Now, before you get mad and start lambasting me with more ridiculous comments, allow me to revisit my post from more than a year ago with some great points I recently picked up from Chris Shugart of www.tmuscle.com. Shugart is a little nicer to CrossFit than I am (and honestly a little more tactful). With that being said, he brought out some quotes that I have not yet come across in my studies of CrossFit proponents and critics. These are 3 men I greatly respect, as does anyone who knows a lick about the strength and conditioning field. I have had the privilege of hearing two of them speak, and I hold very few in higher regards than Alwyn Cosgrove as I have mentioned in previous posts. With that being said, allow me to highlight what Cosgrove and others caution those who are considering subscribing to the CrossFit phenomenon.

Cosgrove: “A recent CrossFit workout was 30 reps of snatches with 135 pounds. A snatch is an explosive exercise designed to train power development. Thirty reps is endurance. You don’t use an explosive exercise to train endurance; there are more effective and safer choices. Another one was 30 muscle-ups. And if you can’t do muscle-ups, do 120 pull-ups and 120 dips. It’s just random; it makes no sense. Two days later the program was five sets of five in the push jerk with max loads. That’s not looking too healthy for the shoulder joint if you just did 120 dips 48 hours ago.”

Mike Boyle: “I think high-rep Olympic lifting is dangerous. Be careful with CrossFit.”

Charles Poliquin: “If you try to do everything in your workout, you get nothing. CrossFit is different, and maybe even fun for some people, but it’s not very effective. No athlete has ever gotten good training like that.”

In many of the responses garnered from my previous CrossFit critique, my CSCS credentials were questioned (feel free to contact the NSCA if you wish),  as was my practical knowledge due to an online picture (I never claimed to be a body builder). Feel free to argue my knowledge - I’m well aware that I’m a virtual unknown in this field. But you can’t attach the same sentiment to the likes of Cosgrove, Boyle, or Poliquin. They are experts who’ve literally changed what we know about strength and conditioning - and yet, we have the same opinions of CrossFit.

So enjoy the WOD’s, CFitters. You will be in good shape, have good strength, endurance, blah, blah, blah. But that does not erase the fact that CrossFit has some very ineffective methods, as well as some dangerous approaches.

Despite the positive results I experienced on this plan, I question its relevance in the sport of MMA. Is Rich Franklin (or anyone who does this) in great shape? Mentally tough? Strong and well conditioned? Yes, yes, and yes! Very much so! However, think about the way a UFC fight is set up. In a non-title fight, there are 3 five minute rounds. When a championship belt is on the line, five 5 minute rounds are fought. That means a fighter’s body must be able to go hard for 5 minutes - not 60 minutes - before getting a 1 minute break. Then 5 more minutes and a break. Then anywhere from 1 to 3 more rounds in this format. Mike Ferguson, Franklin’s coach, is quoted in the video as saying his philosophy is to have Rich “ready to go 10 five minute rounds, so that he never, ever gets tired.” A tenacious approach and it makes sense in theory.

So let’s pretend for a moment that a 60 minute fight existed in the UFC. There is little doubt that Franklin would be more prepared than anyone. In fact, unless someone out there trains the with same volume, Rich is easily in the best shape for this type of outing.

Now let’s go back to the way the UFC is actually set up: no more than 5 five minute rounds.  Despite how ridiculously awesome this workout is for the guy who wants to push his body to the limit, it’s simply not the best way to train a mixed-martial artist confined to 300 seconds of fighting. Here’s why: the body cannot go as hard for 1 hour as it can for 5 minutes. Oh sure, you can train your body to do a great many things. But who is going to be more ferocious within 5 minutes: the guy who trains as hard he can for 5 minutes or the guy who trains as hard as he can for 60? Our bodies have limits, and a trained person will always be able to push the pace harder for a short amount of timed.

