Professionals Push Back

"There are plenty of people who will pander, race to the bottom and figure out how to, "give the public what it wants." But that doesn't have to be you. Professionals have standards. Professionals push back."- Seth Godin

That quote encapsulates everything I stand for, being a professional. Exercise and cooking aren't just hobbies, they're fields that I'm proud to call myself a professional in. I'm not in it for the money or the fame (clearly) but because these are two passions on my mind at every moment of the day. My goal for each day is how can I improve my cooking or coaching so that I can provide greater value to help more individuals. Not what idea will or program will make me  a quick buck. 

Looking for a fast sale or creating a business just for the sake of making money isn't in my blood. If you're not a professional, none of these principles matter. I will gladly give up the dollar up front for the pot of gold at the end if it also comes with a culture that I can proudly stand behind. 

Are you a professional or simply clocking in for a paycheck?*
 

*There's nothing wrong with clocking in and out for a paycheck, but do you take pride in what you do? Being a professional applies to everyone not just entrepreneurs in my opinion. 

So How's That Working For You?

I genuinely ask this question with zero sarcasm.

Whenever I have a client who tells me all about their magical diet that's going to really accelerate their fat loss. I listen and pick out all the things that stand out where I believe it's conducive toward long term change. We reevaluate in two weeks and if nothing has changed, I will ask them about their diet and how that's working out for them?

"Persistence isn’t using the same tactics over and over. That’s just annoying.

Persistence is having the same goal over and over." –Seth Godin

It's one thing to decide you want to accomplish "x" goal. It's a completely different story when you go down a path that doesn't work and instead of changing course you keep trying to jam that square peg in the round hole. I will have in mind the goal, a singular focus, but how I get there doesn't matter as long as I get there (assuming I'm not cheating or hurting anyone of course). 

Technique Breakdown: Nordic Ham Curl

The Nordic ham curl can be thought of as the child of a full body leg curl and a glute ham raise. It really needs very few things to perform and is one of the best things you can do to bulletproof your hamstrings from injuries. 

A Few Key Points:

• Keep the ankle dorsiflexed to keep your calf from cramping. 
• Place something soft under for your knees, it's a lot of pressure to be placing on the knees. No need to be making an uncomfortable movement any more unbearable. 
• Be patient, it will take time to be able to reach the floor under complete control. 

How To:

• Anchor your ankles comfortably under an immovable object, or have somebody hold down your heels.
• Kneel tall with your arms by your sides and imagine a piece of string pulling you upwards from the crown of your head. Fix your eyes straight ahead.
• Lower yourself as far as you can under control, as you start to fail, allow yourself to fall to the ground and catch yourself with your hands. Push yourself back up to the starting position. 
• If you're unable to even get a few inches forward, you can also anchor a band and hold onto it to make it easier.

Getting Wedding Fit

IT'S WEDDING SEASON! 
(Not literally)

After turning 30, it seems like everybody is getting MARRIED and having kids! I'm excited to hear about many of their impending marriages and have been fortunate to have been a part of a few special days.

In an ideal world you would have an unlimited budget and a year to get in the BEST shape of your life. This can be difficult with the go-go nature of our society today.

Well my friend and future Mrs., here are a few options for you to get you moving in the right direction.

Former client of mine looking extra fabulous on her special day.

What We'll Target

Shoulders and Back:
Especially if you have a dress that accentuates these areas of your body. The added benefit to training these areas of your body is improved posture! No one wants to be the slouching bride.

Legs:
Even though most dresses don't show off your stems, if your goal is to incinerate body fat as quickly as possible you're going to have to take full advantage of the metabolic impact heavy leg training will have on your physique. 

A double dip for brides who might change during the reception or wish to look exceptional in a bikini on their honeymoons.

Arms:
This one will vary for each woman depending on their preference for how defined they want their arms to be. The plan below doesn't highlight the arms too much, but if you want slightly more definition in your triceps or deltoid area I would throw in isolation work for them. 

