Back To The Battle Grounds!

After taking 3 weeks off to let my body rest, I've had enough! It's time to reenter the battle grounds! My main focus is to reintroduce my body to the weights using basic movements, lots of unilateral lower body work and dumbbell work for the upper body. I'm slowly increasing the volume and intensity as time goes on. I'm also trying to keep my routine as balanced as possible.

If you aren't custom to making your routine's "balanced" then I suggest taking a look at this article by Leith Darkin on DieselCrew.com

Anyways this is how I've set up my split:

-4 days: squat training, overhead pressing and chin-ups (aka vertical push/pull), deadlift training, bench and row training (aka horizontal push/pull)

-I only train 3 times a week with an extra vanity or conditioning day done on the weekend (not done heavy. This day should not interfere with recovery and the week to come) so the cycle looks like this:

Week 1

Monday: Squat training

Tuesday: off

Wednesday: Vertical push/pull

Thursday: off

Friday: Deadlift training

Saturday: optional

Sunday: off

Week 2

Monday: Horizontal push/pull

Tuesday: off

Wednesday: Squat training

Thursday: off

Friday: Vertical push/pull

Saturday: optional

Sunday: off

So there is always an extra day that carries over to the next week. If you've used Jim Wendler's 5/3/1 routine then you probably recognize the layout (eventually I'll be getting into a modified version of Jim's routine).

So My first day of training was for the squat. This being the first day back in a while I took it easy and kept lots of reps in the tank. The workout looked like this:

Day 1:

A1: Front squat 3x5

B1: Split squats 3x10

B2: Elevated hip thrusts 3x10

C3: TRX body saw/knee tuck 3x10 (third variation on video)

Believe it or not I was sore as hell starting about 2 hours after this session up until my warm up for my deadlift training day! Damn...hopefully doesn't take long to get back into the swing of things

Day 2: Vertical push/pull

A1: 1 arm dumbbell push press (clean off of ground on first rep) 3x5ea

B1: Standing dumbbell military press 3x10

B2: Chin-ups 3x10

-Shoulders were pretty sore after this. Could tell my elbows need some time to get use to the forces put on them during pressing motions.

Day 3: Deadlift training

A1: deadlift 3x3

B1: deadlift 4x8

B2: back lunges 4x10 ea

C1: TRX Side bridge 3x10 ea (first video on video)

-Holy Crap! back and ass were sore as hell! Love it!

Day 4: horizontal push/pull

A1: Dumbbell press 3x5

B1: Incline dumbbell press 3x10

B2: Dumbbell row 3x10 ea

C1: 50 reps each TRX push ups and inverted rows. Timed for conditioning

That pretty much caps it off. No extra workout was done on the first week. I'll update you guys on my second cycle through once I'm done it. I'll be adding in a little bit more volume and increasing the weights slowly. That's it for now! Good luck on all your Fitness goals and adventures!

Strength And Conditioning: The Real Deal

I just recently turned 25. I’ve been in the fitness industry for nearly seven years. In respects to most strength and performance coaches or personal trainers, I’m just a baby. And in the industry sense, I may be just barely growing one sweet ass prepubescent porn-stache. Nonetheless, I have developed a profound ability beyond my years to sniff through the crap and find what’s real.

I’ve seen many cookie cutter trainers emulating routines from bodybuilding magazines, while their clients really have no clue that they are being swindled. People assume if they are paying an “expert” they are getting “expert service”. Over time I’ve only met a select few warriors and bringers of truth who can actually deliver above and beyond what people want (and need).

I’m very excited to let you know that a colleague of mine, who is one of those select few that provide an outstanding service, will be opening up a new personal training facility!

This is not an advertisement. It’s my duty as a lover of training and the truth to tell you what’s the real deal. Just in time for the new years, Isaac Payne, is opening Pure Payne Strength And Conditioning.

Whether you’ve finally decided to put in the work to reach your 2010 fitness goals, or you have already begun the battle to a better you, I know Isaac will get you where you want to be and beyond.

To give you a taste of what’s to come at Pure Payne Strength And Conditioning, Isaac has agreed to answer some of my questions.

Iron Athletics: Tell us a little about yourself? What sparked your passion for training?

