Fitocracy Blog

Science Sunday - Stretching for strength and power

Wanna know how to warm up to make the most of your strength training? Nicolas Verhoeven ( ACSM CPT, Brody School of Medicine ) gets into the science of the movement.

Sources and more information here : https://www.physionic.org/impact-of-stretching-on-strength

Credit to Physionic Youtube , Physionic on Instagram, Physionic on Facebook

Find your fight club !

Need an extra push to get work done this Friday? Coach Chuck recently wrote up a guide for developing motivation. Grab a coffee or tea and settle in, it’s a good read!

Tell me if this sounds familiar. You want to go to the gym to reap all of the benefits: improved mood, energy levels, appearance, clothes fitting better, etc. But despite those benefits, you aren’t motivated to actually go. Aside from the fact that motivation isn’t reliable because it’s an emotion (hint: it’s more about discipline and habit), it’s possible that the idea of simply “working out” doesn’t intrinsically appeal to you. And that’s OK. Doing things you hate isn’t a great use of your precious time.

The Cave You Fear To Enter Holds The Treasure You Seek

I ask you to consider that the missing element may be that you are competitive in nature and that you may thrive (rather than just survive) when given something to work toward. If that’s you (you may not know it yet), with the proper mindset and goals that match your competitive nature, your inner fire that drives you can go from a small ember to a raging inferno. Rather than getting better at exercising for its own sake, you are now filled with purpose, a mission.

But you’ll NEVER know what that’s like, or what exactly it is that ignites your inner fire unless you try.

If you’ve never been competitive before, it’s scary. I get that, it was scary for me too. But it’s worth it. If you do find something that ignites your inner fire, it can be life changing.

“The cave you fear to enter holds the treasure you seek” – Joseph Campbell

The Search For Fight Club

So what do you compete in? Nothing comes to mind? There are lots of options out there, many more than you’d think, and some I’m willing to bet you’ve never even heard of! So to find the “thing” that appeals to your competitive nature, you’ll need to find your “Fight Club”.

“Fight club became the reason to cut your hair short and trim your fingernails.” – Tyler Durden, Fight Club.

When you find something that you enjoy competing in, it becomes the reason that you want to eat healthy, to get stronger, to improve your conditioning, your flexibility, etc. You don’t need to rely on some external motivator keeping you going because your mission has become clear, and you are now filled with purpose.

Instead, we can go from “I have to do this in order to achieve my goals” to “I WANT TO and I am GOING to do this to achieve my goals with every fiber of my being, and nothing is going to get in my way.”

If you can find your fight club, habits no longer have to be slowly coaxed. Instead, you may begin to actively and positively make better choices that align with what you hope to achieve in competition. Seeing a positive feedback loop like this created simply by your love of what you do is absolutely freeing.

“Tell him. Tell him, The liberator who destroyed my property has realigned my perceptions.” – Tyler Durden, Fight Club.

Perception and Emotion

I mentioned earlier that motivation isn’t reliable because it’s an emotion, and for most emotions, we cannot control when or how strongly we feel them. There’s an exception to this though, and that’s the emotion of gratitude. I was first made aware of this concept when reading about how an Olympic athlete used gratitude to deal with their performance anxiety. Being grateful for the opportunity to compete, to improve your fitness, and health may change your perception. I say this as I’ve talked to many people who feel that they “have to” do certain things in order to reach their goals, and I, in turn, ask them to rephrase that to that they don’t have to, but they get to. This was one of the biggest takeaways that I learned from my friend Bryan Krahn when working with him on some physique changes last year.

Anyways, practicing gratitude is something I too am working on. I can say that gratitude has helped me in my competitive endeavors (and to deal with competition/performance-based anxiety). I am practicing gratitude by thinking about how fortunate I am to be in a position where I have the opportunity to improve myself (physically and mentally) and compete with others in a community, it’s allowed me to enjoy the entirety of the journey rather than just finding joy in the accomplishment of my goals.

If you wanted to read more about gratitude, check out these articles:

Some Options

Anyways, so what are some “fight clubs” that you could compete in?

