Home Blog Lose Fat, Gain Muscle, Increase Strength, Be More Awesome: Live Q&A #5

Lose Fat, Gain Muscle, Increase Strength, Be More Awesome: Live Q&A #5

Written on October 14, 2012 at 7:40 am, by Eric Cressey

It’s time for another live Q&A here at EricCressey.com!  To get your questions answered, just post your inquiry in the comments section and I’ll approve it and then reply.  

My only rule is that your question must be limited to five sentences or less.  I’ll answer the first 25 that are posted, so please don’t bother posting questions if you come to this post days, weeks, or months after it was originally posted.

With that said, head on down to the comments section below and ask away! 

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73 Responses to “Lose Fat, Gain Muscle, Increase Strength, Be More Awesome: Live Q&A #5”

  1. Eric Cressey Says:

    Lori,

    I wouldn’t push through any discomfort. Have you gotten soft tissue work? Tried a tennis elbow sleeve?

    Give this a read and check out the comments section, too: http://ecressey.wpengine.com/understanding-elbow-pain-part-5-the-truth-about-tennis-elbow

  2. W Shields Says:

    Thanks for reply re template.

    One more question. I work with a 13 yr old athlete(about average in physical maturity for age) and wonder how hard to push deadlifts at his age. I have read about issues with immature spines being susceptible to injury. I have stayed with hex deadlifts to lessen chance of injury.

  3. Danavir Says:

    Cool!One one question if there is time, rotational power… other than the med ball rotational throw, what else do you use? This is for my MMA fighters

  4. Eric Cressey Says:

    Neal,

    That’s a great start. You also need to work on improving t-spine mobility, improving length of long head of the triceps, and enhancing anterior core stability.

  5. Andrew Says:

    Eric,

    Thinking along the lines of the 23/1 rule, what are your recommendations with mobility work outside the gym?

    thanks

  6. Harland Says:

    Hello, First of all I would like to thank you for what you do for the strength and conditioning field. My question relates to programming for an imbalance. For example, following an assessment you determine that horizontal pulling strength is much less than horizontal pushing and you have the “typical” associated postural flaws, how would you allocate your loading parameters?

  7. Eric Cressey Says:

    Spencer,

    Step 1 is getting up from that desk job more often! You can do everything correctly while you’re training/rehabbing, but if you feed right back into the dysfunction for 8-10 hrs/day, you won’t get anywhere. So, look at postural and/or ergonomic adjustments first.

    Have you checked out Assess and Correct yet? Great resource on this front: http://www.assessandcorrect.com

  8. Trey Says:

    Eric,i have l4-l5 and l5-s1 disc hermiations. What do you recommend for strengthening my core? I have been lifting for over 15 years and am all natural. Thank you sir!

  9. Eric Cressey Says:

    Bradford,

    That’s an incredibly common finding. Everyone should be managed differently, though. Assess how the client moves, then determine a corrective course of action that doesn’t exacerbate the issue. I’m sure you’ll find that end-range overhead reaching, horizontal adduction, full extension, and direct pressure give the most pain. Give these a read:

    http://ecressey.wpengine.com/newsletter168html
    http://ecressey.wpengine.com/newsletter169html

  10. Eric Cressey Says:

    Craig,

    Absolutely! Have written a lot about it on here, but top thing that stands out in my mind is to never let your business model dictate your training model. The training should dictate the business model, as the goal is to get the best results you can and provide the best service possible.

    Have you checked out The Fitness Business Blueprint? It would be hugely valuable for you as a start-up and save you a lot of $$ in mistakes.

  11. Eric Cressey Says:

    Alonso,

    Give this a read:

    http://ecressey.wpengine.com/newsletter144html

    Also, add a lot of these in:

  12. Eric Cressey Says:

    Simon,

    In that case, start with working on your bar speed. You’re just not putting enough force into the ground quickly enough to break the floor. I’d do a lot of speed pulls for 1-3 reps in the 55-80% of 1RM range.

  13. Eric Cressey Says:

    W Shields – no need to push loading too much at that age. He will still get stronger, but stay conservative. We usually don’t do any axial loading on squats with our kids under 15. Trap/hex bar is a good bet for now.

  14. Eric Cressey Says:

    I like heiden (skater) jumps. Example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cS_JHyb-W_E

  15. Eric Cressey Says:

    Hi Andrew,

    I like to see folks who really need it working it in to their daily routines as much as possible – even if it’s just doing 1-2 sets in the middle of a work day. I’ll often have folks work on foam rolling, mobility work, or static stretching at night while they’re watching TV, too.

  16. Eric Cressey Says:

    Harland,

    Give this a watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxbmcPzMKkI

  17. Eric Cressey Says:

    Trey,

    It’s impossible to make individualized recommendations for you, but I’d say the following:

    1. 38% of ASYMPTOMATIC Americans have the same diagnoses as you do. Give this a read: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199407143310201

    2. Check with a physical therapist to determine what your movement flaws are.

    3. Remember that core stability encompasses a number of things:

    http://ecressey.wpengine.com/core-stability-exercises-strength-and-conditioning-programs-1
    http://ecressey.wpengine.com/core-stability-exercises-strength-and-conditioning-programs-2

  18. Eric Cressey Says:

    That wraps it up for today, folks; thanks for all the great questions! We’ll do this again soon.

    Best,

    Eric

  19. Phil Says:

    This is the link on youtube:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fij5Pn0LlqA&feature=youtu.be

    Thanks Eric!

    Phil

  20. Eric Cressey Says:

    Phil,

    Mostly just looks slow off the floor. How much speed pulling do you do? Might benefit you to do more fast singles in the 65-80% range. Other than that, pretty solid.

  21. Phil Says:

    I do virtually no speed work. I deadlift heavy, usually a 2×5, once every two weeks. Would including it on the weeks I don’t go heavy work?

  22. Eric Cressey Says:

    Phil,

    You need to pull more often. I did it twice weekly when I made my biggest strides. Once for speed, once heavier.

  23. Troy @ Formulated Fitness Says:

    Speed work is an incredible way to burn fat and work your fast twitch muscle fibers. I Have noticed a huge difference in my body fat and strength since incorporating sprints into my routine.


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