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Why New Year’s Fitness Resolutions Fail

While we might all think that January 2019 was the longest year ever, the truth is the new year is only 6 weeks old. If you are like most people, your New Year’s Resolutions included some kind of pledge to “really get in shape THIS year”. So, how’s working out working out for you? Again, if you are like most people the middle of February you are starting to come up with excuses as to why being fat isn’t that big of a deal. For the record, sadly I must include myself in this “most people” group.

The thing people fail to realize is that you aren’t your own boss, nor are you your own slave. You can’t just TELL yourself to eat better and suddenly starting doing it with 100% compliance. If you have been out of shape for an extended amount of time, chances are you have picked up some serious bad habits. Those habits take time to break, and it takes time to create new patterns of behavior. Be honest with yourself, how many times have you said “I am seriously going to get in shape…”, and then eventually fallen back off the wagon. Regardless of whether it was the first of the year, or some last ditch effort in Spring to drop some weight before shirts come off for Summer. The end result (ie, no results) tends to be the same.

The law of inertia states that it is the tendency of an object to resist a change in motion. That is, an object at rest will stay at rest, unless it is acted on by an external force. The same is true of an object in motion.

An obvious example is a soccer ball lying on the ground. The soccer ball will not move from that spot, unless someone kicks it. When the ball has been kicked and it’s moving through the air, it won’t stop until the force of gravity forces it to drop down to the ground; once it’s rolling on the ground, it will continue rolling until friction forces it to come to a standstill.

Guess what, in this scenario YOU are the soccer ball. Actually in America you are more likely a football. You are an odd shape, and you aren’t moving unless you forced to. When you consider so many Americans spent the last 4-5 months sitting on their couch watching football eating snacks, the metaphor becomes even more apropos.

The average American gains 7-10lbs over the holidays. The interesting thing is I would bet many of them use their impending New Year’s Resolutions as an excuse for a caloric free for all. “Well I am going to start my diet on Jan 1, so I might as well enjoy all this good food now”. Again, I speak from personal experience. Sadly all this does is reinforce bad eating habits and add more fat that has to be worked off in the New Year.

So now January 1 rolls around, you announce to all your friends that this is the year that you are going to get in shape. Your friends have heard this all before, and while they try to be encouraging there support isn’t the same as it was the last 5 years you have said this. And then you make the big mistake, you try to go from 0 to 100 mph overnight. If your body was a car, it has been in the garage all winter and you have barely even started it up. Now on Jan 1 you take it to the drag strip and wonder why it almost blows up when you floor it.

I can appreciate the enthusiasm people have when they decide this is the year they are going to get in shape (again). However, if you want to actually be successful so you don't have to say the same thing next year you have to be smart about it. You cannot go from Big Macs and Supersize Cokes to Brocolli and Salmon overnight, it is just a recipe for disaster. Likewise you cannot go from hibernating all winter to 1 hour of cardio a day and training 6 days a week. That is the reason that so many resolutions fail. People lack patience and haven't taken the time to think it through. If you have been gaining weight over the past several years, and picking up bad habits then trying to go cold turkey on January 1 isn't going to work. And if you stop and think about it, you know it isn't going to work because it didn't work for you last year or the year before when you tried it.

There is no magic 6 week program that is going to fix all of the damage you have caused yourself in the kitchen. And as I have written many times before, people waste so much time jumping from failed shortcut to failed shortcut that if they just took the slow and steady path they would already be where they wanted to be.

If you really want this time to be successful you need to have a year long plan, not just a 6 week plan. You need to ease into training so you don't injury yourself or get so sore that you never want to see a gym again. With food you need to slowly substitute good food for the crap you have been eating. For resolutions to really work the entire more of January should just be a break in month. You should learn better habits, you should get used to eating better foods. Remember, even if you get in shape you don't magically get to going back to eating shit. You have to accept that being in shape takes discipline, and in order to make it work you have to accept that it is a lifestyle and not some quick fix.

The fact that so many people fail with their New Year's Resolutions is exactly why we decided to open up our Online Training Program in February. Just after Valentine's Day when all of the holidays are over, and people have been struggling to stay consistent in the gym is when motivation really starts to fail. If you are looking for help with nutrition, training, and most of all accountability feel free to contact us about our training options. Just remember, every year that you put off getting in shape makes you another year old, and makes it that much harder to do when you finally get serious.

See additional information on: https://mammothstrength.com

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Jordan Peterson Saved My Life

There is a reason this website has been relatively silent for a few years. From the fact that my father died in a car accident in 2016, to disintegrating personal relationships with people I thought would always be there, to several failed business ventures; to call the past few years rough is to do them a disservice. And while the passing of my father hit me the hardest, it was my first pec tear that was the catalyst for everything going off the rails.

It may sound odd in the hierarchy of tragedy for the death of one’s father to be overshadowed by a minor injury. To be honest I think it was just a strain and not a tear, regardless when I look back I can see that it was the catalyst for the rollercoaster to really pick up speed as it headed to the underworld. Thankfully the boatman seemed disinterested in me as we exchanged confused glances. It would appear I have a few more years left to figure things out.

The gym has always been the place that I work shit out, literally. Not just from a physical performance stand point, but also psychologically. While I rarely “enjoy” a training session I inevitably feel better afterwards even if I feel worse. In case that last point escaped you, I mean that I find a catharsis in the iron that despite the eventual DOMS still makes the overall experience a net positive.

After that initial wave of tragedy, for lack of a better word, had occurred I decided to get serious about training again. On February 13, 2017 I got back in the gym after taking a break to deal with everything else that was going on. At this point I had let my weight balloon to a soft 301 lbs. For any of your hardgainers reading this, if you want a secret to weight gain apparently stress, depression, and lack of physical activity works much better than Joe Weider’s Mega Mass 2000, but I digress.

So being the jackass that I am, after my first foray back into the gym I reward myself with the rest of the week off. Then I decide to jump straight back into a high volume low rest training cycle, because fuck me right?! Despite the stupidity of my plan I managed to stay locked in for 6 weeks. My food was on point, or so I thought, and I managed to make some progress regaining my strength. The problem was I hadn’t lost any weight, in fact I was up 5lbs to a voluptuous 306lbs.

Since the high volume work wasn’t doing the trick, and I was getting a little beat up I decided to switch up the training a bit. I have always been a fan of Christian Thibadeux’s programming. In the past I have run a few different versions of his High Performance Mass training protocol. Even though I already had the mass part covered in spades, I enjoy that type of training and in my detrained state almost any protocol should work.

I started HPM on Monday April 8, 2017. First workout went fine, the weights were all relatively easy. Tuesday was the same, looking back on my notes nothing of interest was even recorded. On Thursday April 11, 2016 my training session was supposed to be Overhead Press 5x3, Bench Press 5x3, and Front Squats 5x3. For those unfamiliar with HPM it consists of multiple sets of 3 with submaximal weight focusing on generating force.

On that day I made it through Overhead Press without any problems. Then I did on the 3rd rep of the 3rd set of bench press, with a weight that I could easily bench for 8 rep, I went to lower the weight and about halfway down I heard (and felt) a tearing sensation. My left shoulder/pec gave out and the weight came down to my sternum. It was the weirdest thing ever. Inside my head it sounded loud enough that the whole gym must have heard it. Somehow, fueled by adrenaline and shock I managed to press the weight up immediately. In fact had you been watching me bench that day you might have noticed an uneven eccentric phase, but you would never know the internal damage that just occurred.

When I use the word shock that really is what it was. I knew the second it happened that I was fucked up, but it didn’t really hurt. At that point I got up for the bench, racked my weights and got out of the gym so I can return to my cave and assess the situation. Despite all the stupid stuff I have ever done in a weight room I have never had an upper body injury. So this was a new experience that, to be honest I really wasn’t sure what to expect. By the time I got home the pec tie-in area was a little red, but again nothing hurt and more importantly I still had full ROM despite some discomfort. As the evening progressed so did the bruising.

