Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Strength Matters: Another Wee chat with Dan John (part the first)
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How do you pick a training approach? There are all sorts of programs out there: in the strength/muscle space, t-nation posts new ones weekly. Indeed, one of t-nations best contributors is Dan John, uber coach. Even Mr John rocks out programs in multiples. The question of so many programs rather begs the question – which one when?
For example, I was at a workshop a year ago where Pavel Tsatsouline and Dan John focused on something they called “easy strength” (book of that title forthcoming). In that protocol, one lifts 5 days a week for forty days, using only “easy” weights, for 2 sets of 5. Easy. The reason? Why to get break through strength gains. Or two days a week. Or perhaps Pavel's three day a week ladders with kettlebells and or waves with deadlifts?
I have been perplexed by what appear to be contrary maxims for adding strength: to lift heavy one must lift heavy: lift every other day; to gain strength one need only practice easy strength: lift every day.
And if you’re a gal, reading articles written largely about guys, are there differences to consider?
I asked Dan if he could help me unpack some of these seeming contradictions in training council, especially for women athletes. He said “sure: here” and sent me the draft of a forth coming book called “Intervention” - a collection of augmented essays including some of the links above - and invited questions. From reading all these pieces put together in one place it it’s a nice complement to the Intervention DVDs.
What's in this Two Parter Interview. What came out of this exchange turned into a lot of material, and so, we'll do this presentations in two parts. In part one (what you're reading now) we talk about the heuristics of evolving one’s strength practice relative to core moves as foundations.
In part 2, we get more specific and look at two worked examples for gals: achieving a baseline equivalent strength of a 125kg deadlift, and especially for the interested RKC women out there, prepping for the Iron Maiden Challenge - the pistol, press and pull up with a 24kg bell. Intriguingly if not surprisingly, the discussion wraps around Dan John’s blend of tuning where health meets fitness. We might DL 125k, but if we don’t floss regularly, well really, rude health or just rude? Intervention The Book is like that.
Intervention - the Approach for Strength (and health)
If you follow Dan’s work on t-nation and elsewhere, you’ll find in Intervention is dialing in – some very “getting back to the basics” posts like the two part-er on 40 things learned in 40 years. Perhaps the biggest take-away from the collection is the role of getting Dan’s five basics dialed in.
Again anyone following Dan will no doubt have this set off by heart:
Intervention - the audience for strength
Dan John talks about intervention for fitness as a lifetime task. If one is talking with him about fitness, he may have famous quick fixes to tune athletic performance, but sometimes those quick fixes mean “oh yes, focus on the squat for two years.” Get ready for the long view.
Why this book now, Mr. John? What are some things you can point to that made you say "i have to do this or i can do this now"
Four Steps: Five Moves. In the book you pull in your work on your Four Steps – combinations for those five core movements. One example is a farmers walk with two kettlebells into double kb squats – non stop. Then you have your now famous bat wings and push ups as another combo. So why do anything else than such four step/five move combos if one is not specialising in a sport?
"again, the most obvious lesson of my coaching life has been reinforced: the more intense you can train, the better. Yep, you knew that. So did I. Why then don't we follow the rule?"
Would you care to unpack a bit what you mean by "intensity" Is that also "intent" I ask because in Even Easier Strength, one would sense that effort - not feeling it - not being challenged by load - is a pretty important part of that protocol so how think about intensity?
And on that note
We close today's episode with Dan. Next time, we pick up focusing on women's strength: building equivalence of that sought after 125Kg pull with just kettlebells, and looking in more detail at prepping for the Iron Maiden challenge. We'll wrap up with Dan's Intervention publishing plans. So please stay tuned.
Related Posts
I have been perplexed by what appear to be contrary maxims for adding strength: to lift heavy one must lift heavy: lift every other day; to gain strength one need only practice easy strength: lift every day.
And if you’re a gal, reading articles written largely about guys, are there differences to consider?
I asked Dan if he could help me unpack some of these seeming contradictions in training council, especially for women athletes. He said “sure: here” and sent me the draft of a forth coming book called “Intervention” - a collection of augmented essays including some of the links above - and invited questions. From reading all these pieces put together in one place it it’s a nice complement to the Intervention DVDs.
What's in this Two Parter Interview. What came out of this exchange turned into a lot of material, and so, we'll do this presentations in two parts. In part one (what you're reading now) we talk about the heuristics of evolving one’s strength practice relative to core moves as foundations.
In part 2, we get more specific and look at two worked examples for gals: achieving a baseline equivalent strength of a 125kg deadlift, and especially for the interested RKC women out there, prepping for the Iron Maiden Challenge - the pistol, press and pull up with a 24kg bell. Intriguingly if not surprisingly, the discussion wraps around Dan John’s blend of tuning where health meets fitness. We might DL 125k, but if we don’t floss regularly, well really, rude health or just rude? Intervention The Book is like that.
Intervention - the Approach for Strength (and health)
If you follow Dan’s work on t-nation and elsewhere, you’ll find in Intervention is dialing in – some very “getting back to the basics” posts like the two part-er on 40 things learned in 40 years. Perhaps the biggest take-away from the collection is the role of getting Dan’s five basics dialed in.
Again anyone following Dan will no doubt have this set off by heart:
- Push
- Pull
- Hinge
- Squat
- Loaded Carry
Intervention - the audience for strength
Dan John talks about intervention for fitness as a lifetime task. If one is talking with him about fitness, he may have famous quick fixes to tune athletic performance, but sometimes those quick fixes mean “oh yes, focus on the squat for two years.” Get ready for the long view.
Why this book now, Mr. John? What are some things you can point to that made you say "i have to do this or i can do this now"
Intervention? I have been writing it since the first day I noticed that I was making progress with less genetics (less puberty at the time, really). I can remember thinking that “these guys have been training with weights for two years, yet I am passing them by. Why?” Then, when I started having success as a coach, others would ask me why I didn’t have a “one size fits all template.” I thought I did! But, people could see that I pushed this here and that there. It was “obvious” to me in some ways. Of course, the big hit was when people…usually idiots…would ask me why I didn’t have grandma Clean and Jerk or whatever. “Well, she can you see, but…”You write
That big but lead to this work.
"I am also listening to a very important clue: is this a health or a fitness question. If it is “health,” I apologize almost right away because health, as Phil Maffetone explained, is the optimal interplay of the organs. If you choose not to wear a helmet and leap down a mountain side on a bet on some kind of high speed conveyance, I can only do so much. If you have a fitness goal, I perk right up."So you seem to suggest the coach - at least yourself - is the fitness guy - fit for purpose you say - rather than "health" guy. Why this line between fitness on the one hand and health on the other?
There is no line here. The two concepts in my definition, stolen from Maffetone, work in a unity. My health goal is obvious: to let my body have the tools to stay “optimal.” My current fitness goal is to walk without a limp, get my waistline to 36 inches (37.5 today) and find a sport I can compete in.Who then is your audience for this particular intervention?
For intervention, the audience is really anyone who is coming to the conclusion that they can do “better” physically. Certainly, fitness professionals can use it, too, but I am looking at this set of tools as a way people can see that by adding a little here, they can get there fitness goals without more, more, more of “this.”Intervention - the Term. Can we get into a bit more then about what you mean by “intervention”? In the book you mention the concept “intervention” then describe systemic education, then say an intervention begins with a mobility screen. And then mention "tools" to help an athlete cut through "clutter and junk" and focus on their "goals." But intervention also sounds like part of this process is a sanity check around health and fitness, and “fitness in particular” As you say you here “fitness goal” you perk right up - you can help there - but have a number of stories around health and wellbeing. And dental floss. Hence - what's intervention?
This book is for people who did NOT have me in the 9th Grade. You fought the good fight and you still want to make progress…so what do you do? Well, this book literally gives you the information about how I intervene.
Picking Programs From that foundation of why someone might want an intervention, and the basics that we'll touch on in a moment, how does one come into reading this book who has (perhaps like myself) been reading a lot of articles with a lot of great ideas about training, but that seem to cancel each other out? think about Get strong lifting every day two reps for five sets vs get strong or get hypertrophied by lifting three times a week (really liked the latest t-nation on hypertrophy)? how does one balance these approaches of when-ness.That’s why you need to use the toolkit. So, what is your goal? For me, Dan, you tell me: “World Champ, Discus.” Hell, yes…I’m here for you. If you tell me, “I want to lose “this”” and grab your butt,…not so much enthusiasm from me.
But, for many trainers, they make their living getting people to lose “this.” Now, once we deal with the goal, then I demand that we think “Health or Fitness.” That one second question puts me on a better track to help you. I can’t speak for everyone, but I have had people ask me about lifting as a diabetes cure. Hmmm. I think I can support your goals here, but that diabetes issue need medical care. Now, I KNOW I can help you…from my very bones…but let’s make sure you have your blood work done. From there, the tool kit fleshes itself out.
The truth is a funny thing. In Religious Studies, most of us HATE the idea that “there are many roads to the same truth.” It just doesn't hold up to rigorous study. As always, “what’s my point?” The problem with most trainees is that they tend to look at lifting as a flavor of the month. Actually, it should be “flavor of the day.” My best success is when I work with somebody who has literally slaved away at something for a long time. Then, I “tweak”it and within days I hear “Oh, you are a genius!”Ok if I’m hearing you aright, you’re saying that your program ideas are designed for folks who have been doing something and maybe hit a sticking point: here are some ideas of what you could do to break through – and of course having a coach with good eyes look at one to make a better “different thing to do” is likely faster than trying to do it on one’s own. Check.
