This Guy is onto Something

I'm a big believer in making working out something closer to play whenever possible. A recent Men's Health article may have had the ultimate example of that.

Erwan Le Corre is a Frenchman who has set up a camp in Brazil dedicated to workouts that resemble play and emphasize moving as nature intended. In other words, they're fun, but damn hard.

Check out this video to get an idea of what he's preaching. The Men's Health story has some simple ways to incorporate his ideas into your workout.

Know What You Don't Know

I watched a guy in skintight shorts, the kind men should wear under shorts only, not as shorts, giving instructions tonight to a woman at the gym. Normally I wouldn't care what he or anyone else wore. But what he wore fit what he knew, which clearly wasn't much.

He was showing her the barbell squat and he couldn't have been more wrong.

First of all, he bent at the knees first, not the hip (think about sitting down in a chair).

Then he told her to only do a three-quarters squat, but his three-quarters squat was about a quarter squat.

Finally, he told her to never go all the way down to when your thighs are parallel to the ground because it's dangerous. Sure, it's dangerous if you do it incorrectly like he did, rounding your lower back.

If that all wasn't enough to tell me he didn't know what he was talking about, there was another indicator: His legs showed almost no sign he'd added any muscle to them. Someone who knows how to do squats wouldn't have chicken legs.

Make Common Tasks a Workout

I helped a friend this weekend spread all the gravel that her lousy snowplow guy dug up when he plowed her driveway this winter. There was a big pile of it.

My job was to shovel it into a wheelbarrow and cart it to various places, dump it and then she'd spread it.

So here's how I thought about it. Each time I dug the shovel in I bent my knees to keep my back straight and then straightened my legs to raise the shovel. That's basically a quarter or half squat each time.

Then when I turned to dump the shovel into the wheelbarrow, I twisted to the side, which worked my core.

I also made sure to switch sides and shift my grip (changing which hand was at the top) to guard against imbalances.

Then when I lifted the back of the wheelbarrow, I made sure it was with my legs and I braced my core for stability.

When I dumped the wheelbarrow, I used my legs again, pushing upward, braced my core and lifted my arms, which basically was a full-body move.

Today as I surfed I could definitely feel what I'd done yesterday.

So I helped her and helped myself.

The More Weight the Better?

A guy at the gym tonight kept loading up the bar with plate after plate as he did squats. Impressive, right?

Well, it would've been if he'd even come close to using proper form. He didn't. He barely squatted, not even coming close to getting his thighs parallel to the ground.

So what did he accomplish? Not much.

Go for form and the weight will follow.

The Bad Form Hall of Fame

That was my gym today, the Bad Form Hall of Fame. It seemed that everywhere I looked people were using bad form.

There was one guy who did every exercise he tried incorrectly, which had to be some sort of record. When he did tricep pushdowns, for instance, his elbows were flared out instead of pulled tightly against his body (and I'm not even getting into the discussion about why he was doing them in the first place).

I saw a woman try the same exercise. She leaned into it too much, making her entire upper body do the work, not her triceps.

And another guy did tricep kickbacks (again, why waste so much time on these isolation moves?) and he didn't even extend his arm fully.

There's an easy way to avoid this -- do a little reading or ask an expert. I may not always do everything right, but I do work hard to understand the correct form and then try to get it right.

Get Off the Ball, Part 2

I've complained before about people who do the wrong exercises on unstable surfaces. Now, Dr. John Berardi, someone who knows a lot about fitness and nutrition, has sent out an email that addresses the topic. Here it is:

Wobble boards, foam pads, swis balls, bosu balls, and inflatable rubber discs...

You'll find them in most gyms and training facilities nowadays. In fact, chances are you've used these types of devices yourself.

But the big question is this...

Could it really be possible that these devices actually INCREASE your chances of injury - while DECREASING your ability to get stronger?

Sadly, the answer is yes...

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying "unstable surface training" is bad. Indeed, there are some very good uses of these types of boards and balls.

However, without a proper understanding of when to use unstable surface training (and a thorough understanding of why), the risks go WAY up while the benefits go way down.