Having never experienced anything like this I had no idea what to expect. So I grabbed the ice bags and went to work trying to fix it. As stated above, the encouraging part is despite the extensive bruising I never lost any ROM. Some movements were difficult, but none of them were particularly painful. So after almost a two week break from the gym, and a lot of ice I decided to test it out on April 24, 2017. Whether this was a wise idea or not I can’t say, although considering my track record it is safe to say are against it. I proceeded to slowly work up on bench, and managed 10 reps with 135. At no point did the weight feel heavy, but around rep 8 my left pec started to twinge. Luckily I had the wherewithal to shut it down right away.

So it was back to more passive and active recovery for me. On May 5, 2017 I decide to go in and do Squats. If I cannot bench at least I can squat, right? Yeah, not so much. Unfortunately the gym doesn’t have a Safety Squat Bar, and when I tried to squat my pec would keep twinging. In the past I would normally just ignore it and push through it, but this time again I decided caution was the better part of valor and shut it down.

Suffice it to say that over the next few weeks I attempted to bench several times with the same result. On May 31, 2017 I worked up to 185x4 and my pec really started to twinge, and as sad as it is to admit now that was the last day I was in the gym in 2017. It wasn’t just that I couldn’t bench, I honestly don’t even really love benching. It was the fact that squatting and pulling hurt. Without those it is really hard for me to get motivated to train.

This is the part where I am supposed to tell you that on January 1, 2018 my pec was completely healed and I hit the gym running with all the other New Year’s Resolutioners? Yeah, again, not so much. The fact of the matter is that I did not return to the gym until June 20, 2018 which was 4 days shy of my 43rd birthday. And when I walked in the gym, after a warmup where did I go you might ask? If your guess was anything other than “to the bench” then I have to wonder if you have been paying attention. This time I only managed 135x5. I had the same twinging feeling that I had 10 months ago, so after the better part of a year the issue was still there. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. Couple that with the fact that despite eating relatively low carb and cleanly my weight still exceeded 3 bills.

Basically this has been a 1500 word prequel to explain how I got to the crossroads point. My personal and professional life was a shambles, and the only thing that ever helped me get though stuff like that in the past had been taken away from me. I was 302lbs with a strained pec, had wasted the last year of my life, and the list of exercises that I could actually do in the gym was getting shorter and shorter.

So what the fuck does Jordan Peterson have to do with any of this. I became aware of Dr. Jordan Peterson a few months after he posted his original videos that went viral and were the catalyst for his rise to prominence. Like anyone else, I don’t agree with everything he says, but I appreciate his ability to communicate what he thinks to be true (even if he is wrong).

As luck would have it he appeared on the Joe Rogan Experience #1139 for a 3rd time, on July 2, 2018. During that episode, after multiple disclaimers of not being a nutrition expert, he relayed his anecdotal experience with a Carnivore type diet. When he started listing symptoms that subsequently went away after this elimination diet I became curious. While I did not have all of the symptoms that Dr. Peterson or his daughter had, the idea of an “elimination diet” made sense. What if there was some seemingly benign food that was preventing consistent weight loss. If I reduced the variable it would be much easier to determine if that was the case.

After the episode on JRE I realized that he was coming to Jacksonville on September 16, 2018. I decided that buying tickets to the event would give me a date on the calendar to hit some kind of weight loss goal. So I ordered my ticket, and the next morning, July 3rd, 2018 I had a ribeye steak and 3 over easy eggs. My bodyweight on that morning was 302.2lbs.

Being someone that always functions better on low carbs, the switch to steak and eggs wasn’t that big of deal. It just meant eliminating cheese, and some condiments for the most part. For the first 3 weeks everything was good. Adherence to the diet wasn’t really a big deal, and my appetite quickly fell off. I was slowly starting to get back in the training groove.

And then of course….

Plot Twist: Despite using an Elitefts Shoulder Saver to reduce ROM on bench I managed to re-injure the same pec.

I only had 36 reps planned that day. The session consisted of 6 sets of 3 on Overhead and 6 sets of 3 on Bench (with the Shoulder Saver). I felt relatively strong for 35 reps, and then on the last rep despite the decreased weight and ROM my left should “popped” again. Thankfully it wasn’t nearly as severe as the first time, but it was obvious that something still wasn’t right.

This time I got a bit more aggressive with trying to rehab the area. I bought a TENS (Electronic Pulse Stimulator) Unit from Amazon, and I had been watching Donnie Thompson talk about boy tempering, so I decided to try a make shift version of a 25kg Kettlebell placed directly on the area for 10+ Minutes at a time. After taking the rest of the week off to rehab, on July 30, 2018 I was back in the gym benching 135x10. And the even better news was, I was 286.2, I had dropped 16lbs in the month of July. Now for most people going on the Carnivore diet most of the initial weight loss is water due to carb restriction, but for me I was already eating low carbs so to drop that much weight was surprising.

For the next 5 weeks I did the same exact thing every day. I had 12oz of steak and 3 eggs at 10am, I went to the gym and did “something” at 3pm, and ate 12oz of steak and 3 eggs at 5pm. That is all I did, and I went from 302.2lbs on July 2nd to 259lbs on Sept 16th, the night of the lecture. So in 76 days, without a single second of cardio I lost 42.2lbs.

Thankfully the diet was so simple and compliance wasn’t really an issue, so I decided to stick with it though not without hurdles. In November I got really sick, and used it and the impending holidays as an excuse for indulge in comfort food. These were the first carbs I had in months. The results, on November 17th I was 243.8lbs and on November 26th I was 261.2lbs. Anyone that tells you that it’s impossible to gain almost 20lbs in 9 days has no idea what they are talking about.

Luckily for me this wasn’t as much of a psychological set back as it might have been. I know that it cost me some time, but I also knew that all I had to do was go back to what I was doing and the weight would come back off. As expected, by December 8th , a mere 12 days later I was back to 248.2lbs. Ever since that little hiccup I have been totally locked in.

Last night I posted my results to Facebook, and one of my friends asked me my “secret” was because he wanted to lost 50lbs. I found the exchange quite interesting:

Me: “It's no secret, but you won't like the answer. 12oz Steak and 3 eggs at 10am...12oz Steak and 3 eggs at 5pm...and nothing else. And hit the gym somewhere between the two...rise, repeat for 6 months.” Him: “I like the 2, but damn that’s all I get?!” Me: “Well, you get to be 50lbs less fat in 6 months…so that’s something.” Him: “Man, that’s gotta get boring quick.” Me: “Honestly that's the point....boring is easy. There is literally NOTHING to think about. "This is what you eat" now the food question is answered. To be honest...I was rarely hungry. I just kind of lost my interest in food (in a good way). I didn't say it was fun....but it worked (for me). Your mileage may vary.

It really is a first world problem to think that losing weight should be an enjoyable experience. The fact that it is hard, and that it takes work and discipline are what make it a meaningful endeavor. I have always been fascinated by people complaining about how long it will take to lose weight. Tell someone that it will take 6 months to a year to get where they want to be physique wise. Their reaction is “that’s too long”, and then they spend the next 6 months to a year trying to find a shortcut to the place that had they taken the slow steady route they would already have arrived at.

As of January 29, 2019, I weigh 232.2 lbs which is exactly 70lbs less than I weighed on July 2, 2018. Truth be told I have a long way to go before I reach my physique goals, but I am so much further along that I imagined. I have no doubt that, despite the pending doom of my 44th birthday I will reach those goals this time. And to think I owe the bulk of the credit to the self proclaimed ill-informed, anecdotal evidence of a clinical psychologist from Canada.

