Be-More Training Blog

Training Seasons

2011-12-27T09:25:00.002-05:00

Just like you go through different seasons in life you go through different seasons in training as well. Goals will typically dictate how you are currently training but sometimes circumstances outside of your control will shape your training too.

Take age for an example; young man would and should train differently than an old man. Other factors outside of your control could be time constraints, work and family commitments, injury, or any number of other situations life could throw at your way. Let us be real, there are worse things than adjusting your training or missing a workout. The key is not to abandon your training altogether but to make the appropriate adjustments accordingly.

In my current situation, which is, new studio, new baby on the way, buying a new house, moving my wife and two kids, things are little bit hectic (to say the least). It's not that I don't have the time to train (a favorite excuse used by people who don't like to exercise) but it's not always at the top of my priority list these days. Don't get me wrong, training is a top priority of mine but making enough money to support my family and being there for them trumps a workout. Sometimes I find it hard to dedicate the solid hour that I'd like to on training. So here's what I've been doing...

As I sit here on the computer (work) I have already once gotten up to stretch and move around a bit (exercise). I plan to take another 5 minutes or so after I finish this paragraph. I think this time I'll do a few squats. What I've found is that although I might not have an unbroken 60 minutes to spend on some hard training, I can easily take 5-10 minutes a half dozen times a day to do *something*. "I don't have enough time" is never a valid excuse for someone who wants it bad enough. You see I know that exercise makes me a more productive person, a happier person, so I will not, I can not, ever, abandon it fully. It's something that I cannot do without.

[I actually did not make it through that paragraph without getting up and stretching again.]

Anyway, that's just the season I am in right now; an exercise or two sprinkled in throughout my work day. I get a full workout in when I have the time for it, and I miss the regular training schedule I once had, but I'm not going anywhere and neither is my desire to workout.

Another thing I've been dealing with which I have been hesitant to accept is injury. I've been going to physical therapy twice a week at www.evolutionsportspt.com. What started with some minor shoulder pain was exacerbated when I got rear-ended by a teenager on his cell phone. Now my entire right arm hurts! This has put a huge damper on my training and I am not happy about it. Very discouraging. There are many exercises I cannot do without pain. So, I do what I can. And most of the time when I do finally get an hour block to workout, I do my physical therapy exercises. It's not very exciting but I feel better when I do them and worse when I don't do them, yet I feel even worse when I try to work through the pain and do pull ups or bend steel when I am not supposed to. Oh well, just another season I am in.

I imagine once the baby is born and we're settled into our new house and I am out of pain, hard training will resume. I'll probably have some different goals by then and unless there are any other unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances, I am sure those goals will once again dictate my training. For now, I will continue to do what I can, when I can do it.

Training Seasons

2011-12-27T09:25:00.000-05:00

[I actually did not make it through that paragraph without getting up and stretching again.]

Strength Training for Cancer Patients

2011-11-21T17:28:00.006-05:00

Strength Training for Cancer Patients
by Liz Davies

Cancer patients suffer from many side effects from their treatment. Physical side effects include nausea, vomiting, fatigue, anemia, muscle and bone density loss. Anxiety, fear and depression are emotional side effects that patients often encounter. This is true whether patients are dealing with a cancer with a typically low survival rate like mesothelioma or a cancer with a typically high survival rate like testicular cancer.

A way to significantly counteract these symptoms is to maintain a healthy lifestyle that includes exercise. Many times in cancer rehabilitation programs there is a focus on aerobic training and strength training is often ignored. In the past doctors advised cancer patients to work out at a lower intensity than their normal level of activity so therefore any type of strength training were excluded in the recommended programs.

It is still advised that patients proceed with a supervised program but high-intensity weight lifting has show to be extremely beneficial. Cancer patients suffer from muscle loss and this type of training improves muscle power and cardiopulmonary function. These benefits are especially important for cancer patients.

It is important to find a way to keep all muscles and joints in use throughout the entire treatment process and strength training is an important tool to keep at hand. Weight lifting, resistance training and isometric training are all types of strength training that are helpful. The intensity of strength training depends on the individual. It may be appropriate for one patient’s exercise routine to include carrying the groceries inside while another person would benefit from kettlebell exercises.

Patients who regularly use strength training as a means of exercise will be able to retain tissue that are usually lost during cancer treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation and their health will profit in the long term.

Liz Davies is a graduate from University of Central Florida and health and wellness writer. She wants to make a difference in people’s lives because she sees how cancer has devastated so many people in this world. Liz enjoys running, playing lacrosse, reading and playing with her dog, April.

Why Lift Kettlebells?

2011-10-14T13:06:00.002-04:00

Seriously, that's a good enough reason for me, but for those people who are looking for practical reasons to lift kettlebells, here's a few off of the top of my head:

Kettlebells develop all around fitness. Whether you are looking to build muscle or burn fat, get stronger or better conditioned, the answer is YES. I could go into all of the nitty-gritty details but its easier to say kettlebell training is both strength and cardiovascular work.

Kettlebells are fun. If you've lifted kettlebells before you know this, but then if you have lifted them you wouldn't be reading an article on "why lift kettlebells"? You already know that kettlebells provide an array of exercises for the full body in a dynamic, fast paced, fashion.

Kettlebells are convenient. A single piece of equipment that takes up virtually no space and you can do endless exercises with them. You should have a kettlebell sitting by every television in your house so you can do swings during commercial breaks.

Kettlebells are efficient. This goes back to the all around fitness thing, but you don't need daily hour long sessions to get a good workout in. 20 minutes is more than enough if you're training properly.

Kettlebells are portable. No more missed workouts because you're traveling. Need a change of scenery, no problem! Feel like training outside today, pick your place (I like the beach).

I could go on but I just remembered I already wrote this article like 5 years ago. I thought all this sounded familiar... Why Lift Kettlebells?

Art & Strength Grand Opening

2011-10-14T12:34:00.004-04:00

Announcing the Grand Opening of Art & Strength - Where Strength is an Art Form

Where: 4115 Wholesale Club dr, Baltimore, MD, 21236.
When: Saturday, October 15 from 12-4pm
What: Amazing performances, food, drink, raffle & free stuff

Coming Soon...

2011-09-05T22:07:00.001-04:00

Got Motivation?

2011-06-20T15:52:00.007-04:00

Kyle Maynard, author of the book, “No Excuses” competes in the 2010 Crossfit Games. Kyle was born with a congenital amputation that affected both his arms and legs. To read more about Kyle’s incredible story, visit his website at www.kyle-maynard.com

I realized long ago that you HAVE to workout. The alternative is not acceptable. You can make effort to get stronger or you WILL get fat, weak and sick. Once I understood this obvious truth, motivation has never been something I struggled with.

Of course there are times when energy levels lag, stress peaks and life in general just takes priority but for every reason to take time away from your exercise routine there are at least two reasons to do something. That is not to say that you should never take time off, you should – and a week off every few months will do you more good than harm – but you should never get out of the habit of exercising.

Have you ever noticed how you feel better on the days you workout? Find that you are more energetic? Creative? The immediate benefits of exercise are unmistakable! Everything is better when you are primed physically – you’re a more productive employee, a more patient parent, you get more restful sleep - and these are just the things that happen the day of! Once you start to string a few of these days into weeks, months and years; you’re a totally different person before long. The thought of not feeling this way is something you don’t want. Motivation is no longer an issue. You might as well consider training as part of your job (a job that pays well and you really like!).

Though if you start to experience the opposite – less energy, lower libido, impatience, and/or problems sleeping – you could be overtraining. Sometimes your motivation and your best intentions can turn against you. There are times when rolling over and going back to bed is the best thing you can do for your training. That’s why it’s important to learn to listen to your body and take scheduled times off. More often than not that extra recovery time will replenish your energy stores and renew your motivation. Expect a good workout and few personal records when you come back.

York Barbell Strength Festival

2011-05-08T22:33:00.001-04:00

On May 21, 2011 there will be a Strength Festival at York Barbell Museum and USA Weightlifting Hall of Fame in York, PA. There is a full schedule with the main events being a Kettlebells for Warriors workshop (all proceeds benefit the Wounded Warrior Project) and two inductions into the Hall of Fame. Joseph Greenstein (aka The Mighty Atom) and Slim "The Hammerman" Farman will be inducted. I have the honor to be performing a strongman show for their induction. My show and the induction will take place during the lunch hour.

Also on the agenda is a USAWA "chain lift" competition and "record breakers" event. There will be martial arts demonstrations, a weightlifting exhibition, Crossfit workouts, grip games, strongman toys, stuff for the kids and a raffle worth thousands of dollars in products and services. All four branches of the US military will be there with a speech being delivered by one of our wounded veterans.

This event is going to be big! Last year's event brought in over $5000 for the Wounded Warrior Project and this years event is expected to double, even triple that.

I hope to see you there!

-Dan

Spring Forward

2011-05-02T11:26:00.001-04:00

A few weeks ago, on one of those unusually warm February days, my brother in-law and I drove past an obese woman jogging on the side of the road. I commented, “That’s awesome.” Apparently, he thought I was making fun of her, as he replied, “Hey, at least she’s trying.”

“No, I’m serious, it’s awesome. It brings me great joy to see fat people running. She won’t be fat for long if she keeps that up!” was my exact response.

It’s officially spring and this is a time when chubby suburbanites all across the country flood the streets and the gyms to shed off their winter weight in preparation for summer. And you know what? It’s a beautiful thing.

I think seasonal exercise habits are a great idea! If you remember last winter I recommended a muscle building phase to coincide with your holiday eating schedule. It makes sense; more muscle requires more calories, and increased calories usually means an increased waistline. So you put a little flab on over the winter – so what?! That’s a small price to pay for enjoying a little holiday gluttony with your family.

But now, the weather is warming up and the clothes are coming off. If your butt is bigger than it was the last time you had shorts on, I hope that’s because you’ve been squatting heavy the last couple months and you have well developed glutes. If so, it’ll be that much easier to shed your winter coat and your legs will be that much stronger to do what I’m about to recommend… and that is to get out and run!

No gyms, no machines, no non-sense; just you and a pair of running shoes (I recommend www.vibramfivefingers.com) out in the fresh air. Run your neighborhood, hit the trails or find a good hill to do sprints on. No experience necessary. Just go out and enjoy the weather and be thankful that you can run.

Like anything else, start off gradually. Try to establish a habit of running before you attempt to break any records. As soon as you find yourself in a routine, I’d recommend that you start trying to run faster, at least on occasion. Sprints and high intensity intervals. There are many additional benefits associated with higher intensity (increased metabolism, better muscle building, improved work capacity, etc) and by keeping your heart rate elevated you can reap all of the aerobic benefits of longer duration steady-state exercise as well.

Strength Training and Muscle Building

2011-03-07T08:44:00.003-05:00

“Strength is absolute. It’s unequivocal, you either have it or you don’t. You can call upon it and use it or you cannot.”
-Dr. Ken Leistner

Let’s get one thing straight – strength is always a good thing. Getting stronger is like putting money in the bank, and like money, you can never have too much strength. If you have strength, you will find a time to use it, if you don’t have strength, you will find a time you wish you did.

Everybody should be doing some form of strength training. If you are not making an effort to strengthen your body, you will get weaker. Even children learning to walk are on a progressive strength training journey; from crawling, to walking, to running and jumping – kids get stronger. In healthy older adults, the only thing that separates them physically is their muscle and strength; posture, frailty, energy levels and ultimately their ability to live independently are all largely based on strength. Assuming you fall somewhere in between child and senior, you should be training for strength as well, if for no other reason than you’re going to be old one day too! It’s in your best interest to enter into the golden years with some muscle and strength because it’s going to be on a rapid decline after you get into your 50’s.

Muscle building is a little bit different than strength training; bigger muscles doesn’t necessarily mean stronger muscles, and getting stronger doesn’t necessarily mean getting bigger. The actual size of a muscle has a lot more to do with non-contractile properties than it does functional strength, and building bigger muscles has a lot more to do with the individual and the way they eat than it does their training alone.

Generally speaking, muscle building requires a high calorie, high protein diet with a heavy dose of the male hormone testosterone. The more testosterone you have the more potential you have for muscle building. Women, children and older men will find it very difficult to build muscle. Years of hard training and an animal like appetite is what it takes for the average man with good genetics to build significant muscle, so ladies need not be concerned about “bulking up.”

Unfortunately many women are still under the impression that lifting weights will cause them to “bulk up” and they miss the incredible benefits of strength training. Somewhere along the line the idea of “toning” came into vogue which focused on “shaping” a muscle instead of building it and making it stronger. Understand that you cannot shape a muscle other than making it bigger and to “tone” you need more muscle AND less fat. High repetition, light weight, low intensity training is an ineffective way to do either.

Take a look at the picture below. All of these women are professional athletes and with the exception of the bodybuilder and the long distance runner (neither the “toned” look most women are after), they all have similar levels of bodyfat. With that in mind, the only difference in “tone” is the amount of muscle they have. The weightlifter, Tara Nott, though certainly muscled, is not as big as the bodybuilder but she is much stronger. She’s the only American to win a gold medal in Olympic weightlifting in the last 50 years and she can lift 220lbs overhead. You can imagine how many years of hard and heavy training she put in at the US Olympic training center to build the muscle she has. It did not come over night, in a couple months or even a year. Tara has been lifting limit weights for over a decade. The bodybuilder, Kim Chizovsky, has been lifting weights for a similar time period but competes in a sport where anabolic steroids (read: testosterone) are not tested for. It’s safe to say that it’s “unnatural” for a woman to build so much muscle.

The take home message here is that muscle and strength is not built easy. It takes long hard hours in the gym over a period of years to build either, and the training and dietary regimen is totally different. It’s good to be strong – it makes you harder to kill (all cause mortality). Tone is the absence of fat and the presence of muscle in a relaxed state, and bulking up is not something women should worry about.

“Here’s an amazing photomontage that appeared in the unfortunately short-lived Sports Illustrated for Women many years ago. It features a selection of female Olympic athletes from different sports. That’s right — Olympic athletes. You can’t really be in much better shape than this. I think it speaks for itself.” – Mistress Krista of stumptous.com
(Click the picture to be directed to Krista’s article “Why Don’t You Look Like a Fitness Model”)

Resolution Dissolution

2011-02-02T13:45:00.008-05:00

It’s February and by now something like 80% of New Years Resolutions have already been broken. I’ve never seen any specific survey results but I’m sure many of these were diet and exercise resolutions that fell short. It’s too bad, and I feel for the people who are really trying to make a difference (although I’d argue that if you didn’t even make it a month you’re not trying hard enough). Habits can be hard to break and lifestyle changes are difficult for many people to make on their own. Of course, a lot of it comes down to how bad you want it. I have little sympathy for the people whose only effort at making change is lip service. Exercise is a participatory activity - you have to get out there and “do” it. Same thing with your diet – don’t cry the blues on your way home from McDonalds – I don’t want to hear it! Either you are ready to take control over your health or you aren’t.

Yet still there are others who are ready to take control but just aren’t sure what to do. With all of the information out there, all of the gadgets, all of the programs and all of the people out there trying to make a buck, it’s not hard to see how folks are being led in the wrong direction. I bet a lot of those broken resolutions are because of a lack of results. Let’s get real though, 4 weeks is hardly enough time to see changes in body composition, and I know that’s what most people are looking for. You’d really need to work hard to see results in 4 weeks and the reality is that most people don’t LIKE to train hard, don’t know HOW to train hard or don’t know they HAVE to train hard.

