Just a Hop, Skip and a Jump?

Hopping, skipping and jumping.  All pretty simple right?  These are all natural human movements but when it comes to training simple doesn’t necessarily mean easy and what’s the difference between the 3?  I have to credit Athletes’ Performance with teaching me the terminology and realizing the difference between the three.  Jumping involves using two legs to leave the ground.  Hopping involves using a single leg to both leave the ground and land again, on that same leg.  Bounding by definition means moving from one leg to the other.  Which begs the question, isn’t that what skipping is?  Sort of.   Although I don’t recall learning this anywhere, I think skipping and bounding differ in that skipping involves a double contact with the ground before transferring to the other leg and bounding doesn’t.

The majority of the time I treat hopping, jumping, bounding and even skipping as plyometric or simply power exercises.  Plyometric can be a loaded term but the bottom line is that these movements are great for producing speed and power, two things that are great for both athletes and the average person alike.  Once applied in the proper scenario I think the easiest way to do these movements incorrectly is to not land properly.  Yes, the speed, power, height components are much more fun and cool looking but the bottom line is, if you can’t control the landing when hopping, jumping, etc then what’s the point?  Practicing the landing is as important as the jump.  What does a proper landing look like?  Soft and under control, ready to be repeated but not necessarily done.  Heavy landing means not controlled, poor force absorption and potentially not in position to make another move.  Land soft.  I’m not a sport scientist but I’m guessing that more people are injured when trying to land than simply trying to jump.  That includes an athlete during the cutting motion.  Often times they do a small but aggressive “jump cut” prior to another jump or actual take-off/.  Again, I’m only speculating but I would guess that the transfer of energy during the landing of the jump cut is where the injury may occur not just the jumping motion.  Practice good landing mechanics and the carryover during a game speed situation will likely be better.  Only after the previous qualifiers are met should one work toward continuous and more rapid jumps, hops, etc.

Doing a lot of hopping and jumping can definitely make a person really tired which would lead one to believe is great for cardio.  I tend to disagree.  One of the jokes we like to make at Ambition when someone has an affinity for soreness or fatigue from training is to suggest that they jump up and touch a certain point on the wall as many times as they can in 10 minutes (trust me we’ve never actually had anyone do this).  I think most would agree that it would certainly make just about anyone very tired and very sore.  However, I hope most would agree that it is also a complete waste of time as far as being productive.  That being said, if you are using a jumping (or hopping) drill as a cardiovascular exercise I think the opportunity for error and potential injury is much higher as discussed earlier.  Jumping for maximum height as opposed to repetitions are essentially two different things.  The former, calculated and technique driven while the latter usually not so much.  Surprise, surprise but the rule of quality over quantity reigns supreme here yet again.

The message:  There is more to it than just moving around to break a sweat.  Consider the reasons and way you program jumping, hopping type movements.  How do these fit into the training session and why?  Ask yourself, am I trying to build power and/or the ability to jump and land or jumping endurance.  Jumping endurance I don’t think anyone really needs.  Jump/hop/skip/bound for power, condition by another means.

- Mike Baltren

Life, Squats and Progression

Strength In The Real World

Within the last 5 days or so several members have at random shared with me situations where their strength was called upon in the real world and well, they………. nailed it!  One such situation occurred at work in the restraint of another human being (I won’t elaborate further).  It just so happens she was one of the ladies in the video from the last post demonstrating that strength.  Another was someone who ended up carrying their stubborn dog several miles because it decided it didn’t want to walk on the beach.  Lastly one female was challenged to carry a roughly 200 lb. male on her back a predetermined distance in a $100 bet.  Needless to say, Winner!  These recent stories reminded me of some others that members have shared with me over the years including moving couches, kegs and large bags of dog food.  I’m always excited to hear stories like this knowing that people are building and improving confidence in not only how they look but also in performance.  Just a few more reasons not to be a weak human being.  Pardon the profanity but……..

Squats:

I love ‘em.  They are good for you.  Let me tell you why.  Squatting through a full range of motion is a basic human movement.  It takes a fair amount of mobility, something that people tend to lose as time goes on.  Fight it!  That being said there are many different kinds of squats, some which may or may not better suit you.  This is what most people think of when they see a squat, and if you can do it WELL, then awesome.  More power to you.

If that’s not appropriate for you then no need to try and fit square pegs in round holes.  This more likely suits most people.

