Things I hope you never do.

I'm not going to lie...I can be a real dick when it comes to training. I take my training and that of my clients very seriously. I pride myself in taking training very seriously and constantly evolving as both a coach and an athlete.

However, not everyone shares this mentality. Working in a commercial gym exposes an individual to all aspects of training. The problem is that there are alot of strange and annoying things that take place in a commercial gym. Walk into any athletic training facility and you will see goals. Everyone in that facility has them and are focused to achieve them. Walk into the vast majority of commercial gyms and you will see randomness. Randomness in all aspects of training. I see the same people day in and day out at the gym doing the same thing. They are also lifting the same weight and looking the same as well.

Many of these individuals are guilty of doing some strange and unusual things while working out. I personally don't understand the mentality behind most of these things, but know that they shouldn't be done...ever.

Here are a few things that I have observed to be constants. If you are guilty of any of these things, please stop immediately.

Squatting too heavy - For the most part, people never squat. However, every now and then I see a brave soul venture up to the squat rack and start loading the bar. At first I always give them the mental "thumbs up!". But then the fiasco begins.

I stand there and continue to watch as more and more weight is loaded on the bar. Having seen the previous sets I know there is no way this guy is going to squat this weight properly and the same thing always happens next. The individual always unracks the weight, takes 1 or 2 steps back and then proceeds to quarter squat the weight 8 times!! He then racks the bar and walks out of the rack with his lats flared out. He also nods his head like it was easy. Of course it was easy you moron, you didn't DO anything! Quarter squats are damaging to the knees and also create alot of mobility problems in the hip and low back....Never do this.

Bicep curls every day - Why do I see this? Too many young guys are wasting their time doing bicep curls. Seriously, this needs to stop. I once had a young client come to me and ask me why we practice squatting and deadlifting so much. He then asked me "when are we going to do bicep curls?". That was his exact statement, I wish I was joking. I politely asked him why he wanted to curl so badly. He informed me that the guy he works out with does them and he's gotten so much bigger. I told him that's not possible. He then pointed his friend out to me. The kid was 140lbs with no strength or muscle mass to speak of and the spinal structural similar to Quasimoto. Bicep curls have no business being a part of a beginners program. Fix your structural issues, build a strong base, increase your strength and then include curls if they will help you towards your goal.

Quasimoto did alot of bicep curls

Wide grip bench presses - In the ever important quest to bench press more, many individuals have figured out that you can lift more weight if you widen your grip. I am seeing this more and more often and I need to put a stop to it.

It is true that many powerlifters use a wide grip to bench press. However most are doing it with the aid of a bench shirt and in conjunction with other lifiting technique such and high arch and leg drive. In most cases, it is only used in competition or for a bench press max.

What I am referring to is the individual that use a wide grip bench press because they think it will target their chest muscles. Here is a news flash to all those guys, you are destroying your shoulders! If your shoulders hurt from bench pressing, it's you not the bench that is the cause.

By widening your grip, you are taking the assistance muscles out of the lift and placing all the load on the pectoral muscles as well as the shoulder complex. That is a recipe for disaster and once you tear a pec or rotator cuff then it's game over for a very long time. So do yourself a favour and bring in your grip, use your triceps and lose the ego.

Training like bodybuilders - There are too many wannabe bodybuilders in this world. Too many people doing bodypart split workouts that they got out of a FLEX magazine and too many people with structural, flexibility and mobility problems. If your goal is to be as big as possible then by all means, break your body up into chest, shoulders, biceps, triceps, back and legs (apparently we only have 6 body parts). However, be prepared for structural imbalances, injuries and many mobility problems. The fact is, our body is not meant to be broken up into parts. Rather than work the muscle, your goal should be to work the movement. When i say movement, I mean the different ways our body is able to move (up, down, push, pull, horizontal, vertical etc) The by product of working the movement is that our muscles get trained and grow. The benefit of this is that we work the muscles in the manner which they were designed to work and avoid any issues that would come by isolating a single body part. Most people have no idea what to do when they come to the gym so they do what they know and unfortunately that is either walking on the treadmill or training a bodypart.

There are so many more that i could write about but these are the few that came to mind since they are pretty much what i witnessed today at the gym. If i can see all of these in one day at a commercial gym, imagine what i could write about in my 7 years as a coach and trainer?...scary.

