Social Media Post of the Week

The smartest meathead in the industry makes the Social Media Post of the Week once again 🙂

Last time I highlighted Pat, I talked about not getting emotionally attached to things that you’re doing because people like Pat will come around and make you feel really uncomfortable if you have an ego that prevents you from changing your ways.

With this facebook post, if your ego is too big to let go of ideas and exercises, I would probably leave my website, and you should not follow people like Pat and myself.

I personally hate band pull-aparts. Mostly because I spent a year trying to convince another trainer that it wasn’t the best shoulder health activity and that it didn’t undo the bench press.

So I will always hate on them, but like Pat mentioned in his post and in his comments. If you’re coaching it correctly and your goal is to get some upper back muscle development, then you’re “okay”.

But if your goal is to keep the shoulders healthy and increase movement variability, then you should think of furthering your knowledge on the relationship between the shoulders blades and the rib cage. ( watch video at the end)

Then powerlifting got brought up in Pat’s post where I gave my 2 cents.

Pull Aparts are praised in the powerlifting world.

Don’t they need to do a lot of pulling? Don’t they need a strong upper back? Don’t they need to undo the bench? Band Pull Aparts should be part of their warm-up, right? They are sagittal creatures and they WANT and NEED to be in extension, isn’t that correct? You can’t take the powerlifter’s extension away because they’ll get weaker, right? 

Depends.

Content always matters. Why are they doing band pull aparts? to mimic the same position as the bench press? Shoulder back and down? Cool. Keep doing them.

To keep the shoulders healthy? Fix problems they’re having during their lifts? ehhh this is what I think ->

The body is great at giving you illusions. It may look like you struggle extending and keeping your upper back together, but it might be an issue with your rib cage position, not your lack of pulling exercises like band pull-aparts.

I might not be a powerlifter but I’ve worked with people like Tracy Jones who has had amazing success getting away from the conventional powerlifting mind and has gained an appreciation of respiration and thorax position.

Many coaches get fixated on the shoulder blades and getting them to move but they’re forgetting (or not aware of) that the position of the thorax has a HUGE influence on the shoulder blades ability to move. Here’s a quick video where I explain it 🙂

Hope this was helpful.

Let go of any ego you may have. Always be ready to be wrong.

Until next time 🙂

Lucy

 

 

 

The Vertical Jump Flow Chart

The vertical jump is performance royalty.  It, along with the 40 yard sprint, is widely used as THE measure of athletic ability.  I was asked a great question the other day about what goes into a good vertical jump.  It led me to actually going through the layers of a good vertical jump step by step and I wanted to share.

Like any athletic performance, the vertical jump is impacted by many variables.  These variables go together like an assembly line in car making.  One variable leads to another and another and at the end of the line is a complete jump.

First, we must understand the vertical jump is executed with a time constraint.  One constraint is your ability to load and lever length.  The more you load and the longer your legs are, the more runway you have to produce force, power and speed.  Another constraint comes from competition.  The need to beat your opponent to the ball in basketball or get to the set in volleyball creates a time constraint.  So, the overall goal for a highlight reel vertical jump is to produce as much force as fast as you can within the time constraints.

Breaking down the vertical jump assembly line looks like this:

PROXIMAL POSITION

This is the most complicated stop on the assembly line.  It’s basically about being in a well aligned position to maximize force production.  We use intra abdominal pressure to do this.  Think of the core as having trampolines at the top, bottom and all sides.  These trampolines are made up of muscles and passive tissues.  To have all these trampolines work effectively, you need to be in a well aligned position, aka neutral.  If we are in that ideal position, each trampoline can maintain a relatively high level of stiffness.  This stiffness is greater intra abdominal pressure.  It allows us to have a stronger platform to push off.  If my platform is solid, my limbs can produce the force needed in the desired direction.  An inflated basketball is a great example of a internal pressure resulting in a better performance (a higher bounce).

