Home Posts tagged "Dan John"

Strength and Conditioning Stuff You Should Read: 2/5/18

It's a rough Monday morning for Patriots fans, but the show must go on! Here's some recommended reading/listening for you while I cry in my coffee.

The Culture Code - This new release from Dan Coyle is absolutely outstanding. I'm about 3/4 of the way through it and really enjoying every page. Whether you work in team sports, own your own business, or just want to make your work environment better, there's something for you. Get it.

EC on The Ready State Podcast with Kelly and Juliet Starrett - I hopped on Kelly and Juliet Starrett's podcast to discuss training kids, and it was one of my favorite podcasts that I've ever done. We covered some really important stuff, so I'd encourage you to have a listen.

Dan John on How to Dominate the Weights for a Lifetime - I've never listened to a Dan John interview that I didn't enjoy. The streak is still intact after this podcast with Mike Robertson.

Top Tweet of the Week

Top Instagram Post of the Week

Sign-up Today for our FREE Newsletter and receive a four-part video series on how to deadlift!

Name
Email
Read more

Strength and Conditioning Stuff You Should Read: 9/1/14

Happy Labor Day, everyone! It's hard to believe that September is upon us. Rather than lament the unofficial end of summer, get excited about the following recommended readings for the week:

How the Changeup has Changed the Game - This Sports Illustrated article is "must-read" material for all up-and-coming pitchers.

17 Ways to Set Yourself Free - Martin Rooney never disappoints! In this article, he talks about how as we've added more "free" items to our diets - gluten free, fat free, sugar free, etc. - we've actually gotten more unhealthy.

9 Tips for Dedicated Lifters - Dan John has loads of wisdom to share from his years in the iron game, and this article features some great points.

Sign-up Today for our FREE Newsletter and receive a four-part video series on how to deadlift!

Name
Email
Read more

Strength and Conditioning Stuff You Should Read: 5/20/14

I've recharged the batteries after last week's product launch, so it's time to kick this week of with some recommended reading:

Lateralizations and Regressions - This is the new DVD set from Charlie Weingroff.  I'm about 2/3 of the way through it and enjoying it.  If you liked Charlie's first DVD set, you'll enjoy this one as well. Charlie does a great job of bridging the gap between rehab and high performance, so this is a solid resource for strength and conditioning professionals and rehabilitation specialists alike.

CW_LR_WordsArrows_Rev

4 Ways to Fire Up Work Capacity - There has never, ever been a Dan John article that wasn't worth reading. It's like when you were little and your grandfather told you a bedtime story, except Dan's not that old yet, and he's way more jacked than your grandfather (no offense, Grandpa). Always entertaining, and always educational and readily applicable.

CP Client Spotlight: Jake Sprague - This is a feature on one of my favorite Cressey Performance clients, who's been with us during his professional rugby career and beyond.

Sign-up Today for our FREE Newsletter and receive a four-part video series on how to deadlift!

Name
Email
Read more

Strength and Conditioning Stuff You Should Read: 10/21/12

Here's this week's list of recommended strength and conditioning reading:

Tough or Reasonable? - There's not much else to say about this one except, "Dan John is still the man." This is an entertaining and thought-provoking article.

Advice for Aspiring Grad Students and Strength Coaches - Those looking for some direction with their careers in the fitness industry would be wise to check out this great post from Bret Contreras.

What a Puppy Can Teach You About Resistance Training Progress - We got our dog, Tank, two years ago this month, and as I thought about it today, it reminded me of this blog I wrote when we first got him.

Sign-up Today for our FREE Newsletter and receive a four-part video series on how to deadlift!

Name
Email
Read more

5 Quick and Easy Ways to Feel and Move Better: Installment 2

I'm excited to announce that new Cressey Performance employee Greg Robins is going to be helping me out with this series moving forward.  Greg brings a unique skill set to to the table, and I think that the two of us together will kick out some great content in this weekly post moving forward.  With that said, here are five quick and easy ways to feel and move better to get you week off on the right foot:

1. Focus on less.

Too often I see people make the mistake of doing too much in the gym. Additionally, many folks jump from strength and conditioning program to program, or change strength exercises too often. Make it a point to do two things.  

First, pick a few big movements that you can execute correctly, and continually work to become great at them. Second, settle on a specific outcome for your training. Are you trying to lose fat, gain muscle, or get strong? While your approach may have elements that address all of these, prioritize one or the other for an extended period of time. Allowing yourself time to get better with movement, and eliminating competing demands from your program, are both great ways to maximize your efforts. 

2. Declutter your life.

"Spring cleaning" is a hackneyed expression, but that doesn't mean it isn't an incredibly worthwhile project to undertake!  Let's just say that I filled a trunk with trash from my home office last week.

