"Don't reach, young blood."

From time to time, I share the gym with two high school athletes who are training to get stronger for their respective sports, football and squash (hey, no judging!).  Most of the time, their training is organized and programmed by my good friend, who makes them squat, pull and press multiple times per week.  However, any work done in the summer off-season is unregulated.  To their credit, I saw them come in and lift, but the foundation of their "program" was cracked.  Both spent too much time snatching and cleaning, all while neglecting their squats, presses and pulls.  Now, the Olympic lifts are great – arguably the optimal choice for developing power or what Louie Simmons calls “speed strength – but two lifts does not a program make.

I broached the issue tentatively one day as they were gathering up their belongings.  "Y'all done for today?" I asked.  They responded in the affirmative.  "I don't see you guys squatting or pressing too often . . . y'all are pushing those exercises, too, right?"  I mused, knowing full-well the situation at hand.  They looked at each other sheepishly, shying away from my query. "Squats are tiring. They make our legs sore," the braver of the two piped up.  "Guys, you will likely make faster progress in the snatch and clean if you push up your squat numbers," I stressed.  The two nodded in agreement, but turned and walked back to the locker room, whispering to each other along the way.

 

It was this exchange that reminded me of the Pepsi "Uncle Drew" commercials that aired last year.  If you missed them, the plot line centers around two or three professional basketball players disguising themselves as geriatrics, then running ball on the city courts.  As you might expect, the pros whip the youngsters, all under the guise of escapees from the retirement home.  The commercials are damn funny.  My favorite line comes from Kyrie Irving’s character, who repeatedly tells opponents, “Don’t reach, young blood,” meaning move your feet, play defense, work hard.  To those youngsters or Crossfitters out there chasing personal records in the snatch, clean and jerk much to the neglect of their squats, I say, “Don’t reach, young blood.”  Bring your hard hat and lunch pail and set up shop in the squat rack.  Fives are a great place to start, but there are dozens of successive squat programs out there.  Plan the work, then work hard.  Uncle Drew over and out.



Get buckets.  Get squatting.

Dear John

Dear John,

Niccolo Machiavelli wrote The Prince in 1512 to educate young "princes" on the particulars of ruling.  Those lessons were derived not only from his study of the ancient Greeks and Romans but also from personal experiences with princes of the warring Italian city-states.  Seeing as I believe Machiavelli was unemployed at the time of its writing, The Prince can be read as the most famous job application ever prepared.

Channeling my inner Machiavel, this letter sets forth the lessons I learned while training and competing in athletics.  Much like the famous – or infamous, depending on your point view – Florentine before me, the lessons learned and described herein reflect twenty years of personal and second-hand experiences.  Some were gained from conversing with teammates, others the hard way – through making mistakes.  I urge you to heed my words now for their truth is revealed only with the passage of time.

First and foremost, compete.  Always compete.  Never back down.  You may have grown up in the "everyone gets a trophy" era, with parents and teachers praising your "special" abilities, but there are most certainly winners and losers in competitive athletics.  Compete every day: in practice, in the weight room, wherever.  If a teammate challenges you to eat fifty eggs, go all Cool Hand Luke-style on them and get it done. The desire to compete – and win – in anything and everything carries over to gameday.

 

"My boy says he can eat fifty eggs, he cant eat fifty eggs."



Second, ditch the pre-madonna attitude.  Be the strong silent type.  Every year I get more and more pissed off watching national high school signing day for Division I football.  The kids have turned the whole event into a charade.  Congratulations you are now one of a thousand of Division I scholarship athletes.  Win a Heisman Trophy or become an All-American, then carry on like you are a BFD ("big fucking deal").

Third, practice your craft.  Every day.  On days when formal practice is not being held, spend an hour addressing a technical flaw or sharpening your visualization skills or watching past practice or game tapes.  Consistency is king.  Fundamentally, training is nothing more than moving a big pile of horse manure across the yard.  On the days you feel great, carry a shovelful, maybe two; on the days you feel crappy, carry just a spoonful.  But keep moving that manure.  Be relentless. And be prepared for the stink.

Four, protect your dreams.  The word I heard growing up was "doubters," now they’re called "haters," but the difference is irrelevant.  Losers always try to convince others their dreams will escape their reach.  Don't listen.  Insulate your dreams by surrounding yourself with positive people and supportive coaches.  Distance yourself from everyone else.  Every year hundreds of high school and college athletes are selected in the Major League Baseball draft, why can't you be one of them in four years’ time?