Look at any new fitness gadget that hits the shelves at Wal-Mart or makes a debut on late-night infomercials. Almost without exception, they are designed to make exercise easier or more comfortable. This is aiming at people’s natural desire to take the path of least resistance, but this is also aiming in the wrong direction! Training is about making progress! This is why people lift heavier weights and run longer distances. It’s about stepping outside of your comfort zone and making things harder, not easier!

Getting fit is a very simple process but it is anything but easy. You should be skeptical of anyone claiming otherwise (although eating right actually IS pretty easy). Much of training is really just common sense and the need for progressive resistance is not that hard to figure out. The hard part is committing yourself to progression and make a habit out of pushing your limits.

“The three great essentials to achieve anything worth while are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense."

- Thomas Edison

Progressive Pulls Workout

2010-10-12T09:53:00.000-04:00

This was a good workout. Not the heaviest lifting I've done but I feel pretty good about my form. I originally edited this video to look at my pulling technique and how it changed with different exercises and as the weight got heavier. Once I put it all together I just had to put a title and some music to it.

I haven't lifted like this in over a year. Just didn't have any desire. I had other things I was focusing on. Now, I've got a goal to deadlift 600 on December 31, 2010 and I am totally fired up about doing heavy barbell work again.

Whether or not you are into posting your workouts on the internet, I highly encourage you to video yourself so you can analyze your form, especially on the more technical exercises. You can also ask others who know more than you do to have a look as well. Master RKC Geoff Neupert was kind enough to point out that I was leaking power in my snatches. Notice how my back rounds as the bar leaves the floor. That's something I missed; I was just happy that I was getting full extension and not bending my arms early (something I've had problems with in the past).

As always, I've got some things to work on. I've been practicing the quick lifts on and off for nearly 10 years now and I still have haven't mastered them. Maybe I never will? That's OK, I enjoy working on it and I get stronger in the process.

The 100 Rep Test

2010-09-09T12:19:00.006-04:00

"100 REP Challenge is the Simple Strength practice of performing 100 Reps everyday. It's up to you what exercises you use and how you divide the reps. The only thing that matters is you get your 100 reps, no matter how, no matter what, everyday!"

Taken from Rannoch Donald's "The 100 Rep Challenge" Facebook page

I don't know about everyday, but I do know about the 100 rep challenge, or the "100 rep test" as I like to call them.

What's so special about 100 reps? Nothing, other than it's a three-digit number. It's not much different than 10 or 1000. Who cares? Do whatever you want. Just be sure you time it and seek to improve - that's what makes it a 100 rep test.

There are all kinds of 100 rep tests. The Marines do 100 sit ups in 2 minutes, the RKC does 100 snatches in 5 minutes, random guys in their basement are doing 100 push ups as fast as they can.

Sometimes the goal isn't even in reps but in weight. 100lbs can be a milestone lift of any exercise for any person who follows the United States customary system (English units). There were oldtime strongmen who used to make their students do 100lb turkish getups before they were allowed to do any other exercise!

100lbs in the turkish get up is not that big a deal to an intermediate lifter of average build (which I suppose is why the oldtime strongmen required them). I've been doing 100lb TGU's for years now. Also, for years, I've been hearing about people doing 100 REPS in the TGU. Certainly not as popular is the 100 rep TGU. Everytime I heard anything about that kind of volume I rolled my eyes. I had absolutely NO interest in doing that and could only imagine how boring that would be.

I could only imagine. I had no first hand knowledge because I lacked the experience. Yes, I was ignorant.

Nothing wrong with being ignorant so long as you eventually move out of it. Without getting too philosophical, the more you learn and the more you do the better, right?

Well today I learned what it was like to do 100 reps in the turkish get up. I did 100 reps with the 16kg in 44 minutes. Which doesn't matter at all because nobody cares. There's no military agency or fitness organization testing peoples ability to do 100 turkish get ups. Except me. I'm the random guy in the basement and I'm the only one who knows what it was like to do that workout.

I'm willing to bet you don't know what it's like to do 100 reps in the TGU. You're probably like I was, ignorant. You're either thinking, 1) "What's a turkish get up?" 2) "Not worth my time" or 3) "No way, it's too hard!"

Here's a tip: it is worth your time and it is hard!

If you have done it, congratulations! You basically did 100 sit ups, 100 bridges, 100 lunges and 100 presses - a good workout by anyone's standard! Lots of individual exercises make up the TGU and stringing them together into one balanced and fluid movement is what makes them special.

I've honestly never been a much of a fan of TGU's. It's one of those exercises that I know is good for me and even though it offers a lot of benefits, I've never been excited about doing them. I can't say this workout has changed that. If anything, I probably dislike them even more. I do however have a new appreciation for them. I have new insight. I have learned something, if you will. I have learned that this is a VERY difficult workout and once again reinforced that the "100 rep test" can be a great workout, warm up or finisher. It all depends on the difficulty of the exercise that determines if you should do 10, 100 or 1000.

Overhead, off the ground and carried

2010-07-15T13:02:00.005-04:00

Hi everybody,

I just wanted to do a quick post about this last training week.

Saturday I did a strongman show at York Barbell for the Kettlebells for Warriors event (a great event put on by Mike Krivka ) and came home with bunch of cool new training tools!

150lb pressing stone, two 50lb chains and two 25lb chains. I got a few more things that I'll save for another time. Lets talk about rocks and chains!

After the show, and before we went out for my birthday dinner at Fogo de Chao, I had to hit a quick workout. NO WAY am I going to miss the opportunity to precede a red meat buffet with a good workout!

It took me three attempts to press the rock but in about 10 minutes I did 3 sets of 3 and went in for a single set of deadlifts at 245 x 20. Cleaned up and had a huge feast with good friends!

On Tuesday I was dying to do something with the chains. Once again, I was a little pressed for time so I simply slung the 50lb chains (100lbs) over my shoulders and went for a walk. I walked to the closest hill I knew of and walked up, down and around a graveyard. I'd estimate about a mile in 15 minutes. I felt pretty good the rest of the day.

Today I had a little more time and did a workout I've done many times before.

Overhead press
Pull up
Farmers Walk finisher

I used a ladder format for the presses & pulls.

2, 3, 5 reps each set and matching every press with a pull up.

Example:
2 reps press, 2 pull ups, 3 reps press, 3 pull ups, 5 reps press, 5 pull ups. Repeat 5 times.
Beast farmers walk (106 per hand) for 1/4 mile in 7:45.

Great workout! Picked some berries out of the garden and made a protein shake.

It just goes to show you that you don't need a lot of time or anything too complicated to get some good training in. I pressed and pulled twice this week, and I did two carries.

I hope your training is going well and that you are enjoying the summer!

-Dan

The 3 Step Get Up

2010-07-08T15:54:00.002-04:00

40kg Turkish Get Up

2010-06-12T16:26:00.000-04:00

How Grip Training Could Save Your Life

2010-05-27T12:20:00.001-04:00

Every exercise program should contain some element of grip training. With a few simple exercises and 5 minutes of your total workout time, you could strengthen your hands exponentially. You can be far stronger than you probably think is possible in such a short amount of time. Motor learning, neural processes and muscle recruitment play a much larger role in hand strength than training time, muscle size, age or gender. I will discuss those things in a future article. The most compelling argument there is to train your grip is the simple fact that your life could depend on it.

In the countless ways there are for people to check out, I can think of at least a few that could be prevented with stronger hands.

Being attacked by another human being. This is actually why I started exercising in the first place. My dad is a martial artist and holds advanced degree blackbelts in several disciplines. You can bet I was taught how to fight and defend myself. As long as I can remember we’ve had free weights, punching bags and grippers laying around the house. Hitting back was encouraged, as was protecting your little brother and your lunch money.

The unfortunate reality is that there are people out there that may try to harm you and/or your loved ones. Having strong hands will help you to protect yourself, your belongings and those around you.

Think of the role of the hands in self defensive situation. Someone grabs you, tries to steal your purse, jack your car, threatens your child, attacks your friend, whatever; your reaction will probably involve a hand-to-attacker maneuver hopefully thwarting any negative outcome to you and yours. There has been at least two occasions in my adult life where by simply squeezing someones neck I defused an attack (there are also other places that are vulnerable to squeezing, however specifics escape me at the moment). Once was when my soon-to-be wife’s jealous ex-boyfriend charged me, and another was when a drunk started a fight with my friend outside of a pizza shop. On both accounts, I was forced to react to a situation that I did nothing to provoke and in no way could have prevented. I am proud that I “won the fight” but sorry that the situation occurred in the first place. It’s not likely that either encounter was a life or death situation, but you never know. The point is, it was the strength of my hand that stopped the attack.

Being attacked by an animal. Long gone are the days we had to wrestle saber tooth tigers, but everyone knows someone that was bitten by a dog. Strong hands are of little match for a set of sharp teeth, but you could wield a bigger weapon with a pair of mightier mitts. The difference between shaking a stick and swinging a bat could be the difference between life or limb against a rabid dog off his leash.

Natural disaster. Tsunami in Indonesia, hurricane in New Orleans, earthquake in Haiti, flooding in Nashville; did anyone who survived do so simply by “hanging on”? Probably. I don’t know of any specific stories but I know better climbing, holding, digging or swimming could only be a good thing in such a situation. My thoughts and prayers go out to those families who lost loved ones in those tragic events.

Military/Police/Fire/Rescue. You know what your job entails better than I do. No need to say any more.

In my opinion, there really is no other better reason to be strong than someones life may depend on it, which is why this article is first in this series. In the few minutes it takes to squeeze a gripper and do a set or two of wrist curls, it’s in your best interest to train your grip.

In the next article, How Stronger Hands Means a Stronger Body.

Kettlebell Classes start this week!!!

2010-04-28T21:33:00.000-04:00

I will be running 3 classes per week this year:

M&W @ 6:30pm (Honeygo Run Park)
Sat @ 1pm (Belmont Park).

Classes begin this Saturday (May 1) for a two week trial.

10 weeks
once weekly - $150
twice weekly - $280
unlimited - $390

20 weeks
once weekly - $280
twice weekly - $520
unlimited - $720

Drop in class - $20

Muscle Control

2010-04-28T21:29:00.002-04:00

I recently took a 16 week hiatus from lifting weights. Due to a number of lifestyle changes and re-prioritizing of training goals, it became necessary for me to stop lifting. For approximately 4 months, I did little more than grip work and muscle control practice. When I returned to heavy lifting, I came back stronger. The following is my thoughts and experiences with Muscle Control.

What is Muscle Control?

Muscle Control (MC) is the targeted action of specific muscles that are under your voluntary control. It is a series of isolated contractions usually performed as an isometric. In other words, it is the ability to flex individual muscles while keeping others relaxed.

My first introduction to Muscle Control (MC) was when I stumbled across a picture of someone performing “the rope” an abdominal control where a stomach vacuum is held while the rectus abs (6 pack) is contracted. I was amazed that someone could differentiate between abdominal muscles and control them independently from one another. I had never seen any such thing and thought the guy performing it to be some “freak of nature.”

That picture led me to a book entitled Muscle Control by a guy named Maxick. The quick and dirty on Maxick is that he was born in 1882 as a sickly child who was so weak he was unable to walk until the age of 5. Under the advice of the doctor and the enforcement of his parents, he spent most of his youth avoiding anything strenuous. In his desire to become stronger he crafted himself a dumbbell, which when his father found, he destroyed, not wanting his son to overexert himself. It was then when Maxick began developing his system of MC. For more information on Maxick or MC visit www.superstrengthbooks.com

MC is simply communication with muscles. You have two commands you can give them, contract or relax, and these commands are equally as important. Every author of MC has stressed themes of relaxation.

Relaxation

“Relaxation is just as important as contraction, for unless a muscle be supple enough to lie soft when relaxed, real control is out of the question. This applies not only to the particular muscle, but to those surrounding, or those muscles which come into direct contact with, and are governed to a certain extent by, the said muscle. The control of the surround muscle will in turn be hindered by the proximity of a muscle group that will not absolutely relax.” -Maxick

“Directly related to muscle control is the ability to completely relax a muscle or groups of muscles. This is also an acquired skill. Learning to relax certain muscle groups can improve performance in sports where speed is essential.” -Jubinville

Most people who are reading this are familiar with the Hardstyle philosophy, irradiation and other similar concepts of tension. Terms like “dormant flexion” and “passive relaxation” might seem to be in direct opposition to the idea that “tension equals strength” but lets take a deeper look into tension before we overlook the importance of relaxation in the development of strength.

Dr. Mel Siff talks about “non-functional muscle tension,” “spurious tension” and “coordination tension.“ Granted, he was speaking mainly on the topic of flexibility, but in Supertraining he says, “The level of proficiency of the athlete has a marked influence on the reflex ability to of the muscles to contract and relax. Rapidity of both contraction and relaxation increases with level of mastery, with a decrease in relaxation time becoming especially evident.” He then goes on to cite some data from Matveyev, if you’re interested it’s on page 186.

Pavel talked about the bilateral deficit in Return of the Kettlebell stating, “You have only so much neural drive or “nerve force” and when you have to spread it out over two limbs it does not go as far.” The same thing goes for two muscles as it does for two limbs. When you focus your neural drive on a single muscle it allows you to contract that muscle harder than if your attention was spread out over a group of muscles.

Here is a simple test. Most people can contract their biceps to the point of cramping. Can you still that with braced abs, tightly squeezed glutes and a white knuckle fist?

Without relaxing the muscles nearby the one you are contracting, you are hindering the contraction of the working muscle. And by contracting one muscle at a time, you are establishing greater ability to control that muscle.

Isolation
I have found that by gaining control over individual muscles in isolation, I in turn have better control over those muscles when contracting them with a group of muscles, be it in a lift or whatever.

The saying, “press with your lats” means to contract an antagonist muscle while you are pressing. It does not take a scientist to figure that it would be easier to contract your lats if you did not have to worry about pressing a weight overhead. Learning to better control the lats, could only lead to an increased ability to “press with your lats” assuming that technique was helpful to you to begin with. Either way, it’s best to either learn to chew gum or walk first, but not both at the same time.

Of course, the practice of isolating the muscles during MC does little good for your real world strength unless you are devoting equal attention to all of your muscles.

Here is another test. Can you contract the biceps of your leg as tightly as the one of your arm? If not, you do not exhibit the control over your leg to the degree you do over your arm. Therefore you cannot expect to contract the leg biceps as strongly when you do finally integrate it into a compound movement.

It is mentally and physically easier to contract one muscle at a time than it is to contract them in groups. It just takes a little thought practice before you can differentiate them.

Movements or muscles or mind?

I am no longer sure about the now cliche saying, “Your body knows movements not muscles.” I see no reason that you cannot know both. I understand why people say that, to encourage new trainees to think in terms of movements instead of bodypart muscle building, but if movements are a skill, that makes both muscular contractions and the neural counterpart that drives it a skill as well.

