Three easy points to remember:

1. Cook your meals in advance and keep it simple
2. Divide your meals into portion sizes; freeze items in bulk when macros may fluctuate
3. Always have a bottle of water with you

For more information on supplements, nutrition coaching or personal training in Des Moines, Iowa, email ryan@nutrisportFPT.com or visit either our Clive or Altoona locations, where you go for results and not a sales pitch!

Visit us online at www.nutrisportfpt.com  |  “Like” us on Facebook

Nutri-Sport and Full Potential Training
9992 Swanson Blvd
Clive, IA 50325  |  (515) 331-2141

Nutri-Sport Altoona
1003 8th St SW, STE K (next to Hairy’s Day Spa)
Altoona, IA 50009  |  (515) 266-2225

For more information on supplements, nutrition coaching or personal training in Des Moines, Iowa, email ryan@nutrisportFPT.com or visit either our Clive or Altoona locations, where you go for results and not a sales pitch!

Visit us online at www.nutrisportfpt.com  |  “Like” us on Facebook

Nutri-Sport and Full Potential Training
9992 Swanson Blvd
Clive, IA 50325  |  (515) 331-2141

Nutri-Sport Altoona
1003 8th St SW, STE K (next to Hairy’s Day Spa)
Altoona, IA 50009  |  (515) 266-2225

The deadlift is known to be one of the most effective exercises for well…pretty much everything.  It is one of the first moves taught to athletes at the high school level.  That new “sport” they show on ESPN (which I refuse to name) uses it as one of their base movements.  You can bet your ass any bodybuilder with a barn door sized back will attribute their posterior development to it.  And I haven’t met a 600lb deadlifter who I’d be comfortable calling a slouch.  If this isn’t enough to convince you of its effectiveness, throw 250lbs on a bar and do 5 sets of 10.  I’m willing to bet it will have you weeping on the floor trying to rationalize why you aren’t able to stand up.

There are 2 major disciplines when it comes to the deadlift; the conventional style and the sumo stance.  While both require you to “simply” pick up a weight and put it back down, there are several complexities for each that when learned and practiced can have you successfully pulling big weights.  Let’s not forget the importance of staying injury free as well.

This article will cover some tips on executing a proper sumo deadlift.  Before we dive in be aware that the style of this lift is much more demanding on the hips than the conventional stance.  With that in mind it shouldn’t be a surprise that anyone looking to train with a sumo stance needs to test and find appropriate maxes instead of just transferring your conventional numbers over.  It may be tempting but trust me, DON’T DO IT.  You’ve been warned.

On to the tips:

1. Approach bar with straight legs.  Consistency is the name of the game when learning a new lift.  I’ve experimented with several different widths in regards to foot position but the most important factor is that you can find a comfortable position and get there every time you approach the bar.  Everyone is different and personal preference will reign supreme but when setting up against the bar I make sure my knees are locked out and legs completely straight.  The bar should be against your shins.  This ensures that from one set to the next you are not changing your stance.  Sounds simple but it is very easy to forget.
2. Find appropriate toe angle.  The first and second tips are synonymous with each other in that once you have your width and shins in position, the feet need to follow suit.  With a wide stance in the sumo pull you are allowed to point your toes outwards.  Doing this helps a great deal in feeling stable through the lift and also to ensure that your knees track properly (see next tip).  I haven’t found a position that seems to work with everyone but I’d say I’m close to 45 degrees with my placement.  Again personal preference varies.  Just know that anything less than 30 degrees is wrong, take my word for it or try it yourself.  It will only take one rep for you to find out why.
3. Drive knees out, drop straight down.  The best tip I’ve heard to help the sumo pull came from Dave Tate.  “Drop your nuts on the bar.”  He’s right.  But before you can do that you need to make sure your knees are set up as such that when you begin to pull the weight up you aren’t going to run into yourself.  This is where the knees tracking over your toes are so important.  When you turn your toes out in a closed chain exercise (deadlift) you are locking your legs into an externally rotated position.  This sounds scary but what it allows you to do is push your knees out over your toes and create a straight shin angle so that you have a straight shot to pull the bar to lockout with minimal to no interference from the legs.  Anyone who has gotten themselves into a sloppy set of deadlifts knows that if you don’t set up right you can easily start running into yourself and making the lift much more difficult.  So bottom line: once your feet are set, aim to push your knees outwards over your big or middle toe.  Combine this with dropping straight down on top of the bar and you are set to start your pull…almost.
4. Keep cervical spine neutral.  So far every tip has been about the set up.  It is my hope that you can begin to understand that proper set up can lead to EASY execution.  As the saying goes “you can’t out train bad form.”  This tip will address the final piece before actually moving the weight.  Right now you are set from the waist down, but what to do with the other half of your body?  Obviously we want to keep our back in a solid, arched position for as long as possible.  When dealing with maximum loads this is usually the first thing to go – this is understandable.  However when using sub maximal loads we want to maintain proper back positioning as much as we can.  Everyone knows that lumbar extension is good but when we move all the way up to the spine to the cervical area, many lifters are practicing improper form.  For a long time it’s been understood that “skying the eyes” and looking up during a lift is proper.  Recent research has disproved this aggressive position and recommends that lifters maintain a neutral neck position.  A good image of this would be to have a tennis ball tucked under your chin the whole time with the goal of maintaining that position through the lift.  Now I have found another way to support this: if I look up the whole time during my set up, when I drop to grip the bar I often grip unevenly.  This, as you can imagine leads to some ugly dead lifting.  Pick a spot 5-10 feet in front of you on the floor, stare at it and you’ll be good to go.
5. Hips, hips, hips…and more hips.  Finally!  You’re set up and ready to lift.  Now what?  Spread the floor with your legs and drive your hips through as fast as possible.  When you think you’ve hipped through enough, do it some more.  This lift is all about the hips.  Stay upward as long as you can.  Remember when you were to “simply” pick it up and put it down.  That’s what’s going on here.  I’m not kidding when I say that if you take your set up seriously and practice proper form with the sub-weights, then this will be the easy part.

Now go out there and channel your inner sumo wrestler.  Your new PR’s await you.

Mike

Have a question or comment for Mike?  Email him at mike@nutrisportfpt.com.

For more information on supplements, nutrition coaching or personal training in Des Moines, Iowa, email ryan@nutrisportFPT.com or visit either our Clive or Altoona locations, where you go for results and not a sales pitch!

Visit us online at www.nutrisportfpt.com  |  “Like” us on Facebook

Nutri-Sport and Full Potential Training
9992 Swanson Blvd
Clive, IA 50325  |  (515) 331-2141

Nutri-Sport Altoona
1003 8th St SW, STE K (next to Hairy’s Day Spa)
Altoona, IA 50009  |  (515) 266-2225

For those of you who are exercising regularly, I imagine one of your aims is to become stronger, recover faster and gain a little muscle while you’re at it. Improving performance during training is of utmost importance no matter what your fitness goals are, whether you’re an athlete, bodybuilder, or involved in some form of intense exercise. The benefits of supplementing with BCAAs (Branched Chain Amino Acids) are vast. When your body is under stress, you’re at risk of losing lean muscle to some extent.

In the study linked here, you’ll see that using BCAAs before and after workouts could help with muscle soreness and help push your workouts to another level.

The study shows that BCAAs administered before and following damaging resistance exercise reduces muscle damage and accelerates recovery. It seems likely that BCAAs also work to improve protein synthesis and thereby the extent of secondary muscle damage associated with strenuous resistance exercise.

Dr. Layne Norton says in a recent article on BCAAs, “Working out compounds the metabolic effects of dieting. The leaner one becomes, the more lethargic one can become. Decreased energy intake and decreased glycogen storage make for some rough training sessions. If you’re too tired or weak to lift as heavy as your body was getting used to, your muscles will adapt, and they won’t use as much energy to get the work done.”  To read the entire article, click here.

Have a question for Chris “the Truth” Bohlmann?  Email him at chris@nutrisportfpt.com or call (515) 266-2225.

For more information on supplements, nutrition coaching or personal training in Des Moines, Iowa, email ryan@nutrisportFPT.com or visit either our Clive or Altoona locations, where you go for results and not a sales pitch!

