Tips For Training In the Cold

If you live in the Midwest then you no doubt felt Autumn's last gasp this past weekend.  The temperature dropped almost forty degrees in the course of about twelve hours on Sunday.  This is nothing new this time of year in this part of the country.

I trained on Saturday afternoon and was bare chested by the end of my session.  By Monday I was in multiple layers.  If you are one of the few trainees that must train in an unheated space here are some tips to ensure your training sessions are not negatively affected by the weather.

Leave The Tough Guy Ego At The Door

Dress for the occasion.  You want to wear enough to stay warm, but not so much that your movement is restricted.  I trained bench tonight and I had two pairs of socks, flannel pajama pants, sweat pants, Under Armor Cold Gear turtleneck, thermal shirt, hooded sweatshirt, winter hat, and gloves.  This is the only time you'll see me wear gloves to train.  The feel of the bar in your hands is way different and a bit unnatural.  I'd rather use my bare hands, but a frozen bar leads to frozen hands and that would make the bar feel even worse.

Drink Coffee Before You Train

Coffee is a great pre-workout drink.  Very inexpensive and gives you the same results as the high priced bullshit that supplement companies shill.  The caffeine not only gives you a mental perk, it also ramps up your metabolism which raises your body heat.  The caffeine also increases your pain tolerance which can be useful when training in less than ideal environments.

Take Extra Time To Warm Up

This should go without saying.  I did my normal warm up for when I do upper body work but I intermittently threw in some jump roping.  Nothing crazy, just 50-100 skips here and there until I had done about 500 total.

I also took more warm up reps when getting ready to bench.  Here are my normal warm up weights:

Barx20
95x10
135x5
185x4
205x3
235x2
255x1

Monday it went:

Barx20x2
95x10x2
135x5x2
185x4
205x3
235x2
255x1

Again, it's nothing crazy; just a little extra movement before the heavier weights to get the blood flowing.

Use Short Rest Periods

I usually keep my rest shorter anyways but today it had a little more meaning.  Using shorter rest periods ensures that your body never gets too cold and stiff.  Another way to stay warm between sets is to do some active recovery like stretching or rolling out the muscle groups you're not using.  Between sets of bench stretch your hip flexors and roll your adductors.  Between sets of squats stretch your pecs and lats.  

Don't Take Off Clothes As You Get Warm

As you start to get warm this is going to be a common temptation but one that you should resist.  Chances are you'll be sweating and taking off your top layers is going to expose the moisture to the cold.  Bad idea.  You'll probably become cold again within a few minutes.  Keep the sweatshirt on and keep the warmth in.  This is doubly true if you decide to wear a hood or a hat.  Keep it on and keep the sweat away from the cold.

Keep Your Reps In The Medium To High Range

This is a two fold good idea.  On the one hand higher reps means more movement which will create more heat to help keep you warm.  And on the other using medium to higher reps prevents you from going too heavy on lifts that are notorious for injuring lifters that don't take the time to properly warm up.  If you are going to go heavy be sure the heed the above tips or risk an avoidable injury.

QBAB (Quit Being A Baby)

Training with a purpose requires a certain degree of mental toughness to achieve anything meaningful.  If you are unwilling to give it a go unless conditions are perfect you won't get a whole lot done.  Anyone can train when the conditions are ideal, but the ones that are going to last are the ones that train when they are tired, when it's cold, or when they'd rather be going out or sitting on the couch.  To quote Alex Karras,

"Toughness is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles."

 

The Death of Hardcore

I'm going to get one thing off my chest right now.  There is no such thing as "hardcore" exercise.  There is impressive, there is masochistic, and there is unhumanly (Google is telling me that unhumanly isn't a word, but fuck that.).  But there is nothing that even comes close to "hardcore".

To paraphrase Shelby Starnes, exercise is a luxury that we should feel lucky to be able to do.  Hardcore is standing up for what is right.  Hardcore is raising three kids the right way on your own.  Hardcore is hanging out on the ocean for over a month and then surviving hellish POW camps for years.  Hardcore is sacrifice and doing what absolutely needs to be done.

And to go along with that one does not go into "Beast Mode" or turn into a "Hulkamaniac" simply because you are lifting weights.  You're lifting weights, not pulling a car off a trapped child.

Do you even lift?

Now I've been guilty of saying these things in the past.  I freely admit the error of my ways.  But growing older and gaining some perspective of where I stand in this world has led to my thinking that I lead a pretty charmed life.

Compared to the experiences of a lot of people past and present if you're reading this (or writing it) you live like little princesses.  And it doesn't matter how much you dead lift or how fast you can ride a bike.

Remember, Remember....

...the first of Movember.

Icy gazes are so much better with a mustache.

It's Movember first and I couldn't be happier.  My Mo Bros and I are back for another year of kicking cancer in the balls.  But in case you're all like, "Meh, cancer's not so bad.  We should save the trees or donate to some shitty politician"  I got some facts for you.

This year over 8,000 men will be diagnosed with testicular cancer with over 350 of them dying from it.

1 in 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime.

28,000 men in the US will die of prostate cancer.

Fuck.
That.
Shit.

Some of the most important people in my life are men and those numbers scare me.  Those numbers scare me because I don't want my man parts cut out and/or blasted with radiation.  I want them happy and healthy and ready at a moment's notice when it's time to make this world a better place by passing along my seed.  You know, pollinate some fucking stamens if you're into flower references.

So if you want to help rid the world of this scourge of a disease go to http://mobro.co/TroyDequaine to join or donate.  This year I started my own team and right now it's a two-man wolf pack of myself and my Mo Bro Eric Ficek.  If you want to join you'll be joining Team MDK.  If you're a fan of the movie Demolition Man you'll know that MDK stands for Murder Death Kill.  And that's exactly what we are trying to do to that bastard cancer.

Brace Yourselves...

And with it comes my awesome mustache.  November 1 is the official beginning of this year's Movember event.  I haven't set up my Movember page just yet, but when I do all of you will hear about it.

In case you're unaware of the Movember movement it is a month long fundraiser wherein men, who are worthy of such a title, grow mustaches and raise money for prostate cancer and other men's cancer research and awareness.

