Went to a memorial service the other day for a co-worker's father. His name was Bob Hamilton and he was a World War 2 vet. They say 1,000 WWII vets are dying every day, which shows we are rapidly losing this great generation. The service was not sad, but rather a celebration of his life. Fittingly, he passed away on Father's Day.
When Bob was 40 he suffered a serious heart attack and was given just 8 years to live. In all likelihood, he has outlived the doctor who gave this premature death sentence. Did Bob live his life in worry, stressing that he only had a short time to live? Heck no. He lived a full life of service in many areas, which of course included the military during the thick of things, 1940-1945. He enjoyed many years of farming and travel and thanked God for his abilty to work and provide for his family.
Why am I posting this today? Because no one knows what their fate is. And for certain, no doctor can possibly predict someone's fate to that extent. That is why doctoring is known as a "practice" - they couldn't possibly know what is exactly happening in a person's body. Just the same, no trainer can piece together someone's physical history and know how their body had to adapt to a lifetime of injuries or imbalances. Or know what their genetic predisposition is. That's why one must use the Gym Movement protocol and listen to their body. Did Bob sometimes feel weak and flustered after working hard on his farm? I don't know. But I do know he lived 43 years LONGER than he was "supposed" to.
So while it is fine to read and research many different sources, realize that no one knows exactly what you need. That is, but YOU.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
Cleaning out the garage
After nearly six months of prep time (and 8 years since his passing), my dad's estate is finally online with K-Bid. Since he owned over 100 cars, it is not surprising that he had literally TONS of car parts and accessories. Most auctions are 1-2 pages at most, but this one hit 7 pages. Wow.
What does this have to do with training? Well, I used to be a collector like my dad. I bought every single book and DVD on training that I could get my hands on. I read several magazines every month. Online, I compared notes and comments on every training system there was. What did I get? A lot of confusion, that's what. Everyone was an expert, and all of them wanted to sell me something.
I grew up reading about the bodybuilding of Arnold and Bill Pearl. I also read a lot about powerlifting, which I really enjoyed and even competed a few times. But lifting only two days a week made me feel strong and slow; I was always tired and had no endurance. This led me to try kettlebells, and I must say they are wonderful tools. But after years of using their "high tension" model I began to break down. Injuries and the inability to improve my flexibility and mobility led me to Z Health. Joint mobility really helped my training injuries and lowered my tension level drastically. My gait improved and my left ankle that had been broken became very mobile and allowed me to get back into sports I had given up on, such as downhill skiing.
But going back to my roots, my heart was always into lifting weights. Even with all the joint mobility in the world and I still had not been breaking my personal lifting records. But I did set a PR with chiropractic visits. In fact, I was just about ready to quit lifting when Mike T Nelson led me to the Gym Movement protocol designed by Frankie Faires and championed by Adam T Glass. This protocol made me LISTEN to my body, not someone else. To be internally governed and externally guided. I have never felt better and my personal records are falling on a regular basis.
Back on task: I could go on and on about GM, but simply put I am done collecting. I am done listening to others. Yes, there are many ways to skin a cat, but actually using biofeedback and listeing to your body TRUMPS all other methods out there. Adam T simply said he is not trying to add to your "toolbox", rather to clean out the garage! And like getting the auction online, it is so darn rewarding when you have a clean slate and have a clear picture of where you are going.
Amen to that:)
What does this have to do with training? Well, I used to be a collector like my dad. I bought every single book and DVD on training that I could get my hands on. I read several magazines every month. Online, I compared notes and comments on every training system there was. What did I get? A lot of confusion, that's what. Everyone was an expert, and all of them wanted to sell me something.
I grew up reading about the bodybuilding of Arnold and Bill Pearl. I also read a lot about powerlifting, which I really enjoyed and even competed a few times. But lifting only two days a week made me feel strong and slow; I was always tired and had no endurance. This led me to try kettlebells, and I must say they are wonderful tools. But after years of using their "high tension" model I began to break down. Injuries and the inability to improve my flexibility and mobility led me to Z Health. Joint mobility really helped my training injuries and lowered my tension level drastically. My gait improved and my left ankle that had been broken became very mobile and allowed me to get back into sports I had given up on, such as downhill skiing.
