Hard Time Getting It Up

Are you having a hard time getting it up? Low energy, tired, and feeling a little bit out of it? Not able to perform your best? The weights you lifted one to two workouts ago seem heavy as hell and you can't perform your usual amount of reps? Well it is usually one of three things and it isn't the lack of Viagra! I am talking about your progress in the gym here and if this sounds like you or someone you know then read on.

Occasionally, some of my clients run into the above problems when they come in for a workout. They get frustrated and angry. The truth of the matter is that more often than not the answer is simple. They are either not getting enough sleep, are already over trained because of a full schedule of practice, school and social life or most often not eating properly! One of the major problems I find with my clients from time to time and even myself is lack of proper nutrition. What most people fail to realize is that the training as important as it is, is just the stimulus. The other major player in improving performance and health is nutrition. The following is an example of a recent conversation I had with one of my athletes. This athlete was working out at 5pm.

Athlete: I can't believe I only got that weight for 3 reps. I got i for 6 last time and this is only my second set!

Me: How many hours of sleep did you get last night?

Athlete:Like 8

Me: OK. What about the past week. How many hours of sleep did you average per night?

Athlete: Probably 7-8. I don't have any problems sleeping.

Me: OK. When was the last time you ate today?

Athlete: Like 11 am at lunch.

Me: Six hours ago. Did you eat breakfast?

Athlete: No. I woke up late and didn't have time.

Me: What did you eat for lunch?

Athlete: A slice of pizza and some fries.

Me: So you didn't eat breakfast, ate crap food for lunch and haven't eaten anything else for six hours? I remember your diet outline stating that you must eat breakfast containing protein or if you are short on time drink a protein shake in an emergency. It also states that you should be eating every 3 hours or so. Lastly, there is no pizza and fries on your acceptable food list!

Athlete: I know. I'm sorry Kev I have kind of been slacking on my diet.

Me: Well you see how important it is now if you are serious about training and want to improve?

Athlete: Yes

Me: I want you to write down everything you eat and the times you eat each meal or shake for the next 5 days.

Athlete: OK. I will

Me: Cheahhhh!!!!

Well magically after a week all of this athlete's weights went up in the gym. In the next month this athlete gained another 5 pounds of muscle and got leaner!

The moral to the story is that if you are not fueling your body properly then you are wasting your time training. You can kiss your improvements goodbye. So next time you see your progress in the gym starting to regress take a step back and look at your eating and sleeping habits! You just might be sabotaging yourself. Eat well, sleep well and train hard and consistent and watch your progress soar!

The Warm-up Comlex

The following series of exercises is one of the basic warm-up complexes I effectively use with my athlete's before they begin a workout. I was first exposed to this type of pre-workout warm-up by a friend of mine and awesome strength coach Chad Ikei.

The circuit is done using just a basic 45lb Olympic bar. Perform each exercise one right after the other in a continuous circuit until all the exercises are completed. Each exercise is done for 7 reps. There is no real reason for specifically 7 reps aside from the fact that is my favorite number! If you prefer to do more go for it. It is only important that you do enough reps of each exercise to get blood flowing to each muscle group, prepare your nervous system for different exercises of the day and warm your body up! You may also repeat the circuit 2-3x if desired.

The Circuit:
1: Shrugs
2: Romanian Deadlift
3: Power clean
4: Military press
5: Back Squat
6: Alternate Lunge (7 reps each leg)
7: Good Mornings
8: Bent over Barbell Row

That's it! A quick and effective way to begin a workout. You can vary the exercises as you wish. The important thing is to involve compound movements to involve all the major muscle groups.
For other great ideas for warm-ups and workouts I recommend "Complex Conditioning" by Istvan Javorek.

