You Play Like You Practice

So I read Jen Sinkler’s interview with John Broz the other day and I was totally inspired. John sounds like an awesome dude.  Why?  Because he is so damn passionate about olympic weightlifting.  I love that.  He seemed to really open up about his training philosophy which I was a little familiar with but it was great to read his words.  Part of the reason I was so inspired too was because he was talking about how much effort it takes to reach the top.  Real guts, not just half-assed shit.  And this got me thinking.  Do I have any intensity at all?  Do I not train hard enough?  Do our members train hard enough?  Oddly enough, later that night I was reading the book “Easy Strength” which has been sitting on my coffee table since the blackout during the Super Bowl.  In it Dan John and Pavel are talking about getting in lots of reps with low percentage of max effort, coaxing out PR #’s and max effort lifts only a few times a year.  Sooooo, much different than what Broz is talking about.

So I then began to think about several things.  Many of them I have considered before but slowly and steadily the picture is becoming clearer.  Your training style really depends on what your game day calls for.  You play like you practice.  If you are any kind of athlete then you’ve probably heard that before from a coach.  Well, ask yourself right now, what is your game day, your Super Bowl?  The most important thing?  No answer is incorrect, just figure out what it is for you personally.  Is it a weightlifting meet, it might be the upcoming football season, but it could also be to look stunning in that white dress a few weeks from now, or it may be literally 20 years from now when you hope to still be chasing the grandkids around without limping or being completely winded (little Johnny is going to learn more from that ass whipping you give him in basketball than you letting him win.  He needs you).

So what does it all mean?  We teach 80% effort to be done roughly 80% of the time.  In Sinkler’s interview Broz’s athletes are generally working towards 100% effort, often twice a day!  Far different, but this is where I’ve had my epiphany over the last couple of years.  Broz talks about practice and getting reps.  I love the analogy he uses that discus throwers don’t use Frisbees to practice and if you want to be better at throwing darts, you should probably throw more than just 2 darts a day (10,000 hours anyone?).  That makes a lot of sense to me.  I can get on board with that.  However, your answer to the question in the previous paragraph should dictate how you train in the gym.  If you want to be a weightlifter then listen to John Broz because as he describes, the work put in equals results out.  However, if your first priority is performing in a different sport or to again, look stunning, then your sport/skill practice (just as he talks about) will not be as heavily reliant on the weightroom.  It may still be very important, but to maximize your potential in that sport or to look good in that dress you need to lift relatively heavy weight, not necessarily to lift the most weight.  There are several other pieces that will complete the puzzle.  One example and I only use it because Broz mentions it the interview, is that his athletes don’t do plyometrics, which makes sense to me, but he expects that track athletes might.  To clarify, are you a weightlifter who plays (insert sport) or a (insert sport)er that lifts weights?  It pays to be strong for various reasons, no doubt about it, but when you are sprinting down the court no one cares how much you actually snatch.  The difference is that in weightlifting specific numbers do in fact matter because the numbers determine who wins and loses.  That is not so much the case in other sports, especially team sports.  Roughly one trillion other factors (note sarcasm) will determine the outcome of a football game.

I have been privileged enough to train alongside some pretty good Olympic weightlifters or as Broz might call them, terribly average, and during this time I often thought to myself, why are they always enduring so many aches and pains?  Why is this ok?  Quite a while back was the first time I can recall coach Charles Staley talking about when you want to truly be elite at something you are going to have to sacrifice some health.  Unfortunate maybe, but true.  So, I then asked myself, would I question a basketball player who is 40 games deep into a season and has some chronic aches and pains any more than a lifter who has some knee pain from training heavy regularly and trying to get better at his chosen sport?  I think the answer has to be no.  Athletes in all sports endure aches and pains regularly, and I would argue especially those that compete at a high level.  In my world, as I look around at the people I know and work with, 99% (probably more) of us don’t actually want to be elite at weightlifting.  We want to be elite at looking good naked, or at coaching your kids in life and on the basketball court, or just good at a certain sport.  In an effort to perform at those endeavors, training in the 80% zone is the way to go.  100% effort is designated for on-field practice, off-season situations, family, friends, or enjoying a long and fruitful life.  Many athletes do approach 100% in practice on a daily basis, just like Broz’s athletes do, it’s just done on the field instead of in the gym.  Please do not be confused.  80% is not about being soft and weak.  It’s about being consistent, training smart and picking your spots so that you have 100% to give in your actual practice.  Hell, I don’t care if you go nuts 12% of the time, just realize that other 8% is left for when life gets in the way and you don’t feel awesome and you need to dial back your training.

