little mouse ears

( or moose antlers?)

As soon as I can I have clients trying to do sit ups without their feet anchored..

Really if you can't do a sit up then why are trying to do any kind of direct abdominal work.
When you can do a sit up, then you can think about moving onto other 'core' work.
I don't know of a single client I've ever had that didn't lace their fingers behind their neck and use the 'jerk' method to develop momentum to enable their sit ups.
* if you are jerking yourself up, then you are not properly utilizing your core/abs. you're wasting time and encouraging injury
* sit ups should be slow and controlled (especial the down faze)[eccentric contraction is such a big word]
* as soon as you can, you should be doing sit ups without anchoring the feet
* I like to 'grip' the floor with my heals.
* using the mouse ears takes the pressure (even if unintentional) off the neck.
* the mouse ears add resistance ( as apposed to hands across the chest)
* hands across the chest encourages the 'jerk' reflex
* anchoring the feet uses more hip flexors than abs (so don't anchor the feet)

so whether you call them mouse ears or moose antlers (depending upon your clients I guess ) its just a better way. stick the thumbs in the ears and blow raspberries at your coach as you sit up.

the sad truth about diet

the truth about diets is that they work, until, you relapse.
anytime you cut calories there's going to be some reduction in mass.

the source of your calories determines the type of mass you maintain, gain or lose!
in other words your macro nutrient ratio is what you need to be paying attention to.

you want to be loseing fat not muscle.
if all you're taking in is carbohydrates (hello vegans) then you are going to suffer from a plythora of vitamin, mineral & amino acid deficincies.

sugar, flour, bread, pasta, rice, syrup, jam, = energy.
gasoline
if you take in more energy than you burn up, then you will have greater mass.

traditional vegetables/fruits = energy, fibre, minerals, vitamins
break fluid, transmission fluid, battery

steak, lobster, salmon, chicken, = building blocks, muscle, immune system
chasis

walnuts, olives, fats of anykind = bridges and communication.
oil, electrical transmission

the number one way to lose weight and harden up is the way thats been around for 100s of years. cut the carbs. i garantee, you are way overconsuming carbs (unless you are a competitive bodybuilder).

its hard to get too much protien. really hard. and if you keep your fats congruent with your protien then they will be under control.

the biggest lie on the world public is drop fat to get lean. want to be lean and muscular drop the carbs and manipulate the protiens.

the best results my clients get are by
not eating bread
not eating pizza
not eating cookies
not eating ice cream
not eating pasta
not eating canned meat

by eating more eggs

the newest trend (fad) in dieting seems to be the intermitten fasting bug.
i don't know why they call it that (yes i do but) its really just skipping breakfast and having a late lunch.

guess what, this diet has you cutting calories, just like any other diet.

i do like a lot about this eating style and there is a lot there for those that want to search it out and experiment.

it has several names, mostly paleo, warrior diet, renegade diet, etc. all have good ideas and bear some research just to further your knowledge but at the end of the day the keys to weight control are:

(bugs, high protien is always on the menu)

don't eat if your not hungry.
eat slow
when your not hungry stop eating
keep your sugar and flour stuff to a minimum
(actually just don't eat sugar, hell, its poison)
sit down away from the tv or computer to eat.

let me break it down simpler ( KISS right)
hungry eat
not hungry don't eat.

people want diets so they dont have to think,
just follow the rules of the diet, but the rules are many and complicated
so here's a diet with 2 rules.
hungry eat meat or eggs
not hungry- dont eat

stick with that for 2 weeks .
then
eat like a bear
http://primordial-athletics.blogspot.co.nz/search?q=eat+like+a+bear

hard yakka: tough drills

take one flat basketball. fill it with sand.

makes a better medicine ball than anything you're likely to buy at your local sports store.
with this drill we picked up the ball from the ground
     cleaned it to the chest
     extended overhead and
     threw it as far as we could
     then ran to it and repeated twice
     (total 3 times)
then sprint 30 meters and do 10 pushups
then jog back
kept it up for 5 min.
1 min rest
3 sets

good luck

train like tesla

(this guy knew a lot about energy)
all things being equal the strongest one wins.
I've heard this again and again, naturally since the world I swim through is full of guys always trying to become stronger and sell their stronger is better ideology.
I DO agree with this 100%
but
almost nothing is equal.
I have trained a lot of fighters over time and one thing I'm big on is the importance of relative strength, maximal strength and the ability to end a fight quickly.
This article is not more about strength training however, its about energy. Sometimes, the guy or gal, who can dig deep into the tank is the one who comes out on top whether all other things are equal or not. That fighter who just keeps on chugging, getting up time and again. You know, your opponent is bigger, stronger, more experienced, hell, just plain better, but if you can endure, eventually they will get tired and you can go home with the belt or purse or inflated ego, whatever.

