This is a fun one that is a bit harder than it looks. It's great for core/scapular stability.
Focus on bracing the abdominals and pretend your favorite beer is on your hips......DON'T SPILL!!!
DN
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Friday, November 28, 2008
Thursday, November 27, 2008
New Blog
Tom Oberhue of Impact Jiu-jitsu and Performance Training just recently started a blog. Tom is my jiu-jitsu coach, one of my business partners and one of my best friends. For those of us that know Tom, we can all attest to his unbelievable coaching skills and his passion for learning. Tom will be writing on many topics including Strength and Conditioning, Nutrition, Coaching, Education and Youth Fitness. This blog will be one of my top reads and it should be yours too!! Visit Tom's blog here.
DN
DN
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
How to Develop Patello-Femoral Dysfunction
Plyometric High Intensity Interval Training? Huh?? Plyometric training and HIIT are two very opposing concepts. Using plyos as a conditioning tool is one reason they get such a bad rap. It's the same thing I wrote about with Olympic Lifts. Repetitive jumping is a great way to develop patello-femoral dysfunction.
It's just another example of good tool in the wrong hands. Hopefully these clowns don't work with other human beings. I am a HUGE fan of plyos but this is just absolutley ridiculous!!
I am all for making interval training more fun. But to have this many plyometric foot contacts in one session is just asking for trouble........no matter how good your form is. Make it a general rule to stay around 25 foot contacts per session and no more than 100 in a week. Focus on quality not quantity.
DN
It's just another example of good tool in the wrong hands. Hopefully these clowns don't work with other human beings. I am a HUGE fan of plyos but this is just absolutley ridiculous!!
I am all for making interval training more fun. But to have this many plyometric foot contacts in one session is just asking for trouble........no matter how good your form is. Make it a general rule to stay around 25 foot contacts per session and no more than 100 in a week. Focus on quality not quantity.
DN
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Delta Airlines Suck!!
Yes, I am dedicating an entire post to how much Delta sucks!! I will keep it short though.......
NEVER FLY WITH DELTA AIRLINES!!!!!!!!!!! EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!
DN
NEVER FLY WITH DELTA AIRLINES!!!!!!!!!!! EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!
DN
Monday, November 24, 2008
Montreal Highlights
I am back from Canada and I had an amazing time!! I have been too busy to write since I got back but I am starting back up this week...... so the nagging emails can stop :-)
Here are some of the highlights from my visit to Montreal:
1. Training the pulse. This made a HUGE light bulb go off in my head. The pulse is something that Stuart McGill has presented in recent lectures and has been looking at in his research with the greatest athletes in the world. His research and testing is trying to answer, "What makes great athletes great"? The pulse, as Stu explains, is a explosive contraction (pulse) followed by a relaxation phase, followed by another explosive contraction (pulse). The tests are showing that the best athletes do this much more efficient than others. Now that we know this pulsing idea exists, how do we train for it? Stuart gave me some great ideas........don't you wish you knew what they were ;-)
2. My friend Jon Chaimberg is a very smart coach. He gave me a great tool for training MMA athletes to work through fatigue and simulate "getting rocked" in a fight. Since I got back, I have been playing with some of his pre-exhausting ideas and I am liking them very much. Jon has a DVD coming out soon and it will be a must have for everyone's video libraries. I'll let you know when it is out.
3. Georges st. Pierre is as nice in person as he seems to be on tv. In fact all of the athletes up there were extremely nice. They are some of the best representations of the sport of mixed martial arts.
4. Stuart McGill assured me that my opinions on pilates are correct.
5. Jon let me train some of his fighters while I was there. It was actually really nice to be able to work while I was gone, I enjoy it. I also was able to train jiu-jitsu with some of the guys including David Loiseau and Jonathan Goulet.
6. It doesn't get much cooler than Dr. Stuart McGill in an Impact Jiu-Jitsu shirt!!
7. UFC Welter Weight Champion Georges st. Pierre
If you want to see more pictures from the trip.......find me on facebook.com.
