January 2012
2 posts
Gray Cook: Function →
Please read this even if you aren’t a trainer. Cook points out some very important issues, including what I consider to be one of the biggest problems in the fitness industry: structuring programming around performance improvement without identifying what the baseline of “performance” is.
Read at graycook.com
NYT's Tara Parker Pope on "The Fat Trap" - *Le... →
ironactualization:
After several days of being inundated by New Year’s resolution advertising and programming, I opened up the New York Times this morning to see that the NYT Magazine’s cover story was on weight loss and entitled “The Fat Trap.” I knew then that I was in for some fun.
Now I’ve read it, I’ve mulled it over for a few hours, & I’m still not sure what all I want to say on it,...
December 2011
10 posts
6 tags
New blog at wisconsinbjj.com: The Squat, Part 2 -...
Earlier this week I addressed some of the myths and fears about the squat. Today we’re going to talk about how to squat weight safely and effectively. For simplicity’s sake, a squat will be a barbell back squat. There are many varieties of squats, all with their own benefits and drawbacks. For the barbell alone there is the front squat (where the bar is placed on the front of the...
4 tags
New blog at wisconsinbjj.com: The Squat, Part 1
If you’ve ever read anything I’ve written, chances are you’ve heard me mention the squat. It is one of the basic foundational movements that I teach every person who comes through the door (barring extreme injury/condition). As I’ve mentioned before, though, the squat gets a bad rap, which doesn’t exactly add up in my mind, as people have been bending and...
5 tags
Hoopspeak.com: Cookie-Cutter Programs
I’ve got a new article up at hookspeak.com: Check it out
”In my first Coaches Forum article I discussed the importance of proper preparation in young athletes, as well as the need to thoroughly, properly and safely introduce movements (aka exercises) to your program. One big thing I cautioned coaches about was being too quick to increase intensity/weight for lifts before an...
4 tags
New blog at wisconsinbjj.com: Muscle Mass and...
Here’s a quick one I wrote for wisconsinbjj.com
Somewhere along the line being muscular became synonymous with being stiff, inflexible and unable. This is due primarily to the pec-obsessed bodybuilders of the 1970s and 1980s, who spent hours and hours bench-pressing and doing endless flys, tightening down their chests and shoulders until they couldn’t raise their arms above their...
4 tags
The Truth Behind Kettlebells - new blog at...
I actually wrote this article a couple weeks ago, but for some reason I forgot to publish it here. Enjoy.
Click to read at source
Over the past ten years, the kettlebell has seen an enormous resurgence of popularity in the west. Much of this rise has been attributed to Pavel Tsatsouline, a Russian-born Fitness coach who has wrote extensively on the topic (in addition to his works on...
4 tags
New blog at wisconsinbjj.com: Have fun.
We take ourselves too seriously in fitness. Words like extreme, hardcore, elite are scrawled across gym websites, accompanied by images of skulls, blood, bending bars, and other hyper-aggressive imagery. Now there’s nothing wrong with that, if it’s your bag. But not everybody fits that personality type. Your average gym-goer doesn’t necessarily want to get screamed at, unleash...
3 tags
I’m currently gym-less in Canada, so I’m taking this opportunity to rediscover aspects of my mobility that I may have been neglecting in pursuit of other goals. It is humbling, to say the least. I’m a big fan of intuitive warm-ups - using a group of familiar, basic movements to communicate with the body, reminding myself of proper movement patterns and exploring points of...
2 tags
4 Reasons You MUST Understand Corrective Exercise...
From Eric Cressey
Some good insights into what we need to incorporate into our programming (athlete or otherwise). Here’s a few excerpts:
“Very simply, physical therapists rarely have the time to do everything they want to do to get people truly healthy, so folks often have to just settle for ‘asymptomatic.’”
“…there is certainly a big need for these...
November 2011
17 posts
4 tags
New blog at wisconsinbjj.com: How to be Good at...