I can hear people whining, "But why the mustache?" already.

Because it's a sign of solidarity among those in the movement.  It's prostate cancer's Pink Ribbon.

And ladies, it's not just for the fellas.  You all are more than welcome and highly encouraged to participate and help raise money and awareness.  No mustache needed, but if you can grow one, more power to you.

Once I get my MoSpace set I'll be posting a link but for now head on over to www.Movember.com for info on the movement.

I hope to see some of you (if you're man (or woman) enough) rocking some bitchin' 'staches this year.

Some Recent "Research"

I’ve written about my reservations towards scientific research, especially when it comes to topics in the fitness and health and wellness spheres.  Within the last six months there have been three studies that have come out that at first glance make you take a pause.  They claim that the things that you thought were good for you and beneficial to your health are actually counterproductive.  Sometimes it’s the study authors that will make this claim based on their research and other times it is the mouth breathing mainstream media that blows these claims way out of proportion.

The mainstream media sure has a knack for ruining good things and making people afraid of everything.  Let’s look at some of the claims.

The first is what I will refer to as the Red Meat Study which came out in March of this year.  In this study the researchers followed over a 100,00 subjects and tracked their diet via self-reporting.  The researchers found that the more red meat consumed the more likely you were to die from any cause.  In fact, each serving amounted to a 13% increased risk of mortality.  Here were some of the headlines to come out from that little doozy.

Study: Red meat may shorten life spa- CNN

All red meat is bad for you, new study says- LA Times

Study: Red meat raises risk of dying- CBS News

And on and on.  Let’s take a look at what I’ll call the Egg Yolk Study which was just recently published.

The gist of what’s being reported on it is that egg yolks are just as dangerous to your cardiovascular health as smoking cigarettes.  No doubt this led to a bunch of smug assholes feeling all high and mighty for eating their lame egg white omelets.

No doubt there were similar headlines to the red meat study.

Here’s the thing about these “studies”.  They were both observational studies that relied on the self-reporting of its subjects.  They basically followed these people’s health histories and mortality rates and then asked them what they ate.

It sounds nice but there are a lot of problems with this approach.

First, observational studies are also known as corollary studies.  This means that the researchers will look at the data and notice trends like when people eat more red meat they tend to die sooner.  But what the researchers don’t do and is actually impossible is control for other factors that may play into that.  

Most people that eat red meat tend to eat it with a highly processed grain based bun and a cheese-like product and probably some ketchup as well.  Oh, and they’ll have some sliced potatoes that were deep fried in rancid oil as a side.  And probably wash it all down with a fully sugared soda.  And then go home and not move for the rest of the day.  But it’s the red meat (that can barely be called meat) and egg yolks that are killing them.

Riiiiiiight.

Second, these types of studies have never been meant to prove causality.  And in my opinion it is bad science and just plain irresponsible to not make that clear at the beginning and in the conclusions of the research article.

Most news outlets that are going to report on the findings are not going to read the paper and probably not even the abstract.  But making it clear that there are serious limitations to the scope and therefore the implications of the study could possibly mitigate much of the misinformation that gets propagated on a daily basis.

But it’s not the news outlets fault.  Their main job is not to report facts.  It’s to sell ad space.  And add space sells at a premium on shows with a high viewership.   And a high viewership is built on sensationalized stories like the ones above.  And the one below.

Don't even get me started.

It was recently reported that a year of fish oil supplementation has no effect on markers of cardiovascular health….In elderly patients….That have already had a stroke and are on other medications to treat the cardiovascular conditions….And only took one gram of fish oil per day….and were participants in thirty cherry-picked studies to be reviewed out of the literally thousands that have been published.

Step one: Open palm fully.

Step two: Apply directly to face.

Step Three: Repeat until no longer stupid.

Mr. T will pity the absolute shit of these study's authors.

I’m no cardiovascular expert but as someone who consistently takes up to 10 grams of fish oil per day and is relatively healthy even I could point out the serious flaws in that study.  They picked studies where the participants already had one foot in the ground and only an insignificant one gram of fish oil per day.  Say that fish oil is an ineffective treatment.  Don’t imply that it’s ineffective as a preventative measure.

But I’m done bashing on studies.  There are a lot that are done for the right reasons and are beneficial to the discussion on all topics relating to health and fitness.  Just remember that the old adage remains true:

If you haven't seen They Live take a lap.

Don't believe everything you read.

Sources:

Red meat consumption and mortality: results from 2 prospective cohort studies. A, Pan et al. Arch Intern Med. 2012 Apr 9;172(7):555-63.

J. David Spence, David J.A. Jenkins, Jean Davignon. Egg yolk consumption and carotid plaque. Atherosclerosis, 2012.

Association between omega-3 fatty acid supplementation and risk of major cardiovascular disease events: a systematic review and meta-analysis.  EC Rizos et al.  JAMA. 2012 Sep 12;308(10):1024-33.

I'm Baaaa-aaaack!!

It has been mad long since I've hit you all with some happs in my life and for that I sincerely apologize.  The biggest reason for that is that I had a routine for when I would write.  It was always in the mornings before I went to work or in the evening if I had some free time.  With my new job I start at 6 am every day so the mornings are out and I just haven't really had the motivation in the evening.

Well that shit is about to change.

I've turned a new leaf and I'm getting back on the writing wagon.  I've got a few half written articles waiting to be finished and a few ideas submitted by faithful reader Bonnie.  To kick this thing off I'll give you a few of the details of how my life has changed in the past two months.

Work

I'm now working as a personal trainer at a chain gym called Life Time Fitness.  The clubs themselves are very nice, high-end facilities.  The locker rooms are clean, the fitness floor has a ton of equipment, and the members for the most part are very nice.

The biggest change from NX Level to this job is that I now work on 100% commission.  I'm passed clients by some of the higher ups but it is still up to me to build my business and sell myself to the members.  I had minimal sales experience at NX Level because for the most part it never really felt like selling.  All I ever did was tell people what we did as a facility.  Nine times out of ten by the times I ever talked to a prospective client they had already made up their minds as to whether or not they were going to embark down a path of maximal awesomeness and train at NX.  Not so much here.  You learn real quick how fickle people can be regardless of their financial status.  I feel I can do a great job at explaining my importance, but if someone doesn't want to change they aren't going to see it.  My biggest opportunity lies in getting someone to that point of wanting to change.  Once I do that then I think I'll see a huge uptick in business.