when Ortiz went up against Shamrock, it was Ortizs' energy levels (his astounding amount of cardio fitness) that overwhelmed Shamrock
The ability to create movement, slowly wearing down your stronger opponent, grinding away, until they just have nothing left.
'so how do I get energy like this' How do you become a big cat instead of a paper tiger?
move!
continuous motion.
when I'm training fight specific I always put in one more minute, one more round.
when we are not doing fight prep, we work 20 min circuits. my rule, if you can go for 21 min. then the first 20 weren't hard enough.

I like to start with some heavy work ( pick up heavy stuff- my number 1 rule) in the 1-3 rep range then jump into other exercise where we watch the clock or sprint; the rest period is spent with the jump rope.

i also try to hit the whole body and develop exercise that will accentuate the athletes ring performance.

good coaching, with these grueling routines, is very important, proper exercise technique must be maintained and the athlete must keep going. no surrender. a constant reminder, go, go , go , push, push, push.

music can be beneficial too, not wayne newton, but some alice in chains, drop kick murphys, metal church....



here's some evolutions we have used:
exercise reps rest
deadlift 1-3 0
sprint 1 0
pushups 10 0
jog 1 *
*continue for the duration of 1 round, rest one minute then repeat. ( start with 3 sets working up to 5 )

floor press 3-5 0
pull ups 10 0
stone lift/carry 1 0
sprint 1 0
kneeling pile drivers 6 30 sec.**
** if at all; 5-6 sets

jump rope 1min 0
bear crawl 1min 0
jump rope 1 min 0
bag work (arms) 1 min 0
jump rope 1 min 0
bag work (legs) 1min 0
3 sets; no rest


squats 20 0
hanging leg raise 6 0
pushups (rings) 7-9 0
one arm row 3 0
other arm 3 0
bag cleans 20 0
one arm db floor press 3 0
squats 20 as long as it takes.
2 sets, if your bad to the bone
( remember, the first set of squats should make you want to quit, you have to do a gut check and finish the rest of the routine)

these evolutions should be put into your program along with your regular strength training. about twice a week depending on your recovery abilities. they can be used on different days, later in the day, or at the end of a heavy session. if you choose to do this after a heavy session, make sure that session doesn't last longer than half an hour. maybe you choose to do one of these circuits every sat or sun? then head to the beach, river, swimming hole, pool.... as fights come up and training focus changes these routines should be usable right up until the week before fight night.


alternatively, if you just wanna burn fat, well, these routines will do that too.
once again i will reiterate, if you can go over 20 min. you've been goofn' off!

this is the kind of training i call 'gut check'. its tough and its designed to push the limits of your capabilities.
it requires max strength as well as endurance. it requires mental toughness and the ability to think and concentrate while winded.
it develops your ability to continue digging deep when the well is empty, to go further than the guy who is more skilled or stronger or faster. Even when things aren't exactly even, sometimes its the last one sparking that takes home glory.

my buddy mikes rehab

The best thing for you to do is gather some of your mates together and start doing some small group sessions with me, however....

most lower back injuries are due to chronic inappropriate overuse patterns. In other words, your posture and the way you go about doing menial tasks. Most acute injuries result from long term, unnoticed improper movement.

Some injuries can and will occur due to sudden overload and movement under improper biomechanical positioning and, lets face it, overtaxing a system not capable of the work load. ( don't feel bad, I do this all of the time)

A couple of things about posture:

Very few people have correct neutral posture; most people gravitate toward either a Donald Duck posture or a Pink Panther

Notice with the donald duck posture the arch of the lower back and with the pink panther the rounding of the upper back. The last picture on the right is a fairly neutral back though the neck could stand to be in better alignment

Most professionals treat lower back injuries either by strengthening the abdominal muscles or increasing the flexibility in the lower back muscles. Doctors seem to like prescribing drugs and sloth.


I think that both of these methods are wrong! How about that!

