Fear is the Mind Killer

Fear truly is the mind killer.

Possibly its most insidious quality is that it is malleable; it is adaptable; it takes many forms. It manifests in its most obvious form as anxiety or something similar; but just as readily, it may appear as boredom, as uncertainty, as “logic.”

The reason starting, and taking action, has so much power regardless of outcome is that we lower the resistance; we overcome fear, even if only a little bit. But it allows us to chip away. To possibly improve other areas of our life and reduce the fear by taking that action. Not knowing what we’re doing truly is scary. But we are all beginners once. We aren’t born knowing how to crawl. We aren’t born knowing how to walk. We aren’t born knowing how to talk. And we don’t learn how in one hour, one day, one week, or even one month. But we learn. And as we get older, if we pay attention, we get better at learning.

Many roads lead to Rome. But the one road you can be assured won’t take you there is the road you never get on. Standing on the sidelines and watching others go by, thinking to yourself, “well that’s not the most direct route,” still leaves you standing on the side of the road. That particular road may take the travelers even further away than you currently stand; but it will get them there eventually, if they’re paying attention. “Correcting course,” while necessary, is always relative. It can only be done in accordance with where you are, where you’re headed, where you want to go, and how fast you’re going. But if you’re not moving, it doesn’t matter where you’re pointed, or where you want to go. The only thing we can know we have to change if we’re standing still is move faster. A velocity of 0, regardless of which direction you’re pointed, still gets you nowhere.

So set off, destination unknown if necessary. There is great power in starting. Reverse course as early as possible, if necessary. But get moving.

It’s easy to face fear in the sterile environment of your mind, when nothing is at stake (although, something is nearly always at stake), no different than telling yourself you won’t eat that dessert the next time it’s staring you in the face. But sometimes a sterile environment is necessary to gain the confidence and momentum necessary to make the correct decisions when faced with them. In the same way that you might have to put yourself in an environment free of temptation for a time in order to develop the right eating habits, you may have to make the decisions easy for yourself regarding whatever is currently keeping you from taking action. Make small, achievable targets. Make them often, and make them routine.

Consider a young child learning to hit a baseball. You don’t throw them in against live pitching. They hit off a tee. Then soft toss. Then front toss/coach pitch/machine pitch. Then live pitching. All very controlled, and not progressed until sufficient skill is shown. There is no reason the same cannot be done in all facets. However, what is required is that the individual make a commitment to doing so and submit themselves to the process.

Training 10/7 and the Gossip Trap

Bench - 2x5 ("speed") @205, then 1x20 @185
A. Pullups - 3x10
B. Lateral Raises - 3x6 @40s
A. Barbell curls - 3x8 @75
B. Hanging leg raises - 3x10

Got a roughly 30 minute "long" run in later in the day. Not sufficient, but better than nothing.


"Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people."

A quote often attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt (that may or may not have actually even been said by anyone). Regardless, the heart of it remains true, in my opinion. Too often, we resort to gossip to fill our discussions; it's easy to drag others down and find their flaws. Just look at the magazines in your grocery store checkout aisles. Sure, there are puff pieces and humanitarian pieces covering people doing good, but most often, it is some story of scandal, gossip, or "intrigue."

**EDIT: I never came back and finished, so here's where I'm guessing I was going with this**

Instead, we should be filling our time and discussion with ideas, principles, and thoughts. It will be far more productive, and who knows what ideas might take root and sprout from these discussions. A change in mindset from trying to pull others down will be better for all involved.

Training 10/5

Training as been a shitshow lately, particularly as it relates to actually getting sessions in. Running has been very sporadic lately; really have to get that back up.

Squat - worked up to 305x2, then 2x6 @225
Deadlift - worked up to 365x2, then 3x4 @295
Front squat - 4x5 @195
RDL - 4x5 @235

Training 10/3

As I noted last time I hadn't updated the training log in a while, training is taking place. I just haven't been getting on and logging it. As before, nothing special, though a few more missed sessions (specifically running) than I'd like. A long weekend with little sleep is still dragging me down a bit, but no excuses.

Tempo runs (CF style) - small circuit - big circuit - small circuit
Wide grip (pinky ~1" inside ring) bench press - worked up to 275x1
Bench - 2x6 @215
A. Bent-over row - 3x5 @195
B. Incline bench - 2x5 @195

Was shooting for 2 at 275, but the first one was difficult enough I didn't want to chance it. 

Training 9/19

Squat - worked up to 275x4, then 2x6 @225
Deadlift - worked up to 335x3, then 2x6 @295
Front squat - 4x5 @185
RDL - 4x5 @225

Training 9/14-9/18

Thursday
Bench - 2x5 @185 ("speed"), then 155x23
Lateral raises - 3x6 @35s
Barbell curls - 3x8 @75
Some abs before & after

Friday
Power clean - 165x3, 185x2, 205x1
Pause squat - 4x6 @225
Low-handle trap bar deadlift - 2x8 @275

No running over the weekend (lazy ass)

Monday
Wide-grip (pinky ~1 inch inside ring) bench - worked up to 245x4
Bench - 2x6 @205
Bent-over row - 3x5 @195
Incline bench - 2x5 @195
Neutral-grip pullups - 3x10
Abs before & after

**Addendum**
Got a 5k "time trial" in tonight. 25:12. Certainly not record breaking, but I was OK with it (sucky as it was to run). On the right track I hope...

Training 9/13

Long run, little over 42 minutes. Drove the route this morning and it came out at pretty much right at 4.5 miles, which seems right, as it 'felt' (yes, subjectivity can get tricky) a bit faster than my usual long runs.

Training 9/12

Depth jumps - 10
Squat - worked up to 295x2, then 2x6 @225
Deadlift - worked up to 355x2, then 2x6 @295
Front squat - 4x5 @185
RDL - 4x5 @225
Ab wheel - 3x10

Training 9/11

Run - nothing special (sucked, really)
Bench - worked up to 255x2 with wide (for me) grip - pinky ~1 inch inside rings
Then moved to my regular (closer) grip and did 2x6 @205
Incline - 3x5 @185
Bent-over row - 3x5 @185
Neutral-grip pulldowns - 3x10 @150

Training 8/16 & 8/17

8/16
Jumps
Power snatch - 3x3 @105, 120, 135
DE deadlift - 3x2 @210
Squat - worked up to 260x5, 260x3 ~15 seconds b/w, then some backoff sets
Front squat - 2x5 @195

Utter dogshit session. Definitely a -10%er

8/17
Tempo run. I cannot bring myself to run hard for distances. Much mental work to do (and physical).

Training 8/14/17

Run - 4x2 mins, 1:1 work:rest
Bench - worked up to 3x5 @205, ~15-30 sec b/w sets, then some backoff sets
A. Incline bench - 3x8 @155
B. Bent-over row - 3x8 @155
Poundstone curls - barx60
Rope pushdowns
Lateral raises

We're set up for reward systems, literally, as the pleasure centers in the brain are activated and the activity is then stored as a positive experience. Over time, these are repeatedly layered in and the act may be seen as pleasurable (or at the very least, we forget how unpleasurable it is); however, a reward is expected every time in order to keep up the charade. We must work toward making the work, or activity, the reward itself. Because the external rewards we gain (if they are to happen at all) will not be immediately evident.
Our puritanical reward/punishment system does us no favors in this regard. "I was good, I worked out today, I deserve that cookie!" "I ate like shit today, need to hit the gym and punish myself." No. It doesn't work this way. It is about developing habits and principles that serve us well over time to lead us on our journey toward success (whatever we define that as).
The reward is the act itself.

Motivation is Overrated

60+ minute run today. Approximately 6 miles.

Too often we wait until we are inspired to get things done. Waiting for that moment of inspiration, that moment when we finally feel that push to do the work. In reality, that motivation is overrated. Quite simply, all that matters is that we do the work. Period. Interestingly, I would posit, is that the more we do it when we don't want to, the less frequently those occasions come. Or, perhaps, we simply don't experience it as strongly, because we know we'll do it anyway. Regardless, ditch motivation. Cultivate discipline.