Read additional information on: www.mammothstrength.com

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Carb Nite vs. Carb Back Loading

This is a question that gets quite often, should I do CarbNite or Carb Backlaoding? And unfortunately, like most things fitness related the answer is “it depends”. What it depends on is YOU, and your current level of fitness and your current goals. As a general rule, Carbnite is for people that have a lot of weight to lose and want to get it off as quickly and relatively painlessly as possible. When you are carrying a lot of excess weight and you remove all the carbs, your body will be looking for energy and it will be forced to tap into all that adipose that you have been carrying around.

However, once you start to lean out, or if you are already relatively lean then that is where Carb Backloading comes into play. Again as a general rule Carb Backloading is for people that are under 15% bodyfat. Obviously there are exceptions to any rule of thumb, and some people who have a hard time with carbs will have to stick with Carbnite to get into the single digit body fat range. However, if you are not one of those people then the 15% bodyfat mark is where Carb Backloading really starts to work. It can help you preserve, even gain, lean muscle while burning fat off. The literal holy grail of fitness. And the really beautiful thing is that you can do it while eating foods you never thought you could while losing fat. While carb backloading isn’t a free for all, especially if you are trying to get really lean it sometimes feels like it with the amount of carbs that you are required to eat.

Sadly, there rarely are any straight answers when it comes to fitness. Human physiology can vary greatly between individuals. What works for one person will not work for another. However, on avergage Carbnite is best used if your body fat is over 15% and you want to strip fat off quickly. Once you get below 15% bodyfat then Carb Backloading is the perfect plan for recomposition.

The post Carb Nite vs. Carb Back Loading appeared first on Carb Backloading 1.0.

Read more information on: http://www.mammothstrength.com

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Carb Backloading vs. Renegade Diet

Ok, so you may be wondering how does Carb Backloading compare to the Renegade Diet.  Honestly there are some similarities and some differences.  I have tried them both, and for me personally I prefer the CBL because it seems like more of a lifestyle than a “diet”.

The Renegade Diet, by Jason Ferrugia is more of an intermittent fasting diet.  He took the IF premise and made significant modifications to allow for muscle gain.  Both diets promote putting off eating first thing in the AM, but Jason makes fewer suggestions about carb timing.  He does suggest the majority of them come post workout, but again Kiefer is much more thorough in this aspect.  And since Kiefer has structured CBL to allow you to eat junk food regularly, and still get great results I just prefer his method more.

Having said that they both are excellent diets.  You will get results on either one.  It is just a matter of what road you wish to take it.  I posted a review of the Renegade Diet on another site, and it might help you to realize the difference between the two.  For comparison you can check out the Carb Backloading 1.0 Video Review I did here on this site.

Again, I honestly think that is a matter of personal preference between these two excellent plans.  It wouldn’t make sense for me to tell you which one is better for you.  We obviously are all different, and react to things differently.  What works for one will not work for another.  I can only tell you that I prefer the Carb Backloading Diet simply because it was easier for me to adhere to.  And I got just as good if not better results as I did when I was on the Renegade Diet.

The post Carb Backloading vs. Renegade Diet appeared first on Carb Backloading 1.0.

Read more info on: https://mammothstrength.com/

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Pitchers Need to DO WORK!!

I recently wrote about jogging, and how it did nothing to prepare an athlete for an anaerobic based sport.  Strength Coach Joe Meglio (from The Underground Strength Gym) echoed my sentiments in his own article, and went on to point out how it applies to pitchers.  Running polls to condition a pitcher for the endurance necessary to throw 7-9 innings is a misguided effort.  Of all the major sports, baseball seems to be the one that is the most resistant to change.  It’s a fine line between being a traditionalist and just being close-minded.  This is especially true when it comes to the topic of strength and conditioning for sports.  It is hard to argue with the fact that modern era athletes are bigger, stronger, and faster than their predecessors.  And despite Mr. Baseball’s words to the contrary, this includes baseball players.  So if athletes are so much better than they were in the past, what happened to the complete game?  Why can’t the modern pitcher finish what he starts?  Did you know that as recently as 1974 the percentage of complete games was 28%.  Just ten years later in 1984 the percentage was cut almost in half to 15%.  Contrast that with the 2009 MLB season where that percentage hit a new low of 3.1%.  Does that sound like progress to you?!  Me either.

  I know there are many factors at play here. The 5 man rotation, the new prominence of “The Closer”, and even the invention “The Setup Man” have effected starter’s innings.  More specifically expansion has completely diluted the pitching ranks.  Very rarely do starting pitching staffs have more than 3 quality starters out of 5.  Case and point, the NY Yankees were so desperate they threw enough money at Bartolo Colon to convince him to put his competitive eating career on hold, and give up the glitz and glamour of the Mexican league to come to Spring Training.  If the Yankees of all teams are looking at 37 year old, 300lb men that haven’t pitched in the league since 2009, what does that tell you about the talent that’s available?  Maybe I should drive down to Tampa, and see if my 85mph “heater” can wow some people.

  Now it’s hard to know if fewer quality starting pitchers have increased the need for a good bullpen, or if pitchers that in the past would be starters are now being converted to relievers.  Either way, just look at the top pitchers in the Major League.  CC Sabathia threw a total of 10 complete games in the 2008 season for the Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Brewers, becoming the first pitcher to reach double digits in a single season since Randy Johnson threw twelve complete games for the Arizona Diamondbacks in 1999.  In the 2010 season, out of roughly 150 starting pitchers in the majors, only 35 pitchers had ONE COMPLETE GAME!  WHY?!

  With all the advances in training and science, why are pitchers logging fewer and fewer innings?!  Quite simply, it is caused by the pitchers ever decreasing “workload”, and I use the term work lightly.  Consider the fact that it takes an average of 3 seconds to physically throw a pitch.  And for some reason Major League clubs, despite evidence to the contrary; have accepted that the human body can only throw 100 quality pitches in a game.  Add in the two 50 pitch bullpens, for a total of 200 pitches every 5 days.  Do the math, those 200 pitches equal roughly 10 minutes of actual physical exertion over the course of 5 days.  Combine that with their completely senseless running of polls for endurance as well as other conditioning work, and a starting pitcher does less work in a week than a manual laborer does in an hour or two.  See why the term workload amuses me?!  And then very smart baseball minds wonder why pitchers fatigue in games, and late in the season.  That same pitcher, barring injury will hopefully get 34 starts during the season.  In those 34 starts he will hopefully throw 100 pitches.  That’s 3400 pitches.  Add in the two 50 pitch bullpens between starts, and you have 6800 pitches.  If each pitch takes 3 seconds to complete, a typical starting pitcher will do 5.5 hours of actual game time “work” for the ENTIRE SEASON.

  So what is the answer?!  How does any other athlete increase their abilities?  They practice more.  After a particularly disappointing loss, Kobe Bryant recently stayed after the game to practice his shooting.  He shot, and shot, and shot.  He kept shooting until they turned the lights out.  So why do pitchers only throw 100 total pitches between starts?  We all realize that the overhand throwing motion is completely unnatural; pitch counts and bullpen limits have been put in place to reduce arm injuries.  So what happens when the arm injuries continue?  Do we drop the pitch counts even more, and eliminate bullpen sessions all together?!  In 1974 Nolan Ryan pitched a 13 inning game and threw over 200 pitches.  Surprisingly enough his arm didn’t spontaneously combust, and he pitched for another 20 years after that.  Now obviously your first reaction is that Nolan Ryan is a freak of nature that still could bring the heat well into his 40s.  There may be something to that.  He also was one of the hardest working, best conditioned pitchers to ever toe the rubber.  John Kruk aside, aren’t all Professional Athletes freaks of nature to one extent or another?  Japanese pitchers routinely throw 100-150 pitch bullpens.  Matsuzaka turned heads when he first came to Boston throwing 100+ pitch bullpens.  Even Korean little leaguers typically throw 200-400 pitches a day.  That’s right, a day and they aren’t getting millions of dollars to do it either.  Are we to assume that the far East consists of freaks of nature?  I know that’s where Godzilla came from, but I never saw his fastball.