If I am not in an ideal position, some of those trampolines are going to have more slack and therefore be less stiff.  A less stiff trampoline equals more dampening and less force production being applied to the jump.  A flat basketball doesn’t have the internal stiffness to maintain its shape and produce a high bounce.  The flat ball dampens the forces once it hits the ground and barely bounces.

 

FORCE PRODUCTION

Force production is KING.  I would write that statement 100 more times if it wouldn’t make you close out of this article.  Newton’s laws clearly state the importance of force.  It drives all movement.  Newton’s 1st law states…

“An object will remain in its current state of movement unless force is applied to it.”

This means if I want to get my body off the ground for a 40” vertical, I need to apply force, and lots of it.

Time constraints place a deadline on our body to produce as much force as possible in a limited amount of time.  This deadline makes rate of force development (RFD) extremely important.  The faster I can produce force, the more force I will produce in a given time.  The more force I can produce, the more explosive the movement.

 

ACCELERATION

Newton’s 2nd law tells us:

“Acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the amount of force applied to it.”

So the more force I can produce in the given time, the greater my acceleration will be.  I have looked through hundreds of athletes’ jumps and found every time that force production is directly responsible for the magnitude of acceleration.  In the graph, you can see data from four different athletes performing a jump.  It clearly shows the more force you produce in your jump, the faster you accelerate.

 

PEAK VELOCITY

Peak velocity at take-off of your jump has been connected to vertical jump performance in multiple research articles.  However, if you understand the relationships between the variables in a jump, you don’t need a research article to tell you that.  The faster I am going at take off, the longer it will take gravity to slow me down and bring me back to Earth.  Gravity acts on us in a constant manner so it will always slow us down at the same rate.  With gravity being fixed, it only makes sense that a faster speed would then take longer to slow down.

This stop on the assembly line is a direct cause of the magnitude of acceleration in your jump.  The faster I accelerate, the faster speed I will work up to.  Logical, right?

Also, if I can learn to push all the way through my jump, I will accelerate for longer.  Athletes who don’t get hip extension in their jumps, therefore not pushing all the way through it, shorten their runway.  A shorter runway leaves less room to build up speed.  So it makes sense that a longer runway combined with a high magnitude of acceleration will ultimately result in a high peak velocity at take off.  As we already mentioned, a high peak velocity at take off equals a high vertical jump.

This assembly line is meant to demonstrate how the previous variable sets up the next variable.  I can’t have blistering acceleration without explosive force production.   I won’t achieve a high peak velocity without blistering acceleration and doing that through a full range of motion.  Now that we know the variables and their relationship with each other, the question becomes

 

How do I train these variables?

Training force production for a 40 inch vertical is a careful balance of getting stronger (increasing force production) and maintaining RFD and movement speed.  These qualities can work in opposition of each other if we are skewed too far in either direction.  If I only do fast work then my total force production may go down and if I only lift heavy then I will ultimately lose my speed capabilities and RFD.  This becomes a dance of building force production without losing speed and building speed without losing force production.

For trained athletes, lifting in the 70 to 90% of 1RM range is enough of a load to increase force production but not too heavy that you slow down too much.  A training block may look something like this:

In this mock program, the heavy lifting is the priority.  The small dose of explosive jumping maintains the ability to move with speed and accelerate all the way through a movement.  The heavy sled sprints are meant to be VERY heavy and address the RFD and alactic power components that go into a vertical.  This programming ensures force production goes up while maintaining RFD and speed.  This is key for moving into a power building block after this force production training block.

If you are interested in mastering the vertical and reaching new heights with your programming (did you catch that pun???), you must check out the Force and Power seminar. This seminar will completely revolutionize your athletes programming AND it will save you a year of frustration by learning from all our mistakes.

 

__________________

To learn more from Ty, follow him on facebook and check out his website!

 

 

 

Social Media Post of the Week

This week social post goes to Kyle Dobbs! 