Payne: Well, I'm not quite sure how or when exactly I decided that I wanted to work in the fitness industry but I knew that I always enjoyed playing sports, being active and simply looking good and feeling good. Right out of high school, I went into a Business Administration program (which probably would have served me well today) and flunked out. From there, I decided to take some Human Kinetics courses. I knew that I was on the right path when I started getting better grades and really enjoying what I was learning. From there, my passion just grew as I started getting my feet wet working as a trainer part time throughout school and learning how to put together programs for different types of clientele.

IA: Ah yes, business administration would have been good to study for myself as well! Where is your facility located?

Payne: My facility is located inside of Razor Fitness at 6351 Westminster Hwy in Richmond.

IA: Besides the usual, what type of equipment do you use?

Payne: As far as equipment goes, I have a lot of great stuff. I have kettlebells, tires, slideboards, sleds, bumper plates, glute/ham raise, and lots of open space to run wild!

IA: My favorite thing! Open spaces to run wild in. The next question isn’t necessarily a direct question about your training facility, but rather to give people an idea of your views. What do you think of the Vancouver fitness community? What’s Missing? And what are you bringing to the table that separates you from the rest of the pack?

Payne: I think the Vancouver fitness community is pretty good compared to other major cities. Vancouver is a very active and health conscious community. I think what is missing to get people to really achieve their goals is more education and a higher standard of service from fitness professionals. There seems to be too much variance in the level of knowledge and experience among trainers and other professionals. The media doesn't help either by deceiving people into thinking they can get great results with little to no effort. What separates me from other trainers I feel is that I am always making a conscious effort to stay on top of what is the most current and effective methods to help people achieve their goals. That includes training methods as well as nutrition because we all know the gym and the kitchen are inseparable. Too many people underestimate the impact of their diets on their overall success. Aside from that, I think I really make it a priority to build a strong rapport with all of my clients since they rely on me to keep them motivated and consistent with their program.

IA: How would you explain your training?

Payne: I guess I would explain my training as intense yet effective. It provides a lot of variety, which keeps people interested (and nervous at times), but it also makes it fun so their workouts don't feel like a chore or a job.

IA: Oh I’ve seen the cold sweats your clients experience when you walk in the room. Kidding aside, what can people expect the moment they step into Pure Payne?

Payne: People can expect to get thorough and intense workouts that are polar opposite to any traditional gym program they have ever participated in. No machines, no long, slow cardio, no isolation movements, just good old fashion training that will leave you feeling like a new person after every workout.

IA: Could you give the IA readers an example training session someone might go through at Pure Payne?

Payne: A typical training session might look something like this:

warm-up

1a) 2 arm kb swing 15

1b) swiss ball ham curls 15

1c) swiss ball mtn climbers 10ea

3 sets

workout

2a) sumo deadlifts 8/8/5/5

2b) walking sled rows 20 meters

4sets

3a) tire flips 8

3b) glute/ham raises 10

4 sets

and a conditioning set to finish

4a) box jumps 10

4b) mb twist 20

as many sets in 5 mins

IA: Could you give us some closing thoughts, advice, or encouragement you’d like to give to the people reading

Payne: At the end of the day, people need to take a look in the mirror and ask themselves if they are happy with the progress they are making with their training program. Regardless of whether your goals are weight loss, strength, speed, or conditioning, you have to ask yourself are achieving success and if you're not then something has to change. Too many people fall into a "comfort zone" and never really improve upon themselves. People need to be more conscious of what they're eating and increase the intensity and efficiency of how they train. I guess easier said than done, but nothing in life worth having ever comes easy.

IA: Finally how can people contact you?

Payne: I can be reached at 604-764-7467 or email at sizemicstrength@hotmail.com. Purepayne.ca coming soon!

There it is gym-lovers. 2010 is here and I’m sure your scheming ways to reach your goals. All in all, best of luck and keep your head up in these rainy days to come. In the end, it’s so worth it.

15 Things I've Learned In Life And In The Gym In 2009

1. Recovery! I’m learning to incorporate it rather than fight it

2. The City makes me bitter! To the people who live in the city: How many random people on the street have said happy new years to you? How many random people have you said happy new years to? Not many if any. Now I’ll ask the same to people who live in a small town? Big difference I’m sure.

3. Turns out, I love to work; every day I’m not working I miss it and act like a crazy person.

4. I still have a lot to learn, especially from those who are doing things right.

5. Nothing comes easy. I use to think if I tried hard enough 95% of the way something (call it divine interventions…or whatever you want to call it) would help me out the other 5%. This isn’t the case…you have to go all the way.