  Baseball is all about history and numbers, and the numbers show that the human body is capable of throwing a baseball more than 200 times in a 5 day period.  There even is modern proof of this in other parts of the world.  So why have Major League teams imposed these limits on pitchers?  They want to prevent injury, and get a better return on investment from their high dollar arms.  It’s a noble goal, so why are the best and brightest conditioning/pitching coaches doing it wrong?!  Are they really that afraid to rock the boat?  With the invention of youtube and flipcams, pitching coaches don’t even have to hop on a plane to see pitchers all over the world throwing 2 to 3 times as many pitches in a week as our stars.  Do you really think that El Duque and all the other stars from the Dominican Republic, with questionable dates of birth, thought the best way to get off the island was to only throw 200 pitches a week?!  Doubtful.

  It seems counterintuitive, but pitchers should throw MORE to prevent injuries.  Limiting workload for pitchers actually diminishes the capacity of their arm.  It is similar to a weekend warrior that plays half court basketball twice a week, and then tries to run full court.  They are gassed pretty quickly, and are more likely to pull a muscle in their exhausted state.  If they were actually in shape to run full court, then it would be no problem.  If pitchers increased their pitch count between starts, and actually got their arms in shape…the game itself would be no problem.  Instead of 100 pitches between starts, they should build up to 200 to 300.  How much better shape do you think their arm would be in then?  Even if you left the game pitch count in place, after throwing a couple 100 pitch bullpens; the 95th pitch in their game would be a lot crisper.

  With all the reduction in workload for today’s pitcher have injuries really decreased that much?  With spring training in full swing it seems like every day we hear about another pitcher getting hurt.  Even the casual fan has heard of Tommy John Surgery at this point.  As Americans we are prideful, and we believe that Major League Baseball is the best baseball on the planet.  Case and point, it’s called the World Series even though only two countries are represented.  Ok only one; since we all know Toronto hasn’t been relevant since Joe Carter stuck a dagger in Mitch Williams heart.  So if MLB is the best of the best, then why are our pitchers the worst conditioned athletes in sports?!  Ok ok, second worst, I saw John Daly hitting golf balls with his shirt off too.  Pitchers are the worst conditioned athletes because they do the least amount of work.  Their workload is similar to that of a weekend warrior, and we all know weekend warriors are good at two things….drinking beer, and getting hurt.  Not to mention watching NL pitchers try to hit is like watching a baby giraffe being born.  What do these guy do all day at “practice”?!

  Pitching generally wins championships, and major league clubs are always desperate to find quality arms.  I know that expansion has depleted the talent pool, but perhaps the lack of good arms is a direct result of organizations not developing them properly.  Baseball pitchers are unique in that they generally only play every 5 days.  There is no reason that they cannot increase their work capacity DURING the season.  The baseball season is long.  It is extremely difficult to get into shape that will last into October and hopefully November in just a few weeks during the spring.  Unfortunately, positional players can’t really do much about it, they are playing every day so all their baseball workouts can try to do is maintain.  Bats get tired as the season drags on.  Starting pitchers should get stronger as the season goes on.  They pitch just over once per week.  Major League pitching coaches need to realize that by limiting the pitchers workload they are limiting their work capacity.

  If you want to see less arm injuries and better pitching in the Major Leagues, pitchers should throw MORE, not less.  Throwing two 50 pitch bullpen between starts is not the answer.  That would be like running a mile on Monday, a mile on Wednesday, to get ready for 3 miles on Friday.  It doesn’t make sense.  It is time for pitching coaches to open their eyes to the world around them, and realize there is a better way.  Increasing pitchers workload will in turn increase their work capacity.  They will be in better shape to perform the task at hand.  Athletes in better shape get injured less.  If every Major League pitcher double or tripled their practice pitches between starts, how much better would they become at their craft?  How long before there were enough quality arms to accommodate baseballs expansion?  Current Major League pitchers are capable of this incredible workload right now; if baseball could get over its fear of progress.  So why are they reluctant to change?  Baseball always has been stubborn.  All I know is that if you want to get better at something, less work is never the answer.

  Read more info on: https://www.mammothstrength.com

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Passion Trumps Everything

While I know that I have already written The Truth About Internet Judges, just consider this it’s epilogue.  While writing the That’s One Strong Mother... article, I included the above video.  It shows Marisa Inda deadlifting 335lb @114lb.  Obviously, it’s a lift as awesome as Marisa is herself.

However, as previously stated, when you do something awesome people are going to be critical.  Apparently that is just the world that we live in these days.  And true to form, a beautiful mother of 2 deadlfiting almost 3X bodyweight qualified for unsolicited criticism.

Now normally I try to avoid these discussions since they generally go nowhere.  Whoever is criticizing is only doing so because they are projecting their own issues.  And let’s be honest here, this is a beautifully intimidating feat of strength to some.

So here is the reply that caught my attention…

Jason Fyda - eeeeek! I don't think a strength coach or a judge in a weightlifting competition would count either of these as a rep with that rounded back. If you are inspired by this as a weightlifter, that is great, but please refer to someone with better technique to follow and learn from.

If you actually read what he said, I hope your head doesn’t explode.  I think mine almost did, which is why I chose to reply.  My reply…

1st. This is NOT a Deadlift Tutorial it is a successful PR Attempt

2nd Weightlifters do Olympic Lifting. Powerlifters Deadlift.

3rd. On a Max Effort attempt form breaks down, you cannot have 100% Effort and Perfect Form.

4th. In a Powerlifting meet this attempt would pass with 3 white lights, they don't judge form they judge locking the weight out which she did.

Is it too much to ask that people KNOW what they are talking about before they attempt to criticize people?

Honestly, I was not trying to attack the guy.  I was just trying to calmly point out the errors in his observations.  And if my head almost exploded after his first reply, his second reply literally blew my mind…and made me very sad for the state of affairs in the Strength and Conditioning Community.

Jason Fyda - Form breaks down, lift doesn't count, unless it is in a crossfit class, then I guess you just do whatever you want. Your second point makes no sense. Third point, then you just aren't strong enough, go back to training. I guess I am not a 'powerlifting' judge, But I am a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist, a USAW weightifting coach, exercise physiologist and I have been training as an athlete for more than half of my life (I am 30). I'd say I have a pretty good idea of how to DL!

I am sure you can tell why I almost had an aneurysm.  This was NOT some 18 year old keyboard warrior.  This was someone that invested in their education.  This was someone that is certified by the NSCA to train people, and also a qualified USAW Weightlifting Coach.  As it turns out he even played D-1 football for a prominent program.  So the fact that he got this so wrong saddens me about the return he got on his investment in education.

I will leave you to go and read the remainder of the discussion if you like.  Who knows where it will go from here.  I just think it is a sad commentary on the Strength and Conditioning Community.  If this is the level of understanding that this higher education is turning out then we are in trouble.  A coach like Jason is trying to be a legitimate Strength and Conditioning Coach.  He has paid the money, and spent the time to get certified at the highest level.  Yet after training athletes for years, these are still things that are embedded in his way of thinking.  It's more than likely not even his fault, it's what he has been taught.  Unfortunately it's wrong, and more unfortunately he paid for that knowledge.