Some options that you may have heard of (or maybe not!) or previously considered are things like races (running, Tough Mudder), powerlifting, olympic weightlifting, CrossFit, bodybuilding, or even adult recreational sports like Disc Golf, softball, racquetball, etc.

Heck, look at the sports that are in the Olympic games, there are hundreds of options!

If you can think of some options that I haven’t mentioned, please reply (or email: chuck@chuckgrossfitness.com) and I’ll add yours to the list and give you credit!

As you may know, I tend to use myself as an example. So, below is my example.

Chuck’s Example

None of those options appealed to me. At all. I started lifting weights when I began my weight loss journey in order to reduce the amount of loose skin that I might end up with, and I didn’t hate it like I did with cardio exercise. I eventually came to like the idea of getting stronger, but the idea of competing in powerlifting didn’t appeal to me. I tried out Highland Games, and while I enjoy wearing a kilt, I just never got into it despite liking the people and community. After that, I tried focusing my exercise on building muscle size and working out specifically for appearance/aesthetics. But I had no intention of wearing a thong and posing on stage. I even tried things like running (not for me, I literally felt like I had to pee the entire run), or things involving heights (ziplining, rock climbing) in order to conquer my related fears.

In all of those things that I tried, something was missing, some spark. I knew that I had serious gaps in my overall fitness like mobility, agility, and balance. I always used the “I don’t have time to fix those” excuse but it was never true, I simply never cared about those things enough because they didn’t technically impact my life enough to do anything about them.

The next thing that I tried was martial arts. My wife and kids were taking kung fu, so I gave it a shot. It was fun, a good workout, and it was my first moment of awareness at just how bad my mobility, agility, flexibility and balance were. In fact, I enjoyed it more than the other things I tried, I just didn’t love it yet. But, it was the closest I’ve come to that “spark”.

And in these cases, I’m defining love by something that I’m thinking about…all day long. You might call it obsession, or as a friend said “putting my addictive personality to good use”. Something that rekindles that internal fire of desire rather than feeling like I must do something to get some tangible reward or goal. Something that gives purpose to habits and behaviors around fitness beyond “Do X to get Y”. E.g., track calories and lift weights to look good naked. Nothing wrong with that at all, either!

And recently, my 36th birthday gift allowed me to find something that fits those criteria. A Facebook friend of mine shared some pictures of an event from early in September, and I had no idea what I was looking at. Then it hit me. These were pictures of people sword fighting and it wasn’t like Olympic fencing. This was sword fighting with a two handed sword and it looked like an actual martial art rather than a sport. Why didn’t I know this existed? And that there was a well known and respected school/club for it right here in Pittsburgh? My family signed me up for the beginners class as my birthday present. (I have a history of having my birthday presents be experiences rather than things, doing things like going cave exploring/spelunking, taking an airplane piloting lesson, etc).

Immediately, I connected on a deep fundamental level with both the people/community, and the martial art itself. And it’s changed my life in ways that hard to describe, except that the experience of holding a sword in my hand with the intent to use it is something that I will never forget.

I’m now viewing my fitness through an entirely new perspective. All of the things that I never had time for before now matter to me, and I make time for them. I’m willing to cut back on my TV, to go to bed earlier, all because I have a fire inside of me that is driving me forward toward my goals: to be the best sword fighting martial artist that I can be, and have a hell of a good time along the way.

Summary

The bottom line is, it doesn’t matter what you end up competing in. If you find yourself bored with the idea of forever just getting better at exercise for no particular reason, I’d ask that you consider competing in something. And even if you discover that what you tried isn’t for you, you’ve at least learned something about yourself, and grown as an individual. Keep trying though, and you’ll eventually find your Fight Club and can break the first rule…and tell everyone about it!

If you are interested in sword fighting, and western martial arts (HEMA), please check out my sword fighting specific blog where I’ve explained exactly what HEMA is and how you can become a part of a truly amazing community!

Of course, if you have any questions related to that, I’d be MORE than happy to talk your ear off about it. Trust me, it was hard to not ramble on about it while writing this.

(Credit to Chuck Gross. More insightful articles at his site, http://chuckgrossfitness.com . Want to talk to Chuck about your own goals and how to get there? Extreme Fat Loss is starting up soon; read about it here . )

Online Coaching –what it is and what it isn’t.