I have always been impressed by Pat “Human Vise” Povilaitis ability to close two #3 grippers simultaneously (actually, I am impressed by pretty much anything that Pat does but that is just one example). Pat is one of the strongest men alive and arguably the best steel bender in history. If you have ever seen him bend the look of concentration he has is scary! There is no question that his laser-like focus is at least part of the reason Pat is able to do the things he does.

Take note that “focus” and “concentration” are products of thought or mental effort. Another theme frequently written about in MC is “thinking into the muscle.” Unlike resistance training where a trainee could “go through the motions” while paying little attention to what he is actually doing, the practice of MC is impossible without constant uninterrupted thought, or concentration.

This is a trait that can and will be developed with MC.

With heightened levels of concentration, better body awareness and finer control over individual muscles, you are destined to become stronger.

Conclusion

I am stronger for practicing muscle control. After my 16 weeks off from weight training, I closed a gripper I had never shut before, I PR’d on a 5 minute snatch test and I deadlifted heavier than I did at the end of my previous cycle.

These are not results that I expected. Needless to say I am pleasantly surprised at what I have found and have begun further experiments into MC.

Harvard looks at barefoot running

2010-02-16T08:58:00.003-05:00

Finally some progress on the scientific side of barefoot running...

http://barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu/index.html

Muscle Control with Hinbern

2010-02-12T14:57:00.002-05:00

I just received these books/courses on Muscle Control in the mail from Bill Hinbern...

http://www.superstrengthtraining.com/muscle_control.html

If you look around the site a bit, you will see that Bill is a publisher of old, out-of-print books.

There is a wealth of information written in Iron Game history! We are lucky to live in a time where classic publications such as these are as available as the latest research in exercise science.

Personally, even though my degree is in exercise science, I have found much more practical information in books that were written before any science of exercise took place.

Muscle Control with Strongerman

2010-02-11T09:25:00.002-05:00

If you got a chance to listen in to Bud Jeffries interview with Pavel on strongerman.com this week you heard some interesting conversation based on a question I posed to Pavel about muscle control. If you are unfamiliar with muscle control, here's a clip of some very advanced abdominal control...

This is something I've been working on lately. In part out of interest, and in part out of necessity. In the last few weeks, I've been short on both time and energy to put into training. Muscle control and isometric exercise has been a convenient way for me to stay active. Shoveling snow (which we have about 36" of right now) keeps me active too, but I wouldn't say that it's convenient.

Anyway, I am being featured on the Strongerman teleseminar next week and I'd like to talk more about muscle control. Logan Christopher, the man behind the scenes at strongerman.com, has some experience with muscle control too and I'm looking forward to continuing the discussion. For details on the tele-seminar (it will be Tuesday Feb 16 @ 8pm EST) go to http://www.strongerman.com/dancenidoza/ and to check out Logan and some of his feats go to http://www.legendarystrength.com/

Meet the Natives

2009-12-14T20:56:00.004-05:00

Last night I watched a few episodes of the Travel Channel's "Meet the Natives". This is a reality show I can get in to! I found it to be very entertaining and I think we could learn a lot from these natives.

The show is about 5 natives from the south pacific island of Tanna who come to America to spread their message of peace & happiness. As you can see in the picture, these guys are "deep country" natives -- no electricity, no running water, I'm not sure if they even have a written language! Anyway, these native ambassadors stay with a host family in 5 different cities for a week each. Talk about a culture shock! The first episode takes the men to Montana where they experience the life of a "cowboy."

It's interesting to see how these natives react to the ways of a western cattle ranch. (Keep in mind that these guys come from a hunter and gatherer society on an island that is 12 miles wide.) After they get over the vastness of this Montana operation and are explained that it is because of a business as to why these people own 5000 cows, they are quick to ask why the cows are being fed "dead grass". One of the elders tells a ranch hand that the cow will taste better if it is fed grass, and that grass contains vital nutrients which the cow will die without. I suspect these beef herders know this already -- I have no doubt they have heard the terms "free range" and "grass fed." Whether or not they know about the health hazards that the cows face when they are fed "dead food" doesn't matter, because they have antibiotics that they give to the cows regardless if they need it or not. And this also concerns the natives. Sam, the tribes medicine man, asks about the chemical injections that the cows receive and does not hesitate to express his worry that the chemicals will ruin his body if he eats the cow.

This is what I'm talking about when I say we could learn from these guys. It's amazing that they intuitively know these things. How far have we come from this kind of natural knowledge?

In another episode the tribesmen are in Illinois helping to cook Thanksgiving dinner. They are in awe at the size of the turkey -- its the biggest they have ever seen -- that's because the birds on their island are not grown in cages, force fed and given growth inducing hormones. It's all good until their host puts the turkey in a plastic cooking bag. The chief tells her of his concern of the plastic melting and making him sick, but she assures him that it is a special plastic that will not melt. Admittedly, I know nothing about this practice (or cooking turkeys for that matter) but I do know that everything has a melting point and that plastic doesn't need to physically melt to give off carcinogenic properties. Apparently the chief knows this as well. He also knows that the canned sweet potatoes they are serving are a "lifeless food" as he tells his compadre, "we don't know if it has been in the can for a month or for a year."

Fast forward to Orange County California and the natives are immersed in a highly artificial environment. From the landscape to the people, there's a lot of fakes. Nothing personal about the host family, they seem to be genuinely good people, who are genuinely overly concerned about the way they look. Personal grooming is one thing, and the natives seem to enjoy the mud bathes and the pedicures, but when Kuai is asked if he would like to look 10 years younger during his facial, he says, "No, I would like to live longer." And that captures the way they think.

The OC episode concludes with what seems to be the most foreign concept for the natives -- a botox party. The medicine man has many questions for the doctor who comes to smooth out the faces. Did you know botox was a diluted form of e coli? I didn't. Anyway, it was funny to hear the natives talk amongst themselves as the facial injections took place.

"She takes this youth medicine to smooth her face."

"But what about her inside? Does it reverse her life there?"

The men cover their eyes in disbelieve and misunderstanding. I can't say that I feel any differently. The chief draws a useful analogy saying, "The sun will set. You cannot change it. Your blood will know what time it is."

In many ways I envy these men. They are knowledgeable about the bare necessities of life and know little about frivolous luxuries that they can do without. They are not burdened with a media driven public perception, the spoils of vanity or the idea of keeping up with the Jones'. Their food is fresh, clean and full of life. Their culture does not revolve around the root of all evil.

Of course there is no way would I trade my life in America for the life that these guys lead on the island. But I don't need to live in the stone age to take a lesson from the natives. The take home message is this: we should eat and exercise in a manner that closely resembles that of primitive man. This is how we prospered physically for thousands of years and nothing has changed.

Red Nail certification

2009-12-05T19:53:00.004-05:00

I certified on bending the red nail today under the witness of Marty Gallagher and company. The bend was done at his home in conjunction with what he called "Deadlift Woodstock." 10 people in a snowy garage in Pennsylvania, training the deadlift and feeding on free range protein and natural cooking. It was a good day!

My official certification was really only a fragment of the awesomeness of my day. It started with Sandy Sommer, RKC picking me up at 8am and us making a quick stop to pick up Dr. Chris Hardy. Much of the conversation revolved around primal eating habits that we have strayed away from since leaving a hunter & gatherer lifestyle -- a topic that I am extremely interested in and believe in the benefits of. Anyway, Dr. Hardy is not only a medical doctor who specializes in nutrition, occupational & musculoskeletal medicine but he is a strength & conditioning specialist, Lieutenant Commander in the US Navy and Chief Resident at Johns Hopkins... yeah... and I got to ride with him and ask him questions. Nice!

Once we arrived at Marty's we promptly went out to the garage and started training the deadlift under his watchful eye. Marty is champion powerlifter and trainer of champions and there is not a more qualified person on this side of North America to learn how to press, squat or deadlift from. I topped out at 470 with more in the tank and left the garage with some significant changes to my technique that I'm going to start working on immediately.

After the workout we headed into the house where I bent the red nail in accordance with the rules taking exactly 17 seconds. Then it was 3 more nails in 52 seconds. I hearted a horseshoe for Marty's wife and rolled a frying pan for the man himself. We talked a little grip amongst the group and then headed into the kitchen where we dined on a meal like no other.

On the menu was grassfed lamb, beef and free range chicken. Everything we ate was was organic, healthy and delicious. I have a new appreciation for natural eating, especially after listening to Dr. Hardy talk. It's not as hippie and tree hugger as I once thought it to be. I've been keen on this ever since I read the Anti-Estrogenic Diet and the author drew comparisons between pollutants in our food and they're estrogenic effects on the body. We've decided to make a dietary overhaul in our own home and go organic... I'll talk more about that later. Let's just say that I haven't had that good of food as I had at Marty's for a long time, and possibly ever.

A good day.

Hardstyle Kettlebell Certification

2009-10-28T08:31:00.008-04:00

In the past two months I have started a new website, tiled my parents bathroom, given 3 speeches at Toastmasters, read 4 books, and my wife and I had a baby. I've been busy. No time to blog. But I wanted to get this out there...

The Hard-Style Kettlebell Certification is coming to Baltimore hosted by yours truly! My friend and Senior RKC Doug Nepodal is coming in from California to teach the core HKC drills next year on September 4, 2010. There has been rave reviews from the first HKC held last month and knowing what Doug can do with a kettlebell and an unsuspecting victim, you can expect a high quality workshop!

Dragon Door's HKC Instructor Workshops- Enter the lucrative world of the certified kettlebell trainerâ��and attract more clients for a better income. How to master the essentials of kettlebell liftingâ��and dramatically boost your power. Register Now!

New Website - Iron Bonsai

2009-10-11T20:23:00.002-04:00

Iron Bonsai’s are steel sculptures that resemble a plant or flower. Using no tools, long lengths of steel bars are twisted and bent into place by hand.

Steel scrolling is the art of a strongman.

The name “Iron Bonsai” comes from John Brookfield, grip master and professional strongman. With his blessing, the tradition is carried on here by strength & conditioning specialist Dan Cenidoza.

Each piece takes an hour or two to bend, but it takes years of dedication to grip training and hand strength to be able to bend this kind of steel in the first place.

After the steel is bent into place the scroll is painted and mounted into a decorative pot and the artwork is complete.

More Pressing Thoughts

2009-08-27T20:46:00.008-04:00

I recently wrote about how I have pressing more. On a weekly basis, I have increased the volume of pressing I do by over 800%. For today's workout I pressed 75% of my 1RM (77% to be exact) for 5 ladders of 2, 3, 5 & 8 reps -- 90 total reps in just over 60 minutes. This is by far the most pressing I've ever done in one workout.

During the course of the workout I just happened to reach behind my back and perform the Shoulder Mobility test as described in the Functional Movement Screen. To my surprise, I was able to touch my hands in both directions, something I've never done before! The strange thing is that I have made absolutely no attempts at correcting this problem since I learned of it. The only thing different about my training is the increase in overhead barbell presses.

But wait, won't barbell presses, a symmetrical and bilateral movement, further exaggerate an asymmetry in the shoulders? Wouldn't it be better to use kettlebells or dumbbells and do one arm presses to help 'even out' the shoulders?

Not this time.

I turned in thousands of kettlbell presses, jerks & snatches last year when I was training like a for kettlebell sport and it did nothing for the asymmetry in my shoulders. So what is it about the barbell press that balanced out my shoulders? I think it's the simple fact that the barbell IS balanced.

A common argument for 1 arm lifts is for balance. Perhaps that is true with a strait forward strength imbalance but that wasn't my problem (my best lifts right hand were shared with the left). My problem, as Gray Cook pointed out at the CK-FMS in August 2008, was that my right scapula did not rotate like my left when I reached behind my back. After that he did some kind of physical therapy wizardry, manipulating my shoulder and then all of a sudden it was moving properly. Before turning his attention to someone else, Gray quickly rattled off a few corrective exercises I should do to lock that movement pattern in and I just as quickly dismissed those exercises and never did them again!

Ok, that's not entirely true. I did a few rolls and some stretching but I can't claim that I gave the corrective exercises the time they deserved. What can I say? I am impatient and have limited time to train. When it comes to prehab or pressing in the 60 minutes I have in between clients 9 times out of 10 I am going to press.
But wait a minute! Pressing is one of the SM corrective exercises! Wall sit with shoulder press. Does it matter that it is not a weighted exercise? I guess that's a question for Gray, but my experience tells me that it doesn't matter.
Perhaps I just needed to move both scapulae in the same direction at the same time? That’s something you can do with a barbell press.

I told Dan John the other day that I really felt like I hit a groove with my press. No more wobbling in the lock out. No more wayward travels of the bar. Just smooth, piston-like pressing that I felt super comfortable with; something I have not experienced before. And the SM scores reflect that.
So is the barbell press the cure to everyone's shoulder problems? I doubt it. But this is one instance where that seems to be the case.

More Barefoot Thoughts

Most of my training is now being done in VFF. Running, lifting, farmers walking, skipping rope, everything. For whatever reason, for today's press workout I grabbed my weightlifting shoes. Solid wooden sole, elevated heel, made for weightlifting... though I just couldn't get the feel for them. I've been lifting in these shoes for years, hit many of PR's in them, and until now, they've been the most comfortable lifting shoes I've ever worn.

I decided to switch over to the VFF after the first couple sets and although I can't claim some immediate boost of strength I did notice some subtle changes as I approached the end of my workout. I noticed that my toes started to grip the ground. I am familiar with the phrase "grip the ground" from my yoga practice as well as from Pavel's writings but this was different. There was an engagement from the feet that I had not felt before, specifically from the big toe. It just felt strong as it pressed into the ground.

I mentioned before that I am stronger with stronger feet and I think this is anecdotal evidence to that statement. It felt like I drew strength from my feet (an occurrence that is happening more regularly now). Perhaps this is what martial artists call “rooting.” Regardless what you call it or how you explain it, there's no denying that I had a sturdier base to press from today and it was achieved without the help of sport-specific footwear.

While on the topic of footwear, let me tell you about an interesting observation I have made in the last couple weeks. My regular shoes, dress shoes, work boots, etc, they don’t fit well anymore. I’ve worn size 14 shoes since highschool and for the first time since 9th grade I am wearing a 13 again. Even the rental shoes from the bowling alley (which I am sure are the same ones from 9th grade) are just too big now.

I am simply sharing with you an observation. I am not claiming barefoot training has made my feet shrink (as if I care). I actually measured my feet to the nearest 1/8” to get fitted for the Vibram’s, and when I stretch my foot out it remains the same. But when I just plant my foot and step, I am now measuring a 1/8” less than I was when I sized myself 3 months ago. As crazy as it sounds, I believe I am holding a higher arch now that I have been training barefoot.

This is very loose science right here but I have made an observation and I have a theory. If the podiatrist that fitted me with orthotics 5 years ago still has the molds he took of my feet, perhaps I could test my theory but for now the only evidence to support my claim is a closet full of shoes that don’t fit anymore. It does appear that I have a higher arch now, and there is no question my feet have thickened and toughed up (always a good thing) but other than that, all I have to offer you are a few odd details about my feet.

Why should you care?

Because I am stronger with stronger feet. And I bet you are too.

Steel Bending, VFF, Yoga & Dan John

2009-08-22T16:49:00.016-04:00

The following is a report on my current training goals and how I've successfully married the completely unrelated pursuits of steel bending, barefoot running, yoga and strength training minimums as per Dan John.