6. Vancouver really lacks a good bar! If anyone knows of one please let me know! Cause I’m yet to experience it.

7. I need to get to bed at a good time so I stop fucking sleeping in.

8. Family is #1. With them you can get through anything

9. I spend too much damn useless time on the computer

10. As much as I love to train hard in the gym, sometimes you have to stay away from it. I hadn’t taken any substantial time off from training in over a year and nagging injuries started to show up. I thought I just needed to do more work on prehabing weaknesses. It wasn’t until I was talking to a veteran of the weight game that it clued in. He said “I know this sounds crazy to you right now…but have you ever thought of taking time off?” I thought about it…thought it was crazy, but ultimately decided to give it a shot. By the end of the 3-week lay off I felt great!

11. My body gets the best results on the simplest routines. Every time I try something new and crazy I get disappointed and get back to the bread and butter of compound lifts, a couple accessories, and maybe a couple conditioning drills. Cutting the Crap makes your workouts WAY more productive.

12. There are very few people in this world that are ready and willing to get shit done…are you one of them or are you just talking out of your ass?

13. I need to stretch more and drink more damn water!

14. If you take lower body training serious, it’s really fucking hard to find good jeans that won’t crap out on you in 3 months. All I see is damn skinny jeans…are you kidding me!? I’m not that big, but that shit won’t even go past my knees.

15. In business people all of a sudden become two-faced. Words all of a sudden take double meanings. Sincerity and good ol’ honesty don’t seem to get you far.

Evolution, Wedgies, Saddam Hussein, and Obesity

“Survival of the fittest”

You have all heard the term most often attributed to Charles Darwin and his theories on evolutionary biology. The idea is that if one species or subgroup-whether it is a virus, animal, plant or human, has the superior biological make-up that makes it best “fit” for survival, then its competition will not.

Unfortunately this phrase is far too simplistic. It was originally used as a synonym for “natural selection” in a later edition of Darwin’s book On the Origin of Species. While most of us imagine “survival of the fittest” as something that might play out on the playground: Small, physically inept kid gets beaten up and atomic wedgied for his lunch funds by the larger, more physically superior boy.

Not satisfied with the condom's effectiveness

two college freshmen take matters in their own hands

What Darwin really meant was to use this term as a metaphor for “better adapted for [the] immediate, local environment”. The basis to his theory is that living organisms co-evolve with the physical world. If they cannot do this, than they become extinct.

We as humans have survived both because of biological, as well as psychological evolution. We’ve developed means to adapt to our “immediate, local environment.” Our brains have developed in phenomenal ways to distinguish what might be dangerous and prepare a proper course of action. Someone swings a bat at your head and you will duck to avoid the danger rather than catch it with your teeth. We have continued to live and survive because we are not only physically capable, but also, psychologically unique. Over time we’ve become masters at seeing, interpreting, and avoiding immediate danger. Unfortunately this is where we have now encountered problems.

Humans are unique in the animal kingdom because we are the only species that can mentally fathom our past, present, and future. We are capable of planning our actions in the present, to hopefully require a certain outcome in the future. While our brains have developed tremendous capabilities to avoid danger that take physical form, unfortunately we aren’t so good at taking on dangers that come slow and without a name.

The evolution of man?

I first came about this theory sitting in a lecture delivered by a Harvard professor talking about global warming; and human’s inability to perceive it as an immediate threat. We know it’s real; all the science backs it up, yet we aren’t dodging it like the bat to the face. Rather each of us continue reminding ourselves to be more conscious about the environment while we jump into our SUVs, drinking our five dollar lattes, and buying whatever’s advertised on TV even though we know we’ll throw it away in a matter of months, if not days. The problem, the professor described, is that global warming has no physically perceivable form. Global warming has no face, we cannot blame it on one person like the US has blamed terrorism on Osama Bin Laden, or Saddam Hussein. Global warming doesn’t run at us like a hungry bear, rather it creeps on us slowly; gradually gaining momentum hiding behind a four-syllable abstract phrase. “Global warming” sounds like something out of a retirement home brochure. Because of this, we as humans know it’s there, know it will cost lives, but don’t push for immediate change.

Like global warming, another more social problem is costing lives in the same way; and this is where my theory comes into play. Obesity is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in Canada. Preventable! Yet in 2004 the Canadian Community Health Survey found 23% of Canadians 18 and over were obese, while another staggering 36% were overweight. In total that is 59% (11.3 million people) of the population that is beyond the healthy, acceptable BMI level. (Yes, the study used BMI, while not necessarily the best testing method, it does give us a scary perspective of our country.)