Excitingly, my good friend Eric Cressey has just released a fantastic book called: "The Truth About Unstable Surfaces Training."

This book is a culmination of more than three years of research, experimentation, and analysis. In fact, the foundation of this book is based on Cressey's own research at the University of Connecticut. The rest is based on his experience coaching high level athletes.

In "The Truth About Unstable Surfaces Training" Cressey will walk you through the following:

* The origins of unstable surface training

* The problems with research-to-date on unstable surface training, and why you've been mislead

* The difference between balance and stability

* The five factors affecting one's stability, and how you can modify them to become a more stable athlete

* How unstable surfaces alter muscular recruitment patterns - and how you can use those alterations to your advantage or disadvantage

* The actual science - and research data - that quantifiably justifies or refutes specific uses of unstable surface training

* Guidelines for when and how to implement unstable surface training to maximize training efficiency and help you avoid wasting time and effort

* How unstable surface training can help or hinder performance in different athletes

* How unstable surfaces can increase the risk of injury in some populations, while actually rehabilitating others

* Guidelines for alternative, more sport-specific instability approaches when unstable surface training is not the best avenue to pursue

* 21 different stability progression models encompassing over 50 exercises with photos and descriptions

* How to train balance for maximum functional carryover and superior athletic performance

If you've ever trained using unstable surfaces (i.e. the
devices discussed above) or have always wanted to give it a
try, you absolutely need to have this book in your library.
The lessons you'll learn will be invaluable.

Click here to learn more about Cressey's new book:

Until next time,
JB

The Little Things

Tonight as I was doing hanging leg raises, I was having a tough time getting my legs as high as I wanted. Then I simply shifted where I was looking -- straight ahead instead of slightly down -- and I was fine.

My theory is that the subtle shift aligned my body differently, and more correctly.

I'm sure there are so many other examples when it comes to form. This again shows that paying attention to form always pays off.

By the way, I see far too many people doing hanging leg raises using those contraptions you rest your upper arms in, even people who've done them for a long time. It's fine to start out using them but move on to using no support and simply hanging from something. You'll get a much better core workout. Remember to always brace your core when you do them to keep your body from swaying.

Another Reason to Dump Low-Intensity Cardio

As I've noted many times before, I've feel better, enjoy my cardio more, save time and have lost body fat since switching to high-intensity intervals instead of going for a 30-minute run or something along those lines.

Super-trainer Craig Ballantyne recently wrote about a new study that backs up the benefits of high-intensity cardio.

Get Up, Stand Up

It's simple -- too many people do too many exercises sitting down. Walk into any gym and you see it all over the place. Many machines, of course, encourage this behavior.

But it actually makes for a worse workout, as super-trainer Keith Scott recently pointed out. Think about it. Sitting down most often makes a move easier. Standing up makes it harder. It also calls more of your body into action.

Keith also recently posted a humorous video that takes on this and other things people do wrong at the gym. Take a look.

A Little Focus, Please

The other day at the gym I saw someone who lacked one of the most important elements of a workout -- focus.

This woman woman spent her entire workout talking to her trainer, even during her exercises. Now I'm all for having a good time at the gym and even socializing a bit but there's simply no way you can put forth real effort and talk at the same time. There's clearly no intensity if you're able to have a casual conversation.

So go the gym to get something done.

It's Simpler Than You Think

Super-trainer Josh Hillis recently pointed out that it's actually simple to stay fit and healthy. And after reading his post, I had to agree. After all, why make it complicated when it doesn't have to be?

More Than One Direction

As I did my intervals today, doing everything from side shuffles to back-peddles with quick starts and stops, I thought a bit about how so many people go in one direction -- forward.

They never move in the other planes of motion, and in everyday life, we do move in those planes. Plus, we stop and start, instead of going in one direction for a long time (think nearly any endurance training or simply jogging for 30 minutes).

That's why I love the way I train (and I better since I spend a fair amount of time doing it). I'm preparing myself to be able to do so many different things, and for my body to move in so many different ways.