With online training becoming more commonplace, Coach Rich wrote us up a quick overview of the upside, the downside, and what to realistically expect when you work with an online coach.

Think You’re Ready for an Online Coach?

Online coaching is the growing trend in health and fitness with clients paying everything from $10 to $500 for a month of programs. You can find coaching for just about anything. Bodybuilder? It’s out there. Weight Loss? Like leaves on a tree. Strongman? Can find that too. You name it and you can find it on a google / facebook / instagram search in a matter of seconds.

Just because it’s out there and others are finding success doesn’t mean it’s right for you. And if it is for you, how do you know if it’s the right coach for you? How do you get the most out of online coaching?

Online Coaching is not:

-hands-on
Your coach can’t physically move your body into position or touch a muscle and tap it until you make it fire. There is no creative adjustment on the fly that a virtual coach can do. If you have limited experience, poor technique, and little kinesthetic awareness, this is a challenge for both you and your coach to overcome.

-immediate
With advances in technology, communication is faster than ever; but, we all still have jobs and responsibilities that might require turning off the phone. Unlike being in-person, your coach may not be able to answer a message immediately.

-one-sided
When you work with a trainer in-person, there is conversation and feedback. As you go through your session, your trainer asks questions, you ask questions, there is discussion about how the weight feels, your energy, etc. You both play a role in your success. Good communication on both sides of the team is crucial.

-motivating for those without drive
This seems to be one of the most common reasons I receive when I ask why somebody wants to do online coaching. They “need motivation.” If you lack motivation to go to the gym, prep your food, or do the monotonous and uncomfortable things that need to be done, your online coach can’t help you. It’s a big one, so let’s highlight this. If you aren’t motivated to do what needs to be done, your online coach can’t help you. All the encouragement, the praise, and challenges are limited in their motivation. Unless the motivational reward at the end of the program is greater than your discomfort, it will run out. The cake has to be worth the bake.

-perfect
Coaching styles, guaranteed response time, level of experience, number of clients, level of communication all play a part in how good or bad your experience is with online coaching. It helps to talk to the trainer and establish right up front what everyone’s expectations are.

Online Coaching is:

-challenging
Technique correction, weight evaluation, nutrition advice all becomes a challenge by not being there and sometimes even the best programs fail as a result.

-self-sufficient
The coach can only program the workout, but they can’t drive you to the gym, load the bar, or motivate you to grind through that killer set of 20 that you really don’t want to do. They can’t strap you to the sled until you finish your prowler pushes and they can’t knock the junk food out of your hand after a long day. That is all you, and that is where the drive has to come from.

-filled with bad coaches
Check instagram. Guaranteed you’ll find some fresh out of high school, no experience, and above average genetics kids out there offering coaching and schlepping some company with their “10% off discount code”. The personal training industry has no regulations, but online is even harder to back-check somebody.

-cheaper than in-person training
Personal training rates range everywhere from $20 to over $100 per session. Most online coaching is usually far less, (I’ve seen a few at and beyond $500 for top-rated industry elite coaches), there’s really no comparison price-wise to what you’d spend for the same number of workouts in-person. The caveat here is that there are bad coaches out there offering “personalized” programs that literally typed Juggernaut or 5/3/1 or Starting Strength into a spreadsheet, charged $49 for the month and did virtually nothing. They won’t review technique and they won’t update the program. I’ve seen “meal plans” that gave three different people with different needs, the exact same recommendations and meal sizes.

Still wondering if online coaching is right for you?

As long as you’re driven, willing to invest in the right coach with the right options, it can work for almost anybody. You’ll need to do your research, ask questions, and be totally upfront about your needs and wants.

So let’s pick a coach:

First - Look for a coach that has experience in what you’re looking to do. If you want to train for strongman you aren’t going to choose a bikini model that’s never seen an atlas stone.

Second - Find a coach that offers what you need and some, or all, of what you want. If you need technique work, form corrections, and high levels of face time to be successful, you’ll have to search for a coach that offers that. If you want daily meal plans, don’t settle for somebody that doesn’t do daily meal plans and hope they change for you.