Training 8/9/17 & 8/11/17

Realized I didn't post Wednesday's training:
Run - nothing to write home about
Power clean - 155x3, 175x2, 195x1
DE squat - 3x2 @255
Deadlift - worked up to 320x10, then some backoff sets
Snatch-grip deadlift - 255 x3,3,1

Friday:
Old-school strip-set type day
Bench - strip set with 3 25's per side. 195x10, 145x10, 95x10, barx10
Wide-grip cable row - 120x10, 100x10, 80x10, 60x10, 40x10, 20x10
Low-incline DB flyes - 1 min b/w sets - 40s x15,10,8
DB shrugs - 1x20 @80s
Lateral raises - drop set. 20sx12, 15sx10, 12sx10, 10sx10
Cambered bar curls - 60x10, 50x10, 40x10, 30x10, 20x10
Rope pushdowns - 100x10, 80x10, 60x5

Lil' Yimmy

Big Data

Objective data is great. It's vitally important for making improvements in any facet, in that it gives you a baseline from which to work. However, it's also important to remember that, at its most basic, data is simply numbers until we attach relevance to it. Finding connections, attributing meaning, that's where the important work happens, because that's the only way it becomes useful. 
Dan Pfaff has noted this before, that simply collecting reams of data doesn't do any good if you never go back and look at it. "Who are the gatekeepers?" 
So whatever realm you are in, or even in your personal life, by all means, measure, record, and keep track. But make sure you are actually referencing it and putting it to use at some point, otherwise you're wasting your time.

Training 8/7/17

I figure I might as well go back to adding in my training logs here (admittedly perhaps in an effort to add some "bulk" to the blog), so here is the training for today:

Intervals - 4x400m - 1:1 work:rest, 1:40 per 400
Military press - 145x8 (could've probably squeezed out 2 more, but the right trap was feeling tight and didn't want to push it much further)
Low incline DB bench - 350 method - 70s x27,13,10
Kroc rows - 80x50
Gun show - 2x12 each

Little disappointed I couldn't push myself to add a little more volume to the runs, but with my foot and hip flexor not feeling great, I didn't want to push it too hard. Doing them on the treadmill was a good idea though, as that did feel much better. In fact, I think my foot feels a bit better now than it did when I came in. I'd call it a low-end 80% session.

Stress

The common refrain is to find ways to "de-stress" or "relieve stress." Before moving forward, it's important to note that, as James Smith has touched on, stress is a reaction. Ergo, it is entirely dependent upon how we react to something. Whether or not something is a stressor is only based on whether we perceive it to be.
With that out of the way, it is also necessary to note that stress is not something to be avoided. In fact, stress should be sought out. It is how we improve, how we grow. Stress is how we inoculate ourselves from further stress of similar ilk. It is only through this stress that we can become resistant to those thoughts and feelings when placed in similar environments.
For instance; public speaking. Perhaps it is extremely stressful for you to get up in front of a group of people and speak. While there are strategies you can use to mitigate, or at least lessen, this stress, such as significant preparation of material, and practice speaking, eventually, you will have to get up and speak. Over time, as you expose yourself to this stressor, it will be come less and less stressful to you, and it will no longer cause the response within you that it once did.
We can extend this to all facets of life and realize that stress is necessary. This doesn't mean being constantly stressed out is a good idea; but rather, constantly avoiding stress is a bad one. Expose yourself to uncomfortability. And when something uncomfortable becomes comfortable, it's time to move to something else.

Cake

It may not seem like it, but you wouldn't want cake at every meal, or probably even every day. At a certain point, probably sooner than you think, you'd start to feel sick, the sweetness and heaviness just sitting in your stomach. But beyond that point, part of what makes the cake so delightful, such a treat, is that it isn't something you're eating all the time. Those things don't have the same attraction, the same pull to them that rarer items do. Expectation and longing can play a huge role in how we experience food, too. Think about it; when you have a craving for something, it's often something you haven't eaten in a while, right? And, while it depends on how well it's made, it probably tastes even better than you remember it many times.
So resist the urge to eat cake all the time. Your body will thank you.

"I Need..."

It's easy to tell ourselves "I need XYZ to be able to do this," or "I can't do it without ABC." It gives us an easy out, a way to procrastinate. Because, hey, we just don't have what we need.

But the truth is, there is always someone out there doing more with less. Less knowledge, less infrastructure, less support, less permission. But because of the way they see the world, they aren't waiting for any of that. They strive to do the best they can with what they have. With that type of approach, what might you be able to get done? Then when you get what you "need," what else will you be able to get done?

Balance

Impossible if you want to truly excel in one area.

Essential if you strive for "normalcy" (whatever that may be).

There is a time for both. Up to you to decide when that is.

Resilience

“Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it.” The stories we tell ourselves shape our world and our actions. The people who don’t like us, the people who obviously want to do us harm or damage us in some way.

But what if we’re wrong?

What if we wrote the story based on bad intel? We caught them on a bad day, they’re only doing their job, we’re not as great as we think. All are possible.

Most often, things happen; they don’t happen to us. This is a bitter pill for some people to swallow because they want to believe that everyone is out to get them. If only everyone weren’t such jerks, they’d be successful.

In actuality, I think most would be shocked to find that very few people think highly enough of you to go out of their way to hurt you.

I think sometimes we build up these external enemies to distract ourselves from the true enemy – the one that lies within. We end up our own worst enemy far more often than anyone else possibly could be. And what we often excuse as an inability to get things done is more often an unwillingness to push through the pain, suffering, uncomfortability, or whatever else may be standing in our way. Most often, it’s not another person or group of people.

It’s easy to excuse our inadequacies, our failures, our mistakes. I can spend extra money on that trinket; I’ve worked hard for it. I can have this whole pizza; I’ve worked hard for it. The truth is, all of these come with a price that has to be paid – this isn’t good or bad, merely a fact of life. What matters is if you’re willing to pay that price going forward. You don’t have to be perfect in life. It’s an unreal expectation, but it merely means you have to be able to accept the consequences of your actions.

Don't Argue with Idiots

One thing I've realized in the last few years (that I wish I'd realized many years sooner) is to avoid arguments on the internet (or in real life, honestly). Simply put, most of the time, the person you're arguing with is not going to change their mind. They are not looking to change their mind. They are looking to prove they're right.
One statement I've come to love is "don't argue with idiots." I think it could more accurately be termed "zealots," as I think most of the time it is not someone who is inherently idiotic, but simply tied emotionally to an ideology.
That said, I think a strong case can be made that the term "idiot" can be applied when we fail to recognize objective truth and cling to our preconceived notion in the face of evidence to the contrary. Objective truth is hard to find sometimes, but when reality stares us in the face, we have to be willing to change our beliefs.
Unfortunately, however, humans, as a species, are not good at:

1. Changing our minds on long-held beliefs
2. Making decisions which are in our best long-term benefit

Conor McGregor, after defeating Nate Diaz in their second fight, noted that "we win or we learn." It's a nice sentiment, but the fact is that we usually "lose" because of long-term habits we've developed. It's unlikely we'll be able to simply change these in a short period of time, especially if they've resulted in a number of successes for us. Was the failure a fluke? Were the successes? What kind of a plan do we have in place to progressively change our behavior? We can't expect ourselves to simply stick to a plan through the unavoidable ebbs and flows without a disciplined plan to which we can cling.
I realize this post has taken a number of turns, and I'm not sure it even flows together coherently. But in the end, the point is thus:
Be ready to acknowledge that what you know is wrong. But if you know it's right, don't waste your time trying to convince others if it's clear they don't want to learn. Use that time to analyze other long-held beliefs, or developing strategies for improvement. All we have is time, and it's best used to better ourselves, in an effort to better others.