DN
Here are some of the highlights from my visit to Montreal:
1. Training the pulse. This made a HUGE light bulb go off in my head. The pulse is something that Stuart McGill has presented in recent lectures and has been looking at in his research with the greatest athletes in the world. His research and testing is trying to answer, "What makes great athletes great"? The pulse, as Stu explains, is a explosive contraction (pulse) followed by a relaxation phase, followed by another explosive contraction (pulse). The tests are showing that the best athletes do this much more efficient than others. Now that we know this pulsing idea exists, how do we train for it? Stuart gave me some great ideas........don't you wish you knew what they were ;-)
2. My friend Jon Chaimberg is a very smart coach. He gave me a great tool for training MMA athletes to work through fatigue and simulate "getting rocked" in a fight. Since I got back, I have been playing with some of his pre-exhausting ideas and I am liking them very much. Jon has a DVD coming out soon and it will be a must have for everyone's video libraries. I'll let you know when it is out.
3. Georges st. Pierre is as nice in person as he seems to be on tv. In fact all of the athletes up there were extremely nice. They are some of the best representations of the sport of mixed martial arts.
4. Stuart McGill assured me that my opinions on pilates are correct.
5. Jon let me train some of his fighters while I was there. It was actually really nice to be able to work while I was gone, I enjoy it. I also was able to train jiu-jitsu with some of the guys including David Loiseau and Jonathan Goulet.
6. It doesn't get much cooler than Dr. Stuart McGill in an Impact Jiu-Jitsu shirt!!
7. UFC Welter Weight Champion Georges st. Pierre
If you want to see more pictures from the trip.......find me on facebook.com.
DN
Friday, November 7, 2008
Off to Canada.....
Well, I won't be blogging at all this next week. I am heading to Montreal to visit my friend Jonathan Chaimberg of Adrenaline Performance Center. Jon is most known as the strength coach of some of MMA's most elite fighters including Georges st. Pierre, Denis Kang, David Loiseua, Rashad Evans, Keith Jardine and many more. Jon is the best strength coach in MMA and I look forward to picking his brain. As equally exciting, Jon has Stuart McGill, the worlds leading back researcher, coming in to do some research and testing on his athletes while I am there. Most of you know that I have a "Man Crush" on Stuart, so I am VERY VERY excited.......Oops did I just say that???!!!
Plan on some great stuff when I get back!!
DN
Plan on some great stuff when I get back!!
DN
Thursday, November 6, 2008
New Article on Strengthcoach.com
I had a new article come out this week at strengthcoach.com. It is called "The Deadlift: teaching it and fixing it". It is written more for trainers and coaches but can definatley serve some purpose for others. If you don't have a membership to strengthcoach.com (why don't you?), you can read it at impact-pt.com.
DN
DN
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Anyone for a Cold Shower??
For those of you who have done any hydrotherapy like a cold plunge, I am sure you are aware of the benefits. There are not many things that make you feel better or recover faster from a hard training session than a cold plunge. It can be a bit shocking the first time you hop into 50 degree water but after doing it a few times, you begin to actually crave it!
There is a problem though. How many of your homes or the gyms you train at have a cold plunge ready? Yes, you could fill up your bath with some ice and water. But that can be a hassle. And if you want to incorporate a Hot/Cold contrast (going back and forth from cold water to hot water), you would have to drain and refill the tub over and over. Not happening!
So the logical solution would be the shower. Now, I have experienced both hot/cold plunging and hot/cold showers and there is no doubt that the plunge is better. But there are absolutely great benefits from the shower. If you have not done this, definitely give it a try.
Begin with hot water for 2 minutes and cold water for about 30 seconds. After a few times of trying this, increase the time you are in the cold water. I prefer to go 1 minute hot and 1-3 minute cold. A trick that I do is to make the hot water fairly uncomfortable (very, very warm!!).......this makes the cold feel more refreshing and tolerable.
This is a part of my weekly recovery strategies. Give it a try. I think you will be surprised at how much you will actually start to like it.
DN
Monday, November 3, 2008
Six Nutrition Tips From Dr. John Berardi
Here are six nutrition tips from John Berardi. These are the basics and if you are not following these basic MOST of the time..........plan to fail!! You can visit Dr. Berardis website at Precisionnutrition.com
1. Eat every 2-3 hours.
Are you doing this – no matter what? Now, you don’t need to eat a full meal every 2-3hours but you do need to eat 6-8 meals and snacks that conform to the other rules below.