All this to say, I don’t want to challenge Rich Franklin to a fight. Nor do I want to call out Ferguson. Once a marine, always a marine - and I’m no marine. I simply want to emphasize that no matter what your sport, focus on what you are training for. If you are a fire fighter, train wearing heavy equipment in the blazing heat. If you are a soccer player, train yourself to keep going for 45 minutes at a time. For tennis, train for change of direction sprints, rotational strength, and balance. And if you fight in the UFC, teach yourself how to punch, kick, wrestle, sprawl, and grapple as hard as you can for 5 minutes at a time. Training smarter is more important than training harder. For the mixed-martial arts game, there is certainly a mental toughness aspect that would be improved through Ferguson’s approach. Unfortunately, when a shin bone connects at full speed, even the toughest minds have no choice but to temporarily shut off. Its called unconsciousness.

Bottom line: figure out what your sport/job/hobby/life physically requires, and train in such as a way as to make you specifically better at those demands.

That’s why I highly recommend reading this blog. I’ve gotten some great recipe’s, ideas for inexpensive eating, and  learned something new about foods once thought to be “bad”.

For example: did you know that the glycemic index of potatoes is lowered simply by adding olive oil?

With this in mind, we at Macssistance.com welcome Google ads. We’re glad to be partnered with Google!

Pride goes before a fall, so I keep these thoughts to myself.

This past week, however, I was told something ground-breaking from someone I have no doubt I know more than when it comes to things of the fitness realm. He’s an ER doctor, and of course, he knows body structure and human anatomy better than I ever will, but he’s never been a strength coach. He’s never corrected Olympic lifting form, never instructed a guy at how to perform a squat, never taught someone how to run faster.

But he taught me something last week.

“I do not want to be in here today,” I told him, as I reached for the chipped and rusted dumbbells I’d been dreading all day. “Everyone has those days. This is one of mine.”

“You can’t look at it like that,” said Saad, in his Pakistani accent. “I tell people all the time, ‘I’m going to eat today.  I’m going to breathe today.  So I know I’m going to workout today.’ If it becomes something I’m just going to do, rather than a choice between whether to do it or not, it no longer matters what I want. I’m just going to do.”

I thought about his statement later. He had it right. He wasn’t trying to be an athlete. He scoffs at those in the weight room he sees trying to lift 300 pounds. “Why they want to do that?” he’ll ask me. “What good is it for them to lift that much? Are they doing a bench press contest? I’m here to be healthy. I’ll look better because of it, but why am I going to hurt myself? For what?”

Someone like Saad can workout everyday with no problem. He works hard, but he doesn’t lift heavy. I still like to lift heavy, so I’m a big believer in days off. But Saad had a great point that I, along with everyone else, need to remember. Working out shouldn’t be an option. It should be a normal part of my day. If the choice is removed, I must accept it and go about my business. If I have no choice but to workout, my body will have no choice but to adapt.

I thanked Saad a few days later for his approach to lifting. It’s made be a better lifter. And its given me one less choice to have to make during the week.

Anyway, this co-worker stands around 6′5 and used to play basketball at the University of Central Arkansas. His current way of staying competitive is by coaching his daughter’s softball team. As he is a big guy, the little ones apparently love for him to pick them up, toss them in the air, and then catch them before they hit the ground. I’m assuming he has a high success rate with the catching.

When he came into my office, though, he was having a hard time going from a sitting to standing position and vice-versa. “My back has been killing me, man,” he said. “Last night I could hardly sleep.”

As it turned out, he had previously tweaked his hamstring.  Now, boys and girls, this is a great time for an anatomy and physiology lesson. As the hamstrings and lower back muscles both connect to the pelvic region, its inevitable that they must work together. When one of these muscles is weak, the other will be affected. And when you think about the movement that my IT was doing (bending down to pick up a small tyke, then swiftly exploding upwards), that involves a lot of hip action. When he bent down, the hips flexed and went backwards, causing the top of the hamstrings and the lower back muscles to stretch. The upward movement, then, consisted of rapid extension of the hips and flexion of the lower back muscles and the top of the hamstring. Because his hamstring was previously injured, it couldn’t fire as quickly. This put added stress on his lower back muscles  that would usually be absorbed by his hamstrings.