Third - Ask questions. What’s their experience? What’s their timeline to realistically reach your goal? What’s their coaching style? What’s their philosophy? There are hundreds of questions you can ask to see if you match up with the coach and at the same time, the coach can see if you match with them.

Once you’ve found a coach:

Read what you’re agreeing to. This is important because there are levels of online coaching. There are coaches that run group programs and use a virtual meeting place like google hangouts. Other coaches have pre-written templates. The most common advertisement is individualized programs. You have to know what you are buying because the level of support and customization most definitely changes with each type.

There are a myriad of online coaching offerings and the exact meaning of each may vary based on the coach:

-Personalized Programs
These should be written specifically for you, matching your equipment, goals, time constraints, and experience level. The most expensive option, billed monthly, but provides support and options that other options do not.

-Multi-week Templates
These are essentially a pre-written program that has been customized to match your specific requirements. An experienced coach has these on-hand and can quickly modify one with little thought. These could come with or without support, but are typically not modified once written.

-Pre-written Programs
These are things like ZStrength’s 13 Week Powerbuilder, Wendler’s 5/3/1, Starting Strength, etc. They are pre-written and describe how to run the program, but leave all of the decision making up to you about which exercises to do. Typically cheaper and come with limited to no support at all.

-Meal Plans
A full plan of what to eat on what day for each meal. These are the most expensive options out there because they are a tremendous amount of work to match the client’s calories, macros, likes, dislikes, cooking ability, and meal prep desires.

-Meal Plan Templates
A generalized layout of meals with macro breakdown per meal. These typically come with a sample day or two. While these are still pricey, they allow for more freedom in choosing meals and how foods are cooked.

-Macro Coaching
The most basic nutrition assistance, providing calories and macros, but no meal template.

Because each coach may use different terms or have different meanings for their options, it is essential that you read and ask. Check for certain elements, especially the things you expect. If you don’t see it, make sure you ask. If the coach wants your business, they will take the time to answer and explain. You are not a pest for asking things. It is ok to talk to someone then decide their program is not right for you.

Some things to look for when checking out coaching options:

-frequency of check-ins
-level of support
-guaranteed response time
-program / nutrition updates
-phone / skype communication

Understand, that each service you want has a cost associated with it. The more services you expect, the more it will cost. If you choose the option that doesn’t have everything you want, don’t expect the coach to cover that. Read what you’re getting for what you’re paying. A customized plan takes time to write, even with experience, the coach has to match volume, frequency, movements to your experience and goals. The same applies to nutrition. Matching food likes and dislikes, calories, macros, the number of meals per day, working around trigger foods, etc.

When you pay for certain services, you should receive those services. Most times, if it’s a matter of forgetting to send a piece of information or a document, a simple courtesy reminder is all that’s needed. However, when the coach doesn’t uphold their end, repeatedly being late on getting you programs, re-scheduling calls, etc., and you are doing everything that was asked of you, you are justified in being upset and discontinuing. When someone doesn’t value your business or your time, you can and should advocate for yourself. You are within your rights to express displeasure with their service. It is ok to fire a coach when they do not meet your expectations.

(Thanks, Rich !! Posting this to help put more power in a potential clients hands. )

WaitWaitGo! app preview

Fitocracy site member eng_strong created a rest timer and asked us to check it out.

Free but only for iOS right now. https://waitwaitgo.com/

If you do a lot of HIIT or tabata, give this a chance and let us know what you think.

More exercises added

Hi fitos! This week’s newest additions to the database:Camber Bar Bench

Camber Bar Squat

Swiss Bar Bench

Swiss Bar Incline

Swiss Bar Overhead Press

Banded Terminal Knee Extension

Kneeling Landmine Press

Barbell Overhead Lunge

Bent Elbow Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise (aka Power Partials)

Reverse Cable Flyes

Double Unders (Reps)

Send requests to exercises@fitocracy.com and check the blog and the Welcome to Fitocracy group for updates as we work to get more items added.

Powerlifting Gummy Bears

Fito site member GalwayGirl posted a recipe that caught our collective eye.

