more. Really.[/caption]

 

In his book ‘Attitude is Everything’ Paul Meyer described the application of SMART goals for every corporation, department, and individual.  Yes it is an acronym – but please bear with me.  Smart stands for:

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Relevant

Time bound

Specific.  By far the most common thing I hear in the gym is ‘I want to get in shape’.   This is a goal that is set up to fail – how do you know when you’re ‘in shape’  what does ‘in shape’ mean to you?

I work with clients ranging from Olympic athletes to rehab cases and everything in between.   In shape for one group is going to be spectacularly different to the next.  I am working with an international bobsledder who needs an additional 3cm on his standing vertical jump., whilst a second client wants to improve her shoulder range of motion enough to be able to brush her own hair.

Think about what it is you specifically want to achieve and we’re in a much better place to start.

Measurable.  Intrinsically linked to the first point – a goal must be measurable.  If you want to ‘get in shape’ or ‘put on some muscle’ how do you know when you have done it?   In my experience people do well with numbers – you want to lose weight – how much?  You want to increase your bench press stick a number on it.  By quantifying our goals we make ourselves accountable.  You either achieved it or you didn’t.

Which brings me on nicely to…..

Attainable.  I would like to do a Jonny W and hit a last minute 3 pointer to clinch a world cup final.  I would also like to win worlds strongest man, a not been filmed yet series of Gladiators and become a Jedi master.I think you know where Im going with this one…  Make it challenging, but we have to be at least vaguely sensible about it.

[caption id="attachment_53" align="alignnone" width="300"] Everyone loves a trier[/caption]

Relevant.  I work in a gym, albeit a very well equipped one.  I can help you with human performance, injury prevention and management, body composition (as long as you do your bit in the kitchen!).   I can’t help you get that promotion at work or make you get around to painting your skirting boards.

Time bound.  Procrastination is the thief of time.  As well as attaching a number to what you want to achieve, you must attach a number to when you want to achieve it.

This works both ways – saying you want to add 20kilos to your bench press in 4 weeks would be ridiculous.  Targeting it over 12 months would be aggressive – but (depending on your training age)  - it could be done.

 

Hopefully you can see that  as well as being applicable in the boardroom – this also has a place in the weight room.

Sensible or SMART goal setting can be the difference between being one of the masses who will get into health and fitness this January yet lose their way by March.  And being one of those who makes long lasting, meaningful and positive changes to their health, lifestyle, and longevity.

Next post – Goal Setting Part 2:  Supercharge your goals.

Make Yourself Smarter

I love a quote from the Boston based rehab specialist Mike Reinold,

"If you aren't learning you aren't trying"

This , in my opinion, couldn't be more true.  If  - as fitness professionals, health professionals, rehab specialists or whatever we want to call ourselves  - we aren't doing the best for our clients then what are we really doing?

Shouting and counting?

I know I'd be wanting a little more than that for £1 per minute.

I have always thought that in any field the best way to learn and better yourself is to find someone who is better at it than you (time to put the egos away here, there is always someone!), and find out how they do things.

With this in mind I made a recent trip to Cressey Performance in Massachusetts, USA to observe two of the very best in the business of performance training - Eric Cressey and Tony Gentilcore -  two people who's work I follow closely and have immense respect for.

I knew I was going to see assessment and coaching of the highest order.  However, I was completely blown away at how hands on and accessible these guys are.  Not only are the clients of CP lucky to have two of Americas finest coaches under the same roof-  but they genuinely do get hands on coaching from these guys on each and every training session..

My last training session at CP saw Major League and Collegiate baseball players and a former US international rugby player - working out alongside a 50 year old local amateur golfer and a 13 year old softball hopeful.  Now there may not be anything too unusual in that - but - what was very special is that the main men of Cressey Performance gave just as much time and attention to these guys as they did their star athletes.  And perhaps more importantly the star athletes were very happy to wait their turn...

This for me was like a return to my days of team sports training sessions, Cressey Performance is run not like a club - but like a team  - and everyone is made to feel part of it.   Eric, Tony and Pete have put together something very special over in Hudson MA.  They have a huge CPFAMILY emblazoned on the wall by the warm up area, but far from being one of the many generic slogans you see on gym walls around the world this is a very accurate description.

Far from this being a love poem about the facility in Hudson - the take home point is that if you want to get better then surround yourself by people better than yourself.  I hear all the time about how courses, seminars, textbooks are prohibitively expensive - get out there and see how other coaches do things, and how other training facilities are run.  Try it - and you'll be amazed at what you can accomplish.

 

 

Visiting Cressey Performance

After a hectic tube ride across London my trip over to Cressey Performance in Boston got off to the best possible start….  “Change of seat sir?”  As I boarded the plane – not knowing if it was a question or an instruction I simply nodded bleary eyed and was guided upstairs – yes - this plane has a staircase.

I have a sneaky suspicion this isn’t a coincidence as the crew all came by one at a time to introduce themselves.  Pretty sure I have a long term client to thank for my transatlantic flat bed when I get back to blighty.

[caption id="attachment_41" align="alignnone" width="225"] It may look like a portaloo - but that soon became my flat bed[/caption]

 

So – 6 and a half hours to go according to the in flight entertainment system – plenty of time to catch up on some reading,   update all my programs and still have time for Hangover part III.

 

How to design a warm up

A warm up is not about getting warm. Looking around you when you come in to train you will notice that a typical gym bunny ‘warm up’ consists of a couple of light weight sets of the exercise they are about to do, then pile on the weight and go for glory.