The following video is a demonstration of the above workout:

Worlds Strongest Athlete Dinner

It is 12 pm. I have just gotten home from attending the Worlds Strongest Athlete Dinner. I have to say that it was an incredibly fun, emotional and eye opening experience. I must commend Joe DeFranco and Sean Thomas of Overtime Sports for all of the desire, hard work and dedication to put together such an event. The turnout was great and the food and atmoshphere at the Brownstone was awesome as always. If your the type of person that loves great food, great music, having a fun time and supporting a great cause I highly recommend attending the dinner next year! Remember this Saturday July 17th is the competition at Overtime Sports. It's going to be another stellar event you shouldn't miss!

Congratulations and Good Luck!

We just wanted to wish Michael Vitale the best of luck and a huge congratulations on being signed to the Seattle Mariners short season A team this past Tuesday! I have been training Mike for the past 6 years. Mike has been one of my most dedicated and hard working athletes and has never given up on his dream. Hard work and dedication will always pay off!

We would also like to wish Chris Burrell and T.C. Sweeney formerly of Don Bosco Prep the best of luck as they begin their college careers at Temple University and Towson University. Chris has been with me since his freshman year of high school and T.C for the past 4 months. Both worked their butts off to get ready for their college careers and we look forward to watching them play soon on Saturdays. Once again the best of luck fellas!

The Back Squat

The back squat is considered by many to be the KING of lower body exercises. For the most part, I agree. There are many versions of the squat and I am not going to get into a stupid debate about which one is better than the other one. The simple fact is all different versions of squats can be effective and that it all depends on the desired effect, phase in a training cycle, the athlete’s ability level and proper execution. This post focuses on the last item I mentioned, proper execution!

The major problem I see with athlete’s and people who squat in general is that most of them do it wrong! I personally use the Olympic style of squatting as the staple of most of my athlete’s training programs. The main reasons for this are:

1. The Olympic Squat when properly done fully works the hip and knee joint through the full range of motion improving flexibility.

2. Performing a full Olympic squat recruits more muscles in the lower limbs such as, the vastus medialis, gluteals, and hamstrings.

3. These previously mentioned benefits also provide better structural balance between the muscles of the lower extremities improving performance and decreasing the risk of injury!

4. The body position while performing the Olympic squat is more closely related to the athletic stance of most major sports.

5. Lastly, proper Olympic squatting prevents excessive forward lean placing more stress on the working leg muscles and less stress on the lower back.

To perform the Olympic Squat:

1) First make sure the bar is even in the rack to assure proper placement on shoulders.

2) Place your and hands evenly on the bar to assure proper alignment.

3) Proceed under to step under the bar keeping your hands in place

4) Once under the bar rest bar evenly on the middle or upper back/shoulders

5) Keep feet shoulder width, arms tight next to the body and elbows under the bar.

6) Lift bar off rack and step back 1-2 steps to clear rack.

7) Keep head neutral or slightly up, elbows under the bar and chest up.

8) Feet should be shoulder width or slightly wider.

9) Take a deep breath and hold

10) Begin movement by letting the knees bend and shift slightly forward.

11) Now begin to squat down by “dropping” straight down until your hamstrings are touching your calves. Yes BELOW parallel! It is not bad for your knees contrary to popular belief. Your chest is up, elbows tight to the body and under the bar, feet flat on the ground.

12) Once in the bottom position do not bounce. Pause briefly and explode upward using your legs, and glutes. Push up against the bar with your hands. Exhale though the sticking point.

13) At the top take another deep breath and repeat for desired number of repetitions.

To further illustrate the proper technique please watch the following video of one of my athletes performing the Olympic squat in perfect technique! If you cannot get low enough or lean to far forward then you need to lower the weight and work on your flexibility! Also, if you have spent your training life only half squatting or box squatting, performing the squat like this will most likely be challenging. I have heard many fantastic stories of guys squatting 400, 500 plus pounds but were usually far above even parallel! I have seen many of these same athletes not even be able to perform 6 correct full squat reps with 225 pounds! So if you have never full squatted then give it a try. The benefit will not only help improve your other squats but your overall athletic performance.

For more great information about the squat check out this article by Charles Poliquin.

www.charlespoliquin.com/ArticlesMultimedia/Articles/Article.aspx?ID=388

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