But, that doesn’t mean it’s for everyone.  Sometimes this is most appropriate and that’s ok.  (TRX Squat)

The point is you are squatting.  Going through the proper range of motion and not regressing so far that one day you are unable to stand up out of a chair or off the toilet without some sort of assistance.  You don’t have to put the bar on your back, you just have to be able to squat.  Or, if you are like Max Shank, you don’t roll out of bed in the morning, you squat up out of bed as he doesn’t believe in using a bed frame so as to maintain the ability to squat for a lifetime.  Hey, to each their own.  If his physical prowess is any indication, get rid of your bed frame.  Just sayin’.

Progression:

Noun

A movement or development toward a destination or a more advanced state, esp. gradually or in stages.

A succession; a series.

Synonyms

progress – advance – advancement – series

It’s summer time.  School is finishing up.  Maybe you are headed to the beach or you’re an athlete with a little bit of time off.  Are you looking to hire a coach or what some call a “personal trainer”?  I was thinking about PROGRESSION yesterday after a conversation with another coach.  I think it’s one of the more important things in training.  If you’re looking for a coach, try and find out if this person has a set list of progressions that they use on a regular basis.  Your first day in the gym should not be a rough day!  If you are vomiting, and yes this happens, your coach did not take care of you.  No one needs to start at level 10 on day one.  If you’re a coach you should have a plan.  What comes next?  It could be today, next week, or in 2 months, etc.  It doesn’t have to be set in stone as different situations will dictate different needs but part of the same plan really.

Any dummy can make another individual sore or make something so difficult that he or she can barely perform the movement.  However, that doesn’t make you better and there’s no progression there.  It’s like learning a sport.  If you had a private lesson with legendary basketball coach Phil Jackson tomorrow, would you listen when he taught you how to properly dribble, posture up on defense and pass the ball?  Or would you say, “Listen, Phil.  Although I’ve hardly played organized ball in my lifetime, I’ve been shooting hoops in my driveway since I was 5.  Let’s practice draining some 3’s and running the triangle offense.  This other stuff is B-O-R-I-N-G.”?  I would venture to say no.  Training isn’t that much different.  You get a new coach, you start with day 1.  Maybe you progress quickly, maybe not, but the first few days should be relatively for everyone as you PROGRESS.  Like the above definition, it’s development toward a destination.

- Mike Baltren

Girls Just Wanna Be Strong

Looking back on the last 10 days of group classes at Ambition Athletics 61% of those attending were women.  I’m personally proud of that.  It’s no secret that I enjoy coaching women.  To steal an analogy from a Jiu-Jitsu instructor I once spoke with, generally women are like a blank slate.  They don’t have any bad training habits.  I find that the women I’ve worked with are mostly willing to learn and often fond of getting stronger once they get the hang of it.  Getting strong and seeing progress is fun and girls just wanna be strong! We talk a lot about the benefits and reasons women should train with weights.  I’ve written some in the past HERE and HERE, but before you check out the video below of some ladies at Ambition being awesome, consider this thought from coach Mark Rippetoe, “….. women get the best results when they train for performance……  there is no difference in the quality of the exercise needed to produce the stress that causes adaptation.  In other words, silly bullshit in the gym is silly bullshit, for both sexes.”  So, don’t be silly.  Keep it simple, make it look good and get stronger.

7-Minute Body Weight Workout

Recently an article entitled “The Scientific 7-Minute Workout” was published in the New York Times Magazine. It was based on an article in the American College of Sports Medicine’s Health and Fitness Journal called “High-Intensity Circuit Training Using Body Weight: Maximum Results With Minimal Investment”.  As far as the authors’ suggestion that a relatively complete training session with only bodyweight can be completed in a very short amount of time, I completely agree. As well as with their statement that “…..when facing seemingly infinite demands, one’s ability to manage and expand physical energy can be severely compromised. This can result in persistent fatigue (physical, but also emotional and mental) and a growing level of disengagement with one’s career, family, friends, and personal well-being, which can ultimately lead to performance failure.” Understandably there are days that just won’t allow a person to train because work or the kids, or whatever is just kicking his or her ass. We’ve all been there. But I know from experience, just a quick routine that gets you moving can first, give you a great energy boost making you feel a lot better and second, keep you on track toward your goals which is much more in line with the article.  7 minutes may not be ideal but it is far superior to sitting and eating. Plus, maybe you actually have 15 minutes or perhaps 10 minutes this morning and 20 later tonight. That is plenty of time to keep you moving well and in the very least maintaining a basic level of strength and fitness.