Us vs. Them

It's so much easier to paint "them" as less than us - less intelligent, less moral, simply...less. There's no possible way that we don't have the high ground. If we didn't, well, surely we would change our ways. But we also know that's not the way it works. 
It's much easier to simply attack the "other" and paint them as something less than human. As soon as we allow ourselves to empathize with them, and realize that, like us, they are simply accumulations of their experiences. It would also require us to add nuance to our perspective, and not paint the world in black and white.
In Under and Alone, William Queen writes about his aunt dying while he was undercover inside the Mongols motorcycle gang. His aunt was essentially his mother, as she had raised him. After coming back from her funeral, he noted that none of his fellow ATF agents or others within the bureau offered him condolences. Conversely, every member of the gang offered their condolences, hugs, and sincere statements of love. These hardened criminals, the supposed dregs of society, showed more love, support, and compassion than the supposed best. Does this make them good people? Probably not. But it does show that we cannot simply paint a person, much less an entire group, as entirely good or entirely bad. There are shades of gray everywhere.

“If I can add some nuance and complexity and some context and compassion. If I can get people to think about walking a mile in the other guy’s moccasins, or pretend like you want to, I can feel like I’m adding something that is unusual. When people say it’s so refreshing, you wonder why it’s refreshing to try to see the other person’s view point? Shouldn’t that just be how we are?” –Dan Carlin

Today is the Day

This is what we tell ourselves. Today is the day I get in shape, or eat better, or don't get distracted, or get all my stuff done. Whatever it might be. We forget it's a process. Nothing happens all at once. Success comes in spurts; in fits and starts. But we have to have a process to achieve it. We don't suddenly wake up one day and say, "this is the day I run a marathon!" No, we plan for it, we train for it, we build up to it. So if you have something you want to do, something you want to be, start working toward it. Don't expect to wake up one day and just "be."
Interestingly enough, Sam Hinkie lost his job as the GM of the Philadelphia 76ers by creating "The Process." In the NBA, more than any other major professional sport, one player can change the fortunes of a franchise, due to the dynamics of the sport and the fact that only 5 players are on the court at once. This one player has to be truly great, but they can have a massive impact if they are. And the reality is that, short of being located in Florida and already drafting one superstar, you are unlikely to lure that one great player to your organization through free agency.
So Hinkie began "The Process" of ridding the Sixers of players who would only serve to keep the team in the equivalent of basketball purgatory. Maybe just good enough to sneak into the playoffs (or just miss them), but never going very far, but not being among the worst teams in the league. The fact is, to get that franchise-altering superstar, you nearly always have to draft him, and most like very high; usually in the top 5 picks (yes, some exceptions exist). Regardless, the process was sound, but also painful as it included a lot of losing.
But in the end, while Hinkie lost his job, Philadelphia is now positioned with not one, but 3 potential stars. They took a lot of heat for the direction they took, but the fact is that it worked. While you can't be certain that your process will work, the important thing is that you have one. Start working toward what you want to be, and what you want to achieve will follow.

If It Looks Right

"If it looks right, it flies right!" This comes from the great sprint coach Charlie Francis. As a coach, one thing you must have is an eye for appropriate movement mechanics which will permit high performance. But what if your eye is incorrect? Or what if what you deem to be "right" is incorrect? Fortunately, technology has made it easier than ever to utilize video to scrutinize technique and make changes in-session, as well as using video as a feedback mechanism for the athlete. As far as making sure what you're looking at is correct - always be in a constant state of scrutiny of your current beliefs. Evaluate why you think what you do and, if there is evidence to the contrary, scrutinize that, and change beliefs as necessary.
As always, you have to make sure that what you are using as your model is correct. Track and utilize relevant metrics. What you deem relevant today might not be what you deem relevant tomorrow. But use what you know now, and make changes when the time comes.

There Are No Side Effects

Years back I remember reading a post from Dr. Bryan Walsh stating that "there are no side effects, there are only effects." It was in regards to the evil pharmaceutical companies (please note some amount of sarcasm on my part) and the fact that their products will list "side effects," when, in reality, those very things are not side effects at all. They are effects of the drug.
We minimize those unsavory things we don't want to consider as a part of the whole. Drugs, personality traits, you name it. For instance, steroid users stack their drugs to minimize the "side effects" of aromatization and estrogen production. These are not side effects of testosterone use. These are effects. But because they are not the reason someone takes the drugs, they are labeled "side effects." This doesn't mean we should just live with them, but call them what they are.
The very same is often true of personality traits. The very same personality traits and types that produce great results in many areas also often end up sabotaging those same people, or those around them. Don't misunderstand me - this isn't a PSA against extremism in personality or action. To truly reach great heights in nearly any endeavor, balance is generally not an option. But realize that it will most likely come with a cost. These costs are not side effects. They are effects.

Process & Outcome

We often set our sights (outcome), with little attention paid to the steps necessary to get there (process). Process goals are absolutely vital as they provide the road map for attaining the goals. But what if the map is flawed? What if there is unforeseen road construction or detours? How do we address these? Our process goals should be flexible enough, and our plan should have sufficient KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) to indicate when a change of course is necessary. And sometimes, depending on the life event, an alteration of outcome goals may be in order.
The hardest of all may be striking the appropriate balance between performance and process. Without process, there is no performance. The systems, the outlines we set up in order to guide us will help us reach that end result (assuming they are correct). But we ultimately have to perform. If we don't reach the end result, what good was the process? Use both to audit your decision making and adjust as you go. You'll get a better feel for what works and what doesn't, if you're paying attention to the right things.

Excellence & Misattribution

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then is not an act but a habit." -Will Durant

I, like many others who have used this quote, had always attributed this to Aristotle, but it turns out that it was actually written by Will Durant when writing about Aristotle, nestled between quotes by the philosopher. Thus, it can be easily surmised how the misunderstanding occurred. But I digress.

At it's heart, we try to apply this often to our jobs or perhaps to changes in lifestyle as it relates to health, performance, weight loss, etc. But what about how we treat others? Can't we try to be excellent at that? Making it a habit to treat everyone we encounter with respect and kindness; not just the people close to us or the people who "matter"? I think that would make a pretty excellent world.

Just Give Me The Answer, Part Deux

“The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.”

This premise formed the basis of yesterday's post. And while in it is contained a lot of truth (and I expounded upon what I take it to mean), we also can't use this as an excuse to do nothing. Centrism, nuance, and research are fine stances to take, but they don't make the world move. We can't necessarily label ourselves wise just because we can't make decisions. We're just not that special. In some cases we're simply being pussies.

Digging further into Russell's quote is the original writing from whence it came:

The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt. Even those of the intelligent who believe that they have a nostrum are too individualistic to combine with other intelligent men from whom they differ on minor points.

From "The Triumph of Stupidity," written in 1933, lamenting the rise of the Nazi party (attribution: http://quoteinvestigator.com/2015/03/04/self-doubt/). Following the quote of interest, he notes that too often we allow trivial details to derail what could otherwise be beneficial partnerships. For the time being, go with what you know. Don't solidify what you think you know already as being objective truth; keep searching, but you have to do something at some point. You're not smart enough not to.

Interesting side note:
I found this blog post while researching Russell's writing. Very good stuff!

Just Give Me The Answer

Because most of us are just trying to feel our way through this thing called life, we're often looking for solutions to our issues, whatever they may be. In this void, many people are willing to jump up with the definitive answers to all of life's questions. Unfortunately, many aspects of life are not as simple as most would like to make them out to be. But taking the time to parse out possible solutions, or the time spent sitting on your hands rather than making a decision, can seem rather daunting. This indecision makes those "truth sayers" appealing, and gives rise to the plethora of talking heads we see today.
But do they actually have the answers? Hard to say definitively, but it's unlikely. More probably is that they have an answer that fits their particular experiences and set of circumstances, which in reality simply makes them as ignorant as anyone else. I think what you'll find is that most who are as informed as possible on many things aren't quick to make absolute statements. Unfortunately for those who take a nuanced stance, this isn't what the masses want.

