As I noted in my post earlier this week, I’m doing the Superhero Workout for a nice little change of pace in my training program – and simply because it’s nice to be able to outsource my training here and there to other qualified fitness professionals.
Yesterday’s strength training program included ten sets of three reps on a wide stance squat, and it was all going smoothly until the seventh set, when I started to get a little tight in my right adductor. It wasn’t too bad, but I’m a firm believer in “better safe than sorry,” so I cut back on the weight by 50 pounds, narrowed my stance, and finished my last three sets with no problem at all.
Sure, I deviated from the program, but I completed the session just fine, and have zero issues in the adductor today. I avoided taking an unnecessary risk that could have become a setback in my training, and as a result, I’ll be continuing with the program as-is today.
It got me to thinking about this question for my readers: what would you have done in this situation? It's a tough - and confusing - decision.
Would you have done what I did? Would you have simply dropped the weight and tried another set with a wide stance? Would you have canned the final sets and reps and moved on to the next strength exercise pairing? Would you have just pushed through it? Or, would you just have taken your ball and gone home altogether?
The answers to these questions – whether they are correct or not – parallel something called cybernetic periodization. I first came across the topic when Mel Siff wrote about it in Supertraining as he referred to programs not always taking “into account the athlete’s subjective perception of the intensity and overall effects of the loading.” Siff went on to say that with cybernetic periodization, “the original preplanned periodisation scheme is regularly modified by subjective and objective feedback obtained from the lifter’s current performance state.”
Traditionally, at least from what I have read, cybernetic periodization has referred almost strictly to load, volume, and training frequency. However, the question I pose today is: why can’t it also refer to exercise selection?
As an example, I’ve switched folks from conventional deadlifts to trap bar deadlifts or sumo deadlifts when they just couldn’t find their groove on the conventional version. And, some people can do feet-elevated push-ups when regular push-ups hurt. Exercise selection absolutely matters as much as any other strength training program variable.
I’m a firm believer that there is always something folks can do in a gym to get better, regardless of their injury or state of mind. Folks may be wildy excited to train, but have physical limitations that need to be taken into account on the fly in the context of exercise selection. To that end, I think it’s important to know what to watch for in this regard if you’re trying to determine whether you should change a day’s training program:
1. Is there a performance drop from previous weeks?2. Do warm-up sets feel heavier than normal?3. Do you find that you’re having a hard time getting warmed-up? 4. Did you get poor sleep quality the night before?5. Do you have unusual tightness, or something you’d term an injury?
These are all questions you can ask yourself on the fly in your strength training program to determine whether you need to change things up. The modification may be an exercise substitution or reduction in volume or intensity. Regardless of the change, it’s extremely rare that the answer is to push through it, as it’s your body’s way of telling you something is wrong – and the correct cybernetic periodization approach is the way to “get things right.”
On a related note, the early-bird special price on the Superhero Workout ends Saturday at midnight. Head HERE for more information.
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I was reading a book Sunday afternoon, and this sentence really caught my attention:
“Small hinges swing big doors.”
Certainly, this is wildly applicable to just about every aspect of life, but particularly to strength and conditioning programs and nutritional approaches.
All too often, folks think that they need to overhaul what they’re doing because they’re stuck in a rut. They switch from traditional sets and reps to high-intensity training, go on some fad diet, drop $200 at the supplement store on herbs they can’t pronounce, and buy a pair of “toning” shoes. In short, instead of using the small hinge, they kick down the damn door. The end results?
1. a thinner wallet (always)
2. continued poor results (almost always)
3. positive results (rarely), but with no idea which of the changes led to these outcomes
The longer I’m at it, the more I realize that long-term success in strength and conditioning programs is all about understanding how to change the hinges: finding the little things that make the big difference. Maybe it’s a reduction in training volume or intensity to keep someone from burning out, or switching to a reverse lunge instead of a forward lunge to avoid knee pain.
Case in point, John Romaniello and Matt McGorry recently sent me an advanced copy of their new Superhero Program, so we decided that we’d make it the staff lift at Cressey Performnace, as it looks really solid. Plus, we’re super busy at CP right now, so it’s nice to be able to “outsource” our own training for the time being. We aren’t overhauling our diets or supplementation regimens, nor are we introducing a ton of new exercises; in fact, most of the exercises in the program are ones we do on a regular basis at CP (although many will be novel to others).
The program is, however, changing some of the hinges on our doors, particularly in the context of challenging set/rep/tempo protocols and novel fluctuation of training stress from phase-to-phase. The only things that changed were, in fact, written on a piece of paper – but they got big doors in motion.
There was great energy in the facility today because the guys were excited to try something new. And, there was more camaraderie among our staff because guys were coaching each other through things and shouting encouragement as we were all “feeling out” the new program.