Most lower back problems are a result of a weak lower back (spinal erectors) and tight hip flexors.

So Mike, after all that blah, blah, blah, what you want to know is ‘how do I treat this man.’

POSTURE:
Good posture generally has the head, shoulders, hips and ankles in alignment.

When you’re standing or walking around you should hold your head up high, shoulder blades back and down and stomach ( tummy) slightly sucked in. Don’t hold your breath. This isn't the army.

Think of yourself as a marionette on a string. Keep the string pulled tight. Pulled upright through the center of your body.

The HIPS:
Lack of hip mobility puts a lot of stress on the lower back. So here are a series of stretches to work on.

Remember we are stretching the hips, not the lower back. So anything that is turning/twisting , hyperflexing or hyper-extending the lower back is not what we are after. We want a steady back and mobile hips.


The first flexibility drill we want to incorporate is simply sitting on a softball. Sit down one cheek on the ball and roll around on it trying to hit every sore spot. When you find a sore spot hold for a few seconds then roll some more and find the next one. Then swap cheeks.

Hip flexor stretch; the key to the hip flexor stretch is to maintain that neutral spine. I’ve never met anyone who does this stretch correctly. Everyone uses hyper-extension of the lower back to accommodate a great degree of stretch usually pinching the back and stretching the quads at best. They key to this movement is to keep the back straight and tilt the lower pelvis upwards. Point your groin towards the ceiling.

Seated glute stretch; simply sitting down. Back upright, sitting tall, one ankle across the opposite knee, the key to this one is to slowly push the knee not only down , but away from the hip.

Lying hip stretch; laying on your back, feet shoulder width apart knees bent touch the knees together. The key to this one is not to have the knees too close to your butt.

So there's some easy exercises for hip flexibility.


Next lets look at strengthening the back.

The first thing to start is the stretch and reach. Easy. Just start cleaning the walls in your house. Seriously. Reach as high as you can overhead and press against the wall and scrub away the dirt, cobwebs, matrix lines, whatever. The movements should be small and remain small. Think karate kid (the original) wax on wax off but high overhead.

Next and keeping it easy are kick backs. On your hands and knees simply kick one leg back and hold for a second or two and do 20-30 repetitions and then switch legs.

Notice the ass sitting back

And a third exercise is stiffleg deadlifts: for this you want to stand with your legs wide apart. Bend over as far as you can, from the hips, while keeping your back straight. The key here is not thinking you have to reach the floor. Also, when you bend over, let your butt sit back.

take it easy, nice and light. just use a backpack and add milk bottles as you need to.

The secret exercise for back rehabilitation:


Running; now, don’t go starting ultra-marathons, but jog a block or two, make a couple of laps around the track. The key here, maintain your posture. Your not in a hurry, but getting a half mile to a mile jogging in will help loosen your back muscles and strengthen them. It will also strengthen your stomach muscles and respiratory system.

And here’s one I like to do.

Pick up heavy stuff!. To simplify; go to a rocky beach and wander around and pick up the rocks. No hurry, no program, no sets, no reps, no pushing yourself to your limits, just pick up what you think looks like ‘fun’ to pick up.

And

Since you’re at the beach, go for a wade. Get at least chest deep and spend 20 min in the water wading around. The buoyancy of the water will take pressure off your back and the tidal activity will massage it.

One last thing; I don’t know what kind of furniture you have but I have a couch that is just a tiny bit too short, so if I lie on it, I have to draw my knees up a bit, this takes some of the extension out of my back and helps it recover. A couple of nights sleeping on the couch does wonders for my back. Not so much for my marriage, but its only a couple of nights and this helps the heart grow fonder right?

One more last thing: change what you do. Mike, I know you carry all that heavy equipment around on your back, try carrying it around on your front, or get risky and try getting your sweetheart to carry it around .(wink, nudge). You’ll either get a few more nights on the couch or she’ll really be feeling included in your life.

loosing weight

How to lose weight

Eat less!
So simple its stupid right.
The question that most people seem to ask is, what can I eat as a substitute. Nothing!
For years now, the diet industry has been telling us eat more of this, more often to replace this or to make up for that.
The thing is, most of us already eat way too much, way too often. Me included.
Want to lose weight.
Eat less! If you’re not hungry, don’t eat.
Why are you eating if you’re not hungry.
These days there is no reason to preload food. You’re not going to starve if you don’t eat at set times of the day and lets face it, the world we live in has us eating breakfast, break, lunch, break, dinner, snack. And that last snack of the day you definitely don’t need. The last thing you need is going to bed on a full stomach.