Training

Not going to lie, I've been on cruise control for the past few months.  Haven't really been trying to hit PR or anything.  Just trying to keep the strength up.  I made the executive decision to really change gears with how I've trained the last five or six years.  I'm going to give training for size a shot.  This will require me to back off of the weights a bit and increase the volume.  I"m going to still keep some heavy lifts in, but the majority will be higher rep work.  I'm doing some research on some different modalities and I think I've got a decent handle on it.

I'll be training four days per week.  Day one is legs, day two is chest, triceps and calves, day three is back, traps and biceps, and day four will be shoulders and calves.  I'm going to wave my volume and intensity so it won't be the same thing for three months but a vast majority of my sets will be in the 6-20ish range.  I'll also have to up my calories, but I like to do that more by feel than anything else.  Like anything I'm going to give it my and all and we'll see how it goes.

Reading

I've read two things lately, Jack and Shit.  And Jack just left town.  Reading is another habit that I need to get back into.  I think once I get my business built at work I'll feel better about reading for an hour or so at lunch, but until then I'll just have to find time in the in between times.

Research

I've been reading some stuff here and there but nothing too intense.  That might be part of why I haven't written much.  I haven't found anything that really piques my interest.  I'll keep my ears to the ground but if any of you ever have anything you want researched send it my way and I'll try to get to it.

That's all I got for today.  I promise I'll have some actual content for you by the end of the week.  Huge thanks for reading.  I really do appreciate the support.

200 Pounds: Training and Poetry Slam

Monday: Back Attack

Pendlay Rows: 242 x 8 sets of 3

Face Pulls: 4x25

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Mix Grip Chins: 4x5

Arms and neck work

Pretty average session.  Nothing crazy or special.  Solid 80%er.

Tuesday: Wheels

Squat: up to 425x1, 335 x 2 sets of 5

Trap Bar Jumps: 4 sets of 3

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Barbell Reverse Lunges: 4 sets of 6 on each leg

Barbell Glute Bridges: 50 total reps

Neck: Flexion/Extension x 50 reps each way

DB Shrugs: 1 set of 50

Wednesday: Pressin’ Power

Overhead Press: up to 175x3, 138x5, 108x11

Bench Press: 10, 10, 10, 7, 5 x escalating weights

DB Curls: 3x20

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Band Tricep: 3x20

Squats felt weird on Tuesday.  I never really felt comfortable with them.  I think the next piece of equipment to be added to the Crushatorium is going to be a solid all-around bar that can be used for squats, dead lifts, presses and just about everything in between.  Right now I have two Olympic bars but one is bent and the other doesn't have knurling (the rough part of the bar) in the middle which is important when low bar squatting. 

I'm also adjusting to my girlfriend's mattress.  It's a bit firmer than the one I've been sleeping on the last seven years or so, so there will be a break in period.  And I still don't have my belt.  That all adds up to me being weak as a kitten both in the squat rack and in my head.  And it’s time for that shit to change.

Pressing in all variations is still pressing.  They are definitely the slowest moving lifts for me.  The key for me is consistency.  I just need to keep doing them and they will come up.  I can’t get discouraged because they don’t move like my squat or dead lift.  They are what they are right now and will get better in the future. 

Poetry Slam

Many people would probably be surprised that I started college as an English major.  I've always liked to read and write but decided early on in my schooling that I didn't want it to be a career.  I loved the idea of pursuing a job where I got to lift and get sweated on all day instead (sarcasm). 

Even though I may appear to be a typical meat-head to those that don't know me I still enjoy reading and obviously writing.  And ever since I could remember I've always liked poetry.  I don't get into the technical aspects of it and try to dissect it like it's a puzzle solved.  Each poem means what it means to me even if it is different from what the author intended, if the author intended anything at all.  In other words I'd rather appreciate each poem for the feelings it invokes in me, not because it was well built.

So, with all that said I'm going to share some of my favorite poems with all of you.  I'll share what they mean to me but that should in no way dictate what it means to any of you.  First up is Guillome Apolliniare's Come To The Edge

"Come to the edge."

"We can't we are scared."

"Come to the edge."

"We can’t we will fall."

"Come to the edge."

And they came.

And he pushed them.

And they flew.

I get goose bumps every time I read that poem.  Even typing it I was getting a few shivers.  One of the things that I love about this poem is how it says so much and is so powerful yet is so simple and brief. It speaks volumes while saying very little.

Along with the goose bumps I get a rush of feelings of the people that have pushed me to be better and fly throughout the years.  From my family, to teachers, to bosses and coworkers, all the people that have shaped who I am come back to me.  I wouldn't be where I am without them.  No one person is a vacuum.  Everyone needs a push in the right direction now and then.  They need that friend to tell them what's what.  They need that parent to challenge them to be independent and work for themselves.  They need that boss to not let them fall into a habit of complacency.  In other words, we all need a swift kick in the ass from time to time.

There will also be times when you are the one who needs to do the pushing.  When you want to say, “There, there, it will all be OK.  Let me solve this problem for you,” you will instead have to say, “I’d like to help you but this is a road that you need to travel yourself.” 

It may, and probably will, be painful and you will probably question yourself as to whether or not you are a good friend, parent, teacher, etc.  But in the end things have a tendency of working out.  We have to know that pushing that loved one off the cliff is not abandonment.  We are forcing them to open their wings and fly.  We are forcing them to live their own life, be who they are meant to be and to be free.

Weekend Update: 2 for 1 Special

Tuesday:

Squat: 435x5, 315x16

Bench Press: 245x5 singles

Friday:

Front Squat: up to 365x1

Dead Lift: 528x1, 572x0

RDL: 375x5,5; 265x15

Pretty damn good week of training this week.  I finally got 435 for five.  Next time I do rep work I’ll use 445 and stay with it until I can do five.  I’m kind of doing the same thing with the 315 except I want to hit 20.  Then I’ll move up to something in the 345-365 range.