Considering that my home office is only 13'x13', I expect my productivity to increase quite a bit.  Think about ways you can "declutter" your life; it should help you focus on the task at hand.

3. Carry heavy stuff with friends.

Dan John has put out some great content with respect to how valuable carrying variations can be.  They are easily learned, don't make you ridiculously sore, and provide a great whole-body training effect.  One thing we like to do as a staff is set up our farmer's walks in a group format.  Our turf is 40 yards long, and each set is either one or two trips.  One person goes, then the next person goes, and so on until everyone has finished all their sets.  It keeps you accountable to strict rest periods, builds in the motivation of competition (who wants to be the one guy who can't finish his trip?), and distributes the loading/unloading responsibilities among several people!  Here's an old video of us on this front:

4. Get every rep.

Nobody makes progress by missing lifts. Check your ego at the door, and take a more patient approach to your training. The most beautiful lesson in training is one of delayed gratification. To succeed in the gym, you need to do what is necessary in the training session in order to make the subsequent training sessions beneficial. Nobody can set personal records for themselves every day, so focus on executing each and every rep smoothly. Over time, add to the bar, add a rep, or do a little more work in the same time period. It will all add up, and a year from now you will marvel at what you accomplished. However, if you choose to blow it out every session, in a year, you will be lucky to have made minimal progress.

5. Spend less time down at the bar.

It drives me bonkers when lifters spend too much time down in the bottom position of a deadlift.  I always encourage people to get their minds right while they're standing around, and then get right to it when they get up to the bar.  Spending too much time in the bottom position of your deadlift technique means that you'll lose any benefit of the stretch-shortening cycle, and run the risk of becoming an overly pensive, weak schmuck.

 

Co-Author Greg Robins is strength and conditioning coach at Cressey Performance in Hudson, MA. Check out his website, www.GregTrainer.com, for more great content.

Sign-up Today for our FREE Newsletter and receive a four-part video series on how to deadlift!

Name
Email
Read more

Strength and Conditioning Stuff You Should Read: 9/16/11

Here's this week's list of recommended strength and conditioning reading: 40 Years of Insight: Part 1 and Part 2 - This two-part series from Dan John was fantastic and should be recommended reading for not only those in the strength and conditioning field, but also those who lift weights for health, performance, and recreation. Contemporary Cardio - This piece by Charlie Weingroff was an excellent look at how his thoughts on cardio have evolved.  It is a bit "sciency," but very informative.  I can tell you from our experience over the past 18 months with PRI that the comments on "breathing diaphragmatically" are spot-on with everything from improved work capacity to reduced tone in undesirable places. Real Deal Baseball Training - Just a friendly reminder that the introductory sale on this product ends tonight at midnight.  The feedback I've received via email from those who have purchased on my recommendation the other day has been quite positive. Sign-up Today for our FREE Newsletter and receive a four-part video series on how to deadlift!
Name
Email
Read more

T-Nation Strength and Size Roundtable: Part 3

Writer Greg McGlone rounded up five of the biggest, baddest, strongest, and best-informed hombres in the iron game, and invited them to share their "secrets" with those of us who also want to get bigger, badder, stronger, and better-informed. In part 1, the coaches discussed the viability of building size and muscle at the same time, along with a comparison between compound and isolation movements. In part 2, they tackled the topic of whether you have to look strong to be strong, along with a fascinating discussion of training splits. Today, the topics include nutrition, supplementation, recovery, and some final thoughts. Continue Reading
Read more

T-Nation Strength and Size Roundtable: Part 2

Writer Greg McGlone rounded up five of the biggest, baddest, strongest, and best-informed hombres in the iron game, and invited them to share their "secrets" with those of us who also want to get bigger, badder, stronger, and better-informed. In part 1, the coaches discussed the viability of building size and muscle at the same time, along with a comparison between compound and isolation movements. Today, they'll tackle the topic of whether you have to look strong to be strong, along with a fascinating discussion of training splits. Continue Reading...
Read more

T-Nation Strength and Size Roundtable: Part 1

Writer Greg McGlone rounded up five of the biggest, baddest, strongest, and best-informed hombres in the iron game, and invited them to share their "secrets" with those of us who also want to get bigger, badder, stronger, and better-informed. Continue Reading...
Read more

Can’t Prove It, Part 2

In an effort to take things a step back, [TC] asked 8 Testosterone coaches the following question: "What do you believe to be true, even though you can't prove it?" Continue Reading...
Read more
Page
LEARN HOW TO DEADLIFT
  • Avoid the most common deadlifting mistakes
  • 9 - minute instructional video
  • 3 part follow up series