But going back to my roots, my heart was always into lifting weights. Even with all the joint mobility in the world and I still had not been breaking my personal lifting records. But I did set a PR with chiropractic visits. In fact, I was just about ready to quit lifting when Mike T Nelson led me to the Gym Movement protocol designed by Frankie Faires and championed by Adam T Glass. This protocol made me LISTEN to my body, not someone else. To be internally governed and externally guided. I have never felt better and my personal records are falling on a regular basis.
Back on task: I could go on and on about GM, but simply put I am done collecting. I am done listening to others. Yes, there are many ways to skin a cat, but actually using biofeedback and listeing to your body TRUMPS all other methods out there. Adam T simply said he is not trying to add to your "toolbox", rather to clean out the garage! And like getting the auction online, it is so darn rewarding when you have a clean slate and have a clear picture of where you are going.
Amen to that:)
Monday, May 30, 2011
The anatomy of shoulder pain
Happy Memorial Day everyone! Hope you are enjoying your day off but at the same time being sure to pay homage to the ones who have passed on before us.
On a less serious note, I lifted today and continued my pursuit of healing a bothersome left shoulder injury. My last bench press session was in April and to my dismay the lift has not tested well since. The Gym Movement pain protocol is to find out what is not moving and get it to move. Some body parts need to be more rigid, while others need to become more elastic. For me, my shoulder feels a bit frozen so I know that my goal is to improve shoulder elasticity. My plan of action was to balance function and re-work the tissue, so working the hips was also a consideration.
At my next workout I did try to bench (my specific goal) and it tested poorly. So in my experimental stage I decided to hit the problem area with some direct shoulder work. I started with the barbell press. It tested well but I felt a twinge of pain when performing them. Barbells are more restrictive than dumbells so I moved to regular old dumbell presses. After a few workouts of basic two hand pronated pressing I decided to increase the load by trying see-saw walking dumbell pressess. This quickly broke me out of a slump as I was able to do nearly 50% more reps in the same amount of time! However, moving up in weight was not in the cards as of yet and after only a few workouts of this variety the pain began to get worse. Thinking the load was too heavy or my form was not as strict as it should be, I tried a couple workouts doing seated pressess. Changing the base of support like this can be a good option, and I even contemplated sitting on the floor and doing them. Maybe next time.
Onto standing alternating dumbell pressess with the left hand in a more nuetral position and the right hand in the regular pronated grip. This seemed to get me in the groove and enabled me to FEEL the movement and not the weight so much. Adam Glass says you should feel "nothing", just perform the movement. Not surprising, my shoulder got a little bit better. In fact, the shoulder pain seemed to move from my anterior deltoid to pain in my upper back, anatomically close to the infraspinatous muscle of the rotator cuff.
Sensing that the tissue was indeed moving, I finally tried to sneak in some bench pressing today. It did not test well, and neither did dips. Asymetric Pushups with my left arm higher than my head tested decent so I was able to get 48 reps in. While not a PR for pushups it was a PR in an asymetric position. I'll take it! I was also able to get 10 reps in the chin up with 25# tied to me. Again, not a PR but it is showing progress. Note that I have been sneaking in reverse lunges over this entire time frame, as hip extension is a key component to improving my shoulder flexion issues.
All in all, sometimes avoiding the movement all together for a while is the answer. Just look for ANY exercise that tests well and give it a go. It's all about experimentation. WHAT movement made my pain go away is much more important than WHY it worked - nobody really cares! I just want to be out of pain. Delving into the history of WHEN the pain started and HOW you go about your normal everyday activities are also important. I noted that I often slept with my head on my left shoulder, with my shoulder adducted and over my head. Driving in my car, I tended to put my left arm cross body on to the steering wheel. This helped cause the tissue to overcompensate in this area as Wolff's law states that tissue will be laid down along lines of stress. This can be either good or bad, but being this was done all one way it added up to pain and dysfunction. I will keep you posted as I attempt to rebalance my body out!