And, judging from the soreness that’s slowly setting in as I write this roughly 10 hours after the first training session of the program, it’s going to be a fun, challenging, and productive few months on a great program. No overhaul needed – because small hinges swing big doors.
The next time you find yourself looking to shuffle things up, remember that unless you’re a true beginner doing everything incorrectly, you usually don’t need to change a lot. Rather, you pick and choose your modifications – or look to a resource like the Superhero program that has the important components in place, but perhaps in a light you hadn’t considered them before.
Click here for more information on Romaniello and McGorry’s Superhero e-book.
*For the record, I’ve never read a comic book, nor do I have any interest in Superhero movies. Roman and McGorry are geeks, but the program's sound.
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Here's a little dose of randomness that will, I guarantee, brighten your day in some way - whether it's by making you laugh or teaching you something.
1. First, I'll be the proud baseball strength coach for a minute and say I'm pumped to announce that Cressey Performance athlete and Atlanta Braves prospect Cory Gearrin got the call-up to the big leagues yesterday. Cory is a great guy, hard worker, and couldn't be more deserving. He'll be joining the Braves for their series with the San Francisco Giants this weekend, so keep an eye out for his debut. For the record, he will NOT be rocking the mullet wig he donned for the Cressey Performance Elite Baseball Development video (9:22 mark) - although I do think that the world is ready for a reincarnation of Mitch Williams circa 1992:
2. My wife is out of town for the next few days, so I'm trying to be ultra-productive in her absence - so I'll be directing you to some content from different people that I enjoyed reading this week. First, though, one thing I that I'd been meaning to do for quite some time but just got around to doing was updating my Resources Page. Whether you're a general fitness enthusiast, fitness professional, or fitness business owner, I have reading/viewing recommendations for you that are specific to your needs. Check it out.
3. I just came across this study demonstrating a valuable role for physical activity in the management of ADHD. It's not really surprising, but it's the kind of thing to which we should draw attention now that many schools have canned physical education (PE) classes. It makes me wonder if the reduction in PE has a lot to do with the fact that ADHD is off the charts nowadays. We might be saving money on not paying PE teachers, but are we just diverting those funds to other areas to deal with kids with learning disabilities, ADHD, etc? Food for thought. I have a hunch that if parents and kids just exercised more and ate right, this wouldn't be as much of a problem as it has become.
4. Here's an interesting study on how body mass index (BMI) relates to injury patterns in high school athletes. I can understand that BMI is an easier way to stratify people into your groups (as compared to measuring body composition), but do we really want to tell people that "BMI-targeted preventive interventions should be developed to help decrease sports injury rates." I mean, it might not scientific, but wouldn't it be better to say that "We should build stronger, leaner athletes because they are less likely to get hurt." I just don't love the idea of giving body mass index any love whatsoever...but maybe it's just me being sensitive because I'm technically "obese" by their calculations.
5. John Romaniello wrote a great three-part blog about Macronutrient Breakdowns in your nutrition program. And, as only John can, he made a seemingly dull subject seem wildly entertaining. Check them out: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3.
6. Here's a good article from Mike Geary on why eggs yolks aren't so bad. I like this because it's the kind of writing you can just print out for or email to a friend who doesn't believe you when you tell him/her that eggs are not only not dangerous, but actually quite healthy.
Okay, that's all. Have a great weekend, everyone!
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For this week's list of recommended reading:
Final Phase Fat Loss: An Interview with John Romaniello - I did this interview with John Romaniello just over one year ago, but the information is still very applicable. And, given that John is just "re-launching" his product with new additions and a big price discount (starting next Monday at midnight), the timing is very good. For more information, check out Final Phase Fat Loss.
Band Work After Pitching? - With the baseball season about to get going, I thought this would be a good time to reincarnate this post I wrote a while back.
Act Small to Grow Big - When I read this article by Pat Rigsby, I immediately sent it to my business partners, Pete and Tony. While I think we are doing a lot of things correctly in this regard, it seemed like a good reminder. If you're a fitness professional reading this blog, I'd call it a must-read for you.
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Time to learn and laugh - and hopefully lose fat and gain muscle in the process.
1. Here's a great study that shows that scapular dyskinesis in swimmers is magnified as training duration increases. I think that we all assume that you either have a scapular dyskinesis or you don't - but the truth is that you may not have it at rest, but it can kick in with activity as you fatigue. This is often why pitchers' mechanics change (e.g., elbow drops) as they get tired later in an outing.
It's a perfect example of how managing a pitcher - building up throwing volumes, charting pitch counts, and preparing the body - is much more important in terms of long term health than simply teaching pitching mechanics. A pitcher might have great mechanics in a 15-30 pitch bullpen, but that can change dramatically if he is asked to extend his pitch count.