Fat Kid...

...Or Hossein Rezazadeh in his younger years

Just like global warming, obesity is hard to blame on just one factor. There are so many social, psychological, nutritional, and physical issues underlying this epidemic. I’m not trying to oversimplify the problem (there is so much to this issue), but rather, I’m trying to explain why we are so slow to change. Obesity can’t be blamed on some scary, panic-driven, animal flu such as the SWINE or the Avian flu; it cannot be prevented or cured by a simple vaccine. We cannot simply point a finger at an individual and blame him/her for our country’s fatness. If there was some global terrorist hiding in remote caves who had caused this epidemic by bombing us with fat, it would be an entirely different story; in fact, every major TV channel may scream the phrase, “WAR ON FAT.” So, what I’m saying is let’s not wait until our nation in a state of RED, indicating “SEVERE RISK OF FAT ATTACK.”

We know it’s killing us, yet we continue over-consuming fast food, while becoming more and more sedentary. We cry about being fat, making new years resolutions to “finally” change, yet fall off the wagon faster than we can say Big Mac. We witness people around us dying of overweight related health issues such as diabetes, heart disease, and certain types of cancer. We as humans know what we need to do, yet it’s easier said than done. We know we need to be more active and eat better. We know we need to stop eating and severely limit processed fast food. Yet we put it off. Death has disguised itself as a tasty burger with fries, all for just 3.99! Yum!

Unlike you...She could use a couple of these

(insert bad Paris Hilton and meat joke here)

Evolutionary biology has gotten us this far, but we are currently being attacked by a slow gradual killer which is beginning to snowball. We know it’s chasing us, yet we are unable to step out of the way because our biological make-up does not give us the tools to perceive it as an immediate threat. We are in a pot of simmering hot water, which is about to come to a boil, but we are still oblivious to the danger. We are being boiled to death by obesity and most of us don’t have the necessary tools to jump out.

As fitness professionals, and lovers of physical betterment we have the tools to fight this enemy. We know what really needs to be done and it isn’t easy. It doesn’t come in a vaccine; it cannot be picked up at a drive-thru; it doesn’t come in cherry or any other flavour, it cannot be taken with water once-a-day, and it doesn’t tingle to let you know it’s working. It’s hard work, it’s sweat, it’s eating healthy. It takes time, dedication, and persistence; it might truly be the best formula for the “survival of the fittest”.

No Rules Warrior Training

Alright this is it! The first no rules training session done outside of the gym. Had to spice things up by hitting lots of giant sets and density training to make up for the lack of weight

Warm-up:

Farmer's walk two kettle bells from storage about ten blocks up hill to my apartment

Forearms, upper back, and shoulders were burning!! had to take lots of breaks

Circuit 1:

10 minutes as many rounds as possible

A1. 1 arm kettle bell snatch to press 3 reps per arm

A2. 10 clap push ups

Circuit 2:

Posterior chain giant set (no rest between sets)

B1. Kettle bell swings with band resistance 3x10

B2. Band goodmornings 3x10

B3. Single leg hip thrust w/ weight and 5 second contraction at top 3x10 ea

Didn't take long!

The Next Chapter-Real World Warrior Training

I'm poor! That's right I said it!

I'm a struggling performance coach trying to get my own business going and due to recent misfortunes, had to move out of my gym. Yeah yeah, poor me. Because of this, my own training will now turn a new page. Not only do I not have a gym to train out of at the moment, I also have very little equipment to use. Basically I'm stuck to using equipment I can easily move around in a backpack and store in my closet as the rest is in storage for now.

You best believe this won't stop me!

I am a firm believer in minimalistic training. You don't need fancy gadgets to get you in shape. In fact Chad Waterbury, a neurophysiologist and well respected strength and conditioning coach, once said "there's an inverse relationship between the amount of equipment a performance coach has in his gym and his level of expertise"

Over the years I've come to learn that most exercise equipment is pretty much useless. If it won't directly help you reach your goals, and it's just there to look good, there is no reason for it. Take it out and stop looking like such a weak pansy!

Jimmy performs his latest rendition of the karate kid

It's "sport specific"...I swear.

I've written articles about "money saving underground training" and simple, cheap, home workouts. All of which have used minimal training tools. And now it's time for me to put this into practice!