True, of course, but there is more. I have little “genius” when I work with someone who leaps from thing to thing, idea to idea. There is no base…no foundation! So, when someone who needs solid foundational work goes on Pavel’s “Power to the People”program (deadlifts and presses) for a while, we find amazing transformations and I am a genius. Overtrained from ten years of too many hours in the gym? Aha! Two days a week is your ticket, my young friend!
So, you see, program changes illuminate the athlete if, and only if, there has been a foundation “missing” something or overdoing something else. A small change can do wonders. This, of course, is master coaching, if you will: it takes a bit of courage to nod your head and admit that continuing to go South is not going to get you to the North Pole.
Four Steps: Five Moves. In the book you pull in your work on your Four Steps – combinations for those five core movements. One example is a farmers walk with two kettlebells into double kb squats – non stop. Then you have your now famous bat wings and push ups as another combo. So why do anything else than such four step/five move combos if one is not specialising in a sport?
The Four Steps are training ideas. The pattern must be mastered. I can take an advanced athlete and make huge progress simply by making them do Farmer Walks. It is the most basic loaded carry. So, be careful here: don’t “assume” that there is magic in the Four Steps. Well, there is, of course. But, you have to really look at the athlete/person as you have them in front of you. I work with guys who “used to could” bench press a million pounds, but today can’t press 50. We need to get back to patterns here. Sorry.No apologies necessary. This is an exercise in sense-making and pre-coaching if you will so keen to hear the refinements. Could you give a few examples where you've seen that one change - getting that walk rock solid lead to gains elsewhere - with just that one tweak?
The Loaded Carry
embodied
It is what I make my living on: the throws. We put the Farmer Walk into our practice sessions for throwing. Instead of teaching or talking about big chest and “locked down,” I just have the athlete FW. Then, we pick up the implement and say “remember this?” and off they go. It can change, for the better, an athlete in seconds.You also talk about your "fave variation" being "really heavy for a great distance"...
I find this question funny in an odd way. As I tell people, like barefoot running, the Loaded Carries are self correcting. It literally can’t get too screwed up. I had one Strongman with the “inability” to lock out overhead, so I made him do Walks with 100 K locked out overhead. The first five steps were a lesson in the body finding an easier way to lock out! So, this “learning” always seems positive. Now, I know that some people with faster things like sleds to will discover ways to screw up, but that is why I hold them back from quick loaded work for a long time. So, pattern, pattern, pattern…then add speed.Speaking of Speed, you have the the Litvinov sprints in your text - where one sprints out from doing a lift and that your sense is that sprint post lift lets the athlete not think about the lift "too much" but you also focus strongly on quality of reps. That "forget" the lift; just do it and run does seem an advanced post pattern mastered move?
Litvinovs are not done until one masters the patterns, grinds, asymmetry issues and even ballistics on several moves. If you follow my advice, you would never let someone try Litvie work without a fairly good assessment period. From there, you need to end a satori state with the barbell and the ballistic. I can’t be coaching you on “elbows up” or whatever in the front squat, you have to be nailed down technically and focused on the attack.Got it. Patterns before Closer to Reality. Beyond patterns or perhaps as part of them, you also talk about intensity – both in the book and in your other writing. For instance, you write:
It is great for football and rugby and combat because of this. If in a collision sport, you get all caught up on your one on one fight and forget the ball carrier, you are worthless.
"again, the most obvious lesson of my coaching life has been reinforced: the more intense you can train, the better. Yep, you knew that. So did I. Why then don't we follow the rule?"
Would you care to unpack a bit what you mean by "intensity" Is that also "intent" I ask because in Even Easier Strength, one would sense that effort - not feeling it - not being challenged by load - is a pretty important part of that protocol so how think about intensity?
I use intensity in the classic sense, percentage of max. But, there is the rub. What is your max? In “Never Let Go,” my favorite chapter might be the one on all the max terms and how we tend to never use the word correctly. Paul Northway, for example, once pointed out that I was using 225 pounds for my first snatch warm up and 315 for my first warm up for the Jerk Off the Rack. I told him: “These are just warm ups.” So, years later, those would be my attempts on the platform! Same guy, different maxs!Time to talk active recovery perhaps? Moving towards a potentially more dynamic pattern, and programming with patterns, at the Pavel/Dan John workshop last year, we did a whole set on tumbling. You’ve written about the value of the cartwheel – just as a worked example how does this kind of work fit in with the Idea that is Four Steps? Active recovery between sets, or…
So, perception of max and perception of the load are huge points in the Easy Strength program. And, and this is tough, you actually have to do the Easy Strength program to understand it. It’s like dancing. You can talk and write about it, but it might help to actually do it. I was going to say “sex,” but, well, …
Don’t get too caught up in the Four Steps. It is just one way to get people to “condition” with basic patterns and grinds. Tumbling should be taught in its own place. I take two days a month with every athlete to go over fall training (protecting yourself in a fall), tumbling movements, handstands and the various lowest level floor moves. It is an amazing conditioner in all senses of the word. Moreover, it is fun. It makes the body do things on the edge, but in a safe place. Are headstands dangerous? Probably! But, if you find yourself in that position in life from a collision, I have given you a chance to survive it.I sense the blend of “health” and “fitness.” Interns in your world are?
My interns have told me year in and year out that the tumbling was the thing that tied everything together. I also throw a tumbling run into many of my training workouts, but this has to be something your facility can handle. So, Front Squat, Bench Press, Clean and Cartwheels is a great combo, but you have to have the space and mats to do it.
One last thing: I make a lifetime commitment to my athletes. When they are 80, the fall training they learned may save their life. And I mean that from my very heart…
Interns. Someone who comes out, internship, for a few months to learn how I coach. Non paying, lots of work, lots of homework…great career move!Patterns - the Concept And just so we’re all on the same page, mastering the patterns is something you’ve mentioned a lot. Can we clarify how you’re understanding patterns? when you say master, do you mean you.ve hit your benchmarks that you provide in the book of particular loads/reps in these movements?
“Patterns” is a word I got from Brett Jones. It is the basic movement…done correctly and pain free. Your follow up question is the one that I get the most confusion from my people: it depends is the exact right answer! Maybe someday I will take the time to chart out age, gender, background, injuries and goals, but the idea of mastery is simply this: get the movement right without pain. Load and reps will be decided but what you need to do from there and, yes, I know that isn’t what people want as an answer!
We close today's episode with Dan. Next time, we pick up focusing on women's strength: building equivalence of that sought after 125Kg pull with just kettlebells, and looking in more detail at prepping for the Iron Maiden challenge. We'll wrap up with Dan's Intervention publishing plans. So please stay tuned.
Related Posts
- That first interview with Dan John: Pressing Matters
- An overview of the shoulder, Part 1
- An overview of muscle action in the Pistol/ottoman squat
- Pull ups 101
- Bodyweight work with Dennis Frisch
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Monday, September 12, 2011
Claire Booth: Sane And Healthy Bodybuilding (and Strength)
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Claire Booth likes to lift heavy stuff; Claire Booth likes body building. Claire Booth also really cares about training folks to be sure they are able to train effectively, achieve their goals and not hurt themsleves. What's uncommon and intriguing about Claire's approach to BB and fitness training is that it's healthy all year long.
IF you've been around the BB culture at all, you may recognize the terms bulking and cutting - especially cutting to get ripped for competition; folks going into starvation and dehydration for long periods to be contest fit. Feeling like crap most of the time. Ironic to think of all these beautiful looking bodies feeling and functioning at crap levels most of the time, eh? So that's what i'd like to unpack a bit with Claire today - her sane approach to a gal's journey in putting on mass, shaping same, being strong and doing the happy dance.
By way of bone fides, though, let's get some of Claire's stats. Ok Claire, let's role. Tell us about your high start BB career:
Thinking about BB Competition?
There are going to be folks reading this, thinking about getting into bodybuilding or figure. What would your three top tips be for them?
Is there anything else you'd like to touch on?
Claire Booth's and Roger McCarthy's gym,
Bodyology,
is located just outside of London in Bracknel, easy to reach by car or train.
They occaisionally run stunning workshops, too.
And as noted they'll be hosting the Oct 29 HKC
(if you're in the UK and want DD bells on site or before: Kettlebell Fever's your destination)
And you can also find Bodyology on facebook.
If you'd like to get some coaching or training with Claire on your BB plans, please give bodyology a shout.
Related Posts: b2d interviews with some other strong, dynamic folks:
By way of bone fides, though, let's get some of Claire's stats. Ok Claire, let's role. Tell us about your high start BB career:
I have competed for several federations, including English Physique Federation, Welsh Physique Federation, NABBA, WABBA, AIC, EFBB (now UKBFF)ANB (Assc of Natural BodyBuilding). I have won 20 competitions in total. Including National titles. I started competing in the late 1990's I got invited to the World Champs (after winning the Welsh WPF Champs and the English EPF Champs) and placed 5th and 2 years later placed 3rd, I stopped competing in 2003 and decided in 2007 I would go back and won the Stars of Tomorrow, I then competed 2010 and got 3rd at the Kent show, I was not happy I knew I could do better, I was holding a lot of fluid on my hamstrings, adjusted my prep and went back 3 weeks later and it was unanimous that I won the West Midlands. I was pleased that I decided to go back and see if I could do better, it is always a great feeling that all the judges agreed that I was the clear winner. I have decided to not compete this year I couldn't get the focus and I am just enjoying training without the pressure of a competiton!
