Bret Really Likes Big Butts.... The guy's tagline is "The Glute Guy"... He's popularized what is probably the best Glute-centric exercise, the Hip Thrust and it's variations (dumbbell, single leg, barbell). Word to the wise: If you're going to do Barbell Hip Thrusts, buy an Airex Pad or a Tampon Thick Bar Pad, your hips will thank you. He's previously written a 675 page book dedicated solely to the azzz....so obviously he has a lot to say about butts. Which is kinda awesome since the Glutes are the (arguably) the most important muscles of the body, for every-body... "the single nagging issue that prevents you from running like a well-oiled machine is … [Read more...]
Daily Preventative Maintenance
July 10, 2013 by
If You Only Had 10 Minutes a Day To Feel Better, What Would You Do? Let's get one things straight: the body ADAPTS to the loads applied. Stolen from http://acommondilemma.wordpress.com Do something---->Signal is Sent out----> Body Receives Signal and Reacts (Adapts) Sh@ just doesn't "happen"... Your tight spots, lack of range, sore spots etc have occurred, in large part, as a response to the signals YOU'VE sent out. True, genetics play a role, some people are naturally tighter. looser, have deep vs shallow hips sockets and all that. True, you could have had a traumatic/ culminating event....ie a car crash or fall etc, that caused change … [Read more...]
Tissue Tolerance: Why You’re Injured and How Not to Be.
July 2, 2013 by
Injuries happen,but they Don't have to. Stole this pic from www.vessports.com Fact is, eventually, you will get injured. If you're training hard, it's easy for something "freak" to happen, but the fact is these "freak" accidents usually are not all that "freak" and have a root cause. What this means is: YOU Could Have Prevented Your Injury. This isn't always the case. http://youtu.be/oR3N21Snnpg Not much you can do there, except not play the game. And that's usually the case with HARD TISSUE injuries. Most soft tissue injuries muscle, ligament, tendon, however, are preventable. This is especially true in the gym where we have control over the … [Read more...]
10 Sites For Fitness/ Training/ Awesomeness
June 27, 2013 by
Where do you get your Info? I get asked that just about EVERYDAY. So I figured I'd compile a list of the sites I visit just about everyday to have knowledge bombs dropped on my mind. *This is in NO WAY one of those Nut-Hugger, "50 top trainers", posts that people make because they need more site hits so they send it to one of the guys on the list who actually gets hits and puts a link to it on his next blog or newsletter. I could give 2 sh@ts about that, this is just a list of some of the places I go for info on the wild world that is the interwebzzz. 10. StrengthCoachPodcast.com The SC Podcast is 5 parts; really great information and 1 … [Read more...]
Doing it Better: Shoulder Pressing
June 25, 2013 by
You Probably Shouldn't be Overhead Pressing... Super Strong...but serious Lumbar Compensation here. I allow only about 10% of my clients to overhead press, and even then it's limited. That means 90% are foreboden from ever putting a weight over their head. Jim Wendler and Mark Rippetoe be damned. Fact is the vast, vast, vast majority of people I've trained should NOT overhead press for one or many of a variety of reasons: Lack of subacromial space. Poor humeral/ scapular rhythm (scapular depression). Poor Thoracic extension. In my experience most people (Not ALL, jackass) just can't overhead press correctly without grinding tissues down and creating … [Read more...]
Ribs Down! How Not to Hang Off the Low Back
June 20, 2013 by
"Ribs Down!" Back pain: Virtually Everyone has it in Some Form at Some Time Everyone. My upper back around the base of my neck hurts if I sit here and work on this blog for too long. My Lower back hurts if I stand for too long or sit (especially in my car) for a few consecutive hours. I know what you're thinking, "Holy Sh@t, Yoda hurts Too?" Yes, we ALL have default patterns and compensation patterns that have formed from them. One of mine is I "hang off the low back" sometimes, and when I do it for long enough, I get pain. Look, when you're training people, you're standing....A LOT, and it's easy to get into an "Extension" position and really crank on that … [Read more...]
Book Review: The Healthy Bodybuilder & Powerlifter
June 17, 2013 by
Dying to Win? Common misconception "normal people" have about bodybuilding and powerlifting: These activities are "good" for your health. Common misconception "normal people" have about bodybuilders and (some) powerlifters: They're the picture of perfect health. Basically it goes something like this: "Those guys are in such great shape, they workout all the time how could they have any health issues?" Here's how: "Bodybuilding is an extreme sport; it involves pushing human capacity to its absolute limit. As an extreme sport bodybuilding carries with it a certain amount of risk." - The Healthy Bodybuilder Both are extreme sports. One … [Read more...]
Ohh Sh@t, Vacation is Here…..Workout and Free E-Book.
June 11, 2013 by
This time of year I get LOTS of emails (and clients) that go like this, "I'm going away soon and I need to look better, what do I do?" First you need to get your diet in line, if it's not you're screwed. But I'm gonna assume that you're good already training hard, eating really well and you just need to "tighten up" some. Personally, I think these "This workout is great for this or that" posts blow. But, F-it...this is pretty much <----programs should be individualized, even if they're similar----> what I do with a female in this situation as a template. Keep in mind: This ain't gonna take you from worst to first, sorry, nothing is...it's just a … [Read more...]