As far as the video goes, yes Marisa's back rounds a bit on these pulls.  That is one of the points of Max Effort work.  First you test yourself to see where you are at.  Second, you look for where form breaks down so you know what the weak link is for you to work on.  To Jason's point, is lifting with less than perfect form dangerous?  I can only answer that by saying that it's NOT the safest thing ever.  However, whether or not it's worth it is up to you.  Let's face it, whenever you want to be Elite at something you are going to make sacrifices.  If you think about it, most sports can be dangerous.  Even Jason may have been effected by this.  He was an Offensive Lineman, and weighed 275lbs.  That is pretty much a requirement of the position.  Is it the healthiest or safest thing?  Not at all.  Does he more than likely have some nagging injuries from his football years?  Hopefully not, but probably.  Jason did and Marisa is doing what needs to be done to excel at the sport they are passionate about.

There are two things that I hope you take from this article.  Sadly, just because someone has a legitimate certification and a solid background does not guarantee that they know everything about Strength and Conditioning.  If you are looking to hire a coach, choose carefully.  More importantly, ignore the critics and do what you are passionate about.  We don't choose our passions because they are safe.  We choose them because they are necessary to make life worthwhile.  Truth be told our passions usually choose us.  You have to realize that it is going to cost you something.  You cannot have laser like focus on multiple things.  So whatever you are focused on will cause you to have to ignore other things.  Whether or not it is worth it is up to you.  At the end of the day, luckily YOU are the only one YOU have to answer to.

Find more information on: https://mammothstrength.com

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The Truth About Percentage Training

The recent Hatfield vs. McCoys dust up in the Strength Training community has been an interesting, albeit disappointing one.   One of the things I have always enjoyed about strength athletes, powerlifters most specifically since that is the group I am most attached to, is the fact that knowledge is always shared.  Go to a powerlifting meet, and you will see the competitors cheering for one another.  Not only that, but strength athletes love to sit around and "talk shop".  These roundtable discussions lead to great innovation in the sport, and it carries over to the strength community as a whole.

This is all great, so what's the problem you might ask?  Well the problem comes when people either decide for themselves, or have it decided for them, that they are experts.  Again, on it's face, this is not necessarily a problem.  However when your expertise is attached to a specific dogma of training, then when another expert comes along and challenges your system they are in essence challenging your authority   And when you throw some testosterone and some ego into the mix, it does not make for a very tasteful recipe.

So what started this latest drama?  An article by Mike Tuchscherer titled "Why Speed Work Doesn't Work".  As you can infer from the title, one of the purposes of this article was obviously to be controversial, not that there's anything wrong with that.  In the article Mike points out that the percentages used for traditional speed programming are too low to produce optimal force.  He backed this up with the research he has done with his athletes, and force production as measured with a Tendo Unit.

So obviously this pissed off the Westside Barbell, Conjugate System constituents   Mike's article was seen as blasphemy, and was responded to with an impressive amount of vitriol.  What's even stranger is it suddenly turned into a Geared vs. Raw argument.  Chad Wesley Smith had his take on it in, "The Bench Shirt is Being Pulled Over Your Eyes".

There are several problems as I see it with this whole situation.  First, why is there a Geared vs. Raw discussion EVER?!  It is completely pointless.  They are two different things, and should be treated as such.  Second, why must people constantly try in vain to compare individual strength in two different competitive environments?  It's interesting that it is much less common for you to see Olympic lifters arguing with Strongman competitors about "True Strength".  Their competitive environment  and the tools they used to test their strength vary enough that the conversation doesn't happen as often.   I suppose in the case of raw vs geared powerlifting the two animals look so much alike that no one is willing to actually THINK for a moment and realize that they are different.

Why we are on the nauseating subject of geared vs raw let me first say this, GEARED LIFTING IS NOT CHEATING....If you compete in an event that allows gear.  And here is an even more important point, GEARED LIFTING IS NOT EASIER.  Yes powerlifting gear does inflate the numbers that are being put up, but you want to know the only Percentage that really matters in any of this?!

THE BOTTOM LINE IS 100% IS ALL YOU CAN DO, SO FOCUS ON THAT!

  That's what people miss in this pathetic pissing contest.  When a person steps on the platform and attempts a PR, he is (or should be), giving 100% effort.  That is the only percentage that matters.  Whether he is wearing just a singlet, a belt, knee wraps, a super duper canvas squat suit, or even a funny hat....100% is 100%.  The problem with this is people have this need to compare.  Who's Vagina is Smaller?!  People need to know who the BEST is, apparently so they can brag, and get their fancy trophy that is super important.  What is missed is that as long as you trained your ass off, and gave 100% on the platform then who gives a shit what "the score" is at the end of the day.  If your 100% got you 1st place or 10th place it doesn't matter.  You did all you could do on that given day, and next time you will try to do more.  If people spent more time trying to better themselves and competing only with themselves then most of these arguments wouldn't even happen.

So who is right in all this?  There really is no way to answer that.  Even if you give athletes the same competitive environment  there is no one optimal way to train. There are too many variables from one person to the next to make a one size all training template.

"Every system sucks and every system is great, it just depends on who is doing it and who is coaching it." -JL Holdsworth-

Obviously JL nailed it in his article "Why Every Training System Sucks, but Mine".  Really what it all comes down to is having athletes buy into the training, and proper coaching.  Not to mention, training should be fluid.  It should evolve, and should not turn into dogma.  Once it is treated like a religion, then you have zealots and a whole lot of unnecessary drama.  The funny part to me about Mike's article is that when Louie first implemented dynamic training he used the very same tendo unit for his lifters, and had them at a higher percentage for dynamic work.  As the lifters increased their efficiency and muscle recruitment he reduced the dynamic percentages.  The end result, his athletes got stronger, just like  Mike's athletes are getting stronger with the percentages he is recommending.  Brandon Lilly's Cube Method trainees are killing it, as are Chad Wesley Smith's Juggernaut Method Users.  Aren't results all that matters?!

Most people trying to convince you that their way is best are trying to sell you something.  Either that or they want their ego stroked as being THE "Guru".

The truth of the matter is the training that produces the best results have the same things in common.

Athletes Buy Into the System

A Coach That Individualizes Training

A Coach That Knows How to Motivate

A Kick Ass Training Enviroment

100% Effort

If your training program has all that, then you are headed in the right direction.  Who gives a shit if you use 65.5% ,73%, or 85% on your dynamic day.  Since your strength levels vary from day to day anyway, those percentages are never true.  In anything in life EFFORT is the only thing you can control.  Even results are sometimes beyond our control when we compete against other individuals.  Unfortunately these days many people seem to waste an exorbitant amount of effort arguing on the internet about shit that doesn't matter.  When they could be using that time and energy to get better at the things they brag about being awesome at.  So focus on giving 100% to your training, and compete with yourself.  At the end of the day you will be a lot less stressed out, won't waste time arguing about bullshit, and you will WIN no matter what the scoreboard says.

Find additional information on: Mammoth Strength Blog

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Raw Bench Strength

I don't want you to think that this is a George Halbert fan site because it isn't. However, his bench press technique has always impressed me. The amount of weight that he has pushed at under 200lbs is impressive to say the least. He is a video of him absolutely smoking either 550 or 560 at under 200lbs. Which for those of you without a calculator is 2.75xBodyweight RAW!!

Want some free tips on how to improve your bench press technique and increase your raw bench strength? Check out 50 Keys to a Bigger Raw Bench.

-->50 Keys to Raw Bench Strength<--

Find more information on: Mammoth Strength & Conditioning

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Professional Baseball Workouts Revealed

If you are reading this then chances are that you are serious about wanting to improve your game.  You have hopes and dreams of moving up the baseball ranks.  Whether you are trying to make a high school roster or hoping to catch a big league scouts eye; you are looking for an edge in your baseball workouts.  You know that you only have a small window of opportunity, and you don’t want to look back with regret.

What do Kevin Youkilis, Tim Collins, Chad Rodgers, and Tim Gustafson have in common.  Well for one thing they are doing what you want to do, which is playing ball in the majors and minors respectively.  The other thing they have in common is Eric Cressey of Cressey Performance. Cressey Performance is an athletic facility in Hudson, MA. It’s a place where little league dreams become big league reality, and Eric is the man with the plan.