2010 unanimous midlands win
But before we get into that, let's set the context a little: if I may ask - you were telling me a bit about your childhood and how you dealt with a number of physical issues - that was very inspiring. Do you care to share some of that with b2d ?
I was born with hip problems causing my feet, especially the left to be extremely inverted, so I struggled learning to walk. Apparently I was a very lazy baby and didn't crawl much which doesn't help with development. Also I had problems with my left eyesight which caused problems with catching balls, playing tennis, badminton etc. I still struggle if playing tennis indoors to focus on the ball, so needless to say I stayed away from racquet sports.If i may, having horses as a kid and through school sounds either rural farming or rather affluent - at least back home that's what the choices would be. What does that mean in the UK?
My mum encouraged me to take up ice-skating which helped considerably, it strengthened all the right areas, and I have no noticeable left foot inversion now. I even won a ice skating competition & it certainly built my legs and glutes. I then decided to quit ice-skating and got a pony. My mum taught me to ride as she had horses all her life, and I went to Pony Club Camp, competed in cross country. It gave me lots of confidence and I have been very lucky to have had such wonderful opportunities. I got a horse when I outgrew my pony and continued horse riding for a few years until I left school.
We lived in a small village, I think it is the same in the UK, most people who horses either live in a rural area or are from an affluent family. We were comfortable and I was lucky enough that we were able to have a horse and my Uncle had stables.
Perhaps you could say a bit about what are a couple things you can point to that you think lead you into physical culture? Has it always been working with weights?
I started to gain weight when I left school from lack physical activity. I always was in the hockey team, netball team, trampolining, cross country running, athletics as well as the ice skating & horses so was extremely active. When I went to college I stopped doing as much sport, but carried on eating the same volume of food, and by 20 could feel I was gaining a bit of weight. I wasn't huge - probably a size 12 - but I wasn't comfortable. I went to a gym at the local YMCA called 'Pumping Iron'; one of the guys was going to compete at a show and I went along to watch. I thought the women looked amazing and I was hooked. Six months later did my first comp and I won.
I love looking and feeling strong and I think muscles on women looks great and doesn't have to compromise our femininity. Admittedly some women have taken it to an extreme. I have always preferred weight training to cardio, and find I get results fairly quickly whenever I change my training. I have decided I wanted to gain a bit more muscle and in 3 weeks from training heavier for shorter periods of time I already have filled out.
You moved from being a hair stylist to a trainer? - how did that happen? were you also running your own shop?
I had a mobile hairdressing business which was very successful, but wow, having to listen to some of the mundane conversations everyday and listening to people's problems etc. drove me nuts! It got to the point I was disliking my day job so much and enjoying doing security work at a night club a lot more. I had started studying for my personal training and nutrition exams, thinking of changing careers once I had passed my exams. I chose PT as I loved fitness and was doing well in bodybuilding competitions and thought, why not earn a living on the back of my hobby?That's incredible. So i have to ask: hair dressing AND security? That's an intriguing blend.
It wasn't an easy thing to give up, having a good business that I earned a very good living at, but when you are not wanting to get out of bed to go to work in the morning, it is time to make that change! And I have absolutely no regrets. I love people getting results, from being pain & injury free, to feeling, looking and performing better. I had a client this week say to me "thank you so much for your help and advice, I feel so much better, I have energy and my blood sugars have been stable for the first time in years!". That is what makes my job so great and makes me so happy making a positive difference to people.
Hairdressing was just something to do, it wouldn't have been my first choice, but I couldn't get into the Police force because of my eyesight, so it was a stop gap until I decided what I really wanted to do.Professional Chops Ok i sense a lot of great stories there. And start to see the connection more with your transition to personal training and your own BB work. Let's look a little at what you did to get into the trainer space. You've done a number of certifications - what were you looking for in doing the ones you've done?
I got into working on the doors of night clubs, purely by accident, there was an incident where I was attacked outside a night club and I basically came off better, (the nicest way I could word it!;-) ) and I got offered a job I always preferred to talk people down from a situation but this isn't always possible. I love people watching and getting paid to do it was a bonus, if you watch people and see the warning signs you could prevent a fight before it started, peoples body language lets you know when trouble is going to start .
I worked for a security company and then got promoted to run the doors when the head doormen left. I had a fantastic team of doormen to work with, and still keep in contact with most of them even though I left the area 7 years ago. In 4 years of door work and plenty of altercations I never got an injury. I enjoyed my time working nightclubs, but would never go back to it.
I found many certifications very disappointing, the poor attention to detail & the fact that anyone passes no matter how bad they are. I have studied Pilates, GS kettlebells, lots of PT courses, and the RKC and many more. I have even forgotten a lot I have done! Out of all the courses, I absolutely loved the RKC, especially the level 1; it was such a kick-ass course, it made you work but also they failed people that were not up to scratch.Thank you for your kind words including b2d. Could you point to a few things about those particular blogs you mentioned that make them blogs you come back to? i'm sure dave and kj will be pleased to have been included, too.
I don't think it matters how many qualifications you have, you can look good on paper but that doesn't necessarily make you a good trainer. I think you have to go out there and read and practise on yourself and nothing will teach you more than working with people. Obviously you need to have learned the basics so people are safe, but you can sit in a park and analyse people and watch how they move. There is so much good info out there and some brilliant trainers that have blogs etc., Steve Maxwell, of course b2d, Phil Learney, Dave Whitley, Kenneth Jay to name a few.
The blogs and people that I have referred to are people that have been there, done it and are successful people in sport without the big ego's that so many others have. They talk the talk and walk the walk and have years of knowledge and wisdom to offer.You do a lot of kettlebell instruction: what was the attraction to kb's - and how does that fit in with the more traditional barbell work in your gym?
A large percentage of people that come to us are desk workers who want to do the usual: tone up (I hate that phrase!!) and lose weight. The results that we get with kettlebells are much quicker than with barbells, mainly just because most people learn it much faster and can get straight into the cardiovascular side. The kettlebell lends itself to strength endurance but I do not exclusively use them; I train people on cables, barbells, dumbbells, ropes and just bodyweight, depending on the needs and goals.
A few years ago you and Roger opened Bodyology - that's a big move to start your own shop. What inspired the move and how's it going?
Training for BB (with KB's)It was something we both wanted to do. I had worked for myself for years and run a team of doormen for 2 years and wanted to have our own business so we could run it they way we wanted to get results. In a commercial gym it is all about the money and sales targets, which I disliked. So again, it had reached the point 'if you don't like something change it!'. Luckily, all our clients from the previous gym came with us. The business is going really, really well, especially considering we started in a recession. Most of our new clients are via word of mouth, but we do have referrals from two GPs and an osteopath which helps too. When you get results with people and provide a excellent and professional service from the time your client walks in the door, you don't need sales gimmicks, the clients are your marketing tool.
With that context let's talk about bodybuilding, and the tools you use to build your body.
I use mainly kettlebells, barbells, dumbbells and bodyweight, depending on where I am in my training. For instance, I have started practising my pistol squats again, and wow, my quads are smoked afterwards and you don't need many reps! Throw in a few front kb squats, butt to the heels, leg workout done! That is what I like: short, sharp, intense, otherwise I get bored. 30 minutes for me is a max; too long and my mind starts to wander!
KETTLEBELLS I prefer kettlebells for shoulder pressing (kinder to the joints) and will use military presses, jerks, bottom-up presses just to vary it. I found pre contest using VWC snatches was an awesome way to strip body fat (b2d review of VWC here)
Since using kettlebells I have absolutely no joint pain. Before I became a qualified PT and was bodybuilding, my back, knees, hips, elbows, wrists all hurt at some point,.I dread to think what state I would be in if I hadn't changed my approach.
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| RKC II Claire Booth demonstrating shoulder work with Andre du Cane at the UK's first HKC, June 2010. Claire's gym, Bodyology, is hosting the HKC Oct 29 |
Self Aware My approach to training is very instinctive I go in with the intention of doing one thing but if I get
there and it doesn't feel right I change it. I know how my body feels and I hate having a program written in black and white that has to be followed. I know what my body wants and is capable of doing that day, and that is how I work. I run 3-4 times a week, but if it doesn't feel right I may run once.
INJURIES I have trained for 20 years and have no injuries so I must be doing something right. Most BBs I know all have underlying injuries, especially lower back, knees and shoulders. You only have to look along a line-up on stage and most cannot get their arms extended over head, postures are screwed up. But BBs usually train to failure & I never do. Most BBs will train bench press when it is chest night, it is chest night, even if their shoulders, elbows wrist are screaming, 'No!'. They do not listen to what their body is telling them, they will train through pain and very rarely get somebody to check them out. (I won't even get started on the Smith machines, pec-decks etc.! Lol
You are also a strength athlete and as some have argued bb is sometimes more endurance than power strength - how does your training change when your focus shifts from strength to bb?