Five, take care of your body.  It was the great John Denver who sang, "early to rise, early in the sack, thank god I'm a country boy."  And contrary to what some might lead you to believe, nothing good happens after midnight.  When it comes to meal time, make sure you consume enough calories to support your training, but do not rely heavily – or at all, if possible – on pizza and other junk foods for fuel.  Garbage in, garbage out, trust me.  Eat something fresh and green at least twice per day.  Fresh spinach is tolerable in an omelet with whole eggs and bacon.  If you don't know how to scramble eggs or cook an omelet, use your iPhone for a Youtube search.  Limit alcohol consumption.  At some point in the near future this will be more relevant than it is today, but in the meantime remember the best-looking girls never waste their time talking to the drunk guy passed out on the couch.

And finally, reflect periodically on why you are training and what you are striving to accomplish. Are you playing for the right reasons?  If you are playing to satisfy someone other than yourself, give greater thought to the matter.  If you are playing to see your name in the newspaper, give thought as to why you think this is important.  But remember this, and remember it always, when you lose the desire to compete in training, walk away from the sport immediately, else you run the risk of suffering deep disappointment.  This, too, I know.

Rich

USA Swimming “Old School vs. New Rules” Dryland Training: A Response

“Don’t be afraid of being different, be afraid of being the same as everyone else.”

– Emily Prost, The #308 Rule of  Lady

Legend has it that in 333 B.C. Alexander the Great attempted the seemingly impossible – untying the Gordian Knot.  His decision to attempt this challenge was one of ambition, for priests had prophesized that whoever bested the knot was destined to rule all of Asia.  But unlike those before him, Alexander did not struggle to find the ends of the cornel bark.  No, he unsheathed his sword and sliced the knot in a single stroke, thereby producing the required ends and giving rise to the so-called “Alexandrian Solution.”  Unconventional thinking at its finest.

The impetus for writing this post came after watching a dryland training video posted on the USA Swimming website, entitled “Old School vs. New Rules” (available here: http://usaswimming.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabId=1890&Alias=Rainbow&Lang=en).  As the video buffered, I held hope swim coaches would unsheathe the sword of strength training, and slice the Gordian Knot of improving athletic performance.  Alas this was not the case, as it seems some in the sport remain mired in the “Dark Ages” of athletic development.

 

Some may argue the exercises advocated for in this video are a form of strength training – yes and no.  Bodyweight exercises, such as the push-ups, pull-ups, rows and single-leg work, are good assistance exercises, but under no circumstances should they comprise the bulk of an athlete’s strength training, provided he or she is past the developmental phase and is injury-free.  The kettlebell swing is a good “hinging” movement indeed – one with value as both an assistance exercise and a conditioning tool – but once again its place is secondary.  Substituting these types of exercises for barbell movements like the squat, press and power clean is a mistake.  Why?  Because barbell lifts train the athlete as “one piece,” meaning they force him or her to brace their midline and move their body through a full range of motion, much like their chosen sport(s) require. 

 

Looks like a squat rather a single-leg lunge-RDL to me. 

 

Moreover, the ability of a coach to subject their athlete to progressively heavier loads elevates further the value of these movements.  If an athlete demonstrates an ability to move heavier loads through a full range of motion, a coach can take solace in knowing their athlete is becoming stronger, developing greater work capacity and improving their athletic performance.  The science linking these attributes is settled, as the select quotes below illustrate:

“Muscular strength is perhaps the most important of all factors in athletic performance.”

– Drs. Rasch and Burke, “Kinesiology and Applied Anatomy

“Strength undergirds all other factors when one considers the total functioning of the body movements.  Without sufficient strength, factors such as endurance, flexibility, and skill cannot be used effectively.”

– Professor Gene Logan of Southwestern Missouri State, “Adaptations of Muscular Activity”

Given this body of evidence, why are some coaches still shunning barbell movements in favor of less productive bodyweight exercises?  The answer is simple – fear and insufficient exposure.  People fear what they do not understand.  And too many coaches, particularly in the sport of swimming, do not come from a background where barbell movements are taught properly and practiced for years; hence, they do not understand their benefits firsthand.  Additionally, it takes far less time (and expertise) to teach an athlete how to do TRX push-ups then to squat, press or power clean.  Yet the latter three movements will likely yield far greater improvements in athletic performance than bodyweight exercises alone, assuming they are taught correctly.

