Improve athletic performance by avoiding these training mistakes

We are creatures of habit.  Once we become good at something (especially in the fitness arena) we tend to continue doing the same thing.  No one wants to be "bad" at something. The problem with this is that it might be what's holding us back from improving in our sport/s.

Here is a list of things to AVOID when strength training.  By avoiding these mistakes, you will be able to improve your performance and take your fitness to new heights.

Mistake #1 

Only training upper body

Don't get too focused on how you look in the mirror.  Having big arms and a broad chest may impress the girls and look good on the beach, but it won't do anything for your athletic performance.  Your largest muscles are in your legs (including the glutes and hamstrings), and the more you strengthen them the more hormones you release to help build strength and size in your entire body.  Your legs are what provides the foundation to any sport-specific movement.  

Mistake #2

Always working on your strengths

It's easy to work on things you are good at, but that won't make you a better athlete.  In order to improve you have to eliminate any weaknesses, and that means probably doing things you aren't familiar with or good at.  Most elite athletes don't have weaknesses, and if they do, I'm sure they are working on them right now. When was the last time you did deadlifts?  They are one of the best compound moves (targeting several muscle groups and multiple joints) to help build strength. 

Mistake #3

Lifting weights too slowly in the gym 

Do you always lift weights at the same speed?  If so, you are missing a key component to improving your strength gains.  According to Mike Boyle, of Mike Boyle Strength & Conditioning, "lifting weights with explosive speeds activates more fast-twitch muscle fibers, which have the greatest growth potential".  You don't always have to lift weights with an explosive speed but it should be incorporated in your periodization training.  For instance when lifting heavy weights (85%+ of 1RM) you want to lift slow and controlled.  When performing certain movements with explosive speeds, do the lifting phase of each exercise as fast as you can.

Mistake #4

Doing too much slow and steady running

Running too many slow miles is a repetitive movement and your body will adapt quickly and stop making progress.  According to Boyle, "running doesn't activate fast-twitch muscle fibers, which are great fat burners and body builders".  Start incorporating some intervals (short bursts of intense activity) in place of your slow runs, or run steep hills instead of always running on flat terrain.  You can sequence your interval work many ways, for instance using a 1:1, 1:2, 1:4 or even a 2:1 ratio.  Using the 1:2 ratio, this means that you would run hard for a length of time (say 30 sec.) and follow that with twice the amount of recovery time (which in this case would be 1 min.).  According to a recent study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, interval training leads to gains in aerobic and anaerobic performance that are significantly greater than with steady state cardio.

Mistake #5

Not incorporating rest into your weekly workouts

It’s easy to push ourselves hard in the gym, or spend hours doing cardio to improve endurance, but the most under-rated area of improving performance is NOT allowing for enough rest each week.   The training you do breaks the body down and makes micro-tears in muscle tissue; it’s when you rest that you build back up and with proper nutrition get stronger.  The goal of “rest” is to help the body regenerate and bounce back the next day.  Rest doesn't have to be lying on the couch and doing nothing (aka: passive rest), it can be something that still makes you feel as though you are still exercising but without the stress to the muscles or mind (aka: active rest).   Simple “active” rest ideas include yoga classes, foam rolling and stretching, going for a walk with your dog, or doing an activity different than the particular sport you are training for at a light intensity.
The best type of rest is sleep.  Aiming for 7-8 hours of quality sleep each night will help speed recovery of sore muscles from hard training days and allow you to perform at your best day after day.  Taking a 20-30 min. nap during the day is also a good option if you are not able to get 7-8 hours of sleep at night.

Aim for at least 1-2 rest days during your weekly training schedule.  

FREE obstacle course training class

Are you looking to participate in a Spartan Race , Tough Mudder or another obstacle course event?  Are you looking to improve your performance from a previous race that you did?  Then you will want to come to my FREE obstacle course training class on Feb 28th at 10 am at the Cascade Middle School.

A 6-week training program will follow beginning in March.  Make this the year you get over your fear and get your feet dirty and do an obstacle course event.

See flyer for all the details.