2. I woke up this morning to an email from two CP pro guys, Matt Kramer (Red Sox) and Chad Rodgers (Braves), and it included this video thank you/tribute from the off-season. Not a bad supplemental skill set for a couple of guys who throw 95mph!
3. My wife and I have been doing more and more cooking from Dave Ruel's Anabolic Cooking. He's got a ton of great (and healthy) recipes in this cookbook that have been a nice change of pace for us, as we seemed to have gotten in a rut when things got busy and we just kept preparing what was quick, easy, and familiar. I'll write up a thorough review of the product sometime soon, but for now, you can find out more information HERE.
4. On Monday, my wife and I returned from four days in Iceland. It was an awesome trip; people there are so hospitable and we were treated fantastically. I could go on and on about our experiences there, but a travel guide could tell you much more than I ever could - so I'll just make an interesting observation...
On average, Icelandic folks live two years longer than those in the U.S. This is in a country that a) gets far less vitamin D due to minimal sunlight and b) has very few resources when it comes to growing fruits and vegetables because almost the entire country is lava fields. What do they have that we don't? Portion control at meal time.
Speaking of meal time, I ate whale blubber, rotten shark, and ram's testicle. Not surprisingly, none of them were very good.
5. I saw this advertisement with Mick Jagger on it in a clothing store at a Reykjavik mall and just had to snap a picture. Apparently, Jagger has 20-inch biceps in Iceland.
This was definitely one of the better Photoshop jobs that I've seen. They really made it believable. The only thing missing from the picture is the purple unicorn that Mick rode to the show.
6. My buddy John Romaniello was on Good Morning America the other day. I was hoping he'd talk about the time that we ate moose meat sloppy joes together, but instead he talked about fat loss. I think the sloppy joe story would have come out better, but his appearance still went pretty well. Check him out.
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As you probably know, when I come across high-quality products that I really enjoy that I think will be a good fit for my audience, I am thrilled to be able to write up thorough reviews for you. This way, it not only gives some love to these products’ deserving creators (and learn myself!), but also gives you more background to make sure that it’s a good fit for you if you opt to purchase it.
To that end, I wanted to use today's post to highlight the top seven products I reviewed in 2010. Considering that I receive literally dozens of products in the mail each year to review (I still have a stack left to cover), these represent not just the cream of the crop, but the ones where I actually had the time and inclination to write something up. Check them out by category:
For the Fitness Professionals:Muscle Imbalances Revealed - This set of six webinars can be viewed conveniently from the comforts of your own home. No travel or shipping charges to ruin your day! Check out my review Product Review: Muscle Imbalances Revealed.
The Single-Leg Solution - Mike Robertson is a great friend of mine - but that's not the only reason I liked this product. It was very thorough, well-researched and written, and offered some excellent coaching cues that any fitness professional would be wise to study up on. My review is The Single-leg Solution: Detailed Product Review.
Movement - I just realized that I never got around to writing up a review of this great book from Gray Cook, but that doesn't mean that it wasn't an excellent read. I HIGHLY recommend it.
For the Fat Loss Enthusiasts (then again, can you really be enthusiastic about having to lose fat?):
Body of Fire - This fat loss resource from Chad Waterbury was great for the masses - especially if you only have minimal equipment at your fingertips. I loved the focus on movement rather than just crazy high volume training. Check out my interview with him: Waterbury on Why Most Fat Loss Plans Fail Miserably - and a Better Approach.
That wraps it up for the best of 2010 product reviews; hopefully you can reward yourself with some late holiday shopping by picking up one or more of these items; you won't regret it. I'll be back tomorrow with the best videos of 2010.
Earlier this week, I did an interview with John Romaniello for his website, and it came out so well (and long) that I thought it'd make for a great post here today. Check it out below (with John speaking in the first person).
Okay, below is a transcript of the interview I did with Eric Cressey, beast of all beasts. He’s seriously the man. I’ve told you in another blog post how Eric and I met, and after 8 years and never less than 300 miles of distance between us, we’re still close and still learn a lot from each other.Eric is seriously regarded as one of the Top 5 coaches in the world by just about any authority that has any authority (if you’ll pardon the redundancy) and in my view is probably the best from a standpoint of bringing things to a practical level.His hew program, “Show and Go” has just been released, and is basically blowing the doors off of the industry.Now, I’ll warn you that Eric works with professional athletes most of the time, so we talk about that A LOT in the interview; however, as he notes, he started in fitness-based training. The program brings it all together, and the interview very clearly explains why you should pick it up.Check it out!