In last week’s blog post, we discussed how to begin forming goals and developing ideas to take our fitness goals beyond just body composition. This week we’ll talk about how to begin implementing those goals, and taking them from idea to reality. Now this is the part where normally we would start talking about micro and macro cycles, setting short and long term goals, percentages,...
the hardest things
forcedistancetime:
“The hardest things for gym rats to do are the smarter activities. Doing the “hard” things like grinding and suffering through effort come “easy”. But when it comes to resting more, corrective exercises, recovering, stretching, etc., etc., etc. then those things magically become the hardest things that have ever been attempted.”
-Rafael Ruiz
4 tags
New blog at wisconsinbjj.com: How to be Good at...
Click to read at source
The title is kind of vague, I know. But isn’t that all we want? To succeed at our various endeavors, to perform at a higher level and perhaps master a skill, or many skills? Even our fitness pursuits involve mastery - we want to become stronger, faster and better. We want to master our body, improve its form and composition.
There is a disconnect in fitness...
“When I see guys working out for cosmetic reasons, I see vanity exposing them in...”
– Henry Rollins
3 tags
Proper Preparation in Young Athletes article at...
I’ve got a new article up over at the new Coaches’ Forum at hoopspeak.com. Check it out.
“…What is needed are thorough, efficient methods to prepare young athletes for the stress of competition – programming that includes mobility (a comprehensive term that refers to flexibility, stability, and proper range of motion), strength (not just body-building), recovery and...
A Few Words With Henry Rollins - cathletics.com →
Now that I’ve gotten over my blind jealous, let me link you to a great short interview by Yael Grauer with Henry Rollins over at the Catalyst Athletics blog. Click the title to read the full interview.
5 tags
New blog at wisconsinbjj.com: The Fitness...
With the multitude of fitness systems, websites, infomercials, gadgets, gizmos, supplements and other assorted fitness accoutrement, it’s easy to get caught up in the hype. The vague, snake oil salesmanship and pseudoscience of the industry makes it nigh impossible to find a straight answer. Here’s a couple tips to help you navigate the “fitness labyrinth…”
Click...
1 tag
Ripped Fuel: Some athletes ditch processed foods... →
chewingovertheissues:
From the Chicago Tribune.
When sports physiologist Allen Lim flew to Europe six years ago to work with America’s top pro cyclists, he saw a lot of problems in the peloton. Riders complained about the diet of packaged bars, gels, chews and sugary sports drinks that…
3 tags
lanthorn said: my knees are basically destroyed, so squats are pretty much out of the question (unless I have a desire to not be able to walk for a week), anything you might recommend to replace them that isn’t so tough on the ol’ knees?
It all depends on what the knee issue is. A good number of knee injuries can be circumvented with enough attention paid to proper form (sitting the hips...
3 tags
New blog at wisconsinbjj.com: Three Basic Mobility...
Three Basic Mobility Movements (click link to read at source)
Last week we introduced the concept of mobility. Today we’ll discuss a few basic movements that will help improve mobility, prepare the body for activity, reduce tension and increase joint longevity. As mentioned in the last blog, soft tissue work is essential to correcting tension problems and restoring proper muscular...
WatchMichael Pollan (author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma and In Defense of Food) talking about his new book Food Rules on The Colbert Report.
4 tags
New blog at wisconsinbjj.com: What is Mobility?
I’ve started to do an occasional blog over at wisconsinbjj.com. Here’s the first installment
What is Mobility? (Follow link to read at source)
Mobility is the proper functioning of the muscles and joints and the ability to move smoothly and comfortably through sufficient range of motion while maintaining structural integrity of the body.
It is essential to ensure proper...
1 tag
“The main interest in life and work is to become someone else that you were not...”
– Michel Foucault
2 tags
October 2011
9 posts
“A child who does not play is not a child, but the man who doesn’t play has lost...”
– Pablo Neruda (via philphys)
“For me, winning isn’t something that happens suddenly on the field when the...”