I don’t know about you, but after seeing that I am fired up to go train. How great would it be if you could have your baseball workouts programmed at Cressey Performance with Youk and the boys?! Well, if you are in the Hudson area then that is exactly what you should do. Unfortunately for most of us that is not a viable option. We have responsibilities that make it impractical to drop everything in pursuit of our big league dreams. Luckily for us that doesn’t mean that all is lost.

==>Professional Baseball Workouts Revealed<==

When Eric wasn’t working with big league stars and prospects he managed to find the time to put togetherThe Show & Go Training Program. Now you don’t have to quit school or work to movev to MA, and fork over some serious cash.  You can learn all of Eric’s secrets from the comfort of your own home at a fraction of the cost.  Learn to set up your baseball workouts the same way Eric sets them up for his pro clients.  If you can’t train with Eric this is the next best thing.

The Show & Go Training Program will teach you how to….

 Rapidly increase your strength beyond what others think possible

 Build insane amounts of muscle mass without training like a bodybuilder

 Never do long slow boring cardio and still lose body fat

 Improve your athletic performance and dominate the competition

 Move and feel better with enhanced joint mobility

 Reduce the risk of injury so you never have to be sidelined again

 Quiet down old aches and pains

 and much much more…

  ==>DOWNLOAD NOW<==

Find more information on: Mammoth Strength & Conditioning Blog

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The GSP Diet

The GSP Diet

Fighters are renowned for their ability to cut weight quickly.  GSP is no exception.  When you look at his flawless physique you must wonder how he does it.  St Pierre currently competes at 170lbs, but he trains at 185lbs.  Now for a normal person just trying to lose some weight, we would reduce the calories and attempt to lost a pound or two a week.  For fighters however this is not the optimal way.

GSP will typically drop 15lbs over the course of 4 days to make weight.  Then once he has weighed in he will put all that weight back on as quickly as possible.  The reason that fighters do this is simple, to preserve strength.  Staying in a caloric deficit for an extended amount of time can lead to a reduction of strength and power.  When you are a combat athlete like GSP that’s the last thing you want.  Losing strength before a fight can get you hurt in the octagon.

==>CLICK HERE TO LEARN THE GSP DIET SECRETS<==

About a week out GSP will increase his water intake to 2 gallons a day or more.  This stimulates the hormone aldactone, which is responsible for flushing excess fluids.  St Pierre will also drastically reduce carbohydrates while increasing protein consumption.  Lowering carbs causes you to drop water, and increased protein replaces some of the lost calories.

With all these things working together GSP is constantly flushing water, but since he is taking in 2 gallons a day his scale weight might not change that much.  The day before weigh in GSP will cut all fluid and food.  The flushing mechanism will still be in high gear, but since he isn’t taking any fluid in the weight will come off quickly.  Sometimes if neccessary fighters like GSP will use a sauna or hot bath to increase body temperature and speed up process.  This part of the his diet is extreme.

Once he weighs in at 170, his goal now is to put all that fluid back on quickly as possible.  Some fighters will use a mix of 50/50 water to gatorade to make sure they replace their electrolytes.  GSP is a big fan of bananas.  The beauty of bananas is that they contain sugar and potassium.  Dropping all that water can cause a loss of potassium.  Eating bananas replaces that potassium as well as the sugar helping to put water back on.

This is how St Pierre uses his diet to manipulate his weight to be at his best in the octagon.  His diet is simple, effective, but extremely restrictive.  The other issue is that this phase of the GSP Diet is a short term fix, since you are just manipulating water weight.  If you are looking for a more long term solution to achieve Georges St-Pierre’s low level of bodyfat, check out “MMA RIPPED” and guarantees to show you the secrets to getting into fight shape in as little as 8 weeks.

  See more information on: https://mammothstrength.com

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Real Deal Baseball Training

Here is my review of the Real Deal Baseball Training Program

Check out the full review at Real Deal Baseball Training 

To pick up your copy >Click Here<

Read more information on: https://www.mammothstrength.com

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I Just Wanna Tone….

When I am interviewing a female potential client it makes me cringe every time I hear it.  In fact I have been doing this long enough now that I can even predict when they are about to say it.  My whole body tenses up, I just try to go to my happy place and get through it one more time.

Why is it that women think if they even look at a weight that isn't covered in pink vinyl that they will instantly be ready to compete for next year's Ms. Olympia?  There are women that spend their whole life in that pursuit, and never approach that level.  Not to mention that they are missing one key ingredient.  TESTOSTERONE!!  On average men have 20X more testosterone than women.  This is why men gain muscle mass much more easily than women.  And I hate to break it to you, but that is also why female bodybuilders carry so much muscle.  Without chemically altering their hormones women cannot achieve that level of musculature.

You know whenever I hear these objections it is honestly all I can do not to laugh.  This is comparable to a male client telling me, "I don't wanna lift too heavy because I don't wanna turn into Albert Puljos or Alex Rodriguez".  The average female does not possess the genetic, the drugs, work ethic, or free time to get "that big".  Let's be honest here, to get to that level of musculature you would have to sleep, eat, ad train like it was your job for years.  Why would someone that can barely make it to the gym twice a week consistently be concerned with that happening?  See why it's hard not to laugh?!

Basically when a woman says "I don't want to lift heavy...I just want to TONE".  What I hear is, "I want to get results, but I don't want to work too hard at it".  It also means, "I don't want any of these people to see me sweat because that would be embarrassing, and I value these strangers opinion of me".  Ok...Ok....that last part might be an exaggeration, but you get my point.

Another point that most women fail to realize is that "bulking up" is dependent on their caloric intake.  I don't care what your genetics, work ethic, or even drugs....there is no way you will get HUGE washing down garden salads with slim fast shakes.  It is mathematically impossible.  Maybe that is why some women eat like rabbits as it is....for fear that they might brush up against a 45lb plate in the gym and gain 20lbs of muscle.  If only it were that easy.  But then again..if it were that easy I would be out of  a job.

The tone they are looking for is what happens when you remove the layer of fat that is covering the muscle you have worked to develop.  Whenever you "diet" your body is in a caloric deficit.  You are hoping that this will cause your body to burn fat.  The thing is you body interprets this as starvation, and it goes into survival mode.  In survival mode...which do you think your body wants to burn...fat that it can save for emergency, or muscle mass that causes it work harder to maintain?

If you think of your body as a car....to meet the new demand you are placing on it would the computer burn more gas (fat) or start shutting down cylinders (muscle) essentially turning your Mustang into a Smart Car.  That is why it is important that you give your body a reason to maintain or even increase muscle mass.  The way to do that is through STRENGTH TRAINING!  And even for women that means lifting heavy.  If you condition your body to expect you to lift heavy things on a regular basis then it will deem your muscle as important, and it will find its fuel source somewhere....more than likely in your "problem areas".

In this day and age where women can do anything, even vote, why is it that they (most) think they have to train differently from men?  If they already have lack of testosterone in place as a limiting factor then why would they think they can reach their goals with less work?  For the most part I train female clients the same way as male clients.  Why?  Because it is what works.  Because of this my female clients always hate me more than my male clients, and I am ok with that.  In the end they get the results they want, even if I have to drag them there kicking and screaming.

Equal work for equal pay right?!  I'm all for that, but then I don't think there should be separate tees on the golf course.....we're all equal right?!  That means equal work in the gym for equal results.  If women want to tone they need to lift heavy to get it.  Here is a program that might interest you, and get you past your fear of lifting heavy weights.  "Strong is the New Beautiful"

Find more info on: https://mammothstrength.com

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In Season Football Strength Training

  Here is Elliot Hulse discussing he best way to set up your in season football strength training.  As he points on in the video, the trick is to find a way of balancing it.   You can't just train the same way as you did in the offseason, and you can't just drop it all together.  If you stop your strength training all together, by the time you get to midseason you will be smaller, weaker and slower.  That is not something that anyone wants.  So what are the keys to proper scheduling of you in season strength training.