I went a little off the res on Friday.  I’ve been kind of just plodding along and letting my numbers increase organically instead of forcing them to go.  Not Friday.  I actually missed my first attempt at 365 on Front Squat.  I had the bar a little too high on my neck which must have been pinching my jugular.  Unracking the bar I felt fine but once I sat down with it I started to see black.  In that situation there is no being a hero.  I threw the bar forward onto the safety pins and fell backwards a little.  With a little prodding from Jake I got back on my horse and made that shit happen.

Dead lifting felt great up to 528.  By then I was starting to putter out strength wise.  I was debating between going to 550 or 572.  I threw caution to the wind and the wind threw it right back at me.  I got the bar off the ground but lost my posture bad and just let the bar go.  Even today (Sunday) my glutes are all locked up from it.  Live and learn.

I was a mixed sack of emotions last week, which was my last, at NX Level.  I was excited about what lies ahead; nostalgic about all my great NX Level memories, and genuinely sad about leaving the people that I’ve built friendships with over the past six year.  I had a number of clients express how much of a positive impact I had on their lives and how I inspired them to be better than they were.  This is the highest compliment anyone could have paid me.  What they may not know is that I found my passion through them.  Seeing the look in someone’s eyes after I help them feel or move better is like a drug to me.  Thank you to all who made my time at NX Level some of the best years of my life.

Tuesday:

Squat: 405 x 5 singles

Bench: 245 x 10 total reps

Thursday:

Clean and Press: 176x1; 154x2x2

Single Arm Row: 100x8x4

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Single Arm DB Press: 40x10x4

Friday:

Snatch: 176x1; 154x3 singles

BTN Push Press: 176x5x5

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Trap Bar Dead Lift: 375x5x5

It’s done.  It’s finally done.  Well, not totally done, but it’s a gym.  The flooring is all put in.  All that really needs to be done is for it to be insulated and then it’ll be a year round operation.  Huge props to Amy’s dad, Don, for helping me.  He’s a bricklayer by trade so he was the brains and much of the brawn behind the operation.  I just did what I was told.  He told me what to buy, where to cut, and how to do a lot of stuff I’ve never done.  And we did it and I’m super proud of it.  Amy also had a sign commissioned for me.  I’d say I’ve got it just about made in the shade.  All it needs now is for some action takers to start pouring out their sweat to get better than they were yesterday.  That, and a few other pieces of equipment.  All in due time.

The Hometown He-Man Crushtorium.

The cardio equipment.

With a fully functioning gym only a few steps away I’m going to be experimenting a lot with my volume.  It’s not going to be much of a problem to do more sessions per week and even multiple sessions per day.  I’m going to think about what exactly it is I want to accomplish and develop a plan from there.

The Olympics are in full swing and I’m pretty excited.  In other words I’ve got Olympic Fever!  I love watching weightlifting and wrestling for obvious reasons.  I wrestled in high school and have always enjoyed performing the Olympic lifts, the Snatch and the clean and jerk.  Other sports I’m keeping an eye on are swimming and triathlon.  I trained a few swimmers who competed in the trials and also trained a woman competing in the triathlon but I'll watch just about anything that's on.  I wish good luck and great skill to all those competing but I gotta throw out a USA!  USA!  USA!

I hope everyone has had a great couple of weeks.  I’ll be back soon with some content instead of these boring ol’ weekend updates.  Thanks for staying tuned in.

An Open Letter To My NX Level Family

Dear NX Level Family,

As many of you know I will be moving to Chicago at the end of July and will no longer be employed with NX Level.  It was a hard decision for me to make, but one that I feel will be extremely fulfilling.  The camaraderie and friendship  that I have built with all of you, I know, is not something that can or will be found just anywhere.  As such, I want to take this opportunity to thank you all from the bottom of my heart for the caring, kindness, and compassion you have shown myself and the rest of the NX Level staff over the years. 

The last six years have been extremely rewarding and at the same time, very humbling for me.  Through you I have found a passion for strength and conditioning and helping others achieve their fitness goals.  The fact that you have trusted me to help you improve your performance, your health, and your quality of life is not something I take for granted.

As I begin the next chapter of my grown up life I will take with me and cherish the lessons and generosity that you have shown me.  And even though time and distance will keep us apart I feel great satisfaction that I can always call on any of you as a friend, and you me.

My Deepest Thanks,

Troy Dequaine

Senior Performance Coach and Assistant Director of Performance

Weekend Update: Training, Bachelor Party, and the Final Move

Tuesday:

Squat: up to 485x1, 405x3 paused

Bench Press: 245 x 10 singles

Friday:

Deadlift: 550 x 3 singles

RDLs: 375x5, 265x10

Bent Row: 155x8x4

Abs

This was another good week of training.  The 485 squat felt smooth with fairly good speed.  I really like the three week cycles I’ve been doing with my squat where week one is a 1RM, week two is rep work, and week three is five singles with week one’s weight.  But I think the biggest reason my squat is feeling good is that I’ve been staying somewhat conservative with it and not forcing the weight.  I just let it come and if it feels good I’ll do some more.  Hopefully I get back into the 500 range.  My goal once I’m there is to never get so weak that I can’t squat 500.  Long term goal is 600 raw, but I like where I’m at.

Deadlifting felt awesome.  I didn’t do a ton of warm-up reps, just one or two per warm-up set.  The first two 550 singles were great with no hitch or slow down.  The third one I got loose with my air before I pulled and ended up having to strain a little to get the rep.  No biggie, just need to focus better.

Bench press is still usual bench press.  I’m trying some different things as far as getting my right shoulder to not feel like a pile of goo and so far it’s been feeling on the better side of ok.  Not out of the woods yet but definitely better than where it was.

My diet recently has been pretty solid during the week and haphazard at best on weekends.  My only goal right now with that is to get stronger, maybe a little bigger, but stay in the 200 range.  By the end of the week I’m usually around 197 or so and then the weekend will push it back up to the 202 range.  Once my strength gains start to slow down I’ll readjust what I’m doing, but until then I’ll be staying the course.