Make youself instantly stronger!

In all my years of training, I have come across many different types of individuals. When I first began training people, I honestly had no idea what I was doing. I would take them through simple bodysplit programs and never monitored their results. We did the exercise for a number of sets and reps and then went to the next exercise. Fast forward 10 years and I personally feel as though I am a completely different persona and trainer. I have taken my evolution and experiences from a clueless guy lifting in the gym to a competitive powerlifter and strength coach and used it to benefit my athletes.

One of the biggest aspects of training that I find most neglected is the correlation between our state of mind and our strength levels. Is it possible to convince ourselves that we are actually stronger than we really are in order to lift more weight? The answer is a big ol YES! The reason being that the vast majority of individuals in the gym are very good at doing the complete opposite, convincing themselves that they cannot and will not accomplish a task before they even set foot in the gym.

The fact is that lifting heavy weight is hard. Actually it's very hard! Most people stay away from lifting heavy and think of many excuses in order to avoid it. However, nothing worth accomplishing in this world is easy.

Still a little hesitant? Well here are 5 mental tips you can use in order to make yourself stronger during your next training session.

1) Don’t lift "heavy" weight: Never...and I mean NEVER tell yourself something is going to be heavy. Remind yourself that it's not heavy if you can lift it. Of course it will feel heavy! But that doesn't mean it is heavy. I always remind my clients that they must never convince themselves of anything. This leads me to my 2nd tip...

2) Supreme confidence: Always approach a heavy lift with complete confidence. Walk up to the weight was all the power in the world and always unrack the bar with speed. Don't give yourself a chance to think you will fail. Failure is not an option. That is not to say you will always complete the lift. There will be times when you miss a lift or struggle with a specific number of reps. However, it is better to miss a lift because it is actually too heavy and not because you told yourself it's too heavy.

3) Create a mantra: The definition of mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that are considered capable of "creating transformation". Find a phrase or word that has meaning to you. It can be anything but it must put you in a state where you are ready to accomplish a task. It must transform you and create a sense if power and aggression inside you. My training partner and I use the same mantra before a lift... I love the movie "Predator" and in this movie, a character named "Mac" goes to hunt the Predator all by himself and in order to mentally prepare himself, he sings the chorus from the song "Long tall sally" by Little Richard (for some reason, the Marines in the movie love this song) Here is the actual clip from the movie...

Long Tall Sally - Predator @ Yahoo! Video

Nothing is more hardcore than hunting a Predator all by yourself so my partner and I always say "Gunna have me some fun!" before every lift. It calms us down but also jacks us up at the same time. Give it a try, just don't steal my mantra!

4) Flip the switch: Along with a mantra, you can also do something that "flips a switch" inside you and gets you prepared for the task ahead. Now, I've seen some really stupid things for this including slaps in the face and even swearing as loud as you can. In my opinion, that all seems a little exessive. All I do to flip the switch is pull my hat down as far as I can before a lift. It tells me that it's time to kill it. Believe it or not, I learned this mental cue from Sylvester Stallone in the movie "Over the top". If you have never seen this movie, do yourself a favor and go rent it. The whole movie revolves around truck driving and arm wrestling...simply amazing! In the movie, Stallones character turns his hat backwards before he arm wrestles to prepare him for the "battle" in front of him. Here are a few clips from the movie. (The first part shows the hat turning!)

5) Go lift heavy!: My final tip to instantly get stronger is to actually go out there and lift heavy weight. You will be surprised at what a few weeks of heavy lifting will do. The bodies ability to adapt to heavy load is simply amazing and your nervous systems adaptation to heavy lifting will show almost instant results. So get your butt to the gym and move some iron!

What a REAL gym looks like...

This article is simply for my own sanity. I am going crazy because I am sick and tired of commercial gyms. Too many people buy a gym membership and walk into a commercial fitness gym for the first time and scratch their heads as to what they should do. They look around and conclude that the only thing they know how to do is walk...so they jump on the treadmill and walk for the next 15min. Then they get bored and never comeback.
I personally believe that REAL training facilities are lacking in this part of the world and especially where I live. There are too many commercial gyms and not enough TRAINING facilities. The main difference is that every piece of equipment in a training facility has a purpose and it gets used. Commercial gyms just get as much crap together and then market it as a "gym". Some of the garbage equipment I have seen at commercial gyms makes me wonder what the hell is going on. If you are an athlete and your gym does not at least have a power rack and glute ham raise then it's time to find a new gym.
However, the majority of people will never need the use of training facility. They have no real goals and are content working out and this especially applies to bodybuilders. A bodybuilder has no need for an Olympic lifting platform or bumper weights...that being said, i don't particularly care for bodybuilding to begin with.
BUT if you are a competitive athlete and want to know what a REAL training facility looks like, then feast your eyes on these places...