1. Okay, right of of the gate, I want this interive to focus on your new program. So, let's get to it: how is Show and Go different from the other training products out there now?
Most products are written with a specific market – trainers, females, fat loss, or something else – in mind. In the marketing world, they tell you to not try to be everything to everyone. Well, I’m not a good marketer – so I decided to make this resource extremely versatile and a good fit for a LOT of people.
The reason is that there are a lot of things in a comprehensive strength and conditioning program that everybody needs to utilize. From the minutia to the big picture, I could go on all day: foam rolling, mobility warm-ups, single-leg training, more horizontal pulling, fluctuation of training stress, sufficient deloading periods, extra posterior chain work, a balance of open- and closed-chain upper body pressing, glute activation, rotator cuff strength – the list goes on and on.
So, I guess you can say that the #1 thing that is different about this product is that there are easy-to-apply modifications in it that make it a versatile resource that offers something for everyone. From the 2x/3x/4x per week training options to the supplement conditioning options, there are ways to make it the right fit for YOU.
And, the guy who created it is also extremely good looking, charming, witty, and charismatic!
2. And modest. Or not. But I hate modesty anyway. Now, like me, you’re still “in the trenches” right? I mean, you still work clients hands on, every day in your gym?
Yes, that’s for sure – and, in fact, you could say that it’s one more thing that separates this program for a lot of the other ones that are out there in the fitness landscape right now. In this digital retail era, there are a lot of people publishing fitness information products on the net that are largely based on theory, not trends that have proven significant over and over again in the real world. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as a lot of the most sound training practices we know today were originally just theories. However, speculative training isn’t for me.
I think it’s one reason why I thought so highly of the Final Phase Fat Loss program you created; I know you as a guy who has put in years of efforts “in the trenches” with clients and with your own training. If you recommend something, it’s because you know it’s legitimate and you’d stake your reputation on it.
I’m in the same boat. We generally do over 300 client sessions per week at Cressey Performance. Taking it a step further, I’ll have over 40 professional baseball players who come from all over the country to live in snowy Hudson, MA all winter to give themselves the best possible chance to make it to the big leagues – and have a long and healthy career along the way.
Every single person that walks through the door is on an individualized program that was written by one of our staff members in accordance with the results of a one-on-one evaluation that took place. When you write that many programs and supervise so many training sessions, you get a feel for the stuff that should be constant in just about everyone’s programs – and it makes you appreciate that there are many important principles that can be applied to make a program like Show and Go safe and effective for “the masses.”
You’ll see that in the detail that has gone into the Show and Go program. It features the exact printable training templates we use with our clients so that people can record their progress. The exercises and set/rep protocols have all been test-driven with our clients, too. And, the 175+ videos in the online database that accompanies this guide were all filmed in my facility – not my mom’s basement or the park, as you often see from folks who write books, but don’t actually train anyone.
In short, I’ve got a unique frame of reference to share with people. And, I’ve got a lot more to lose professionally if I was to put out an inferior product – so I put my heart and soul into this one.
3. Wow, that’s pretty intense. Lets just touch on that for a sec. You have over40 pro baseball players from a number of different teams move into Red Sox territory to train with you. That’s pretty telling. Can you talk a bit more about your experiences with pro athletes? I know this program is for “everyone” but how has working with some of the most elite athletes in the world shaped you as a coach.
Sure thing. One of my biggest questions as we got Cressey Performance off the ground was whether or not professional baseball players would be willing to travel to the cold, snowy Northeast during all or parts of their off-season (roughly September-March) when they could be going to warmer weather climates. To be honest, I never really waited to find the answer; we just focused on the few guys we had when we started out, and really hammered on getting great results and making people believers in our system. The rest, I guess, is history – and I realize now that if you have a good product, it doesn’t matter where you are: people will find you.
Business stuff aside, with respect to training needs, most people are surprised when they discover just how similar the Average Joe or Jane is to a professional athlete – both socially and physically.
The lay population often sits in front of a computer for 8-10 hours a day, but many pro athletes have 4-8 hour flights or 10+ hour bus rides where they’re sitting – and because they’re taller, sitting is even more uncomfortable and problematic. Like everyone else, they’re on the computer or in front of video games a lot. It’s actually quite interesting to note that technology advances haven’t just brought the “Pros and the Joes” closer together via fantasy football, but also in terms of the training they need to stay healthy.
Pro athletes are also very similar to the lay population in that they want very efficient training. There are always competing demands for their attention – whether it’s their families, charity work, marketing stuff, playing golf, or a number of other things. These guys live at the ballpark for 12+ hours per day for over half the year, so when the off-season rolls around, they aren’t particularly interested in long, drawn-out training sessions unless it’s absolutely necessary for their success. Most of our pro guys train six days a week for about 90 minutes in each session; four of these days are lifting, and there is movement training, medicine ball work, foam rolling, and mobility work included as well. Once the time comes to start throwing and hitting, this 1.5 hours might become three hours a day.