When things in your business (or life) don’t go your way do you look at yourself? or do you blame others?

If you’re a leader, blaming others when things are failing will just end up hurting you in the long run.

When looking for a leader (employer) find someone who is good at taking ownership for all the bad things that happen to their business.

Two books that have helped me:

Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek 

Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink ( A good friend of mine thought I needed to do a better job at taking ownership to the shit that was happening to me so he gifted me this book. Even though I only read half of this book, it completely changed me. Can’t wait to read the rest of it haha)

 

Until next time 🙂

Lucy

Functional Medicine 101 for the Personal Trainer

I don’t know why my friend got cancer and I can’t make any broad statements about it. That doesn’t stop me from wondering, what if? What if his childhood acne would have been seen as a digestive issue? What if his anger problems would have been seen as a leaky gut problem? What if his body was nourished with the right foods, the right sleep, and the right environment, would he be alive right now?

The repetitive sad thoughts that run through my mind constantly, do beat me down, but they’re also behind my fire for this website. This website is not just about coaching. It’s about creating a personal trainer that takes a multi-factorial approach when it comes to teaching their clients how to be healthy. The type of personal trainer that looks at ALL aspects of a client’s life. A personal trainer that takes the time to educate each client about the importance of sleep, community, food, and sustainability.

We live in world of quick fixes, with a medical system that keeps people sick, and with the majority of the population being completely uneducated.

If this world is ever going to change, people need to start getting educated. People need to be aware that there’s more than just conventional medicine out there. Just because a man in a white coat said lifestyle and diet will not contribute to their three autoimmune diseases, doesn’t mean it’s true.

I think if more personal trainers dove into functional medicine, we would start making a change in the right direction. Trainers can be the door into the world where people take their own health into their own hands, and a place where people take responsibility to what happens to their body.

If you’re interested in taking a multi-factorial approach to your training and start changing our sick, uneducated world, this week’s interview is just for you!

I interviewed Jared Seigler, an amazing functional medicine practitioner at Living Proof Institute. We cover a few things I think you’ll enjoy.

  • What is functional medicine? 
  • Why a personal trainer needs to look beyond diet and exercise
  • What are a few things a personal trainer could be overlooking that will get in the way of health
  • Questions you can ask that will give you a better idea how prepared a person is to train
  • What are the red flags you should pay attention to with clients that lets you know they need extra help 
  • What does it look like when a client is being pushed over the edge 
  • What are some red flags that should not be ignored with babies and toddlers 
  • How issues manifest if not addressed 
  • What it looks like to take a functional medicine approach
  • Why insurance isn’t a good way to justify not seeing a functional medicine doctor

I hope after this interview you’re a little more motivated to get your feet wet and start learning about blood work, nutrition, sleep, and mental health.

Where should you go as a trainer to learn more about Functional Medicine and Nutrition?

Glad you asked 😉

I’ve got a lot of resources!

Dr. Ben House: He has retreats, online mentorships, and endless articles. When it comes to raising the bar with coaches, Ben is your guy. Dave and I signed up for his first Costa Rica Functional Medicine retreat in 2017 and it changed our lives! It had a huge influence with what we’ve tried to do with our gym, Enhancing Life.

Dr. House has a Ph.D. in Nutrition from the University of Texas at Austin, which is one of the top ranked public universities in the United States. Dr. House is also a Nutritionist (CN), Functional Diagnostic Nutritionist (FDN), and Certified Functional Medicine Practitioner (CFMP).

Chis Kresseris a globally recognized leader in the fields of ancestral health, Paleo nutrition, and functional and integrative medicine. He is the creator of ChrisKresser.com, one of the top 25 natural health sites in the world, and the author of the New York Times best seller, Your Personal Paleo Code (published in paperback in December 2014 as The Paleo Cure).