==>Learn Football Strength Training Secrets<==

In Season Football Strength Training

Decrease Your Training Frequency

Choose The Best Exercises

 Enough Volume to Maintain Strength Levels

Short Rest Periods

With in season football strength training your only goal is maintain what you have done in the offseason.  If your off season workout was spot on then you should be able to get away with 1 or 2 workouts per week.  I know it doesn't sound like much, but you will NOT get stronger during the season, and if you overdo your football strength training while you are in season you are increasing your chances of getting injured.  How much strength do you think you will lose if you have to set on the sideline nursing an injury for 6-8 weeks.  I know it is easy to get excited, you spent the whole offseason getting stronger and you don't want to slow down.  Again you have to realize that the point of football strength training is to make you a better football player.  Any training that takes away from your play on the field is a waste of time, and even worse it holds you back.   Your football workouts during this time of year should be short, focused and infrequent.  Two 30min sessions should be enough to maintain what you built in the offseason and keep you fresh for the end of the season.

  Find additional info on: Mammoth Strength & Conditioning

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Robinson Cano Workout

Have you seen Robinson Cano workout?  His training literally makes him the elusive powerful infielder he is today.  He has an amazing balance of strength and speed that allows him to move quickly on defense and drop bombs at the plate.  Let's break down his skills and workout….

Robinson knows the importance of following a well balanced off-season workout.  One that emphasizes speed/quickness, power, and strength.  He does this by doing numerous variations of these training methods.

Speed and Quickness, Robinson does many different footwork and plyometric drills on the field, check this out….

Power and Strength…

Robinson obviously takes his lifting in the weight room seriously, how else would he be able to stay at 200 lbs and crush home runs like he does?  He follows a balanced weight lifting regimen that allows him very powerful hips and upper-body.  Lifts such as olympic lifts, squats, and various presses.

All put together this type of training keeps Robinson at the top of his game year round and allows him to stay quick to the ball and have fast bat speed as well as hit with raw power.

See additional information on: Mammoth Strength

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The Truth About Functional Training

Let’s face it functional training has become one of the biggest buzzwords in the fitness industry.  This is due in no small part, I am sure, to the increased popularity of Crossfit.  Let’s face it, during the course of your daily life you never know when you might need to grab a chinup bar and flail around like you are having a stroke for time.

All joking aside, functional training actually has its origins in the rehab industry.  Patients going through occupational and physical therapy used functional training to retrain movement pattern that are necessary for their day to day lives.  More importantly, to get them back to work so they can be happy little workers, but I digress.

The problem is that once the fitness industry got ahold of the idea, they bastardized it into a broad generalization that has all but lost any meaning.  They stole rehab ideas like bosu balls and balance boards and decided to add weights to the mix.  And what happens when you do that?  THIS….

The funny thing about functional training is that people now use it to replace the work that they no longer wish to do.  What I mean by this is that before we lived such sedentary lives, we had no need for “functional training”.  People had to actually WORK for a living doing physical things.  You only have to go 100 years back to see what I mean.

These days the American Dream is to go to college.  You go to college to get a really good job, and by really good job I mean you work in an air conditioned environment, doing as little physical labor as possible, earning as much money as possible.  That combined with all this shitty food that is being consumed equals a bunch of fat Americans.  So what do Americans do?  Well they take all that extra money and invest it into a trainer that will force them to do all the work their college education allows them to avoid, and VIOLA’…FUNCTIONAL TRAINING.  The real irony is the net earnings are not that much greater.  And it uses up an even more valuable resource, TIME.  The kicker is that they will complain that they do not have time to eat right because of all the time their high paying job takes up, nor do they have money to buy organic (it’s so expensive).  Again I am a big fan of irony.

I really wish there was a way to conduct a study to compare the simpler life to the more complicated.  What if someone were to *gasp* take the more physically demanding job for less money?  They wouldn’t have as much need to find time in their busy schedule for “exercise”.  They would have less need of functional training, their overall health would more than likely be better, and they would actually be getting paid to do the things that others pay to have someone make them do.  It definitely would be interesting thing to test.

However, that is the current state of affairs and the concept of Functional Training is here.  And despite my little rant, I am in favor of it.  The truth is that if you have chosen a life that does not involve enough physical activity, then including functional training in your workouts makes all the sense in the world.

Then again the term itself is sort of vague and subjective.  The patients in occupational therapy do not all have the same type of training.  What is “functional” for one person is of little use to another.  Obviously balance and flexibility are at the core of what could be considered universally functional.  That is the actual origin of the term.  However, once you start adding strength and performance components to it, functionality becomes a bit more specific to each person.

So What the Hell is Functional Training?

"To be effective, a functional exercise program should include a number of different elements which can be adapted to an individual's needs or goals.

Based on functional tasks directed toward everyday life activities.

Individualized – a training program should be tailored to each individual. Any program must be specific to the goals of an individual, focusing on meaningful tasks. It must also be specific to the individual state of health, including presence or history of injury. An assessment should be performed to help guide exercise selection and training load.

Integrated – It should include a variety of exercises that work on flexibility, core, balance, strength and power, focusing on multiple movement planes.

Progressive – Progressive training steadily increases the difficulty of the task.

Periodized – mainly by training with distributed practice and varying the tasks.

Repeated frequently.

Use of real life object manipulation.

Performed in context-specific environments.

Feedback should be incorporated following performance (self-feedback of success is used as well as trainer/therapist feedback)."

As you can see the Wikipedia definition of Functional Training is open to interpretation.  A full Olympic Snatch would be considered functional training for an Olympic Weightlifter.  However, for a football player, a Power Snatch might be considered more optimal based on the risk to reward aspect of training.  Clearly the movements you pick are relative to your goals.  In that sense functional training is anything that gets you closer to your goals.

[Tweet "“The body becomes its function”"]

The truth is functional training can be defined in numerous ways.  Whether you are a weekend warrior, or a competitive athlete it is up to you to decide what your FUNCTION is.

I think for the sake of this discussion, functional training should be used in the more clinical sense.  In this case function refers to the basic movement patterns of the human body.  So under that definition the focus would be balance, flexibility, and strength in certain positions.  This leads us to a very interesting question.

What is the BEST form of Functional Training?

To be honest, I hate questions like this.  I know I am the one that posed it, and the irony isn’t lost on me.  I just pointed out what you were probably wondering.  The problem is whenever someone is looking for the “BEST” anything the answer is almost always “it depends.”  As I talked about in the previous article, the best way to achieve your goals really depends on what they are and where you are starting from.

However, as a VERY generalized answer I think that the best form of functional training for athletes would be Strongman Training.  Now why would I choose Strongman?  It actually is a very easy choice.  The very short answer is that is combines all aspects of sports such as strength, endurance, balance flexibility, etc.  More to the point the, with regards to functionality, it doesn’t rely on barbells and dumbbells as much.  Strongman training included lifting odd shaped objects.  It requires you to be strong in awkward positions.  The is precisely what is required in many sports such as football.

There is one other very important benefit to Strongman training.  It is a very hard lesson that I learned many years ago.  I traveled to Kentucky to train with Clint Darden.  If you don’t know Clint he is now a professional strongman competitor living in Cyprus.  Anyway at the time  I was between powerlifting meets, and felt relatively strong.  I had always been curious about strongman training.  I played around flipping the tire, and a few other things.