My first priority training goal right now is steel bending. All sorts of steel; short, long, flat, round, horseshoes, hardware, whatever. I'm about a year into a long and slow process of conditioning my hands to the pressures of bending steel. I just recently bent the Ironmind red nail and although that is considered by many to be an elite level of bending, I feel like I'm only scratching the surface of my potential. Best of all, I'm having a lot of fun in the process!

Because I'm having so much fun, it's difficult to find the right training balance of this potentially dangerous activity. I can't train too often, or too hard, less I get hurt. I have to wait patiently until the tissues adapt to such forces. Even if I can block out the pain involved in bending steel, I must gradually increase the workload... my body demands it!

I'm still figuring out how to progress in this type of conditioning, one that has nothing to do with my muscular or cardiovascular development. I imagine that anyone who has been down this path had to pave their own way. Because steel bending involves trauma to the body, not to mention belief and commitment from the mind, it makes it a highly individual endeavor. Experienced benders can offer only general advice to those who inquire about steel bending programs. Just the sound of a "steel bending program" sounds ridiculous! Each man must find his own way.

Very similar to the desensitization process I'm going through with my hands, I'm going through with my feet via barefoot running (not quite barefoot, but the Vibram Five Fingers is about as close as it gets). The goal here is a multi-faceted one. I want to strengthen my feet, I want to be in good cardiovascular shape and I want to shed a couple pounds of bodyfat; so I run in VFF's. Sometimes I run sprints, sometimes I run miles, sometimes I run while carrying really heavy weights (more on that later) but I do so all in the VFF's and it all goes towards the aforementioned goals.

Barefoot training is not a new concept but it is a new experience for me. I'm about 2 months into training in the VFF's and so far what I have found is that the stronger my feet are, the stronger I am. Pavel wrote about the mechanoreceptors in the hands and feet in his book Power to the People and he explained why you should lose the lifting gloves and soft cushioned shoes (if you haven't read this book, I suggest you do). I can't help but think that desensitizing my feet is somehow helping to desensitize my hands for steel bending. Regardless of any relation there, I can tell you for certain that with stronger feet I am now a better runner. In fact, the last time I checked I had improved my 1.5 mile time by 30 seconds and my 3 mile time by 90 seconds.

The other thing that barefoot training is doing for me is helping my yoga practice -- I can hold poses much longer and much steadier now. I've been practicing yoga on and off for nearly 10 years now. I find that I feel much better, and move much better when I am doing yoga at least a couple times a month. Plus it's always fun for a 225lb steel bending weightlifter to attend a yoga class full of petite women who are into things like organic granola and saving the trees and have them inquire about my training and compliment me on my flexibility. It happens every time. :)

With all of these different pursuits you may wonder where I fit in my strength training and what Dan John has to do with any of this. In order to prioritize steel bending and running, I have cut my strength work back to bare bones minimum. Dan John has helped me to realize what that minimum is for me and not only has he given me a new perspective on what strength training is but he's also been kind enough to provide me with a little guidance on that which ails me, my overhead press.

First let's talk about what strength training is according to DJ:

1. Lifting a weight off the ground
2. Lifting a weight overhead
3. Carrying a weight for distance

I think you really need to understand training to be able to appreciate this perspective. Tell this to your average gym rat and he'll probably ask what you do for your bi's. Huh? Nevermind. These 3 things are the fullest expressions of total body strength! I can see that now.

So in order to meet these facets with the bare minimum I've cut my strength work down to 2 lifts -- the clean & press and the farmers walk. (Interesting to note that the C&P is one of my weakest lifts while the farmers walk is one of my best.)

For the last 3 months I've been pressing almost everyday -- an easy 135 for 2 sets of 5. I got the idea to do this from Dan's book Never Let Go (which reminded me Pavel also suggested this in PTTP). I'm not used to training a lift with this kind of frequency so I figured I would hit Dan up with a few questions about when to progress in weight and how often I should test my max. He was kind enough to answer my questions, my follow up questions and my questions thereafter. I should be paying the man for the advice he's given me but since he didn't ask I'll just buy his products, tell you what a nice guy he is and tell you that you should buy his products too!

After about 8 weeks of pressing 135x5 everyday I started cleaning each rep and mixing 3x8 and 5x5 workouts into the set/rep scheme. A few weeks later and my 1RM is up 5lbs from where it was when I was 20lbs heavier. Dan then suggested I do 2, 3, 5, 10 reps for 3, 5 and 2 ladders, and then test my max again. Problem was the first time I did this workout I hit my max on the 10th rep of the first ladder, second ladder I only got 8. Fine. Dan tells me to do 2, 3, 5, 8.

An interesting thing about ladder workouts is that they seem to confuse the body. I swear the 2 & 3 rep sets seemed to be the most difficult whereas the 5 & 8 rep sets the bar just flew up. This workout better than doubled the volume of pressing I was used to and caused noticeable hypertrophy in my shoulders that lasted long after the pump was gone. I've got another week before I test my max again but I'm feeling confident about adding another 5lbs to the bar. And though it's a little farther off, a bodyweight press is in the future as well.

As for the farmers walks, I know I said DJ was a nice guy but he is really a sinister S.O.B. who "does what [he] can to ruin peoples day" (direct quote). I guarantee you will curse name if you try the following workout...

It was about a month ago when I listened to a podcast that featured Mr. John. In it he suggested a workout in which you farmers carry a pair of 85lb dumbbells "as far away" as you can for 10 minutes. Then carry them back. I first tried this (20 minutes after I had listened to the podcast) with a pair of 70lb kettlebells. To make up for the 15lb difference I (foolishly) went downhill for the first half of the workout leaving the uphill climb for after I was already spent. Long story short, I made it a half mile in 10 minutes, it took me 19 minutes to get back home and then another 10 minutes to lie on the sidewalk and contemplate why I had subjected myself to such a thing. Somehow I think DJ knew this would happen. What a jerk that guy is.

It wasn't more than 2 weeks later (after I recovered) that I tried the workout again using 88lb kettlebells. (I know, glutton for punishment, but I had to at least give it a go with the prescribed weight.) This time I went uphill first and saved the downhill trip for the way back. That was a lesson I learned in about 19 minutes as per the last attempt. I traveled 3/4 of mile all in all, and it only took me 13:30 to get back. To my surprise, I did this workout again exactly one week later and carried the 40kg KB's an entire mile, only this time I did it in 3 laps around the block at my own pace, simply because I needed to periodically check on my daughter. But I digress...

Now is a good time to mention that all of these farmers walks were done in VFF. You think your feet get sore running in Vibrams? Try carrying a couple hundred pounds as far as you can over and over again and see how your feet feel the next day! Do this for a couple weeks and take note of how your feet feel during the workoutS as you progress. I mentioned that I am stronger with stronger feet, see if you don't find the same to be true.

I find it very interesting how all of these seemingly unrelated goals have blended together. I've found complete harmony in several extreme forms of training and I'm making gains on every front. Thanks goes to the following people for helping me on my path: Adam Glass for recommending Dennis Rogers' Oldtime Strongman University. Thanks to mc for securing the RKC discount on VFF's. Thanks to Dan John for all the help with my pressing program (I will let you know how the next max effort goes). And thanks to everyone else who is kicking ass and taking names! From the athletes, to the trainers, to the business gurus and to the ones who are doing it all -- keep up the good work!

Good Morning Maryland

2009-08-15T08:39:00.003-04:00

Here is a clip from the ABC2 News "Good Morning Maryland" show where I teach unsuspecting construction workers the trick to tearing phonebooks...

http://www.abc2news.com/content/gmm/story/Be-More-Strongman/W9ASPJEWdke52zEqFfpS6A.cspx

5/16" drill rod

2009-08-13T08:50:00.003-04:00

Bending progress is coming along nicely. Here's my first attempt at red nail sized hardened tool steel...

Red Nail in Ironmind Wraps

2009-07-26T21:59:00.003-04:00

This was done exactly 1 week from the first time the red went down.

Up until recently, it wasn't my strength that held me back from big bends but my "toughness". Bending steel hurts. But I've overcome that and it's not so bad anymore. I'm pretty sure I could do this in even thinner wraps now.

Hiking in Vibrams

2009-07-20T21:26:00.003-04:00

This past weekend we took a family vacation to the Catoctin mountains where I got a chance to do a little bit of hiking in the VFF's. With my recent bending exploits I've been very interested lately in "toughening up" or desensitizing my hands and the feet are no different. Why do I want to desensitize my feet? Why not? I remember a time where I'd wear shoes on the beach! Walking across the street to get the mail... forget about it - I better get my Jordan's!

Well, I don't want to be a tender foot anymore! I don't need to walk across hot coals or anything but I like the idea of not having to depend on Timberland boots to be able to get through some rough terrain.

To be honest, I liked being able to feel the earth under my feet. A while back I read something on reflexology that related early natives and people who didn't wear shoes to receiving what equated to a daily foot massage just from their everyday barefoot travels. I can see how that could be. It felt good walking around the woods in the 'foot gloves' all weekend. Not to mention the balance and control I had climbing rocks and steep hills. I could literally grip the ground!

If you are like I was, hesitant to try VFF because they look funny, do yourself a favor and buy the damn shoes already.

The Red Nail Goes Down

2009-07-20T21:22:00.001-04:00

This took about 1 year of training...

Never Let Go by Dan John

2009-07-12T23:29:00.002-04:00

I just finished reading Dan John's book Never Let Go and all I can say is I'm sorry I waited this long to read his work. This guy is an incredible author! I've seen his name thrown around on message boards but all I really knew about him was that he was a thrower and coach somewhere out mid-west. I had never read any of his stuff, and for that I was unfortunate.

Better late than never I suppose but reading this book earlier would have saved me a lot of misdirection in my training career. This is one of the best books I've read in a while and I put it up there with other favorites like Dinosaur Training, Power to the People and Rock Iron Steel. It has done me a lot of good to hear how Coach John breaks things down into such simple, simple concepts. One of my favorites parts of the book is right in the preface when he says,

There are three kinds of strength training:
1 - putting a weight overhead
2 - picking it off the ground
3 - carrying it for time or distance

The simplicity in that is beautiful. I think I've told that to everyone I've talked training to since I read it. I am a big fan of this kind of message, summary and presentation of information.

As I read this book, I was constantly reminded of the Bruce Lee quote about "simplicity being the height of cultivation". As someone who reads a lot and knows a lot about strength training, I could see how cultivated Dan John's training philosophies are and I could see that he knows a lot more than I do. And right after I would read something that would totally blow my mind, in the very next paragraph he'll write that he's not telling me anything I don't already know. In many cases he was right, but hearing training concepts distilled to such purity really helps refine ones own philosophy.

My favorite workout that he writes about is the One Lift a Day program. I first did this workout in 2003 in preparation for a strongman contest - this was long before I read anything by Dan John. In that workout I deadlifted 405 for 53 reps in 50 minutes. The last time I did this workout (Thanksgiving 08) I deadlifted 405 for 100 reps in 60 minutes. The One Lift a Day program is a great workout! But I thought I made it up! Apparently not because in June of 1979 Dan John squatted 315x30, 275x30, 225x30. I squatted 225x30 once and I thought I might die. Wait, in June of 1979 I was not even a year old. Hmm. Ok, I guess I didn't make that workout up but it's still one of my favorite workouts that I hate doing.

The subtitle of the book is "A Philosophy of Lifting, Living and Learning" and I find it refreshing to have those things highlighted in a book on training. When training is such a large part of a persons life, and they've spent so long learning about training, and teaching training to others, you can't leave that stuff out in a book on training. This is exactly what I want to read about! I want to train, I want to learn and I want to live.

Dan John will tell you that everything he knows he has stolen from somebody else, in other words, he gives credit. Coach John, I will do the same when I steal from you!

Never Let Go is available at http://www.davedraper.com/fitness_products/product/BDJN.html

Barefoot running PR is a PR

2009-07-08T06:42:00.003-04:00

After a deadlift workout last week I ran my normal route of 1.5 miles of neighborhood hills. My best time is 15 minutes and this time I did it in 14 minutes in the Five Fingers!

The crazy part is I actually walked two small stretches after racing up some hills. It was probably less than 40 yds each time but I never walk this route! I've run this route as many as 6 times in one workout and never once walked it.

A couple days later my brother joined me for a workout and we hit a vertical push/pull and a horizontal push/pull (presses, pull ups, push ups and one arm rows). We did two sets each and went on a run.

Same thing - 14 minutes - however, afterwards we ran a couple 100m races. A couple of the neighborhood kids saw us and joined in. Dave and I tied at 2 and 2. It felt good for 228lbs of 31 year old to keep pace (and even beat) kids younger and lighter.

I'm feeling good about the bad shoes!

Two days later and my feet are sore!

2009-07-04T09:11:00.006-04:00

Feet, calves, hamstrings and groin. I figured this much but I didn't expect the groin to be sore. I've never experienced soreness in the adductors from running before and I'm not sure how this relates to barefoot training.

I also have a little soreness in the left heel but this feels like a bruise. I'm pretty sure it was that first heel strike when I set off to run as I don't remember stepping on anything that would have caused it. I do remember my stride changing almost immediately from what I am used to (heel striking as with shoes).

Vibram Five Fingers & Barefoot Running

2009-07-02T20:09:00.003-04:00

So I finally broke down and bought a pair of the ugly foot glove shoes - the Vibram Five Fingers - . I got the all black ones because they are the least conspicuous and I figured if I wear them at night then maybe nobody will see them:) My wife said they should come with a face shield for when people throw things at you. :)

All joking aside, they are actually pretty damn comfortable and I'm getting used to their funny looks already.

I'm convinced of the reported benefits to training barefoot and I have held that opinion for years. From proprioception, balance, natural gait to running mechanics; it all makes sense - smart shoes make dumb feet.

It wasn't until I read this article - The painful truth about trainers - and until mc (a fellow KB instructor, and barefoot training advocate) scored a 40% discount for RKC's, did I decide to give the foot gloves a try.

My first time out with them consisted of a 1/2 run and four 100m sprints. The first thing I noticed was there was no heel strike in my stride. Much smoother run. The sprints weren't as fast as in running shoes (I normally wear the Nike Free 7.0) but I felt like I could run easier, if that makes sense. I also noticed my feet started to fatigue; they were definitely getting a workout. It'll be interesting to see if I have DOMS tomorrow in my feet, I've got a feeling I will.

Power Plant Live Strongman Show

2009-06-29T14:19:00.004-04:00

This past Saturday I did a strongman show for CREATE Everyday Geniuses "Celebrate Your Style" Family Fun Day held at the Power Plant Live in downtown Baltimore. The show went over very well. Check out the pictures by Tony Winthrop of Live TV Group.com

They say pictures are worth a thousand words so I won't say anymore.

http://gallery.me.com/cameramantony#100002

AOBS Dinner - Rising Stars of Strength

2009-06-23T16:15:00.001-04:00

Horseshoe Bending at Juniata College

2009-06-15T20:01:00.002-04:00

Juniata and AOBS weekend

2009-06-15T00:43:00.004-04:00

Just got back from an exhausting weekend traveling over 600 miles from Baltimore, to Huntingdon PA, to Newark NJ and then back home to Baltimore. Had the Pennsylvania State Strength & Conditioning clinic this weekend at Juniata College where I gave a presentation on "Team Training with Kettlebells" and a hands-on session on "Kettlebell Sport." This was my fourth year at the clinic and third time presenting. I always look forward to this weekend.

