Yesterday I was lucky enough to have an hour long phone conversation with one of my running mates growing up. I say running mates because for about two years, while we were both in high school together, we probably saw eachother every single day. Not because we were in the same classes or because we were next door neighbors, but because we played basketball every single day. At the park, after school in the gym, in the hallway with a tennis ball. No matter what we played ball and we loved it. It consumed our lives. And all we wanted to do was get better at playing the sport we loved.
Since then, a lot has changed. Now we are both trying to help others become better players and athletes. My friend is running an AAU basketball program just outside of Atlanta, GA (www.gounited.org). I'm just starting a strength training business that is looking to help student-athletes become stronger and more durable so that if they choose to follow our path of playing college basketball, or any sport, they will be better suited to do so. We want to give kids the same help that we got from our mentor.
So what does this mean for the blog? Not a whole lot will change, other than the fact that I will be posting more often, starting in the next couple of weeks, and that I will be posting on basketball related topics along with general strength and fitness topics.
With this in mind, if there is anything that you would like me to discuss, leave a comment below, post a comment on facebook or shoot me an email. My goal is to serve you the best way that I can.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Stick to the Basics
Last post I blasted body-part training and talked about the superiority of hitting the big, compound exercises regularly. Today, I'm going to talk about the specific exercises you should be doing multiple times per week.
If you just started training, congratulations, you're likely in for the biggest and best gains you will ever make in your life, especially if your 16-22 years old. A lot of these gains will be due to your neuromuscular system getting more efficient at doing the exercises. Also, the amount of testosterone that males are producing are at a high point for your life, so take advantage of it! Females, no reason to worry, your test levels do not increase at all during this time.
Even if your an intermediate level lifter, you can see great progress by sticking to the big exercises. If you lift three days a week, you should be doing full-body routines. If you lift four days, split body is the way to go, but there can be a little carryover, like doing the Olympic lifts on an upper body day (if you have not learned these from a good coach, check out Dan John here, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9l9mlcbmrAE&feature=related).
So, the exercises you need to focus all your attention to should be: squat, deadlift, bench press, overhead press, pull up, row and any Olympic lift.
These exercises are not only great for building strength and muscle, they are also recommended for increasing bone mass, tendon and ligament strength and can be used in an endurance routine. So no matter what your goal, these exercises should be used as the foundation of any resistance training program.
But right now, I'm talking strength. Do these exercises until you can squat 1.5x your bodyweight and you will not be disappointed in your results. It's likely that you will want to keep going. That's right, no overhead, single arm, reverse, cable tricep extensions. You'll thank me later.
It is recommended to perform multiple sets in the 4-6 rep range.
If you're an athlete, I know I am leaving out a very big part of traditional training: single-leg exercises. Well I have found a way to get around training the traditional way for one-leg strength and power that can be trained on the same day or off-days and doesn't leave you unable to get out of the seated position for 3 days like doing sets of heavy lunges.
For more details about what my current programming looks like or how to implement the big lifts to reach your goals, leave a comment here or on the NHaFC Facebook page, email me at bobby.fisk@yahoo.com, or come by NHaFC to get a first hand look.
If you just started training, congratulations, you're likely in for the biggest and best gains you will ever make in your life, especially if your 16-22 years old. A lot of these gains will be due to your neuromuscular system getting more efficient at doing the exercises. Also, the amount of testosterone that males are producing are at a high point for your life, so take advantage of it! Females, no reason to worry, your test levels do not increase at all during this time.
Even if your an intermediate level lifter, you can see great progress by sticking to the big exercises. If you lift three days a week, you should be doing full-body routines. If you lift four days, split body is the way to go, but there can be a little carryover, like doing the Olympic lifts on an upper body day (if you have not learned these from a good coach, check out Dan John here, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9l9mlcbmrAE&feature=related).
So, the exercises you need to focus all your attention to should be: squat, deadlift, bench press, overhead press, pull up, row and any Olympic lift.
These exercises are not only great for building strength and muscle, they are also recommended for increasing bone mass, tendon and ligament strength and can be used in an endurance routine. So no matter what your goal, these exercises should be used as the foundation of any resistance training program.
But right now, I'm talking strength. Do these exercises until you can squat 1.5x your bodyweight and you will not be disappointed in your results. It's likely that you will want to keep going. That's right, no overhead, single arm, reverse, cable tricep extensions. You'll thank me later.
It is recommended to perform multiple sets in the 4-6 rep range.
If you're an athlete, I know I am leaving out a very big part of traditional training: single-leg exercises. Well I have found a way to get around training the traditional way for one-leg strength and power that can be trained on the same day or off-days and doesn't leave you unable to get out of the seated position for 3 days like doing sets of heavy lunges.