Visit us online at www.nutrisportfpt.com  |  “Like” us on Facebook

Nutri-Sport and Full Potential Training
9992 Swanson Blvd
Clive, IA 50325  |  (515) 331-2141

Nutri-Sport Altoona
1003 8th St SW, STE K (next to Hairy’s Day Spa)
Altoona, IA 50009  |  (515) 266-2225

Ryan will gladly answer questions at Ryan@NutriSportFPT.com.

Visit us online at www.nutrisportfpt.com  |  “Like” us on Facebook

Nutri-Sport and Full Potential Training
9992 Swanson Blvd
Clive, IA 50325  |  (515) 331-2141

Nutri-Sport Altoona
1003 8th St SW, STE K (next to Hairy’s Day Spa)
Altoona, IA 50009  |  (515) 266-2225

When it comes to taking protein, it’s not just what you take – it’s when you take it.

More specifically there are times when you should consume different kinds of protein. Most people who weight train or do any sort of exercising are taking some sort of protein. It could be argued that the most important times to consume are pre and post workout. Researchers have tested the effects of the timing of protein supplementation ingestion on various physical changes in weightlifters. In general, protein supplementation pre and post workout increases physical performance, recovery, muscle hypertrophy, and strength.

Specific gains differ however based on protein type and amounts taken. As research shows, for maximal muscle gains/recovery, taking whey protein before/after training, along with carbohydrates is optimal.  It also showed that soy does not have the same impact as whey.  Additionally, the abstract speaks about how timing does make an impact with regard to post workout protein/carbohydrates consumption (a more positive impact than the same later in the day after training).  The following abstract from the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition can be found here that digs deeper into this topic: http://www.jissn.com/content/9/1/54

Chris Bohlmann

Have a question for Chris “the Truth” Bohlmann?  Email him at chris@nutrisportfpt.com or call (515) 266-2225.

For more information on supplements, nutrition coaching or personal training in Des Moines, Iowa, email ryan@nutrisportFPT.com or visit either our Clive or Altoona locations, where you go for results and not a sales pitch!

Visit us online at www.nutrisportfpt.com  |  “Like” us on Facebook

Nutri-Sport and Full Potential Training
9992 Swanson Blvd
Clive, IA 50325  |  (515) 331-2141

Nutri-Sport Altoona
1003 8th St SW, STE K (next to Hairy’s Day Spa)
Altoona, IA 50009  |  (515) 266-2225

*inset photo credit www.bodybuilding.com

This article has no specific target audience and I feel anyone who engages in physical activity will benefit from these inclusions.  Now when I say anyone, I mean it!  Physical activity by definition is any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that results in an expenditure of energy.  A big fan of maintaining that lovely garden, are you?  This will help you.  Is vacuuming the house until it is otherworldly clean your main squeeze?  Read on.

I hope some of you who engage in planned physical activity to maintain a fitness level read this, too.  Oh yea, that’s the definition of exercise by the way.

1. Drink more water.  I’ve heard that drinking your body weight in ounces a day is a good recommendation.  Personally I just carry around a gallon and chug a lug every now and then.  I feel a trip to the lavatory every 1.5-2 hours is a good indicator of a proper hydration level.  If you don’t meet these criteria, DRINK MORE!
2. Keep a Journal.  By far the easiest way to improve your life.  If you’re consistent exerciser (weird word), this should already be part of your routine.  Keep track of how you feel during your workouts, after, etc.  Track your weights, sets, reps, and time spent.  Body weight can be thrown in there, but in a future article I will talk about how the scale is a heartless monster that hates puppies.  If you’re simply a physical activist, write about whatever you desire.  Mankind’s greatest achievement is the written word.  Practice it.
3. Find an account-a-bili-buddy.  Also referred to as a training partner, friend, or teammate.  In the gym, having somebody to workout with is indispensable.  If you’re lucky you will find someone who pushes you past your comfort zone, is knowledgeable, and above all, holds you accountable.  Outside of the gym this person actually shows up on moving day, will give without the thought of receiving, and encourages you to be the best version of you there can be.
4. Listen to music.  I can’t speak for everyone when it comes to taste in this category.  Personally I listen to damn near everything.  Music will always have a way of evoking certain responses to the listener and that is unique to the individual.  While I don’t agree that much of what is played on the radio today is actually music, which is a bit out of the scope of this writing.  Now more than ever we have the ability to access the largest library of music in history within seconds.  Generations before us were unable to enjoy this luxury so it would be a civil disservice to not take advantage of it.  When it comes to exercise or physical activity; blast whatever you like and enjoy your time.
5. Slow down.  “The world went and got itself in a big damn hurry.” – Brooks, The Shawshank Redemption.  I haven’t met anyone who said time goes by too slowly and who wishes things would speed up a bit.  In the fitness industry, where I draw most of my experience, it seems that everyone is always looking forward to what’s next – the next meet, show, measurement, etc.  Slow down and enjoy the process that takes you to “what-comes-next”; it’s called LIFE.

