2010: Setting and smashing your goals.

It has been awhile since I posted a blog and alot has happened since then. Power Systems has taken off and is officially a registered training business. On top of that, we would like to welcome Salomon Rodriguez to the Power Systems Powerlifting Team. 2010 is going to be a big year and I am very confident that big things will take place. But how can anyone be so sure?

The most important thing to do when setting goals for the year is to have a game plan. How are you going to reach your goals? what steps do you need to follow in order to achieve your goal?

What i have learned over my many years of training is that training for a goal without a plan leaves you spinning your wheels and the next thing you know, it's October and you are lifting the same weight and have made no progress. I've also learned that you need to be as specific as possible when deciding on your goal. "I want to get in better shape" just doesn't cut it!

My plan for 2010 is total over 1100lbs at a sanctioned powerlifting meet at a bodyweight under 165lbs. In 2009 I totalled 995lbs at a meet and 1050lbs in the gym which is good, but not good enough. My game plan for this year is to take 2 steps back in order to take 10 steps forward! How do I plan on doing that? Well with a game plan of course!! Here is what my game plan is in order to total 1100lbs at a meet in 2010:

1) Fix my squat! I love squatting and am a good squatter...I just need to get better! It is my weakest lift compared to the other 2 lifts and it needs help. My plan is to spend 2 months doing high rep squats. Leave the max attempts for another day and just kill my squat with form and speed. Nothing will get you squatting more than a deadly set of 20 rep squats! Once my confidence under the bar is flawless, we go on to the next step in my game plan...

2) Buy some gear! I think it's time that I invest in a good squat suit. Nothing gets you squatting and deadlifting more than a good suit. Up till now, I haven't lifted in any gear (not even a belt). Our team basically uses Inzer wraps and chalk...thats it! This year, I plan on setting some personal records and winning some meets so if you wanna win, you gotta do what everyone else does. I am deciding between an Inzer Hardcore suit of a Titan Super Centurian. Only time and my budget will tell which one i buy.

3) Get on a program and stick with it! The worst thing an individual can do is spend the entire year jumping from program to program. We are all guilty of this crime and in the end, you end up making minimal gains. Let me you all in on a little secret...there is no perfect program. The perfect program is the one that focuses on your goals and the one that you bust your ass doing! I plan on implementing the basic 3x3 program in order to increase my training volume and clean up my form. I will then follow that up with the Jim Wendler 5-3-1 program leading up to my meets. I will change the program slightly by adding dynamic speed days to continuous focus on moving the bar as fast as possible.

There you have it folks, a simple game plan but highly effective. I know what i need to do in order to achieve my goals and i won't let anything stand in my way. 2010 will be the year of big ass lifts and defeated personal records! Lets do it boys!!

A program made JUST for you!

I know that at Power Systems we preach that everyone should be on a program and that nothing should be random. Structure your workouts and you will see results. However, what program is right for you.

Everyone has different goals and THINK that they need to be special. To a certain extent, that's true. In terms of pain, structural problems and mobility issues, everyone is different. However, in terms of the right program for you, it's not as hard as you think.

We would also like to inform everyone that Power Systems now officially runs all our programs and training out of a new facility and we could not be more excited! The facility is exactly was we were looking for and we feel that it will greatly benefit all our clients and programs.

Thanks to our new facility, we are now running very specific programs and classes catered towards one goal....to take your fitness level to the extreme!

Have a look at our new programs and please contact us if you would like to join or would like more information. We would be more than happy to answer any questions or concerns you may have. Time to change folks....to a better you!

Many athletes train their specific sports and neglect to implement a well designed strength and conditioning program. At POWER SYSTEMS we set out with one task in mind, to create the ultimate Brazilian Jiu Jitsu athlete. It is time to take your skills to the next level with a comprehensive and complete program designed by the pros at POWER SYSTEMS strength and conditioning. A specialized program is what sets you apart from your opponent. Our goal is to make you bigger, faster and much stronger than anyone you will ever face. Even better so, let our on-site BJJ expert instructor take your BJJ to the next level. This program has it all for any up and coming fighter...or fighter at heart! Never done BJJ or have no interest in being a fighter? Well just join and train like they do in the UFC! You'll still get in amazing shape!