Results from the 10,000 KB Swing Challenge

We began this challenge back on January 12th, and 20 workouts later finishing today, Gordon and I have logged the following numbers:

10,000 KB Swings (using 55 lb)
120 Barbell Overhead Presses (using 115 lbs)
200 Dips (with 45 lbs attached)
120 DB Goblet Squats (using 85 lb)
120 Chinups (with 25 lbs attached)

It was fun to do this challenge, but both of us are glad that it is over.  The first set of 50 swings in the first workout was horrific and we never thought it was going to get easier.  Over the course of the 20 workouts, I would certainly agree that each rep of the swings became easier, however, the workouts never seemed to get easier.

Our workout times to completion began around 43 minutes with the Overhead Presses and finished at 30 minutes even during the last week.  The days with the Dips went from 42 minutes initially down to 30:30 minutes. Our day of just doing 500 KB Swings by themselves reduced from 32 minutes to 24 minutes.  Goblet Squat days went from 43 minutes to 32:30 minutes and the the most significant reduction in time was on our chinups day, which dropped from 46 minutes to 33:30 minutes (12:30 minutes faster).  This day always felt the most difficult.

This reduction in time over the course of 4 weeks was not due to swinging the KB faster, although I would say we became more efficient with our swings, but it was the reduced rest periods between each set of swings.  We first were using 30-60 sec. of rest after each 10,15, an 25 swings, and close to 3 minutes after each 50 swings.  During the final week, we didn't rest between the 10, an 15 swings, maybe 15 sec. after the 25 swings, and only about 30-45 sec. after each 50 swings.

The results from our body composition were quite interesting. One thing that was different between Gordon and I during the 4 weeks of this challenge was that I ran 3 days a week and he did no other form of cardio work.

Name              Start            Finish          Weight        Body Fat %          Lean Mass         Fat Mass

Gordon          Jan 12                               200 lbs        14.7%                  170 lbs                 29.5 lbs
                                           Feb 8          206 lbs        13%                     179 lbs                 27 lbs

Sloane           Jan 12                               185 lbs        6.9%                    173 lbs                12 lbs
                                           Feb 8           185 lbs        6.3%                    173.5 lbs             11.5 lbs

WOW! Gordon gained 9 lbs of lean mass and dropped 1.5 lbs of fat mass.  Simply by doing KB swings and a low volume strength exercise.  I guess the proof is in the pudding.  Me on the other hand stayed pretty much the same, and has to be a result of the added running days mixed in.

In addition to our improved fitness (reduced rest periods), our grip strength improved tremendously, core strength improved, and mental toughness improved.  

If you want to build muscle and lose fat, this is a great workout program all by itself.  This also stresses the belief that less is more.  Our workouts lasted no longer than 45 min and as short as 24 minutes. Can't ask for much more than that to gain 9 lb of muscle.

Nice work Gordon and thanks for doing this with me.

My "Top 5" TRX combo exercises for a strong athletic core

TRX has been a leader in the fitness industry the last several years.  Its no wonder so many elite athletes turn to TRX for their in/off-season training.  Each piece of equipment is very versatile and costs less than $300 ea.

Core muscles (hips, abdominals, pelvis, low back, and obliques) are what initiate every athletic move. In order to have a strong athletic core, you must be able to perform movements in many different directions, and if you want to get to the elite level, you have to do the movements very quickly and with power.  

These exercises I am sharing will challenge every muscle in your body and get the heart rate pumping on all cylinders.  You will need a TRX Suspension Trainer as well as a TRX Rip Trainer.  The exercises train the body in 3-dimensions, so you will be moving in many different planes of motion.

You can do each combo for time or for a certain number of reps.  I prefer to do them for time so that I don't need to worry about counting reps.  Aim for 30-45 sec per combo with 15-30 sec of rest.  You can do all as a stand-alone workout, or add one of these combos at the end of your regular strength workout.