The body was put together quite well. It works together to accomplish its goals. And while this is true of internal body systems, its certainly true of the musculoskeletal system. My IT guy’s inconvenience provides us with great insight into how we should train our bodies.

1. Train Functionally - People ask me all the time why I do such “crazy” lifts like dumbbell snatch, overhead swings, etc. I hope instances like my IT guy encountered explain in full detail why I train that way…because we move that way in real life.

2. Train Holistically - My IT guy is now injured in both his upper and lower body segments. He got that way from one swift movement. This goes along with functional training - it’s crucial to train total body. Gym rats of all ages and sexes neglect their lower body. Don’t do it! Don’t neglect any part of your body. Here’s a basic rule to live by: if it moves without pain, train it to move more.

Besides the imminent mental burn-out the occurs with constantly doing the same things, our bodies become accustomed to the work we do. After several weeks with no change up in routine, our muscles will not respond as drastically as when we first began a new cycle.

One of my most successful cycles came through utilizing “undulating periodization.” In this type of cycle, a lifter will rotate the volume of lifting from week to week. For example, he may begin week 1 with 4 sets of 8. The next week, he’ll do the same exercises, but move to 4 sets of 12. In the third week, 4 sets of 15. Then he’ll go back to 4 sets of 8 in week four, thus starting over his progression.

In a study published in a 2004 Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, undulating periodization had better results than linear periodization - which is simply moving from high repetition and lighter weights to less reps, more pounds. I can’t remember the number of weeks or the test subject used in this study. I can’t even recall a reference number to the specific journal this study is found in. But, such studies to show similar results can always be googled (undulating vs. linear periodization).

Of course, in undulating, heavier weight will be used as the reps decrease, just as would be done in a linear model. However, the frequent changes in intensity and volume keep the brain guessing and the muscles constantly adapting. If you have never or rarely tried undulating periodization, I would highly recommend giving it a whirl.

For a template to follow, here’s what I’m currently doing** for the next 6 weeks:

Week:                            1           2         3          4          5         6

Day 1

Back Sqaut            4 x  10           8          6         10         8         6

T-Bar Rows          4 x 10             8         6          10         8         6

Dbell Incline          4 x 10             8         6           10         8         6

RDLs                       4 x 10             8        6           10         8         6

Dbell Reverse Flys  3 x 10           8        6           10         8         6

EZ bar Curls            3 x 10           8        6           10         8         6

Day 2

Snatch Grip Pulls       4 x 10         8        6           10         8         6

Dbell Push Press        4 x 10         8        6           10         8         6

Med Ball Side Wall Throws     4 x 10 (From each Side)

Box Jumps                                 4 x 10

Lateral Shld Raise     3 x 10          8         6          10         8           6

Sprints                 20 yd x 6           8         10         6          8           10

Day 3

Pull Ups*                     4 x 10           8           6         10        8             6

Dbell Squats                4 x 10           8           6         10        8             6

Dbell Bench                 4 x 10           8           6         10        8             6

Reverse Grip Lat Pull 4 x 10         8            6         10        8             6

Hamstring Curls          3 x 10         8             6         10        8            6

Dips*                             3 x 10         8             6         10        8            6

** = I designed this cycle primarily for mass and strength. Day 2 incorporates explosive movements that require total body function. This will stimulate type II muscle fibers, which grow larger than type I.

* = Add weight to body; either a weighted vest or dumbell between the feet.

You want the results that only come from hard work mixed with the knowledge of an expert. So you psych yourself up, gain the courage to be put through harder workouts than you’d do on your own, and walk up to the info desk at the front of your gym.

And that’s when you see the cost of hiring a trainer.

Now I’ve made my living as a trainer in the past. The prices are justifiable because there is overhead each trainer has to pay (they probably only take home 50% - 70% of the price), in addition to the fact that they probably know more than you do about how to get into better shape. The work they do is important, and truly, some people just plain don’t know what to do when they get in a weight room.