2. Eat complete, lean protein each time you eat.
Are you eating something that was an animal or comes from an animal – every time you feed yourself? If not, make the change. Note: If you’re a vegetarian, this rule still applies – you need complete protein and need to find non-animal sources.
3. Eat vegetables every time you eat.
That’s right, in addition to a complete, lean protein source, you need to eat some vegetables every time you eat (every 2-3 hours, right?). You can toss in a piece of fruit here and there as well. But don’t skip the veggies.
4. Eat carbs only when you deserve to.
Well, not ALL carbs – eat fruits and veggies whenever you want. And if want to eat a carbohydrate that’s not a fruit or a vegetable (this includes things like simple sugars, rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, etc), you can – but you’ll need to save it until after you’ve exercised. Yes, these often heavily processed grains are dietary staples in North America, but heart disease, diabetes and cancer are medical staples – and there’s a relationship between the two! To stop heading down the heart disease highway, reward yourself for a good workout with a good carbohydrate meal right after (your body best tolerates these carbohydrates after exercise). For the rest of the day, eat your lean protein and a delicious selection of fruits and veggies.
5. Learn to love healthy fats.
There are 3 types of fat – saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. Forget about that old “eating fat makes you fat” maxim. Eating all three kinds of fat in a healthy balance (about equal parts of each) can dramatically improve your health, and even help you lose fat. Your saturated fat should come from your animal products and you can even toss in some butter or coconut oil for cooking. Your monounsaturated fat should come from mixed nuts, olives, and olive oil. And your polyunsaturated fat should from flaxseed oil, fish oil, and mixed nuts.
6. Ditch the calorie containing drinks (including fruit juice).
In fact, all of your drinks should come from non-calorie containing beverages. Fruit juice, alcoholic drinks, and sodas – these are all to be removed from your daily fare. Your best choices are water and green tea.
DN
1. Eat every 2-3 hours.
Are you doing this – no matter what? Now, you don’t need to eat a full meal every 2-3hours but you do need to eat 6-8 meals and snacks that conform to the other rules below.
2. Eat complete, lean protein each time you eat.
Are you eating something that was an animal or comes from an animal – every time you feed yourself? If not, make the change. Note: If you’re a vegetarian, this rule still applies – you need complete protein and need to find non-animal sources.
3. Eat vegetables every time you eat.
That’s right, in addition to a complete, lean protein source, you need to eat some vegetables every time you eat (every 2-3 hours, right?). You can toss in a piece of fruit here and there as well. But don’t skip the veggies.
4. Eat carbs only when you deserve to.
Well, not ALL carbs – eat fruits and veggies whenever you want. And if want to eat a carbohydrate that’s not a fruit or a vegetable (this includes things like simple sugars, rice, pasta, potatoes, bread, etc), you can – but you’ll need to save it until after you’ve exercised. Yes, these often heavily processed grains are dietary staples in North America, but heart disease, diabetes and cancer are medical staples – and there’s a relationship between the two! To stop heading down the heart disease highway, reward yourself for a good workout with a good carbohydrate meal right after (your body best tolerates these carbohydrates after exercise). For the rest of the day, eat your lean protein and a delicious selection of fruits and veggies.
5. Learn to love healthy fats.
There are 3 types of fat – saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. Forget about that old “eating fat makes you fat” maxim. Eating all three kinds of fat in a healthy balance (about equal parts of each) can dramatically improve your health, and even help you lose fat. Your saturated fat should come from your animal products and you can even toss in some butter or coconut oil for cooking. Your monounsaturated fat should come from mixed nuts, olives, and olive oil. And your polyunsaturated fat should from flaxseed oil, fish oil, and mixed nuts.
6. Ditch the calorie containing drinks (including fruit juice).
In fact, all of your drinks should come from non-calorie containing beverages. Fruit juice, alcoholic drinks, and sodas – these are all to be removed from your daily fare. Your best choices are water and green tea.
DN
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