Again, it’s taken me a while to figure this all out but John Broz lives in a different world than many of us.  He’s proven that he is pretty awesome at what he does but it’s not what the majority of us need to do.  His athletes Olympic Weightlift to be better at Weighlifting.  Most of us, myself included, lift weights to be better at things such as Highland Games, looking good naked, keeping up with the kids, etc.  Ultimately you do “play” like you practice.  For most of us we are “in-season” most of the time, but perhaps more importantly you need to understand what your “game” is.

- Mike Baltren

Sustainable

Sustainable:

Environmental Science. the quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources, and thereby supporting long-term ecological balance

Of or relating to a lifestyle involving the use of sustainable methods

Capable of being maintained at a steady level without exhausting natural resources or causing severe ecological damage sustainable development.

We use the word sustainable a lot at Ambition Athletics.  To me the word sustainable has become the most important word in the strength, fitness and health world that I live in.  I honestly believe virtually all training, health, diet, etc. questions boil down to either; it depends on your goals or, is it sustainable?

Those attempting to make a change who get burned out, quit or injured, resulting in frustration often times have chosen a path that is not sustainable.  Think about it.  I may be able to devise the single greatest strength training program that will deliver all of the results you seek.  However, if it requires training for 3 hours a day, 6 days a week and you have a family and a full time job, then good luck.  In that same vain, if you are one of the people that believes you have to be sore the next day for it to have been a successful “workout”, you are destined for failure in the long term.  If I were to make massive changes to your diet, all at one time, although the plan might look just like what your friend Johnny Diet eats on the regular, it is unlikely at this juncture that it will be sustainable for you.  There is no reason to feel like you are suffering.  A plan that you loath is not a long term plan for success.

Now, that being said, I don’t believe that your training or diet has to be sustainable at all times provided that you have an understanding of the concept going in.  That’s where I think the 80% Rule rules yet again.  If you eat well 80% of the time and 20% of the time are more lenient, that’s sustainable.  Or on the flip side, if just 20% of the time (of a year let’s say) you decide to go on some sort of hardcore diet where you really plan to make a change, and the other 80% you just eat “normal”, that is likely sustainable.  In training if you are working at about 80% effort most of the time (80%) that leaves 20% of the time to really ramp up your training or pick times to try really test yourself, and possibly set a PR.  I think this is similar to Dan John’s park bench, bus bench training concept.  With the bus bench you are expecting things to happen.  With the park bench, not so much.  The idea is to just be consistent and continue practicing and perfecting movement and speed.  Nothing dramatic is expected to happen.  In other words, if you are training hard or on an extreme diet 12 months a year and expecting big changes or challenging yourself that often, there is a good chance you will burn yourself out.

Make an assessment.  Where are you right now?  Where do you want to be?  If you have short term goals that’s fine but understand in the big picture it’s a process and a way of living rather than a quick fix.

- Mike Baltren

Keeping It Difficult

Difficult.  The opposite or antonym of simple.  I personally like to keep things simple.  So I went to IKEA the other day for the first time to buy some shelves and well, hated it.