If you’re lucky you may see someone do a few minutes on a cross trainer or a rower then one or two static stretches or swings of their limbs. They may be warm – yes, but are they prepared for the movements they are about to undertake – absolutely not.

The purpose of this article is to change the emphasis of a ‘warm up’ from simply getting warm on a frosty morning, to being adequately prepared for a training session. By following some of these pointers you should see a marked improvement in how you move and feel, your performance in the gym, and most importantly reducing your risk of injury. From a typical gym session of 1 hour, you should spend at least 15 minutes of that on your warm ups.

The most important consideration when designing your warm up is that strength training cements movement patterns. Therefore if you have a faulty or dysfunctional movement – then performing it under load for sets and reps will make it very hard to ‘un learn’. Your warm up, therefore, should be about getting into the most optimal position available to you at that time and then beginning to work under load.

I like to break a warm up into four distinct sections:

Release: Foam rolling or other myofascial work to reduce sympathetic tone and improve tissue quality.

Reset: The most simple way to look at this is ‘reverse posture’. Have you just been sat hunched over a keyboard for 8 hours? In which case consider thoracic extensions. Have you just run to the gym or been on your feet all day? In which case think of core activation work and specific hip mobility.

This is about getting you as close to a ‘neutral’ posture as you can get on that particular day. Your re-set drills will be specific to you and are things you should see progressions with from session to session.

Readiness: What movements are you about to perform in the gym?

Overhead pressing – then think of scapular stabilisation and shoulder mobility. quatting – then consider ankle mobility, glute activation and hip flexor mobility.

This portion of your warm up will be specific to your work out. If you are unsure then I recommend working ‘toe to head’ through your body segments – each adjacent segment should be either mobile or stable i.e.:

 

Feet – stable

 

Ankle – Mobile

 

Knee – Stable

 

Hip – Mobile

 

Lumbar spine – Stable

 

Thoracic spine – Mobile

 

Scapular – stable

 

Shoulder – Mobile

Reactive: This is really your transition from your warm up to the workout. Reactive work is prepping your central nervous system (CNS) and getting it fired up to do some work. Examples of reactive work for the lower body are skipping, hopping and bounding drills. For the upper body - medicine ball throws, slams and stomps. For the supermen (and women) out there this is where your box jumps and clap push ups should fit in to your session.

Give this a try, and let me know how you get on, and remember - a warm is not about getting warm – it is about getting your body in the optimal position to cope with the demands you are about to place on it.

Don't forget the little guys

One of the most common training mistakes we see people making is letting the mirror or their ego be their guide – as opposed to a logical, thought out and planned training session.

Training only what you can see in the mirror, or falling into the trap of needing a testosterone fuelled answer to ‘how much do you bench?’ can lead to an unbalanced program. Unbalanced programming leads to an unbalanced body. An unbalanced body can, and in the majority of cases, will, lead to injury or pain – not cool.

In this day and age of limited time, anything that seems like a quick fix or giving instant results will have its appeal. However, taking a few minutes at the start of every workout on some of the vastly overlook smaller stabilising muscles will pay off tenfold when it comes to training the bigger muscle groups.

One of the smaller areas that almost everyone can benefit from paying some attention to is the stabilising musculature of the scapular. The scapular, or shoulder blade, has two quite different but interdependent functions in upper limb mechanics. It both provides stability, and assists with movement at our most mobile joint – the shoulder.

FACT – Did you know that the humorous, or upper arm, can only abduct (raise outwards) by 30 degrees? The rest of the movement is provided by the scapular.

We all know that people interested in weight training, whether its for sports performance, health, or simple aesthetics all get a kick out of lifting heavy things.

However, how many times do you stop and think about what must happen within the body to provide that force? A bench press, overhead press, or the humble push-up all require an expression of force during shoulder flexion (driving the upper arm away from the body). If the upper arm can only abduct by 30 degrees without needing assistance from the shoulder blade then we can start to see how important healthy and functional scapulae are during international bench press hour (that’s Monday at 6pm to the uninitiated).

So what does this all mean? Well – did you ever hear the expression ‘you can’t shoot a canon from a canoe’? Most often quoted when talking about core training – but equally important in shoulder function.

There is no way that 100kg bench press is going anywhere in a hurry without being propelled from a stable base – and that stability comes from the shoulder blade. If there is no stability in the scapular then the body will find it some place else. All that shrugging and wriggling around that you see during a bench press or a push up is not so much people trying to hoist up a weight – but more the body looking for a stable platform from which to exert a force. The body will find stability somewhere – it doesn’t want a 100kg barbell crashing down on it any more than it wants to go face first into the matt during a push up. Another way to look at this is trying to exert a force with your arms without stable scapulae is a bit like trying to sprint on sand – its possible, but it isn’t half hard work!

How do we achieve this?

You can ‘set’ your scapulae by going through some very simple activation drills for the surrounding musculature. Try running through the following before performing any kind of upper body push (or pull) and you should be able to feel the effect of having a stable platform.

*Prone ‘scaptions’ or flying Ys

*Scapular push ups (also known as serratus punch)

*Hanging scapular retractions (hand from a chin up bar, and simply try to pinch your shoulder blades together)

*Scapular wall slides

Each of these movements will help you to be aware of where your shoulder blades are sitting, but also to innervate the smaller muscles that hold the scapulae in place. The shoulder blades should feel as though they are sucked down and back and are flat against the back of the rib cage.

It may go against your instincts in a time pressured lunchtime training session, but if you want to train the big muscle groups effectively then invest 10 mins at the start of every workout on some of the small ones.