"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts." -Bertrand Russell

Addiction by Distraction

I've written before that we, as a populace, are addicted to entertainment. Constantly looking at our phones, the TV, anything but ourselves. After further reflection, I think that is untrue. We are not addicted to entertainment, because much of what we are doing isn't actually entertaining us at all. What we're addicted to is distraction. We're constantly in search of something to distract us from, well, ourselves mostly. On Joe Rogan's podcast, Dan Harris and Sam Harris were noting that there was a study where people indicated they would rather receive some sort of discomfort (I believe it was an electric shock or something) than be alone with their thoughts.
What are we so afraid of? Why do we need to be distracted?
Are we afraid of confronting the reality of ourselves? What we are, and what we could be? Or is it, at this point, a habitual psychological addiction, in which are simply addicted to the act of finding distraction? I'm more inclined to believe it's the former, though undoubtedly it is a mix of the two.
As with anything, reversing the trend requires introspection (that, ironically, we are loathe to do and therefore unlikely to undertake) and confronting the reality of addiction that has taken hold. Only then can we reverse the momentum and begin to steer the ship in the appropriate direction toward fixing the issue.
Start small. Take 10 minutes out of your day (preferably in early, on the off chance that it kick-starts the habit for the rest of the day) to remove distractions. Put your phone somewhere you can't see it, turn the TV and radio off. And just be. You don't have to meditate. You don't have to think about anything in particular. But do your best not to be taken in by other, non-technological distractions (food, chores, "work", etc.) that may do their best to take your focus away from yourself.
If you listen to music, watch TV, or in some other way multi-task while doing work that matters, do what you can to reduce it. Forget trying to be good at multi-tasking. Get really good at mono-tasking. You will likely find you accomplish more than you have before.
What are you waiting for?

Why?

Early in my coaching career, I was easily frustrated by those athletes who needed to know the why of everything. When told what to do next, they would ask, "why?" It seemed, to me, like the act of a defiant athlete trying to be difficult. In fact, I once remember telling my brother something along the lines of, "if there's one thing not to do when you get to college, it's ask your coaches why you're doing something." As I've matured and (hopefully) improved, I understand that these are the athletes you want. The inquisitive ones, the ones who are trying to parse out not only what to do, but the reasoning behind it. 
To the young or uninformed coach, this likely comes across as a challenge to authority. In some cases, undoubtedly, it is. But it also gives us an opportunity to demonstrate expertise as well as set them up for success. Eventually, they will no longer be under your wing. Part of your job as coach is to teach them to fly, so that when they aren't with you, they will be OK, even if they are under the guidance of an idiot. Dan Pfaff has noted that great athletes should have a "PhD in their event." A well-informed coach, who is able to relay the appropriate information, in the appropriate way, at the appropriate time, is invaluable and will likely produce excellent results, as they better grasp the concepts and realities of training.
Understanding why something is done provides context and allows us to apply similar means and methods across different situations, changing the necessary elements based on need. Simply copying and pasting what you saw someone else do doesn't necessarily produce the desired outcome, because they may have used it for a totally different reason; which means that trying to get the result you are might not work.
Where possible, figure out the why. Then, figure out the what, the when, and the how.

Mental Toughness

One thing James Smith has preached a lot recently is the elimination of the current construct of "mental toughness." It is non-specific and does not provide context or quantification. What he stresses is that this "mental toughness" is actually a collection of several qualities, including aggressiveness, durability/resilience, resolve, composure, and positive thinking, among others.
These qualities are all trainable, and in particular, within the sport. He also notes that, "there is no such thing as tough; you are either trained or untrained." Our response in a given situation is a result of life experiences paired with inborn genetic traits. This is training. Consider the sport of American football. Perhaps, for instance, you have a defensive player who is unwilling to be involved in tackling beyond cursory attempts. They will not "stick their nose in." This refusal is generally deemed that the player is not "tough" enough. What they lack is a desire to engage in contact, colored by their past experiences, or, void of those experiences (such as someone playing for the first time), what they anticipate will be the experience upon contact.
Coaches must realize the ability they have to control and improve this. The immediate reaction is likely to vilify, demean, or shame the individual; and/or simply run them until they puke. Setting aside the absurdity of physical punishment, what would be wrong with simply reducing the intensity of the "exercise" (in this instance, tackling), via a reduction in speed and hitting power? Reinforce proper takedown mechanics, repeat as much as necessary, producing an "inoculation" against the stressor (the experience of the tackle). Once this has taken hold, gradually increase the intensity, such that they become immune to the negative experience of the tackle itself. Certainly there are those with inborn traits which predispose them to actually enjoying this experience - these athletes, just like any who have genetic advantages in certain abilities, will not have to necessarily start with the regressed versions.
Analyze the athlete, work backwards from the goal, and construct a logical plan to get there.

We're All Babies

Being a parent has, in my opinion, helped my coaching immensely. Within my own household, I have 2 humans I get to watch grow and develop daily. While they are clearly not "performing" in their daily lives at a high level, it enables me the ability to see growth in real-time. Today I was reminded while watching my nearly 1-year old daughter that just because we cannot communicate verbally does not mean we do not understand what we are hearing or seeing. I told her it was bath time and she immediately headed for the stairs and up to the bathroom, despite her inability to even reply with something as simple as "OK." 
As coaches, it's important to take this to heart. For instance, we may be able to identify a movement efficiency without being able to competently explain exactly why it is occurring or exactly how to fix it; or to explain it in a way that the athlete understands. But this just means we have to continue to work and grow toward an even better understanding that does allow us to communicate effectively. As well, realize that just because the athlete isn't doing what we're asking of them, it isn't necessarily because they don't understand. They just might not be capable of it. If they lack the motor control or physical abilities to carry out what is being asked of them, it is our duty to do what is necessary to either increase their comprehension of the task, or improve the requisite abilities to allow them to carry it out.
They might not be ignoring you, they're just babies.
You're not an idiot; you're just a baby.

Do Something

"Vision without action is a dream. Action without vision is a nightmare."

This is the yin and yang of the universe - going all out, all the time will eventually get you killed; whereas doing nothing will do the same, just in a different way. Yes, we have to take time for contemplation and information gathering. Making an uninformed decision is nearly as bad as not making one at all. But at a certain point, you have to realize you have about as much knowledge and wisdom as you can hope to at the present moment, and you have to make a decision. The time is going to pass either way; you might as well do something to move forward with it.
Remember that the action you take doesn't have to be all or nothing - the actions you take might simply be small, preparatory steps so that the next "big" one has everything in place. But do something. If there's one thing I've learned from reading (and living), it's this:

No one who is where you want to be got there by standing still.

We can justify and excuse away our inactivity very easily. Surely "they" had access to information or resources we don't, they don't have the same roadblocks we have, it's just not the right time. But eventually you'll realize that the excuses don't matter; the universe doesn't care. What gets done is what matters. So don't just stand there - fucking do something.

I Don't Know

One of the things I struggle with (which is readily apparent if you've read nearly anything else I've written), is the realization that there is still a great deal I don't know, even within the field I've spent a decade plus investigating and practicing. And the reality, of course, is that I will never know it all. No matter how much time I spend reading, watching, listening, and doing, I will never know, understand, or realize it all. And all of that comes into even greater focus when reading coaches like Stuart McMillan and Dan Pfaff acknowledge that they don't have all the answers, either.
So imagine my frustration and anger when I see people speak with such certainty on many matters political, sociological, psychological, economic, medical, and so forth, despite having very little (if any) experience, knowledge, aptitude, or background in any of those areas (though, admittedly, extensive experience is not a prerequisite for expertise, but I digress).
Why are we afraid to admit we don't know something? I used to spend far too much time wrapped in debate, particularly on subjects I had little more than a passing knowledge of, but plenty of opinion. Over time, I was no longer young enough to know everything (thanks Oscar Wilde!), and began to simply step back and step away from debate. Quite simply, nuance is too often absent, and it is usually driven by opinion and emotion, rather than reason and patience. No one is there to listen, and everyone is just waiting their turn to talk.
Discussion, conversely, is where progress is made. If people are willing to recognize the gaps in their knowledge, and actually learn from others (assuming the points being made have basis in fact, or are at least based on solid theoretical grounds), we can actually move forward. Instead, too often we spin ourselves round in circles, into the dirt, yelling over one another.