I don’t know that I’ve felt that dumb in a long time.  At least, not since one of those times where a girl was totally in love with me and everyone else knew but me.  Really?  I had no idea.  Anyway, I go to the store where people frequently buy furniture and allegedly delicious Swedish horse meatballs.  Well not only did I feel lost like a mouse wandering through the maze but when I finally figured out what I wanted to buy, things didn’t get any easier.  Call me old fashioned but I’m used to taking things off a shelf and going to the register.  If it were a couch I figure, you know, an associate would help me, as I won’t be carrying it out.  Well, finally like a child, I follow the arrows on the floor and find the end of the maze.  I mean, how to get downstairs again, where what equates to a chain link fence is keeping me out of the warehouse and registers of people exiting said warehouse are blocking the only openings.  Alone and confused, and feeling like less of a man, I ask an employee what to do.  He was helpful in describing the laundry list of directions that are needed to simply make a purchase.  I finally tracked down a cart, which took quite a while considering the volume of shoppers needing them to move heavy things.  All told, I figured out how to buy the shelves and get out only to find the next morning that I purchased the wrong color.  Back to the store while humming this song in my head.

Now you may be wondering, aside from the fact the shelves from IKEA were for the gym, what the hell does any of this have to do with training?  Training, weight loss, dieting and the like can all be difficult things for people.  And apparently so can virgin trips to IKEA.  But the fact is, the majority of the time, dare I say 80% of the time, it’s much more simple than you think.  Eat less sugar and more foods that contain less ingredients while moving regularly.  (Eat more horse meat?  Not sure).  Pick something up, put back down, lift it overhead or take it for a walk.  Simple.  Not necessarily easy, but the concept is simple.  If simplicity is the ultimate in sophistication as Da Vinci stated then as each year passes I become more sophisticated at least in terms of working with people from a training perspective. One of my favorite coaches, Dan John likes to say that clients want two things: results and to not feel stupid.  I deal in training.  I am not a life coach or a Registered Dietician, but if you are looking for results in your training and to not feel dumb, keep it simple or fundamentally sound as my friend Nick likes to say.  Master teh basics.  Shopping at IKEA is not simple.  I don’t care what anyone says.  There is nothing fundamentally sound about walking through those doors and looking up confused at various signs like you’re at the airport in a foreign city.  I felt stupid and now have a new addition to my boycott list which includes such things as Sex and The City, Harry Potter, Twilight, Titanic, etc.  Does IKEA get results?  Sure, people love it there but I now know that it’s not for me.  I don’t require much, just a basic process to make a simple purchase.  I’d prefer to avoid a perilous journey through the furnished forest of no return only to be followed by a walk upstream against the flow of cattle trying to knock me down.  All I’m trying to say is, it doesn’t have to be this difficult.  In the very least life, including work, kids, relationships and trips to IKEA can be difficult.  Don’t let your training be the same.  You might as well keep your training simple and save yourself some aggravation.  For tips on how to keep it simple refer to these:

Training, Fitness, Exercise, Whatever: It’s Easier Than You Think

K.I.S.S. – Not Just A Mediocre 70′s Band

Minimal Effective Dose

- Mike Baltren

Member Spotlight: John Burke

This week we would like to feature Ambition Athletics member John Burke.  John has made some great progress in the past year.  Here is his story.

You began training at Ambition in Nov. ’11.  What made you want to find a training facility?  How did you first find out about us?

Carmela and I were looking for a training program involving kettlebells and giving that a go.  We enjoy training together and were looking for more structure in the gym and proper instruction in workouts utilizing kettlebells.  Our own workouts of running, paddling and some gym work were not getting us where we wanted to go in our fitness.  We had both just finished with racing outrigger canoes, Carmela for 3 years, I for over 20 years and coaching for 15 of those years. Carmela and I met through paddling and she more than opened my eyes that there was so much more out there than just paddling.  Carmela found Ambition Athletics through a Groupon and it was in a great location, so we went for it.

Both your weight loss and strength gains have been phenomenal throughout the past year +.  Where did your weight start compared to where you are now?   Tell us about where your strength was when you first started and where you are now. 