 

Introducing barbell movements to athletes sooner rather than later – around the age of twelve – is  optimal because it allows months, or upwards of a year, of training with a pvc pipe or empty barbell, preferably one designed for a child’s hands.  This learning of the squat, press or power clean can be supplemented with bodyweight exercises or gymnastics, but teaching the lifts at this early age will pay dividends years later.  Indeed, a multi-year ramp-up period offers more time to teach the basics and load the barbell with small increases, all while allowing the joints, ligaments and tendons to adapt to the imposed demands (thus reducing the chance of future injury).  As my grandfather would say, “You can’t rush the harvest.”  Designing a multi-year program takes foresight and advance planning, but that is a coach’s job – to determine what is best for their athletes today, tomorrow, next year and five years down the road.

 

Towards the end of the video, the presenter makes the following claim:

 

“Either way I think what you are going to find is that if you start supplementing these for things like bench presses, Olympic lifts, squats and what have you, that you are going to get a nice bump in terms of performance and you are actually going to like how your body feels in terms of making it stronger and reducing injury potential.”

To say I disagree strongly with his conclusion is putting it mildly.

One Memory to Rule Them All

“I had a lot of dates, but I decided to stay home and dye my eyebrows.” – Andy Warhol

The memory has not faded with time – I sit alone in the empty weight room of the Summit Area YMCA, the hum of a pedestal fan providing the musical accompaniment to the clanking of metal weights.  It is seven o’clock on a Friday night the summer before my senior year of high school.

The life lessons – “preparation precedes success” and “success requires sacrifice” – are what keep this memory alive.  Forged in the fire of training, they were tested and re-learned months later in the competition pool.  When I lost sight of these lessons my senior year of college, I came to understand what President John F. Kennedy meant when he said, “Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan.”  It is with this in mind that I protect my memory of that night, remembering how the gym towel felt coarse against my skin and how the plastic chair flexed under my weight.  The emptiness of that room still speaks volumes about work ethic and sacrifice.  Nothing has changed except the venue.  Success still requires sacrifice.

I recently heard powerlifter Brandon Lilly, a world-class athlete, say, “If I could tell you how much I have missed and how much I have sacrificed, I would probably feel a whole lot more guilty about it than I really do now . . . [but] it is what it takes.  We all make sacrifices in this life . . . and to answer that question honestly that is what you are going to have to do.”  Profound indeed.  Do I have memories of cruising around town, drinking beers and taking girls out on dates?  A few.  But none are as vivid as my memory of the Summit AREA YMCA that hot summer night.

Raise the Black Flag



Grinding through the final repetition of a new personal record, you release a primal growl, one that causes others to jump.  The barbell continues to oscillate as you return it to the squat rack, the red, twenty-five kilogram plates still reeling from their struggle against gravity.  Others in your vicinity look onward with the same disgusted, confused look, "Why does he train with such intensity?  Why is he so loud?  Why can't he find somewhere else to train?  He is going to kill himself one day."  Raise the black flag, my friend, you are part of the pirate brethren.

When most people think of "pirates" they conjure images of the 18^th century Bahamian pirates, who were, by all accounts, a close-knit, albeit peculiar, fraternity.  Many served freely, rejecting the oppressive institution that was the British Royal Navy and defying the Hanoverian dynasty that was ushered into power under George I.  The political conscientiousness of the English and Irish pirates during this time should not be dismissed; after all the notorious Edward Thatch, i.e. Blackbeard, named his flagship Queen Anne's Revenge after the fallen British monarch.  And while most of the Bahamian pirates were English or Irish, large numbers of Scots, Frenchmen and Africans – many of whom were former, escaped or freed slaves – filled their ranks, so did smaller numbers of Dutch, Danes, Swedes and Native Americans.  Adding to the peculiarity, this fraternity ran their ships democratically, a rebellious idea considering the European monarchs of this time were "divined by God" to rule their subjects.  In another departure from 18^th century ruling practices, the Bahamian pirates elected and deposed of their captains via popular vote, shared plunder equally and made decisions in open council.  Some historians argue the seeds of the American Revolution were first planted by the Bahamian pirates, outlaws who were both feared and revered in North American British colonies.