Another weekend I look forward to is the AOBS weekend where a bunch of strongmen gather to honor Iron Game notables. From bodybuilding, to powerlifting, to olympic weightlifting, to strongman performances; it's all covered that weekend.

I've got a lot to digest and a lot of video footage to edit. Stay tuned.

Grade 8

2009-06-05T20:25:00.003-04:00

I just bent five Grade 8 bolts. I've bent two in the past (on the same day but spaced out about an hour apart) and that was the last time I've even attempted such a tough bend. I've been working on my technique and I think I finally found my groove! My last bending video awarded me some great pointers from many of my steel bending brethren on the net. Thanks to guys on the Gripboard.com and everybody who posted comments on my blog! Special thanks to Dennis Rogers, Chris Rider and Aaron McKenzie for working with me and for the encouragement.

Anyway, here's a video of the fifth destroyed bolt. They got easier with each successive bend. The first bend actually dropped me to my knees, I almost passed out. I almost quit. I almost didn't hit a HUGE personal record!

Old Texas Barbell Company

2009-05-28T22:33:00.001-04:00

http://irontamerblog.blogspot.com/2009/05/old-time-strongman-university-with.html

Busy Schedule

2009-05-28T21:56:00.002-04:00

I've been very busy lately - which is a good thing - I just don't have much time to update the blog.

I spent last weekend in Lockhart, Texas learning the art of a performing strongman. Dennis Rogers held a mini Oldtime Strongman University seminar in which a few of us got together for for a little bit of mentoring. Exciting weekend. I learned a lot. And that has a lot to do with why I've been so busy recently.

Just a quick note that the Honeygo Run classes are in session right now. [Another reason why I haven't had time to blog.] We've had a slow start with the threat of rain almost everyday but a handful of us still turn in some great workouts.

Thanks to everyone for their kind words and well wishes about the baby! Jess and I are excited!

It's a boy!

2009-05-06T19:09:00.005-04:00

My wife and I just found out that we've got a baby boy on the way! We're pretty excited about having a son! Not that my daughter isn't awesome - she's already lifting mommy's dumbbells and learning to use the leg press (she seems to likes hub lifting, hacky sac and vegetables as well) - but I think having a girl stirs up a little more nervous energy (or, maybe that's just me:).

Anyone want to weigh in on names?

Extreme Kettlebell Juggling

2009-04-18T13:16:00.002-04:00

Check out the juggling feats. I've never seen anything so amazing done with a kettlebell!

New Phonebook Feats

2009-04-03T21:51:00.003-04:00

Here are some tearing PR's...

This next one took place under less-than-desirable conditions. That is, after 6 hours worth of grip training & feats, and just a few minutes after eating chili...

Training Session

2009-03-31T05:52:00.008-04:00

This past weekend I hosted a training session for some good friends and for some of the strongest men alive. Besides Luke and I, everybody was from out of state - Pennsylvania, New York and even one guy from North Carolina. Sometimes you have to go far and wide to find people who share unique and similar interests as you and grip training is no different. There's probably plenty of people around who squeeze grippers and do wrist curls but when your desire for stronger hands takes you to steel bending, card and phonebook tearing, suddenly that circle of friends becomes much smaller.

There's far too much to recount as to what went on this weekend. In addition to the 7 in attendance, there was also 200+ phonebooks, 100's of bits of steel, at least 50 decks of cards, dozens of horseshoes, a bucket full of license plates and more custom made equipment than most of your largest commercial gyms. We bent, tore and otherwise destroyed stuff for nearly 8 hours strait! I have some video and I will be posting random clips over the next week or so.

The cool thing about get togethers like this is the camraderie. The learning and sharing of techniques between experts and people at the top of their game makes a training session like this worth a road trip. I was lucky enough not to have to drive anywhere for this one but I've taken 8 and 16hr round trips just to be a part of special gatherings like the one we had this weekend.

I'd like to thank everyone for coming. Jedd, glad you were finally able to make it down to my place. John E., it was nice meeting you and great to have you. Johnny Steel, always good to see you and the wife. Luke, glad you could make it. Chris, thanks for coming and thanks for the phonebooks. I can't think of a better excuse for you guys being late. (Like I said, if you ever get the chance to bring a guest to the Dungeon, I'll drive :) Mac, thank you again for all the steel. And that horseshoe you bent for me is sick! Really glad you made the trip up from NC.

Card Tearing

2009-03-20T10:47:00.006-04:00

I've been tearing cards for many years now. I never thought too much about it other than that it takes strong hands and the right technique. I have no doubt in my mind that the new Diesel Crew Card Tearing ebook is going to help me get STRONGER hands and BETTER technique! Jedd has put together a great manual that covers card tearing in it's entirety. If you want to know how to tear a deck of cards, this manual is all you need. If you are already tearing cards, this manual will take you to the next level.

Senior Fitness

2009-03-18T20:32:00.003-04:00

I work part-time as a fitness specialist at a retirement community. Before this job, I had no experience working with geriatrics. Although I had been trained in school with senior fitness, I felt like a fish out of water for the first couple months. I just wasn't used to working with such a delicate and fragile population. But I soon learned that seniors are as diverse as any group of people.

We have an 83 year old who runs marathons, a 72 year old who leg presses 400+, a 90 year old who can lift her foot overhead and as you can imagine, there are also plenty of people who have difficulty standing, walking and doing other simple tasks that many of us take for granted. So there is no shortage of individuality with these folks.

What really hit me by surprise was just how gratifying it is to work with these people. I've worked with athletes from all levels, gradeschool through professional ranks; I've worked with stay at home moms, weekend warriors and gym rats alike; but none have given me the satisfaction that this group does! These people REALLY appreciate what I do - check out some of the testimonies I've received...

(This first one is my favorite. Can you think of a better compliment someone could offer you?)

I am very much interested in the mobility class given here at Oak Crest by Dan Cenidoza. My knees hurt, and I am taking this class for the movement it gives me. The class members are all so interesting and we all enjoy our instructor. Dan has helped to lengthen my life, and helped my mobility. I am 93 years old as of 2/18/09.
-Eleanor Meise, (93 years old)

I really do enjoy and appreciate all of the exercise and strengthening that I’ve been doing with you for almost 2 years. My joints have benefited from the mobility and I also enjoy trying to take on the new procedures, hearing and watching your delightful humor and your regular and on time class attendance. Thank you very much!
- Enid Deutschendorf, (74 years old)

For many months now I have been a regular in Dan’s Joint Mobility class here at Oak Crest Village. I just cannot say enough in praising this hour of therapy.
Next month I turn 87 years of age. My back troubles began something back in the fall of 2007 when I was diagnosed with osteo-arthritis, osteo-porosis and stenosis. Various treatments failed to help. The pain grew worse and I became less active and more depressed. I’ve become convinced that my problems are with me for the long haul. My outlook, however is so much better as I’ve seen my range of motion improve through Dan’s Joint Mobility program. It’s made a big difference in my life and I feel comfortable in “hanging in there.” My doctor here at OCV is aware of Dan’s work and actively encourages my continuing with the class.
- Phyllis Valenziano, (87 years old)

Family Fitness Night

2009-02-27T14:50:00.006-05:00

I put on a strongman performance earlier this week at Elmwood Elementary school for their "Family Fitness Night". I bent horseshoes and spikes, and tore telephone books and decks of cards for the parents and children in attendance. The show was a big hit with everyone and hopefully I struck a chord with the kids about how important strength training and exercise is.

Afterwards, I did this...

I've never been able to do this! The last time I even attempted climbing a rope was in elementary school and I couldn't even do it using my legs, much less hands only!

I'm pretty excited about this. I was also able to climb two ropes (one in each hand) and I even got a few pulls in upside down!!!

www.getinproshape.com

2009-02-24T21:35:00.003-05:00

Coach Friday (formerly of the Baltimore Ravens now of www.getinproshape.com) was kind enough to post a review on my Dragondoor Instructor page. Check it out here... http://www.dragondoor.com/instructor/714

Spinal Flexibility and Deadlifting

2009-02-12T17:39:00.001-05:00

A question regarding flexibility of the spine and its relationship to deadlifting. Notice the slight rounding of my lower back as I begin the pull. This is a new style of deadlifting I am using which has my back flatter than my normal pull. It seems I am unable to keep my back in a locked arch position, although the rounding is actually less than what I am used to and much less than I am capable of.

Card Tearing

2009-02-10T16:17:00.001-05:00

Does anybody tear cards like this? It seems this technique only works with quartering...

Grade 5 Bolt

2009-02-10T16:09:00.000-05:00

Synergy-Athletics

2009-02-07T22:10:00.003-05:00

Jedd Johnson just sent out an email about the Bull Strength training manual written by Joe Hashey. I don't know Joe, but I like his website. Check it out here - www.synergy-athletics.com

Destruction

2009-02-05T16:33:00.004-05:00

I did this after a quick grip workout that consisted of pinch bar curls (regular and reverse), beer mug curls with a kettlebell, wrist curls and wrist extension with the Formulator. I immediately went into bending the 60D nails with various grips (overhand, underhand, reverse & slim style). Before my hands recovered I attempted the horseshoe and got stuck with it... just couldn't take it any further. And from there I went back and forth between tearing. I managed my first behind the back card tear, my first notched phonebook (might have done that once before) and that was only the second time I've torn cards vertically. The spike gave me a hard time. My biggest problem with braced bending is not so much the strength but the pain tolerance required to bend things over your leg.

Pork Spare Ribs

2009-02-03T19:10:00.007-05:00

I always thought it was silly when people blogged their food. And the diet-obsessed fitness crowd is the worst at this! It's bad enough that these people eat the most boring, bland food known to man, but they have to include the time of day and nutritional profile of everything. People don't care about your oatmeal and organic blueberries! Seriously, nobody cares.

Yet still I find myself writing about food.

But the difference between me and the granola munchers is I eat their "cheat meals" everyday, I eat a lot of it and I could care less about calories. If you're one of those lonely few who turn their nose up at a good steak because it's too marbled, you might as well stop reading now. But if you're somebody who likes to eat, and doesn't mind cooking, I've got a mean pork spare rib recipe for you!

First the appetizer...
Vegetable medley: bell peppers, red onion, fresh garlic, squash & asparagus. Stir fry in a wok over medium heat with olive oil, sea salt, black pepper and paprika. Add ingredients as listed about 5 minutes apart in order to cook properly. Very important to get the timing right as peppers take a while to cook and you don't want to overcook the squash or asparagus.

Main course...
Drunken Pork Spare Ribs: marinate ribs in 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup bourbon, 1 tbsp of ketchup, 1 tbsp of Dijon mustard. Cook in marinade for 1hr at 250 degrees and turn. Cook for another 60 min and turn. Increase temp to 350 degrees and cook 30 min until done. For light recipe cook ribs for the first 2 hours on roasting pan to allow some of the grease to drain before putting them back in marinade and increasing the oven temp.

The second picture is actually hickory BBQ ribs. I seasoned the meat with a pork rub and used the "light recipe" cooking directions. I transferred the ribs to a baking pan and added the BBQ sauce for the last 30 min. They were equally as delicious.

You can play around with the cooking time/temp to produce a more tender meat but I wouldn't recommend trying to cook ribs in less than 2hrs. From everything I've read, you're looking at closer to 5hrs for a fall-off-the-bone consistency.

And yes, I ate everything shown above. :)

The Warrior Diet

2009-01-30T09:38:00.003-05:00

This is a typical meal for me...

Steamed broccoli and cauliflower

Roast beef and squash with egg

More beef, more vegetables and a little bit of rice

Dessert was two tequila martinis and a few microbrews.

I've lost 20lbs eating like this (down to a svelte 225 :) but more importantly, I feel better throughout the day. I've found that breakfast and lunch tend to weigh me down and makes me feel sluggish and lazy throughout the day at a time when I need to be most productive.

"Break-fast" boosting the metabolism, yada, yada, I don't buy it! My energy levels are higher and I am more alert going through my day with little to nothing to eat.

Was this really how "warriors" or ancient civilizations ate? I don't know and I don't care. I've found a diet that not only keeps me lean but makes me feel good too!

Is it healthy to eat this way? When was the last time you ate that much vegetables?

Fox 45 Morning News

2009-01-23T19:59:00.005-05:00

On Tuesday I will be appearing on "Get Fit with Fox 45 News" to do a kettlebell segment. The production coordinator called this morning to set up the appointment. Nothing like being on live television! Looking forward to it. I'll post more next week.

-----------------------------

The Morning Show went very well today! I've received a lot of positive feedback. Unfortunately, the segment was only a couple minutes long but I made some great contacts at the news station with the strongman show I put on in the lobby after my bit. I thought the producer might like to see me perform a few feats... you never know were that kind of stuff will take you. In this case, it lead me to some in depth conversation about grip strength, a few new friends at Fox 45 Baltimore, a gripper sale and hopefully another spot on their show!

CK-FMS

2009-01-20T10:28:00.004-05:00

5 months after the CK-FMS workshop and I have finally finished my certification requirements.

http://www.functionalmovement.com
http://www.dragondoor.com/rkc/

All that was required was completion of an online test (for FMS) and a video submission of a movement screen along with discussion of results and corrective strategies (for RKC). Neither of these took more than an hour but learning the material in order to pass the tests is what took time.

I was recently asked "why someone would wait" or put off getting certified but for me it wasn't "putting off" it was "practicing".

The movement screen could be described as a physical therapy test adapted to trainers and coaches. In other words, a physical therapist designed the test. PT's know their stuff. I think a lot of therapists (and sports medicine professionals in general) don't pay much mind to us "lowly" trainers, but I give them the credit they deserve.

The functional movement screen and the step-by-step corrective strategy protocol is a brilliantly designed system! This is not the kind of thing where you attend a weekend workshop and you are certified. (I've never cared much for certifications anyway, I am much more concerned with proficiency rather than a piece of paper that says you are proficient.)

In any case, now I am official. A big thank you goes out to all of my test subjects! Your cooporation was much appreciated!

Daddy's Little Girl

2008-12-29T19:58:00.006-05:00

This is what I found my daughter doing this evening...

15 months old and lifting 16oz cans of beans from the top (aka hub lifting)! She's practically doing an upright row with them! And check out the left hand - not even using the index finger!

I think at this age kids do few things that stand out amongst other children their age. But this little girl lifts, and eats, (have you ever heard of a 1 year old that likes peppers and onions?) things that I doubt others her age are playing with. Last week I caught her walking around with a 2.5kg Ivanko collar, carrying it out in front of her with two hands on the tighten down bar.

I must confess, I started giving her a little pink 1lb dumbbell at 4 months old :) It was rubber coated and she seemed to like using it as a teething ring, and I admit to encouraging it :) Plus, I've got some theories about intellectual development being linked to hand strength & dexterity by way of neurological efficiency... but that is another post for another time.

Good day!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-16T15:13:00.001-05:00

Jingle Bells!