I went up to Wisconsin Dells this past weekend for my good friend Lance’s bachelor party and it was a blast to say the least.  Between Friday and Saturday night there were about 14 guys that made the trip.  Friday we went to the local casino.  I didn’t play, I’m not much for gambling, but had a blast drinking beers and watching the other guys play.  One thing I don’t like about casinos is the level of sadness in there.  If you could harness that sadness into energy you’d be a billionaire.  Lots of miserable looking people in that place.

Saturday afternoon we all went paintballing.  I’m not going to lie; I’m the shit when it comes to paintball.  We got challenged by another bachelor party in an elimination game.  At one point there were three of their guys against me at about 15 yards apart behind wooden walls.  Long story short I got all three of them out.  Don’t really know how but I did it.  I’m like the John Rambo of paintball.  At least that game I was.

This weekend I’m making the final move to Chicago.  I’m definitely excited for this next chapter in my life.  I’m going to be with the woman I love and have great opportunities career-wise.  It should be an exciting ride.

Other than that nothing is new on my end.  I hope everyone had a great weekend and has a take no prisoners-style week. 

Weekend Update: Training, Up North, and Freedom

Tuesday:

Squat: 135x5, 225x4, 315x3, 405x2, 475x 5 singles

Bench Press: up to 245x 5 singles

Independence Day at Iron Alley:

Power Clean: up to 205x3x3

Military Press: 165x3x3

Bent Row: 185x6x4

Friday:

Front Squat: 135x5, 185x4, 225x3, 275x2, 315x 3 singles

Trap Bar DL: up to 527 x 3 singles

Training two heavy days per week has been going really well.  My numbers are slowly moving in the right direction, my body weight is staying consistent and I don’t feel trapped in by my program.  It’s flexible enough that if life gets in the way one day I’ll be able to get it in another day.  Training only twice heavy per week also makes me look forward to training.  And when you only have two times per week to get your shit done you’ve got no choice but to put out in those two sessions.

Bench press I’ve been playing ultra conservative on.  I decided this week to bump my training max (the heaviest weight I’ll use in a training session) to 245.  It is going to stay there for a while.  My shoulder feels ok while pressing but does stay sore for a few days afterwards.  I still think my trap is the main culprit in this, but I’ll never know until I put a real concerted effort into getting all the knots out.  That may take a few rough massages though.  Much more than just a lacrosse ball can provide.

I’m beginning to think that the slow cooker is one of the better inventions ever.  I don’t use it as much as I could or should but I’ve never been disappointed by it.  As long as you take the time to sex the meat up with some spices and what not I’d probably never get bored with using it.  I’d never give up grilling meats, but I definitely need to start experimenting with slow cooking more.

With the impending move to Chicago I’ve been shedding myself of some of my earthly possessions.  I’ve gotten rid of a lot of clothes that I haven’t worn in a long time and a lot of clutter that I haven’t used in years.  Let me tell you, it feels good.  It’s almost like losing a lot of weight.  Once all that useless clutter is gone you feel like you can move about better, breathe better, and live easier.  There is definitely a good feeling at having plenty, but in the end it’s just stuff. 

I’ve been looking into minimal living and I’m nowhere near that but the thought of it is attractive, especially the travelling aspect of it.  I am an over packer.  Every time I pack for a trip of more than a few days I get a case of the “just in case” syndrome.  I bring things that I think I’ll need but more often than not end up just leaving in my suitcase.  I bring too many clothes, too many accessories, and too much other stuff that I just don’t need.  So I’ll be practicing consolidation and trying to bring less on the trips that I have planned coming up.

On Wednesday we celebrated our nation’s independence from British tyranny.  I celebrated by lifting at my friend Joe’s new home gym, Iron Alley.  I wore my American flag karate pants and no shirt.  

Very nice set up he has there.  He has a rack stand which is just the business end of a squat rack.  It holds the bar and has a chin up bar and a dip attachment.  He also has a platform, some bumpers, a TRX and something that not a lot of home gyms have, a glute ham.  With that equipment one has almost limitless options. 

Lifting is like packing in a way.  A lot of people try to pack in all this stuff that they don’t really need thinking that it could be the magic bullet that delivers them there goals.  Consistent, hard work on 2-4 core lifts and a few supplementary lifts and one can attain almost any goal whether it be performance or aesthetic based.  Keeping what you need and getting rid of what you don’t is a good thing to put into practice in many areas of life, not just lifting and packing.

I’m on my way home from up north where Amy, her son Tavian, and I spent the weekend with my mom, Stepdad Pete, grandma Donna, sister Stacy, and her boyfriend Manny.  It was definitely what I needed.  Nice and relaxing time on the boat, swimming in the river, and hanging out by the fire pit.  Lots of food, drinks, sunshine, and great people is the recipe for a great time. 

I hope everyone else had a great weekend and is ready to kick the absolute shit out of Monday.  Make it great.  

Weekend Update: Playing Catch Up, An Awesome 11 year-old, and the Hometown He-Man Crushatorium

This week's training only...

Tuesday:


Squat: up to 455x1, 435x4, 315x15

Bench Press: 225 x 10 singles

Friday:


Front Squat: up to 315 x 1

Dead Lift: 515x1, 455x 2 sets of 3

Single Arm DB Press: 82x3x3

I've been crazy busy lately.  The secret is out that NX Level Sports Performance is pretty much the cat's pajamas when it comes to being trained by some studly, handsome, non-creepy performance coaches.  Our Summer Rush started at work earlier this month and we've been jam packed with people looking to improve their fitness, performance, and overall awesome quotient.  Last week  I had an 11 year-old kid say to me, "I'd rather come to NX Level than go to practice four times per week because NX Level makes me stronger physically and mentally."

Damn.

That kid is way ahead of the game in terms of getting "it".  Sports and training aren't for everyone but the lessons gleaned from them can be applied across all areas of life.  Especially the mentally tough part.  Resilience is a commodity that seems to be in short supply these days.  People would rather throw something out, whether it's a broken chair or a broken marriage, than put in the work to fix it.  I just saw this quote today and it applies perfectly here:

"Falling down is how we grow.  Staying down is how we die." -Brian Vaszily

Everyone fails.  But those that learn and fail forward are the ones that come out on top.  Think about that when things get tough.