I recently read a nice blog post that tackled the subject. Give it a read.

The Drawbacks of Endurance Training

Here's an interesting post from super-trainer Jason Ferruggia's blog about why someone he respects stays away from endless cardio, compared to interval training like sprints.

One Day

Once I started working out a lot, I became a bit obsessive about getting to the gym. I didn't want to miss a day, always figuring it would set me back.

Of course an approach like that isn't so good for the rest of your life. I discussed it one day with a trainer I knew who put everything in context, "One day doesn't mean shit."

He's right. You can make up that day easily. One day isn't a setback. One day becomes a setback only if it quickly multiplies. But if it is indeed one day and if you get back to the gym the next day, it doesn't matter at all.

So if something comes up and interrupts your gym schedule, don't sweat it. Just get back in there the next day.

A Bad Example

OK, I know there's a place for isolation moves like bicep curls. But in general, you get more out of multi-joint moves like squats and pull-ups.

I couldn't help but wonder why two guys at the gym tonight spent the entire time I lifted doing nothing but bicep curls. One after another after another. There were variations but they all were bicep curls, which led me to believe these guys work one body part a day.

And one clearly was leading the other, teaching him this is the way to train.

I once believed this too. But since I switched to multi-joint moves, and almost never do something like a bicep curl, I've seen faster strength gains and I simply feel more in shape.

So they can do their bicep curls. I'm going to stick with what works.

A Good Idea But ...

I watched a trainer at the gym last night rig up an interesting exercise for a client. He took a chair that slides easily, tied a long rope to it and stacked one 45-pound plate on it. The client grabbed the rope and pulled it across the floor and toward him from a standing position, which worked a lot of muscles.

When the chair reached a second 45-pound plate sitting on the floor, the client sprinted to it, picked it up, put it on the chair and ran back to the end of the rope to pull again, until it got to a third plate, when he repeated the process. It ended when he pulled the chair to him.

Great idea, I was thinking. It was far different than most of the junk I see trainers doing.

That's the good part. The bad part is when the client picked up the plates to put them on the chair, he bent over at the waist, rounding his back badly and putting pressure on his lower back. The trainer watched and didn't say a word. All he had to do was say, squat down and pick up the plate as if you were deadlifting the plate. But he didn't.

So a good idea, but one more step would've made it even better.

Strange Happenings at the Gym

I simply don't understand quarter-rep woman. She comes in day after day and never does anything more than a quarter of a rep. Every single time. What's the point?

Super-trainer Keith Scott has noticed someone similar at his gym and I'm sure you have too. Here's a funny list he put together.

A Personal Best, Every Workout

Super-trainer Jason Ferruggia, whose workouts I've used and liked, frequently talks about going for a personal record each workout. A personal best can come in different forms -- a bit more weight, one more rep, a longer interval or a shorter recovery time between intervals.

But the key thing about his approach is that it causes you to push yourself each and every workout.

I like this approach. Tonight at the gym I set personal bests in three different exercises. Sure, each was small, one more rep on one for instance. But if you walk into the gym every time ready to do better than before, chances are you'll do it. Maybe not every time but often than not.

Our Own Olympic Dreams

Olympic athletes do things most of us can only dream of. But that doesn't mean we can't learn things from how Olympians train.

That's the point of my good friend Katie Hobson's recent article in U.S. News. With the help of trainers including Alwyn Cosgrove, Katie offers a road map to what you can take away from these super athletes.

So give that some thought as you watch the Olympics this week.

Do the Best with What You Have

I was debating whether I'd go to the gym today. The debate sprung from the fact that I tore my foot up surfing Saturday. I suffered a deep puncture wound when one of the fins of my board hit my foot on a wipeout, and only today was it getting back to normal.

I planned a scaled-back workout, just upper body to let my foot continue healing.

But the debate was decided when I left work later than I wanted. So I went home, but I still wanted to at least do something. So using a loft that runs on two sides of my apartment, I did pullups followed by pushups -- six sets.

It was exactly what I needed -- a real, if short, workout. It proved again that you can work out just about anywhere.