Coaching the Coach

2008-12-05T15:29:00.008-05:00

This morning I met with Jeff Friday of ProShape Sports Training to put him through a kettlebell workout. Jeff is the former head strength & conditioning coach of the Baltimore Raven's who I worked under during the teams 2007 preseason training camp. Coach Friday has been in the business of making people stronger far longer than I so I was honored when he contacted me for kettlebell training. It was nice to be on the other side of the clipboard putting him through a workout as he and his staff had done so many times with me at the Raven's training facility in Owings Mills.

Part of my "job" when I worked under Coach Friday was to go through the same workouts as the rest of the team. I needed to be familiar with the routines so that I could lead players through them. Of course, the head and assistant coach(es) did most of the training, I only filled in as needed but I did take a few guys through workouts. Most of my responsibilities included set up and break down... somebody had to load 100lb plates on leg day!!!

Regardless, everyday that I came in I had somebody put me through a workout. And then I was usually sent off to the breakfast buffet before the players arrived. Training was GOOD during this time!

Anyway, back to todays workout...

This was only the second time Jeff had used a kettlebell before and I put him through the same workout I put any newbie kettlebeller through. That workout is:

5 min joint mobility warm up
1 hand deadlifts
swings
squats
presses
cleans
jerks
long cycle c&j
snatch

In my opinion, the swing, clean, jerk & snatch are the "meat and potatoes" of kettlebell training, and with the exception of the swing, these are also the most difficult exercises for the majority of people to learn. So I like to get people working on those lifts ASAP. Sets and reps are highly dependent on the individual and there are a few other drills mixed in to assist in the learning process but for the most part, this is what my introductory kettlebell routine looks like.

I typically like to include some sort of "finisher" as well. For a first time kettlebeller this is a must because the intro workout is not very demanding (simply because the trainee is still learning and I purposely hold them back to help with skill development). And the swing is a low skill movement that most people pick up within a couple sets. So that makes the swing a perfect finisher exercise even for the rank newbie.

Coach Friday rocked through a 100 rep swing test with a 24kg and showed me that even though he is new to the kettlebell, he is no stranger to hard work and is obviously in good condition. 100 reps in 2:24 with no put downs the first time out - not bad at all!

Hey Coach if you're reading this, the next step is doing those swings 1-handed, and eventually with a single hand switch... and once you got 24kg x 50/50, see what you can do in 5 or 10 minutes. Keep me posted!

Thanksgiving Day Workout

2008-11-28T21:55:00.002-05:00

Knowing I had a huge feast ahead of me, I wanted to turn in a really good workout. So what better than to deadlift?

For 60 minutes I did nothing but pull. 350lbs for 100 singles. That's about 1 rep every 40 seconds.

It wasn't until almost halfway through when I thought to wear a HR monitor. The final 37 minutes of the workout I averaged 166bpm and maxed at 190. That's 100% of my age predicted maximum heart rate.

Great workout! My hands are blistered and I'm crazy sore right now but if you're going to eat like I did last night (and today) then you better be training hard!

Strongman Wedding

2008-11-16T20:26:00.008-05:00

strong·man (strôngmn) noun- 1. a person who performs remarkable feats of strength.

Luke Whippo and Tina Wilderson got married yesterday and I had the honor to be the best man at their wedding. Luke and I have been training strongman together for the past 5 or 6 years. Luke is of the quiet type and his family and friends outside of strength training don't know much about what he does. It's not like him to talk about his own abilities, so I figured the best man speech was the perfect opportunity to talk about his abilities for him!

Giving a "best man speech" is a new experience for me. I paid careful attention to keep the focus on the groom. I named a few of his PR's using the most lay terms so even the oldest of grandmothers could understand what I was talking about. But talking about feats of strength does not communicate nearly as well as demonstrating them...

This is part of what I said:

"Perhaps one of his most impressive feats of strength though, is bending steel. I could tell you what Luke can do with a piece of 1/2" rebar, but you would have to see it to believe it. That's why I brought some 1/2" rebar with me.

*reveals rebar from behind the curtain*

Who wants to see what Luke can do with 1/2" rebar?!

Luke, would you please show your guests what you can do with 1/2" rebar?"

I then helped him out of his jacket and led him out to the middle of the dance floor!

I did not tell Luke I was going to do that. :)

I did however ask the bride beforehand to make sure she was alright that her soon to-be husband bent steel over the bridge of his nose at their wedding reception.

But Luke and I had no talk about this. :)

I found out later that Tina did say something to him, like a caring wife would, I suppose. Luke knew something was coming but he didn't know what kind of steel I was bringing or what I was going to ask him to do. The audience of course had no idea they had walked strait into a Strongman Wedding!

Luke proceeded to bend the bar over the bridge of his nose and scroll it into a pretzel! It was awesome! I doubt there was ever a man in a tuxedo who bent rebar over his nose at his own wedding!

The whole thing lasted under a minute... a few seconds for us to make our way to the dance floor, a few seconds for Luke to kill some steel, and a few seconds for us to get back to the head table so I could finish my speech.

We toasted some champaign and celebrated what was a great wedding!

I wish Luke and Tina all the best!

Speech and feat video...

High resolution feat-only video...

Chris Rider Red Nail Certification

2008-11-08T22:41:00.006-05:00

http://strongmanchrisrider.blogspot.com/

Ironmind contacted me a couple weeks ago to ask me if I would serve as the witness for Chris Rider's red nail certification. For those unfamiliar with nail bending, the red nail is a 7" piece of cold rolled steel that is 5/16" diameter. If you can "U" this piece of metal you are among the elite in short steel bending.

Chris bent the nail and "cheesed" for the picture within 10 seconds. It was impressive, I can't even kink the damn thing!

After business was taken care of, Chris was kind enough to bring me a few horseshoes and show me how to bend. Thanks to his coaching, I was able to bend my first shoe today! I'm pretty excited about that and totally cool with the bruise on my leg!

Chris then proceeded to put on a mini strongman show for us; tearing decks of cards, license plates, driving nails... everything done with the ease in which he bent the red nail in. Don't get me wrong, none of these things are actually easy, he just made them look that way. This guy is seriously strong!

Check out his website at - http://strongmanchrisrider.blogspot.com/

Hormonal Effects of Heavy Deadlifting

2008-11-05T20:38:00.007-05:00

If you search around, you will find both scientific studies and anecdotal evidence that suggests certain hormones are released during heavy lifting. Testosterone and human growth hormone in particular have been linked to squatting and deadlifting by powerlifters and muscle physiologists alike. I have always just taken their word for it. I suppose testing for free testosterone in the blood is relatively simple procedure but since I personally have never participated in such tests, I've never really put much stock into the science behind this phenomenon.

Ok, deadlifts increase my testosterone. Now what?

You see, there's little I can do to prove this theory and even if I could, how could I measure it? I don't have access to such lab equipment. If I cannot measure it, how is any additional information useful to me?

It's not. I'll just take their word for it - heavy lifitng increases testosterone production.

Personally, I have always been attracted to common sense reasoning. It seems to me, that if I can lift more weight in an exercise (like a deadlift), then I am using more muscle compared to an exercise I can lift less weight in (like a curl). More weight = more muscle. So I get more "bang for my buck" with an exercise that I can lift the most weight.

Common sense analogies have always worked good for me too... Arthur Jones, creator of Nautilus, related compound movements and heavy lifting to throwing a stone in a pond. If you throw a small pebble into a pond you'll get no splash and only slight ripples. If you throw a large rock into the pond you'll get a big splash with larger ripples that radiate further. The same goes for a light exercise versus a heavy one; the heavy exercise radiates further throughout the body. This is known as the "indirect effect".

More importantly, the deadlift is a basic human movement that you use every single day. You pick things up off the floor in real life, so you might as well train yourself to pick up really, really heavy things! I deadlift because having a strong back is a necessity.

Do your deadlifts regardless of hormone production.

An interesting thing happened to me today while I was deadlifting, which is what got me thinking about hormones. After working up to a max single and hitting it for a couple sets, I attempted another rep and failed. I barely got it to knee height and couldn't get it any higher, I had to sit it down. When I stood up, I got a feeling of euphoria. (If you have not experienced exercise induced euphoria, you are missing out!) It felt like I was walking on a cloud. It felt good. I felt good. Even though I had failed the lift, I put out a maximum effort just the same as if I had locked it out.

Similar to the theory of testosterone and HGH being released during exercise, it is widely recognized that endorphins are released through exercise as well. These endorphins are known as the "feel good chemicals" that are prevalent in the brain during exercise, excitement and orgasm. I believe the euphoric feeling I got while deadlifting was a very concentrated endorphin rush. Now we have a hormonal response we can "prove"... kinda.

Okay, so we're not measuring dopamine levels in the brain but nevertheless these "feel good chemicals" is something that you will undoubtedly experience with strenuous exercise. Ever hear of "runners high"? Well, I got high from deadlifting this afternoon and it was more intense than any runners high I've ever experienced!

The point is, there is a certain sensation that comes with heavy lifting. It's undeniable - clinical testing equipment need not apply. Whether the actual cause is testosterone, adrenaline or endorphin; it doesn't matter, you know you're doing something good for your body.

There's a lot theories out there about the benefits of exercise that are either difficult or impossible to prove. Don't waste your time mulling over the "what if's" of these theories because proving the answers will yield nothing to the end result. Just know that it feels good to deadlift, and that deadlifting is good for you! So keep on deadlifting!

Homunculus

2008-11-02T22:06:00.006-05:00

This is why you should train your grip...

Read more about the homunculi here... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homunculus#Sensory_and_motor_homunculi

I've been telling people for years that stronger hands will make for a stronger body but I think these guys serve as a great visual aid. I'd like to get one of these to display in my gym as a constant reminder of the importance of grip training.

Under the weather

2008-11-02T20:55:00.003-05:00

I got a flu shot last week and I've been feeling sick ever since. Staying out late doing the Halloween party thing didn't help either. If I didn't have any clients, a to-do list as long as my arm, a daughter and a life, I would have stayed in bed all weekend.

On a brighter note, I did manage to put in a few good workouts just before my immune system was compromised. Early last week I ran a mile in 7:45, which broke a long standing PR of 7:52. I feel like I could get it down to under 7 minutes with a little bit of specific training.

My bodyweight has been pretty consistent at about 223-225, although loafing around all weekend eating large quantities off chicken noodle soup will have probably bumped me up when I weigh in tomorrow.

I also started deadlifting again after a few weeks off and although I'm not at peak numbers, progress is coming along nicely. I've changed my technique drastically and am now pulling with a narrow stance and arched back, very different from what I am used to. The goal here is to ingrain the new style and build on the motor pattern, I think this may be a more efficient pulling technique that will eventually lead to me lifting more weight.

The other thing that has been on my mind again lately is grip training. I don't believe I mentioned this before but I strained my left wrist a few months back bending nails at a hotel bar with a few RKC's at the CK-FMS certification in St. Paul. Nothing serious, but enough to make me stop training grip for a few weeks. Anyway, the wrist is fine now and regular grip training has commenced once again.

How I Lost 20lbs in Ten Weeks

2008-10-13T00:35:00.006-04:00

I've lost 20lbs in the last 10 weeks by combing intense cardiovascular work with Ori Hofmekler's Warrior Diet. The diet calls for undereating (and exercise) during the day, and overeating at night. In other words, you eat one big meal a night. I know it is against everything we think we know about energy and metabolism, but there are more things at work here than just burning calories... you'll have to read the book and try it for yourself. I don't feel like explaining it anymore. Here's the bottom line all you people who think I'm crazy for eating the way I do - I have lost bodyfat and gained athletic performance in terms of strength and endurance!

As for my lifting, it has been primarily kettlebells for the last couple of months and I have been using the GS/kettlebell sport ranking charts as my barometer. What that means is I'm focused on long duration high rep sets. I jerked a 24kg bell 80/90 times today. My previous best was 75/75 (and that was done 20lbs ago, before starting the Warrior Diet... this latest set was done on an empty stomach and after running 3 miles on my lunch break). I've been keeping up with a few basic calisthenic exercises like push ups and pull ups (I actually PR'd the last three attempts at pull ups, - (11, 12 and I'm up to 13 reps now), but I average about 5 miles and 500 kettlebells swings a week; in addition to a steady diet of jerks, snatches and long cycle c&j.

The only heavy lifting I've done in the last month or so has been a 500lb farmers walk for a few runs. I have lost some limit strength with the drop in bodyweight but it pales in comparison to the gains I've experienced in other areas.

As for my activity levels, no one can tell me I've slowed my metabolism down by not eating during the day! I have more energy when I am not bogged down by a heavy breakfast and lunch. I've been extremely productive with mid day workouts, teaching classes, home projects, household chores and creative tasks at work and on the web.

Here's a sneak peak at a new web page I'm working on...

www.bemoretraining.com/equipment/collectors.html

Vintage Dumbbells

2008-10-04T10:36:00.005-04:00

I was lucky enough to come across a set of York Barbell Globe Dumbbells this week. These dumbbells have been out of production since the 1970's, so it is quite rare to find a complete set in such good condition. I have a fairly large collection of training equipment but I have never been one to collect things because of historical value (although I do appreciate that sense of nostalgia and the throwback to the "Old School"). I collect things that I have a use for and I just don't see the purpose in having something like stuffed animals, refrigerator magnets or any other kind of knickknacks sitting around taking up space!

Dumbbells and other pieces of training equipment can be put to good use. But I didn't buy these dumbbells to add to my collection.

I've been kicking around the idea of adding a "Collectors" page to my website... a buy/sell/trade sorta thing. I'm thinking this would be a great way to release the page.

Err on the side of caution

2008-09-25T20:23:00.004-04:00

As a fitness professional and experienced trainee, I knew the idea of entering the Baltimore Marathon and trying to run 26.2 miles was a foolish one. A half marathon would have been doable and I was actually still planning on doing that until other things took priority.

Sometimes life gets in the way of training. Work, kids, social events and other responsibilities are all valid reasons to miss workouts. I've got a fairly large home improvement project I am working on right now and it is one that requires immediate attention. Remodeling a 60sqft bathroom is not a huge task but it is a job that would take one man at least a week. And being that this is the upstairs bathroom and the one I use while I am half asleep in the middle of the night, I need to get this done ASAP! Commode downtime has to be kept at a minimum!

Anyway, back to the marathon bit, I'm not going to do it. Not even the half marathon. I may go out and hit the neighborhood route that day but we'll see how everything is feeling first. Pulling up the old floor this week had me on my knees and anyone who has done any floor work knows how tough that can be, even with knee pads.

This was definitely an unforeseen circumstance... but so was my run and the idea to run a marathon.

I just finished writing the article "Big Man Running" where I warned my fellow largemen not to increase their mileage too quickly. I actually found myself writing "do not go out and try to run a marathon". I figured it would be a good idea to take my own advice.

I am in no hurry to be anywhere or do anything when it comes to running. I think I'll err on the side of caution and get the idea of long, long distance running out of my head for now.

Just a few weeks ago I posted a blog asking the question "What is long distance?"... a week later I ran 10 miles. I think I found the answer to my question. Although I am new to the "blogosphere" I am finding some interesting things happen when you put your thoughts out there on the inter-net.

The Single Greatest Personal Record of My Life

2008-09-14T09:32:00.006-04:00

Though I'm feeling it this morning, yesterdays run was the single most incredible thing I have ever done in terms of exercise.