There you have it.  Five simple additions to improve whatever it is you do with a bit of a health emphasis.  To truly live well one must incorporate practices to improve not just their body, but mind and spirit, as well.

Live well,

Mike

Have a question or comment for Mike?  Email him at mike@nutrisportfpt.com.

For more information on supplements, nutrition coaching or personal training in Des Moines, Iowa, email ryan@nutrisportFPT.com or visit either our Clive or Altoona locations, where you go for results and not a sales pitch!

Visit us online at www.nutrisportfpt.com  |  “Like” us on Facebook

Nutri-Sport and Full Potential Training
9992 Swanson Blvd
Clive, IA 50325  |  (515) 331-2141

Nutri-Sport Altoona
1003 8th St SW, STE K (next to Hairy’s Day Spa)
Altoona, IA 50009  |  (515) 266-2225

The Meet Director, Rick Fowler and his staff did an amazing job, there was 110 lifters total.  Two platforms were running and from the warm up equipment to the flights being projected real-time on the wall, it made it a great environment.

My training for this meet was the DUP protocol from Dr. Mike Zourdos, which has been amazing and challenging.  Doing squats, bench press and deadlifts multiple times a week however has shown to be an effective way for me to train.  Considering my last meet was in January and the amount of progress I made in 8 weeks, this has been an effective training cycle.

In addition to an intense training program, my recovery was crucial and I had Cindy McGuire from Hands on Sports Massage and Dr Tyler Molstre from True Life Chiropractic to help make sure my body stayed healthy and injury free.  Supplementation was crucial and a majority of them came from the Scivation line, which has always been a core standby for me.

The training cycle did go great and I hit squat PRs each week for the final 4 weeks leading up to the meet.  This was exciting, but also very mentally challenging.  Maxing out on squats helped me find a new love of ice baths the night before.  Also, I had some tendonitis, but a good dynamic warm up helped that along with some deep tissue work.

The day of the meet I weighed in at 161, which was well below my cut-off of 165lbs, but I have been dieting for my bodybuilding contest (more below on that).  My two main goals was to hit a PR on squats, go 9 for 9 and hit a total PR, which I achieved all 3 of those things.

Squats started it off and I opened with 374lbs, which felt good, but not as solid as I was hoping.  Always a little nervous on the very first lift of the meet (which is why you should open light).  Second attempt I went up to 402, which was a 2lb PR over my last meet.  This actually felt very light and I knew it was going to be a good day.  The 3rd attempt I went to 413 as I wanted to nail it and a 13lb PR is a great thing!  Got it with 3 white lights!

Bench press was interesting to say the least.  Opened with 275, which was silly light, no problem.  The second attempt was 297, or so I thought.  I unracked it and as the video below shows, it took me awhile to stabilize it.  I figured I just wasn’t set up right, so I got myself set and did the press, 3 white lights.  However I looked back at the bar just to check and saw that there was a 15lb difference on each side of the bar!  I pointed this out the the referees and they gave me the option of taking it again in 3 minutes or I could get credited with that lift, I chose to keep it as I didn’t want to waste any extra energy.  At first they said it was less than what I wanted, so I was going for a conservative 3rd, but then they informed me that I actually had lifted more and had got what I was planning on for my conservative 3rd.  That being said, I went for 314lbs on my 3rd and smoked it.  Probably had 7-10lbs left in me, but can’t be upset by that.