Here are My Top 5 TRX Combo Exercises for a strong athletic core:

     1.  TRX Frog Kick / Pike / Atomic Pushup

     2.  TRX Side Plank / Hip Drop / Oblique Crunch

     3.  TRX Burpee / Scorpion / Mtn Climber

     4.   TRX Rip Trainer Hockey, Baseball, Samurai 

     5.  TRX Rip Trainer Low Pull / Mid Row / Pitchfork

10,000 KB Challenge

I have been busy beating myself up lately with a great Kettlebell challenge.  I love challenges because they are always difficult and make me push harder than I would otherwise.   As I say to all of my athletes/clients, "getting outside of your comfort zone will only make you stronger" (both mentally and physically).

So three weeks ago I decided to try Dan John's 10,000 Kettlebell Challenge.  Dan John if you don't know, is one of the premier strength coaches in the world, is a former athlete himself, and knows a thing or two about designing effective programs.  No way around it, doing 10,000 Kettlebell Swings over the course of one month is going to hurt.

In the video, we are on Day 12 doing our 4th set of the KB Swings w/ Barbell O/H Presses

Here are the details of the challenge from the T-Nation website...

In four or five weeks, you're going to perform 10,000 proper kettlebell swings. These will be split among 20 workouts. You'll do 500 swings per workout.

Between sets of swings, you'll perform low-volume, basic strength exercises. You will train 4-5 days per week. Train 2 days on, 1 day off, and repeat. Men will use a 24kg kettlebell (53 pounds). Women will use 16kg (35 pounds).  

Use an undulating rep scheme to reach 500 total reps per workout:

Set 1: 10 reps

Set 2: 15 reps

Set 3: 25 reps

Set 4: 50 reps

You've now completed 100 reps or one cluster. Repeat the cluster 4 more times for a total of 500 swings. Between sets, experienced lifters will add a low-volume strength movement.

Here is a sample workout for one of the days

10 Swings

O/H Press 1 rep

15 Swings

O/H Press 2 reps

25 Swings

O/H Press 3 reps

50 Swings

Rest 30-60 seconds; repeat 4 more times.

I am doing the challenge with my friend Gordon, and I would highly recommend finding a friend to do this challenge with.  Having someone else to suffer with will make it just a little easier than doing it by yourself.  

We are performing the workouts 5 days a week; Tues, Wed, Fri, Sat, and Sun.  The Fri workout is only the 500 KB Swings, no other strength exercise.  It feels somewhat like a rest day, but not really.

The goal of this challenge is to start week 1 with a heavy but manageable strength exercise for each workout and have it become easy in week 4.  The strength exercises we are doing are
Day 1 Barbell O/H Press (115 lbs)

Day 2 Dips (with a 45 lb weight)
Day 3 KB Swings only
Day 4 DB Goblet Squats
Day 5 Chinups (with a 25 lb weight vest)

The first week my hands and forearms got completely trashed.  Since then, however, the Swings have become easier, I don't need much rest between clusters, and my grip strength is a heck of a lot stronger.

We are timing ourselves for each workout to measure progress. Our first couple workouts were in the low 40 min range.  We are now on Day 12 and our time to complete the workout is in the low 30 min range.  We also took body composition measurements before we started the challenge.

Here are the results of our body fat composition before the start:

Gordon                                                     Sloane       
200 lb                                                       185 lbs
14.7% body fat                                          6.9% body fat
170.5 lb of lean mass                                173 lbs of lean mass
29.5 lbs of fat mass                                   12 lbs of fat mass

It will be interesting to see what changes we see after the 20 workouts.

Here are the results that Dan John and other coaches/athletes saw after the 20 workouts:

1.  Everyone got leaner, dropping a waist size or two, in 20 workouts.

2.  Every coach or athlete made visual muscular improvements in their physiques, adding lean body mass.

3.  Every lifter increased his grip strength and greatly increased work capacity and athletic conditioning. They could all train longer and harder when they went back to their normal training programs.

4.  After the program, every lifter saw a noted improvement in his core lifts. PR's fell like dominos. Full-body strength and power shot through the roof.

5.  Abs were more visible. Glute strength was tremendously better. The abs and glutes "discovered" how to work again, leading to athletic improvements in sport and in the weight room.