Wow, you want me to talk about my weight!!  When I started in November 2011,  I weighed 297 lbs. On 2/14/13 I weighed 231 lbs!  I am proud of where I am now and want to shed some light on where I was when I first walked into Ambition Athletics.  I was pretty messed up from overtraining for outrigger paddling.  I could not sit in an outrigger without my hips, back, and shoulders hurting.  I could not jog anymore nor lift in the gym without pain from being so out of whack from all the paddling over the years.  All my life I have been involved in sports of some sort, and a big one for me was being involved with activities in on and around the ocean.  “I am made from the dust of the Stars, and the Oceans flow in My Veins” (Rush).   I was lucky to have been born and raised in La Jolla, so the ocean was a common place for our family to be.  I was the typical athlete in high school:  I played football, wrestled, threw shot and disc for track.  In Hawaii for my freshman year of college, I walked on and made the soccer team and became the starting center half.  Then I was encouraged by a few of the big Tongans on the Rugby team to give Rugby a try.  I did and loved it!  I was playing Lock, Breakaway and #8.  All those positions are right in the Scrum and Rugby proved to be so much more than football ever was, but it is tough on the body.  When I transferred to UCSD and recruited for the Crew Team, I thought getting back on the water was a great thing.  I rowed crew for my college career and ended up being in the Varsity Heavy Weight Eight.  I was Most Valuable Oarsmen one year, and received the Julian Haladay Award for rowing excellence over 4 years.  After graduation, I was hired to coach the incoming Novice Rowers.  I coached the novice for 2 seasons and it was a rewarding experience being part of the changes the men’s team went through in their first year.   After coaching rowing, I tried paddling with the outrigger team next to the boat house.  Well, 20 something years later of racing 1, 2 and 6 man outriggers, and coaching outrigger for 15 of those years, my mind and body were pretty beat up.

When I started at Ambition I was experiencing knee, hip, back and lots of shoulder pain.  I think I started swinging with the blue bell (12 kg) and many, many things were a struggle for me: I could barely do a push up, lunges and squats were difficult, and a pull up was just a thought.  My mobility was a wreck from paddling for so many years.  As time progressed and attending all the classes that I could, my strength and mobility came charging back and it seemed every week I was at new PR’s in so many exercises that we do!  Now, I can swing the double beasts for sets, deadlift close to 400, almost 5 pull ups on the rings, and have a goal this year to do a Turkish Get Up with the beast!  Oh, did I mention that my knees, hips, back and shoulders don’t hurt anymore!  My mobility has greatly improved but still a work in progress as one day I want to pull off a pistol squat on each leg with weight, but that will be a ways off, but a goal.

Where do you want to go next with either your weight loss or strength/mobility goals?

The sky is the limit for my strength and mobility.  I love to get stronger and move better and see how that really makes other sports or activities I do so damn much easier.  As far as my weight loss, I am around my goal weight and am confident I can adjust for the sports I am doing.  I am going to try to compete in the Highland Games coming up in June in Vista and am about to embark on learning how to deal with all the unique things they throw and lift!  Strength goals: I want to get past double my BW in the deadlift, strict press and be able to snatch “the beast”.

This may sound a bit funny, but one of my main strength and mobility goals is to become the best golfer that I can!  I’m at a 7 Handicap right now and want to get as low as possible.  If anyone wants to become stronger and more mobile for golf, I can tell you Ambition is the place.  Everything we do can be related to the golf swing and seeing the ball.  All the letter ball, eye charts and following the finger exercises have helped my focus on the ball.  As of right now,  I am having to adjust my swing due to increase in clubhead speed due to strength gains, and my huge weight loss.  Carmela and I love to golf and we walk every course that we can. It is so much easier being stronger and not dragging that belly keg around with me!

You have been involved in several sports on the water during your lifetime.  Tell us more about what you do and how your training has helped your performance.

Right now the water sports I am involved in are Stand Up Paddling and Surf Ski Paddling.  Carmela and I love to SUP surf and surf the local spots as much as we can, and plan to do that anywhere we travel or travel to nice tropical places with tasty waves.