(Warning: drooling may ensue)

The most amazing thing that I see is that amazing training facilities that you see in HIGH SCHOOLS!! You read right folks...Training facilities in schools are better than any commercial gym. For example...

(click to enlarge all pictures)

Ferris High School - Spokane Washington

West Vally High School - Yakima Washington

Colgate College - Hamilton New York

Canadian Sports Centre - Calgary Alberta

Those are just a few Fitness facilities to give you an idea of what it takes. My actual favortie facility that I have seen is called Total Performance Sports located in Everett Massachusetts. This place, for me, is perfect. It combines all the equipement a strength coach requires along with and monolift squat rack, strongman training equipement, mats for BJJ and even a small ring! Me likey!!!

And finally, when you have no budget at all and you can buy whatever you want and money is not an issue, this is what a training facility looks like...

American Naval Academy Sports and Conditioning Facility

Note: Pretty much every government funded facility in the united states is ridiculously amazing (ie. Army, Navy and Air Force)

Another kingpin in the training world is Atheltes Performance located in Arizona. This facility was voted #1 training facility in the world. If you want to see why, click on the link
http://www.athletesperformance.com/

I hope this gives you all a good idea of what types of facilities are out there. So next time you walk into you commercial gym..remember to shake your head.

Keys to an effective MMA strength and conditioning program

Recently, I have noticed the increasing number of individuals interested in mixed martial arts (MMA) and that got me thinking. What does it take to be a great fighter?

Of course, at the top of the list is actually learning how to fight. Technique and submissions must be burned into the brain so it becomes automatic when it comes time to use your skills. The last thing you want to be doing in a fight is thinking about how to fight!

However, is that all it takes to become a great fighter? Technique is not what is going to save you when your arms feel like they are going to fall off and your opponent is throwing you around well into the 3rd round of a fight. The best technique in the world is worth nothing if you don't have the energy and strength to apply it. That is why conditioning is so critical for any fighter.

One of the biggest mistakes I see fighters making is only training for muscle endurance. High reps and light weight seems to be the norm for so many fighters. However, neglecting power and strength is a big mistake for any fighter. If you factor in all the boxing, muay thai, wrestling and jui jitsu a MMA fighter does, it is alot of overall muscular endurance work.

That is why any strength and conditioning program for MMA should focus on 2 different types of training workouts. One workout would focus mainly on building explosive power, strength and overall body conditioning. Load would be in the 75-85% of 1RM range and the rest would be based on load and volume.

The 2nd workout would be an anareobic based workout consisting of sprinting, circuits, tire flips, sled work etc. Basically anything where you are pushing at a high intensity in an exhuasted state. We would also include barbell circuits focusing on grip strength and core work. As stated in a previous article, speed work and especially sprinting are a critical aspect of any athletes training. Refer to our article on SPEED TRAINING for more info.

One important aspect of training to always remember is increasing the bodies neural capacity. When the body begins to get tired and the central nervous systems begins to shutdown, the mind has a difficult time processing motor movements, be it simple or complex. Therefore, it is important for a fighter to reach this state on a regular basis and then perform complex cognitive tasks such as submissions, sprawling and boxing techniques. The more often we train in this CNS shutdown state, the easier it will be when we reach it in a fight.

This article just touches breifly on MMA strength and conditioning. To have a complete program, you must seek out a trained professional who is experienced in program design. At Power Systems we have the experience and always push all our fighters to the limit. It is important to a fighter to be comfortable being UNcomfortable! What that basically means is that a fighter must constantly train harder and push the body more than he would in an actual fight. If your training pushes you to your absolute limit, the fight now becomes the easy part. A fighter's training should always be harder than the actual fight.

Squatting set straight!

Over the 9 years I have been in the fitness industry I have found one thing to be always true: People hate squatting!