Now, I’m not totally in love with the 12 exercises that the authors chose for their circuit as some were rather redundant and others just poor choices in my opinion.  After all, who does crunches anymore?  And I’m pretty sure wall sits have been banned from all training facilities that aren’t associated with the screaming “trainers” and teary eyed victims, a.k.a the “The Biggest Loser”.  So in light of that I designed two of my own.  Both circuits contain only 9 exercises as opposed to 12 but I believe these movements cover more overall and thus 12 is not entirely necessary. Although I’m sure the authors wanted to be specific in a protocol of sets and reps or in this case time, I don’t think 30 seconds is all that important nor appropriate for some people. I think that for the typical person I see just walking down the street, which very well may be the same person interested in a quick effective workout because they lead a busy life and/or are intimidated by the gym, is not capable of 30 seconds worth of quality push ups. There are ways to modify push ups such as a high table or countertop to put your hands on. The same would probably go for the bench dip although I think that’s a poor choice anyway and therefore eliminated it from my suggestions. Keeping the effort level at around 80% of maximum or even less would allow for good form and multiple sets of each exercise. Finally, workout #2 has slightly more difficult exercise selection and the use of furniture sliders. I figure that sliders are cheaper than a chair anyway and as far as training goes, even more versatile. We have found that these sliders are your best bet.

Circuit #1

1.  Jumping Jacks

2. Glute Bridge

3.  Plank w/ Knee Tuck

4.  Split Squat

5.  Wall Slide

6.  Single Leg Deadlift Pattern w/ Shoulder Retraction

7.  Push Up

8.  Squat

9.  Side Plank to Thoracic Bridge

Circuit #2

1.  1-Leg Bridge

2.  Push Up

3.  Sliding Leg Curl

4.  Squat

5.  Side Plank to Thoracic Bridge

6.  Sliding Reverse Lunge

7.  Body Saw

8.  Wall Slide

9.  Squat Thrust

A Collection of Various Thoughts to Think About

I’m A Butt Guy

It used to be, and probably still is, that a man’s biceps and women’s arms or perhaps her legs define their fitness.  At least those are what stand out and look cool to most people.  If it’s shirts off then abs are the go to.  And, that makes sense for the most part.  However, I’m a butt guy.  Recently I came to the realization that I’m always checking out butts.  And by that I mean girl’s butts, guy’s butts, it doesn’t even matter.  Yea, I said it.  When I went to Vegas a few weekends ago I couldn’t stop judging people in their various tight and/or little outfits and this wasn’t only because I spent 6 extra hours prior in the airport reading “Strong Curves: A Women’s Guide to Building a Better Butt and Body”.

I shouldn’t say judging as much as assessing really.  And I don’t think it makes me a better person just because I have “two basketballs” sticking off my backside as some nice young ladies once so eloquently put it.  It just means that the odds are in my favor that I’m stronger, faster and more athletic.  I’ve come to the realization that if anything, it’s your butt that defines your overall strength and fitness level.  Without it, it’s likely that your strength, speed or fitness is lacking.  And that may not mean much to some, and that’s ok too, however it’s pretty much a tell-all if it’s missing.  Big biceps or flat stomach, eh?  Not sure how much they really matter.  A moderately fit looking individual with a big ‘ol booty?  You have yourself a winner.  Of course that’s just my opinion but your glutes are the strongest muscle in the body.  Don’t sell them short by not training them.  If you are on any kind of reasonable training program your glutes should be working regularly and getting stronger.  If that’s not the case then your program is useless.

Eating For Speed?

I’ve never been one to put a lot of time into food prep at least on more than one day a week.  Sundays I try to cook up a lot of chicken and/or turkey for the week ahead.  It helps save time during the week and well, I eat pretty plain.  Sometimes I eat for speed, not for savory goodness.  Recently I had a great Sunday afternoon brunch at my buddy Dan’s house.  It was delicious but it took about an hour to make it all and I was done eating and napping within about 12 minutes.  I’m not trying to discourage anyone that enjoys the process of creating a wonderful meal but for me personally I feel like I’m wasting time that I would rather spend doing something else (or napping in this particular case).  And, that is partly due to the fact that my taste buds (or just me) are completely and totally satisfied with some pretty plain foods that I’ve been eating for years.  No need to get fancy. I know what it’s going to taste like and if I didn’t like it I’d find another way to do it.

Does It Matter?

Recently I’ve had considered penning something about training versus exercise and the question of does it really matter?  To me it does.  I can’t around it.  Too often I see the “older” person in the aerobics class kinda sorta going through the motions to the best of their ability or the guy at the park doing some half squats and push up lookin’ things.  Now, both of these are admirable.  I’m not discounting either person’s work ethic or the motivation to lead a healthier lifestyle.  In fact, I applaud them.  The question I’ve been asking myself is, does it matter what they are doing?  The answer to me is yes.  I can’t get over both the lack of coaching or range of motion in either of the above scenarios.  Both individuals, and I’m sure I could think of several more, could do themselves so much better for time invested.  Just the other day I saw THIS article by Alwyn Cosgrove (read it, it’s very short) and it forced me to finally put these thoughts on paper.  In reference to what Alwyn says, I think that physical activity, exercise and working out are all healthy, “good” things to do.  However, training, as Cosgrove states, is a system of workouts designed to achieve specific biological adaptations.  I feel that more often than not people confuse the former three things with a desired result of a specific adaptation.   In other words possibly wasting some time.  Maybe not entirely, but some for sure.  Certainly one could make an argument for the SAID principle here.