Time Frame: 1 Year

This bride planned ahead and has the best chance at walking down that aisle exactly the way she envisions. She won't have to feel too pressured to be super strict, but you also aren't allowed to fall off the wagon every month only to panic 3 months out. 

Cardio will NOT have to be the cornerstone of your plan, and while you will have to do some not as much because you planned ahead!

Nutrition wise you have some wiggle room for error. The biggest luxury will be the ability to experiement with your dietary breakdown and find one that works for your current lifestyle.

I.E: You're a doctor and work crazy hours, eating every 3 hours isn't really feasible. For this individual I would recommend the typical 3 times a day eating style, with a snack somewhere in there. 

Time Frame: 6 Months

6 months is plenty of time to look great for your big day. Yes you should have started 6 months ago, but like the saying goes, better late than never. 

The biggest change will be the cardio and nutrition components. 

You'll have to exercise at minimum 4-5x a week, starting with moderate-heavy weights and finishing off with cardio each session. Nutrition will need to be a little more aggressive and on point (hey that's what you get for procrastinating). 

For this woman I would suggest a carb/calorie cycle (a diet where you alternate between high and low level of carbs and calories) diet like this:

125lb woman interested in RAPID fat loss (this type of dieting works for those who are already fairly lean >24% body fat)

MENU 1 Baseline: 1000cal, 150g protein, 33g carbs, 30g fat
MENU 2, Higher Carbohydrates: 1250 cal, 150g protein, 95g carbs, 30g fat
MENU 3, Higher Carb and Calorie: 1500 cal, 150g protein, 125g carbs, 45g fat
MENU 4, Higher Calorie 1500 cal, 150g protein, 33g carbs, 85g fat

With the weekly distribution of those menus

Monday: 1
Tuesday: 1
Wednesday: 4
Thursday: 2
Friday: 1
Saturday: 1
Sunday: 3

Time Frame: 3 Months

3 months is still enough time to make significant change, it will however be very dependent on your level of commitment to a plan. Nutrition and exercise will need to turn the dial to an 11.

You now have to be active 5-6x per week and every session needs to include some form of cardio, high interval or steady state cardio.

The nutritional outline described above will need to be altered to include more lower calorie menus if greater fat loss is needed. I would be sure to structure the menu so the highest intensity days correspond with the highest calorie and carbohydrate days. 

Sample 6 Week Workout plan (For Bride #1, One Year Time Frame)

Week 1

Day 1:
A1) Squat 5x8
A2) DB (Dumbbell) Row 5x8
B1) DB Split Squat 5x8 ea side
B2) Face Pulls 5x15
C1) Dead bugs 4x12
C2) Side lying clamshell 4x15

Day 2:
A1) (sumo or conventional) Deadlift 5x8
A2) Lat Pulldown, supinated (underhand) grip 5x10
B1) Cable Pullthroughs 5x12
B2) Paloff Press 5x10
C1) High-Low Farmers Walks 4x

Day 3:
A1) Hip Thrust 5x10
A2) Push Ups 5x5 (elevated if needed, never on your knees)
B1) KB Swing 5x10
B2) Farmer's Walks 5x
C1) Deadbugs 4x12

Day 4:
A1) Step up x 8 ea side
A2) Chest Supported DB Row 8x
A3) BB (Barbell) RDL (Romanian Deadlift)  8x
A4) Waiter's Walk 5x
A5) Med Ball Slams 10x
Repeat circuit 5x, rest 1-2 minutes between circuits, 15 seconds between exercises. 