Walk into any commercial gym and you will find the squat rack either empty or being used for bent over rows, shrugs or bicep curls. Notice how it's called a SQUAT rack but no one ever squats in it? (Don't even get me started on gyms and power racks...or lack thereof). Every now and then you might see someone walk into the rack, throw some weight on and attempt a few sets of squats. I always credit someone for even attempting to squat. However, unless you have been taught to squat, you can't squat.


Sadly, the vast majority of personal trainers have NO idea how to teach someone to squat. You can't teach someone something you don't do yourself. You also can't teach something you don't understand. If you want to learn how to squat properly, contact us at Power Systems OR start by reading this book:

However, to start i will attempt to clear up any myths that I have come across in my years of training. Some are very common and some may be new to you. But all need to be set straight!

1) Myth: "Squatting below paralell will injure your knees"

Answer: I have heard this so many times and it could not be further from the truth. The only thing that will hurt your knees in a squat is to squat incorrectly. In order to squat properly and use the maximum amount of muscles, your hips should break paralell. Not only will this take the loadd OFF you knees, but it will help you build strength and mobility in your hips, hamstrings and glutes.
The knee has four main protective ligaments that keep the femur from displacing on the tibia (ACL, PCL, MCL, LCL). These four ligaments are most effective at their protection during full extension and full flexion. Full extension would be when you are standing; full flexion would be when there is no daylight between your hamstring and your calf. When the knee is at 90 degrees of flexion (the halfway point), these four ligaments are almost completely lax and cannot exert much if any of a protective force at the knee (Zatsiorsky V. Kinematics of human motion. 1998 - published by Human Kinetics - p.301).
Therefore, the worst spot for your knees is where these ligaments are under the most stress and in their least protective position, which happens to be exactly AT paralell! So make sure you are doing your knees an favor and squatting to a proper depth.

2) Myth: "I don't need to squat because I use the leg press"

Answer: Doing squats and leg presses both use the leg muscles...Thats where the similarities end. I personally feel that the leg press has its place in leg developement however it does not compare to squats on any level. If you are doing both in your program then you are on the right path. Doing only leg press is going to lead you down the wrong path.
In order of benefit, technique works its way down, not up. In other words, if you learn something difficult, anything easier will be made MUCH easier. However, if you learn something easy, no matter how good you are at it, you will never be able to do something difficult.
For example, let us take 2 lifters:
Lifter 1 can only do leg presses and Lifter 2 can only do squats. Let us say that Lifter 1 can leg press 400lbs. There is no way that he can also squat 400lbs (or even 135lbs) because squats require much more technique and utilization of motor units. But if Lifter 2 can squat 400lbs, I would bet everything I own that he can leg press alot more than 400lbs!!

3) Myth: "If I can squat really deep, I am squatting correctly."

Answer: I see this all the time. Alot of individuals attempt to squat deep and as stated previously, that's great! However, squatting really deep does not mean to are squatting correctly. Many times the lifter does not have the hip mobility to go very deep with good form so the body has to compensate by rounding the lower back, turning the ankles inward, having the knees come too far forward or cranking the wrists back. Always remember to squat with you hips, not with your knees. Here is a good assessment you can do quickly to see if your squat depth is good or bad. Stand in your normal stance and drop just like you always do. Do this for 10 reps with an empty bar on your back or using a broomstick. The important thing to note is the part of the body that first moves when you begin to squat. If it is your knees bending then we have a problem. If it is your hips pushing back then we are good to go! Always remember: Squat with your hips, not with your knees.

Be Strong...Think Stronger!!

Walk into most gyms and you will see strong guys. In my eyes, "Strong" is a relative term. What is considered strong to some might be seen as note worthy to others.
Most gyms will have a few guys curling 60lbs dumbells in one corner and then some guy leg pressing 500lbs in another corner. That is all fine and dandy but what does it take to be really strong? I mean the type of strong that makes the bar bend and the ground shake.
Strength is very important to every athelete but in my world, being strong takes on a whole different meaning. Being strong and mostly importantly, moving heavy weight is probably 10% physical and 90% mental. Most guys will never reach their true strength potential because they lack the mental aspect of lifting.
I see alot of guys laughing and joking around before they do a heavy set and they end up walking away from the set looking like they saw a ghost! I just never understand that mentality.
Focus is key. Before, during and after a heavy set and especially when you are attempting a new 1 rep maximum (which most guys NEVER do!!)
1RM's are so important because they require the most focus. They are cornerstone in any true powerlifting program because they give you a clear idea of where you are in term of your program.
In order for you to know if you are mentality prepared to be strong, let me take you through MY thought process for a typical deadlift maximum lift attempt . Hopefully this will motivate you to focus a little more...