"The whole problem of the world is that fools and fanatics are always so sure of themselves, while wiser people so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell

Moving Forward

Every day gets me closer to understanding just what the hell I'm doing with this training thing; that is, what the training process means and how to better influence it, both in the short and long term. However, it also requires that I'm willing to put myself out there and test these theories. The best concepts mean nothing if they are not put into practice. This means being willing to be wrong, but also being willing to acknowledge when I'm wrong and change course. Then, using these incorrect avenues as teaching moments for myself to illuminate gaps in my knowledge, and hopefully prevent myself from making the same mistake again. The second half of this is the important part; it is not simply enough to acknowledge a mistake - you must do your best to keep it from being repeated. We can't possibly see every possible outcome, but we need to do our best to try. Use the data to inform decision making moving forward.

The Mind Killer

Once again, I'm going to give daily writing a try. I've been recently inspired by my friend Ryan Esdohr, who is upping his writing game. As usual, the only reason for me not to do this is laziness. Do I have plenty of other time commitments? Sure. But I can fit this in, if desired.
The sole motivator for me the last few days has been the number of blog posts/social media shares/articles/etc. simply slapping me in the face, telling me to move forward in spite of doubt. Stuart McMillan puts out fantastic training-related material, but, in my opinion, his daily Instagram posts (some of which have a training bent) have been even more valuable to me. He seems to let you in to the doubt he feels, and the mindset that he approaches things with. The knowledge that, while he doesn't have all the answers, he has a lot, and the mindset to find the ones he doesn't have. This speaks to me so loudly, I have to be willing to put ego aside and move forward. Don't fear being wrong. Don't fear what others will say. Fear doing nothing. Fear is the mind killer. 

"A coward dies a thousand times before his death, but the valiant taste of death but once." -Shakespeare, Julius Caesar

Training Update

After cutting for the last ~6 weeks, I've decided to go ahead and officially end the diet for the time being (I say "officially" because there were some weekends in there where things got out of hand). I'm not as lean as I had hoped, but I definitely got a bit leaner. I'll perform a 2 week diet break using Lyle McDonald's macro recommendations from Guide to Flexible Dieting to set intakes. I'll re-assess after the 2 weeks whether I want to cut a bit further or start to bulk. Daily macros come out to:
P: 172
C: 272
F: 74

My plan is to "borrow" some calories from carbs and fat to get to 200 grams of protein daily. Undoubtedly some days will not be precisely to plan, but I should be able to remain relatively on track. Goals are to diversify my intake such that I'm not eating the same thing every day. Changing up and getting calories from many different protein, carb, and fat sources.

Upper body training going forward will continue with the modified "How I Would Westside" article written by Chad Wesley Smith, while I will continue with my lower body training as before, which is centered around power and submaximal poundages. I managed to squat 315 quite easily, with no psyche up, utilizing this method. I think, moving forward, with maintenance or excess calories, I should be able to continue to progress. I also plan to add in running to work toward a sub-20 minute 5k next summer. I will, for the time being, focus on a combination of slow mileage and Charlie Francis-inspired tempo runs, while slowly adding in longer runs on weekends when possible. We'll see how it goes.

Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

If there's one thing that continually pops up when reading, listening, and learning from the various sources I pull from, it's that we must seek out and get comfortable being uncomfortable. That discomfort is where the improvement is made. It's where we are afraid to push ourselves, because we don't want to be uncomfortable. We rationalize it and tell ourselves there is nothing to be gained from it. In reality, we know that, on the other side is improvement (in some form). But we don't know just how uncomfortable it will be, or for how long, or how much improvement to expect. So rather than pushing to find out, we sit in our bubble, staying comfortable, minimally changing. Find where you're uncomfortable, and start pushing to get there. Physically, mentally, emotionally. It's the only way to get better. And once you do it, keep doing it. Obviously your bar for "uncomfortable" will change; this doesn't change the fact that what becomes uncomfortable must be the new standard.
I'm reminded of Angela Coon, on the Charlie Francis message board, noting that when she felt least like doing contrast showers was when she needed them most. The same is often true of mobility work, "core" work, stability, you name it. Neglecting something because you don't feel like doing it (or because you suck at it) is the surest way to guarantee you won't get better at it; and, in reality, likely will end up suffering for it (and suffering more than you will just doing the thing you don't want to).

“I don’t think you should just do what makes you happy. Do what makes you great. Do what’s uncomfortable and scary and hard but pays off in the long run…let yourself fail. Fail and pick yourself up and fail again. Without that struggle, what is your success anyway?” –Charlie Day

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God damn, just came across a post by Stuart McMillan (while perusing the internet as I'm trying to write - yes, I shouldn't do that): "If you're not uncomfortable, then you're probably stuck at an 'acceptable level.'" -Cal Newport

Control

Everything is within your control. Not everything, of course, but a lot more than you think.

Might as well start acting like it.

How We Face Fear

It really came together for me while reading a book to my son, called Franklin is Scared of the Dark (or something along those lines), about a turtle who is scared of small, dark places. For a turtle, this is clearly problematic, as inside his shell is a small, dark place. The rest of the book follows Franklin as he approaches other animals, asking if they could possibly help him. Each of the animals has their own fear which (predictably) is tied to their particular characteristics (a duck afraid of deep water, a lion afraid of loud noises, etc.). Each of these animals has developed a method of insulating themselves from their fears, such as the duck wearing water wings, the lion wearing ear muffs, and so on. While none of this directly helps Franklin, he does realize he can turn on a nightlight while inside his shell in order to get past his fear of the dark.
It illustrates perfectly the problems most of us - present company included - encounter when dealing with fear. Rather than acknowledging our vulnerability, and facing the fear, we seek ways to insulate ourselves from it. We excuse it away, often justifying its legitimacy, we develop reasons why we can't address it, we cloak fear as boredom, or it presents itself as doubt. No matter how it shows itself, fear keeps us from accomplishing what we set out to do. Or at least it does for me.
In reality, rather than shielding ourselves from these fears, the best course of action is, in my opinion at least, to own up to it, to face it, and to continue on in the face of it. Some of these fears are completely legitimate. But that doesn't mean we have to let it stop us. As the saying goes, "courage is not the absence of fear. It is having fear, but doing it anyway."
GI Joe always said "knowing is half the battle." But I disagree, at least in this instance. Recognizing the fear, and how it is cloaking itself, is a great start. But it is not half the battle. Being ready to own up and forge ahead in the face of the fear is half the battle. Then it is merely a matter of continuing to take a step every time fear beats you backward. As with almost any fear, the more you face it, the less it remains. So take that first step, keep moving forward, and someday, it will likely abate.

If You Want Something

My son has recently discovered Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, so naturally, we had to watch it the other night. It was my first introduction to the program, but one of the episodes had the theme that, if you want something, you should try to make it yourself. This is, essentially, what I have been trying to do in the coaching/training realm for some time. There simply does not exist (at least in this area) the appropriate level/type of coaching necessary to prepare athletes and teams for sport while greatly reducing injury risk. So, I'm trying to make it myself.
I'm re-reading Daniel Pink's book Drive and last night went over the section on mastery. He talks about mastery being an asymptote - a curve that approaches a line but never actually touches it. You will never truly master something. There will always be something more to learn about your very specific area of focus. Even the greatest athletes, physicists, philosophers, coaches, or whatever profession you may envision, regardless of how much better at it they were than everyone else, never truly mastered it. But, as Pink notes, it is the attempt to master that is important. It is that part that is "fun." I put fun in quotes, because, as he also notes, a lot of it is actually grueling, monotonous, unsexy, un-fun work. I'm reminded of the Oatmeal comic that I've referenced before. It's hard to keep reminding myself that, as Sir William Osler wrote, 

"Live neither in the past nor in the future, but let each day's work absorb all your interest, energy, and enthusiasm. The best preparation for tomorrow is to do today's work superbly well."