Week 2

Day 1:
A1) Squat 6x6
A2) DB Row 5x8 ea side
B1) DB Step Up 5x8 ea side
B2) Farmers Walk 5x
C1) Dead bugs 4x12
C2) Seated Band Abduction 4x15

Day 2:
A1) Deadlift 6x6
A2) Lat Pulldown, supinated (underhand) grip 5x10
B1) KB Swings 5x10
B2) Paloff Press 5x10
C1) Kneeling Banded hip thrust or Side lying clamshells 5x15

Day 3:
A1) Hip Thrust 5x10
A2) Push Ups 5x5 (elevated if needed, never on your knees)
B1) Squat jumps 5x3
B2) Single KB (Kettlebell) racked walk 5x
C1) Deadbugs 4x12

Day 4:
A1) BB RDL x 10x
A2) Med Ball Overhead Throws 8x
A3) Reverse Lunge 6x ea leg
A4) Med Ball Slams 10x
A5) Plank 30sec-1 min
Repeat circuit 5x, rest 1-2 minutes between circuits, 15 seconds between exercises. 

Week 3

Day 1:
A1) Squat 4x8
A2) Chest Supported DB Row 5x8
B1) DB Step Up 5x6 ea side
B2) Farmers Walk 5x
C1) Dead bugs 4x12
C2) Seated Band Abduction 4x15

Day 2:
A1) Deadlift 4x8
A2) Lat Pulldown, supinated (underhand) grip 5x10
B1) KB Swings 5x10
B2) Paloff Press 5x10
C1) Kneeling Banded hip thrust or Side lying clamshells 5x15

Day 3:
A1) Hip Thrust 5x15
A2) Push Ups 5x6 (elevated if needed, never on your knees)
B1) Waiters Walk 5x
B2) Side Plank 5x
C1) Clamshells 5x15

Day 4:
A1) Landmine Squat x 10x
A2) Landline Push Press 8x ea side
A3) Landline single leg rd. 6x ea leg
A4) Landmine Anti-rotations 10x
A5) Plank 30sec-1 min
Repeat circuit 5x, rest 1-2 minutes between circuits, 15 seconds between exercises.

Week 4

Day 1:
A1) Squat 5x5
A2) Inverted TRX Row 5x8
B1) Seated DB overhead press 5x8
B2) Farmers Walk 5x
C1) Dead bugs 4x12
C2) Seated Band Abduction 5x20

Day 2:
A1) Deadlift 5x5
A2) Lat Pulldown, supinated (underhand) grip 5x6 (go a little heavier)
B1) KB Swings 5x10
B2) Paloff Press 5x8 breaths
C1) Kneeling Banded hip thrust or Side lying clamshells 5x20

Day 3:
A1) Hip Thrust 5x12
A2) Push Ups 5x6 (elevated if needed, never on your knees)
B1) KB One Arm Racked Walk 5x
B2) Face Pulls 5x15
C1) Clamshells 5x15

Day 4:
Round 1, 3 sets
Treadmill at 8mph, 8% incline for 25 seconds. 
Goblet Squats (10 reps) and Push Ups (5 Reps)
Rest 2 minutes

Round 2, 3 sets
Treadmill at 9mph, 9% incline for 20 seconds. 
KB RDL (10 reps) and TRX Inverted Rows (10 reps)
Rest 2 minutes

Round 3, 3 sets
Treadmill at 10mph, 10% incline for 15 seconds
Deadbugs (10 reps) and Medicine Ball Slams (10 reps)
Rest 2 minutes

Week 5

Day 1:
A1) Front Squat 5x8
A2) DB chest supported Row 6x8
B1) Seated DB overhead press 5x8
B2) Farmers Walk 5x
C1) Paloff Press 4x12
C2) Seated Band Abduction 4x25

Day 2:
A1) Deadlift 6x8
A2) Seated Cable Row, 6x8
B1) KB Swings 5x10
B2) Bear Crawls, 5x
C1) Kneeling Banded hip thrust or Side lying clamshells 5x20

Day 3:
A1) Hip Thrust 6x15
A2) Push Ups 6x6 (elevated if needed, never on your knees)
B1) KB One Arm Racked Walk 5x
B2) Face Pulls 5x20
C1) Clamshells 5x20

Day 4:
A1) KB Swings 10x
A2) Inverted Row 10x
A3) Kneeling Banded hip thrust 20x
A4) Med Ball Slams 12x
A5) Lateral Raises 15x
A6) Plank, 30sec-1 min
Rest 20sec between exercises, 2 minutes between rounds. 5 rounds total. 