Then it was time for me to learn my lesson.  We did the Yoke Walk.  And honestly I can’t remember the weight.  It was somewhere in the 500lb range, which at the time didn’t really concern me.  I picked up the weight cleanly, and started to walk.  No Big Deal.  However, the lesson I was about to learn is that you can only hold your breath for so long.  Once you have to have more air you lose all that tightness, and suddenly that 500lbs feels like 1000lbs.  With the strength of my core deflated my steps got choppy, and I only took a few more steps before I had to drop the weight.

[Tweet "Strongman teaches you how to be Strong and Breathe simultaneously."]

I think this is very valuable (functional) lesson for any athletes.  Neither the football player, nor the MMA fighter gets to wear their weight belt and hold their breath in their chosen sport.  They, like most athletes, have to generate power while breathing.  They have to be able generate maximum force from awkward angles.  This I believe is the very nature of functionality as it pertains to sports.

[Tweet "Strongman teaches you to do the best, with what you have, where you are."]

Now I am not suggesting that you scrap your entire training program, and become a strongman competitor.  Though, let’s be honest that would be pretty cool.  I am merely suggesting you look into the idea of supplementing your training with some strongman events.

The Most Functional Strongman Events

Farmers Walk

Tire Flip

Stone Loading

Farmers Walk- This is a staple of any strongman training.  As I mentioned in a previous article, loaded carries are considering by many to be the most beneficial movement patterns to athletes.  So whether you are doing farmers walk, carrying a keg or sandbag for distance; adding some form of loaded carry to your training will make you a better all around athlete.  And the fact that you are more than likely not doing them means that the initial gains will be rapid.

Tire Flip- This obviously is the most recognizable strongman event.  I personally think this is one of the best movements for athletes.  It mimics the power clean to some extent, while not requiring you to catch the weight.  It also allows you to achieve triple extension, much like the Olympic lifts.  And lets not forget the sheer coolness aspect of flipping a heavy ass tire.  That’s gotta count for something right?!

Stone Loading- This is one that many athletes may not have access to.  However, if you do have Atlas Stones available I urge you to take advantage of them.  Stone lifting is somewhat similar to the tire flip, except that they weight (stone) is supported by the forearms.  You have to bearhug the stone throughout the entirety of the lift.  And depending on the height of the platform you are lifting to it requires a great deal of flexibility, and again strength in awkward angles.

Obviously there are many other Strongman Events that could be considered very functional.  That is the nature of the sport.  I also like the fact that most strongman training is done outdoors.  I think that is a benefit if for nothing more than the megadose of Vitamin D that is included.  That is yet another negative effect of our sedentary indoor lifestyle.  We don’t spend enough time outdoors.  Yet again, strongman training can serve to remedy this issue.

Because of the lifestyles many of us lead, functional training has almost become a necessity.  We have to retrain ourselves to move optimally; when so much of our time is spent sitting at a desk.  I personally believe that if you want to increase athletic performance, restore some functional balance to your life, and just have some kick ass training sessions that you should implement some aspects of strongman training.  Who knows, you may enjoy the pain of strongman training so much that it becomes your new sport.  If that happens then by this time next year you will have probably grown an Epic Beard.  And it is a scientific fact Beards make your 10% Stronger and 25% Cooler.  Good Luck.

Find more information on: Mammoth Strength

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Chris Johnson Workout

Chris Johnson

5'1, 191 lbs of pure speed is what this ruuningback is and it's not just genetics but the Chris Johnson workout too.

Everyone wants to know the speed work that Chris Johnson does in hopes of running a 4.2 40 one day.  But did you know it's an overall balanced training routine that makes the man the speed machine he is?  It takes speed, explosiveness, quickness, strength and power to accumulate the attributes Chris has.

Let's take an actual look at the sample routine Chris follows by strength coach, Tom Shaw…

1 JAMMER

SETS: 2 (3 sets by end of offseason) REPS: 6-8

If a defender tries to tackle Chris up high, he can just stiff arm and push him off," Shaw says. The jammer simulates this move.

2 CURL

SETS: 3 REPS: 10

Doing curls while lying on your back, elbows on the ground, is tougher because you're not tempted to rock back with your knees.

3 SINGLE-LEG SQUAT

SETS: 3 REPS: 8

"Everyone has a weak side of their body," Shaw says. "You can see, oftentimes with the single-leg squat, that a guy can do 180 pounds on his strong leg, but only 140 on the other. We want to make sure Chris is balanced." Johnson sets up in a Smith machine and takes a lunge position. He bends his front knee until his thigh is parallel to the floor. He works up to six reps on each leg.

4 INCLINE BENCH WITH CHAIN

SETS: 4, 3 minute rest in between REPS: 8

"the thing with Chris, he doesn't want to come out of the game, he wants to play every play," Shaw says. "So this is a good workout for gaining 'muscle endurance.'" Adding chains improves your bench because it gives you momentum to move past your sticking point. Johnson works his way up to six reps, lifting 75% of his one-rep max.

5 VERTIMAX

SETS: 1 REPS: 10

While attached to resistance bands, Johnson sprints in place (using high knees) for 30 seconds. He also uses the Vertimax to do vertical jumps (taking a second between jumps) and alternating forward lunges. But Shaw stresses quality over quantity. "We never do more than 10 reps," Shaw says. "But we try to be explosive on every rep because it's only one set."

See more info on: Mammoth Strength

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Best Golf Exercises

So what are the best golf exercises for your golf workouts? Honestly, I hate the term "sport specific". So many of the things you see recommended for golf workouts are gimmicks. If you are serious about golf, then your workouts should be made up of solid exercise choices. Golfers are athletes, and should engage in regular strength training sessions. Golfers should work on the bigger muscle groups, using compound movements. Squats, Deadlifts, Benches, Military Presses should be staples of your golf workouts. Increasing you absolute strength will carry over to your strength on the course.

=>Long Drive Golf Workouts<=

Having said that, golf is a rotational sport. There are exercises for golfers that aren't necessarily sport specific, but will increase your rotational strength and speed.

Best Golf Exercises

Barbell Russian Twists

Medicine Ball Rotations

Tornado Ball

Barbell Russian Twists: To set this exercise up wedge one end of a barbell into the corner and get underneath the other end. Load the end that you are holding onto with a fairly light weight to start. With the barbell held in both hands, extend your arms out in front. Your hands should be at about eye level. From here, you're going to drop the bar towards one hip, keeping your arms extended and eyes straight ahead. The rotation should come from the upper spine, not the lower back, so focus on keeping your belly button straight ahead also. From the bottom position, rotate back to the starting position and then rotate to the other side.

Medicine Ball Rotational Throws: Using a medicine ball between 5-10lbs, take a shoulder width stance with your feet perpendicular to the wall. Hold the ball in both hands at waist level. Rotate shoulders, arms, trunk and head away from the wall as far as possible then immediately twist back the opposite direction and explosively throw the ball. Catch the ball as it bounces back, and repeat the motion. After doing 10-15 reps on one side, switch to the other side.

Tornado Ball: Basically a tornado ball is a medicine ball with a rope attached for doing rotational work. For instructions on how to make a tornado ball >CLICK HERE< Once you have your tornado ball, stand only a few inches away from a wall. Facing away from the wall, swing the ball to the right until it hits the wall. Instantly rotate in the opposite direction until the ball hits the wall. Do these in continuous motion, and do them for time. 30 secs is a good work interval.

BONUS: Slosh Pipe: A slosh pipe is simply a 9ft. piece of PVC, filled with 30-40lbs of water, and capped on both ends. Because the water only occupies half of the pipe it "sloshes" back and forth whenever you try to move it. This makes it a killer core workout. Simply holding a slosh pipe has been described as "like wrestling a snake". How to make a slosh pipe >CLICK HERE<

There you have it. A collection of great exercises for golfers. Add them to your golf workouts, and your strength and flexibility will dramatically improve. That improvement will have a direct carry over to the course in the form of greater swing speed and distance.

Read additional info on: www.mammothstrength.com