Average Joes Training

This was a document/article I started writing some time ago for general population people looking to "get in shape." It's not terribly specific, but I thought it is a decent introduction to the general tenets of training for the average Joe or Jane. I'm still working on putting together videos for many of the exercises, but for now, it's a start. It was also written with the plan to post as several blog posts, broken up. But instead, I'll just put it all up at once and be done with it.

While athletes are my passion and improving sport performance is my main goal, I do want to try to help as many people as possible. Granted, this blog is seen by pretty much no one, so it’s unlikely this series will help many, if any. But who knows, maybe one day it will gain enough traction that a few eyeballs will see it.

The goal of these posts will be to inform people and hopefully begin to fight back against the sea of misinformation and flat out bullshit that permeates the “fitness” industry, and popular culture as a whole. It will include nutrition as well as training information, in a hopefully fairly easy to understand and apply manner. Who knows, maybe I’ll turn it into an ebook some day and make a truckload of money. OK, probably not, but it’s worth a shot.

First off, if your goal is to lose weight, realize that it is about calories in and calories out. You simply have to burn more calories than you take in. This can (and should) be done through a combination of dietary restriction (or modification) and increased activity. Notice I said activity, not exercise, as exercise implies that you must plan out and perform some sort of dedicated activity. The thing is, it doesn’t matter what you do. It merely needs to be something that burns calories, so as to increase caloric expenditure. This is where a lot of people get fucked up and allow misinformation to spread, as any myriad of activities fit the bill, but uninformed jackasses (or those who do know better, but spread bullshit anyway) are allowed to claim that their methods are the best. Yoga, pilates, Crossfit, intervals, steady state cardio, any number of things – IT DOESN’T FUCKING MATTER. It merely needs to be something you will adhere to and do repeatedly. Obviously, if you have performance goals, then that changes the equation.

So to put it simply: if you want to lose weight, decrease food intake, and maintain or increase activity level (of any kind). If you want to get better at something, do that thing.

Any concern of becoming “musclebound” or something of that sort is silly beyond belief. If you possess the genetics to easily gain muscle mass and shed fat, chances are you would already have it. Not to mention most of the people who have this concern are already carrying an excess of fat. So, forced to choose, I would think an abundance of muscle would be preferable to fat (not that you actually have to choose – it won’t happen).

With all that being said, if I were to instruct someone on how I think they should go about putting together a program for general fitness and health, this is what I would recommend.

Mindset

First, get your mind right. Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not one of those people who claim that training is war or that you’re a warrior or some other macho bullshit. Training is what it is, and it is something different to everyone. The reasons people train (or “exercise,” or “workout”) are myriad. Maybe you want to look good for the opposite sex, maybe you want to test yourself, maybe you want to feel better, maybe you want to improve your physical prowess in the event of a physical altercation, maybe you’re a weekend warrior who wants to perform better when playing sports. Maybe it’s a combination of a few of those things, and maybe it’s something else entirely. Doesn’t matter. Regardless of the reason, realize that your actions will reveal your priorities. I hear it from athletes all the time, that they want to be great or get better, and yet they are eating shitty food, staying up way too late, half-ass their training, and on it goes. Listen, if you want to do all those things, that is fine. Just don’t bitch about the results.

If you want to truly change your body/life and make a lifestyle change, then it has to move near the top of your priority list. Not to the top, mind you, but near it (again, maybe for you it will go to the top; for me, family comes first). This means that you do the things necessary to ensure success. Preparing meals ahead of time, making sure you have your clothes to train in, that you complete the things you need to in time so you can train. The list goes on. I can’t tell you all the things you will encounter, because I don’t know your life. But have some foresight so that you can attempt to prepare for what inevitably will work against you. And if you get off track, do your damndest not to let it spiral. Realize that you didn’t get where you are overnight, and you’re not going to reach your body composition goals overnight, either. Be patient and be consistent.

Nutrition

Calories in vs. Calories out. It’s that simple. I cannot stress this enough. Forget all the diet books, all the gurus, all the ads, all the celebrities, all the bullshit. Your body weight is dictated by how many calories you take in vs. how many you expend. Now, what that weight consists of will be more dictated by your training and what those calories are made up of.

Eat enough protein – bare minimum of 1 gram per pound of bodyweight. Eating more won’t equal more muscle, but don’t be afraid to chow it down. Unless you have a kidney dysfunction, in which case, you will have to be measured and keep intake lower (I’m not sure of specific guidelines in those instances). But if your kidneys are good, eat up. Protein keeps you full better than carbohydrates or fat and requires more energy by your body to digest it.

Eat fruits and veggies – To be fair, they are not essential from the standpoint of weight loss or gain – i.e., they don’t confer some magic benefit that will speed fat loss, no matter what some guru peddling a diet book says. That said, I don’t give a damn what the research says, eat them. Just because they don’t directly contribute to weight loss or gain, they contain lots of vitamins, nutrients, phytochemicals, fiber, and other compounds we aren’t even aware of yet. Yes, it’s possible to go calorically overboard, but I doubt you will. If some asshole tells you not to eat fruit, stop listening to him/her immediately.

Meal frequency is up to you – you don’t have to eat every 3 hours. You can eat once a day if you want. Total calories > protein intake > meal frequency/timing in terms of order of importance. Yes, there are small things in regards to nutrient timing which can make some differences in results, but not enough to get worked up about. Once you have everything else in order, go ahead and start worrying about those things.

That’s really about it. What you have to do is find a way of eating that works best for you. Not a diet, not a strict system of eating, but a way that you can adhere to 90% of the time that will result in success in the long run.

Yes, it would be ideal to have a diet that is rich in fruits, vegetables, and fiber in order to ensure adequate vitamin and mineral intake from whole food sources. However, we also know that doesn’t always happen.

Once you have figured out total calories and protein, the rest is pretty much minutiae. This is, of course, assuming you don’t have a medical condition which requires certain dietary measures. In which case, listen to your doctor.

For myself, when dieting I prefer to just eat the same thing every day. While this isn’t the most exciting, it’s far easier from a food preparation standpoint. I can simply buy larger quantities of the foods I will eat, and make large batches of food ahead of time if necessary. For instance, the following is pretty much exactly what I ate 90% of the time for about 3 months while dieting down. Again, not the most exciting, but it works for me.

Meal 1:

2 eggs

~2 cups egg whites (I buy egg whites from CostCo - they come in 6 smaller cartons that are about 2 cups each. I use an entire one of those smaller cartons)

Spices (I use some chili powder, cumin, and garlic salt, but you can use whatever or none)

Salsa (I don't measure this - the calories will be negligible. I usually get salsa from CostCo, so it lasts a while)

2 slices low fat sharp cheddar cheese

Cal: 500 Protein: 72 Carb: 1 Fat: 16

Meal 2

1 pound deli meat (usually turkey or chicken. I get Oscar Meyer family size packages b/c they are 1 pound, though you could probably go to the deli section and get it that way.)

2 slices low fat sharp cheddar cheese

1 cucumber

Cal: 520 Protein: 82 Carb: 16 Fat: 16

Meal 3

1/2 Jennie-O pork loin (might be turkey, I'm not sure. Either way, it's easy to cook, and it comes in 2 "pieces," so I just eat one and put the other in the fridge)

1 steamed bag veggies (I usually do brussels sprouts or cauliflower, but pretty much anything works)

Cal: 330 Protein: 66 Carb: 6 Fat: 4.5

Meal 4 (optional)

2 scoops MusclePharm Combat Powder in water

Cal: 280 Protein: 50 Carb: 10 Fat: 4

Totals - Cal: 1630 Protein: 270 Carb: 23 Fat: 40.5 (these don't include veggies or salsa)

Now, it’s again imperative to remember how and why I came up with that diet. It’s high in protein, it’s simple in terms of preparation, and it was made up of foods that I liked eating. So it was easy to repeat it day after day, and it kept me full for the most part, which meant I wasn’t super tempted to go off script.