I was involved and still am with outrigger canoe racing.  I started paddling outriggers over 20 years ago and have done hundreds of races in them from a 1, 2 and 6 man outrigger, ranging from 500 meter sprints at the world sprint championships to crossing the Molokai Channel from Molokai over to Oahu (44 miles).  One part of the season in Outrigger that I really enjoyed was the 9 man racing.  9 man racing is done with the 6 man outriggers and 3 extra paddlers on a chase boat that follows with the canoe racing.  About every 15 mins the chase boat speeds ahead and drops the 3 extras in the water and when the canoe races up, 3 paddlers in the canoe bail over the side and the 3 in the water try to fly into the canoe as fast as possible to not stop the canoe or slow its speed.  This pattern continues til the race is over.  Every September the California Association races from Catalina Island back to Newport Beach (35 miles).  I have done this crossing 18 times, and medaled in 12 of them.  I have also raced the 1 and 2 person outriggers and the final race of this season is a relay race from Catalina Island back to Dana Point (39 miles).  The relay consists of 2 paddlers on the 1 mans, and teams of 4 for the 2 mans.  The teams switch out every 15 to 30 mins.  I have done this crossing 8 times, finished first across the line once, medaled in most of the other ones.

I have now just gotten back into trying to learn how to paddle a Surfski.  To me Surfski is the ultimate of all the paddling sports as the learning curve is so long and it is the most technical of all the paddling sports.  The Surf Ski’s are all about 20 feet long and range from 19 to 16 inches wide.  You sit down in a bucket seat and you put your feet in the foot board.  Your steer with peddles under your feet, and use a double bladed racing kayak paddle.  Surfski requires tremendous balance, core strength and endurance.  To me it encompasses all the water sports I have done and brings them into one.  I have to use all my surf skills to catch bumps in the ocean, and all my paddling, and strength skills just to stay on it!

My training at Ambition has helped tremendously with SUP and Surfski!  My gains in strength and mobility have made each so much more Fun.  On the Surf Ski my gains in stability and speed have exceeded where I thought I would be right now.  The core strength I have gained allows me to focus on better technique and my strength gains has moved me from being in the middle of the pack during races to being near the lead groups now.  SUP surfing requires balance and strength from Head to Toe and training has helped make SUP so easy and so Fun.

What do like most about training at Ambition?

“Getting Strong as Hell!!”  Experiencing the positive changes in my strength and mobility!

The Entire Approach to improving Strength and Mobility through training with the 80% principle (most of the time), and educating everyone as to the why, with the how.  Not only do we learn how to properly do the exercises but learn why they are important and why the mobility is vital to proper exercises.  Of course it’s also everyone that trains there and the subtle and not so subtle challenges and encouragement we all get from each other!  And of course it’s the master minds behind the whole thing: the trainers.  You know, it’s the subtle comments from them when doing a set and they ask, “just warming up?”, “No use the bell two sizes heavier than that one”, or the look from Mike and you know you better get a heavier kettlebell! And through it all, full recognition when you hit a new PR, mobility, or weight goal.  It’s just fun, “Happy Faces”.

7 Reasons You Should Deadlift

A while back I wrote an article entitled “Strong Fixes Everything”.  A generalization for sure but valid in more ways than not.  I love the deadlift.  It’s simple, effective and just plain fun (to me at least and I know I’m not the only one).  In many ways the deadlift fixes everything.  Let me elaborate.

Are you looking to work on your booty, which seems to be an ongoing theme at Ambition Athletics?  Maybe you want to tone it, tighten it or make it bigger.  The deadlift is a great choice.  Not only are your hips doing most of the work but all of the muscles of your backside from the back of your shoulders to the back of your knees.

Deadlifts make you a faster runner.  I don’t care if we are talking 100 m or a half marathon, having a strong deadlift will help you to produce force to run faster as in sprinting, as well as absorb force over longer distances making you more efficient.  Stronger equals better and the deadlift should be near the top of the list.

That same ability to produce force will make a better jumper.  Stronger legs equal jumping higher.  Are there other things you can do to improve your jumping ability in conjunction with the deadlift?  Absolutely, but the deadlift is a great place to start if A. you’ve never done it before and B. if you simply aren’t a strong deadlifter.

As a coach I have found that many people, who don’t train regularly, or at all, begin to lose or have lost the ability to hinge their hips.  Sitting back into the hinge doesn’t feel natural to them.  It should, but it doesn’t.  Enter the deadlift.  The weight isn’t even relevant in this case, just the pattern.  Restoring that movement leads to the ability to load the hips properly and thus a stronger, healthier back.