On a less serious note, I lifted today and continued my pursuit of healing a bothersome left shoulder injury. My last bench press session was in April and to my dismay the lift has not tested well since. The Gym Movement pain protocol is to find out what is not moving and get it to move. Some body parts need to be more rigid, while others need to become more elastic. For me, my shoulder feels a bit frozen so I know that my goal is to improve shoulder elasticity. My plan of action was to balance function and re-work the tissue, so working the hips was also a consideration.
At my next workout I did try to bench (my specific goal) and it tested poorly. So in my experimental stage I decided to hit the problem area with some direct shoulder work. I started with the barbell press. It tested well but I felt a twinge of pain when performing them. Barbells are more restrictive than dumbells so I moved to regular old dumbell presses. After a few workouts of basic two hand pronated pressing I decided to increase the load by trying see-saw walking dumbell pressess. This quickly broke me out of a slump as I was able to do nearly 50% more reps in the same amount of time! However, moving up in weight was not in the cards as of yet and after only a few workouts of this variety the pain began to get worse. Thinking the load was too heavy or my form was not as strict as it should be, I tried a couple workouts doing seated pressess. Changing the base of support like this can be a good option, and I even contemplated sitting on the floor and doing them. Maybe next time.
Onto standing alternating dumbell pressess with the left hand in a more nuetral position and the right hand in the regular pronated grip. This seemed to get me in the groove and enabled me to FEEL the movement and not the weight so much. Adam Glass says you should feel "nothing", just perform the movement. Not surprising, my shoulder got a little bit better. In fact, the shoulder pain seemed to move from my anterior deltoid to pain in my upper back, anatomically close to the infraspinatous muscle of the rotator cuff.
Sensing that the tissue was indeed moving, I finally tried to sneak in some bench pressing today. It did not test well, and neither did dips. Asymetric Pushups with my left arm higher than my head tested decent so I was able to get 48 reps in. While not a PR for pushups it was a PR in an asymetric position. I'll take it! I was also able to get 10 reps in the chin up with 25# tied to me. Again, not a PR but it is showing progress. Note that I have been sneaking in reverse lunges over this entire time frame, as hip extension is a key component to improving my shoulder flexion issues.
All in all, sometimes avoiding the movement all together for a while is the answer. Just look for ANY exercise that tests well and give it a go. It's all about experimentation. WHAT movement made my pain go away is much more important than WHY it worked - nobody really cares! I just want to be out of pain. Delving into the history of WHEN the pain started and HOW you go about your normal everyday activities are also important. I noted that I often slept with my head on my left shoulder, with my shoulder adducted and over my head. Driving in my car, I tended to put my left arm cross body on to the steering wheel. This helped cause the tissue to overcompensate in this area as Wolff's law states that tissue will be laid down along lines of stress. This can be either good or bad, but being this was done all one way it added up to pain and dysfunction. I will keep you posted as I attempt to rebalance my body out!
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Opening fishing versus Strongest hands
Greetings all,
Last Saturday May 14th was an awesome day for me as Adam Glass hosted a grip competition at the Movement Minneapolis. While a large number of people took off for up north to go fishing (in the cold, wet & windy weather) I was safely tucked away in a gym with 17 other grip enthusiasts. It's amazing how one group of people could be that cool! Seriously, the people who showed up were just super and very supportive.
My 5th place finish ended up like this: 775 points. THP – 117, gripper – 84, axle – 275, V Bar – 165, PBDL – 353, rim – 130, coin – 17.5, finger lift – 134, repetition pinch – 24, medley 11 out of 29. While these aren't world records by any means, the majority were PRs. My V Bar stunk for some reason, down 25# and my two hand pinch of 117 was quite a bit less than my gym PR of 134. But my gripper was up, my axle was 10pounds off my best but it went way smoother. My repetition pinch went from 13 to 24! The final event was the medley, which was awesome although I felt I did poorly. Lots to improve upon, but again, just a little better all the time.
Adam, as usual, smoked everyone in the meet and totaled "world class." The things he is doing at just over 200#s is utterly amazing. Check out his performance in the medley:
So bottom line, it just goes to prove this gym movement stuff is for real. My lifts keep improving overall. At the TSC in April I PR'd in DL (410) www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqEoA74TFyQ
and snatches (88). I also got 9 pullups even though I have been battling shoulder problems and did two pullup workouts over the last 4 months. Don't get greedy, listen to your body and you too will be rewarded.