Man, we are eating all of the time.

I know there’s a million excuses to eat most of them dealing with comfort issues. Hell, pissed off. Eat garbage, that’ll show ‘em (teach me a lesson). Sad, eat a zillion calories and drown in my misery. Bored, oh hell yes, now that’s a way to kill some time, I’m headed for my coffee coma right now.

If you’re not hungry, you don’t need to eat.

Look at what you’re eating. Is it healthy? Does it give anything too you, the body machine? If you take in more energy than required to support (x) mass then x will increase. Every time you eat you should look at what you’re about to eat and determine if it contains things essential to the machine. Vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals? Guess what, sugar and white flour don’t have any of those things. None.

How much are you eating. These days almost everyone is eating way more than they should per portion, per meal. I say this a lot and I mean it, if you can’t wrestle, sprint or swim after you eat, you ate too much. Food is fuel and building material. Like wood on the job site, if it sits around in your guts for ages it just rots. ( hate to say it and I don’t want to know but are you gassy all day?? That food is just rotting away in your guts giving you nothing but bad bacteria and IBS).


Have a good look at your portion sizes and then figure out what a portion should be and then start cutting back.

And guess what, despite what the industry says, you don’t need a thousand meals a day. You need to eat, but you’re not a cow, you don’t have to constantly chew on something.

Courage, it takes a lot to embark on change. Diet’s a four letter word but changing your eating habits is a worth while goal. Who cares about what the media says is acceptable, how long do you want to live and what do you want to be able to do while you’re busy living? Have courage and better your health, have courage and change your eating habits. And it does take courage.

Discipline, so much harder than courage. There’s always a reason to start tomorrow, there’s always a reason to not do it right now. But sometimes you have to just say, crap, its got to be done.

Hungry and nothing good to eat, do with out for a little while longer
Bad day and want to caress your loathing with sugar, go out and throw a log around instead.
Discipline, decide right now to do what you know you should.
Eat less, eat right, move more

Its hard, its not fair and everything is stacked against us, but start towards feeling better, and you will feel better by eating less. Less volume. More quality. Eat less food, look at what that food is going to give your body to work with.

Diet is a four letter word, and if you look at eating less as a new diet, well, it will work until you go back to your old way of eating. Don’t diet, eat less for ever. Don’t diet, Change your life habits. Live healthier, live longer, live more actively.

the difference between champions and didn't quite make its'

 
You know, sometimes I just can't help but roll my eyes,  someone today said ' I don't do anymore than I have too!
wow,
what a difference in results from the client that pushes on and gets 3,4,5 more than they have to.
That's all the difference between Olympic gold and high school bench warmers. The Olympian pushes through, goes the extra mile. does what he needs to do then squeezes in more. Champions have to be held down and told not to do more. (then they're likely to sneak around and do more any way). that high school hero became an used cars salesman and never made the box of Wheaties because he only did what he had to.


I guarantee these guys do more than they have too

 If you only do what you have too, then you're never going to achieve that look you're after. lets face it, 90% of people in any kind of fitness program just want to look good naked. How you look naked is reflected by your work ethic in the gym. sorry, but doing the minimal amount of work is going to leave you with the minimal amount of sexy. Work your ass off in the gym and watch what you eat and you'll be looking good in your private chambers.

If you can't give 100% in the gym, how will you ever give 95% to your diet regime. And
when i say diet, I simply mean cleaning it up, not becoming a health nut. cut the alcohol and sugar. eat healthy.

you can't run a marathon if you stop at the wall.

Every one whose ever done that extra set, that extra rep, that extra mile has always gotten that extra feeling of greatness. that champion attitude, that champions feeling of elation. champions have a tendency to look good naked and don't suffer too many inadequacy issues. because they did more than they had too and doing more builds a person mentally as well as physically.

I see people who've been going to the gym for 20 years looking as soft as the first day they came in. because they do what they have too and never more. I see people go out and buy new wardrobes because they have too, because they did more than they had too.

I know most of you aren't on your way to the Olympics, but that's no excuse to be a slouch either. the secret to a long (healthy life), hard training. Training with a champion attitude.

never give up

never say die

invest in yourself with effort.