I tend to train mainly for strength. I no longer train like a BB. I have enough muscle for what I want to do, and I enjoy being functional. I do not class Body Fitness as bodybuilding which I am sure will annoy a few people. Body Fitness is about a pleasing shape, athletic without too much bulk, so why train like a bodybuilder?Example Cycle
Can you take us through your cycle of when you decide it's time to start prepping for a contest - what you focus on in terms of your workouts - and how you work the timing of these phases?
16 weeks out is usually when I start prepping. Better to be ready too early, you can alwaysback off a bit if needs be. I don't really change my weights session much, though I will introduce more cardio/endurance. As I mentioned I loved the VWC snatches for this, as Body Fitness requires muscle but not too much and requires you to be lean but feminine. The timing of my training phases depends on what I am looking like - how I dieted in 2007 and 2008 was different to how I dieted last year. I started the same, but changed as my body was responding differently. Nothing is set in stone!
I plan on competing next year in a new category called Galaxy Universe and this is fitness drills (pull ups, box jumps, sprints, and many more), but then there is also a bikini round, which will be great. You have to be fit and functional, not just look it!
Would you give us an example - say you're thinking about the glutes and thighs - what will you focus on in terms of lifts and how to get these muscles to a place where you're happy?
This is where KB's are awesome! It is the best my hams have ever been since I started using KB's. On the side pose I was the only girl with a good shape on the hams! I use deadlifts throughout the year, front squats, pistols, lunges. And as I put more CV in pre-contest, the swing and snatches are giving the glutes, and hams a good blast with fat burn thrown in. Awesome! The squats and lunges will take care of the quads, and occasionally I may do some hill sprint work too.
Just to get into this example a bit more - say for your legs or upper body, if you blend barbells, kb's and db's - what would a session look like?
I would do a few light high rep dead lifts and then 2-4 working sets, depending on how I feel, then followed by front squats 1 light set 2-3 working sets, depending on how I feel, and maybe add in some lunges or pistols depending on how the legs are feeling.Have you had areas you're trying to shape that are particular challenges? What do you do?
Always want to improve everywhere, but I think my quads are lacking, so deep front squats and pistols need to be the focus! I love that ache from these!
Posing. Makes just about too much sense, Claire: not up to where you want, work them. Speaking of work, i've seen folks write about how demanding posing is - where does this skill fit into your practice schedule?
I would practice most days the month before the show, and I love doing a routine to music too. When you are dehydrated, carb-depleted & stood under stage lights, holding poses is an absolute killer! I was disappointed last year when they decided to stop the Body Fitness girls doing routines and poses! All they wanted was quarter turns, but at least for my show in August I got to do the routine and the poses before they changed their minds later on in the year.Nutrition
With respect to nutrition, you say you're eating differently now than a few years ago, but does your eating change and some point in these cycles? How do you adjust?
My diet is always clean in the week, I just relax at the weekends, but coming up to contest I only relax for 1 meal at the weekend, and that stops about 3-4 weeks out, again depending on what I look like. I eat 5-6 meals, which all include protein, carbs and fats. The diet doesn't bother me. Don't get me wrong, it is hard, but it annoys me when people whinge and moan about it. They have a really bad attitude and can be quite aggressive. My take is "you choose to do this, grow up, get real, and don't take it out on everyone else".
What do you find are a few of the biggest challenges in these months of prep?
I try not to let it effect my lifestyle too much. Life is too short to hide away for 16-20 weeks pre-contest, as so many do. If I have an evening out planned then I go. Most restaurants will cater to any requests and I can judge roughly the portion size and Roger will always finish what I don't eat! I don't like make my friends feeling that they cannot eat sweets etc. in front of me, so I still keep my social life.
I think the hardest thing is the lack of energy. Some days it can be tough, but I just tell myself the girl who is going to kick your butt on stage is out there training and getting on with it. Feeling sorry for yourself does not win trophies - positive attitude and hard work does!
Some folks get quite into bf% tracking - do you know what your bf% is at a contest, or sounds like, do you just trust the mirror?
I tend to go by the mirror, I only use the scales as a guide. It doesn't matter what the numbers are it is what the mirro tells you.I take it it's the same outside of comp: no idea on the actual number...
Haven't a clue, as long as my clothes fit I don't get hung up on it. If my jeans are getting tight then time to cut back a little
Wow, that is just too advanced thinking for me. Awesome. As said your philosophy seems more real food oriented: how would you say that contrasts with some of the other folks who are doing competition?
I like to vary my food sources more, rather than just the chicken for protein and rice for carbs. I prefer to eat my calories than use a lot of supplements and I no longer use vitamins, minerals or other supplements. Interestingly it has made absolutely no difference to my performance, diet or energy levels. Goes to show that all the supplement industry, especially the side marketed towards BB is just hype!
There is no conclusive evidence that these supplements will build muscle any better than real food. Most of the research data is usually carried out by or funded by the supplement companies. They spend absolutely huge amounts on marketing, so what does that tell us??!! Sorry gone off on one! [Totally fine, Claire - mc]
Go into most BB's houses, especially pre contest, and there will be all sorts of weird and wonderful products, and before they can get out the front door they will have taken so many powders, tablets and liquids.
I suggest for the sceptics who think they have to take this powder or that tablet to go on Scott Abel's website. He has got numerous BBs ready for competitions, people ready for photoshoots for endorsing supplements and, you know what, he never used any of the products these people were endorsing. And worse of all, people like Jay Cutler, Ronnie Coleman etc. endorsing products, really??? They are not telling you how much HGH, testosterone etc. they are using! The supplement industry is a multi billion dollar industry and exploit people's insecurities and ignorance.
That's part of the gross side of the indusrty. On the more personal side, what are a couple things that satisfy you about competing?
That it is all down to me, nobody else. That was the part I didn't like about team sports, if there was a weak link or somebody not putting in 100% it really frustrated me. With BB comps it is the whole discipline and lifestyle that I enjoy and as the comp draws nearer you can see the changes in body composition almost daily. I always want to look better than the last time which is always what drives me, and the most satisfying thing is of course winning!
Do you see BB as a sport or something else?
More as a science: the muscle building, the fat stripping, the diet, the electrolytes, the water depletion, on the day before the contest you can really stuff up your condition. And it is knowing what works for you, everyone is an individual.Science and Chemistry
Science - that' really interesting. Had not thought of it that way before. Science. SO considering the chemistry side of this science, plainly you've seen a lot of drug/steroid use in the gyms you've worked in and in competition: what are your thoughts on drug use to enhance performance in BB?
It is a personal choice and as with any drug there is use and abuse. It goes on in most sports, it is just that BB is more honest and open about it. If there is money to be made in sport people will always be looking for that extra edge. I don;t have a problem with people using as long as they are not going into drug-free comps. But my issue is with the 'steroid guru' in any gym telling young, ignorant people what to use. Most people get their advice from the person who is selling!!! In the age of the internet there is much better advice out there, and remember: your health is not the dealer's biggest concern.
Let's take a moment here. You don't mind if folks use drugs - that's interesting - why is that ok?
I think the most abused drugs are cigarettes and alcohol and this is seen to be ok and costs the NHS billions as does obesity, the danger of steroids are blown out of proportion by the media, like the 'roid rage etc and the liver and kidneys failing, if this was true then every BB gym in the country would be full of people kicking off every night or all on kidney dialysis. I know there are people abusing steroids, as there are people abusing prescription meds, if it is done sensibly and the person taking them is making informed choices then that is up to them. ( And that doesn't mean listening to the local gym dealer!) Who am I to say it is wrong? People like to judge, but cynical as it sounds I think drugs are part of most sports, (just my opinion and I am sure not everyone will agree, but when money and endorsements are involved people will always want that extra edge, it is human nature) as I said before BB tend to be more up front about it. Just look at the Tour de France and how many cyclists have been caught for drugs. If people are entering drugs tested shows, then no, they should not take steroids.
I knew a guy when I lived up North, who I will not name, he competed in drugs tested shows, there was no way he was drug free, it really annoyed me that he thought myself and others were stupid, he was winning lots of shows and he looked amazing, but he got caught when his test was positive! I am so glad he got caught and it was written up in the magazines and he was stripped of his titles! I hope he was ashamed of himself, he should have competed in non-drug tested shows, because all that he did win was through cheating, unfortunately a lot still do cheat, shame on them! Go compete on an even footing!
Just to say I do not condone the use of drugs, I think it is a very personal choice and it is not something I would recommend.
That's a very cool, reasoned reply, Claire. Thanks for putting that into the mix.
So lets go to another hot button topic in BB for women: breast implants. What's your thinking on this prosthetic?
Again, very balanced reply Claire, thanks.So lets go to another hot button topic in BB for women: breast implants. What's your thinking on this prosthetic?
I think it is a personal choice, one that I would avoid, I think putting your body through any unnecessary procedure is worrying and for the sake of a worthless trophy. It was something that I thought about, but never went into, I have seen some horrendous implants and when the body fat is low they look shocking, they are not aesthetically pleasing at all, plus if I guy had pec implants he would be disqualified, so why should it be any different for the girls??? It is a BB show, not how good is your cosmetic surgeon!
It doesn't bother me if the girls that I am on stage with have them, I was at the WPF world champs in Italy and in a line up of 25 girls I was the only girls that didn't have implants and I still placed 5th.