4. That’s pretty great stuff. And as much as you love training athletes, they love training with you, too. Every time I pick up a publication from your area, everyone from high school athletes up to Kevin Youkilis are singing your praises, and that includes other trainers. But let’s go back to the “regular” people.
Let’s talk about my readers for a bit: they’ve done a lot of programs, but most written by trainers who don’t train pros or (in the case of myself) only a few.
So can we assume that this is a good “next step” coming from the average fitness program? How can we take what you do with pros, what you do with absolute beginners, and apply the “middle ground” in this program? I guess the question is: why is it that Show and Go is going be THE program for performance?
It’s absolutely a great next step.
First and foremost, I should mention that while we’re probably best known for training baseball players, we’ve actually got a very diverse clientele. Sure, there are athletes from everything from boxing to bobsled, but we also have an awesome group of adult clients who just want to just want to be leaner, more muscular, healthier, and more functional for the challenges that life throws their way.
In fact, this was actually the fitness clientele I was dealing with the most before the “baseball thing” blew up for me – so I’m certainly not shooting from the hip on this.
To that end, there are a lot of things in a comprehensive strength and conditioning program that everybody – from the pro athlete to the soccer mom – needs to utilize. I could go on all day: foam rolling, mobility warm-ups, single-leg training, more horizontal pulling, fluctuation of training stress, sufficient deloading periods, extra posterior chain work, glute activation, rotator cuff strength – the list goes on and on. All that just speaks to staying healthy and moving more efficiently – but let’s be honest: most people want to get lean, muscular, and strong.
But let me ask you this: how many of the “regulars” in the typical commercial gym are actually lean, muscular, or strong? I haven’t lifted in a commercial gym in years, but my memory definitely serves me correct when it tells me that it couldn’t be more than 10-15% of those in attendance. The other 85-90% are rubbing their arses raw on the recumbent bike and scratching their heads about why they aren’t getting leaner when the elliptical machine told them that they were burning 28,000 calories per hour. After all, they made great progress in the first 8-12 weeks of their exercise program doing this – and it took them from the untrained stage to the beginner stage. What they don’t realize is progress halts unless they change things up and kick their programs up a notch by adding strength training and interval work.
Meanwhile, you have a lot of intermediate trainees who have “been there, done that” who poke fun at beginners because they haven’t discovered the same Holy Grail of strength training and interval training that enabled them to advance from beginner to intermediate. What’s actually quite ironic (and it is irony, because it’s tragic how badly this sabotages people’s program) is that, all the while, most of these intermediate trainees are missing out on valuable training secrets that could take them to the “advanced” stage.
You talked about a lot of those secrets with respect to fat loss when you wrote Final Phase Fat Loss. I’ve had many of the same “epiphanies” when it comes to improving strength and performance. You had trouble losing those last few pounds of body fat to get photo-shoot-ready, and I literally spent 14 months trying to figure out how to get from a 225 bench press to a 230 bench press. Sad, but true.
Well, I’m happy to report that I’ve now got a 365 raw bench press at ~190 pounds, and by this point, I’ve actually kissed a girl (even convinced her to marry me!). I learned a lot of lessons along the way – almost too many to share, in fact – which is one reason why I created Show and Go.
Here’s an example…
Beginners can make strength gains on as little as 40% of their one-rep max. Past that initial period, the number moves to 70% - which is roughly a 12-rep max for most folks. Later, I’d say that the number creeps up to about 85% - which would be about a 5-rep max for an intermediate lifter. This last range is where you’ll find most people who head to the internet for strength training information.
What they don’t realize is that 85% isn’t going to get the job done for very long, either. My experience is that in advanced lifters, the fastest way to build strength is to perform singles (sets of one rep) at or above 90% of one-rep max with regularity. As long as exercises are rotated and deloading periods are included, this is a strategy that can be employed for an extended period of time. In fact, it was probably the single (no pun intended) most valuable discovery I made in my quest to get stronger.
I’m not saying that you should be attempting one-rep maxes each time you enter the gym, but I do think they’ll “just happen” if you employ this technique.
Like I said, there are a lot more – but the program takes all the guesswork out and includes them.
5. Most people know you for the more “mundane ” aspects of performance…the boring stuff that we should be doing by most people don’t: soft tissue work, mobility work, all that.
On the other hand, you and I have known each other for about 10 years now, and I have a “different” perspective on you than the industry at large. I’ve seen you in your aesthetic-focused period where you wanted to get bigger, I’ve seen you get into powerlifting and pull HUGE weights.