“All the heavy lifters in my gym put in requests for these before meets.

I buy the 6lb bag from BJs and soak them in 2lb batches in a giant bowl. I’ll put 2 lbs of gummies in the bowl and then in a blender bottle use ~20 ounces of water, 6 scoops of pre workout supplement, 3 scoops of creatine and 4 scoops of aminos. Shake it hard until it all dissolves and then pour it over the gummies. Depending on what brand of gummies you buy it can take 2-4 days for them to soak up all the water mixture. They will get big and lose their bear shape. Use a giant spoon to stir them around a couple times a day.

Once they’ve soaked up all the water they are going to, grab some cookie sheets and lay them out in rows to dry. After 24 hours, flip them all over so that both sides can dry. Usually after 2-3 days (again depending on brand of gummy) they are dry and back to their original shape. They usually all change to one color based on whatever color your pre-workout/amino water is.

I keep them in bags in my gym bag, but don’t leave them in your car if it’s hot outside. They will get really sticky. “

New exercises for logging !

Clean Deadlift
Stability Ball Pike
Stability Ball Hyperextension
Sandbag Good Morning
Sandbag Deadlift
Tricep Bar Front Raises
Tricep Bar Overhead Extension
Tricep Bar Hammer Curls
Suspension Trainer Pull Up
Suspension Trainer Torso Rotation
Kettlebell Lunge Pass Through
Suspension Trainer Burpee

Body Tricep Press
Barbell Front Raise
Axle Deadlift
Frog Pumps
Straight Bar Dips
Side Plank With a Reach Through
Cable Side Bends
Double Kettlebell Lunge and Press
Kettlebell Lunge and Press
Double Bottoms Up Kettlebell Clean
Double Bottoms Up Kettlebell Clean and Press

Requests? Send ‘em to exercises@fitocracy.com, please

Science Sunday - Macro Satiety

We’re back ! After a brief hiatus, Nicolas Verhoeven ( ACSM CPT, Brody School of Medicine ) is here again with some science based fitness. This week, macros and satiety.

Credit to Physionic Youtube , Physionic on Instagram, Physionic on Facebook

Newest exercise additions

Not being able to log and track progress on an exercise is frustrating–we get that. We’ve recently made changes to the exercise database in the interest of getting your requests added faster. As before, email exercises@fitocracy.com with feedback on items you’d like to see us add for logging.

The latest additions:

Rope Climb Machine
Machine Decline Bench Press
Single Leg Lying Curl
Single Leg Extension
Jacob’s Ladder Machine
Arc Trainer
Y-Press
Windshield Wipers
Hanging Windshield Wipers
Deck Squats Archer Push Ups
Tricep Pushdown Machine
Stomach Vacuums
Aerial Yoga
Circuit Training (Bodyweight)
Ice Skating (Competitive)
Paused Barbell Squat
Paused Bench Press
Paused Deadlift
Kettlebell curl and press
PiYo
Kettlebell Arm Bar Press
Full Handstand
Barbell Suitcase Deadlift
Wide Grip Cable Row
Suspension Trainer Hamstring Curls
Suspension Trainer Knee Tucks
Meadows Row
Kettlebell Slingshot
Otis Sit Ups
Suspension Trainer Triceps Extension
Suspension Trainer Reverse Flyes
DDP Yoga
Recumbent Cycling
Trap Bar Shrug
Standing Cable Leg Extension
Trap Bar Bent Over Row
Trap Bar Overhead Press
Ring Tricep Extensions
Ring Flyes
Calf Raise Machine
Bowling
Double Kettlebell Turkish Get Up
Kettlebell Woodchoppers
One Arm Kettlebell Row
Two Arm Kettlebell Row
Z-Press
Weighted Push Up
Dumbbell 21 curls
Suspension Trainer Plank
Air Assault Bike

Tate Press
Suspension Trainer Box Rows
Suspension Trainer Power Pull
Suspension Trainer Squat and Row
Dumbbell Sumo Squat
Kayaking
Svend Press
Dumbbell Hip Thrust
Floor Ball
Bradford Press
Landmine Goblet Squat

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