But then again, it also doesn’t have to cost that much. In fact, one could exponentially minimize the price tag on personal trainer services by taking up the services of a virtual trainer.

What is virtual training? Essentially, its taking the direction of a trainer without having him or her breathing down your neck. With virtual training, a trainer listens to your goals and puts a program on paper for you to follow. This gives you the freedom to workout on your time but with the expertise of a professional.

In addition to more freedom in your workout schedule, virtual training is considerably cheaper. While most personal training sessions will cost $50-$60 an hour, that same price may get you as much as 6 weeks of virtual training. Saving so much money on trainer fees will allow you to put it into healthier food, supplements, massages, gym apparel, or anything else you might need to get the most out of your training.

For the novice lifter, virtual training is not the best idea. If you really don’t know what you are doing in the weight room, hire a trainer or bring an experienced friend with you. If, however, you are highly motivated, know what you are doing but want a little extra advice on how to do it better, and don’t want to pay the high prices of personal training, virtual training is exactly what you need.

For more information on virtual training, leave a question or email me at daniel@macssistance.com

Stop Doing Sit-Ups: Why Crunches Don’t Work

Kate Dailey

Everyone knows that the road to flat, tight abs is paved with crunches. Lots and lots and lots of excruciating crunches. Or is it?

As it turns out, the exercises synonymous with strong, attractive abs may not be the best way to train your core—and may be doing damage to your back.

“We stopped teaching people to do crunches a long, long time ago,” says Dr. Richard Guyer, president of the Texas Back Institute.  That’s because the “full flex” movement—the actual “crunch” part of crunches – puts an unhealthy strain on your back at its weakest point. The section with the most nerves (and most potential for nerve damage) is in the back of the spine, which is the very part that bends and strains during a sit-up.

“There are only so many bends or a ‘fatigue life’,” in your spinal disks,” says Stuart M. McGill, a professor of spine biomechanics at the University of Waterloo. Inside each disk is a mucus-like nucleus, he says, and “if you keep flexing your spine and bending the disk over and over again, that nucleus slowly breaches the layers and causes a disk bulge, or a disk herniation.”  A herniated disk won’t show through your swimsuit, but it’s no fun, and can cause persistent back and leg pain, weakness, and tingling.

Think of the oft-repeated advice for movers: bend at the hips and lift with your legs, not your back. And what is a sit-up but a back bend done in a lying position? “When people are doing curl up over gym balls and sit-ups, and this kind of thing, they are replicating a very potent injury mechanism on their back,” says McGill. “Every time they bend it they are one repetition closer to damaging the disk.”

And of course, when people do crunches, they rarely stop at one or two: in the quest for flat abs, they’ll churn out dozens at a time, bringing them ever closer to  “flex intolerance”—so much pain and stiffness that it’s difficult to tie one’s shoes or bend down to pick a penny off the ground.

But who cares about back health as bathing suit season approaches? Turns out, crunches might not be the best solution for a flat stomach, either. That’s because doing too many sit-ups at the expense of other, more comprehensive movements can lead to the dreaded “aerobic abs.”  That’s the term celebrity trainer Steve Maresca coined to describe the distended stomachs of those who focus only on the rectus abdominus muscles targeted by sit-ups and crunches. “They look great from the front, but when they turn to the side, their stomachs are extended,” he says. To get the long, lean look, one needs to work transverse abdominius, a large muscle that holds in those rectus abs, and is mainly unchallenged by traditional ab work (aka, the sit-up and crunches).

Doing a sit-up doesn’t train your ab muscles to do the job for which they were designed – keeping your spine straight and secure and providing power for your movements. In everyday life, “the abdominals are braces,” says McGill, author of “Ultimate Back Fitness and Performance” (Stuart McGill, 2004). When doing any athletic movement—even opening a door—“the spine is in a neutral posture, not flexed, and the abdominal muscles are contracted to brace the spine.”