– Emmitt Smith (via turbogirl)
Which academic journals are worth following? |... →
davetrains:
Others experience the same pain I do:
The issues with so many published studies are:
1. Inappropriate population (i.e. untrained college students)
2. Funding by group with interest in outcome
3. Statistical analysis couched in a lot of obscure language to obscure the results.
Look at the debacle with regards to The China Study, and how certain correlations were publicized and...
2 tags
Doug Young!
daveearleeliteperformance:
Doug Young - legend in Powerlifting… and manly chest hair.
3 tags
EFS.com: All Aboard the CrossFit Bus! By Keir... →
“So while certain CrossFitters thumb their nose at the poor powerlifter who squats a grand but get’s gassed climbing some stairs, it comes at the price of being unable to excel at a given event or sport. Achieving elite qualification in sport—particularly individual, non-combat sports where a narrow band of physical qualities typically underpin performance—requires laser like focus of...
1 tag
“Being the richest man in the cemetery doesn’t matter to me … Going to bed at...”
– Steve Jobs (via enchantmentliaisons)
This is a strangely serendipitous quote, not necessarily because he just died, but more so in terms of our recent discussions at the gym. Have we done all we can do create wonderful things? Are we improving ourselves and everyone/everything around us daily, no...
1 tag
Bodytribe: Workshop: Competition Powerlifting... →
bodytribal:
Hey powerlifters (or powerlifting-curious), APA friends and fellow competitors! We’ve hosted, reffed and competed in enough meets to know you, your technique and ways of tweaking it for some bigger numbers and longevity in the sport.
Bodytribe has been involved in the powerlifting game…
September 2011
9 posts
2 tags
The goal of any skill
forcedistancetime:
“First of all, it shouldn’t matter if it’s a PR or not. Squatting is a skill that should be practiced perfectly with every rep when you get under the bar. If you wait until the weight is a PR, then it’s too late. The goal of any skill is to master it. So when it comes to PR time, your reaction will be automatic.”
Dave Tate
2 tags
Happy Birthday, Jack.
From the superstrengthtraining.com newsletter:
Francois Henri LaLanne was born on this day in 1916. Better known to his friends and ferocious legion of fitness-fans as, “Jack” LaLanne. A self proclaimed sugar addict as a kid, a by chance meeting with legendary health advocate, Paul Bragg, changed his life. Bragg told him, quite bluntly, “You’re a walking garbage can.” ...
4 tags
Brutal Recess: Minnesota
bodytribal:
To all my Midwest friends: if you or anyone you know happens to be a fan of strength and ability and lives in the Minneapolis/St Paul area, come join us for the last workshop on our Midwest Tour, this coming Saturday (the 24th) at Athlete Lab.
More info here, or visit our Facebook page!
Ripped Fuel: Getting Strong →
I don’t think we’ll ever be able to stop talking about this subject…
rippedfuel:
okay the comment on the video posted below kind of got under my skin. Why does aesthetics have to always play into this? I mean really, are we picking up where advertising leaves off by only buying into shit if we feel so poorly about ourselves?
Yes, you will gain muscle when you lift. NO...
August 2011
12 posts
daveearleeliteperformance:
Dmitry Klokov push presses the absolute shit out of 212kg/466 lbs
Please don’t ever complain about the music we play in the gym.
1 tag
Dave Earle Elite Performance: Drop Snatch / Snatch... →
Ye olde drop snatch. A great movement.
daveearleeliteperformance:
The Drop Snatch is a fantastic exercise used primarily to improve performance in the snatch. It accomplishes this by having the athlete extend and drive upward, then move rapidly to the bottom position of the snatch (an overhead squat). This mimics the movement required to perform the full snatch,…
Stromfmen.
I’ve been slacking on here lately, too much real life business going down.
Giant Baby and myself are going hard on some strongman challenges tomorrow. There will be much trash talk and lifting of weird things.
We’ve got Atlas stones, farmer’s walks, circus dumbbell, fat bar clean and press, and much more on the docket. Should be pretty exciting.