I ran 10 miles in 2 hours and 4 minutes!

My heart rate averaged 178 bpm and maxed at 190, but my cardio was good, it was my legs that died around the 9th mile.

My previous best was 3 miles in 30 minutes. In terms of distance, that's a 233% increase in mileage! And I more than tripled my duration!

In highschool my best mile run was 12:52, so for me to be able to run 10x as long, at a faster pace, it just blows my mind how far I've come.

My perspective on training, fitness and even nutrition has changed drastically over the last week, and the 10 mile run was the actualization of my new thought process.

A lot of things went into me being able to do what I did. Mindset, technique, new shoes and all the kettlebell training I've done leading up until now took part in yesterdays run. I mentioned before that I accredited my new found running prowess to my kettlebell training and I still stand by that sentiment, to some degree. High rep kettlebell training definitely provided me with the conditioning needed for a long duration physical exertion. There's something to be said about about trying to relax with 70, 106 or 140lbs on your chest before you explode that weight overhead again and again for as many times as possible. But cross training can only take you so far. If you want to get good, I mean really good at something, you have to "just do it". It's called the SAID principle - Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands - and it holds true with any kind of sport or activity.

I have found my groove in running. I have found the most efficient way to move my body as fast as possible while spending the least amount of energy. It is such a beautiful thing! I never thought I would feel this way about something I used to hate so much.

The biggest thing I have come to learn is the importance of proper breathing - diaphragmatic breathing. When you "belly breathe" the air that you take in acts as a cushion or a shock absorber for the rest of your body. This is HUGE for a 235lb man with broad shoulders and a large upper body. If you breathe shallow, like so many people do, if you only take that breath into your chest, you are putting unnecessary strain on your traps and many other smaller muscles in your neck and shoulder area that are now being assigned respiratory tasks, which is not their job. Once you learn to relax these muscles and take air deep into your belly, your entire upper body relaxes and you run smoother and more efficiently. The diaphragm is the muscle that is responsible for respiration - so use it!

Another thing I have become acutely aware of is foot placement - heel to toe. The weight shifts from the heel along the outside of the foot and is then displaced through the toes. If you get this right there is virtually no pounding or jarring of the body; again, you run smoother and more efficiently. I've also found that it helps if you prolong your stride a bit. If you extend your hip fully and allow your foot to push a little bit further behind you, this also seems to help the smoothness in which you run. I wouldn't say that I can run like the wind, but I think this is what people mean when they say that.

One more thing about stride is you need to be aware of is how high you kick your feet up. I recall when my brother and I would go jogging back in the day; any time we would run past girls he would get this noticeable bounce in his step and kick his feet almost high enough to touch his butt. If you're running for distance, you need to conserve as much energy as possible and butt-kicking your way through the neighborhood or around the track is no way to conserve your energy! No wasted movement, no wasted energy!

And perhaps the most obvious thing about running, to me anyway, is head and body positioning. Don't look down and don't bend forward. Stay as upright as possible and keep the head centered and balanced with the neck relaxed. Even though this seems like common sense, I tend to forget it sometimes and it doesn't take long for undue fatigue to set in. Fatigue in the head and neck area translates to fatigue in the mind, literally and figuratively.

The last thing I want to comment on about running is footwear. I picked up a pair of Nike Free 7.0 and ran 10 miles the first time I ever put them on. The right shoes makes a world of difference. These shoes are the closest thing to being bare foot besides those hideous Vibram 5 Fingers foot-glove thingys, and I am a firm believer that the foot was designed to perfection as is (under normal circumstances of course). I recently read a quote that said, "Smart shoes = dumb feet"... I couldn't put it any better than that.

So anyway, words cannot express how excited I am about what I now know I am capable of. I'm seriously considering running in the Baltimore Marathon next month. Imagine that... Maryland's Strongest Man in 2007 to Maryland Marathon Man in 2008. What's another 16 miles after you've already gone 10? I think I could do it in under 6 hours. If there are any distance runners out there reading this, I would love for you to weigh in your opinion. Is 4 weeks enough to train? And if it is, how would you train for it?

Vacation Week

2008-09-13T21:21:00.004-04:00

7 days at the beach and I took full advantage of the amount of time I had to train. Here is what my week looked like...

Sunday
Long Cycle C&J -
24's x 30 reps (5:30)
24's x 31 reps (6:30)
3 mile run (30:09)

Monday
Long Cycle C&J -
24's x 20
24's x 10 sets of 10
Swings -
24's x 10 sets of 10

Tuesday
Pull ups -
5 sets of 5
Rows -
3 sets to failure (alternated with)
Push ups -
3 sets to failure
100 bodyweight squats
Nautilus chest combo
Nautilus pull over
All exercises were done with limited rest in between sets. This was more of a circuit than anything. The squats killed me and left more sore for days.

Wednesday
Snatch -
24 x 100 reps (switch every 25)
Long Cycle C&J -
24's x 32 reps (6min)
15 minute interval jog on beach

Thursday
One Arm Long Cycle C&J -
24 x 100 reps (1 hand switch)
Approx. 15 minutes of just screwing around doing whatever exercise I felt like
Approx. 20 minutes of jogging on the beach with a 20lb baby in one arm

Friday
Rest

Saturday
10 mile run (2hrs 4min) Avg HR - 178, Max HR- 190.

Physically, I think this is the most amazing thing I have ever done. This is the single greatest PR of my life and deserves its own blog post, article, news story and special appearance on Oprah. I think a parade should be held in my honor! :)

In all seriousness, today's run was just shy of life altering. My entire perspective of what is possible changed in that 2 hours. More on that tomorrow.

What is "long" distance?

2008-09-01T11:52:00.002-04:00

In my last post I mentioned that a 1.5 mile jog was considered long distance for me. I say that because I have only on a couple of occasions went farther than that and I have only on a couple occasions been physically able to go farther than that.

After thinking about it, and after saying to the world (or really to just the few people that read this blog:) that a 1.5 mile jog is what I consider long distance, I felt kinda pathetic. 1.5 miles isn't long! I work with an 82 year old man who runs marathons and here I am all happy and proud that I can run a mere 1.5 miles without stopping to suck wind! That's BS.

So even though I had a few too many drinks and far too much to eat at a wedding the night before, I got up Sunday morning, did a quick JM warm up, took a sip of Gatorade and went out for a jog. I ran my route twice, only stopping for a couple seconds to retie my shoe (which I think hurt my rhythm) and still sprinted the final straitaway!

3 miles in 30 minutes... and to be honest, I could have kept going were it not for the chaffing on my thighs :(

I have only once before attempted a 3 mile run, and though that was 6 or 7 years ago, I don't think I performed as well as I did yesterday. I'm very pleased with my running ability right now, especially considering that I haven't been running.

I'm planning to see just how far I can take this. My next run will be a personal record that will shatter my previous best. Stay tuned.

Training Updates

2008-08-30T11:11:00.003-04:00

Training of late has been very much strength-endurance focused. With the exception of grip work, I've cut out almost all heavy low-rep lifting for the time being. I'm even deadlifting in the double digit rep range and cutting rest periods drastically.

The majority of my lifts have been with kettlebells though. I've set several PR's over the last couple weeks which included swinging the 24kg for 200 reps with one hand switch, snatching the same for 150 reps and I also hit 75 reps in the LCCJ with a pair of 16's. Though I believe I'm just scratching the surface of my kettlebell potental, my endurance has never been better.

Case in point...

It's been at least year since I've done any jogging. I've got a neighborhood route that I used to run semi-regularly that is about 1.5 miles with a pretty good hill about midway through. I decided last Saturday that I would head out and pound the pavement again for a change of pace in my workouts. Though I didn't time it, I was pleasantly surprised that I ran my route stronger than EVER!

Usually after a long hiatus in any kind of training you don't expect to set personal records your first time back but I can say with all certainty that I've never tackled that mid-point hill with such authority. I even had enough steam to sprint the final straitaway, which I usually try to do anyway but I distinctly remember feeling heavy and slow during my last attempt at that sprint.

Being a couple pounds lighter may have contributed some (I'm down 10lbs in about 4 weeks) but still, it's been over a year since I've done any running! I have to contribute my new found endurance to all the GS (kettlebell sport) training I've been doing lately. Relaxed, time focused sets has profound carry over to long distance running (and yes, 1.5 miles IS long distance to me!).

In any case, I'm enjoying my new training focus, I'm making great improvements, I feel good and I'm leaner than I've been in a long, long time.

Diesel Bending eBook

2008-08-16T12:15:00.002-04:00

Jedd released his Bending eBook right when I was getting into serious grip training again, so ofcourse, I had to check it out. I don't think anyone has ever written about short steel bending in such depth. He covers not only the different styles & grips used but also different types of steel, nails, bolts, etc. He really gives you everything you need to know to get you started bending steel.

I'm not completely wet behind the ear when it comes to bending. Short bar bending was contested at 3 grip contests I've competed in. Not one of my stronger events but I have worked my way up to bending a respectable 6" grade 5 bolt (rated at 345lbs) and I have spent plenty of time on the Gripboard reading about bending. So even though I already knew some of the stuff presented in Jedd's book, it was nice to have it all in one simple, easy to read package without having to sort through pages of bending vs folding arguments.

Of course, Jedd is a far more accomplished grip athlete than myself. He's miles ahead of me when it comes to hand strength but what I didn't realize is how much more advanced his understanding of grip, bending in particular, is than mine. I definitely picked up some useful tips from the Diesel Bending book. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone, beginning or advanced, who has an interest in bending short steel.

Combat Core

2008-08-16T11:48:00.006-04:00

Smitty from the Diesel Crew has put together the most comprehensive innovative book on core training I've ever seen. We all know the Diesel Crew for their creativity in training. They were releasing videos on functional training before the term "functional training" was cool.

Call it what you will, there are certain aspects of not only sport but daily movement that are not duplicated in conventional training programs. Some of these movements perhaps should not be duplicated as it could either interfere with motor learning patterns related to your sport or because of the simple fact that it is too dangerous. There is no exercise that I would recommend to train for the awkward movement of putting a toddler into a car seat, but what I would suggest is strengthening your core (which includes your back) so you lessen the injury potential of such a movement that you might do 10-12 times a day.

That is what Combat Core is about. It has nothing to do with fighting or warfare, or any of the feelings you might associate with the word "combat" (although combat athletes; fighters, football players, etc. could benefit greatly from it). It has everything to do with strengthening the core to withstand the daily rigors of sport and everyday life. As you well know, you cannot predict the demands that may be imposed on your body, so it is the creativity and diversity of the exercises presented in Combat Core that make this book worth your time. I guarantee you have never seen these exercises before.

Functional Movement Screening

2008-08-13T19:31:00.003-04:00

I’m writing this from Chicago’s O’Hare international airport. I just left Minnesota from the first ever Certified Kettlebell Functional Movement Screening (CK-FMS) workshop. FMS is the brainchild of Gray Cook – physical therapist, strength & conditioning specialist and kettlebell instructor.

Gray has been in the trenches working his system into the highest levels of sport for the last 10 years and has now teamed up with Brett Jones (Master RKC, ATC and CSCS) of Dragon Door to integrate kettlebells into the corrective movement strategies of the screening.

The Functional Movement Screen can be summarized like this: a series of 7 exercises that tests for dysfunctional movement patterns that may be a result of muscular imbalances (mobility, stability or asymmetry) within the body. If you cannot do any of the 7 movements without pain, it is recommended that you see a doctor, chiro, physical therapist or other health care professional as medical attention may be required. Otherwise, individuals are graded on a scale of 1-3 and depending on their scores, corrective movement exercises are prescribed to help restore proper mechanics within the body. The test was created to assist in communication between coaches, personal trainers, athletic trainers and physical therapists

Hold that thought, my plane is boarding…

I’m back at home now. Before I finish about the CK-FMS cert let me tell you about the Russian cab driver that picked me up from the airport. Guess what we talked about? That’s right, kettlebells. I always ask people if they know about kettlebells but especially Russians. This guy was great! He barely spoke English. He was a former wrestler who migrated from Russia 20 years ago (he’s 62 now) and hadn’t seen a kettlebell since then. So naturally, I invited in my house and showed him my gym at 1 o’clock in the morning. :)

I offered to trade him a small kettlebell for some of the cab fare but he wanted two 12kg bells. I gave him a Hard Style catalog and explained that the price for the two kettlebells was about $150 plus shipping. He chuckled and said “F-ing Americans” in the thickest Russian accent I’ve ever heard and told me he used to be able to buy “girya” (which I learned I had been pronouncing way wrong) for 2 rubles when he was younger.

I bet 20 minute cab rides didn’t cost $65 back then either.

Anyway, Ivan was a cool way to top off my weekend. Back to FMS...

At the strength clinic last month, no fewer than four of the presenters mentioned the work Gray has been doing involving human movement. At least 2 people described him as a “genius” and I can only echo their sentiment. The guy picked up on a shoulder mobility issue I’ve been trying to stretch out for the last couple months and fixed it in about 2 minutes. It was just a matter of activating my trapezius muscle which I was doing on the left but not on the right (hello asymmetrical shoulders). He “fixed” people all weekend with simple little exercises like this. As much as I know about human movement and exercise, it pales in comparison to Mr. Cook. His understanding of anatomy is truly profound.

I’m excited about everything I learned this weekend and I’m anxious to start administering the Functional Movement Screen to my clients. I’m still practicing but I’m already looking at body mechanics and movement patterns differently. This weekend was quite the educational experience for me and I’d recommend FMS training to any trainer, therapist or doctor that deals with musculoskeletal issues.

Central PA Strongman Contest

2008-08-02T22:28:00.008-04:00

Promoted by Joe Snavely and Todd Marcoullier. When these guys told me they were putting on a strongman show I said I would be there, either to compete or to help out, one way or another.

This was the first time for me being involved in a strongman contest and not competing. (It was a little weird.) Joe and Todd did a hell of a job organizing this show, and this was a first time for them too! Everything went smooth and there was plenty of help. Little for me to do really, so I took pictures... lots and lots of pictures.

Here's 248 of them. Enjoy.

Central PA Strongman

Although I'm not planning to compete in strongman anymore, I still plan to be involved in the local scene. I've made some good friends and met some amazing people; that's what you can expect in strongman and I'd like to help keep that tradition going in anyway possible.

If anyone is looking for a training crew, drop me an email and I'll see if I can put you in touch with someone.

Equipment? I've got some of that too.

Let me know.

-Dan Cenidoza

Eagle Scout Health Fair

2008-07-22T10:35:00.007-04:00

The local Boy Scout troop invited me to set up a booth at their health fair this past weekend. It was held at a nearby church, not an overly big venue but I was happy to do it anyway. There were probably another 17-18 exhibitors ranging from massage therapy to martial arts. I decided to hold a kettlebell lifting contest and give away t-shirts, stickers and wristbands as prizes.

Besides one older gentlemen, the Scouts were the only ones to participate in the contest... and let me tell you, those kids cleaned me out! The rules were simple: press the kettlebell overhead as many times as possible and 50 reps won you a t-shirt. Everybody who tried got a sticker. They were allowed one hand switch and could push press or jerk the bell (no way I was going to try and explain the jerk to them though). I think most of the troop left with a Be-More Training shirt on. It was nice to see them excited about kettlebell lifting.