The best way—for both your back and your beach body—to work your midsection is to do movements that challenge the muscles to perform the way they’re designed and expected to work in real life, and not to train muscles in isolation. “It’s important to have strong abs, but strong abdominals are not the only thing,” says Dr. Guyer. “You have your back extenders, your flexors, which are belly muscles, you have your oblique muscles.” Working all of these muscle groups—the anatomical association known as “the core”—is essential to both back health and general athleticism.

As a result, only training for good-looking abs won’t add to your athleticism or overall strength. On the other hand, moves not traditionally designed for good-looking abs can in fact help strengthen and tone those muscles.

Consider the pushup. Not usually thought of as a great ab move, the pushup forces you to work several muscles at once: it forces your core muscles to stabilize your trunk as your arms and back work to move the body up and down. “Do you see how a pushup is a full body challenge?” says McGill. “It challenges abdominals, front of your legs, your arms and your back. That is how you use those muscles in real life.”

Like the pushup, the best exercises for back health and a firmer stomach are ones that work your abs while holding your spine straight, like planks or leg drops (done when you lie flat on your back, with your hands at the base of your spine for added support. Raise your legs up at a 90 degree angle, then slowly lower until they’re only inches from the ground. Repeat until your stomach burns and you want to throw up). And because your core is the center of power for most other exercises, a long workout full of dynamic movements targeting legs, arms and back also translates to a good core workout. (For more examples of effective ab exercises, visit McGill’s site, backfitpro.com.)

Of course, it won’t matter how muscular your torso is if your body fat is too high. The best way to build strong, visible abs isn’t through repeated sit-ups, but by engaging in circuit training that has you working your entire core while you’re burning calories – and to keep yourself disciplined during meals. “If you want to burn your fat mass, make sure you have a combination of weight training and cardiovascular, but 90 percent of good abs is your nutrition,” says Maresca. However, he does offer a quick tip for those of us with a weakness for caloric food: standing up straight and pulling back your shoulders will instantly tighten your transverse abdominal muscle, making you look a little leaner. It’s not quite as impressive as showcasing a well-developed core via 10 percent body fat, but it does leave a lot more time and flexibility for hitting up happy hour.

1. Kurt Hester -  Corporate Training Director, D1 Sports Training. Kurt has served as a strength coach at LSU, Tulane, and Southeastern Louisiana University. Kurt was my boss when I was with D1 Little Rock. His approach to  training an athlete is the best I’ve been around. He has trained several professional athletes, including Peyton and Eli Manning, Michael Oher (of The Blindside), and Matt Forte, just to name a few. He was featured in Clay Travis’ Fanhouse blog “Rough Draft,” where Travis trained side-by-side with former college standouts preparing for the NFL draft. While I learned a lot from Kurt, the most influential was his knowledge of speed training, citing force production into the ground as the single greatest effect. From training athletes using this approach, I concur.

2. Don Decker - Coach Decker is the head strength and conditioning coach at Ole Miss. He was previously the head strength coach at the U of A, where I was first introduced to a division 1 collegiate weight program. He was the first person to teach me what an Olympic lift was supposed to look like. Known for his intensity and constant use of the word “freak.” (Seriously - have never heard the man cuss, but have heard him say “freak” hundreds of times).

3. Carter Hays - This guy is more passionate about general fitness than anyone I’ve ever met. He totally revolutionized the way I train people and the way I trained. Many have heard of “Boot Camps”, but no one does them like Carter. A former Navy Seal and frequent trainer for “The Biggest Loser” contestants, he is the founder of W1, an off-shoot of D1, but aimed at the general population. He also trained the cast of the movie “300.”

4. Alwyn Cosgrove - Alwyn is a Scottish-turned-Southern California-based strength coach. He has done extensive research on fat burning, emphasizing the importance of intense weight training for fat reduction. Alwyn has written several books including “Afterburn,” which is all about fat-loss (who knew fish oil could actually burn fat?) If you ever have a chance to hear him speak, the only thing that will intrigue you more than his knowledge is his accent.