I know that having done these gives you insight into aspects of fitness many people don’t realize you have. That said, for the time being you’re not known as one of the go-to guys if your main goal is to look better (which I personally know is bullshit).
Do you think Show and Go will help show the world that you can get people lean and muscular? I think—actually, let me put it this way. I’ve looked closely at the program, and WOW have you just knocked it the hell out of the park. I guess I’m asking, have you put your heart and soul into this because you want to show the world a new side of yourself? What are your thoughts on that?
The thing people really need to realize is that enhancing one’s performance – particularly with respect to strength gains – really sets the stage for long-term muscle mass gains. You’re a big dude – but what people might not know is that you’re also a very metrosexual strong dude. That strength and size are not mutually exclusive – and some of the best bodybuilders on the planet would tell you the same thing. What I can tell you is that I have gained more muscle mass “accidentally” in years as a powerlifter than I gained “intentionally” in years as a wannabe bodybuilder. For me, the biggest window of adaptation was in getting stronger – and that’s what I did. My upper back, hamstrings, and glutes just weren’t going to stay small if I did what it took to get to a 660-pound deadlift.
How does this work? Well, the stronger you are, the most “work” you’re going to be doing in classic “hypertrophy” zones. If Lifter A can bench press 300 pounds, and he’s doing sets of 6 (call it 83% of 1RM), he’s moving about 250 pounds in that set. If Lifter B bench presses 260 pounds, he’s working at about 215 pounds. If both do four sets of six reps, you’ll see that Lifter A is doing a lot more total work (force times distance). Lifter B needs to get his maximal strength up – and then return to these classic hypertrophy training zones to reap the benefits anew.
As an aside, staying healthy is a nice aside to training for performance, as you’re teaching your body to move efficiently. I always tell people that the best program is one that is sustainable – meaning that it doesn’t leave you injured or exhausted (too badly, at least) to the point that you’re missing valuable training time. Teach your body to move efficiently, and you’ll see that the threshold at which you get “banged up” is markedly more difficult to reach. The high volume lifting and metabolic resistance training fat loss protocols just won’t be you up as easily if you come in prepared and take care of the “boring” ancillary stuff like foam rolling and mobility work that I advocate.
6. Random – I’ll ask you this because I know people are interested in pro athletes: what is the one thing that makes athletes different from regular people? Like, how do they really just differ in the way they respond to training? What can we learn from that?
I’d say that, for the most part, the most immediate difference is in how quickly the pros pick things up. Most of them compete at high levels in their sport because they acquire new skills so well and can immediately integrate them in their “motor program.” In that regard, learning how to deadlift or throw the medicine ball isn’t much different than mastering a change-up.This is also very significant when it comes to relearning movements and getting one’s body back once the off-season rolls around. They just seem to rebound faster after periods of moderate detraining. As perhaps the most extreme example I’ve seen, I work with Chad Rodgers, a left-handed pitcher in the Atlanta Braves minor league system. From November 2008 to March 2009, Chad went from 200 to 217 pounds while training at our facility. Then, he went into in-season mode – and was 206 when he arrived back at our facility the following October after a long season. Get this, though: he was 222 within two weeks – and he finished up the off-season at 235 – and hit 95mph on the radar gun for the first time in his life. Pro athletes de-adapt like everyone else – but they seem to readapt faster than the lay population – and that sets the stage for long-term gains in spite of periods of sometimes crazy detraining during the season.That said, there are some high level athletes who are one-trick ponies. I’ve met some pitchers who showed up with 17-inch vertical jumps, but just so happened to have a good curve ball. And, I’ve seen some swimmers who seem really athletic – until you get them out of their realm and learn the true meaning of “a fish out of water.”
7. When you first opened your facility, you and I spoke and you were dead-set on making Cressey Performance stand out by having the most innovative people on staff and always trying new stuff. At the same time, you didn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. In looking at Show and Go, I feel you did the same: New science-based techniques housed comfortably alongside some of the most “common” exercises that people are familiar with; whereas a lot of programs include 80 varietals of exercises people have never heard of. Give me your thoughts that?
I couldn’t have said it better myself. Let’s be honest: there isn’t much in this industry that’s new. Most of the “innovations” are really just “reincarnations” of something from the past (e.g., kettlebells, strongman training) or “modifications” (e.g., accommodating resistance, modified tempo schemes, different loading parameters) of something that we already knew worked. I wish I could say that getting people jacked was an area where earth-shattering discoveries are being made every day, but that’s just not the case; we’re repacking things and looking for the right synergy among them.