Last Saturday May 14th was an awesome day for me as Adam Glass hosted a grip competition at the Movement Minneapolis. While a large number of people took off for up north to go fishing (in the cold, wet & windy weather) I was safely tucked away in a gym with 17 other grip enthusiasts. It's amazing how one group of people could be that cool! Seriously, the people who showed up were just super and very supportive.
My 5th place finish ended up like this: 775 points. THP – 117, gripper – 84, axle – 275, V Bar – 165, PBDL – 353, rim – 130, coin – 17.5, finger lift – 134, repetition pinch – 24, medley 11 out of 29. While these aren't world records by any means, the majority were PRs. My V Bar stunk for some reason, down 25# and my two hand pinch of 117 was quite a bit less than my gym PR of 134. But my gripper was up, my axle was 10pounds off my best but it went way smoother. My repetition pinch went from 13 to 24! The final event was the medley, which was awesome although I felt I did poorly. Lots to improve upon, but again, just a little better all the time.
Adam, as usual, smoked everyone in the meet and totaled "world class." The things he is doing at just over 200#s is utterly amazing. Check out his performance in the medley:
So bottom line, it just goes to prove this gym movement stuff is for real. My lifts keep improving overall. At the TSC in April I PR'd in DL (410) www.youtube.com/watch?v=YqEoA74TFyQ
and snatches (88). I also got 9 pullups even though I have been battling shoulder problems and did two pullup workouts over the last 4 months. Don't get greedy, listen to your body and you too will be rewarded.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Adam T Glass' new grip product "Industrial Strength Grip"
I need to tell you something right now. You have a huge hole on your fitness program; it's costing you pounds on your lifts and inches off your arms. This missing link is affecting your sports performance; your golf game, your bat control, your mat control and slows you down in everything you do. There is no need to leave anything on the table, the time to reclaim what is yours is now!
I'm talking about grip and wrist strength. When was the last time you trained your fingers, thumb, hands, and wrist? Oh and before you say you squeezed a tennis ball last week, I mean real grip training- pinch lifting plates, crushing grippers, thick handle work, levering, tearing, bending. The kind of training that builds thick steel tendons in the hands and dense muscle tissue throughout the entire lower arm. Haven't lately? I understand. Grip training has unfortunately become a lost science in the modern fitness world. It's not the easiest information to find, even now in the age of information. You see most trainers, even the very top fitness authorities just don't know that much about hand and wrist strength. To learn about hand and wrist strength I am going to send you to meet my friend Adam T Glass. Adam is a competitive grip athlete and performing strongman. He is kind of out there. He doesn't just lift weights like you and I, he bends steel bars with his hands, he rips decks of cards and phone books in half in a second. He twists horseshoes and lifts up hundreds of pounds with one finger. Adam owns the world record in the 2" vertical bar deadlift with a 353 lbs pull at a body weight of 204lbs. He has closed the Ironmind Captain of Crush #3 (for many reps) and bent the famous Ironmind Red Nail. Not only all of that, but Adam has been acknowledged not only for his hand and wrist strength, but also for his teaching skills. Look at your arms right now and imagine how they would look with an additional inch on them.
Adam has prepared several free videos for you on his page www.IndustrialStrengthGrip.com where he is going to teach you some things and inspire you to get started. Below is probably my favorite video of him tearing a phone book.....a whopping 7 full seconds!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6nHq46PhJ4&NR=1
Just an extra 5-10 minutes per workout and you can add inches to your arms. Go there and sign up, get the free videos, and get started.