Since I'm moving in a few weeks it was inevitable that West Allis Barbell was going to be closing its garage doors for good.  But like a Phoenix rising from the ashes Amy's garage is no longer a garage and is now the Hometown He-Man Crushatorium will be taking its place.  Big ups to Eric for coming up with the name.  The Crushatorium is in the very early stages of development.  There is still garage stuff in it and only some of the equipment is there.  But in the coming months the floor and walls will be redone so that it can be trained in 12 months a year.  If you are in the Chicago area and are looking for an awesome place to train let me know and perhaps you too can call the Crushatorium home.

June is definitely the worst month for NFL fans.  Sick of the drama.  Just want football.

Training two heavy days per week is going really well.  It fits my schedule much better, I'm getting stronger and not feeling as run down as when I was four days per week.  During the week I'll also try to fit in a few quick lighter workouts.  I've actually had to talk myself out of going heavy and keeping things light.  Being excited to train is key if you want to ever get better.  Going in with a ho-hum attitude usually leads to Fuckabout-itis and ultimately diminished returns.  The last thing you should do is try to jam yourself into a circle hole if you are a square peg.  Find what works for you and what you enjoy and do it up.

As for me it's time for a dog walk and then some weight crushing.  Have a great rest of the weekend.

Weekend Update: Warrior Dash, Flippy Cup, and some Training

Tuesday

Squat: 455 x 5 singles

Bench Press: 225 x 5 singles

Friday

Hi Bar Squat: 365 x 1

Bench Press: 225 x 3 x3

Saturday

Warrior Dash

Training was pretty OK this week.  I decided to switch the squats up a bit on Tuesday and used the Buffalo bar.  It doesn’t change the actual lift too much but it is a little easier on the shoulders.  I’m going to stay somewhat conservative and not push the envelope too hard on squatting.  Just going to keep plugging away and when the numbers come they’ll come.  I’m going to try doing three week cycles that I just made up.  Week one will be working up to a daily max or, 1RM.  Week two will be working up to a 3 or 5RM.  Week three will be five singles and week one’s max.  Then wash, rinse, repeat using slightly bigger numbers the next week.

My right shoulder area (trap, shoulder, scapula, lat) is knot city, especially my trap.  The trap is the muscle that sits above your collar bone between you neck and shoulder.  When I bench my trap will pull my shoulder and upper arm into an unwanted angle and mess up the rep.  For the time being I’m going to keep my bench press weight at 225 and below and just hammer away on technique and getting my trap to relax during the lift.  Taking some time and working that stuff out will be much better than just pushing through it and possibly hurting it.  If I were to hurt my shoulder all I would hear is Mr. Mister’s Broken Wings in my head.

I ran the Warrior Dash today with my girlfriend Amy and her sister, Mandy.  I’m not much of a runner but these are definitely fun things to do. 

If you are not much of an exerciser it is a fun thing to train towards since there are a lot of obstacles that require you to have some bodyweight strength to go along with the endurance needed to finish the race.  However, if you are in the neighborhood of 150 pounds overweight then perhaps you shouldn’t do it.  We passed two women who had to be three hundred pounds being prodded along by a woman whom I’m assuming is their trainer.  They left before us and finished well after us.  My best estimate says that it took them two hours to traverse 3.1 miles and a few obstacles.  I give them credit for finishing but just because you can doesn’t mean you should.  Just sayin’.

I want to wish my Flippy Cup team (which has been renamed District 5 instead of Team MDK {Muder Death Kill} in my absence) good skill in the Third Annual Joe Jarosz Classic. 

We’ve lost in the finals to Team What the Flip? The last two years.  Both years What the Flip’s? victories came tainted with an asterisk.  Year one one of WTF’s team members got a little too drunk and was calling fouls on fill lines and anything else that crossed her fancy and many of WTF’s team members would just wander off between flips delaying the game.  Eventually Eric and I just said, “Fuck it.”  Year Two Team WTF competed with a pregnant team member who didn’t drink.  It was apparently Ok’d by the rules committee but seriously, one of the challenges of the game is flipping the cup while inebriated.  Hopefully this year tells a different story.

I hope everyone has a great rest of the weekend.  Stay cool it’s gonna be HOT!

Marlyn "Duke" Dequaine: 7.2.1927 -6.4.2012

On Monday my grandfather, Marlyn "Duke" Dequaine, passed away due to complications from a stroke.  He was 84 years-old.  You can read the obituary here.

My grandpa is a figure that I've drawn a lot of lessons from over the years. 

Today we have people who will actively protest soldiers who protect their freedom to protest.  He lied about his age TO GO TO WAR after his brother had been captured and taken as a P.O.W.

Today we have men who will collect unemployment instead of work because the only jobs available are "below them."  He delivered mail everyday for years to support his family.

Today we have men who will belittle others simply because of an honest mistake.  I've never seen my grandpa get mad and I'm sure he didn't have an angry bone in his body.

Today we have kids who hate to read and can barely hold a conversation for five minutes.  He loved to read about architecture simply because it fascinated him.  He could participate in conversations on almost any subject but was also happy to just sit back and listen.

My grandpa's life story isn't extraordinary.  He just liked to read, collect anything and everything, watch Lawrence Welk, and be with his family.  But he did the ordinary things extraordinarily well.  He was an awesome grandpa and a better human being.  He had a positive impact on everyone who met him and he will be missed dearly.

Weekend Update: Training, College Kids, and A BIG Announcement

Tuesday

Squat: up to 455x1

Strict Press: 135x5x3

Friday

Bench Press: up to 265x1

Bulgarian Split Squat: 3 sets of 8

Zercher Squat from the pins: 6 singles at 305

Paired with

Chins or Lat Pulldowns

I’m only writing down the two heavy days at this point.  I did some light stuff on Monday and Thursday but don’t really remember what.  I need to get back in the habit of keeping a hard copy of my training.  Either way I was happy with how this week went.  I’m not trying to push the intensity too much right at the outset.  I’m going to more or less let the weight dictate itself depending on how I’m feeling.  It’s more of a freestyle, self-regulated why to train as opposed to having strict percentages to work off of.  Neither is better than the other.  Percentages give you a solid goal to work towards.  Almost like a challenge.  Doing the freestyle thing is something that takes a few years under the bar to really know how to work it.  It also takes me not being a baby if I don’t work up to the goal I usually have in my head before the session starts.