If ladies choose to have them done then I think they need to ask themselves why they want them: is it just to look good on stage? Make sure that they are proportionate to their physique, too big can massively affect the balance and symmetry of the physique and also cause back problems in the thoracic area from the weight, the same issues that larger breasted girls can get and they can alter the posture. Preferably have them under the muscle as this looks better when dieted down, and remember after 10 years they need taking out and new ones put in! And don't go to the cheapest surgeon! Check them out and can you realistically afford them? So many girls get them on credit!:-/
Think long and hard before you get them, going under anaesthetic unnecessarily is not something to take lightly
Thinking about BB Competition?
There are going to be folks reading this, thinking about getting into bodybuilding or figure. What would your three top tips be for them?
(1) Manage your expectations. Get somebody to be totally honest with you, have you got the genetics for a figure girl: wide clavicles, narrow hips, and high glutes?
You cannot change these, this is the base you have to start from. It doesn't matter how hard you train, if genetically you haven't got a good starting point you will always struggle. Sure, you can make improvements, & with the last girl I trained for a figure show I was honest and told her 'your shape isn't what they are looking for & you need more muscle', but she wanted to go ahead. In that particular federation she had always placed last, then I trained her and she placed 3rd which was a huge improvement, but the girls that beat her just had a genetically more pleasing shape.
(2) Are you prepared to take it on as a long term project?
Rome wasn't built in a day, and even if you put in the hard work needed for the diet & getting out of bed early morning to train when your energy is low, most girls probably need at least 2 years to put enough muscle on.
(3) Can you take criticism?
You are getting on stage wearing next to nothing for people to stare and criticise and sometimes it isn't what you want to hear! It is harsh, it is years of work to stand on stage for maybe 10 minutes and sometimes the judging won't go your way. I've seen some very 'political' decisions, from local contests to world championships! If you aren't strong enough to take rejection or you are just seeking adulation, don't bother.
Is there anything else you'd like to touch on?
Health & fitness is a very wide spectrum & competitive bodybuilding is one extreme. There are plenty of other points along the way, so if you don't have the resources, time or desire to go as far as competing, just enjoy finding the right level of training & nutrition that's healthiest for you.Thank you, Claire. Inspiring (and thanks Roger McCarthy for the photos of Claire)
Claire Booth's and Roger McCarthy's gym,
Bodyology,
is located just outside of London in Bracknel, easy to reach by car or train.
They occaisionally run stunning workshops, too.
And as noted they'll be hosting the Oct 29 HKC
(if you're in the UK and want DD bells on site or before: Kettlebell Fever's your destination)
And you can also find Bodyology on facebook.
If you'd like to get some coaching or training with Claire on your BB plans, please give bodyology a shout.
Related Posts: b2d interviews with some other strong, dynamic folks:
- Asha Wagner - women's beast tamer
- Ken Froese - double pressing beasts for spite - and triples.
- Michael Castrogiovanni - strong guy and kb juggler
- Dan John - well you know - he's Dan John - talking about Presses
Saturday, September 3, 2011
Andrea Du Cane's Kettlebell Boomers: kb program to get stronger, fitter, more mobile at any age
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Somewhere in the late 90s i saw results of an early study out of McMaster that showed that men in their 70's and 80's who started training with weights were building muscle. A slightly later study (from 2000) showed that men in their 70s who did a 12 week progressive resistance training program and then followed up with a 1 day a week maintenance program for 6months presevered all the gains they'd made. Since then there's been an ongoing stream of research into the effects of resistance training on variously aged populations.
Adaptation for Strength and Leanness at Any Age. The results reflect the same thing: Humans are always adapting and most especially, it's never to late to start a fitness program. Some particularly recent work with "middle aged women" showed that it doesn't matter whehter that workout is 3 or 4 times a week, it's total volume (shown previously in 2007) at least in untrained athletes, which has an undeniable signficant effect on lean mass building and strength (2011 work). The effects of resistance training for a variety of factors too is just as good for older populations as for younger. For women, maintaining bone mineral density is of course one of the best known, but maintaining muscle density or enhancing it is a pretty big one, too.
With the fact that the population is aging, and that resistance training is such a Good Idea for so many reasons, you'd think the entire fitness market would turn its attention to this population. In all the pantheon of fitness DVDs how do we see that are targetted at the less active or the post-hip age group de jour? And of these what actually use dynamic work with serious load?
Andrea Du Cane, Master RKC and author of the Kettlebell Goddess DVD has started to bridge this gap with a new DVD called the Kettlebell Boomer, targetted for this massive Baby Boomer population (b2d interview with Andrea here). The goal? Show a variety of athletes in this age range with various issues still working out. Present paths for anyone to get into safe effective movement and resistance using a kettlebell.
As Du Cane says about the Kettlebell Boomer DVD:
The Content of Kettlebell Boomers
The pointy end of the DVD is its two main workouts - a strength workout and an endurance workout - but it's assets are the pre and post elements around these workouts.
A preliminary discussion presented by Du Cane previews what's in the dvd, goes over the benefits of using kb's, but also stresses safety first and how to use the demonstrations of technique for all the exercises. I found this fascinating; the preview target audience to whom i showed this video found this part of the vid "a bit long" but appreciated that it was important.
Prepatory Drills And so each movement from deadlift to press that is used in the workouts is presented before the workouts for progressions to achieve proper form. Common errors are addressed along with corrective drills to improve position.
These sections will look very familiar to folks who have done an RKC or HKC certification: the same basic concepts apply at any age. As Du Cane says of these movement choices:
Versions More than just the correctives, Du Cane presents four versions of each movement mapped to athlete strength and mobility.
Herein lies another clever way of presenting the material. There are four athletes, two men and two women, the youngest of whom is 58. One of the athletes has likewise had a hip replacement. It's not uncommon for videos to show variants of moves for different strengths, but the thougthful part of this DVD is that it takes into account different common limitations in this group like hip replacements, and shows how movement and strength training are still vital for continuing health. There really is a version in here for everyone.
The actual work sets have two compelemtary movements performed for timed sets. Dynamic movements like swings are blended into isometric work like planks. Each set always demonstraits the variant for current strength/ability from using different height blocks, to chairs for support.
An advantage of these four variants is that as one moves from one range/ability level in a movement say, unweighted squats, the next level up, such as squat with weight to a chair, is available. By the time the athlete has done with the most challenging level, they're ready to move on to any other program they wish. Perhaps Kettlebell Goddess or Enter the Kettlebell.
Athletes
A key feature of the video is that we get to hear some of the stories of the athletes in the video, and what's drawn them from various backgrounds to using kettlebells. The interviews are surprising, compelling, delightful and interesting.
These are real people doing real work for real reasons who have lived real lives. Cool. For me, this feature alone makes the DVD worth the price of admission.
All in all the preview audience who went through and tried out the video thought it was good - with only one exception.
The general feedback was that the special section on the turkish get up would have been better if if had shown the movement done by Du Cane first rather than by someone just learning and being coached through the movement.
In response to this question, Du Cane says:
Recommendation
IF you or someone you know has been pretty sedentary - whether younger or older - and wants to find a SAFE path into dynamic resistance training, beyond seeing a qualified coach to tune that performance, the Kettlebell Boomer DVD is a thorough presentation and easy follow along program.
If you're in the UK - reminder - you can order direct from Kettlebell Fever.
Related
 |
| 2011: 91 Charles Eugster started Body Building at 87 |
With the fact that the population is aging, and that resistance training is such a Good Idea for so many reasons, you'd think the entire fitness market would turn its attention to this population. In all the pantheon of fitness DVDs how do we see that are targetted at the less active or the post-hip age group de jour? And of these what actually use dynamic work with serious load?
Andrea Du Cane, Master RKC and author of the Kettlebell Goddess DVD has started to bridge this gap with a new DVD called the Kettlebell Boomer, targetted for this massive Baby Boomer population (b2d interview with Andrea here). The goal? Show a variety of athletes in this age range with various issues still working out. Present paths for anyone to get into safe effective movement and resistance using a kettlebell.
As Du Cane says about the Kettlebell Boomer DVD:
The truth is this is not a DVD just for Boomers, this DVD is really for anyone who needs a slow, safe, progressive introduction into kettlebell training. The workouts allow people to follow each exercise at their true level. They may have a bum shoulder and healthy knees and hips or the reverse. This allows them to always follow the level that is safe and appropriate for them. And when they get stronger and more mobile they can move up to the next level without buying a new DVD.
The Content of Kettlebell Boomers
The pointy end of the DVD is its two main workouts - a strength workout and an endurance workout - but it's assets are the pre and post elements around these workouts.
 |
| Openning overview / preview of the DVD by Du Cane |
A preliminary discussion presented by Du Cane previews what's in the dvd, goes over the benefits of using kb's, but also stresses safety first and how to use the demonstrations of technique for all the exercises. I found this fascinating; the preview target audience to whom i showed this video found this part of the vid "a bit long" but appreciated that it was important.
Prepatory Drills And so each movement from deadlift to press that is used in the workouts is presented before the workouts for progressions to achieve proper form. Common errors are addressed along with corrective drills to improve position.These sections will look very familiar to folks who have done an RKC or HKC certification: the same basic concepts apply at any age. As Du Cane says of these movement choices:
I just followed the basic movement pattern of the RKC and added a few extras. The foundational exercises are important for all ages of athletes and level of experience.