Let me make one thing clear, however. THIS IS WHAT WORKS FOR ME. Your setup may be completely different. And in fact, you don’t have to sit down and plan everything out. Once I got to as lean as I wanted, I basically just started being mindful of protein intake and making sure I wasn’t gorging myself. That may be a very effective strategy for many people – simply make sure you’re getting in 1 gram or more of protein per pound of body weight, and just make sure you’re not going overboard with the rest.

Supplements

I don’t think there is a single required supplement, however, for the purposes of health there are some that I recommend (again, RECOMMEND, not require). Probiotics are great for digestive health. Fish oil has numerous health benefits, heart health among them (2-3 grams total of EPA+DHA). A multivitamin may have some effects, but even if it doesn’t, it’s cheap enough that it doesn’t hurt to find out. I got a bottle of 300 from CostCo for probably 10 bucks if I remember correctly. Just make sure, if you are male, that you do not take one with iron in it. The final supplement would be protein powder, which I basically put in the category of food. It doesn’t contain any magic powers, but can be an easier (and cheaper) way of getting enough protein on a daily basis. It can also add flavor to some foods like oatmeal.

For any more information on nutrition, I suggest you check out Lyle McDonald’s site, bodyrecomposition.com. In fact, pretty much all nutrition advice I give comes directly from him, and would direct you to his article entitled “The Baseline Diet” for the basics of how to set up your eating.

Training

Exercise selection and execution, as well as frequencies, volumes, and intensities must be balanced and accounted for in order that the body does not incur undue stress. Basically, you want to make sure that your joints, tendons, and ligaments are not taking an excess pounding because you’re training with poor technique or because you’re doing more than your body is equipped to handle. This goes especially true for areas like the low back and shoulders, and is one (of many) of my major gripes with programs like Crossfit and their ilk. If your main goal of training is to feel better, do you really want to put up with aches and pains brought on by your exercise regimen? I would guess no. Therefore, it behooves you to choose training approaches which yield rather steady progress and allow you to live life, rather than being a slave to your training or the negative impacts it may have on you. Walking around sore, achy, and tired is antithetical to your goal of improved quality of life.

I’m certainly not a “corrective exercise guy” or guru, but I do feel that they have their place in training. Much like isolation work for people wanting hypertrophy. It shouldn’t make up the bulk of your training, but it can be used very effectively. It can also serve to train the musculature so that it “works” better once you integrate it into bigger movements. I am a firm believer that, as Mark Rippetoe says, “yes, squatting wrong fucks you up, but squatting correctly unfucks those same fucked up things.” This goes for pretty much any movement – exercise performed correctly is corrective exercise (usually). Take, for instance, the glutes. They have received a lot of attention lately, and you will often hear about things like gluteal amnesia. Well it doesn’t mean those muscles forgot how to work. But it does mean that you likely utilize movement patterns which greatly diminish contributions from the glutes, and emphasize those of the erectors and hamstrings. In those instances, sometimes no matter how much practice, coaching, and cueing you do, you simply can’t fix the problem without taking several steps back and utilizing activation and other forms of corrective exercises.

I’ve identified some areas that are of most concern for desk workers. As a result of long periods of sitting, the upper back and shoulders tend to round forward, the hip flexors get short and tight, and even the ankles can be a little tight. As such, the main areas of focus are upper back mobility in both extension and rotation, the ankles, and the hip flexors. Really hammer the hell out of these and make sure to perform them frequently. Start with the first exercise listed, and then over time you can move forward when you feel you aren’t gaining any benefit from the variation you’re currently using. Note that at a certain point you won’t necessarily gain any more mobility, but performing these types of exercises can be important for maintenance. Additionally, you may have to add in some static stretching to gain the range of motion you desire. However, these are good starting points.

Exercise progressions

Thoracic rotation:

Make sure to keep the low back neutral throughout the movement. This means that you don’t let the lower back round over and hyperextend throughout the movement. This will restrict movement somewhat, but will ensure that the movement is largely coming from the thoracic segment of the spine, which is what we want.

Quadruped series – progress through

Spiderman w/ OH reach

Windmills

Thoracic extension:

The key with thoracic extension is that the low back stays neutral throughout the movement. A little extension is OK, but the problem is that many people simply hyperextend the low back, rather than the upper, when performing these types of movements. This means engage the midsection to stabilize the low back, and only get movement from the upper back. The range of motion will likely not be great, and in fact it will mostly come from the arms, which is fine, since it acts as a sort of lat stretch as well.

On floor

On bench

Against wall

Ankle mobilization

Progression from Chris Korfist/Cal Dietz

Ankle Rocker Seated Dorsiflexion

Ankle Rocker Wipers

Ankle Rocker Squat Jump

Ankle Rocker Single Leg Squat

Hip flexor:

Half kneeling

Half kneeling against wall

Spiderman lunge

Walking lunge with reach back

I would recommend 8-15 reps for each of the areas.

I won’t make any sort of absolutist statement about the “need” to perform any particular exercise. As James Smith says, the only exercise an athlete has to perform is the competition exercise. Everything else is up for debate. As such, if you are not a competitive athlete, there is not a single exercise or mode that you have to do. It merely becomes a matter of following principles and manipulating them to fit your particular situation. As such, I will provide guidelines and options that you may find useful.

The basic movement patterns in what I call “static” movements (they are done in place, not moving) are squatting, pushing, hinging, and pulling. I’ll note that this is nothing groundbreaking, as pretty much any coach worth a shit recognized this quite some time ago, but it bears repeating. Do these things well and do them often, and you will likely find that you feel and move much better than you did. However, especially for people with a low training history, they often have trouble doing the movements right out of the gate. In fact, I often have athletes I have to start back a few steps with. Therefore, I have listed progressions I use. You don’t have to start with the first one, but if you find that you can’t perform the basic movement, you may need to regress and start further back. It can be frustrating, but it is necessary in many instances.

I have also followed the progressions all the way to their barbell variations, but you do not have to use those if you don’t want or need to. You can get a lot of mileage out of only body weight movements, especially if your goals are not specific to lifting heavy weights.

Squat:

Squat to box, heels elevated

Squat, heels elevated

Counterbalance box squat

Counterbalance squat

Body weight squat

DB squat

Goblet squat

Front squat

Back squat

Upper push:

Hands-elevated pushups

Pushups

Hands offset pushups on floor

Feet-elevated pushups

Hands offset feet-elevated pushups

Bench press

Hinge:

“Bulgarian goat bag swing” – weighted hinge

KB or DB Swing

RDL

Trap bar deadlift

Deadlift

Upper pull:

Y-T-I OR batwings

Inverted row

Pullup progression – isos, eccentrics, full

Single-leg:

Split squat – pause every time

Split squat

Walking lunge

RFESS

Programming

There are so many programming options it would literally be impossible to list them all, as they are limited only by your imagination, and explaining the principles behind them would take more time and space than I want to spend here.

I am, however, a proponent of Dan Gable’s quote, “if it’s important, do it every day.” Thus, I aim to include all fundamental movement patterns in training every single day, in some form. Realize this does not mean that all are pushed hard, or all are performed with a barbell. It merely means that in some way, I will squat, push, pull, and hinge. Often, one is the primary focus, while the others are simply performed in some capacity during the warmup. Especially for the untrained, or those with limited training backgrounds, I think this takes on even more importance. You simply haven’t been moving enough, and the body is not trained enough, to neglect anything. So you might as well hit everything every chance you get.