Dr. Terry Wahlsis a clinical professor of medicine at the University of Iowa where she conducts clinical trials. She is also a patient with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, which confined her to a tilt-recline wheelchair for four years. Dr. Wahls restored her health using a diet and lifestyle program she designed specifically for her brain and now pedals her bike to work each day. She is the author of The Wahls Protocol: How I Beat Progressive MS Using Paleo Principles and Functional MedicineThe Wahls Protocol: A Radical New Way to Treat All Chronic Autoimmune Conditions Using Paleo Principles (paperback), and the cookbook The Wahls Protocol Cooking for Life: The Revolutionary Modern Paleo Plan to Treat All Chronic Autoimmune Conditions.

Robb Wolf: a former research biochemist is the 2X New York Times/WSJ Best Selling author of The Paleo Solution and Wired To Eat.  Robb has transformed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people around the world via his top ranked iTunes podcast, books and seminars.

Dianna Rodgers RN: Is a “real food” nutritionist and writer living on a working organic farm in Carlisle, Massachusetts. She runs a clinical nutrition practice, hosts the Sustainable Dish Podcast, and speaks internationally about human nutrition, sustainability, animal welfare and social justice. Her work has been featured in The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, Outside Magazine, Edible Boston and Mother Earth News. She can be found at www.sustainabledish.com

Dr. Bryan Walsh:  He currently delivers courses in biochemistry, physiology, and pathophysiology as an Instructor at University of Western States. He serves as a Scientific Advisor at Lifetime Fitness, where he designs laboratory panels and interpretation methods as well as provides ongoing education for the professional staff. Dr. Walsh is also a board-certified Naturopathic Doctor and has been seeing patients throughout the U.S. for over a decade.

Dr. Mathew Walker: is Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, and Founder and Director of the Center for Human Sleep Science. He’s the author of Why We Sleep, where gives us a new understanding of the vital importance of sleep and dreaming.

Dr. Sachin Patel:  is a proud father, husband and chiropractic physician.  His passion is to help his patients and community through his organization, The Living Proof Institute.  He serves his community as a Functional and Lifestyle Medicine Provider, speaker and author.

Dr. Jared Seigler: is a  Functional Medicine Provider at The Living Proof Institute. Dr. Seigler has great success working with patients that have autoimmune disease, diabetes, thyroid disorders and gastrointestinal conditions.

Dr. David Perlmutter: s a board-certified neurologist and Fellow of the American College of Nutrition. He is the recipient of numerous awards for his innovative work in brain research, including the 2010 Humanitarian of the Year Award and the 2002 Linus Pauling Award. He is the author of the #1 New York Times best seller Grain BrainThe Grain Brain Cookbook, and Brain Maker. He serves as medical advisor to the Dr. Oz Show. His newest book, Grain Brain Whole Life Plan, was published in November, 2016

Dr. Mark Hyman:  a practicing family physician, a ten-time #1 New York Timesbestselling author, and an internationally recognized leader, speaker, educator, and advocate in his field. He is the Director the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine. He is also the founder and medical director of The UltraWellness Center, chairman of the board of the Institute for Functional Medicine, a medical editor of The Huffington Post, and was a regular medical contributor on many television shows including CBS This Morning, Today Show, Good Morning America, CNN, and The View, Katie and The Dr. Oz Show.

Dr. Michael Rusciois a doctor, clinical researcher, author, and health enthusiast. Dr. Ruscio practices Functional Medicine and is currently performing two clinical trials in the treatment of digestive conditions. He is also writing a book on the microbiota. Dr. Ruscio gives smart, busy people who are suffering from symptoms of chronic illness simple steps to get better, and get on with life.

Dr. Mike T Nelson: is a university instructor and owner of Extreme Human Performance, LLC. He’s been called in to share his techniques with top government agencies. The techniques he’s developed and the results Mike gets for his clients have been featured in international magazines, in scientific publications, and on websites across the globe.

 

Hope this was helpful!

Until next time 🙂

 

Lucy