Versions More than just the correctives, Du Cane presents four versions of each movement mapped to athlete strength and mobility.
 |
| Multiple Versions of each position in the warm up shown |
Herein lies another clever way of presenting the material. There are four athletes, two men and two women, the youngest of whom is 58. One of the athletes has likewise had a hip replacement. It's not uncommon for videos to show variants of moves for different strengths, but the thougthful part of this DVD is that it takes into account different common limitations in this group like hip replacements, and shows how movement and strength training are still vital for continuing health. There really is a version in here for everyone.
The actual work sets have two compelemtary movements performed for timed sets. Dynamic movements like swings are blended into isometric work like planks. Each set always demonstraits the variant for current strength/ability from using different height blocks, to chairs for support.
Timed sets, with variants for moves from box height for bell to range of motion to load demonstrated
Athletes
A key feature of the video is that we get to hear some of the stories of the athletes in the video, and what's drawn them from various backgrounds to using kettlebells. The interviews are surprising, compelling, delightful and interesting.
These are real people doing real work for real reasons who have lived real lives. Cool. For me, this feature alone makes the DVD worth the price of admission.
 |
| Get Up special section |
The general feedback was that the special section on the turkish get up would have been better if if had shown the movement done by Du Cane first rather than by someone just learning and being coached through the movement.
In response to this question, Du Cane says:
Honestly, it doesn't bother me. They have me doing the full getup [after the presentation with the learner]. Coaching someone not perfect is actually a very good way to learn. Most people will do the same mistakes as the athlete, so they can learn from my coaching and then also watch me do it right. The shoot was really like the real world, and I was going for reality.Andrea Du Cane has been working with older athletes for years now - indeed in the Hardstyle community she has a reputation for developing programs for what are often known as "special populations" Hence this video:
I...have for the last couple of years about training people's parents/grandparents. I have a lot of older clients and it was time to address a vibrant, growing population. ..I have a lot of older clients and have a certain "knack" and compassion for working with them. I see how kettlebell training can really impact their lives. Lastly, I have watched my In-laws reaching 90 yrs old and realize what kettlebell training could have done for them...Much of what is on the DVD are exercises I use when working with older or de-conditioned clients.
Of course there are a few things I have changed because it is a stand alone DVD and I'm not there coaching them...Using 4 athlete's doing the "same" exercise with different modifications and using "real" people as the athlete's with all their imperfections makes it real and approachable for the audience. I don't think I'd change a thing.If you're interested in working with Andrea, various opportunities are on the horizon:
Well right now I'm finishing up a manual for my two day Ageless Body workshop. Much of it is based on the DVD and book, but I am adding a few extras that I couldn't put in the DVD. I will also have sections on diet, nutrition, supplements and programming.As a Master RKC, Andrea can also be foud leading many HKC certs and co-leading RKC and RKC II certifications. She'll be at the first UK RKC in Belfast this October, 7-9 (oh ya, and dan john will be at that one, too b2d interview with dan, here)
Then I have a very detailed Windmill technique DVD [coming out].
Recommendation
If you're in the UK - reminder - you can order direct from Kettlebell Fever. Related
- b2d Kettlebell Article Index
- The Perfect Rep Quest
- About the HKC
- Franz Shnideman's Beautiful Swing (tutorial tips)
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
On the Path to Lean - what does that mean? Reflecting half way there on whyfore and whatfor
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Getting Lean. It's what i'm focused on now, and building strength on top of that. Sounds so clear and strong a resolution. But this focus began to emerge, only half baked, end of april, once the shoulders i'd been rehabbing started to feel almost usable again, and i did my first round of bioletics blood work back. I'd been working out with the ineffably named War Machine for a near month on the road (a life saver that thing in a hotel room); i was feeling stronger than i had in awhile - and I decided i wanted to explore lean. What does that mean? going from 19-20% bf to maybe 14-12% ish - not sure, but i'll know when i get there. But why am i trying, and why talk about it mid way in? That's what this post is about. I hope.
I am interested in the relationship to be found between leanness and strength. Leanness and potentially muscle. I just saw a very lean illegidly 114 pound gal deadlift 335lbs.
I heard the other day about a gal, Valerie Hedlund, at 125lbs and 5 foot 4 doing the women's "beast challenge" (discussed here with fellow women's beast tamer, Asha Wagner).
So, one can be small(er than me, it seems) and strong(er than me). Can i? What is that process like?
I'd like to share some of my process so far on this path. I feel like i'm at a half way point, so a good time to check in for later reflection.
Goals, Focus, Decision. One of the things i've come to in this process is made a descision about my strength practice vs my nutrition practice: hitting my lean target is my priority; strength goal is secondary to that. If i hit my lean target and i simply cannot get my strength target from there, well that's information, and i'll go from there. But i have no idea if that is possible or not to put the two together. So i'm not gonna prejudge that: let's go there and find out.
Fuzzy Start. Getting to that decision was not obvious initially, so i'm gonna come back to this fridgid clarity of purpose. But no, in fact the process of getting clear on process / reality of practice, was not even on the horizon. When i got my blood work results back and had my first conversation with the bioletics folks about my results and my goals, all i knew is that i wanted to burn some fat: i was frustrated with where the scales just seemed stuck, especially as i'd been picking up my workouts again with my arms much more back in commission. They made some interesting suggestions about tuning my diet first and foremost to get some of my target levels into the zone i wanted, and second how doing so would likely let me get onto the path.
The Path The suggested changes to my diet felt a bid odd. A colleague of mine, Zach Salazar, right at this time recommended the Perfect Diet - which i read. My take? some really interesting reading, interesting notes on iodine and sellenium (that i'll come back to in a future post), but gosh, i just can't do the legumes are evil thing or that whole grains (i mean whole, particularly sprouted) grains are evil either. Nutrient timing, a la espoused in Precision Nutrition, i'm all for; cutting out starchy carbs or really reducing them when trying to lean out - all over that too. But evil?
What that book did foreground for me as well was the introduction to coconut oil and the invention (i'm calling it that ) of Fat Tea, discussed here. Did that help me lose weight? No. Which i'll come onto in a moment when we discuss "less"
Back on the Road and grooving some "eat...stop...eat). The second thing that happened post biotest was that i was back on the road. Usually this is a nightmare for good food. So i took it as an to explore fasting again. What i learned is that Brad Pilon is right: fasting once (he adds "or twice") a week can really kick up some fat burning goals.
Now as a gal i'll say timing one's fast not to collide with one's pre-period may be a good idea to avoid heavy metal headache death, but otherwise, good to go, and your mileage may vary.
Eating LESS. Happiness for me was getting back from several weeks of work travel and finding that i was a bit lighter than when i'd left. Hmm. This is when i clued in to a really really really basic principle but at a very applied level: eating less works, and i had to eat less.
I had kinda deluded myself into thinking swapping out some stuff for medium chain triglycerides and all sorts of fatty goodness would somehow take the place of - eating less. But no. Nothing really moved. If we're not losing weight; we're maintaining, we're consuming at a level place for energy expenditure to more or less equal energy intake. Bummer.
Bummer Bummer
Eating less works. So I refocused to going for less, deliberately, focusing on Precision Nutrition principles of especially starchy carbs ONLY post a REAL workout, and greens and protein and any feeding along with healthy fats and, other than that - less. Of everything. With the occasional period of not eating thrown in - sometimes half a day of stop; sometimes more. When i saw the weight line moving - finally and consistently if slowly - this is when i dialed in the focus: i want to explore lean - real, athletic lean.
Exploring Lean. It's important for me to note that it was only when i arrived back at a weight i'd been at a few years ago when i was prepping for the tactical strength challenge and felt really good in my body that i thought i'm here but this isn't it. This isn't *lean* in the way i'm thinking about it. I guess part of me has been saying: i've been here before; i have had a challenge holding here before, and i don't want that to be the case; instead, i want to keep going; i'm not done with this, this time, yet.
So, what i want to know is: what does it feel like to be leaner AND stronger. I won't say "but leaner first" - i will say, with lean as the priority. My hope/goal is to hit there sooner than later - in a few months - and still have more time to build up the strength in a leanness buffer zone.
What is lean? why is that important? You know there are many health benefits assigned to leanness, true, but one doesn't have to hit below the teens for a gal to have them. It looks nice to some, especially with some muscle to shape spaces, but one doesn't have to do that to look nice or be stronger. In fact some argue that leanness may challenge capacity for strength gains. But, as John Berardi has said when he talks about his bi-annual fat shredding, he talks about it as a discipline too, along with all the health benefits. I think that is part of my motivation now, too. I want to explore this not just as an end, but as a practice. A practice of getting there.
Strength Practice Right now, i'm also back into training Return of the Kettlebell and i know what i'd like to achieve - but originally i thought i'd have till next July to hit that goal; now the meet time is moved up to April - so we'll see what can be done between now and then on the strength side. To be clear, maintaining health is the uber-if-implicit priority. Everything else bows to that. All things being equal though, lean, with strength, get to lean, focus more on strength, with lean in maintenance mode.
Why Lean?
I remember clearly how much i weighed when i was running cross country in grad school. I feel like i'm in much better shape and actually stronger now than i was then - and also heavier. So i'm curious: what is possible at that leanocity in terms of strength, with steady deliberate practice? As a more experienced practitioner now than ever a few years ago, can my training be even better than it has been - while saner and healthier (no more hinky shoulder stuff; they're still not 100%).