In the real world, people still squat, deadlift, lunge, push, pull, rotate, roll over, get up, get down, jump, run, frolic, prance, whatever. My feeling is that if you stick to the basics – but at the same time expose people to a wind variety of movement patterns – you get the best of both worlds: neuromuscular efficiency for important fundamental tasks as well as a rich proprioceptive environment that keeps people healthy and “adaptable” to their surroundings. And, when you expose them to these new exercise variations, you prevent them from getting efficient – which is exactly what we don’t want if our goal is to get bigger or leaner.
8. Your videos on the squat were posted and re-posted all over the internet. EVERYONE got something out of them. Show and Go could well do the same thing for programming in general—whether you’re a trainee or a coach, you’ll learn...and in a small but real way, this could perhaps chance the way people write programs. With that in mind, if you could get people to STOP doing one thing (trainees OR coaches) and START doing one other, what would it be?
I’d tell both trainees and coaches to simply be more open-minded to learning from everyone and applying new techniques. There are Crossfit guys, HIT guys, powerlifters, bodybuilders, kettlebell guys, speed guys, machine guys, you name it. Lots of people have been doing lots of different stuff to get lots of different results. If you adhere steadfastly to just one discipline, you miss out on what the others have to offer – even if it is just a few seemingly trivial things that you borrow here and there to incorporate into your philosophy.Admittedly, I really struggled with this earlier in my career. I hated not knowing everything – and while it was something that definitely drove me to do a ton of research, I could have saved myself a lot of frustration and energy if I’d just been open-minded enough to ask someone else about their approach – or just observe them in action. Nowadays, I see these as opportunities to either learn something new, test my knowledge by refuting something that doesn’t fits with my philosophy, or confirm what I’m already doing.
Awesome. Awesome, awesome, awesome.
Eric, thank you so much for taking the time for do this, and thank you so much for putting together an incredible program.
Oh, and hey…so sorry about the Jets dominating the Patriots last week. That had to hurt.
Here is this week's list of recommended reading:
Final Phase Fat Loss - As a quick follow-up to our interview with John Romaniello earlier this week, just a reminder that today is the last day to get the low "Grand Opening" price on this great fat loss resource. It's among the best I've seen.
I've known John Romaniello for almost a decade now, and he's a guy who delivers great content and plenty of humor and entertainment. Oh, and he also happens to be in pretty good shape.
EC: You were really active as a writer at T-Nation a few years back, and then took a little hiatus before returning with a vengeance - and some great content - recently. Where the heck did you go?
JR: Ha! I guess I did kind of fall off the radar there. I didn't mean to intentionally withdraw; I wasn't looking to make a statement. In fact, I guess in retrospect my abscence was specifically because I didn't have much to say. I never wanted to be the type of trainer or writer who rehashed other people's ideas; rather, I wanted to just gather as much information as I could from as many sources, and formulate my own ideas and theories based on that. So in my early articles, you'll see that.
Then...I wouldn't say I ran out of ideas...it was more that I knew that the only way I could really develop my own theories was to dive in. And that's really what I've been doing. I've been developing and redeveloping my own strategies and methods of over half a decade, while watching what was going on in the industry from a modest distance and not really making any attempt to re-enter "the scene."
At the same time, I was of course working on other stuff. I did some fitness and underwear modeling for a while, and that took some focus; plus, of course, there is my actual training, which takes up most of my time.
EC: You built up a pretty big clientele in that time period, didn't you?
JR: You could say that. For about the past six years, I've built a hugely successful personal training company that works with a lot of athletes, actors, models, etc.
The great thing about working in (and more specifically, right outside of) New York City is the access you have to so many different types of clients. Add to that the fact that I had been doing the modeling, and I made a lot of good contacts in the industry and was able to work with a lot of clients with very exacting goals.
So, while I haven't gotten away from my muscle-head roots, I seem to have become a bit of a fat loss specialist--which makes sense, because that is what so many people are after. I obviously work with a lot of people looking to drop a lot of weight, but in large part, my in person clients are very often those looking for polish their physiques and take it to the next level.
EC: Along those same lines, let's talk about your new program, Final Phase Fat Loss. I've read it and I like it a lot, but tell our readers about some of the details of it. How is it different from some of the other stuff out there?
JR:Ah, I'm very excited to talk about this.
Final Phase Fat Loss (FPFL) really represents all the work I've put into my evolving theories over the past few years. It draws from a good number of pre-existing ideas and methods, as well as much of my own original stuff, and blends it in synergistic way that makes the entire program work in an incredibly effective way.
There are a lot of great fat loss programs out there, but none of them really do what FPFL does.
The thing that makes it different from pretty much any program out there is the built in variety. Now, as you know I'm not generally a fan of anything for its own sake, especially variety; but here, the variety makes everything exponentially more effective.