=> http://www.industrialstrengthgrip.com/?AFFID=38886
I'm talking about grip and wrist strength. When was the last time you trained your fingers, thumb, hands, and wrist? Oh and before you say you squeezed a tennis ball last week, I mean real grip training- pinch lifting plates, crushing grippers, thick handle work, levering, tearing, bending. The kind of training that builds thick steel tendons in the hands and dense muscle tissue throughout the entire lower arm. Haven't lately? I understand. Grip training has unfortunately become a lost science in the modern fitness world. It's not the easiest information to find, even now in the age of information. You see most trainers, even the very top fitness authorities just don't know that much about hand and wrist strength. To learn about hand and wrist strength I am going to send you to meet my friend Adam T Glass. Adam is a competitive grip athlete and performing strongman. He is kind of out there. He doesn't just lift weights like you and I, he bends steel bars with his hands, he rips decks of cards and phone books in half in a second. He twists horseshoes and lifts up hundreds of pounds with one finger. Adam owns the world record in the 2" vertical bar deadlift with a 353 lbs pull at a body weight of 204lbs. He has closed the Ironmind Captain of Crush #3 (for many reps) and bent the famous Ironmind Red Nail. Not only all of that, but Adam has been acknowledged not only for his hand and wrist strength, but also for his teaching skills. Look at your arms right now and imagine how they would look with an additional inch on them.
Adam has prepared several free videos for you on his page www.IndustrialStrengthGrip.com where he is going to teach you some things and inspire you to get started. Below is probably my favorite video of him tearing a phone book.....a whopping 7 full seconds!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6nHq46PhJ4&NR=1
Just an extra 5-10 minutes per workout and you can add inches to your arms. Go there and sign up, get the free videos, and get started.
=> http://www.industrialstrengthgrip.com/?AFFID=38886
Saturday, September 4, 2010
How times have changed
Since my last post on July 21st, I cannot even begin to tell you how much my training has changed. After having a way too busy first half of the summer and struggling to make gains, Adam T Glass of Grip N Rip fame opened a gym 7 miles from my house on August 1st. The gym is appropriately named The Movement Minneapolis http://www.movementminneapolis.com/
Having ATG at your disposal results in phenomenal changes to your lifts and physique. In one month's time, my deadlift increased from 365 with a belt to 405 sans a belt! And the beauty of it all the next day I really wasn't that sore, and had no low back pain at all. How did I do this? By working in a variety of movements that tested well for me. The gym movement protocol says that all movements that test well are corrective exercise. Believe me, everyone needs some correction. Especially you desk jockeys stuck in your cube farm all day shortening your spine and tightening your hip flexors.
After the initial Gym Movement workshop I had to write up what I needed to do to reach my goals. Among the list of items included more bodyweight movements, including the animal frolics, bands, chains, sledgehammers et al. Lifting at a home gym is great, but you need more space to really do the things I needed. In short, I needed to work my parasympathetic system more - in other words my light duty and novel work. Not just lifting heavy in a single plane of motion.
I encourage anyone to stop down at the gym and check it out. You will see the results of the people that work out there - and that my friends is the only thing you are looking for...RESULTS.
Having ATG at your disposal results in phenomenal changes to your lifts and physique. In one month's time, my deadlift increased from 365 with a belt to 405 sans a belt! And the beauty of it all the next day I really wasn't that sore, and had no low back pain at all. How did I do this? By working in a variety of movements that tested well for me. The gym movement protocol says that all movements that test well are corrective exercise. Believe me, everyone needs some correction. Especially you desk jockeys stuck in your cube farm all day shortening your spine and tightening your hip flexors.
After the initial Gym Movement workshop I had to write up what I needed to do to reach my goals. Among the list of items included more bodyweight movements, including the animal frolics, bands, chains, sledgehammers et al. Lifting at a home gym is great, but you need more space to really do the things I needed. In short, I needed to work my parasympathetic system more - in other words my light duty and novel work. Not just lifting heavy in a single plane of motion.
I encourage anyone to stop down at the gym and check it out. You will see the results of the people that work out there - and that my friends is the only thing you are looking for...RESULTS.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Pain is not the answer
I got this video from a website I visit frequently. After watching this, I may never visit the site again! What a complete joke.....do enjoy it though!!!!!!!LOL
http://www.naturalnews.tv/v.asp?v=7E208362CF5BD3C1BCAB9ADCCED1629B
http://www.naturalnews.tv/v.asp?v=7E208362CF5BD3C1BCAB9ADCCED1629B
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