Tools of Support to Dial in Lean
Isn't it amazing how something as simple as burning calories can be so effortful? Simple (eat less) but effortful. All the hormonal cues and hedonic practices signaling all over the place not to stop the fuel; to enjoy the tasty succulent goodness of it all - that this one little thing couldn't possibly make that much difference. Uh huh.
SO here's what i'm using to help me monitor progress and practice:
Withings Scale This scale is so cool in design but it's one particular function that makes it awesome: local wifi. That's right step on it and forget it. One's weight, bodyfat and bmi is hived off to the Withings server where it can be viewed as a set of points and the all important trend line over time: despite ups and downs, the trend is DOWN.
What really surprised me is that the bf% calculator (impedence) with its variety of algorithmns is pretty good - off a couple of percent compared with 7 point caliper testing (again, fully described in precision nutrition) - but good enough to see the trend.
There's work that's shown that folks who check their weight more frequently have better success at sticking with their weight loss goals than those who check less frequently. I need to find that reference for y'all...
Zeo. One of the biggest pieces of the workout/nutrition puzzle for me that's been coming into focus is just how critical recovery is. Sleep is also important for weight loss. Let me rephrase that: suffient number and completeness of sleep cycles is key. With the zeo, i can see at a glance the quality of the cycles i have had and can correlate that with what i ate and especially what i did (or didn't do) the day before. One big deal: like Zeo sleepologist Stephan Fabregas has made clear, caffeine can bugger up one's deep sleep. Since pulling back on any caffeine after five pm, sleep cycles have been better and less interupted. That's better for weight loss and muscle building. AND i can see this against the scale readings in terms of weight fluctuations.
Workout Log. For many folks keeping a workout log is a reflex. What i've started to note in mine is both my workout days AND my not workout days in terms of whether or not i'm feeling fresh or fatigued; whether it's raining (default in the uk) or not. Hell if it was easy to track atmospheric presure i would do that too. I'm curious: does that affect work/recovery? The tool i'm using is a very simple daily calendar ap on an ipad (called maxjournal - no affiliate connection)
FitBit and NEPA's. I've become very keen to see if "every little helps" when one is pushing the edge towards lean, so non-exercise physical activity - and time of movement is of interest to me. FitBit, as described in the "is 10k a magic bullet for steps" article makes it easy to track steps taken, intensity of steps in any period, and when these steps are taken. My question is: does sticking with the 8k steps min a day (the low end of the 8-11k prescription from that article) help make the differences to leanness or not as per Chris Shuggart's contention?
On another point: seeing the numbers on the fit bit through the course of the day i have noticed does give me a nudge to get my stepping on if it drops off.
I also find it a particularly soothing thing to have for my recovery days to show that i'm getting Active level movement in. It's a good device
Resting heart rate and grip. Two things i've only been monitoring casually are my resting heart rate and grip strength. Time to start logging these too i suppose. Resting heart rate is a long time indicator of imrproving cardiovascular well being. So a resting heart rate that goes down overall sounds like a good thing. If it's a-typically high, and it's a workout day, a good idea to switch to mobility practice that day. A more fine grained instrument is heart rate variability - and really i haven't been tracking that at all (wrote about it here for those interested).
Instead, i've been looking occasionally at grip strength at the start of the day: i know how close i am to jamming a gripper shut: ancient russian sports science says if you're grips worse on a given day, do something else than heavy stuff (auto-regulation). Even clearer: if there's a gripper i can close pretty regularly and then can't that day? definitely a day needing some more recovery. Walk, bike, throw frisbee, do mobility. Read a book.
Data Integration
Outputs from many of these tools are being integrated by others. Our lab is looking at things like what's the best way to represent all this data: weight, blood pressure, steps, sleep, heart rate, breathing etc etc for people to make sense of it. There are some apps for iphone/android that are letting one see individual graphs from many of these sources in one place. Runkeeper is at the forefront of these efforts so far.
In the meantime, i'm looking at simple things like:
How's that for an epigram?
Progress
Progress is slow but consistent. It's slow because *i* have to re-adapt to consistently eating less than before it seems, and moving more. I feel like i mini-plateau rather frequently, and that can be a bit discouraging. For folks who may take a week to lose a pound, it take me nearly a month now to really break a pound plateau consistently. But then there's that trend line. And my other measurements that say "it's working; don't stop"
As said i'm at a half way point just passed where i've been before when training, but not this consistently, and not below that level so consistently.
My strength training has also been tuned with notes from last time with RTK from Randy Hauer (recommended coach) and double press coaching from colleague buddy Ken Froese (you remember him? the man who trained for Spite, and triple double beast pressed?).
Patience i'm learning really is a virtue, and perhaps all this data collecting is just a way to help not go mad with the pace of progress: yes there is progress in both strength and leanness. I will arrive at the one, and continue with the other.
Whither, Voyager?
This really is an experiment to go further than i've gone with a deliberate quest to explore leanness and strength. So this is new to me. This kind of discipline of eating is new - since typically i'd be done by now - i'd be at my goal weight and just going for more strength.
Reminds me of when i was a kid and i had to let go of this branch and to get back to the ground. I fell, and have this clear memory of thinking "this should have stopped by now" but i kept falling. That's kinda what this as like (though not quite so easy). I've been to this point before, and i'm finding that experience seems to be sharpening my focus for where i want to go now/next.
So why this post now? Because i guess it is at a point where i'd previously say, well that's done, and to see it now as only half done, is an interesting perspective shift. And i'm a little nervous.
I'm also wondering about the experience of a goal becoming clearer once one has passed the point of the previously known to be possible - if others reading have experienced this, and what happened?
Take aways for now
If you're interested in body comp work and strength work,
Moving more but not so hard. I'm keen to see if NEPAs will continue to help keep the trend going down the way i want for fat and up for lean. Blending nepas with some intervals/faster cardio a couple times a week? i was doing that till my heavy workout days got heavier - so we'll see. Recovery is still king and gaiting my workouts to support recovery is affecting everything from intervals to volume to nepas.
I guess that's about it for now.
It's kinda risky to report on a mid point. What if i don't make it and have no ta-da to report? I guess i'm also really then posting to see if i'm not alone in going past a place one has been - higher up, further in, and if i am indeed on a Righteous Path.
Hope so.
Best in your practice,
mc
Related posts:
since i mentioned shoulder rehab, here's some stories
Tweet Follow @begin2dig
I am interested in the relationship to be found between leanness and strength. Leanness and potentially muscle. I just saw a very lean illegidly 114 pound gal deadlift 335lbs.
just imagine how much more this pull would have been if the lifter
I heard the other day about a gal, Valerie Hedlund, at 125lbs and 5 foot 4 doing the women's "beast challenge" (discussed here with fellow women's beast tamer, Asha Wagner).
So, one can be small(er than me, it seems) and strong(er than me). Can i? What is that process like?
I'd like to share some of my process so far on this path. I feel like i'm at a half way point, so a good time to check in for later reflection.
Goals, Focus, Decision. One of the things i've come to in this process is made a descision about my strength practice vs my nutrition practice: hitting my lean target is my priority; strength goal is secondary to that. If i hit my lean target and i simply cannot get my strength target from there, well that's information, and i'll go from there. But i have no idea if that is possible or not to put the two together. So i'm not gonna prejudge that: let's go there and find out.
Fuzzy Start. Getting to that decision was not obvious initially, so i'm gonna come back to this fridgid clarity of purpose. But no, in fact the process of getting clear on process / reality of practice, was not even on the horizon. When i got my blood work results back and had my first conversation with the bioletics folks about my results and my goals, all i knew is that i wanted to burn some fat: i was frustrated with where the scales just seemed stuck, especially as i'd been picking up my workouts again with my arms much more back in commission. They made some interesting suggestions about tuning my diet first and foremost to get some of my target levels into the zone i wanted, and second how doing so would likely let me get onto the path.The Path The suggested changes to my diet felt a bid odd. A colleague of mine, Zach Salazar, right at this time recommended the Perfect Diet - which i read. My take? some really interesting reading, interesting notes on iodine and sellenium (that i'll come back to in a future post), but gosh, i just can't do the legumes are evil thing or that whole grains (i mean whole, particularly sprouted) grains are evil either. Nutrient timing, a la espoused in Precision Nutrition, i'm all for; cutting out starchy carbs or really reducing them when trying to lean out - all over that too. But evil?
What that book did foreground for me as well was the introduction to coconut oil and the invention (i'm calling it that ) of Fat Tea, discussed here. Did that help me lose weight? No. Which i'll come onto in a moment when we discuss "less"
Back on the Road and grooving some "eat...stop...eat). The second thing that happened post biotest was that i was back on the road. Usually this is a nightmare for good food. So i took it as an to explore fasting again. What i learned is that Brad Pilon is right: fasting once (he adds "or twice") a week can really kick up some fat burning goals.
Now as a gal i'll say timing one's fast not to collide with one's pre-period may be a good idea to avoid heavy metal headache death, but otherwise, good to go, and your mileage may vary.
Eating LESS. Happiness for me was getting back from several weeks of work travel and finding that i was a bit lighter than when i'd left. Hmm. This is when i clued in to a really really really basic principle but at a very applied level: eating less works, and i had to eat less.