I put on a couple demonstrations as well. First I did a 150 rep jerk set with the 24kg... 75 reps per hand. After I had a while to catch my breath I showed them my "card trick" where I turn 1 deck of cards into 2. They were all pretty impressed with that. I also bent a couple nails and turned them on to the Captains of Crush grippers as well as a few other grip toys. The grip feats had the entire room surrounding my booth, exhibitors and attendees alike.

I mentioned a couple weeks ago that I would be shifting my training focus to something other than strongman competitions, well that's what I was referring to, is the performing side of strongman.

Showcasing my talents for those kids reminded me just how fun it is putting on strength shows. It's a different environment than when you are competing. When doing a strongman show, you are an entertainer, a performer. The opportunity to inspire people is much greater in this arena. You are not competing against anyone, not even really competing against yourself, you are just showing someone this cool thing you can do. Like a magic trick, only harder to do. :)

So that's what my training has been looking like lately. I'm back into grip training with a purpose (other than the obvious, stronger hands)!

Anyway, I hit a quick grip workout this morning and this is what it looked like...

Inch Dumbbell attempts - this consists of many failed attempts, some 2 hand pick ups released and held with one hand, and several holds with 1 finger on the bell to stop the rotation

Pony thumb trainer - 2 sets of as many reps as possible with each hand (note to self: left hand is considerably stronger on this exercise)

Grippers - 2 sets of 5 with a filed #2

Grade 5 bolt attempt - I've bent one of these before, a long time ago, but it was not to be today. I gave it all I had, off and on for a good 10 minutes. All I can say is that I got some good wrist isometrics from it.

One more set of Pony thumb trainer immediately followed by Inch DB rows with straps. The rows are as much for back strength as they are for breaking the mental barrier of lifting the Inch with one hand. I believe actually seeing myself lift it, with straps or otherwise, will eventually help me lift it. (Incidentally, I had a dream that I lifted it just last night. Go figure.)

Formulator wrist curls, 15lbs x 11.5 reps (the .5 means a failed attempt)

Portable wrist roller - 60 seconds

Finger Extension

2008-07-15T16:15:00.010-04:00

I've been tinkering with ways to train finger extension for about 8 years now. I've come up with several methods and even a few product ideas that I thought showed some potential.

Pictured to the right is a design I came up with in 2001. It's an idea I had in an effort to try to train finger extension. Try to look at the concept instead of my artistic capabilities. :)

Finger extension is all but forgotten about when it comes to training the hands. Think about everything we do in daily life that involves gripping, squeezing, holding, carrying, etc. - all finger flexion movements. Never do we have to open our hand against resistance.

Muscular balance is important in all parts of the body and the hands are no different. Finger extension is often the missing link even in serious grip training. Your grip can only be so strong if your extension is weak. Opposing muscle groups are often the limiting factor in any lift. Few people realize this or take it seriously.

There is the old method of opening and closing your hand inside a bucket of sand, or opening your hand on the inside of a jar. Company's like Iron Mind have developed products like the Outer Loops™ and Expand-Your-Hand Bands™ to assist in your finger extension efforts. Then of course, there is good old manual resistance - finger tip to finger tip.

I just recently learned of this device (or "grip toy" as I call them) where you can train finger extension and finger flexion with the same piece of equipment without any kind of adjustment whatsoever. It's called the Handmaster Plus™

This is a great invention! I thought that this was the best thing since sliced bread and hand grippers. I thought so highly of this product that it basically put my idea of producing something similar out of my head. Somebody had thought of a better design and put it on the market already!

But let me back up and say that I haven't actually used this product yet. I've been meaning to order one but I just haven't gotten around to it. The funny thing is, I probably won't now that I've stumbled onto something better.

Like almost everything else in the fitness industry, there is usually a very simple exercise that beats out all of the gimmicks and fancy equipment. There is usually one basic exercise, performed with one basic piece of equipment, that will develop a muscle or a movement better than anything else. I found that exercise and that piece of equipment...

Th era-Band® Exercise Bands

Like I said - simple equipment for a basic exercise. You can get a piece of Thera-Band from any physical therapist's office. All you need is about 24". Just wrap it around your fist and extend your fingers against it. For more resistance, pull the band tighter. You can also change the angle in which you hold the band to focus on a specific position of the hand/fingers. Use it for wrist extension (an equally important and perhaps just as neglected movement of the lower arm), dynamic thumb exercises and even finger abduction (spreading of the fingers). The possibilities are as vast as your imagination!

I like to train these movements with the Thera-Band with high reps - 20 or more. That's entirely personal perference though. You can pull the band so tight that you can barely eek out a 1RM if you want. Though I have found that the hands respond better to high repetitions. Call it targeting the slow twitch fibers, muscle pump or whatever you like, it just seems you get a better workout.

I'm not staking claim to be the first one who ever thought of using a Thera-Band to do these exercises, it just kinda dawned on me one day and I figured I would write about it. If you know of any other unique exercises performed with a Thera-Band, please post them up. I'd also be interested in hearing how you train finger extension and other rare hand/finger movements.

Kettlebell Training & Technique

2008-06-29T14:02:00.018-04:00

I just got back from Juniata and what a great clinic this year was! I can't say enough about coach Smith or the event he puts on. We had some awesome presentations and some very exciting hands-on sessions. Job well done to all of the speakers!

My presentation was everything I had hoped it would be. I was scheduled for Friday morning at 10am in the large lecture hall. The large hall has about 6 times the seating capacity as the upstairs hall, which I was assigned to last year. I was hoping to get the large hall this time because I wanted as many people in attendance as possible. I got my wish. I would estimate that there were nearly 100 people in the audience - the largest group I've ever spoken to for an hour or more, and by far the most pleasurable speaking engagement I've had as well. I've never felt more comfortable in front of such a large group.

As I mentioned before, my presentation was titled "Kettlebell Training & Technique". I am in a rather unique position being that I am certified as both an American Kettlebell Club coach and a Russian Kettlebell instructor. These two organizations have conflicting philosophies when it comes to kettlebell training. Unfortunately, this has created a division in a very small community of people who are passionate about kettlebell training. This division is not without it's trash talk either. You have people on both sides of the fence who poo-poo the other organization/style. This is stupid. Not only is it short sighted to say there is only one way to lift a kettlebell but badmouthing of any kind does nothing good for your image or the organization you represent. I would suggest these overzealous few (and it is only a few) spend more time on the lifting platform and less time on the internet. What's interesting is that I've never heard a derogatory statement come out of either of Pavel or Valery. Take another lesson from your coach, fellas.

I stay out of it. And I tried to make my presentation as unbiased as possible, offering only the facts of each style of training. I gave credit where credit was due and the only opinions I presented were how to best implement kettlebells into a comprehensive training program. We must not forget, the kettlebell is only one tool in our proverbial toolbox. You use different tools for different jobs. But I digress...

My presentation was very well received and I think I struck the right balance with the whole style debate. I spoke to both RKC and AKC instructors that were in attendance and they were all very supportive of my lecture. In fact, I got a lot of compliments from everyone I spoke with afterwards.

The hands-on session went well too. A rain storm rolled through just long enough to inconvenience us and put us under a tent but that didn't stop everyone from practicing their clean & jerks or hitting the 100 rep swing test. It was a good time and I got some good training in between my demonstrations, the Diesel Crew's strongman session and Mike Rankin (of Drexel University) session on clubbell training.

Of course, when you put a bunch of strength coaches, trainers and athletes together it is never a dull night. It wasn't 2 hours later before we were back at the dorm rooms drinking beer, tearing decks of cards and swinging kettlebells. Partying with such people is worth the 3.5 hour trip to Huntingdon, PA itself. It's nice to sit in the lecture hall with a pen & pad taking notes but it's another thing to sit at the bar and pick the brain of the coach next to you.

Unfortunately I couldn't stick around for Saturday's presentations and I headed home early. Whenever I pass through York, PA I try to make it a point to stop by York Barbell and the USA Weightlifting Hall of Fame. The museum is worth a look if you have never been. You might just stumble into the IPA World Powerlifting Championships like I did. I stopped in to watch a few of the lifters but the real treat was getting to talk with some of the guys working the event. I learned a couple grip exercises, got a lesson in Meridian Stretching, played with some more clubbells and talked some Iron Game history. The visit to York was the perfect way to top off the weekend!

Actually, I take that back... coming home and having my daughter smile at me was the perfect way to top off the weekend.

If anyone would like a copy of the presentation, I have decided to offer it for $9.99. It is a fair price considering the people in attendance had to pay for the clinic. I have put some work in this presentation and it is worth it. Email me at bemoretraining@gmail.com if interested.

Pennsylvania State Strength & Conditioning Clinic

2008-06-23T12:44:00.010-04:00

I'm giving a presentation at Juniata college this weekend for the PA State strength & conditioning clinic. I haven't had much time to blog because I work best under pressure, which is another way of saying I waited until the last minute to put together my slide show. Needless to say, that's kept me occupied for the last couple weeks. :)

The title of my presentation is "Kettlebell Training & Technique". I'm also doing a hands-on session under the same title later that afternoon. Obviously, training & technique are going to be a large portion of the lecture but being that most in attendance will probably be collegiate level strength coaches, there will be a need to discuss program design & implementation.

Coach Doug Smith puts on one of the best clinics I've ever been to. Two full days of well organized, quality presentations, and both presenters and those in attendance are treated very well. Cost of admission includes 5 meals, 2 nights room & board and 2.0 CEU's. There's usually a care package that includes vitamin supplements, annual clinic t-shirts and a sweet notebook. You can't beat that!

In other news: I got a glimpse of the new http://www.bemoretraining.com/ website and it's looking better than I could have ever imagined! I'm excited. The release date is scheduled for July 9th... stay tuned!

Maryland Strongest Man 2008

2008-06-09T21:52:00.010-04:00

This year was a hot one! 97 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. By noon there were few places to hide from the sun... but hey, it's a strongman contest, what do you expect?!

I just happened to reread a contest write up I did a few years ago. I'm going to spare the specific event drama and just say it was another insanely heavy contest put on by Graham Bartholomew. 820lb yoke walk, 330 an arm farmers walk and 750+lb tire flip to name a few. Yeah. Heavy. A typical Maryland show.

However, this year was special as I was to present an award to Graham and his wife Lorraine for all the hard work they do putting on these shows. It's not just the contests but the after-parties, the training sessions, the coaching (Graham is the closest thing I've ever seen to a "strongman coach"), the friendship and for never being allowed to leave without a gatorade and something to eat. We wanted to recognize Graham and Lorraine for the good peoples that they are. A single email generated over $200 of immediate response and the donation request was only for $10 or $20 to a handful of people. People either caught wind of it or those that received the email felt compelled to forward to others. We got so much more than we asked for, we upgraded the awards (shown below) and bought $100 worth of gift card.

We embarrassed him good and plenty :)~ If anyone has pictures of the actual "awards ceremony" please forward them to me.

As for the actual contest, I felt good going into it. I hadn't been training for it (more on that later) but I was where I needed to be mentally and physically. I weighed in lighter than normal at 245lb and put up a consistent performance with the last two contests I did (the Mid Atlantic in March and last years Maryland) so I was happy with the results. I placed 4th to three guys that were/are legitimately stronger than me. Simple as that.

As for my training, I think I have to come to terms with that I'm not as interested in competitive strongman as I once was. Don't get me wrong, it's still a lot of fun and I'll probably still do contests here and there but its hard to make time to train events. Event days involve going to someones house (often times Graham's or Camp Hill, PA - both an hour or more away) and spending several hours with a crew training events... it's great, but when it comes down to playing with the boys or playing with a baby girl who calls me "daddy", the little one is going to get more of my attention. (she hasn't actually said "daddy" yet, it's more like "bob-bob").

The other thing is, I've kinda got my eyes set on a different prize when it comes to my training. But that's another story for another day.

No Go on the Pros

2008-06-05T23:04:00.004-04:00

I spoke with coach Rogucki on Monday, he has all the help he needs for now. It's time to make more moves as far as the immediate future of Be-More Training is concerned.

On the agenda next week is house hunting. I'm thinking a small studio store front or a slightly larger warehouse with plenty of room for lifting. It doesn't have to be pretty, just convenient and open.

It also looks as if I have found my new web designer.

Go Studio or Go Pro?

2008-05-30T12:03:00.006-04:00

I was this close to signing a 3 year lease on a place for my gym when the Baltimore Raven's released Brian Billick. Fortunately, some unfortunate circumstances took place before I put my name to the dotted line which caused me to rethink the direction of my business. At this point in my life, I think a studio, with appointment only clientèle is the best thing for me right now.

Back to the Raven's...

I sent my resume to coach Bob Rogucki when he took over the strength & conditioning program for the team couple months ago. A couple weeks went by and I didn't hear back from him and it wasn't until I saw this Baltimore Raven's using kettlebells that I decided to make a follow up call.

Coach Rogucki, who has been a coach in the NFL for almost as long as I have been alive, said that he received my resume he only wished he had gotten it sooner, he already had 2 guys working under him. He told me he'd like to sit down and talk with me but there really wasn't any point at this time as he had no positions available. He told me to call him back in June though because he might have something then.

So, that's what I'm waiting for. If the pro ranks call, I have to take the opportunity. If not, then I'll proceed with my plans for a studio.

Group Kettlebell Classes

2008-05-30T09:47:00.003-04:00

We have group kettlebell classes meeting at Honeygo Run park on Monday & Wednesday evenings at 6:30pm and a morning class that meets on Wednesday at 9am. 60 minutes of kick your butt kettlebell.

The cost of the class is $15 and kettlebells will be provided. Bring your own kettlebell and the cost is only $12. Class size is limited so you must register in advance.

For details on how to create a class of your own, or to check the availability of a class, please email me. Thanks.

Website Revamp

2008-05-27T11:03:00.004-04:00

The new website will be rolled out shortly - it's been a long time in the making and there are some exciting changes that are taking place. I do apologize for how long www.bemoretraining.com has gone unattended. There has been personal and professional circumstances that prevented me from devoting the time necessary to being a good site administrator but I've never been one to lend too much credit to the "I'm too busy" excuse so take that for what it's worth. The truth is, I had just grown tired of the old design and decided that a total overhaul was in order. So instead of updating pages that I was inherently unhappy with, I put all my thoughts and energies into revamping the site entirely. The soon-to-be-released changes are a result of over a years worth of creative thought.

New Direction

2008-05-22T19:58:00.005-04:00

This marks the start of a new website, and a new business.

My name is Dan Cenidoza, I am a kettlebell instructor and strength and conditioning specialist.

For the last 10 years of my life I have worked as a CAD operator. I have a degree in computer drafting & design and until recently I have earned my living at a desk job doing mechanical design work. Exercise and fitness has always been more of a hobby or passion, a part-time gig, but now it is my only business, and I am perhaps more passionate about it now than ever.

That's why I had to quit my day job. It's time to take all of the training I've done (in school and in work) and put my services in the fitness business as a priority. I've had this planned for years now. I've proven to myself as well as to others that I have ability as a strength athlete, a strength coach and a strength expert... so I chose a new trade: Health & Strength.

This blog is about happenings of Be-More Training and my job as a strength and conditioning specialist.