If you are in fact training, make sure it doesn’t look too much like a workout or exercise, i.e. just doing stuff to do stuff, sweat, etc.  If you are at a place where you aren’t seeking specific adaptation, that’s a great place to be.  Just make sure that your workouts are still held to some level of quality as especially in relation to quantity.  No need to waste your time or reinforce poor movement/habits.

- Mike Baltren

Why I Get Out Of Bed In The Morning

People often ask me if I love what I do.  Sometimes they ask if I ever get sick of it.  Just a few days ago a client asked me if I ever get bored teaching the same thing all the time.  I don’t hesitate with the answers to any of these questions as they are yes, no and no respectively.  That conversation prompted me to go back and read a little piece I wrote about a year and a half ago entitled “What Consumes Me”.  To date it’s one of my favorite things that I have written.  Just a couple days after that I was sent this Ted Talk video, which I highly recommend watching.  It’s very similar in that it seeks to answer the why in what we do or in this case business.  The presenter’s main message is that “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it”.   This very much reminds me of the old adage, no cares how much you know until they know how much you care.

In an effort to address my “Why” I will first look at why I train myself since that’s where it all began.  If I didn’t enjoy training so much myself I can’t imagine trying to teach others.  I think ultimately it is because I am competitive.  I wanted to be a better athlete.  I wanted gain an advantage to be better than the next guy.  When I thought my athletic career was over the only thing I could envision was trying to be a bodybuilder for lack of something better to do.  Then my focus turned more toward the sport of Olympic weightlifting and finally toward the Scottish Highland Games.  Second to my competitive nature, once I discovered my love for the iron, and ever since then, it’s been my daily therapy.  I don’t train everyday but when my schedule changes unexpectedly (almost never really), and I have to miss a day without prior notice I’m unhappy.  I need my therapy.  Finally, and this took a while, but you might imagine most teenage boys don’t think about this, training makes me physically feel better.  It hasn’t always been this way, but when you train smart you don’t always feel beat up.  Just 80%, at least 80% of the time.  Putting all of this together, what have I learned over the years?  It’s about the journey.  The process of bettering myself.  It can be a physical battle but it’s also mental and for those who love it like myself, it’s a long road.  But that’s the fun part.  There are so many trials, tribulations and people along the way but I try to embrace them because I love it.

So why do I coach?  Why don’t I get tired of the same things?  Like Simon Sinek asks in the video, why do I get up in the morning?  Why does our organization exist?  I feel like this is either a hard thing to answer or the easiest thing in the world to answer.  For as much as I often enjoy being alone I think I love people.  In Viktor Frankl’s “Man’s Search For Meaning” he says we can discover the meaning of life in 3 different ways; (1) by creating work or doing a deed; (2) by experiencing something or encountering someone; (3) and by the attitude we take toward unavoidable suffering.  This last one volumes of books could easily be written about but I just try and keep a positive attitude and not get too caught up in the things that I can’t control.  I feel that point number one is covered.  I get fulfillment in my work. As I said before, training makes me happy and when others are happy (or inspired) to take part, it makes work amazing.  I’ve been a part of Ambition Athletics since Day 1 and am very proud of all that we as a team have created, as it is what we believe.  Point two deals with relationships.  This took me a long time but I now see that life, work, all of it, is about relationships (thanks Coach Dave) and I cherish those.  I know that I love everyone that trains at AA and have developed some amazing relationships but I’ve also always held a special place in my heart for the many young kids/athletes that I’ve been lucky enough to work with over the last 6 ½ years or so.  I am not afraid to admit that I can recall several occasions when those kids have brought tears to my eyes, but there, I just did it.  I always say “I love those kids”.  I guess I really do mean it.  Why do I get up in the morning?  I love all of those people and I do want to inspire them to tackle new obstacles and accomplish more than they ever thought they could.