A similar defiance has long existed at the heart of the Crossfit culture, bonding members within "the community" irrespective of external differences.  Political, religious or sexual beliefs fade in the backdrop as the barbell gets heavier, leaving only the work.  Hard work.  Lunchpail and hard hat work.  "Old Country" work.  You, yourself, welcome the opportunity to train alongside those who shares your commitment to this ideology.  It matters not whether the bar weighs 70, 170 or even 270 kilos.  The work is the same.  You find fulfill in setting personal records – scribbling the letters "PR" in your training log in shaky handwriting – but you also enjoy seeing others improve on their previous bests.  You cheer for a nascent training partner as they push through the final repetitions of a twenty-rep-max back squat.  All members of an egalitarian society must share in the work.

Maybe we are "different," us pirates, because we refuse to play by society's rules.  But I yearn to live in a society where hard work and unconventional thinking are welcomed, not shunned.  Hoist the colors, my fellow pirates!

Overhead Squat: "Death on a Stick"

This is a great video from Glenn Pendlay and Jon North, both formerly with Cal Strength.  The latter  provided the subtitle for this post, "death on a stick."  Funny.

The overhead squat is a useful diagnostic tool for assessing an athlete's mobility as hip, ankle, thoraic, shoulder and even wrist flexibility all come into play.  An added benefit is the limited margin for "cheating" this movement due to its emphasis on positions.  Other benefits stemming from the overload squat include strengthening the trunk and overhead position, reinforcing the vertical torso position, challenging maximum depth on the squat and building confidence for heavier snatches.  Despite the value overhead squatting provides, I rarely see people in the gym training this movement, let alone going heavy.

Critics argue the overhead squat is a poor movement for building strength as a result of the lighter loading when compared to the back or front squat.  I agree with this argument.  The overhead squat is inferior to the aforementioned squat varieties.  However, that does not mean the movement should be discarded completely.  It still has its place in a well-balanced training program.  For instance, the overhead squat fits nicely into a four-day-per-week training schedule (Monday - back squats, Wednesday - front squats, Friday - back squats and Saturday - overhead squats).  This is the way I organize my own squatting when training four times per week.  I want to reiterate greater emphasis is placed on the back squat days.

Much like the front squat, I think fives or threes are a good place to start once an athlete has developed a working competency with the overhead squat.  More advanced athletes can progress to, and benefit from, singles or doubles as the lower number of repetitions allow for near-maximum loading.  Taking a page out of Bill Starr's book, I think an athlete should be able to overhead their bodyweight for a set of five before progressing to lower rep schemes, but this standard is not set in stone.  "Supers” – men weighing over 105 kilograms (230#) and women weighing over 75 kilograms (165#) – may need a lower benchmark, but it all depends on the athlete and their mobility.

Some years ago, Dan John challenged athletes everywhere to try and overhead squat their bodyweight for fifteen repetitions.  The best way to train an athlete for tackling this challenge is to push up their back squat and press/push press numbers; continue to improve their thoraic and shoulder mobility and perform higher-repetition sets of overhead squats once a week.  This can be accomplished as either "back-off" sets after training the snatch or as part of a Crossfit-style "couplet."  My favorite couplet is pairing overhead squats with strict toes-to-bar, possibly three rounds of ten overhead squats plus twenty strict toes-to-bar (I don't have a problem with an athlete kipping the latter movement, but I, personally, suck at kipping due to lack of coordination).  The load for the overhead squat should be challenging, but not too heavy, as the athlete needs practice staying tight during higher-repetition sets.  Something like 75 percent of a three-repetition-maximum strikes me as reasonable.  I have also found Prilepin's Chart to be a valuable tool when self-programming.



Road Trip!

It’s summer time here in the Nation's capital and that means two things – humidity and road trips.  And as much as I love sweating through my dress shirt before nine in the morning, this post will focus on the latter.



Road trips pose obstacles for the nutrition-minded athlete, but all are surmountable with proper preparation.  The recommendations below are divided into two categories: training protocols and steps that can be taken outside the gym.

Training

Do Your Homework.  Before departing, check to see what facilities may be available to you. Crossfit gyms are great, especially if you want to continue Olympic lifting, but a run-of-the-mill Golds Gym can suffice in a pinch.  Commandeer a squat rack and get in a higher volume of strength work.  A few extra sets of squats and presses are good for the metabolism.  Should you choose to drop-in at a Crossfit affiliate, though, call ahead and ask about the daily schedule. Don't be "that guy" who shows up and interrupts a class.