First and foremost, you must determine where you are at in the progression scheme. Be honest with yourself and your strengths and weaknesses. If there is any question, choose the step down from where you think you are. Wherever you are in the progression, everything below that is available for use. So if you are on swings, then hinges and goat bag swings can be performed. If you are able to back squat with a barbell, then front squats, goblet squats, and everything below it is fair game.

I also will often throw in carries and single-leg work as categories as well. While carries are pretty straightforward, I do think there is some progression in terms of which carries some people should use. I think untrained people and those who are not particularly strong likely shouldn’t perform carries with a very big (if any) discrepancy between sides. That means no suitcase carries, uneven carries with a big difference, or even waiter carries. As the midsection gets stronger and you can maintain posture, have at it.

Single leg work also needs to be progressed. You will notice that the progressions are largely for quad-dominant exercises. I do use single-leg posterior chain exercises, in the form of single-leg RDLs, however, there isn’t necessarily a progression to that, I usually just make a judgment call on when I feel someone is ready for it, they are also not a necessity.

How much to do?

What I often do with beginner athletes and trainees is to set a prescribed amount of repetitions for a given movement, and then have them do as many sets as necessary to reach it. The number of reps in each set is irrelevant, so long as technique is good throughout. This is especially true if we are having to regress movements, i.e. we have to do hands-elevated pushups instead of regular. In those cases, I will usually utilize the strategy of accumulating volume in those movements until they have developed the strength to perform the basic movement itself.

What number to start with? This, again, is difficult to say outright, because everyone starts with such varying work capacities. Therefore, you might utilize a time-based approach, rather than a set volume. For instance, pair up your squat and upper body pulling exercises. Perform 5-8 reps of each, resting as needed and alternating exercises. You might start with 5 minutes, you might start with 10. Either way, utilize rest periods as you see fit, and perform as many sets as you can in that time frame. While some will liken this to Crossfit, there is a glaring difference – you are NOT chasing fatigue! The reps completed need to be done with as near to perfect execution as you can. This is skill practice, not getting tired practice.

Utilizing the time-based, as opposed to set volume-based, approach, is that your current work capacity will act as a “governor” in terms of how much you are able to do. Perhaps you are able to bust out a number of really good sets quickly, but fatigue starts setting in and your pace slows down. This is perfectly fine and is precisely what you are looking for. This isn’t being weak, it’s working within your limits to expand them.

So this would look like this as an example:

Body weight squats paired with hands-elevated pushups, 10 minutes on the clock

Set of 6 squats, rest as needed, set of 6 pushups, rest as needed, set of 6 squats, rest as needed, etc.

If fatigue becomes a limiting factor and sets of 6 become difficult, start doing sets of 4 or 5. The goal is quality repetitions. The next time you repeat the workout, try to beat the total number of repetitions you did in that time frame.

Once you can perform the exercises with decent proficiency, you may want to move to circuit-type work.

Body weight circuits are a great place to start, and here would be a sample circuit:

Squat jumps

Plank

Alternating lunges in place

Dead bug abs

Burpees

Superman or other low back exercise

Body weight squats

Pushups

Lateral Lunges

Inverted Rows

You can sub in many alternatives, such as pullups (or assisted pullups), light band exercises, or various mobility drills. Also, this article by Dan Pfaff gives some examples of exercises and combinations which can be used to enhance relative body strength and mobility. Utilizing small external weights – medicine balls, weight plates, or whatever you have available – and orienting them in different positions relative to your body (straight in front, overhead, to the side, etc.) will challenge balance, posture and mobility and can be used to introduce variety into the program.

Depending on your previous training leading into this, you will probably want to start out doing this 2x per week. Shoot for 10-20 reps per exercise, and go through 2-3 times, resting as needed between exercises. As your fitness improves, increase the number of times through the circuit, decrease rest times, increase reps, or add exercises in order to increase the difficulty. One way may be to decrease the time it takes you to go through the circuit a certain number of times. This increases the density of the work, and is just one of a myriad of ways to up the difficulty.

As you get better and better, and are moving up the ladder of each progression, you can begin moving the various progressions below your current status into the warmup. These progressions should now be of a sufficiently low intensity that you can perform them with little impact on your state.

Within each movement pattern, feel free to experiment with different variations, as you may find that certain variations suit you better than others. It may feel better to incline bench than flat bench, for instance. Or it may feel better to front squat than back squat (or not squat at all). I have recently discovered that deadlifting with an offset stance, with my right foot slightly forward, makes my low back feel much better. As such, I will be moving forward using the deadlift only in a supportive capacity, and will perform it in the staggered position. If it gets to where it feels good to do it normal again, I will probably move back.

After a while of doing circuits and variations thereof, you may feel the desire to move to using free weights. As I stated previously, you do not HAVE to do this, however, it can be the next logical progression. The squat is the first movement I would load externally, as it doesn’t change the movement mechanics drastically.

In upper body pressing movements, if you are bench pressing (or any variation thereof), the shoulder blade is essentially “pinned down,” so if your technique is not very good, it can end up doing a fair amount of damage to the structures of the shoulder. Utilizing pushups and their variations allow the shoulder blade to move freely and therefore can contribute to longevity in the shoulders. This doesn’t give you carte blanche to do pushups with shitty technique – it will still catch up to you eventually. However, in the squat, all the moving pieces are still moving, even if you add load. You will end up having to lean forward more if you are doing back squats, but assuming you have sufficiently strong erectors and can maintain a neutral lower spine, you will be fine.

I also prefer squatting to deadlifting for many “regular” trainees, as they often have a hard time maintaining a flat back when initiating the pull from the floor.

“Cardio”

Low-intensity aerobic work has gotten a bad rap lately, but it has a ton of merit for athletes and non-athletes alike. While it’s not a time-saver, the health benefits are too great to ignore. As such, I recommend 20-30 minutes of steady state work with your heart rate in the 100-130 range as many days as you can. 20-30 minutes is a minimum guideline – if you want to do more, by all means do so. You’re not going to overdo it. If you’re going to do something else as well, like lift, do the steady state work beforehand. It won’t cash you, and it will serve as a good warmup.

Realize that any type of activity is fine for this – the adaptations we are looking for are at the heart, so however you are able to raise the heart rate is fine. If you have access to cardio machines or have a bike, roller blades, etc. I would recommend them as opposed to running, if possible. I’m not anti-running, however, the impact on the joints can be quite high, particularly if you have inefficient mechanics. Therefore, minimizing impact can be very beneficial. If you enjoy running, however, and want to use that, go ahead. One trick for keeping intensity low, aside from tracking HR, is to run at a pace that allows you to only breathe through your nose.

People will argue that they don’t have time for that type of work and would prefer to do high-intensity work (especially since it’s all the rage and it makes you feel like you did something), but the fact is, when it comes to your health, can you not spare 20-30 minutes per day? Additionally, the difference in caloric expenditure is simply not great enough to worry about, even over a long period of time. Do the low-intensity work, feel better, and thank me later. This type of work can also have a very positive impact on immune system function.

So at the beginning, it may look something like this:

M – 20-30 minutes cardiac output, 50 total reps each pushups, rows, squats

T – 20+ minutes cardiac output

W – 30-60 minutes cardiac output

Th – 20-30 minutes cardiac output, 60 total reps each pushups, lunges, rows

F – 20+ minutes cardiac output

Sat – 20+ minutes cardiac output

Sun – off

Again, this is merely an example and suggestion. I also realize many people want to do cardiovascular work that is more taxing than the lower-intensity work, in order that they “feel like they did something.” You are free to do so. This is only my recommendation. As well, it is important to remember that activity that you can continue to do over time will have a greater contribution to weight loss success than something you go at hard for a short period of time and eventually burn out on.

"As complexity rises, precise statements lose meaning and meaningful statements lose precision!". –Lofti Zadeh

Basically, while the basics of nutrition and performance are quite simple, and therefore we can make some blanket recommendations as to what to do, the human body is a very complex machine. It doesn’t adapt linearly and in perfectly understood ways. Therefore, the best we can do are give general recommendations which a person can adapt to their specific circumstance.