Deadlifts were the last (as usual) and the one lift that is my strength but also the one I have the most challenge with getting 3 good lifts in (in fact never have).  Opened with 462, went up easy, but listening too and seeing a head referee in front of you is always a change.  For my 2nd, I pulled 496, which was less than I usually go for on my 2nd, but again, was shooting for a perfect day.  On my last attempt, I had to go for a weight I was confident in but yet was an improvement, so I pulled 518, which was 3lbs over what I had at my Jan meet.  Went up smoothly and was happy with that pull.

3rd attempt 518lbs

Here is the video:

Overall my total was 1245, which was a 30lb PR over my previous best meet wearing only knee sleeves for squats.  So NOW my goal is to switch gears and compete in bodybuilding in July at the IFPA Pro USA in Sacremanto, CA.  Of course, the secondary goal is to keep my strength as high as possible so that when I return to the powerlifting platform in the fall I don’t have to start by re-gaining a bunch of lost strength.

Huge thanks to my always supportive wife, who I couldn’t do any of this without.  Also for my training partner, Mike Beiter, for pushing me each training day.  Joe Symonds and Jerry Rodriguez for coming down with and helping along with the rest of the Team FPT gang!!  Additionally, all of the Nutri-Sport crew for everything they do, our Team rocks!!!

Stay tuned to my training log and other social media channels to see the latest!

For more information on supplements, nutrition coaching or personal training in Des Moines, Iowa, email ryan@nutrisportFPT.com or visit either our Clive or Altoona locations, where you go for results and not a sales pitch!

“Like” us on Facebook

Nutri-Sport and Full Potential Training
9992 Swanson Blvd
Clive, IA 50325
www.nutrisportfpt.com
515.331.2141

Nutri-Sport Altoona
1003 8th St SW, STE K (next to Hairy’s Day Spa)
Altoona, IA 50009

Here’s an outline of the points I cover, and I encourage (and appreciate) you sharing this with a friend:

1. Goal Setting
   1. Short term (intentional daily, weekly, monthly, yearly)
   2. Long term (balanced: family, career, financial, physical, spiritual)
2. Consistency
   1. Training, nutrition, recovery
   2. Honor the Law of Consistency: “Motivation gets you going, dedication keeps you growing.”
   3. Time management (school, work, nutrition, training, recovery and BE SOCIAL!)
3. Dedication
   1. Share your goals
   2. Review them Annually
4. Determination
   1. It won’t be easy
   2. Enjoy the grind
   3. Prove it to you, and only you
   4. EVERY DAY counts
5. EFFORT in equals RESULTS out
   1. Enough said.

For more information on supplements, nutrition coaching or personal training in Des Moines, Iowa, email ryan@nutrisportFPT.com or visit either our Clive or Altoona locations, where you go for results and not a sales pitch!

Visit us online at www.nutrisportfpt.com  |  “Like” us on Facebook

Nutri-Sport and Full Potential Training
9992 Swanson Blvd
Clive, IA 50325  |  (515) 331-2141

Nutri-Sport Altoona
1003 8th St SW, STE K (next to Hairy’s Day Spa)
Altoona, IA 50009  |  (515) 266-2225

Well, we have a solution!  In this video, Ryan demonstrates how to handle one of life’s most perplexing problems!

Oh, and while we are at it, here’s a great article from www.bodybuilding.com on protein-rich meals for bodybuilders on a budget (and they don’t require power tools).  Stay tuned as we continue to provide answers to the many mysteries of life!

For more information on supplements, nutrition coaching or personal training in Des Moines, Iowa, email ryan@nutrisportFPT.com or visit either our Clive or Altoona locations, where you go for results and not a sales pitch!

“Like” us on Facebook

Nutri-Sport and Full Potential Training
9992 Swanson Blvd
Clive, IA 50325
www.nutrisportfpt.com
515.331.2141

Nutri-Sport Altoona
1003 8th St SW, STE K (next to Hairy’s Day Spa)
Altoona, IA 50009