If you don’t know it by now I’m a big coffee drinker.  Not to the point that I can distinguish between two different types of brews and I’m also not going to be hanging out in Starbuck’s any time soon.  But I do love a solid cup of joe.  There is a lot of evidence coming out right now that coffee could actually be considered a health drink.  Blasphemy, you say?  Well, here are a few reasons for its recent pub:

- It’s calorie free (when you drink it black.  Adding cream and sugar definitely change that.)

- It’s got crazy tons of anti-oxidants

- The caffeine makes you more alert during the sagging hours of the day

- It’s been implicated in helping prevent certain diseases such as Alzheimer’s, certain cancers, and women’s depression

So go ahead and drink up.  But obviously, don’t go overboard.  Caffeine addiction’ll getcha.

Sweet vindication!  I was perusing one of the muscle-mag websites I frequent and a very well-known (Christian Thibaudeau) bodybuilding and strength coach talked about doing explosive movements after strength and hypertrophy work.  I AM NOT the first person to try or champion this approach.  I had actually heard of an Olympic weightlifting coach who would occasionally do strength work first and then heavy clean and snatch pulls second.  That’s why I decided to give it a shot.  I liked it.  You might too.

Being as it’s now June we are starting to get our college kids back at the gym.  I always like this time of year.  The youthful exuberance of experiencing a part of the world free from parental limitation is a refreshing thing to see.  To see kids that are excited about learning and expanding their world-view, whatever it might be, gives me some confidence for the future. 

To me the wanting to learn, and to some extent the want to read, are two very important things that are missing from the youth.  You can blame the internet, video games, modern music, or whatever but what I think it comes down to is an overstimulation.  Kids are so overstimulated with sights, sounds, tastes, and smells that sitting down to read a book or put their focus on one single subject is like a slow painful death to them.  They are addicted to that stimulation and will satisfy it somehow. 

Speaking of college kids, seeing kids that I knew when they were in eighth grade come back from their first or second year of college makes me feel incredibly old.  These kids were born in the mid 90’s.  When someone says, “Yeah, that was like ten years ago.” my first thought is, “Yeah, like 1998….Shit.”  So it goes.

Alright everybody, take a knee.  I’ve got an announcement.  As many of you know I was born and raised, went to school, and worked in Wisconsin.  Well, a Siren by the name of Amy has stolen my heart and lured me down to Illinois.  I will be moving at the end of July.

I’ll give you a minute to pick your jaws up off the floor.

Okay, good.  In all seriousness this change has been coming for a while.  We decided to move forward with it in February.  To my NX Level family, you guys were the one thing that was holding me back from pulling the trigger on it earlier.  I love ya'll that much.  I’ve built up some awesome relationships that I’m sure will last a lifetime; it’s just going to be hard not seeing you every day and helping you achieve your goals.  

Whenever a big change like this happens I always try to focus on the good and be glad for the experiences and the people and not be sad that it’s ending.  So again thank you to all of the people who have had a positive impact on my life in Wisconsin.  I am truly grateful and will miss the shit out of all of you.

I think that’s a good way to end this week.  Have an awesome rest of the weekend and get outside and soak up some vitamin D.

What A Beautiful Snatch You Have!

Ah, the snatch.  It is, without a doubt, my favorite exercise to watch and perform.  The finely-tuned mechanics coupled with otherworldly raw power required to be the best in the world make it a spectacle to see.  In case you are unfamiliar, the snatch requires the lifter to bring the bar from the ground to overhead in one motion.  Here is Dmitry Klokov, one of the best weightlifters in the world, doing his thing with 205 kilos.  For all of us ‘Mericans, that’s 451 lbs.  Sheeeeit.

Up until my summer internship in 2006 at NX Level I was only somewhat aware of the lift.  I had never done it before.  Since we have our athletes perform the hang version I had to learn myself up quick.  I’m not afraid to say that I was definitely afraid of doing it with any kind of serious weight.  By then I had seen what could happen if you let an elbow or shoulder get a little lose during the lift.  But I started slowly with an empty bar and became mildly proficient at it to the point that I could teach it to athletes. 

We don’t test our athlete’s max on the lift however and never do the full lift (from the platform).  We use it as a means to an end.  From an athletic performance standpoint the snatch is great for teaching and developing explosive power through what is called the triple extension.  This is the rapid and forceful straightening of the hip knees and ankles.  This is what happens in the lower body during a jump, acceleration, and a bone-jarring tackle.

In the little over five years since I first started doing the lift it has come and gone a couple of times in my training.  Because of this there is one definite that I can tell you about the lift.  To be good at it you have to do it.  A lot. 

Performing the snatch doesn’t make you stronger, per se.  The weight is usually too low to get any kind of adaptation from it.  Performing the snatch relatively often in your training, like 2-5 times per week, makes you more efficient at the snatch.  Squats, dead lifts, and presses will make you stronger in the positions that you are put in during the execution of the lift.  Snatching and becoming more efficient ensures there is no wasted effort or faulty mechanics that will cause a missed lift.  My best effort in the lift came when I was practicing it three times per week (100 kilos or 220 lbs. in case you were wondering!).  To me that’s why I like it.  It requires great efforts of strength, technical prowess and concentration.  It’s a lifter’s lift.

If you are thinking about using the snatch in your training or want to see what kind of weight you can do I would strongly urge you to seek out a coach who can teach you the proper way to perform the lift safely.  There is even a chance that the snatch will not be a lift that you can perform safely due to underlying movement dysfunctions whether it be immobile hips or tight shoulders or some other contraindication.  If you don’t get a qualified coach you could end up like these clowns.  That would be bad.