Prioritize Strength.  This point dovetails, to some degree, with the one made earlier, and is especially relevant for the athlete who is pressed for time.  Focus on barbell lifts (squats, presses and pulls), and leave the conditioning for another time.

If you want to kill two birds with the one stone, try one of the following workouts: (1) one snatch (or clean) every minute on the minute, for twenty minutes (you can either start with 75% of your maximum and work your way up or you can attempt all twenty singles with 80-85%) – try two reps per minute if performing either of the power variations; (2) timed squats (see pgs. 83-84 in Bill Starr's "The Strongest Shall Survive" for discussion of this training protocol); (3) power cleans complimented by max repetitions in the front squat afterwards – I have found a 5-7 minute-time domain with 80% of your maximum to be optimal for skinning both the “strength” and “conditioning” cats (a good goal is 30 reps total) or (4) barbell complexes (my personal favorite is 1 Power Clean + 2 Front Squats + 1 Push Press + 1 Jerk).

Trade Intensity for Volume.  The stimulus provided by a change in training environment can have a peculiar effect on the athlete's workout.  A different backdrop for snatches or cleans, larger J-hooks in the squat rack or the simple math of converting kilograms to pounds can all affect that day's training.  Having learned these lessons the hard way, I have found success in trading intensity for volume.  By reducing the percentage used for working sets, the athlete can compensate for the additional stimuli while continuing adaptation.  Five-by-five across is my preferred set-rep scheme for squats and presses.

Take Advantage of Your Surroundings.  Time spent lifting weights or conditioning indoors is great fun, but sometimes you need to go outside and mix it up.  Go for an open water swim.  Hike a mountain pass.  Traverse a new rock face.  Pitting yourself against Mother Nature is "fitness" in the most primal sense.  In the immortal words of the band Alabama, "Swim across the river. Just to prove that I'm a man."

Outside the Gym

“The Best Damn Cooler in the Business.”  John Welbourn said it best in his "2010 Recap" when he wrote, "Don’t be lazy.  Pack a lunch .  . . We are adults and can plan ahead."  Indeed.  Here are a few prepared items I have brought with me on assorted road trips: 

(1) Cheesy Bacon Egg Cups.  (Insider Tip: pre-cook the bacon for ten minutes in an oven at 350 degrees.  Food poisoning is no dice on a road trip).

(2) Grilled Flank Steak. (Insider Tip: once cooled, cut the meat into bite-size strips to allow for hand-to-mouth feeding.  Be forewarned, this style of eating is not always popular with female passengers).

(3) Paleo Meatballs.

(4) Spinach Salad with Red Onions, Grape Tomatoes and Blue Cheese Crumbles and dressed with Extra Virgin Olive Oil. (Insider Tip: pack the dressed salad in a gallon-sized ziplock bag and use a plastic fork for eating. The plastic fork will not puncture the bag, unlike a metal fork).

Water Consumption.  Water consumption is important, too.  Urine should carry a diluted lemonade color, nothing darker.  The best way to stay hydrated while spending hours upon hours in the car is to pace your liquids consumption with the gas gauge.  The closer you get to an empty tank, the more you are allowed to drink.  Be sure to drink an extra glass of water before bed that night.

Multiple Choice is My Jam. Aside from the aforementioned prepared items, here are some store-bought foods that are most excellent for travel: (1) whole milk cottage cheese (my "go to" brand is Kalona SuperNatural, it’s the bomb-diggity), (2) any of the hard cheeses made by Kerrygold, (3) berries of all kinds (Insider Tip: remove the tops of the strawberries to avoid a mid-drive nuance), (4) raw nuts (cashews are my favorite, but almonds and macadamia nuts are good, too) and (5) extra virgin raw coconut (it’s more solid than oil).

Additionally, if you are spending six-plus hours in the car, be mindful of your carbohydrate intake, and stick with low-carb foods like cottage cheese, raw nuts and raw coconut oil. A full belly is your best defense against junk food snacking.

Re-Mobilize. Spending hours upon hours in a static, seated position can wreak havoc on your hip and thoraic mobility. Shortly after arriving at your destination, go for a short walk and then spend a good twenty minutes un-fucking yourself.  I keep a thick pvc pipe and lacrosse ball in the trunk of my car to avoid last-minute packing debacles.  Mobility is an everyday task.  There are no excuses.  It is easy.