Week 6

A1) Squat 6x6
A2) Lat Pulldown, supinated grip 6x8
B1) Waiters Walk 5x
B2) DB Split Squat 5x8 ea side
C1) Paloff Press 4x12
C2) Seated Band Abduction 4x25

Day 2:
A1) Deadlift 6x6
A2) Chest supported DB Row, 6x8
B1) KB Swings 5x10
B2) Bear Crawls, 5x
B3) Broad Jump 3x
C1) Kneeling Banded hip thrust or Side lying clamshells 5x20

Day 3:
A1) Hip Thrust 6x15
A2) Push Ups 6x6 (elevated if needed, never on your knees)
B1) KB One Arm Racked Walk 5x
B2) Face Pulls 5x20
C1) Clamshells 5x20

Day 4:
Round 1, 3 sets
Treadmill at 8mph, 8% incline for 25 seconds. 
Goblet Squat Reverse Lunge (10 reps) and Med Ball Slam (10 Reps)
Rest 2 minutes

Round 2, 3 sets
Treadmill at 9mph, 9% incline for 20 seconds. 
KB Swing (10 reps) and DB Overhead Press (10 reps)
Rest 2 minutes

Round 3, 3 sets
Treadmill at 10mph, 10% incline for 15 seconds
Paloff Press (10 BREATHS ea side) and Squat Jump (5 reps)
Rest 2 minutes

Notes

• The first movement (A1) of every workout is meant to be the main "strength" movement of the day. Each week breaks down into less total reps with the idea that the top sets are a heavish weight. Here's an example: 

Each main movement should be ramped up to a top set.
So you would warm up on say a deadlift as such: bar 5x, 75lbs 5x, 95lbs 5x, 105lbs 3x, 135lbs 2x, 165lbs 1x. You would base your reps off of that heavy single for the day. 
Week 1: 5x8 (40 total reps) 65% of your "max" for the day placing your 5 sets @110lbs
Week 2: 6x6 (36) 70% 115lbs
Week 3: 4x8 (32) 75% 125lbs
Week 4: 5x5 (25) 80% 135lbs

• The Squat is merely the movement pattern. Depending on your skill level and what's available you can use dumbbells, kettle bells and/or barbells. 
• If you need more cardio, I would perform it AFTER the strength training. 20-30 minute of a moderate intensity should suffice. Increase as needed. 

If you have any more questions as this is simply a broad starting off point, please don't hesitate to ask. I'll be more than happy to walk you through this so you can walk down that aisle with confidence. 

Technique Breakdown: Anderson Press

Today I'm going to break down the concepts for the "Anderson" Press. Also known as a pin press. This was popularized by Paul Anderson, one of the strongest men to walk the planet. He would use this style of training to perform a 1,200bs squat, 628lbs bench press and 820lbs deadlift oh and also a Gold Medal in weightlifting at the Olympic game in Melbourne. 

While often used for the squat, you can use the pins for your bench press (like board presses) and deadlift (like pulling from blocks) as well. By breaking the stretch reflex cycle you have to learn to get tight to really generate some power to get the barbell moving again; thus this helps build some true starting strength. 

1. Set pins at appropriate height and get set. 
2. Pack the shoulders, set the core down (ribs down) and plant your feet into the floor before pressing the bar to full lockout.
3. Return the bar to a complete stop before performing another rep. 

I enjoy performing the Anderson "x" style lift for various reasons, a few of them for the pin press are:

1. When pressing you don't have to worry about getting pinned by the weight and feeling embarrassed. This allows you to get close to your max without fear of decapitation.
2. You have to really get tight to move a decent weight off the pins. Sometimes when repping weights you bounce the weight off your chest. No cheating here by relying on the SSC.
3. Trains you to tear the bar apart (not literally but the tension created to "pull it apart") which helps to engage your triceps more. Big triceps = Big press.