Weekend Update: Memorial Day Edition

Monday

Bent Rows: 265x1231, 200x5x3

Tuesday

Squat: 405 x 14 total reps

Thursday

8 rounds of:

Strict Military Press: 175x1

w/

Dead Lift: 500x1

Friday

Small recover-style workout

Not going to lie.  Every day, except for maybe Tuesday, felt like a pile of shit.  I have definitely accumulated the fatigue I was hoping to.  Now I’m going to do no training until Tuesday to rest up.  Most would take a full week off in this case.  I don’t think I need a full week.  I just need to get some quality calories in me and do one or two more recovery type workouts (which are mostly mobility and flexibility drills anyways) and I should be good to go on Tuesday.  Here is how I’m going plan it out.

Monday: Light recovery work

Tuesday: Heavy Squat, Moderate-Heavy strict military press, upper back/scapula stability

Wednesday: Light recovery or conditioning or both

Thursday: Light recovery or conditioning or both

Friday: Heavy bench press, moderate-heavy dead lift, upper back/scapula stability

Saturday: Light recovery or conditioning or both

Sunday: Off completely

Notes:  Light recovery work is the small accessory lifts that I usually don’t feel like doing at the end of sessions like reverse hypers, face pulls, arms, calves, etc…. Dead lift work is going to take the form of single leg work for at least a few weeks and will then transition into trap bar and then after a few months straight bar work…I’ve always lifted heavy at least three days per week so I’m kind of excited to see where only two heavy days and the extra recovery will take me….Carbs will be very high on my heavy days and low to moderate on the recovery and conditioning days depending on what my activity levels were and where my weight is at…Conditioning is going to be sprints, prowler pushes, or hill sprints.  No need to over complicate it…Fridays, regardless of what I, or anyone else, is doing, are now tank top or basketball jersey Fridays.  Plan accordingly.

The Reign Man!

Another wedding is going down this weekend.  My cousin Sara is getting married in Green Bay on Saturday.  I’m looking forward to seeing my family as it’s usually only Christmas that I do.  I’m going to do my best to get my dad drunk.  It should be a good time.

I’ve been kind of slow in getting articles up lately but don’t worry; I’ve got a few in the works right now.  It’s all about finding time to do the research and put my thoughts on the page.  It can be a lot harder than you think.

Now, on to the good stuff.  Memorial Day Weekend is upon us in this great land of ours and I kept help but feel immense gratitude for those that have served in the military.  It’s a calling that I myself resisted and let fall upon another. 

At some point or another we all bitch about something in this country, whether it be war, politics, religion, the economy and the countless other things that ultimately don’t really matter.  What does matter is that we give thanks to those that have put themselves in harm’s way to enable us to bitch about these trivial matters.  We can argue abortion until we’re all blue in the face and absolutely no one will change their stance. 

What we lose sight of is the fact that there are those in the military that will literally step in front of a bullet aimed at the original document, written over two hundred years ago, that granted us the freedom to waste time in that way.  So this weekend if you know a vet or even just see one on your travels thank them for their service.  They’ll appreciate it and you may even get a badass story out of it.  Now go do something that the troops would be proud of.

Weekend Update: Fatigue, NX Level, and A Whole Lotta Chest Hair

Monday:

Pendlay Rows: 260X123123123

DB Bench Press: 3x10

Dips/ Face Pulls/ Curls circuit

Tuesday:

Squat: 385x123123123

Snatch: 152x2x5

Barbell Bulgarian Split Squat: 5x10

Thursday:

Clean and Push Press: 210x123123123

DB Bench: 5x10

Single Arm Row: 4x8

Friday:

Dead Lift: 485x12312312111 (holy shit this sucked)

Holy crap I am feeling it this week.  The fatigue from the last five weeks has definitely caught up with me.  My shoulder prevented me from doing barbell bench press on my upper body days.  Pendlay rows felt crazy heavy.  Dead Lifts on Friday completely wiped me out.  Squats… felt pretty good.  That’s the way it goes usually.  One or two lifts will be going awesome while others stagnate or slide back a bit.  I completed all the reps I set out to complete so I can’t be too upset.

Next week is the last week of this accumulation phase.  I’ll probably repeat the weights from this week.  After that I’m going to take a few days to rest up and then I’m going to switch to a max strength phase.  Intensity (weight being used) is going to stay high but my volume will drop way down.  I’m going to be working in the 1-3 rep range on my main lifts and then in the 6-10 rep range for my accessory.  The sets will be way less than what I’ve been doing.

I’m going to have two heavy sessions each week and two or three light sessions each week.  I’m going to write up two or three heavy workouts for upper and lower body and the same for the light workouts.  I’ll then just rotate the workouts.  So week one will be heavy upper and lower #1 and week two will be heavy upper and lower #2.  It’s kind of hard to explain so I’ll lay it out in a future post.

I’m going to an engagement party today for my friends Lance and Katie.  I’ve never been to one before.  I heard the dress is going to be business romantic so I’ll be keeping the top two buttons of my shirt unbuttoned, my chest hair dancing in the wind.  Not sure what’s more romantic than that. 

With this accumulation phase I’ve been eating a lot on my lifting days (weekends too).  I’ve gotten my weight to be consistent around 200 pounds.  This is where I want to stay.  Once I switch to my max strength phase I’ll work to keep my weight at 200 but slowly (talking months to yearish) dropping fat while building up muscle.  Recomposition diets can be effective but you have to give them a while to see any results.  Dropping fat or gaining weight can be done relatively quickly but doing both at the same time is difficult at best.  It’s hard to sit on two horses with one ass.

NX Level celebrated its 7^th year anniversary this past week.  I’ve been there for just under six and it’s been amazing to watch it grow into what it is.  Awesome clients and a great group of trainers that care more about results and building lasting relationships with clients than the bottom line.  In most things if you take care of the former the latter will work its way out.

Get your ass here if you care about sports.

I went a little crazy on Amazon a few weeks ago and now have a stack of five books or so that I need to get through.  Some are on training concepts and others are just books that I wanted to read.  This means I’ll probably be doing a recommended reading post again in the future.  If anyone has any suggestions on some good reading materials I’m all ears.

That’s all I got for this week.  I hope everyone does some awesome stuff this weekend.  Because if you don’t then what the hell is the point?