One of the other questions Sinek asks in the video is, “What is your purpose?”  It reminded me of something that I just read in the book “Practice Perfect” that says “Achieving compliance is an exercise in purpose, not power.”  That makes perfect sense to me as we talk about education a lot at the gym.  We want to teach and have people learn when they’re at the gym not just yell at them to do “stuff”.  And to be honest, I don’t want power over anyone really.  I just want to help them “get better” and show them how and why.  It does not matter to me how each person defines “better”.  It can mean different things to different people but the feeling I get when I see the joy on their face after accomplishing something, no matter the magnitude, is the greatest thing in the world.  Anyone that seeks to change his or her body or life through training I love to help.  I can’t get enough.  If someone is even remotely excited about training or even inquisitive I’m excited tenfold.

The other two parts of the Golden Circle that Sinek talks about are the What and the How.  Generally we all know “what” it is.  It’s just training.  Simple but not easy.  How?  We have been studying the best methods and constantly continuing our education to make sure we are offering what we believe are the best methods to achieve goals.  Why?  Because we/I have genuine passion to teach, help and inspire.

- Mike Baltren

Stuff I’ve Been Thinking About

The Ultimate Toning Program:

Getting toned.  Everyone wants to do it.  Guys, gals, everyone, and, rightfully so.  Recently I was thinking about this and I think I came up with a simple solution to getting toned!  Not easy, but simple.  Since what people want is not actually more muscle tone by definition, it is clear that what they are actually looking for is a lean look and most often some more muscle to give them some shape to the leanness.  Tone it itself is more like residual muscle tension.  This is natural to a degree but to increase tone isn’t actually what people are looking for.  So, what’s the program?  Well first, figure out a sustainable way to eat, also known as diet.  This may take some experimentation.  My diet and your diet are not the same but for the most part; minimize flour, sugars and grains while focusing on meats, fish and veggies and fats.  Part two of the ultimate toning program is simple.  Do mostly compound multi-joint movements in the gym.  This means various forms of deadlifts, squats, lunges for the lower body and lifting various implements over your head, push ups, various rowing and pull up movements for the upper body.  Most of the time keep the reps in the single digits, this means a moderate amount of weight, and don’t train them to failure.  Train them to success.

Women and Training: 

At Ambition we talk a lot about women and training.  This is partly because more than 50% of our members are women and partly because of how training for women is portrayed in the main stream media.  On Sunday night I began watching the premier of “The 80’s: The Decade That Made Us” on the National Geographic Channel.  It was at this time I realized how far women’s training has actually come considering in 1980 it wasn’t even cool for women to be sweating.  I have a client who has talked about this with me a few times in the past.  She worked at a gym in the early 80’s and said that women only trained on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday where as men trained Monday, Wednesday, Friday.  Not only that, but the women wore heels as part of their work uniform!

At least in popularity it seems that men had something like a 20 year head start in some parts of the country with the growth of bodybuilding.  Although the industry is still growing and changing maybe we aren’t doing half bad at all as far as women’s training is going.  Sure we as coaches love to complain about frauds like Tracey Anderson and other celebrity magazines as the information they put out offers ridiculous ways to lengthen and tone their muscles, but we’ve sure come a long way from the early 80’s.  It certainly could be worse.

What I’m Reading:

I am just finishing up “Practice Perfect: 42 Rules for Getting Better at Getting Better” and have started Bret Contreras and Kellie Davis’s new book “Strong Curves: A Woman’s Guide to Building a Better Butt and Body”.  I think they are both great coaches and so far I like what I see.  I’ve read such gems as “This program proves that the stronger you are, the curvier and more feminine your physique will become” and “For your purposes, you will prioritize strength.  The stronger you become, the greater your physique will look”.  Sounds good to me.

Recently I was reading an interview in Rolling Stone magazine with comedian Louis C.K.  He’s certainly popular right now and I think, down right hilarious.  Although his humor may not be for everyone as he touches on some uncomfortable topics and uses a fair amount of profanity, there is a reason he so successful.  The guy is a genius as far as I’m concerned.  This quote from the interview resonated with me, “I’m just studying it and figuring stuff out.  The only way to learn that stuff is by failing; all this is learned by having bad times.  You have to be willing to have a bad time.  People that need to feel like a star and like they’re succeeding every time will not ever get better.  But if you are willing to feel bad, do badly, have a stale, boring version of yourself out in front of everybody, you can find this stuff in the muck that’s very useful.”  I think this way of thinking can be applied to almost anything, not just comedy and reminded me immediately of the aforementioned book “Practice Perfect”.  In the last paragraph of the chapter entitled “Normalize Error” it says, “What you do in practice is practice succeeding.  But when practice is well designed, you can also use it to isolate failure.  This allows people to take calculated risks in order to improve at a particular skill.”  This is also genius and much what we like to teach at Ambition.  Better Everyday.

- Mike Baltren