As I mentioned earlier the deadlift works a multitude of muscles at the same time.  So, if you are limited for time and looking to still get a solid training effect, choose the deadlift.  You may make this decision because you work long hours and have 3 kids that need rides all over the state, or because you are a runner like in the above example.  To be a better sprinter or distance runner you’ve got to practice, leaving limited time for the weight room.  In both scenarios, the deadlift rules.

Ok, so hopefully you are sold at this point but just deadlifting all the time might seem boring, at least to the average person.  Good news, there are many different variations including barbell, sumo stance barbell, trap bar, single leg with either kettlebells or barbell and even that’s just to name a few.

Lastly, a strong deadlift looks cool.  If your strength is up to par it will be the one exercise that you can lift the most impressive weight.  Guys, it will totally help you get girls.  And ladies, I’m single and totally dig a girl with a strong deadlift sooo……

- Mike Baltren

Life According To Brian

If you have followed this blog the last couple of years we have brought you the personal stories of both Mike and Max.  This week get to know Coach Brian Crilly a little better.  His new blog, Life According To Brian features the story of his journey. 

5 Tips For A Stronger Deadlift

Grip:  The grip is twofold.  First I think it’s most important to crush the bar with your grip regardless of the weight being lifted.  That tension or irradiation will help engage the lats and promote keeping the rest of the body tight.  If you’re not focused on really gripping that bar during your set up each and every set, start now.  Second, a stronger grip will allow for a bigger deadlift.  Don’t let your grip be the limiting factor.  When I was in college I used straps when deadlifting heavy simply because I didn’t know any better.  A few years later I can remember attempting some lifts at near maximum and failing because I couldn’t hang onto the bar.  I no longer use straps and over the past several years, when pulling heavy weights, I have never once considered if I could hold onto the bar or not during a heavy lift.  It’s automatic.  I’m not saying that specific grip training should be a priority, although it depends on your goals, but your grip strength is something to be aware of.  On the simplest level, it does appear that training regularly with the thick handle of a kettlebell is beneficial.

Change Your Stance:  I love deadlifting.  It feels manly and it is one of the movements I am strongest at.  About 3 months ago I attempted my first ever sumo style deadlift.  I had never done it before because it wasn’t “conventional”.  However, I found out pretty quickly that it simply “feels” better for me.  I feel like I can use my hips and legs more and my back a little less.  I may not be setting PR’s left and right but I feel and recover better on a regular basis so I have stuck with it.  Regardless of your style, if you haven’t tried something different, perhaps ever, give it a try.  If you are feeling really inspired use biofeedback on a regular basis to see which style may be best for you day to day.  (Article talks about squat stance but the same rules can apply to the deadlift)

Keep Your Head Down:  I frequently see people trying to keep their vision straight ahead at the same height as their head.  I believe that a more neutral head position, which commonly means staring at the floor only several feet in front of you if you are hinging your hips correctly, is far superior to extending (or more commonly hyperextending) the neck and looking up.  In evaluating a virtual beginner it appears that the head down keeps the person pulling with their hips and lats where as the head up position looks as if the person is trying to lift the bar from the ground with their shoulders.  Finally, cervical hyperextension affects the strength of the posterior chain making you weaker.  For more on that see here.

Build A Wedge:  This is a slightly more difficult concept to explain but if you can pick up (much like a deadlift) what I’m putting down then it can certainly be helpful.  I first heard about the wedge concept from Pavel a few years ago.  There are potentially two ways to look at it.  First, during your set up, try and wedge your body between the bar and the floor.  Much like when pressing overhead, you don’t want to reach for the ceiling, you want to press your body down under the bell.  Make sense?  I hope so.  Second, I personally envision building a wedge between my hips and ankles on my backside.  This visual helps me get into the correct position and use my legs/hips much more effectively.

Deadlift More Frequently:  This is a tricky one, and many people have written with incredible insight over the years so I’ll keep it simple.  If you are only deadlifting once a week, twice a week might be better.  Or perhaps two quick sessions per week as opposed to one long intensive one.  Be smart, but practice, it’s a skill.

- Mike Baltren