I'm going to be ripping up some truly underground strength and conditioning. If I can get into a gym I'll be ripping up heavy compound movements, but most of the work will be done in the real world: parks, playgrounds, stairwells, and my apartment. Here's the list of equipment I have sandwiched in my closet

My closet

Who am I kidding...It's more like this

But more manly and it has equipment in it

Equipment:

-Kettle bells

-Sandbags

-Jump stretch bands

-Thick rope

I have weight sleds in storage and will bust those out when the weather permits.

My goal is to hopefully maintain some strength in the main compound movements: squat, deadlift, bench, overhead press, and olympic lifts. This will be difficult as I won't be directly training these very often. The routine that I will be using in the following weeks does not follow traditional rules. It is not for a person who feels more comfortable working out behind closed doors, as I'll be ripping it up wherever I can! It won't be easy and it most certainly won't be F***ing fancy. But it will most certainly get the job done and show everyone that you can train like a warrior no matter the circumstances!

Now I'm off to rip this shit up and get rid of some stress! talk to you guys soon!

Intensity, intensity! INTENSITY!

I've always been a fan of high intensity training. While I prescribe more volume on a main lift, both to strengthen proper movement patterns, and to get more time under tension at maximal or near maximal weights.

With assistance lifts (exercises that directly help weaknesses in the main lift) nothing beats a good ol' quick ass whooping. If the same amount of work can get done in under 2 minutes that would normally take up to 5, why are you still taking the long road?

There are times where more volume and longer work periods are important, but for the regular Joe or Jane looking to get lean, build muscle, and become more athletic, it's not the best option. Consider the fact that everyone claims they don't have enough time, and probably have the workout attention span that rivals Stewart from Mad TV, sometimes you have to kill it and move on.

The Hit and Run technique. Get in get out and hope her dad doesn't see you jumping out the back window...Er...I mean finish off your training as quickly as possible so that you have more time in the day to do what you need to do.

So how do you add intensity techniques to your workout while decreasing your time at the gym? It's easy....actually it hurts, burns, and leaves you breathless like a shot of Habanero sauce sniffed up your nose. There is nothing easy about it, but it WILL get you results and get you out of the gym faster than you thought possible.

The following are just a couple ways to add intensity to your training:

Rest-Pause Technique

This one is simple and effective! This shouldn't be done with high risk exerises such squats, good mornings, deadlifts, or olympic lifts.

How it's done:

One extended set broken up with short rest periods. Grab a weight and push out as many reps as possible (if you are looking to increase your metabolism you'll probably want a weight that allows for 15-20 reps on the first set, for strength 3-6 reps, for size 8-12 reps). Cranked out as many reps as possible, and I mean AS MANY! The key is to go all out! Save your wimpy shit for another day.

Once you've pushed out your last set, rack the weight and rest, breathing deeply for 10-20 seconds. You're not done! pick up the weight again and push out as many reps as possible once more! this time the reps will be significantly lower. Repeat this one or two more times and you're done! Do only one set of this and you'll probably want to do a couple warm-up sets with lighter weight before you start.

Mechanical Drop-sets

This one is a nice alternative to conventional drop sets (doing as many reps as you can with a given weight, then lowering the weight and doing more reps). With conventional drop sets you are progressively lowering the weight, yes it burns, but you aren't recruiting that many extra muscle fibers. It's great for getting a good pump, and increasing endurance but is not quite as effective for adding size and strength.

Mechanical drop sets bypass this and allow you to do more work at the SAME weight thus recruiting more muscle.

How it's done:

Start with the hardest version of an exercise. Do as many reps as possible (similar to the same rep schemes as the rest-pause technique), as you reach a totally fatigued state, switch to a slightly easier version of the exercise and continue to bust out a couple more reps, finally dropping to another easier version, barely squeezing out a couple more reps. It won't be easy and you'll look just like you do when you're trying to get the very last drop out of your toothpaste tube.

As you get more fatigued, the exercise drops to a mechanically stronger movement, allowing for more work to be done.

This one is a little harder to understand so i'll give you a couple of examples:

-Dumbbell bench press: Start with an incline dumbbell bench press, drop to a low incline press, and finally to a flat bench press

-Pull ups: Start with a medium wide grip pull up (palms facing away from you), go to a regular grip pull up, and finally perform regular grip chin-ups

Try them out! and see if you like it. For more examples contact ken at www.ironathletics.com