I had kinda deluded myself into thinking swapping out some stuff for medium chain triglycerides and all sorts of fatty goodness would somehow take the place of - eating less. But no. Nothing really moved. If we're not losing weight; we're maintaining, we're consuming at a level place for energy expenditure to more or less equal energy intake. Bummer.
Bummer Bummer
Eating less works. So I refocused to going for less, deliberately, focusing on Precision Nutrition principles of especially starchy carbs ONLY post a REAL workout, and greens and protein and any feeding along with healthy fats and, other than that - less. Of everything. With the occasional period of not eating thrown in - sometimes half a day of stop; sometimes more. When i saw the weight line moving - finally and consistently if slowly - this is when i dialed in the focus: i want to explore lean - real, athletic lean.
Exploring Lean. It's important for me to note that it was only when i arrived back at a weight i'd been at a few years ago when i was prepping for the tactical strength challenge and felt really good in my body that i thought i'm here but this isn't it. This isn't *lean* in the way i'm thinking about it. I guess part of me has been saying: i've been here before; i have had a challenge holding here before, and i don't want that to be the case; instead, i want to keep going; i'm not done with this, this time, yet.
So, what i want to know is: what does it feel like to be leaner AND stronger. I won't say "but leaner first" - i will say, with lean as the priority. My hope/goal is to hit there sooner than later - in a few months - and still have more time to build up the strength in a leanness buffer zone.
What is lean? why is that important? You know there are many health benefits assigned to leanness, true, but one doesn't have to hit below the teens for a gal to have them. It looks nice to some, especially with some muscle to shape spaces, but one doesn't have to do that to look nice or be stronger. In fact some argue that leanness may challenge capacity for strength gains. But, as John Berardi has said when he talks about his bi-annual fat shredding, he talks about it as a discipline too, along with all the health benefits. I think that is part of my motivation now, too. I want to explore this not just as an end, but as a practice. A practice of getting there.
Strength Practice Right now, i'm also back into training Return of the Kettlebell and i know what i'd like to achieve - but originally i thought i'd have till next July to hit that goal; now the meet time is moved up to April - so we'll see what can be done between now and then on the strength side. To be clear, maintaining health is the uber-if-implicit priority. Everything else bows to that. All things being equal though, lean, with strength, get to lean, focus more on strength, with lean in maintenance mode.
Why Lean?
I remember clearly how much i weighed when i was running cross country in grad school. I feel like i'm in much better shape and actually stronger now than i was then - and also heavier. So i'm curious: what is possible at that leanocity in terms of strength, with steady deliberate practice? As a more experienced practitioner now than ever a few years ago, can my training be even better than it has been - while saner and healthier (no more hinky shoulder stuff; they're still not 100%).
Tools of Support to Dial in Lean
Isn't it amazing how something as simple as burning calories can be so effortful? Simple (eat less) but effortful. All the hormonal cues and hedonic practices signaling all over the place not to stop the fuel; to enjoy the tasty succulent goodness of it all - that this one little thing couldn't possibly make that much difference. Uh huh.
SO here's what i'm using to help me monitor progress and practice:
Withings Scale This scale is so cool in design but it's one particular function that makes it awesome: local wifi. That's right step on it and forget it. One's weight, bodyfat and bmi is hived off to the Withings server where it can be viewed as a set of points and the all important trend line over time: despite ups and downs, the trend is DOWN.
What really surprised me is that the bf% calculator (impedence) with its variety of algorithmns is pretty good - off a couple of percent compared with 7 point caliper testing (again, fully described in precision nutrition) - but good enough to see the trend.There's work that's shown that folks who check their weight more frequently have better success at sticking with their weight loss goals than those who check less frequently. I need to find that reference for y'all...
Zeo. One of the biggest pieces of the workout/nutrition puzzle for me that's been coming into focus is just how critical recovery is. Sleep is also important for weight loss. Let me rephrase that: suffient number and completeness of sleep cycles is key. With the zeo, i can see at a glance the quality of the cycles i have had and can correlate that with what i ate and especially what i did (or didn't do) the day before. One big deal: like Zeo sleepologist Stephan Fabregas has made clear, caffeine can bugger up one's deep sleep. Since pulling back on any caffeine after five pm, sleep cycles have been better and less interupted. That's better for weight loss and muscle building. AND i can see this against the scale readings in terms of weight fluctuations.Workout Log. For many folks keeping a workout log is a reflex. What i've started to note in mine is both my workout days AND my not workout days in terms of whether or not i'm feeling fresh or fatigued; whether it's raining (default in the uk) or not. Hell if it was easy to track atmospheric presure i would do that too. I'm curious: does that affect work/recovery? The tool i'm using is a very simple daily calendar ap on an ipad (called maxjournal - no affiliate connection)
On another point: seeing the numbers on the fit bit through the course of the day i have noticed does give me a nudge to get my stepping on if it drops off.
I also find it a particularly soothing thing to have for my recovery days to show that i'm getting Active level movement in. It's a good device
Resting heart rate and grip. Two things i've only been monitoring casually are my resting heart rate and grip strength. Time to start logging these too i suppose. Resting heart rate is a long time indicator of imrproving cardiovascular well being. So a resting heart rate that goes down overall sounds like a good thing. If it's a-typically high, and it's a workout day, a good idea to switch to mobility practice that day. A more fine grained instrument is heart rate variability - and really i haven't been tracking that at all (wrote about it here for those interested).
Instead, i've been looking occasionally at grip strength at the start of the day: i know how close i am to jamming a gripper shut: ancient russian sports science says if you're grips worse on a given day, do something else than heavy stuff (auto-regulation). Even clearer: if there's a gripper i can close pretty regularly and then can't that day? definitely a day needing some more recovery. Walk, bike, throw frisbee, do mobility. Read a book.
Data Integration
Outputs from many of these tools are being integrated by others. Our lab is looking at things like what's the best way to represent all this data: weight, blood pressure, steps, sleep, heart rate, breathing etc etc for people to make sense of it. There are some apps for iphone/android that are letting one see individual graphs from many of these sources in one place. Runkeeper is at the forefront of these efforts so far.
In the meantime, i'm looking at simple things like:
- was my food intake compliant yesterday with the PN habits about protein, greens fats and when carbs
- what's the reading on the scale this morning relative to that? up or down?
- what's the zeo say about sleep? good or not?
- how am i actually feeling? chipper or wiped?
- if i'm dubious, i check my grip. When i'm sitting at night, i check my resting heart rate.
Daily weight /weighings: motivation
Fortnightly measures: validation
How's that for an epigram?
Progress
Progress is slow but consistent. It's slow because *i* have to re-adapt to consistently eating less than before it seems, and moving more. I feel like i mini-plateau rather frequently, and that can be a bit discouraging. For folks who may take a week to lose a pound, it take me nearly a month now to really break a pound plateau consistently. But then there's that trend line. And my other measurements that say "it's working; don't stop"
As said i'm at a half way point just passed where i've been before when training, but not this consistently, and not below that level so consistently.
My strength training has also been tuned with notes from last time with RTK from Randy Hauer (recommended coach) and double press coaching from colleague buddy Ken Froese (you remember him? the man who trained for Spite, and triple double beast pressed?).
Patience i'm learning really is a virtue, and perhaps all this data collecting is just a way to help not go mad with the pace of progress: yes there is progress in both strength and leanness. I will arrive at the one, and continue with the other.
Whither, Voyager?
This really is an experiment to go further than i've gone with a deliberate quest to explore leanness and strength. So this is new to me. This kind of discipline of eating is new - since typically i'd be done by now - i'd be at my goal weight and just going for more strength.
Reminds me of when i was a kid and i had to let go of this branch and to get back to the ground. I fell, and have this clear memory of thinking "this should have stopped by now" but i kept falling. That's kinda what this as like (though not quite so easy). I've been to this point before, and i'm finding that experience seems to be sharpening my focus for where i want to go now/next.
So why this post now? Because i guess it is at a point where i'd previously say, well that's done, and to see it now as only half done, is an interesting perspective shift. And i'm a little nervous.
I'm also wondering about the experience of a goal becoming clearer once one has passed the point of the previously known to be possible - if others reading have experienced this, and what happened?
Take aways for now
If you're interested in body comp work and strength work,
- the number one place to start and spend time is still nutrition.
- Then dialing in recovery awareness from a workout - including when to stop a set.
- Then the workout practice itself. I find myself really enjoying the skills focus right now as i rebuild my shoulder strength. Maybe we can talk about that another day.
Moving more but not so hard. I'm keen to see if NEPAs will continue to help keep the trend going down the way i want for fat and up for lean. Blending nepas with some intervals/faster cardio a couple times a week? i was doing that till my heavy workout days got heavier - so we'll see. Recovery is still king and gaiting my workouts to support recovery is affecting everything from intervals to volume to nepas.
I guess that's about it for now.
It's kinda risky to report on a mid point. What if i don't make it and have no ta-da to report? I guess i'm also really then posting to see if i'm not alone in going past a place one has been - higher up, further in, and if i am indeed on a Righteous Path.
Hope so.
Best in your practice,
mc
Related posts:
since i mentioned shoulder rehab, here's some stories
- Left shoulder went and getting fixed
- Right shoulder went and getting much better
- About the Shoulder - the magical scapula
- About the shoulder - at the g/h joint
- and how about about fat
Tweet Follow @begin2dig
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