You see, one of the main facets of my fat loss programs is to include multiple training styles into the programming, usually within the context of a given training week. Not to use muscle-mag clichés like "keep the body guessing," but the fact of the matter is that by constantly varying the training stimulus, you just increase the amount of metabolic disturbance and force you body to adapt more quickly. It's as simple as that.
And, of course, every fat loss trainer will tell you that.
So, variety is one of the main things that makes Final Phase different.
EC: You're a big believer in metabolic resistance training (MRT), too, which certainly sits in agreement with some of the more modern fat loss approaches out there. For those that aren't familiar, can you fill them in a bit more?
JR: Here are just a few reasons why MRT is better than general cardio:
1) Higher caloric expenditure when compared minute to minute
2) Increased stimulation of muscle, helping to hold onto LBM when dieting
So, MRT is really just fast paced lifting, right? Kinda. The best way to do metabolic resistance training is to use non-competing circuits—that is, set up a circuit of exercises during which you alternate opposing muscle groups.
Examples would include doing a chest exercise followed by a back exercise, or alternating an upper body exercise with a lower body one, you allow the opposing muscle group to rest. By setting your workouts up like this, you can move faster, rest less frequently, and get a great total result.
The great thing about MRT is that it’s more of a concept than a protocol. That is, it’s adjustable to nearly any type of training. You can get a great MRT workout with so many different pieces of equipment and styles of working out.
Kettlebells are a great tool for metabolic resistance training, and it’s easy to see how they’re great for fat loss. Another great way to start using MRT is with dumbbell or barbell complexes, which are exercises circuits using minimum space and equipment. With a complex, you transition smoothly from one exercise to another, never letting the barbell or dumbbells leave your hands. It’s fast-paced, effective, and brutal. You can even do metabolic resistance training fat loss using just your bodyweight, as the circuit below shows.
Or, if you've got some equipment at your fingertips:
Now, I won’t go so far as to say we should stop doing all other types of cardio in favor of metabolic resistance training—not by a long shot. I don’t care for (or make) such absolute statements, speaking generally.
Speaking more specifically about metabolic resistance training, I’ll say that while MRT seems to be the most effective single option, I strongly believe that everything has benefit and you can enhance your results even further by doing a combination on of MRT, High Intensity Intervals, and even a slow walk on the treadmill (as recovery after workout that taxes your lower body pretty heavily).
EC: Got it. What else makes this resource unique?
JR: The other thing that makes is that it unique is that it was designed to address a lot of the hormonal reasons for fat storage. As an example, we know that if you're insulin resistant, you're going to store fat in your love handles. So, given that insulin resistance (and therefore love handle fat) is extremely common, FPFL was designed with that in mind--the workouts (some more than others) are drawn from training styles that elicit certain hormonal responses--or increased production of certain hormone--and helps to combat difficulties like insulin resistance - and in part some of the problems that causes, like chronic love handular fattitude.
Pretty awesome.
The great thing about it is that it's really intended for a few very specific purposes--it's called "Final Phase Fat Loss" and that obviously carries certain implications. We all know someone struggling to lose the last 5-10 pounds; whether it's a mom trying to get into some pre-baby jeans, a 30-year-old guy looking to see his abs for the first time, or an athlete trying to drop a weight class (in actual fat, not water manipulation). FPFL addresses those things.
No other fat loss program available specifically addresses the needs of people who are trying to get past that barrier between good and great. Those programs simply don't have the components organized the way I do, and aren't ideal for losing the last bit of fat.
Final Phase fills that gap, and it's going to help a lot of people do what my models and actors need to do all the time--get into lean, hard, photo-ready shape.
Of course, it's also a great general fat loss program, and it's proven itself to be exceptionally valuable for those who are just trying to bust through a fat loss plateau--so there's that, as well.
EC: Intriguing stuff - and it's backed by an excellent product that I've had a chance to review. The training sessions are absolutely brutal, and anyone who is up for a challenge (on top of the benefits you already outlined) ought to check it out: Final Phase Fat Loss.
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Just wanted to give you a quick heads-up on a free report John Romaniello just made available as a "prelude" to the launch of his new product Final Phase Fat Loss. It's called "Why You've Stopped Losing Body Fat" and there are a few points in there that will interest even the most experienced folks in the crowd (and there's also some Romaniello humor, which I've come to appreciate as absolutely classic).
I've also had a chance to review the final product that will be launched very soon, and I'd strongly encourage you to check it out when it becomes available. John's a guy who walks the walk (as his picture below shows) and has helped a ton of people lean out over the years; he's got some great nutritional strategies and unique training ideas to share.
You've got nothing to lose; this report's free. So, check it out: Why You've Stopped Losing Body Fat.