For more details about what my current programming looks like or how to implement the big lifts to reach your goals, leave a comment here or on the NHaFC Facebook page, email me at bobby.fisk@yahoo.com, or come by NHaFC to get a first hand look.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Chest, Shoulders, Biceps, Repeat
Chest, Shoulders, Biceps, Repeat. Have you ever seen a training plan like this? It's far too common that these three body areas are the basis of a training routine. Scary, isn't it?
This routine's basis is around the "mirror muscles", so the thought process is by working the crap out of the muscles that one can regularly check out in the mirror, it will get you to swole city faster than if you worked all the muscles in the body.
It should make sense, except there are a few factors that work against this logic.
First, working only these muscles will cause crazy imbalances. It will cause your shoulders to round forward, which is the last thing anybody needs from their training since we already sit at a computer and on the couch for hours on end, which also makes the rounded shoulder problem worse.
Next, and most importantly, where is the lower body training? Specifically, squats and deadlifts. These two exercises should be the basis of any strength program. Why? These exercises will allow you to use more weight than any other, using a lot of muscles. More weight = more muscle. And, these movements are engrained in our genetic makeup. Ask a 3 year old to squat. It's perfect. Ask the same 3 year old to pick up a heavy (for them) object and they deadlift it. Need I say more?
It's also fairly easy to improve on these exercises once you learn how to do them properly. 5 pound a week increases can be attained because of all the muscles used. These increases won't continue for years on end, but can certainly remain constant for the first year or two if diet, recovery and training consistency are all in place.
Lastly, what's more badass than loading up a bar and putting it on your back or picking it up off the ground. Nothing!
Personally, I just flat out dislike bodypart training, as you can probably tell. The majority of it comes from bodybuilders jacked through the roof on illegal substances. I prefer training movements and areas of the body. If you strength train three days or less a week, train full body. If you strength train four days a week, train two upper body and two lower body.
In a similar fashion, if you do an upper body press exercise, do an upper body pull. If you do a lower body push (quad based exercise), do a lower body pull (hamstring based exercise). I also recommend, 2x as many hamstring exercises for athletes because the majority of them are "quad dominant" or more appropriately "hamstring weak" which is the cause for many knee injuries.
Regardless of how many days a week you train, the fundamental movements still need to be in place: Deadlifting, squatting, pressing and pulling. If you focus on these movements you will be far better off than blasting your bi's for an hour with 13 different exercises in front of the mirror. Who do you think has bigger biceps; the guy doing curls for an hour or the guy doing pullups with 90lbs strapped to his waist?
So focus on the big movements, leave your biceps alone for a few weeks and watch your strength and body progress!
This routine's basis is around the "mirror muscles", so the thought process is by working the crap out of the muscles that one can regularly check out in the mirror, it will get you to swole city faster than if you worked all the muscles in the body.
It should make sense, except there are a few factors that work against this logic.
First, working only these muscles will cause crazy imbalances. It will cause your shoulders to round forward, which is the last thing anybody needs from their training since we already sit at a computer and on the couch for hours on end, which also makes the rounded shoulder problem worse.
Next, and most importantly, where is the lower body training? Specifically, squats and deadlifts. These two exercises should be the basis of any strength program. Why? These exercises will allow you to use more weight than any other, using a lot of muscles. More weight = more muscle. And, these movements are engrained in our genetic makeup. Ask a 3 year old to squat. It's perfect. Ask the same 3 year old to pick up a heavy (for them) object and they deadlift it. Need I say more?
It's also fairly easy to improve on these exercises once you learn how to do them properly. 5 pound a week increases can be attained because of all the muscles used. These increases won't continue for years on end, but can certainly remain constant for the first year or two if diet, recovery and training consistency are all in place.
Lastly, what's more badass than loading up a bar and putting it on your back or picking it up off the ground. Nothing!
Personally, I just flat out dislike bodypart training, as you can probably tell. The majority of it comes from bodybuilders jacked through the roof on illegal substances. I prefer training movements and areas of the body. If you strength train three days or less a week, train full body. If you strength train four days a week, train two upper body and two lower body.
In a similar fashion, if you do an upper body press exercise, do an upper body pull. If you do a lower body push (quad based exercise), do a lower body pull (hamstring based exercise). I also recommend, 2x as many hamstring exercises for athletes because the majority of them are "quad dominant" or more appropriately "hamstring weak" which is the cause for many knee injuries.
Regardless of how many days a week you train, the fundamental movements still need to be in place: Deadlifting, squatting, pressing and pulling. If you focus on these movements you will be far better off than blasting your bi's for an hour with 13 different exercises in front of the mirror. Who do you think has bigger biceps; the guy doing curls for an hour or the guy doing pullups with 90lbs strapped to his waist?
So focus on the big movements, leave your biceps alone for a few weeks and watch your strength and body progress!
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