At POWER SYSTEMS we understand that not everyone wants to become a national level powerlifter, competitive MMA fighter or even a high level athlete. This is why we created the Women's ONLY! fit class. This a program specifically catered to all females. What does that mean? it means that we will target all those trouble spots women hate and get your fitter than ever! However, at POWER SYSTEMS we never do anything easy. If you girls think this class will be a walk in the park, think again. In order to see the drastic results you want in the short amount of time you have, we need to really push the limit! Come and train with the girls and see yourself mentally and physically change!...

The POWER SYSTEMS Strength Camp has only one goal in mind. To make you the strongest you have ever been in the shortest time possible. This is our tried and test program with many happy customers! The thing about strength is that it's easy to get...but hard to organize. You can get strong but unless you are on a strength program, you will NEVER reach your full potential. This is because a strength program is very structured. It has to be in order to have continual gains in strength. If you're randomly lifting heavy weight, you will hit a wall and in many cases get weaker because you burnout your nervous system! In the strength camp you will be trained by competitive powerlifers with years of experience. At POWER SYSTEMS, we know strength very well and love building tanks!

The Transformation Project. This is the biggest thing to come out of POWER SYSTEMS yet. The T-project was created in order to see what our coaches at POWER SYSTEMS are really made of. Enrollment is very limited because the goal is complete transformation of an individual in 30 days. You must do what your coach says. You must eat what he says, train when he says and think how he wants you to think. Give us 30 days and the goal is complete transformation. This is the most focused program we offer at POWER SYSTEMS. There is no room for error and we guarantee results or your money back! The T-Project applies to anyone: Skinny guys looking to get big, women looking to lose a ton of weight, weak guys looking to get strong or even slow guys looking to get fast. Whatever your goal, we will create a complete program for you...the catch is we only have 30 days! Give us your best shot..lets see you transform!

Overcoming Adversity...and excelling

Each and every day we are face with adversity. Adversity is defined as "a state, condition, or instance of serious or continued difficulty". We are all faced with these situations on a regular basis. Sometimes we overcome them quickly and move on, but other times we are left in a state where we seem to have no answers for our difficult situations. Most people see adversity in the external world, outside of the gym. However, this external adversity can affect our training and overall success in the gym. We find ourselves not wanting to train or losing focus in the middle of a set or session. There are no easy answers for any difficult situation. I myself am currently in a difficult situation in my life. It has caused me to put my training goals aside and focus on the difficulties I'm faced with.

However, is this the correct method to approach my adversity? Many times it is our goals in the weight room or on the field that help us to overcome our problems. We feel hopeless because we lack control in our situation, but that is the complete opposite when we step into the weight room. In the gym, we have all the control and it is up to us to reach our goal for that training session. We have no control over what others do, but we have full control over what we decide to do.
You have 2 choices when walk into the weight room with an external situation weighing on your mind.

1) You can let that problem change your mentality and stand in the way of your goals. You can lift sub-maximal weight because you have no focus and drive. In that case, you would walk out of the weight room in the same position you walked in...weak and depressed.

2) You can turn the switch on. You can walk into the weight room with the mentality that you will tear every single weight apart and break every single lifting record in your training journal. You can see what you are really made of...what your mentality really is. If you are able to set any type of record (be it a new 1RM or rep record) while having an adverse issue weighing you down outside of the weight room, you are officially a superhero and you will feel like a superhero!

Personally, I know facing adversity is very difficult. It hits you when you least expect it and it affects every aspect of your life. What we all need to understand is that we will always be faced with difficult moments in our lives. Sadness is a very powerful thing and can make you feel weak and helpless. However, if we let adversity affect our goals every time we are faced with it, then we will never excel in any aspect of life. Sometimes you just need someone to tell you "Suck it up and move some iron"...here goes nothing...

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.