The Lift...
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Before I even walk into the gym I think about the lift a week in advance. I try and imagine how the weight will feel and how it will look when I lock it out. Always remember that confidence is what moves weight.
As I walk inot the gym nothing distracts me. I might talk to a few people here and there but once i Put on my headphones I know its time to go to work. I walk to the squat rack and see the bar sitting there. Waiting for me.
I turn my music on and go through my mobility drills and warm up. These are more cues to help me build up to the lift. I stay focused.
I go through my warm up lifts and then finally, I put my maximum weight on the bar.
Once the collars are on and the weight is set, I always walk away. I stand there and listen to my music while I stare at the bar. I see the bar as my enemy. That loaded bar is the thing standing between me and victory. I tell myself that there is no failure and that victory is the only option. I will lift this weight.
As i walk up to the bar my music is blasting but I don't hear it. The music is more to drown out any distracting noise and less to build me up. As i stand in front of the bar, my confidence is sky high. I watch myself chalk up my hands. My hands are fully covered in beautiful white glory. I will succeed. I will lift this weight.
The slowly begin to go into a controlled rage. I no longer feel like my normal self. All i am thinking about is the bar. I pull my hat down as far as it will go. As I slowly grip the bar, I can feel my knuckles tighten. They feel strong...I will lift this weight.
I get into my stance. At this point, the mechanics of the lift are automatic. All I have to think about is moving this bar.
I open my eyes as wide as I can, take a giant breath of air and then I pull!
The bar lifts off the ground but feels heavy. I can't think it's heavy. I have to pull harder. Don't let the bar win! Pull harder! Pull faster!
My eyes are closed but I can feel the bar. All i feel is the bar. It's going up. I can't give up. I will lift this weight.
Hips forward! Drive the heels! Hips! HIPS!! almost there! Just have to lock it out...SO CLOSE!
I open my eyes and I am standing with the bar in my hands. The weight feels so light now. I could stand here all day long!
I drop the bar and feel like I'm going to pass out. My traps feel like they have been ripped out and my back is so tight that i can hardly stand...I can't wait for next time!

Speed Kills...make sure you train it!

Alot of altheles and coaches make a very big mistake when designing and implementing their training program and probably don't even know it (If they know it and STILL do it well then that's a whole different problem!).

They spend all summer training in the gym and getting bigger and stronger but neglect the biggest components they they will use when they play their sport...conditioning and especially speed!

Why should we speed train? Well to better understand the importance and benefits of speed training, we will use the "T-E-N-T" speed model to better explain the different aspects and benefits of speed training.

T - Technique

An athlete must be taught how to be fast. There is a best way to start, accelerate, reach maximum velocity and decelerate. These are all aspects of speed training that must be taught to not only make the athlete faster, but also limit injury due to technique.

E - Energy System (metabolic)

Every sport has some type of energy system demand on it and lifting weights is not going to develop the energy needed for that demand. You MUST make sure that you are continuously training those systems throughout the year in order to meet that demand when the game starts!

N - Neural

At Power Systems we have a very good understanding of the importance of training the central nervous system (CNS) in order to excel in your sport. It is true that heavy weightlifting has a significant impact on the CNS's ability to adapt to the demands we put on the body. However, no movement in the weightroom can match the rates of force and contraction developed through speed training. You have to train your body to be fast and the CNS is critical in developing your speed.

T - Tempering

Tempering decribes the adaptation that happens in the connective tissue (tendons, ligiments), in the muscular system and the CNS that do not take place in the weightroom. The velocity that an athlete moves and the different angles cannot be duplicated by simply lifting weights. A significant amount of football players suffer from pulled hamstrings, shin splints and sprained ankles when the season first starts. This is because their bodies are not used to the rate of contraction required when they first accelerate, cut or decelerate. Make sure you aren't one of these guys!

At Power Systems we make sure to implement a structured speed program for every athlete or team. Speed training and conditioning must take place along with weight training in order to prepare the athlete for the demands on the field.